February’s gone, and I’m glad to see the back end of a difficult month. The Seattle area’s Snowmageddon left us with a flooded basement, and the cleanup injured my back. But March offers us a glimpse of sunnier times to come. All this month, I’ll be participating in a multi-author Event sponsored by The Romance Reviews. Pop over to the sidebar and click on the link for your chance to win romance goodies galore!

For today’s blog hop with Marketing for Romance Writers, the topic is stress eating. I’m lucky in that I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, and I’m able to work standing for much of the day. All the wiggling I do must burn at least a few more calories, right? But I do get hungry often, and since becoming a full-time writer, I’ve gradually gained weight.
Especially in the late afternoon, nothing revives my energy and concentration like a coffee and some Triscuits with cheese–my Kryptonite. Add to that my big appetite and weakness for salty, crunchy things, and you’ve got a recipe for–well, a larger-that-I-wanna-be state.

Please don’t write in recommending the latest diet book. I’m tried enough of those to know a severely restricted eating regimen won’t work for me. I have no interest in suffering to shrivel to a size dictated by the fashion industry. But I do want to be healthy, so I’m working on taking more frequent movement breaks and eating a small, healthy snack when hunger strikes during a writing session.

Just for fun, here’s my recipe for a quick batch o’ hummus. When eaten with cucumber slices or other veggie scoops, it keeps me satisfied.

• Chop a small onion or half a large one and mince a clove or two of garlic.
• Put these in a microwave-safe dish with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Cover and nuke for 2-3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant.
• Dump that into your food processor along with a drained can of garbanzo beans, a teaspoon of ground cumin, 2 tablespoons tahini, salt and pepper, and a tablespoon or two of lemon juice.
• If you wish, add other seasonings to make it interesting. Sometimes I throw in olives, roasted red peppers from a jar, smoked paprika, harissa paste, basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, leftover roasted carrots or other veg. Get creative! Penzeys makes a great Turkish seasoning blend that’s wonderful in hummus.
• Whirl that sucker until it’s as smooth as you like it. I’m impatient by nature and don’t care if it’s got a little texture. Besides, I’m hungry!
• Enjoy, and congratulate yourself for having saved a few bucks and spared the environment another disposable plastic tub.

Until next week, bon appétit ! Please leave a comment and share your favorite writing munchies.

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