Chicken Wings for the Emotional Eater's Soul

Things that trigger emotional eating:

• Starting a new career 
• Sleeping alone
• Paying for gas with quarters
• April snow
• Emotional eating

All my buttons have been pushed lately. Resulting in polishing off a whole pizza to myself at one sitting and binging on chicken wings til maximum capacity. Why resort to food? I don't know. The impulse is overwhelming, the taste incredible, the result: guilt.

But seriously, why are chicken wings so good. Why can't I resist them even when my reason for eating isn't a result of an emotional breakdown? It's the sauce. Yep, I'm pretty sure its the sauce. Or the dipping. Oh, how I love food that you dip. But just ranch, NO BLUE CHEESE. I really have a hate on for blue cheese. Not the cheese itself just the gooey sauce they confine it to for dipping.

Have you ever seen anyone pull the meat off the bone with their fingers instead of their teeth? I have. You know who you are ;) It's strange and defeats the purpose of just getting in their and embracing the carnivore deep inside. Strangely enough, at first glance this friend of mine would be perceived as a chicken wing shredding machine.

...Sorry, side tracked!

What a week. Finally I get a job in my field. I'm working with some great people and on a good career path for once in my life. But the thought of screwing up this opportunity has left me mentally exhausted and hungry. As each workday ended my anxiety heightened with the anticipation of what the next day would bring. As the anxiety rose so did the number of trips to the fridge. I polished off the pickles, chips, cheese, Sunday ham, pizza and finally splurged on a pub night filled with chicken wings. I must confess I was almost as happy to indulge in a feast of deep fried fat dripping in hot sauce as I was to have the week end.

I need a new vice or at least a healthy alternative. I'm on a mission. A "replace the chicken wings" mission. I'd love to say that the inspirational tales of others are enough to distract me from my present stressful life, but that would be a lie. However, curling up with a plate of something yummy paired with goblet of red to embark on a Chicken Soup for the Soul evening could possibly be a welcomed distraction from life's stressful moments.

Something yummy for the plate needs to be something yummy for the waistline ;) Any suggestions?