[What I Ate] Wednesday already? No complaints! 😀
So each week I give you guys a little glimpse into my daily noms… wait… did I really just say noms? I can’t stand that word. But I digress. Let’s start again…
Each week I give you guys a little glimpse into my daily eats. I show you a few meals and snacks because a) I like to talk about food [sometimes], and b) it’s a great way to inspire and be inspired with some new ideas. I can’t even tell you how many of my favourite foods and combos I’ve discovered through blog reading, but with every handful of hits is bound to be a few misses… and I’m not only referring to those in the taste department.
I’m sure you guys know what I’m talking about… Those foods that are toted as the be-all-end-all and promise to do this, that, and the other thing. Those foods that are supposed to be healthy and do amazing things for your body. Those foods that, if you’re really being honest with yourself, just don’t work for you and you’re actually better off without them. You’ve got one in mind, don’t you? Yup… me too. A few, actually.
We’re all so different, and what works for one person isn’t necessarily going to work for another. You might thrive off drinking a glass of lemon water first thing in the morning, while the same thing might give me heartburn (true story). The point is, it’s all fine and good to try new things, but not to take everything you see and hear out there as absolute truth. Experiment with your diet, keep what makes you feel good, and ditch what doesn’t — don’t cling to a sinking ship!
And before this intro gets any lengthier, let’s take a look at what does work for me…
What worked for breakfast… something sweet.
Eggy bananafied oats layered with plain Greek yogurt and topped with homemade applesauce, honey, cinnamon, and almond butter.
I know a lot of people say that eating a sweet breakfast makes them crave sweets for the rest of the day, but I’ve always found that a little bit of sweetness in the morning [and throughout the day] helps keep my sweet tooth in check and keeps me from wanting to gorge myself on ALL the sweets. There was a time where I tried to cut back on sugar, and yeah… it did not end well for me.
What worked for my morning snack… a substantial one.
My thick & creamy chocolate smoothie with extra almond butter and some added frozen berries.
My appetite is usually the biggest in the morning and tends to taper off as the day goes on. There’s no way I’d make it from breakfast to lunch without something to hold me over, and my “something” of choice lately has been smoothies, mostly because of how easy they are to customize depending on how hungry I happen to be. Yesterday saw me a little on the hungrier side, so I added an extra spoonful of almond butter and a handful of frozen berries to end up with a smoothie that was basically as thick as pudding. Bliss.
What worked for lunch… plain old white bread.
A Rudi’s English muffin [with cottage cheese & jam // almond butter], classic hummus, and roasted kabocha.
There was a time where I avoided bread like the plague, buying into the belief that it lead to weight gain, bloat, and the end of the world as I knew it. I started missing sandwiches, though… and toast… so I broke down and dipped my toes back into the land of loafy and doughy goodness. But the only kind of bread that I ate for the longest time was the sprouted and grainy kind because it was supposed to be healthier and easier to digest than plain old white or even whole wheat bread. Not so. Not only did it leave me looking like I was 6 months pregnant, but it gave me acid reflux and all sorts of other less-than-pleasant sensations. I made the switch over to simpler bread and… no more problems.
What worked for my afternoon snack… going with my cravings.
Original flavour Popchips.
We’ve all come across the idea of smart snacking, right? The idea that the snacks we eat should have a nice balance of carbs, proteins, and fats to allow for maximum energy and satisfaction until our next meal? It’s not a bad idea, but what if we don’t always want a properly balanced snack? What if that banana with almond butter just doesn’t sound appealing? Don’t get me wrong, you guys know how much I love that combo, but there are times where all I honestly want is some chips or chocolate, and past experience has taught me that I won’t be satisfied if I ignore my craving and go with the “smarter” option instead… So I had my chips and they lasted me just fine until dinner.
What worked for dinner… white rice.
Leftover sesame chicken stir fry with random veggies and basmati rice cooked in coconut milk.
I’ve made it no secret that I prefer white rice over brown. It’s what I grew up on, what I prefer the taste of, and what my stomach has an easier time digesting. I switched over to brown rice when I started reading about how it was supposedly so much healthier than white rice, and while it didn’t destroy my stomach or anything drastic like that, I definitely noticed a lot more bloating and discomfort compared to when I was eating white rice. I dismissed it at first because… it was brown rice! It was supposed to be healthier! But no… I’m back to white and happy as a clam.
What worked for my evening snack… chocolate.
A flourless banana bread muffin with a side of chocolate and warm vanilla almond milk.
Because… well… chocolate! Can you believe there was a time in my life where I managed to convince myself that I didn’t like the stuff? Yeah… I’m not quite sure how I did that either. Thankfully the madness has passed and I’m back to enjoying chocolate on a daily basis… and baked treats! Because there’s nothing more comforting than a homemade muffin, cookie, or… anything, really.
And before this gets any wordier (sorry!), I just have one more thing to say… Don’t eat like me — eat like you! Do what works, ditch what doesn’t, and remember that there are no absolutes where it comes to what or how you should eat.
See you guys tomorrow for Thinking Out Loud! 😀
Have you ever eaten things that didn’t necessarily work for you just because you felt like you should?
What are some things that you know don’t work for you?
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I eat chocolate with breakfast too! Weheter mixed in my oatmeal, or a few pieces on my waffles, etc. That way I don’t crave it all day!
I eat chocolate on the daily, too!! I know you’re from Canada too, so not sure if you’ve heard of the Canadian company, Giddy Yoyo (actually based in my hometown!), but it’s their chocolate that I eat everyday. My family is addicted…right down to my 1.5 year old! haha
I have! I actually just recently discovered their chocolate (thank you, Easter Bunny!) and it was love at first bite. I’ve only had the vanilla and mint ones so far, so I’m looking forward to trying more flavours.
I kind of wanna eat like you after seeing your pics! I know I definitely consume way more pizza and wine than most healthy people think is ok, but I don’t care. I tried lentils recently because I felt like I ‘should’ eat them, but I hated them!
Fun food! I must admit that although I feed my little ones well, I am sometimes a terrible eater!! Then, I wonder why I feel so cruddy. I would be afraid to post what I ate yesterday. 🙂
Oh my gosh yes! In all honesty I love sweet potatoes more than anything but I am always feeling bloated and heavy after I eat them, and they are supposed to be healthy right! I love how you tied listening to your body to this post!
You share such a great message today with this post. I went through a time where I ate what I thought I was supposed to eat like what comes to mind is green monster smoothies. Don’t get me wrong I love green monsters, but sometimes you just aren’t feeling one. I would still fix myself one even if I wasn’t in the mood and it turns out that the smoothie didn’t taste as good as normal. I also think of eating salad. I hate eating salad. It just doesn’t do it for me. During the summer I don’t mind a nice salad every now and then! But sometimes at lunch I’ll try to have one and I can barely eat half the salad and I need to become more okay with not liking salad. And your banana muffins look sooo delicious!!
I’ve eaten soooo many things because of magazines, blogs, and other forms of media. From quinoa to every other grain on this earth. One thing I’ve tried is the imitation “cookie dough” with coconut flour. It tasted nothing like cookie dough. At all. And that’s just ONE example. I could go on about how I tried to convince myself cottage cheese mixed with protein powder was a good idea. Ew.
<3 you
I’ve actually done the cottage cheese with protein powder before as well, and the ONLY way I can tolerate it is if I add enough cocoa powder to the mix to dry it out. And then I top it with cereal, chocolate pudding, and nut butter. Actually… that used to be one of my favourite snacks that I haven’t had in ages 😯
Yes! Thank you for unapologetically eating the foods that your body craves and enjoys. If you were to deny yourself those, who knows what kind of binge you could be setting yourself up for down the road. At least that was my experience in the past, a huge lesson I had to learn the (very) hard way. Our bodies are living and active, able to communicate with us, so why not listen? Finding the way of eating that works for you makes so much more sense than following what someone else tells you to eat. Thanks for the reminder this morning!
You know I 100% agree with you here! I’m a big advocate of bio-individuality – we have to find out what works best for us, and it won’t look the same for everyone. I have no problem with digesting wheat or brown rice, so I eat it. I hate kale and eggplant, so I don’t eat those. I’ve bought kale a few times trying to make myself like it (because it’s all healthy and stuff)…and nope. I’ll stick to my spinach and there’s nothing wrong with that. I do want to do some experimentation with my diet as far as dairy goes, because I have noticed some acid reflux once in a while after eating yogurt…I’ll get around to experimenting with that soon.
I convinced myself that I didn’t like sweets at all – chocolate, ice cream, cake, etc. It was pretty awful, and thank god I snapped out of that (says the person that regularly has a dessert after breakfast).
Well you know me and you know I would never eat anything I felt like I should eat even if it didn’t sit well…unless you count french bread which despite the gluten reaction makes my taste buds fly lol.
In the past mayyyybe but now I pretty much eat what I want when I want it aka I just ate deli meat at 9:00 AM…
I think the evening snack is my favorite!! Anything with dark chocolate is just the best, and that is the reason why I have to have a little bit every day, or I get a bit grumpy. I actually warned my Anatomy class one week that I may be grumpy because I ran out of dark chocolate, and wouldn’t be able to make a trip to Trader Joe’s until the end of the week, #HangInThereGuys.
I love starting the day out on a sweet note. I had oatmeal with almond butter and chocolate chips today, so good! I made your roasted chickpeas last night, holy yum! It seriously took all my self control not to eat them all. Luckily I was able to save a few for my morning snack today.
Confession: I may or may not have polished off an entire batch over the course of a day. I recommend only doing that if you know you’re going to be alone for a while 😉
Great reminder that we all need to eat what is best for us, not what we see other people eat. I have fallen into this trap before and I tried to eat what I saw other people eating in the blog world, but not all of that works for me, and that’s okay.
Sweet breakfast YES! Always. Also, I HATE the word NOMS too. Ugh. And your lunch always looks so yummy. I love having a plate of randomness at lunch too 🙂
It’s so funny my husband and I were just talking about this the other day. That man can eat carbs like a champion and still have a six pack but cannot eat lots of fiber at one time – especially after a workout! Me, on the other hand, I come home from the gym and can eat a big bowl of brown rice topped with pepper, onions, and beans and have no problems whatsoever! I think it’s so fascinating how everyone’s body works so differently and so silly how so few people seem to get that!! It’s nice to read someone who does. 😀
Your foods would DEFINITELY work for me, but I do completely agree with finding what works for you the individual. That is the #1 thing I tell my clients when it comes to nutrition. They are always like “what about carb intake? what about calories? what about sugar?” And I just tell them it’s all about finding what works for THEM. My body prefers higher carbs, but someone else might run better off higher fat. Who am I to force them into my way of eating?!
Food is drool worthy as always girlie!!
Super super true, it’s all about finding what works for you. I’m pretty terrible about staying away from of some the things that make me bloat, aka greek yogurt. I just love it SO much but I look pregnant after I eat it. Sad. I still get it once and again and I’ve found that actually the 2% kind works better for me than the fat free!
Over the past few years I feel like I have been able to find what works for me…occasionally it changes and more experimenting is required but for the most part I stick with what I know works. Your lunch looks perfect! That cottage cheese looks like it has fantastically sized curds…what brand is it?
It’s Avalon! That one and Organic Meadows are some of my favourites.
Organic meadows is my favorite but it is always sooooo expensive! I’ve never seen Avalon before, I will have to keep my eyes open for it!
I am with you – I must eat my sweets. Savory breakfasts don’t work for me. On the very rare occasion I crave one (like maybe once a year), I eat it and feel wrong afterwards…Brown rice and sprouted grain breads don’t bother me at all but too many vegetables, especially completely raw ones, bloat up my stomach like when I was six months pregnant.
I am the exact same way about sweets. For me, a little bit at every meal I’m craving it… which is almost every meal… goes a long way to me not eating a pound of pb and honey or pb and molasses or all the chocolate in the apartment.
Terrific post! Also, wanted to thank you for your professed love of chocolate. I’ve always liked chocolate but was really more of a vanilla girl so chocolate wasn’t something I ate on a regular basis. Like hardly ever. Anyway, your chocolate smoothies look so good that I finally bought some cacao powder. Holy yum! Now I want chocolate most days 🙂
Sadly, oats and quinoa don’t work for me. they are tasty, to be sure, but my tummy is not happy when I partake of these foods. Bloggers’ pictures of glorious bowls of oatmeal heaped with toppings tempt me but I know I will pay the price if I spoon it up. The good news is that leaves more oats for you!
Cacao powder is actually something that I want to try in smoothies! I’ve been using Hershey’s cocoa for the most part, but I’m thinking of buying a tub of cacao when I run out. And have you tried quick oats? My stomach can have issues with things like steel cut and old fashioned oats, but quick oats don’t give me any problems. Any harder to digest grains (quinoa, brown rice, etc) gives my stomach issues.
I think that just reading all of the different ways of eating all over the internet can subconsciously make us feel like we need to change our own habits. I love that you said this, though! Because I’m sorry, but I will NEVER enjoy brussel sprouts. And I happen to love dairy, thankyouverymuch. 🙂
Great post and you are absolutely correct! We cannot all eat like each other. Each person needs a different amount of calories and macronutrients that it’s even silly to compare!
What a great reminder to do what works for us individually rather than doing what works for others. I love listening to my cravings, because it keeps me happy. And isn’t life about being happy and content and being ourselves?! Love me some dessert every day : )
Loved what you said here, and totally agree 100% of it. 🙂
I know that eating a light meal in the morning doesn’t help me, so that’s why I go for a high protein breakfast instead. Thanks for posting!
Love this post lady! Finding our own balance is an absolute necessity while being bombarded by so many opinions and “facts” as to what we should/should not eat. Once upon a time, I succumbed to eating what was said to be good/healthy – but what didn’t work for me; take fruits for example, too much fruit gets me more bloated than nachos for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Currently, am trying to take a break from oats – as I think I overdid the goodness – your bowl of oats has me craving them more than ever! Now onto the most part of your post – you convinced yourself that chocolate was bad 4 u? I guess that’s almost as bad as me trying to convince myself that 4-5 cups of coffee are good 4 me!
I’m pretty sure that I’m in the minority here–smoothies don’t work for me, satiety-wise. They are great during marathon training, because I can refuel and rehydrate without feeling full (enabling me to eat again after my shower, etc), but they just do nothing to help fill me up. I love and adore pancakes, but they fill me up for about 2.5 seconds, so they are another that I just eat for pleasure and to refuel, rather than to fill up. Veggie burgers are the same way! But to each their own–eat what you like, like what you eat, seek guidance, but at the end of the day, do you.
Haha yep, I have done a lot of diet experimentation in my day. Some things I seem to be incapable of handling right now: bell peppers, eggplants. Random, but there’s this marinated veg salad at work I love, and every time I eat it, it makes me die. Yogurt give me bad heartburn too (sad!!!) but I eat it anyway. Just not every day.
If I eat bell peppers (especially green ones), I’ll be burping them up for the next 3 days. No joke.
It’s so interesting – I’ve been doing my hot lemont water, apple cider and green tea morning routine for years now and lately at a coaching the person told me that these 3 things are not good for me. So I stopped – and I DO feel better! I’m so glad I found that out!
White bread is deadly for me but I love it wayyy too much to not eat it once in a while.
And yeah, chocolate. Always, always chocolate.
Very interesting what you say about white vs. brown bread – I’ve been struggling with various food reactions, having thought it was dairy related but then my problems continued. Recently I’ve noticed after having wheaty things I look like I’m a good few months pregnant (always one way to freak out my dad in an email home haha) so maybe I’ll give white bread a try and see if there is any difference…
You make an excellent point – I love reading about people’s eats but it can be very hard not to fall into the comparison trap sometimes! Although I think I’d quite happily eat everything in this post please 😀
Definitely try giving more processed foods like white bread and white rice a try! I know it goes against everything that popular media tosses at us these days, but some peoples’ stomachs have a way harder time with the extra energy that whole grains take to break down. And you’re not doing yourself any favours by eating healthy foods if they’re just causing you digestive distress.
I shall for sure! Thank you 🙂 that is so true – and then I always find myself, when eating out, getting into a huge stress about what I can actually eat!!
A great message indeed! We are all so different, and if I ate like my roommate or my sister or my coworker… it just wouldn’t work for me!
I love this post 🙂 And I’m glad you’re eating bread again, because I went thru the same thing with avoiding it like the plague. But re-introducing it with moderation into my diet has helped so much with my athletic training and energy levels all day! 🙂
Happy Hump Day!
Love this 🙂 just because something is “healthy” doesn’t mean it’s better or what you “should” eat. I love white bread – I think wheat bread is nasty, so definitely enjoy it from time to time. Oh well – can’t be perfect all the time and we should be enjoying our food!
Yayyyy for bioindividuality! It’s SO true though… some people can eat oats for breakfast every day (cough you cough) while others could never (cough me cough ;)) It’s so important to experiment and figure out what works for your body.
I hear that honey works wonders for coughs 😉
Love the fact you are being honest, aren’t feeling guilty for your choices and are eating exactly what you want! Such a healthy attitude towards food- congrats!!
What If i want to eat like you… at least for breakfast and dessert???? Is that okay? 🙂 🙂 In all seriousness, I loved this post and your words. Its always nice to see someone address to the world to just simply be yourself, and stop trying to be someone your not. If you don’ like almond butter, don’t effin eat it. If you don’t like avocado, well steaer clear of guacamole. Bottom line, always be real… even if someone else may look at you weird. If they do, well oh well.. such is life 🙂
If you don’t like almond butter, I will judge you 😆 Kidding… sort of 😉
So today I made your banana muffins as they looked so good, and they are AMAZING! Even my parents like them and they usually don’t like my ‘healthified’ things. I’ll admit, your blog has helped me so much, as it kind of showed me that I am allowed to admit that white rice sits better than me, and to embrace all food groups. I’ve eaten too many things that don’t work for me but I feel obliged to eat. Too many vegetables and quinoa are two that really work up my stomach, but I feel like I should have. But I guess I feel more obliged to avoid things – bread, cheese, cereal, pasta, etc. All things I used to love but have not had in so long.
Yes yes! Everyone must do what works best for them. Love the sheep mug- too cute! At least they look like sheep?
Lots of yummy eats, as always! I have eaten a lot of eggs in the last year, trying to force myself to like them. While I can say I do not-not like them…..I still would not chose to eat them if they were not really good for me. Sometimes I have to do this to get the right nutrition for my training, but it is one of the little things that makes a big difference to performance, so it is worth it!
Have you tried them in different ways? Scrambled? Hard-boiled? Omelettes? Frittatas? Fried? Two ingredient pancakes? I’m not a fan of eggs in some ways (hard-boiled yolks make me want to die), but they’re not so bad in others! Egg salad is another good one 😉
I think your eats would work for me! 🙂 Not many things don’t work for me, but I guess that’s to be expected of a food lover.
I love what you have written here. It is ALL about finding what works for us individually. I am so glad we are all finally realising it. We can continue to explore and experiment new things but there is no point forcing ourselves to eat some sorta of sprouting, 100 day aged bean just because it is said to keep you alive for 4 extra days 😉 . Just eat real foods that your body likes – simple 🙂
I love love love yoghurt but it makes me feel really sick, bloated and heartburn that could knock out a large hippo – not cool!