Today's Snack

Only after I took this picture did I notice that I'd only given myself 4 pretzels. I added one more in after the picture was taken.

This is one of my favorite "substantial" snacks. When I say "substantial", I don't mean that it's healthy, but rather that it's more filling and causes me no blood sugar problems (as fruit often does).

This is pretty straightforward in terms of contents. This snack is more about how it's done than what it is. Those are sourdough pretzels and the cheese is Gouda. The drink is 8 oz. of Coke Zero. I always measure out portions and put them on a plate in this way in order to give it a sense of being something planned rather than something I cram in on the run. This helps keep portion sizes in line and stops mindless eating.

The cheese is sliced with a "cheese planer", which makes paper thin slices. You'll notice that you can see through the slices where they overlap the green table cloth. This not only allows me to get more slices (which makes it seem like a lot of cheese and prolongs the enjoyment compared to eating cubes or blocks of cheese), but it also enhances the flavor experience. Putting a paper thin slice on your tongue and holding it in your mouth for several seconds while it touches your palate gives you a much better sense of the cheese's sublime qualities. The more surface area of your tongue that the cheese touches, the greater the taste experience.

The sourdough pretzels are more flavorful than regular ones, but I like all sorts of pretzels just fine. The texture and saltiness, as well as the smell of the yeast and bread-like qualities are quite nice. I encourage you to smell them and concentrate on these qualities if you're a pretzel fan.

5 sourdough pretzels: 110 calories
1 oz. Gouda cheese: 101 calories
total: 211 calories