Food Creeps In
Yesterday’s day off from blogging was much needed! I didn’t want to admit it, but I was kind of starting to feel under the weather by the end of the day. I think I have been sick enough in 2011 for the next 5 years. All is well now though, so lets have a recap shall we?
Tuesday night was all about Grilling. There is a lot more to grilling than just throwing your food on and waiting for the magic to happen. You must worry about temperature, hot spots, cool spots and the different cooking times of each type of food.
We were let loose to work on some marinades and then started to smoke up the kitchen.
We grilled up chicken, shrimp, tempeh, tofu, fruit and vegetables. Made for an awesome late dinner.
Nothing great happened yesterday. I worked and napped on my break and then came home relaxed with some ginger tea and slept some more.
Today was definitely more exciting. Chris took the day off since he is working a double tomorrow so we finally got to spend some time together. It was tough to figure out where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do, but we were able to accomplish 4 things on our list . . .
Eat Breakfast Together
We really didn’t want to spend money on breakfast so I had the idea to go to Starbucks and chip away at my giftcards. I was craving oatmeal early in the morning but by the time we got ready and dressed, I was craving more of a breakfast sandwich type thing which we both got. We also split a cinnamon chip scone.
Be Outdoors
Well this was kind of hard since today has been the coldest day all week, but we did manage to find a park that we fit into our route called Tatum Park. We walked the trails for about 40min, sat on a bench and took in nature. I haven’t done anything like this in too long. I cant wait for spring. . .
Get Indian Food
Chris and I love to try new cuisines and Indian was the next type on our list. We happened to find a place with a lunch buffet very close to the park! There was a lot of people there taking advantage of the buffet. Everything was excellent and it was fun trying new dishes. Plus, we got to support a local restaurant. We feel better giving our money to places like these instead of places like Applebee’s.
Food Shop
Chris recently decided to support my decision to only buy organic meats for our house. We cant control meats in restaurants or parties or whatever, but when we cook at home, there is no reason to not use the best we can get. He is just as sick about the horrible quality of commercial meats and we are both willing to pay the extra money it takes to feed ourselves good food. Seeing that he finds this important makes me so proud!
That doesn’t mean it didn’t sting a bit . . .
However, we did walk out of there pretty proud of ourselves. Especially since the beef was from a local farm in NJ! Plus, I am confident that I will be able to make the most of this. As Michael Pollan says, meat should be more like a side dish and not the main dish. With this type of quality . . . a little bit goes a long way.
Its funny how food creeps into so many aspects of my life. The good part is that its all so exciting to me and I am glad I am with someone who feels the same passion!
How do you like Indian food? What is your take on buying organic meats? Is it worth it to you?
Intuitive Eating Thought Breakdown
Last week, I gave you a peak into my life and showed you the Tuesday Morning Chef. This week, I’m taking things a bit easier as I am feeling a bit worn out. Between waitressing, birthday meals and learning the ins and outs of poultry, things got a little hectic these past few days.
This resulted in me not taking the time to plan out my weekly menu thus nothing is being cooked today. But, that didn’t mean that I was just relaxing. I did have a lot to do before school today, and the best way to tackle a morning like this is with a plan . . . 
The first thing on my list . . . breakfast. Not planning a menu, and leaving the almond butter I bought at school (damnit!) led to me not eating breakfast when I woke up. After a while I began to crave something out of the ordinary. I craved a cinnamon raisin bagel with strawberry cream cheese. I knew just where to go to get it.
I want to use this opportunity to talk about eating intuitively. I think its important for people to see the thought process in choosing foods occasionally that aren’t considered healthy and why its ok.
Here are some things I observed about my breakfast . . .
1. This food goes pretty far against the guidelines that I set for myself when it comes to eating a true foods diet. (ie. sugar, commercial dairy, processed bread).
2. I wont feel great after eating this whether its 15min or 4 hours afterwards or even longer.
3. It might set me up for more false sugar cravings.
HOWEVER . . .
1. I truly am craving this bagel and its what my body wants right now.
2. MOST of the time, I eat a good breakfast made of true foods so this really wont matter much in the big picture.
I ate the bagel slowly and truly enjoyed it without any guilt or any need for more. I had no thoughts of “blowing it” and continuing on a sugar/junk rampage. I ate NORMALLY!!
What I am trying to drive home here is that observation and mindfulness are a HUGE key in listening to your body when it comes to food. Had I not gone into that thought process I would have ate the rest of the day in auto pilot mode which could have set me up for a rough patch . . . something I havent seen in a while in my eating habits lately.
In case you were wondering, about an hour later I was STARVING and I was starving for something rich and possibly sugary. This craving went away while at work (it was false and not coming from within). And when I returned home, I was craving real food again which leads me to my lunch and dinner for today.
Lunch
1/2 avocado mashed on ezekiel bread with tomato and onion.
Dinner (packed for school)
Salad – organic free range chicken from class, peppers, tomato, onion, spicy chickpea snack, home made balsamic vinaigrette
I will admit, I am a bit more tired than usual and im sure breakfast contributed to that, but that was the consequence that was worth it to me.
How is your journey with intuitive eating going? Are you mindful when you eat things that are not considered “good/healthy”? What is your thought process?
