On Food

I know I have a lot of posts to write, but today, I want to talk about food.

I mentioned last week that I've been working with some new guidelines for my eating. I'm happy to say things are going really well!! Except for special occasions (me and Tom's anniversary dinner, a friend's birthday dinner at an amazing taco place) I've been trying my best to stick to a diet focused on protein, fruit and vegetables. I've been paying special attention to not including cheese in everything I eat and to have very few grains. Here's a few examples of how I've been eating:

Breakfasts have either been eggs or a larabar with some sort of fruit. Can't believe I've been making eggs and packing them before work! I added chopped spinach to my eggs in the first picture -- the first time I've ever put veggies in my eggs -- and loved it! This morning I had the same breakfast minus the turkey bacon.

eggs & chopped spinach, turkey bacon, banana

eggs & banana

Last week I bought lunch every day (gah, so expensive) and I sorta fell in love with creating these little snack boxes at the cafe downstairs. I've been super anti-salad lately (mostly because I just can't find a dressing I'm into), so this is a great way to eat a "salad". Luckily I don't care that everyone in the cafe probably thinks I'm an alien with my little sections of food.

Lentil soup w/ fruit, veggies and trail mix

tuna salad, hard boiled eggs, sweet potato and veggies

same thing, plus raspberries, minus sweet potato

same thing, minus fruit, plus swiss chard

prociutto, canteloupe, veggies and trail mix

I've been eating a lot of dinners out, but when I'm home I try to make them good.

roasted sweet potato hashbrowns, turkey burger with a mashed avocado

prociutto, canteloupe & balsamic bites, veggies, few olives

chickarina soup, pear &veggies

I haven't been doing much snacking because I'm actually very full from my meals. When I do, I try to make it protein based (unless it's a small piece of Halloween candy that is literally overflowing every inch of my office).

dates filled with peanut butter

apple and homemade larabar

Yes, you read right! I made my own "larabars" the other night. I've been buying them a lot lately and figured I'd take a stab at making my own. Since the ingredients in larabars are so few and all natural, it's easy to replicate. For these peanut butter chocolate "larabars", I only used 5 ingredients!

Peanut Butter Chocolate "Larabars"

Ingredients:
18 oz pitted dates
2/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
1/3 cup of chocolate chips
pinch of sea salt
splash of water while blending

Directions:
Add the peanuts to a food processor and blend until they are chopped into very small pieces (not a paste).

Add the dates (I did this in two batches), chocolate chips and sea salt. Once blended, check the texture and add a splash of water if necessary.

Remove the mixture and spread into a flat square on wax paper. Place into the freezer for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes remove, cut into pieces and wrap in plastic.

Voila!

These are soooo good! They are a little bit softer than actual larabars but taste just as good. I will definitely try to make more varieties.

Anyway, I'm going to see my nutritionist again tomorrow and I'm eager to hear what she says about my food log for the past few weeks. I'm excited to talk to her about what challenged me and what came surprisingly easily. I have a few topics I want to cover with her:

- Where does my desire to binge eat come from and what's it related to?
- Why do I only want to eat grains after exercising?
- When and what should I eat before/after exercising?
- How/where do I change my current eating for weight loss?

Until next time!