Happy What I Ate Wednesday friendly faces! 😀
Despite the fact that I create recipes and devote a blog post every week to sharing an entire day of meals with you guys, I don’t actually spend that much time thinking about food or analyzing my meal choices. Long gone are the days where 90% of my thoughts revolved around food, and where I’d spend hours a day planning my meals to try to achieve that perfect number of calories and macros — I just can’t do it anymore, and I think I’ve spent enough time doing it to generally know what works for me and what doesn’t.
This is why I sometimes find it a little difficult to write my WIAW posts, especially on days like yesterday where I couldn’t really identify a rhyme or reason to my meals. I mean, what am I supposed to say in those cases? That I ate this or that just because I felt like it? Actually, that’s not a bad idea….
Breakfast… Just because I felt like… not thinking about it.
Oats in a mug! Quick oats cooked with ~1 Tbsp. chia seeds, then layered with plain Greek yogurt and topped with banana slices almond butter, and cinnamon.
I tend to eat a pretty similar breakfast on a daily basis, and that’s mostly because I’ve fallen into the habit of starting to prep it without really giving it much of a second thought. Wake up, put oats on the stove, make tea, go about my business — that’s my morning. I’ll switch up the toppings depending on what I might be feeling on any given day, but it’s always oats, fruit, nut butter, and yogurt in some form or another. Oh! I did swap out the regular bowl I eat from with a favourite new mug — that’s something, right? 😆
Morning snack… Just because I felt like… something sweet with my coffee.
A slice of Chocolate Chunk Orange Bread <– check out my recipe on Savory Style!
I used to operate under the idea that sweeter things should never be eaten before lunch, but I’ve come to discover that I enjoy my morning coffee so much more when it’s accompanied by a baked good of some sort, and it makes me more productive 😉 Besides, if I deny my craving and go with something that I think I should eat instead, I run the risk of eating that, not being satisfied, and going back to eat half my kitchen before I finally decide to eat what I originally wanted. Better to skip all that, eat, enjoy, and move on!
Lunch… Just because I felt like… dipping.
Snack plate made up of half an avocado, plain Popchips, Tribe classic hummus, baby carrots, and a couple cocktail tomatoes.
The return of the snack plates! I missed them. In hindsight, I probably should have mashed up the avocado to make it easier to dip things in, but it was soft enough that it was easy to scoop out. But yeah… not too much to say about this lunch. I think I was just really looking for an excuse to eat some Popchips 😉
Afternoon snack… Just because I felt like… I needed to work on finishing off my cake.
A slice of my No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake… in a mug.
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but when you spend a lot of time making recipes, you spend a lot of time eating the product of those recipes. Sometimes you’re in the mood for it and sometimes you’re not, but it’s gotta be done if you want to prevent things from going to waste #foodbloggerproblems. Luckily for me, I was definitely in the mood for this one… which is probably why I went back for a few more spoonfuls after I was done. Just doing my part in waste prevention 
Dinner… Just because I felt like… not cooking.
Sesame chicken stir fry on white basmati rice.
Leftovers to the rescue! Cold ones because I didn’t even feel like heating them up… aaaaand I kind of prefer my leftovers cold anyways. What can I say? Sometimes I get lazy… especially around dinner time. This probably wouldn’t work if I had someone else to cook for, but since it’s just me, I can get away with these kind of things. Why is it so much easier to put in more effort when you’re doing things for other people? Not that it’s a bad thing, but daaaaang, Brain! I want some TLC too!
Evening snack… Just because I felt like… chocolate.
A handful of dark chocolate chips.
This one doesn’t really need much of an explanation — when you need chocolate, you need chocolate. Actually, I guess I could explain the chip aspect of it…
It was late, I needed chocolate, I was all out of bars, I didn’t want to go out, and chocolate chips were the only kind of chocolate I had in my possession. Well, I guess you could count the cocoa powder too, but I’m kind of over the days where I considered a spoonful of cocoa powder to be an acceptable (or palatable) replacement for chocolate. When I was younger, I’d resort to eating those squares of bittersweet baker’s chocolate if nothing else was available, and I remember not even liking them but needing a fix and eating them anyways. Can’t mess with those cocoa cravings.
Voila! What I Ate [on Tuesday]. See you guys tomorrow for Thinking Out Loud! 😀
Do you switch up your breakfasts or eat the same thing on a daily basis?
Do you reheat leftovers or just eat them cold?
Do you have an easier time putting in effort when you’re cooking for others?
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your pictures are always so pretty!
that bread looks dee-vine! happy weekend love 🙂
I can relate to all of this. Sometimes I eat things because they’re on the verge of going bad, and sometimes I eat things because they’re just damn delicious.
Breakfast is often rotated, but it always revolves around bananas and nut butter. As you know 😉
I like cold leftovers sometimes, but it depends on the fat content…if it’s congealed, it’s going in the microwave.
Ummmm why does this all look so amazingly delicious??? Now I’m hungry.
As always…looks delicious especially the cake in a cup…NOM NOM!
I pretty much eat the same breakfast at least weekly because I’ll prep them all at once since I eat them at my desk… womp womp. On Sundays I switch it up! (Saturday long run days = oatmeal, which is pretty standard for the week, too).
I tend to make one of the same 3 breakfasts: oatmeal with fruit and almond butter, overnight oatmeal with fruit and almond butter, or Greek yogurt with granola and fruit and almond butter haha.
That chocolate chunk orange bread looks awesome! I love orange and chocolate together – Giddy Yoyo has an orange chocolate bar that I’m obsessed with.
I blame you for the obsession I have with Giddy Yoyo… I don’t think I’ve ever come across their orange bar though — need.to.find.
Spork, eating leftovers cold is what unifies us….geebuz. In fact, when we have Chipotle, we should order it at 11am and wait an hour until 12 to eat it. Or pizza….and wait overnight to eat it. Smart? Smart.
Look at you taking advantage of that mug.
All of this looks absolutely delicious!! And no shame on the chocolate chips – I bought a bag of them specifically for dessert snacking! And I totally feel you on the reptitiveness of breakfast. Lately, I’ve been addicted to overnight quinoa flakes because I just like waking up and not having to make breakfast! 🙂
Congratulations on another recipe at Savory Style. I checked it out and I like what I see. Good bye banana bread, hello oranges. 🙂
I will also take your snack plate, along with some Pop chips, which I haven’t eaten since Blend.
I too will eat chocolate chips, usually reserved for baking, when there’s no other chocolate in the house. It’s a thing. 🙂
See now that’s just criminal… not eating Popchips since Blend. I still need to get those ketchup ones to you!
Those chocolate chips come in handy! I don’t always keep chocolate on-hand, but those little guys are always there when you need them!
I used to do auto-pilot oats for breakfast, and in the last year, I’ve found myself mixing it up a LOT. I actually love leftovers for breakfast—with an egg on top lol. Maybe that’s a whole other kind of autopilot-ing.
That cheesecake looks beautiful even in a mug, haha. I definitely used to put more thought into food in general before Selah, but nowadays I eat whatever I can LITERALLY THROW together. 😉 And my breakfasts are normally a rotation of 3-4 choices: french toast, overnight oats, oats, waffles, of toast slathered with nut butter, greek yogurt, fruit, chia, and all that jazzz. 😀
I also used to avoid sweets in the morning because it just didn’t seem right, but not my fav thing is biscotti with my coffee. Def makes me more productive 🙂
oh my, gimme that mug and the contents in each one. Maybe a strawberry cheesecake chia oats is on your recipe creation next, yes?
Brilliant! Except I promised to leave the oats (and almond butter, and honey) out of my recipe testing for a while 😥
Yes to evening chocolate and an even bigger yes to not leaving the house to go get it! I will do anything I can to satisfy the craving without having to put a bra on, lol 🙂
I definitely put more effort in for others! Dinner for me= cold leftovers; dinner for friends = 1 hour+ of work!
Breakfast is always the same thing.. two eggs, a gluten free vans toaster waffle, and a chicken apple sausage. Sometimes I also have a green smoothie, but sometimes that doesn’t happen till after dinner. I’m NEVER sick of that breakfast and I look forward to it all during my workout in the morning 🙂
I usually have a green smoothie (and coffee) for breakfast but sometimes I like having eggs instead.
I do put in more effort when cooking for others because I actually get nervous that the recipe won’t turn out right. I don’t know why I’m so hard on myself sometimes but it’s much easier for me to just cook for myself.
Need to get my hands on some of those pop chips!!
Due to my schedule I have different breakfasts. 2-3 days a week, when I have more time to prepare, I’m having omelette. The other work/class days I usually have something quick from the fridge, not even sitting down… like some veggies, deli meat, slice of cheese, spoon full of quark, that sort of thing. Weekend breakfasts are mostly different and vary depending on where and with whom I spend my weekend (alone, Family, bf). I Mostly put quite some effort into my meals, not only when I cook for more than just myself. Because I run a good instagram account… gotta make that plate look pretty! 😉 I like leftovers cold better as well! Why prep something the day before if you waste time again to hear it up… I prep to safe that time!
WHAT THE.. how did I miss out on that cheese cake recipe…
You were too busy with your delicious oatmeal cookies 😛
Eating out of a mug is simply heartwarming to me! Growing up, my mom would always eat Special K out of a coffee mug so it just always reminds me of home. Hence, my love for all things mugs. Oh, and that chocolate chunk orange bread looks fantastic!
Loving everything about this! As someone who also used to spend about 90% (at least) of my time thinking about food… it is SO refreshing to be released from that and just eat whatever the heck I feel like! So thrilled to hear that you are able to do the same with such ease. And totally admire you for indulging in your cravings no matter the time of day, etc. Definitely saves you later on 😉 slash everything looks delicious. Want those chocolate chips yum, yum.
I’m guilty of eating the same breakfast most days. Routine brings me a lot of comfort. I get major anxiety when I try something new. Needless to say, I don’t do well adjusting to change. Our WIAW posts are very similar in terms of the foods we both ate!
I used to feel that way as well, until circumstances kind of FORCED change on me and I saw that there was nothing to be afraid of — and that it was actually more enjoyable! Our fears can be really irrational, so it’s good to face them and see that there was nothing to be afraid of in the first place 🙂
Like you, I have this aversion to eating any dessert/sweets early in the day. And yet, most of my most enjoyed sweets were eaten with my morning coffee (I’m thinking back to Easter…I had a Cadbury Creme egg at 10 am with my coffee and it was divine!).
Oh and I think the cold leftovers thing is too weird! I can do cold pizza but most other things I need to be fresh or at least warmed up.
I have leftovers for pretty much every weekday dinner (the freezer is my best friend), and while I always heat them them up, I also always get impatient and pick at it before I even get it to the microwave haha. I don’t know how I’d ever manage to feed people other than just me, though: leftovers are the easiest things in the world, but cooking every night sounds like so much work! No thanks.
Isn’t it almost bizarre how much better something sweet makes your coffee taste? I think that’s one of my all-time favorite food combos and a lazy morning with a coffee creak=heaven for me. Also, that no bake cheesecake looks beautiful even when it’s all folded up in a mug. HOW DO YOU DO IT.
For not thinking about food so much, you’ve got some pretty tasty eats goin’ here! That cheesecake looked incredible as did the chocolate orange bread. NOM!
I can’t do cold leftovers though. I don’t know why. I guess I’m just more of a hot food person?
I am weird about eating certain leftovers, but if I do eat them… They are DEFINITELY cold. Specifically, anything Italian. Give me a cold slice of pizza ANY day. Youuuu should do a blog post dedicated on how you cook your oats because I burn mine somehow… Every time. So, the microwave it is! Lol
Lol this bascially sums up how I feel. the other day I ate a cupcake for breakfast….it happened and I did not care at all!
I love your blog posts! Your outlook on food and life is so refreshing! How does one even begin to get to this point? To have this sort of relationship with food? I always end up where I started, logging food in a calorie tracker… and unhappy
It takes a lot of time, self-forgiveness, patience, and willingness to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Recovering from any sort of disordered eating is a long journey filled with plenty of ups and downs — ultimately you have to realize that you deserve better, get frustrated, and be willing to face your fears and put up a good fight.
i love “just because” days. as much as i love the strong sense of accomplishment and relief meal prepping brings me, some days you just HAVE to go with what your stomach or mind wants at that very moment. 🙂
I’ll have a handful of chocolate chips every now and then! They’re great when you need to cut that chocolate craving! During school I typically have oatmeal for breakfast, but during the summer since my schedule is more relaxed I’ll switch up what I have for breakfast. And leftovers I definitely heat them up.
We were in sync today! Eek 😉 .
On a very serious note: it’s an awesome thing to NOT be over-thinking food choices and going with the flow. I mean, that’s what most of us are aspiring to reach. And the snippets of mental freeness I have experienced so far?… yeahhh I say keep doing what you’re doing 🙂 .
I am the epitome of laziness at putting in effort for my meals, and doubly worse when it comes to others. Yup, I’m just a tad pathetic hahaa.
Uhm, I am available for hire in aid of “saving your efforts from wastage” .
I used to eat oats for breakfast every.single.morning. That is, until pregnancy gave me the craziest aversion to it. Now, I mix things up: oats one day, omelets another, eggs & veggies another.
An aversion to oatmeal? Eeep! I seriously couldn’t even imagine 😯
Your meals look a lot like mine this week, although I’m sure mine aren’t quite as gourmet.
I NEED to try that Chocolate Orange bread, that sounds INCREDIBLE!
That no-bake strawberry cheesecake….dreamy times a million!!! Gimme ALL da tribe hummus 🙂
I’m kind of the same way. I’ve fallen into eating whatever I want for breakfast. It’s normally about the same thing because it’s quick and easy (eggs and toast). Occasionally I’ll change it up but that is pretty rare right now LOL.
I used to eat oatmeal for breakfast every single day but I’m learning to switch it up! I still love my oatmeal but I also go for yogurt with granola, eggs and a bagel, cereal and milk, pancakes, and sometimes even a breakfast burrito! 🙂