Addicted

Hi.  My name is Amy, and I'm addicted to chips.

No, not CHiPs...

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CHIPS.

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I'm that girl that crunches on her chips at her desk and probably annoys her coworkers but can't resist the crunchy, salty, delicious taste of chips.

I probably knew I had a problem back when I used to eat tortilla chips at Plato Loco with BUTTER on them, but I think it really set in this past week.  I ran out of my snack-sized bags of chips and I decided I wasn't going to buy any as a way to try and use the groceries I already have lying around.

For what it's worth, I get the Smart Mix

I tried to substitute them with roasted chickpeas.

Sample recipe

Although they are delicious, and when cooked right have that same satisfying crunch, they're no chips.

I did something I probably shouldn't have done last Friday.  I went to the Dallas Rock and Roll expo on an empty stomach, with the hope that the samples would be in abundance and suffice as my lunch.

Then I found the mecca.

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With my mouth still full of some other treat (I think a protein bar?) I saw where they were handing out small bags of chips.  The Better Chip, to be exact.  I grabbed a bag of the spinach & kale chips, and with my mouth still somewhat full (I'm a classy lady), asked the guy where I could get them.  "I'm sorry, what?"  I repeated the question after chewing a few more times.  "Oh! HEB, Central Market, Whole Foods..." Excellent.

At the time I was just being a polite sampler.  Not wanting to just grab a bag and go, I wanted to act like I was genuinely interested and not just starving.  So glad I did, because they were DELICIOUS.  OH man. Salty, vegetable goodness.  I might be drooling just thinking about it.

Fast forward to today.  I made the mistake adventured to Central Market on my lunch break.  I was almost out of fruit and I wanted to see if they had THE chips.  After traipsing through the aisles, almost guilting myself into buying a $13 bag of huge honeycrisp apples (seriously?? for FIVE), I made it to the chip aisle.

As I was looking for the delicious chips, I found these:

Olde Cape Cod Popped Crisps source

They had set out a sampling station so you could scarf your face sample at your leisure.  Heaven.  I broke sampling etiquette and went back three or four times.  And then decided to just buy a bag.

Well, I looked and looked but could not find The Better Chip.  SAD DAY.  So I paid for my consolation prize and left.

If that was the end of the story though it wouldn't be worthy of the title.

I just got on to the Dallas Rock and Roll website, looked up their vendors (because I couldn't remember the name of the company), searched for "chip" and found The Better Chip.  Clicked on their website and BINGO.  I clicked on the "where to buy" button, to make sure local groceries have them, and it claims that Central Market does.

Don't worry though, there's a link that reads, "No chips in your store?" which I promptly clicked on and filled out the form because it's not just about store awareness, it's about the free bag of chips I'll get in the mail because of it!!  Yes!

It was when I saw this screen that I realized I miiight have a problem:

Yes.  I did just save the letter and will print and take it to both Central Market and Kroger.  My name is Amy, and I'm addicted to chips.

Choose your words

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This might be my most unpopular post to date, but I have to say something.

Please, people, stop using the word "Thinspiration."

Please.

It's no secret I'm an avid blog reader, as well as a lover of teen fiction, so my inner teenager got a tumblr a couple of years ago.  Scrolling through blogs quickly showed me this new phenomenon of "thinspiration"... pictures posted by girls of what they want to look like.

More digging showed more pictures of girls with bones sticking out, tips on how to fast, an obsession with getting a "thigh gap," and so much more, all linked to "thinspiration" or "thinspo."

Do you know what happens when you look up "thinspiration" on Wikipedia?  A definition of pro-ana and pro-mia, or pro-anorexic and pro-bulimia.  The very WORD promotes eating disorders.  

It is heart-breaking.  Most of these girls are teenagers.

I felt a little better when I started finding the healthier alternative in "fitspiration" which promotes a fit and active lifestyle with a balanced, healthy diet. The problem with this is still the images that girls post as their "fitspiration!"  They're still aspiring to look/be like someone that they aren't.

The other downfall of this is the unhealthy obsession with getting fit.  It can take over your mind and lead to disordered thoughts.  It can mean "punishing" yourself for having too many cookies with an extra 500 push-ups.  (Although this is more like exercise anorexia.)

I am not a nutritionist.  I am not a doctor.  I am not an expert on this. 

All I'm saying is to choose your words.



On a lighter note, I used to use the word "redonkulous" all the time and apparently my mom picked up on it and used it in conversation one day.  This was met by an unknowing party who exclaimed something along the lines of, "Do you even KNOW what that MEANS?!" (Drama added, I'm sure.) So my mom was left wondering what on earth her daughter had taught her.  (The word is just an exaggeration of ridiculous, completely harmless.)

Point being, I know a lot of you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, could care less, or won't come across a situation with this, but I wanted to put it out there.

Rant over.  You are beautiful, people. Every last one of you.