What do I eat?

   

 I will be the first to admit that I am addicted to food.  I love everything about food, the way it's prepared, the awesome kitchen gadgets used to prepare it, the fellowship that usually involves it, to the way the aroma of a creation smells as it's baking or cooking!  I adore the way food makes a home smell amazing. 

    As long as I can remember I have had a fascination with recipes!  Growing up I would collect recipes like most girls my age were collecting barbie dolls and lip smackers! I would put these cherished recipes in a wooden recipe box my Mom had given me.  I still have that recipe box!  I would even create my own recipes, writing them out on recipe cards, clip recipes off the back of soup cans, out of newspapers and magazines and add them to this treasure box. If I was lucky enough to get a recipe in someone else's handwriting....SCORE!  I was thrilled to add that recipe to my wooden box. To this day, some of my most prized possessions are recipes in my Mom's handwriting and my Grandma's handwriting. 

     I love watching food programs on television and I remember watching food programs before there was specific channel on how to prepare food!  So, you could say, I was just born with a love of food, all aspects of it!  

    I have learned to look at food a completely different way.  Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE food, but, now I have to look at it as fuel for my body, NOT as a short term comfort for my emotions. TRUST ME though, I still could eat a whole plate of spaghetti, cheesy pizza,  tons of chips and salsa, or a half a dozen of chocolate cupcakes!! When I'm sad, happy, lonely, bored, anxious, depressed, etc., I have to fight those urges every single day!  I'm not perfect! I'm human, and I'm a food addict.  

     One of the things I have learned that has helped me the most in the past 7 months, is LOGGING my bites.  I was told for years, "write down what you eat"....sure...blah blah blah.....I never did it...until NOW.  And, I can honestly say now, that it has become as routine as brushing my teeth!  I use My Fitness Pal. 

    I also have to prepare and think ahead to what I'm going to eat for the day, or even for the week!  If I wait until it's lunchtime and I don't have any idea, I will be tempted to get fast food or something that's NOT healthy!  I mean, Taco Bell is RIGHT THERE! I can put a whole new meaning on Taco Tuesday every day, not just Tuesday, if ya know what I mean! Haha.

  Lots of people have asked me to tell them what I eat now since losing weight.  My answer seems to be "I eat simple now".   I only do a few "cool" recipes once or twice a week.  I still love me some recipes! I love the challenge of making my comfort food recipes into KETO friendly recipes, but FIRST and for most days.....SIMPLE is the way I roll.  

Here's a list of what my favorites seem to always be:

Farm fresh eggs

Bacon

Sausage

Cheeses (blue cheese crumbles are a favorite!)

Avocados (I am so picky on how I purchase these!  I'll video tape my next trip to purchase them!)

Hamburger

Chicken (unbreaded)

Bratwursts

Cheese Sticks

Macadamia Nuts

Almonds

Bullet Proof Coffee (I will have a post all about how I make this!)

Asparagus

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Cauliflower 

Spinach, fresh

Dark Leaf Lettuces

Real Mayo

Cream Cheese

Sour Cream

Heavy Whipping Cream

Real Ranch Dressing

Here's my supper for tonight!  One of my favorites, and very easy!  It covers the 3 main things I focus on: GOOD FAT, GOOD PROTEIN, and GOOD veggies, especially dark green ones!

The makings of my supper!!!

Fresh garden tomato sliced, fried eggs in butter, and sauteed spinach!

I also did my "food prep" for the coming week! I try to do it on Sunday nights. 

Hard Boiled Eggs

    I baked Bratwursts, then I put them in baggies and in the fridge! I cut up summer sausages, cheese, hard boiled some eggs, baked some asparagus with hamburger "steaks", scrambled up some eggs with cheese and sausage.  (I also keep track of how many eggs I scrambled, amount of cheese and sausage) I will portion it out as I eat it.  

Scrambled Eggs, Cheese & Sausage

Baked Asparagus & Hamburger "Steaks"

Love my Bratwursts!  

I put everything in baggies! 

And, in bowls!  

 I am ready for the week to grab & go!  Now, you have to keep in mind, I am a MOM of 3 BOYS!  So, this will be grazed on by all in the house throughout the week, not just me. :) 

As I've said before, I'm not a professional! It seems to be working for me, so I hope it helps someone else, and let me know your go to favorites!

Melanie :)