Fridge Tapas

Guilty Mother - 2 Jan 17

Ooooohhh, don’t you just love this time of the year. Stretchy trousers, oversized, cosy knit jumpers and…wait for it; so many random items of food in the fridge. Many families will be left with large piles of leftovers, with figures claiming an average household in the UK throws away £28 on food and drink at Christmas.

Surprises in the fridge are always exciting and although the festive feast may be over, many of us just can’t resist opening the doorway to fridge tapas heaven. I mean, really, is nibbling our way through the fridge really that bad for us?

Returning home, the other day, I threw down my bag and made a beeline for the fridge. I opened it to find a selection of hams, pickles, cocktail sausages, pork pies, olives and a small selection of cheeses. It’s basically tapas on heat. And the problem is, although all is this lovely food is to be shared, we just can’t help opening the fridge to take a look for our own personal satsifaction.

We secretly find ourselves opening the fridge doors and whilst the doors are still open, the fridge light shining brightly into our eyes; we devour, not one, not two but three cocktail sausages in the blink of an eye. With both fridge doors still ajar, my secret eating is concealed. No one has seen me devour these small, zero calorie sausages, so basically…this never happened. But it doesn’t end there, you can mix up the tapas, such as rolling a bit of cooked leftover chorizo in a piece of cheese. Yum. Or pick at some ham and pickles at the same time. Again, if you can create the tapas quickly (it takes abit of practice), whilst still hidden in the fridge doors, there is a chance, no one will see.

But I am not alone in this secret eating. I know my husband is a secret fridge tapas eater too. He just won’t admit it. He often opts for a piece of jarlsberg cheese instead. It’s quick and less obvious than munching on sausages. Ummmmm….tactical.

Sometimes if I have been at the fridge too long and get rumbled, my husband might say “why don’t you just pull up a chair?” and I am immediately embarrassed and riddled with guilt. Unfortunately, there is no come back from that.

As women, we constantly question ourselves that, we can’t understand how we are putting on weight when we are trying so hard to be strict with our diet. Perhaps it is because we have convinced ourselves that ‘fridge tapas’ does not contain calories. It’s true; right? And perhaps that’s the point. Tapas consumed in isolation, sampling small amounts of a range of foods, makes me feel less guilty. Then, by the time it comes to dinner, I can’t figure out why I’m not hungry, as fridge tapas, technically doesn’t count towards my daily calorie allowance.

I was recently reading on the Oprah.com website (and we all know Oprah knows best), that perhaps when faced with a stressful situation or a person feel unfulfilled, they’ll find their resolve weakening and turn to their best friend: food. Whoops. Sorry Oprah. Perhaps I just had a stressful day then.

So, Guilty Mothers. Please tell me I am not alone. Fridge tapas anyone?…

Guilty Mother

Guilty Mother is an honest and (sometimes funny) blog for mums who feel guilty about juggling work, kids and home-life. Here's to feeling less guilty!

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