It doesn’t take long to know that I looooooooove to enjoy food. Good Food. Basically, all food. 😉
But it seems that everywhere I look we are told we shouldn’t enjoy what we eat or at-least attach some sort of guilt to what we are putting on our plate.
And I lived like this for most of my life. I could never truly enjoy what I ate when I got caught up in all the guilt, numbers and fad diets. And with each diet I focused on eating as little as possible or cutting out a major food group. These diets never lasted, I could live off cabbage soup for one day maybe two until I gave into whatever and every food in the fridge that was calling my name. Every time I dieted I felt restricted and unable to enjoy what I was eating. And when I was off the diet, I ate everything I had deprived of myself without any thought in between. Let’s be honest, both extremes left me feeling lethargic, malnourished and not too good about myself or what I was putting in my body.
How about enjoying our food instead – nourishing our bodies the best we can while enjoying a couple sweets in between?
It’s about eating delicious and nutritious foods free of guilt. I’ve come to a place where I love to truly enjoy what I eat. I love enjoying every bite and sip knowing that I am filling my body with an abundance and variety of nourishing foods that make me feel great. Maybe that’s the real “secret” 😉
I love to start my day off with a warm and comforting cup of green tea and a hydrating cup of lemon water with half a lemon squeezed in. I started drinking lemon water in the mornings a couple years ago and have never looked back – it is my favorite start to the day!
My “first” breakfast was a big bowl of this comforting Cinnamon Oatmeal Porridge (from the Vegan 8) smothered in Almond Milk and topped off with some pecans. Am I the only one truly ccraaaaves pecans this time of year? I’ve been putting them on everything!
And then there is always a second breakfast. This purple smoothie contains a scoop of chlorella and spirulina powder (getting that nutrient dense algae in!) a whole banana, some frozen strawberries and big handful of frozen raspberries.
I usually opt for a big salad at lunchtime but today I was craving a hot and satisfying meal to hold me over until dinner several hours later after my running group in the evening. Plus, there were lasagna leftovers in the fridge calling my name 😉 This healthy vegan lasagna is one I can’t wait to share with you soon! The veggies are mixed in with a bit of coconut oil and chili flakes. As always, it is all smothered in hot sauce. Do I have a hot sauce addiction? Probably 😉
Quick Frozen Veggies: And these veggies come together in a pinch. Throw a bag of veggies in a Pyrex or microwavable glass dish. Microwave for around 5 minutes until they are drefrosted and lightly steamed. Drain off the excess water. Drizzle with a touch of coconut or olive oil and sprinkle with chili flakes. It might not be the most gourmet dish but it is quick and easy fix for those busy weekdays when you want to fill up on nutritious vegetables but don’t have time to spend the time in the kitchen cutting and cooking them all up. This is a big bag of organic vegetables we got for just over a euro!
And then there were snacks. I looove to snack, especially during days like this when I am ate home studying. To avoid mindless snacking (something I’ve struggled with in the past) I like to put aside snacks for myself that I will enjoy and savor. These are the snacks I ate throughout the afternoon with about a couple hours in between.
An oil-free pumpkin square from Oh She Glows, a perfectly ripe banana, trail mix made on the spot (with a dark chocolate square, some raisins, pecans, and almonds) plus some clementines. The clementines are so good this time of year! In case you’re wondering, most days I do get out of my pj’s but today I opted to stay comfy and work on my thesis all day long.
I aim for half of all my meals to be fruit and veggies to ensure I am satisfied and feel nourished throughout the day. I ate dinner after coming back from my run later in the evening. I gobbled up two bananas when I got home (not shown – I find that the natural sugar does me good after a long run) while I warmed dinner up. Dinner was baked sweet potato fries in a bit of avocado oil, seasoned with Himalayan sea salt and chives (recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction), alongside roasted zucchini and carrots sprayed with coconut oil and sprinkled with chili flakes. and thiss yummy lentil loaf I made, portioned out and froze last week (recipe from Ambitious Kitchen).
I work up a big appetite when I run and love to fill my body with warm and nourishing foods when I get home. I felt like a little dessert after dinner tonight so I enjoyed another piece of my favorite pumpkin square with a splash of maple syrup. I finished my day off in my cupcake pajamas with a comforting cup of Fennel tea. 🙂 This might just be my favorite way to end the day!
What’s your favorite nourishing snack?
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This is such a great post Ceara! I start my day off almost the same way 🙂 Lemon water, oolong tea, oatmeal and some sort of green smoothie later. Love sweet potatoe fries and your vegan lasagna sounds fantastic, I can’t wait to see the recipe too 🙂
Oolong tea sounds fantastic Kelly – something I have never tried befoore! I will have to keep my eye out for it! Thanks! 😀
Thank you so much for the shoutout Ceara! I’m so glad you loved my CInnamon Roll Oatmeal! We eat it every single day now, haha! My daughter loves it. All of your food on this posts sounds so amazing and I love your attitude and spirit on eating healthy. The stress that people associate with every calorie counting or worry is more harmful than the food. We just need to eat real whole food, but still enjoy it! I avoid certain types of foods, for sure, but I love all the variety there is out there and I love and enjoy my food so much, more than I ever have, truly.
I LOVE it! I have been having it everyday for breakfast as well 🙂 I totally agree with you – changing real whole plant-based foods is amazing – it has had a huge positive impact on my life!!
Love your blog girl, and your WIAW is amazing!
Thanks <3
I love the way you transformed your eating habits while still enjoying food! The menu you shared sounds divine Ceara!
Thank you for your kind words, Hadia!
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I Love love love how you are proactively taking steps to be healthy and good to yourself. I had to comment because I was so impressed by your self awareness. Love your life and eat well!
Thank you so much for your kind-hearted words CakeSpy – they brought a big smile to my face!
I got some amazing inspiration and ideas form this post Ceara! I like having smoothies as a snack and must try this purple one! I’m also a fan of organic frozen veggies, so easy to prepare!
Thank you, Mira!!! I am all about the purple smoothies lately 😀
I love this post, Ceara! I totally feel like I can’t really enjoy what I eat either, and always have a little voice in the back of my head telling me how many calories I’m consuming or this and that. I love how you start your day off with nutritious food! And that is such a great idea to add pecans to your oatmeal. Definitely trying that next time! 🙂 And I’ve never heard of fennel tea before, now I’m intrigued! Sounds like a great way to end your day!
I totally hear you Gayle! Getting over that little voice in my head is something I am continually working on! And pecans in my oatmeal is my new fav. thing ever – it is too good!! 😀