Family members are all over the place. With so many sports, activities, meetings, youth group, business travel and various friends, it’s not uncommon for the family to be in different places at dinner time. On Friday evening, Chuck was at a business function, and the girls were in sleepover mode with friends. The girls wanted to order a pizza, and Chuck would be eating out. That left me. Now it may seem like the “easy solution” would be to grab a few pieces of the girls’ pizza. Oh no – go back to the posting on the 4th. Instead of viewing this situation as, “Well, why bother cooking for myself.” “It doesn’t make any sense to cook for one.” “Everyone else is busy, so why cook.” Etc, etc, I’ve heard all the rationalized excuses.
Instead, view this as an opportunity to treat yourself to a lovely little meal. It’s essential to remember that cooking for one can be delicious, healthy, easy and efficient – it’s just about being prepared. I had a few sweet potatoes in the panty, and some leftover fresh green beans that had already been cooked in the fridge. That morning, while I was out running errands, Whole Foods was already on my agenda, so I picked up a small (about 1/3 pound) piece of cod that was on sale. In the bakery department, I treated myself to one fresh cornbread muffin. On Friday evening, there was about 5 minutes of prep time. I put my sweet potato in the oven. I put a little sea salt and pepper on my cod, tented it in a piece of tinfoil and stuck that in the oven. Warmed up the green beans in microwave. The piece of cornbread was ready to go. You just can’t get much easier. This was awesome, nutritious (ok, maybe the cornbread wasn’t perfect), and with no hassle whatsoever. Eating healthy when you’re on your own just doesn’t have to be some difficult, time-consuming ordeal as long as you are prepared!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
How bad habits get started
We have the best of intentions. Eat well, exercise and live a wellness-focused lifestyle. Occasionally, we cut ourselves a little slack, maybe indulge in a little but too much good food and wine, or rationalize why it’s OK to skip a workout here or there. But if we don’t keep this behavior in check, it’s where bad habits start.
Take my trip to China for example. I was naughty in the food department. Our hotel had a fabulous breakfast buffet of Western, Chinese and Japanese breakfast items. Since, we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from (and our bodies thought it was dinner with the time change), I ate a BIG and I mean BIG breakfast. Of course, since I was in China, each morning I had to have the Chinese doughnut of the day, and loved the fried (yes fried) Chinese milk buns that I dipped in honey. Hey, this was great, and boy was this pretty awesome compared to my ultra-regulated breakfasts at home. Take dinner for example, I had beer every night and frequently ate fried food. There was seldom bottled water in the restaurants, so beer was the “safe” choice. Hey, this was refreshing after a tough day of site seeing! This all bothered me a bit at first, but by week 2 I was in the groove.
My eating was in “vacation mode.” When I got back, it was hard to immediately shift back into the old routine. I was hungry and missed all my sweet treats! Last Saturday morning, I treated my girls to doughnuts, and I actually considered having one. I practically had to shake myself silly. This is exactly how bad habits get started. Oh, one little doughnut won’t hurt! Ladies, this is like a ball rolling down hill, it only picks up speed.
This topic frequently comes up with clients. It’s so easy to go from vacation, to holiday, to special occasion, and before you know it, you’re 5-10 pounds overweight, with bathing suit season around the corner. I’m in week 2 of my vacation detox, and am feeling on track, and a little shocked at how bad I allowed myself to eat! How about you…have you allowed any bad habits to sneak into your food routine?
Take my trip to China for example. I was naughty in the food department. Our hotel had a fabulous breakfast buffet of Western, Chinese and Japanese breakfast items. Since, we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from (and our bodies thought it was dinner with the time change), I ate a BIG and I mean BIG breakfast. Of course, since I was in China, each morning I had to have the Chinese doughnut of the day, and loved the fried (yes fried) Chinese milk buns that I dipped in honey. Hey, this was great, and boy was this pretty awesome compared to my ultra-regulated breakfasts at home. Take dinner for example, I had beer every night and frequently ate fried food. There was seldom bottled water in the restaurants, so beer was the “safe” choice. Hey, this was refreshing after a tough day of site seeing! This all bothered me a bit at first, but by week 2 I was in the groove.
My eating was in “vacation mode.” When I got back, it was hard to immediately shift back into the old routine. I was hungry and missed all my sweet treats! Last Saturday morning, I treated my girls to doughnuts, and I actually considered having one. I practically had to shake myself silly. This is exactly how bad habits get started. Oh, one little doughnut won’t hurt! Ladies, this is like a ball rolling down hill, it only picks up speed.
This topic frequently comes up with clients. It’s so easy to go from vacation, to holiday, to special occasion, and before you know it, you’re 5-10 pounds overweight, with bathing suit season around the corner. I’m in week 2 of my vacation detox, and am feeling on track, and a little shocked at how bad I allowed myself to eat! How about you…have you allowed any bad habits to sneak into your food routine?
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