Healthy requires mindfulness and planning

I did not plan my meals well today.  As a result, I felt more tired, more irritable, and less focused than normal.  Which just fed into the downward spiral of frustration and lack of efficiency.

The poor choices started with breakfast.  Instead of following my usual morning routine, I got out of bed and went straight to work, replying to business emails.  While I did make time to prepare a delicious breakfast -- leftover Sweet Potato Hash with Lamb Sausage (recipe to follow) with egg-over-easy on top and a banana on the side -- I was not present when I ate it so was unable to absorb all the nutrients and did not eat enough.  While some folks over-eat when they're stressed, I tend to under-eat.

As I walked to my 10am accountant meeting, I could feel the tummy rumbles start.  After two hours of financial concentration, I was ready to be done thinking and ready to start eating.  Both desires collided when I passed a Chipotle on my way home.  Cheap calories, but not the best lunch choice on a low-exercise afternoon.

Unfocused and feeling scatter-brained, I spent a lot of time trying to do work this afternoon only to get frustrated at QuickBooks and at myself.  If it weren't for a call from my boyfriend, K, I may have never taken a break to eat dinner and go to yoga / rock climb this evening.

Even dietitians have off days.  Why?  Eating healthy requires mindfulness and planning; sometimes I fail to to prepare.  Being healthy requires making a good choice over and over and over again.  There have been many times recently when I am too tired to choose the better option (which usually requires more thought, time, or money).

To help me plan for the rest of the week I am going to write down everything in my house that is edible and plan out some meals.  I am doing this right now at 11pm on a Monday night.

Freezer:

• 1 Amy's frozen burrito
• 1 Ezekiel whole grain sprouted tortilla
• 1 loaf Ezekiel 4:9 bread
• 1 bag Alexia hash browns
• 1/2 bag frozen pineapple
• 1/2 bag mixed berries (rasp, black, blue)
• 1 quart homemade vegetable broth
• Copious amounts of nuts (almond, walnut, sunflower, pumpkin)
• 1 lb butter
• 1 lb shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 lb shrimp

Fridge:

• 1/2 carton of 2% milk
• 2 bottles of Kefir (plain & peach flavors)
• 1 cup homemade whipped cream
• 1 cup steamed broccoli
• 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
• 8 cups homemade sauerkraut
• Dozen eggs
• 1/2 cup leftover Sardine Olive Tapenade
• 1 cup lentil salad from SUNdeVich
• Lentils from Trader Joe's
• Arugula
• Baby kale
• 2 lbs carrots
• 4 stalks of celery
• 4 lemons
• 1 cup black beans
• 12 oz mushrooms (need to be cooked / eaten soon)
• Sriracha
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Strawberry jam, 100% fruit
• Copious dressings
• Kalamata olives
• Capers
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Soy sauce
• Bragg's liquid aminos
• Brown rice vinegar
• Fish sauce

Counter:

• 1 banana
• 4 Cara Cara oranges
• 2 tiny Empire apples
• 1 lime
• Ginger root
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 sweet potato (needs to be cooked / eaten)
• Head of garlic
• Chocolate covered almonds
• Seaweed snacks

Cupboards:

• Peanut butter
• Almond butter
• 2 cans pinto beans
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can white kidney beans
• Amy's Thai Coconut soup
• Free range chicken and rice soup
• 1 can tuna
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• 1 box Horizon mac and cheese
• Copious amounts of dried lentils
• 1 quarts broth (vegetable & chicken)
• Jasmine rice
• Quinoa
• Wild rice
• Nutritional yeast
• BiPro 100% whey powder
• Unsweetened, dried coconut
• Raisins
• Dried cranberries
• Dates
• Sesame seeds
• Steel cut oats
• Old-fashioned oats
• Baking soda and powder
• Flours (whole wheat, all-purpose, brown rice and buckwheat)
• Sugars (white, brown)
• Honey
• Molassas
• Nestle Quik
• Unsweetened cocoa
• Luxardo cherries + Peychaud's bitters
• Ume plum vinegar
• Apple cider vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil (extra virgin for salads, more processed version for cooking)
• Sesame oil
• Coconut oil
• Copious boxes of tea (mostly green & herbal, some black)
• Copious dried spices
• Salt and pepper

Meal ideas - breakfast

Smoothie w/ protein powder, banana, frozen fruit, almond butter

Egg-over-easy on top of sautéed kale (cooked w/garlic and onion) + Ezekiel toast w/peanut butter

Eggs scrambled with kale + hash browns + fruit

Oatmeal w/walnuts and dried fruit

Meal ideas - lunch

Amy's Thai Coconut soup + rice + shrimp

Tuna fish sandwich on Ezekiel + arugula

Arugula salad + pre-cooked lentils + walnuts + cranberries + homemade balsamic vinaigrette + sweet potato fries (cut into strips, coat with oil & salt, bake in oven)

Frozen burrito + side salad

Homemade burrito w/ leftover black beans, rice, cheese, Sriracha

Meal ideas - snacks

Smoothie w/ kale, ginger, lemon, celery, apple, protein powder

Cereal w/milk

Apple w/peanut butter

Walnut Energy Truffles (recipe to follow)

Homemade granola + yogurt

Meal ideas - dinner

Three bean soup w/onion, celery, carrot, beans (or lentils)

Buy some kind of meat + make some kind of grain + eat leftover broccoli and lentil salad

It seems like I may need to grocery shop for some additional dinner proteins, but I will probably be able to feed myself all meals prior using only ingredients in my house.  Woohoo!