food journal...a reminder for myself

I've been fighting a cold/allergies/sinus/coughing thing for almost two weeks now.

And I've realized something...

when I don't feel good, I don't eat good.

Pardon my grammar.

But I don't.  Instead of eating the foods that bring health and wellness, I've been eating cheese tamales from Costco...leftover Easter candy...soda instead of water...anything else I can find that's processed and gluten-free (not easy)...and craving the cookies and bread and all that other gluten-filled stuff I just can't eat.  It's been an all day fight against the cravings that I know will only make me feel worse.  

Quite a difference from two weeks ago, when I took a few photos of what I was eating to create a visual food journal of what sort of meals keep me feeling my best.  I've debating sharing them, but because I need a little visual inspiration so badly right now to keep the fight up...here we go...

Breakfasts - I'm finding fruit and nuts to be a big win for me.  Apples and almonds or a sliced banana and walnuts with a sprinkle of cinnamon...sometimes a greens smoothie.  A little sugar, a lot of fiber and some protein.  It doesn't seem like much, but they keep me going better than a bowl of cereal ever did.

For snacks - more of those breakfasts.  A handful of almonds, an apple, a bowl of strawberries.  And I'm realizing I need less of them than I tend to think I do.

 

Lunches -I have a huge tendency to find something and eat it until I'm sick of it.  Somehow, in all the years I've been eating them, I've never been tired of black bean quesadillas.  My other lunch of choice is a great big dinner plate sized salad with lots of chopped veggies, beans and sometimes a little fruit.  

I'm going to have to find something new, though, for a bit - sinus issues have me convinced I need to stay away from dairy for a bit.  

And a side question - how do you feel about mango?  It's a new-to-me fruit and I'm still not sure I like it.  Some bites are great, others seem to taste a little grassy.

Dinners - mushroom fajitas (this recipe, with mushrooms instead of flank steak), mongolian tempeh (again, tempeh instead of beef), veggie omelettes, rice or quinoa pasta with a little sun-dried tomato pesto and sauteed vegetables...more big salads, roasted mushrooms and sauteed spinach, steamed artichokes, grilled veggies, Southwest bean and rice salad, stir fried rice with a little egg...

There it is.

That hunger for whole foods - foods they way God made them - it's back.

What reminder do you need today?

Comments

[Ingrid]

Everything looks delicious! I am struggling to eat healthy. It takes time and effort. I'm new to your blog. Do you have a list anywhere of recommended foods (above what you just posted)? I'll check back :)

[Samantha Widlund]

Hi Ingrid, and welcome! I don't know that I have a list of recommended food anywhere here, but I generally try to eat foods as close to the way God made them as possible. I choose not to eat meat for long-term health and can't eat gluten-due, so it gets a little tricky. I stick to lots of fruits and vegetables, legumes and the whole grains I can eat like quinoa and brown rice.