OT: Being Selfish?

Hey'all..

I am struggling with this little mental game here. I don't know if I should just let it go.. but would LOVE to hear your opinions on this..

So I have a 'stash' of diet foods sitting in my fridge/pantry, etc that are the only real 'staple' items that i eat on a regular basis (which is VERY little in quantity and takes me forever to finish ofcourse).  My hubby has been Extremely supportive and careful about not taking any of that diet stuff as he has his own tastes n such.. but WHENEVER my dad comes over, he just dives right into that personal stash of mine and takes gobs of gobs of the diet foods (not that he has to diet or anything), he just happens to like raiding the fridge and trying to 'finish' off things leftover and stuff like that.. but what he doesn't realize is that it is MY stuff that i paid some good $$ for and can only enjoy very little quantity of but i make it last a long time out of sheer inability to obvly finish anything for a while, you know? it just irritates the HECK out of me because i'm having to restock my things each time he makes a visit and leaves. it is getting kind of crazy and i dont know how to say 'hey that's my stuff, hands off'.. i mean it's FOOD for heaven's sake and i feel soooo CHEAP to have to mention this to him. i mean in my opinion, i think he should just be supportive and a little more understanding of the fact that i have certain things that i am allowed or can eat so just leave that alone for me to enjoy in peace w/out having to worry about whether he's going to finish off my next 3-4 days worth of meals! ugh! 

i feel SO embarassed even talking or thinking about this.. but it's just bugging me like HEck and i had to vent.. sorry if it sounds so childish or stupid or even selfish!! 

any advice or words of wisdom?

I have an entire shelf in the fridge and the little freezer basket in our chest freezer is ALL MINE LOL LOL ! ! ! I do not think it's selfish, or childish. That is MY FOOD, if someone wants MY FOOD, I'll buy them some of it for their shelves.

I have an entire shelf on the door as well that are just MY CONDIMENTS. Back up off my low carb barbque sauce.

So, nope I have zero issue with "my food" being "my food" and I have some of it marked to keep my 13yr old out of my stash.

Please share the name of this lo-carb BBQ sauce? :)

I make it myself.

• 2 strips of thick bacon, chopped fine
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 can (12 oz) diet (sugar-free) cola - Splenda-sweetened preferred
• 1/4 cup low carb (sugar-free) catsup, (or see note)
• 3 T mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Preparation: Note 1: If you prefer to leave the bacon out, add 1-3 teaspoons of liquid smoke, to taste, near the end of the cooking. Alternatively, add some smoky flavor using 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, or chipotle powder to taste.

Note 2: If you can't find low carb catsup, leave it out, but add about a tablespoon of vinegar and some sweetener, to taste.

1) Fry the bacon in a saucepan - a 2 qt pan works well.

2) Add the onion and cook over medium until soft - 3-5 minutes. Add garlic at this point if you're using fresh and stir it for half a minute or so.

3) Add the rest of the ingredients, plus about half a cup of water. Stir well. 4) Simmer for 20-30 minutes. It will cook down a bit and flavors will combine. 5) Adjust the seasonings so you have the balance you want - you can add vinegar, artificial sweetener (liquid preferred), or hot sauce. (If it's too hot, adding more sweetener will tone it down.)

The recipe makes approximately 10 servings of 1/4 cup each. Each serving has about 3.5 grams of carbohydrate plus 1 gram of fiber. If I want to make it spicy, I add dijon mustard, and/or red pepper flakes. I also used minced dry onion pieces if I don't have onion on hand, I add a lot more Worcestershire sauce as well, just kind of depends on how I want it to taste, plus I add some liquid smoke (no more than 1-2teaspoon) if I want that smoky flavor. Onion powder, minced garlic, black pepper, white pepper and cloves can all change the flavor profile as well. Adding some Splenda brown sugar will definitely make it sweeter and not so twangy, but I like twang!

It would drive me nuts if somebody did that, but there's no tactful way to say that without sounding petty.  Can you find a better hiding spot?  As for the stuff in the fridge, a well marked plastic bin with "DO NOT TOUCH" written on it might do the trick - make sure it's not see-through, or he might go for it.  Or depending on your relationship with your dad, you can just say "um, could you stop being a piglet and eating all my diet food?  There's plenty of real food for you on the other shelf!"  That's the path I would choose, but my dad and I are pretty close, he wouldn't be offended.  

 "um, could you stop being a piglet and eating all my diet food?  There's plenty of real food for you on the other shelf!"  



Ha Ha Ha Ha....I love this answer!!

Of course you should say somethng to your Dad.  If he knew that he was eating your special food he may stop right away.  If not, you are just going to have to tell him flat out to keep his paws off of your special stuff.  He doesn't understand that since we can only eat a tiny bit of anything that we really look forward to having the leftovers later. 

My crew knows hey thats moms last jello or popsicle and wouldnt dare touch.They would see me come unglued lol. My 13 yr old asked the other day can I have a popsicle if you have 10 left.So I say sure but on a more sincere answer Tell him now before it keeps happening.Just make it a money issue in a little chat and say something Like I thought I would save money not having to feed me to But Lord someone keeps taking my left overs and special things that I get to enjoy,indirectly he will get the message.Or do like I tell my kids if in doubt its moms ask.I even put a sign on fridge!!!!!

Would your husband be willing to step up and say something like, "Hey Dad, the stuff in the blue containers is the diet stuff my wife (sorry, don't know your name) is limited to right now, so I keep my hands off. Can I make you a sandwich?"

If that doesn't work you'll have to be blunt or start hiding your stash. Sometimes a really clear label on a container helps...

Kelly-Anne

Not selfish or stupid.  I am the same way.  For some reason my kids BEG for my diet food.  Nope, diet food or healthier food is way more expensive.  They can eat regular food and be OK.  I struggle through the store to find things I should be eating and pay outrageous prices so I dont share it.  NOBODY goes near my food!  LOL!  Even when they have friends over I hear them say "Dont touch that it is my moms!"

I hope you can talk to him and he can understand where you are coming from!