What I Ate Wednesday + National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

Good morning, lovely pals! In honor of NEDA I posted a little heart-to-heart about my journey on Instagram and I wanted to share it here for anyone that isn't on social media. I hope this speaks to you if you're struggling silently or aloud and inspires you to listen to your heart and speak out for positive change, no matter what the topic!

I love food, always have. I remember being seven and my mom laughing at my drawn out mmmmmm’s. I’m a passionate person that thrives on achieving and controlling and fixing. That’s a wicked combo, except for when it’s not.

My health quest went from empowering to all consuming. Too much of a good thing. In 2016 I wrote a post called “I Have Been Changed for Good” where I put into words the humbling realization that I/my blog was contributing to a systemic problem that not only normalized but fueled orthorexia in a space that so badly needed less perfection and more normalcy. It felt like the end of a long health-or-nothing race, except no one had won.

It’s no coincidence that so many healthy living bloggers struggle with disordered eating. One in three nutrition students do, too. The irony, right? We’re the product of a society that celebrates and expects women to be smaller, thinner, less noticeable.

So where do you draw the line between healthy and unhealthily obsessed with health? Took me years to answer that one. I thought I was “normal” for so long! Now I can’t even imagine thinking about food the way I used to. I basically rebranded, ditched clean eating, and put my energy into uplifting content that was informative but funny, empowering yet lighthearted, sassy yet kind, and nourishing yet balanced. I wanted to say and make things that would make women happier. I wanted to ignite real change, and it started with me.

I went from packing lunches and planning breakfasts meticulously to taking each day as it came and honoring spontaneity above all else. Like, zero plan. Dessert every night, still (ask Jeff !). I was so much more PRESENT. I noticed how much less I thought about food when I was FULLY satisfying my body. That meant more space to think about everything else that mattered SO MUCH MORE than my damn oatmeal.

Eating out way more. Not picking the restaurant. Not forcing vegetables into things that were fine without. LISTENING. Being CURIOUS. Exercising COMPASSION versus judgment for myself and for others. If your body could talk, what would it say? It’s never too late to listen. #NEDAwareness

I often hesitate posting a full day of food because honestly, what I eat really has nothing to do with what you eat. We're completely different people with our own unique DNA, energy needs, workout routines, preferences, appetites, hormones, and a zillion other factors. My biggest fear is that some reader will fall in the comparison trap and see what they're eating as not good enough, not healthy enough, not homemade enough, etc. etc. I'm also no stranger to comments from readers telling me my salad should be more loaded enough or my dinner should be bigger. It's not easy taking criticism on what and how and when you eat from strangers.

I'm know I'm providing inspiration and ideas more than I'm letting down people who think they're not doing "healthy" right (there's no such thing!) so that's why I've kept up with these posts even when regular recipes content falls by the wayside. My goal will always be to inspire you to have fun in the kitchen, challenge yourself, try new things, and never stop exploring.

I'm on a sweet kick with breakfast which is weird because last week I was craving eggs and toast like no other. Jeff made our oatmeal and I was only in the mood for it once. That's the beauty of intuitive eating--honoring what you're craving even and especially when it's different from what you prepped in the fridge. Yesterday was oatmeal with peanut butter, diced apple, kosher salt, and maple syrup. Sweet and salty caramel apple goodness!

I met a friend for lunch at Northstar and got what I was really in the mood for: the Stella Pizza! Olive oil crust with fontina cheese, crispy kale, and hot honey...OMG. So satisfying. We shared that and the Village Salad with tofu. Definitely ate past fullness (it happens) but also didn't think about food till like 5 hours later so that's a win in my book. The number one way to not be paralyzed by food thoughts is to simply eat enough and honor your cravings, not kick them.

Dinner was leftovers from a random meal I whipped up on Sunday...shrimp and grits! I had a bag of polenta from our CSA so I cooked 2 cups in about 8 cups of water with plenty of salt (it made a ton). I cooked it for about 30 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Then I added butter and freshly grated parmesan.

For the shrimp, I used two bags of sustainable thawed from frozen Fremont Fish Shrimp from ALDI seasoned with smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne. I let that sit while I sautéed a bell pepper and onion. Then I dumped that into a bowl and sautéed the shrimp, adding lemon juice to brighten at the end. Mixed the shrimp with the peppers and onion and voila! We had roasted broccoli and salad on the side.