delara, interrupted

...cow. Well, maybe not the entire cow, but certainly a good little chunk of it. Say, a filet mignon cut? Ah, yes!

Vegetarians, turn your eyes away. This isn't for the faint of heart. (I'm kidding...)

I just had the MOST AMAZING filet mignon with a generous side of mushrooms and spinach in a garlic herb butter sauce. YUM! Where, you may ask, did I order this delightfully delicious meal fit for a queen? I ordered the beef at my local organic market and cooked it MYSELF at home in my kitchen. Oh yes! It took but 15 minutes, and I enjoyed every morsel of food on my plate. Almost licked it clean. Almost.

(Sorry, George - no photos. I was too hungry.)

Steve and I have been cooking at home much more these days for a few reasons. One is that it is helping us save a good amount of money. Eating out is typically a $50+ dollar deal for us both. The second reason is that we have been making a focused effort to eat a diet more in line with what is good and nourishing for our bodies. While I recognize that most people shy away from beef because of its fat and cholesterol content, I CRAVE beef all the time, and it turns out that it's really good for me as long as it is lean. So, my diet looks like this:

no dairy (cowmilk) products except for butter and on the VERY RARE occasion some hard cheeses

no sugar - locally harvested honey, pure maple syrup and agave nectar are ok occasionally

no foods baked with yeast - nutritional yeast is ok

LOTS of lean protein, especially meats - fish, lean beef, veal, chicken breast, eggs

LOTS of greens - collard greens, kale, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, spirulina, kelp

a few servings of fruit, nuts and veggies per day

So far, we've managed to stick to this more or less (more more than less), and I'm noticing a few interesting things. I am eating a lot less than I used to in terms of volume and calories. I am just not so hungry when I've given my body what it needs vs. what I may have a temporary craving for - like a piece of German Chocolate Cake. (Oh my, that sounds so tasty to my sweet tooth!) If I've eaten nutritionally well, then I don't need more. That's cool.

Another bit of observation is that I am a VERY emotional eater. When I'm just chillin' at home, I start to crave sugar things - cookies, cake, chocolate-filled croissants, etc. And it comes from my need to feel like I'm "doing something productive" as opposed to resting - which I need to be doing during down-time. Sugar is my "love fix" - when I need to feel loved or accepted as I am, I turn to sugar, which is INSANE because it only sabotages how I feel about myself. I don't metabolize sugar very well, so I end up with, uh, blockages when I eat it. (Ok, that's a good enough euphemism for it.) And then I feel crummy. I tell you - INSANE.

Lastly, I recognize how utilitarian my meals have become. When I think about what I want to make for dinner, for example, there's a little bit of "what am I in the mood for?" and a LOT of "how can I get my protein and greens in a yummy meal today?" I end up doing a lot of stir fry with light oils because it's fast and easy and a GREAT way of not overcooking greens. I do not like them soggy. Bleh. And I end up eating a lot of not-so-pretty meals that taste AMAZING and have everything I need in them. It's very practical and generally cracks people up when they see what I'm eating.

I am eager to see how long I can keep this up. So far, so good. But I know there are going to be times that challenge me to stick to this. Certain people in my life totally trigger my sugar cravings, and traveling makes it more difficult to be completely in charge of what you eat. We shall see what is to come!