Next week’s prompt: What is one image or symbol that
reminds you that are you enough?

When it comes to food, I am such a creature of habit. I know what I like and I have it over and over and over again, which means there’s not a lot of variety in my diet.

I have the exact same thing for breakfast every single day: toasted whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter, string cheese and a Granny Smith, not a Macintosh, not a Red Delicious, not a Pink Lady, a Granny Smith apple. I can be very irritable if I am out of any one of these items and have been known to drive to the nearby 7 Eleven to get peanut butter. I love my little meal. It’s the perfect combination of carbohydrates, fiber, dairy and protein. I am a big fan of breakfast foods, but only if I go out will I deviate from my menu.

Sandwiches are my preferred lunch and I have been coined “sandwich girl” by more than one friend. I probably eat at Subway at least three times a week and I order the exact same thing every time I’m there: six inch sub on wheat with turkey, Provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, red onions, cucumbers, mustard and a little mayonnaise. It fills me up and never lets me down.

As you can imagine, over the years, I have taken a lot of heat for my culinary choices, but I don’t care. I stick with what I know and enjoy and don’t see any reason to change.

I will eat other things…for dinner. I enjoy colorful salads chocked full of veggies, thin crust pizza, sushi that’s not too fishy, the spicier the better Mexican food, angel hair pasta with chicken and spinach and I’d never turn down a big juicy cheeseburger. Thanks to your dad, dinner is when I really mix it up. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably have a bowl of cereal or another Subway sandwich every night. Obviously, I don’t cook. I have never been comfortable in the kitchen. Your dad, on the other hand, is very comfortable in the kitchen and makes us all sorts of yummy creative dishes and we have a great system, he cooks and I clean.

I’ve taken several cooking classes so I do know some kitchen basics and can make a couple of meals but nothing without a recipe in front of me. I find it fascinating when people can throw a meal together by adding a little of this and that and it comes out tasting delicious. I don’t posses that level of confidence when it comes to assembling a meal. Don’t worry though, you won’t starve once you start eating solid foods, there’s wonderful “kid food” (chicken tenders, mac and cheese and hot dogs). All stuff I can handle, even though I will expose you to all different types of cuisine. With my luck, you’ll probably end up being a foodie* with way more refined tastes than your mother’s.

Bon Appétit!

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As boring and bland as my diet may be, not too long ago I read an article outlining six reasons to eat the same thing every day and I’d like to share them here:

1. It Makes Shopping Easier and More Cost Predictable: Eating the same foods every week allows you to budget properly for groceries and in the end, makes shopping faster and easier.

2. It Makes Weight Loss or Maintenance a Lot Easier: Whether you want to maintain weight or lose weight, eating consistently the same things can make reaching your goals a lot easier.

3. Knowing Your Body: Eating the same foods helps you understand your body and how it reacts to foods. When you eat new or atypical foods, you will be able to hone in on what foods make you feel too full, gassy, not full enough, etc. Further, it will also give you insights into how your body reacts to chemicals, preservatives and spices. If you eat healthy most of the time, your body will expect that, and so, if you throw it a curve ball, it will let you know whether or not it likes it.

4. It Makes Cooking a Lot Easier: I use whole foods or ingredients and don’t try to get overly complicated.

5. Greater Appreciation for Off-Days: Having a routine for meals makes dining out or those times you do get creative in the kitchen all the more meaningful. New dishes and flavors have much more significance and tend to taste extra scrumptious.

6. Healthy Behavior on Off-Days: If you find the optimal ‘formula’ from #1 above, you will have a good baseline for when you don’t eat the same foods. You will become very accustomed to how much of what kinds of foods you need and will be able to use that as a guide for the days you digress.

(Brett’s Blog: 6 Reasons to Eat the Same Thing Every Day June 1, 2009 by Brett Blumenthal)

*Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook. – From Wikipedia

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