Tasty Thursday

Eat Your Heart Out with Tasty Thursdays

Food is fuel and it plays a major huge enormous role in how you look, feel, and thrive as a person. Just because you lead a fit life does NOT mean you have to put on your sad “I can’t eat what I want and I hate life” face. I love eating, I want to eat all the time (and do eat all the time), and food makes me happy – period, the end, no questions about it. So, to kick off Tasty Thursdays, here’s a little bit about my food journey and how I’m eating my way down a better path…

- Consumption Junction -

Before Making Changes, I…

... Ate all the time.

... Loved food and exploring new cuisines and recipes.

... Ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

... Ate with my eyes, and licked my plate clean no matter how much was on it.

... Felt overly full almost all the time, and sluggish and heavy as a result.

... Didn’t pay attention to how certain foods made me feel or impacted my mind, body and health.

... Wasn’t focused on filling my body with the right kinds of food fuel, but always felt a little guilty because I knew better.

... Made excuses for why I didn’t or “couldn’t” eat better (excuses I often hear other people say too and I just hope they see the light someday…when they’re ready), made excuses for why I felt like crap (of course, it had nothing to do with how I fueled my body and it was completely out of my control…duh), and justified all the headaches and stomach aches I experienced.

... Ate out the majority of the time (at restaurants, bars, fast food style joints, etc)

... Spent way too much money on eating and drinking.

... Splurged on french fries and cheeseburgers all the time because they’re my favorite.

... Didn’t drink hardly any water and was somehow confused about why I always felt dehydration symptoms and got hung over really easily.

After Making Changes, I…

... Eat all the time.

... Love food and exploring new cuisines, meal ideas and recipes.

... Eat whatever I want - in moderation.

... Portion control to make sure I’m eating the right amount of food for my body and needs.

... Focus on eating fresh fruits & veggies, protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

... Keep my fried food intake to a minimum and splurge on french fries and cheeseburgers every once in a while because they’re still my favorite.

... Spend much less money on eating and drinking by filling my kitchen (and cooler for work… yes, I said cooler, yes my co-workers think I’m ridiculous, and yes that’s ok with me) with groceries and preparing food myself.

... Drink alcohol & eat out more wisely when I hit the town (i.e. 2 rasberry vodka sodas instead of a 6 pack of beer/hard cider and having a good snack & lots of water before I go so I'm not overly hungry when my food comes)

... Plan ahead as much as possible.

... Listen to my body and respond accordingly (for me that mostly means less meat consumption, not filling up on so much bread and starchy foods, not drinking beer, and building meals around protein & fiber)

... Carry my Klean Kanteen Insulated (20 oz) with me everywhere and drink 60-80 ounces of water a day… and while people make fun of me for peeing a lot, I feel hydrated, less desire to snack unnecessarily (snacking when you’re not hungry often means your body needs more water, in case you didn’t know that), and I pretty much don’t get hangovers anymore.

- Simplified Ingredient Based Eating -

By focusing on ingredients rather than recipes or meals as one distinctive unit, I’ve been able to dramatically reduce the amount of money I spend on food (and go to the grocery store less often), eat much MUCH healthier, get the nutrients my body needs, eliminate a bunch of extra junk in my kitchen that I only used once for some random recipe, and eat healthier on a consistent basis. Don't quite understand what that means or what that looks like in reality?? It goes something like this....

"Tonight I'll have Italian... maybe a tasty pasta dish? Hmm, I could do spaghetti with red sauce and meatballs...maybe bread and salad on the side??"

:: vs ::

"Ok - I have eggs, lettuce, cheddar cheese, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, tortillas, potatoes, tomato soup, tons of fruit and black beans...what tasty meal can I make out of that? I know! I'll have a zucchini and cheese omelet with steamed broccoli and roasted potatoes on the side... YUM!"

Easy enough, right?! Well, you might not think so at first, but just remember: adjusting to change takes time and like anything else, it'll feel different at first but after you get the hang of it you won't know what took you so long to get there!

If you looked in my kitchen (or my work cooler), you'd probably find...

Eggs (whole eggs - I use them mostly to make hard boiled eggs for breakfast and snacks on the go)
Carton of Egg Whites Only
Black Beans
Lentils (I love the already cooked ones from Trader Joe's)
(depending on the season) Bananas, Apples, Oranges, Peaches, Plums, Pears...any fruit really
(depending on the season) Green Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Butternut Squash, Carrots
Lettuce or Spinach, Cabbage and Sprouts
Cornichons (like little baby pickles - the perfect snack or addition to wraps and more!)
Whole Wheat (Larger) Tortillas or (Small) Corn Tortillas
Boxed (Organic if available)  Soup: Tomato and Butternut Squash
Frozen Fruits & Veggies
Cheese (I often go with a low calorie cheddar or mozzarella option)
Balsamic Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Jello Pudding
Frozen Turkey Burger Patties
Frozen Perogies (I boil them and get my pasta AND potato fix at the same time!)
(when I'm in the mood for that week) Whole Roasted Chicken
Almonds
Greek Yogurt
Oatmeal (plain Quaker Oats packets)
Corn Tortilla Flatbreads (AHHH-mazing cracker things from Trader Joe's)
Light Tuna (in water)
Tea Bags: Green Tea & Chamomile
Crystal Light On-The-Go Packets

So now that you know.... Why are you just sitting there? GO HAVE A SNACK!