Don't Fight Your Nature, Work With It

Some days I eat cleaner; some days I allow for indulgences and more convenience foods. Some days I want something extra after dinner; some days... okay.... I ALWAYS want an after dinner snack. But anyways, I try to eat how my body tells me, rather than stick to a rigid plan.

I'm an emotional eater

I admit: A lot of my food choices are brought on by emotions. Those indulgences make me damn happy. Drinking hot cocoa or eating a Merry's tart, just feels right. Food is a pillar of my happiness. I use food to rid boredom and doldrums. But instead of fighting this, I'm working with it. I realized that a small amount goes a long way. And sometimes I just need a small pick me up to get me over a hump. And it is okay. The problems arise when you fight this. Don't beat yourself up if you are an emotional eater. This just leads to over eating. Acknowledge it, and allow yourself to indulge a bit. You'll probably find that you no longer have to binge to attain food satisfaction. I'm not saying to go out and eat fast food or Doritos. It is still imperative to make smart food choices. But give yourself some credit and depend on your pick-me-up foods I described in this post.

I'm a convenience food eater

I admit: I really rely on convenience. Not everything I eat is package free or organic or local. I love protein bars, muffins in a minute, and Applegate sausage. But instead of fighting this, I'm working with it. When I'm short on time/creativity/effort, I pick convenient snacks or quick meals, knowing they are not ideal but are a lot better than traditional fast foods. And it is okay. You don't have to be perfect. I've burnt myself out trying to cook everything from scratch. Or, I would feel like a failure because I ate two protein bars and a protein smoothie in one day. Some days are just going to be that way for me.

How did today's eating fare?

Breakfast
I had plans to make a protein smoothie, but I really didn't feel like getting my blender dirty. Dale's protein bar to the rescue!

Snacks and Lunch

Every morning I throw together my lunch and snacks and head out the door. I reach for grab-and-go foods. This includes leftovers and foods I can quickly throw into containers (like protein bars, fruits, nuts).

• Snack #1: Another protein bar (like I said: I'm all about convenience)
• Lunch: Leftover chicken, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. 

• Snack #2: My work usually provides nuts and fruits, so I figured I'd take my chances and eat a lunchroom snack. 

Lunch room success!

Dinner +

My boyfriend has been eating the leftover chicken, so I needed to make another protein to sustain me for the week. I decided to have another go with salmon (I can never cook salmon right). I also picked a side I've successfully cooked in the past: cauliflower fried rice. 

The original Well Fed recipe called for the salmon to be grilled. I don't have a grill, so I opted to bake it.

I relied on google to find the best temperature and time combination. I didn't research too hard and came across 425 degrees and 15 minutes. It turned out to be the wrong combination. I still have some learning to do with baked salmon.

While prepping the cauliflower rice and sautéing the onions and garlic...

I use a food processor to chop up frozen cauliflower to make the rice

... I prepped the plantains I had meant to cook earlier in the week for another snack option

After the rice was cooked, I switched pans to fry the plantains

The original recipe called for soy sauce. I subbed coconut aminos instead.

After frying the plantains, I assembled my dinner.

Dinner is served. Everything was pretty good, but not quite satisfying-- paletteable speaking. The salmon could have been baked better, though the marinade was really good.

Even though the meal was really filling, I wanted to end the day with a more pleasant eating experience; the salmon texture was a bit off. I ate all my food, but found myself dreading the final bites. Therefore, I heated almond milk w/ a tbsp on cocoa and swerve sweetener. I drank that with 4 strawberries, and I could feel the day's stress melting away.

As far as calorie and protein breakdown, I estimated that I ate about 1420 calories and 92 grams of protein. I don't really count calories anymore, but I think it is a good idea to see how much you eat every once and again to make sure you are not over or under doing it. Today's calorie intake was a bit under than usual, but I did eat cleaner. And I was never STARVING and I did get to have a final sweet treat.