Embarrassing Food?
Posted: July 13, 2011 at 8:02 amHi, friends! Top of the morning to ya! It’s Wednesday morning, which you may have figured out now means a What I Ate Wednesday post a la Jenn!
Let’s hop right in with the good stuff!
Yesterday morning, I grabbed my standard piece of fruit for a pre-workout snack as I run around feeding little children’s mouths and getting ready for the gym. I don’t like working out with a heavy stomach because then great workouts will make me want to vomit. And vomiting is no fun, agreed? 😉
I completed a full body weights workout followed up with 30 minutes of light elliptical action. No intervals. Just slow and steady. It felt calming, which is just what I needed after the hectic mindset I had earlier. And cereal was just what I needed after a great workout.
Have you heard that cereal is actually fantastic for a post-workout meal because it has plenty of carbohydrates to refill energy stores and some protein as well from the milk? I believe it because cereal sounded good for post-workout today. Have you also heard of Fiber One’s new Honey Squares 80 calorie cereal?
I got a box of this cereal to sample free of charge and have fallen fully in love. I assure you the company did not buy my love. In fact, I promptly went out and bought myself two more boxes while on sale – using two coupons of course. Pick up $1.00 off and $0.75 off printable coupons to use for yourself after hearing how good this stuff is.
It has the perfect crunch, just enough sweetness, ingredients that don’t make me feel like I’m a rat in a science lab, and a healthy dose of fiber (40% daily value!). And I will admit – I like that it has a lower calorie count than most cereals because I can fill up on even more. I love cereal, but I can easily go heavy on the pouring and end up with three servings. Three 80 calorie servings = way more reasonable than three 180 calorie servings. Not that I would know or anything. Ahem.
I devoured a large bowl topped with my diced strawberries and raisins combo. You didn’t think my favorite oatmeal topping would disappear now did you?
None of my meals really got any more difficult than a bowl of cereal the rest of the day either. In fact, I almost feel a little embarrassed by the sheer ease, laziness, and packaged-ness of most of the day’s eats.
Lunch:
A grilled ham and swiss sandwich. Carrot sticks, cucumbers, and hummus. Watermelon.
Snack:
A S’mores Lunabar and a container of Chobani greek yogurt.
Dinner:
I actually pulled out more produce for dinner. I chopped up a zucchini, two small summer squash, a small head of bok choy, some onion, and some mushrooms to stir-fry all together. Since I didn’t feel like cooking a full meal, I turned to the freezer for some packaged chicken egg rolls we had to use. And while the nutritional stats aren’t terrible in those little eggrolls, I can’t deny their super processed state.
I almost felt embarrassed for showcasing meals like cereal, packaged bars, and frozen eggrolls in a What I Ate Wednesday post. No cooking. No creativity. Nothing fancy. Nothing perfectly unprocessed with zero added sugars and zero disodium guanylate.
Then I remind myself I still strive overall to eat as high quality as possible but also without stressing myself over every meal choice. I can’t feel embarrassed for eating what suited me yesterday despite it not living up to some of the standards that occasionally seem prevalent in the blogging world. I always appreciate blogging for opening my eyes to new, fun ways to eat mindfully and beneficially to my body. At the same time, I also have to remain aware to not allow the “blog food standard” I create in my head to overwhelm my decisions. So, I had my egg roll lazy meal day. Chomp.
- Are you a cereal addict?
- Do you ever feel a certain unspoken standard for food on blogs? What do you think are the pros/cons?
Tags: breakfast, dinner, lunch, review, snacks, what i ate wednesday
yey for joining the WIAW party! So glad you’re taking part.
No shame in getting a little help from the store 🙂
The Smores Luna bar has to be one of my favorites!
While in the summer, I have the time to make more whole, unprocessed foods…prepackaged foods definitely are valued during the busy school year. Got to love TJs for their orange chicken and lime chicken patties! 🙂
Those are two of my favorites! The orange chicken is so good. And we actually have some chili lime burgers you just reminded me to use
I can’t even buy cereal because I will eat the entire box, in 1 sitting. ANY cereal. I’m not prejudice 😉 ESPECIALLY granolas, frosted flakes, coco puffs, capt crunch, and pb capt crunch. Riiiight, nothing healthy in there, hence my avoidance of it. I do feel unspoken food blog standards, but I try not to succumb to them. TRY is the key. Sometimes I succumb, and sometimes I just mentally beat myself up for not being that this one, or that one. And then I smack myself, put on my big girl pants and move on. I can’t compare it/me to anyone else. Do it because I love it, right?! Not to compete. And I love it, so I’ll keep doing it!
girl, you ate great today…tons of fresh fruits and veggies and you listened to your body! who cares if you had an eggroll? sometimes that’s the highlight of the meal, and that’s OK 🙂 I think there are unspoken “standards” of blogs, but i also think that those were made to be broken!
Oh definitely. I don’t really feel embarrassed. Dang sarcasm not coming through. Also wanted to bring up the “blog standard”.
I’ve been eating processed veggie burgers and frozen vegetables all week. You have nothing to be ashamed of, seriously!
Yum!! I’ve been wanting to try that cereal, but no stores around here have it 🙁 and yes, I’m a hardcore cereal lover!! 🙂
Ha, that’s an embarrassing days worth of food? I do feel slightly ashamed to fess up to somethings I eat and drink (Cyrstal Light anyone?). Spending too much time in blogland can make me feel that way if I’m not always eating organic/wholegrain/unprocessed whatever.
No worries hon.Overall our diets are way better than the average American.
I am such a cereal addict! I try to eat oatmeal or english muffins for breakfast (with fruit) because if I have cereal in the house, I’ll eat it ’til it’s gone! Haha
Love your bowls…colorful, cheery, happy…especially the cereal bowl with the wavy edges!
I agree with everyone else that the amount of fruits and vegetables here is impressive 🙂
Gotta love target for fun dishes!
I am a cereal addict. I have come to realize it is a trigger food for me. This is such a shame as it is a simple, healthy breakfast alternative that I can’t keep in the house. Do you have trigger foods? How do you handle them? Maybe you could write a post about this topic? 🙂
I more have trigger situations than trigger foods. I think because I make a point to be able to fit in reasonable of portions of whatever I love so I don’t feel the need to have more more more like I would if they are out of the norm or limited.
Once you start me on cereal, I get on a mean streak of eating it… not to mention I like to pour 2-3 serving bowls, because 1 just isn’t enough lol
Cereal is a favorite snack for me. The hardest part about having a broken jaw is not being able to eat my cereal in the morning and as an afternoon/evening snack. I cannot wait to crunch into some good Khashi Go Lean when the lock jaw is over.
Ouch! I broke my jaw this winter and totally feel your pain. 🙁
Hope you heal quickly!
Thanks Laura, I find out today if I can get the wires off or if I have to wait another week. Praying its a good report.
I love that cereal! I use it to top my recovery shakes after workouts – totally agree about the carb replenishment benefits.
I must try that new cereal. I’m like you and don’t buy it very often because I can eat a whole box in a sitting!
And the first thing I thought of when I saw the egg rolls? No, not… ew, how processed, but more like ‘YUM- it’s been too long since I’ve had chinese food!’ 🙂
YUM! MUST try that cereal!! I had no idea and I love Fiber One’s products. Your eats look perfectly lovely and simple. No embarrassment there whatsoever 🙂
I have had cereal for dinner the last two nights… it has been easier than cooking for 1.
Whenever Peter goes away I usually end up eating cereal for dinner.
I’m ridiculously addicted to Kashi Go Lean, I don’t know what’s in it but I’m convinced it has something addicting cause I can’t put it down haha
It’s funny how people’s taste buds are different! I got a free sample of that cereal as well and I HATED it. I believe it’s sweetened with Splenda (sucralose), and I found the artificial sweetener taste to be totally overwhelming. I wish they had sweetened it with something natural – honey, maybe – but of course that would have driven up the calorie count.
Yes I love cereal — my latest obsession is chocolate cheerios. Holy cow those are good. I don’t like Fiber One products because they contain chicory root which makes my stomach feel HORRIBLE. Or else I’d love to try that cereal, it sounds good!
i want to dive into those egg rolls!
I wouldn’t be embarrassed at all by those meals. You had tons of yummy looking fruits and veggies!
If I were to participate in WIAW, it would show Whataburger for dinner because I had a complete disaster with my pizza dough attempt last night…That’s life, and I’m not going to complain about the delicious cheeseburger I had for dinner 🙂
I am a total cereal addict! I LOVE it :). I sometimes get embarrassed by what I eat too, but I then I get over it and realize that I’m not perfect and it’s okay to eat those things sometimes :).
It’s unrealistic to expect people to whip up elaborate meals made from all natural ingredients all the time. While I love checking out recipes, it’s also refreshing to see healthy living bloggers who put together easy, convenient meals. Eating healthy doesn’t need to be time consuming or require a lot of effort; I think many people have that misconception and it deters them from even trying to change their diet. So you definitely shouldn’t be embarrassed about what you ate yesterday, in fact, you should own it!! You ate great yesterday! 🙂
LOVE cereal!!! Love Special K cereal and Fiber One cereals. Its just so easy sometimes and when you are getting your self and 3 kiddos ready, well it just seems to fit. You always eat very well, so I don’t think having a day where you have processed foods means anything. You still ate better than I did. 🙂
i feel that standard sometimes. since i eat on the go a lot, and my family doesn’t know i have a blog, i usually have to resort to iphone pictures of less than exciting meals. plus, i tend to only be cooking for me so there’s not much excitement in the food i can make. i also think though, that some of us by nature like to compare ourselves, and food is just another area- so try not to worry!! i hardly doubt people judge you for what you’re eating! i know i follow your blog because i love what you have to say!
I think there is nothing wrong with having no-cook days. If frozen egg rolls are what it takes to help keep you healthy emotionally and mentally, well, then I think that is a healthy choice for today:-).
I used to be a serious cereal addict (the bad kind, full of sugar too) but somehow I grew out of it!? not sure how but I only eat cereal on really lazy days now and it’s usually Kashi. Long gone are my days of lucky charms. Although, they are magically delicious!
Fiber One cereals are my FAVE! I love mixing the normal Fiber One cereal with Kashi Go Lean. That combo has some great nutritional stats!
Ooo thanks for sharing about the cereal..I’m a cereal beast too so the lower the cal the better..it means more for me to eat!
And something about pregnancy had me craving cereal even more than normal. Beware!!! 😉
I love the Fiber One cereal too! I didn’t think I would, but it is SO good!
You should not feel embarresed in fact you should feel empowered since you were (and always are!) honest with your eats! Life and food is all about balance girl!
No need to be embarrassed! I wrote a post a couple weeks back on my favourite “healthy” somewhat processed foods. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with including them in your diet, provided you mix and match with more whole stuff (as you did). I love cereal, but I use it more as an “accessory” rather than the main event…eg: 1/2 cup on some fruit and yogurt rather than a whole bowl….also love chocolate cheerios mixed with 100 calorie kettle corn! And I discovered those fibre one honey squares on a recent trip to Buffalo…yummy indeed…wish we had them in Canada!
I am *so* addicted to cereal. I could eat it everyday twice a day and not get sick of it. This is why I must limit myself to just a few days a week, or things could get out of control!!
I used to be a cereal monster! Seriously it would be my breakfast, my snacks, my desserts! I’ve recently become somewhat lactose intolerant, and now I hard ever eat cereal except topped on my smoothies! Or dry handfuls lol. It is just not the same to me in almond milk as it was in regular milk!
No shame, girl! You are a mother of 2 and manage to cook meals almost daily without relying on packaged products. There is no reason to feel bad about taking off a day 🙂 Also, seeing you have moments like this makes others feel better that we do the same from time to time. I love to cook, but when I’m tired after a long day I definitely have gone for something easier and more processed with decent nutrition stats just because it is more convenient. Keep up the good work, you are an excellent role model!
I will have to check out that cereal. I agree; i love lower calorie cereals because i like A LOT. a teeny bowl will do nothing for me!
I love your points on your food today; as long as you’re eating for you want and what works for you…who cares?! 🙂
Thank you for getting what I was trying to say and that I wasn’t upset with my meals!!!!!
LOVE me some cereal!
… I really do feel like there is a “standard”… especially lately. Last friday I posted a blog which had me proclaiming my love for chocolate cheerios and pointing out I ate them *gasp* one week out. The comments and backlash I got from how unhealthy that 1/2c of cereal was blew my mind.
Health is ALL about balance and doing what works for you. Someitmes convenience foods are nesessary and well… tasty. ENJOY them
A backlash over that is ridiculous!! You do awesome so let them say what they will bec you know what you are doing
No shame Tina, you are not allowed to feel any! Finding the balance with health is the key to a fulfilling lifestyle. Convenience foods are so necessary sometimes, I eat them and buy them often
I am such a cereal addict. I can say with sincerity that there are no cereals I don’t enjoy! The sugary kinds are the best, even though they do nothing for me and keep me full for about 4 minutes haha
I love eating cereal after working out! Especially after a sweaty workout, because the cold milk sounds so good 🙂
Wahoo!!!! Smore’s luna bar!! I love it!
Breakfast is my favorite meal and I love incorporating a delicious bowl of cereal into it. My current favorite is Kellogg’s FiberPlus(R) Caramel Pecan Crunch, but all of their flavors are really good. Have you given any of these a try yet?
Not yet!
I would love to know what you think once you give them a try. Be sure to keep me in your cereal loop. 🙂
Um. I NEED to find this cereal!! I usually avoid it because you get so little bang for your buck (serving wise esp) but this would be perfect! Toss a banana in there and call it a day. YUM!
Sometimes, food from a package is just better. And easier. Theres no shame in that. Plus, egg rolls sound pretty awesome right about now.
I like cereal but I don’t think I’m an addict….unless it’s the sugary stuff!
Your food looks great! I’m glad that you posted that you weren’t really embarrassed at all 🙂
I absolutely LOVE the new Fiber One cereal. It is perfect! I eat mine with berries as well.
I totally understand your sarcasm in the post. No worries. 😉 Sometimes a girl’s just gotta eat those eggrolls.
I know you would get me!
I’m not that into cereals, I’d rather have some whole wheat toast for breakfast.
No need to be embarrassed about your meals! You ate a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. Being 100% perfect all the time is way too much stress! Who can do that?!
I really love your relaxed attitude towards your food choices!
I love cereal! Always have, always will. I know it’s not the *perfect* food I could choose to nurture my body, but I will happily eat cereal everyday. Same goes for chocolate. 🙂
OMG I am now craving that Fiber One cereal in a big way…I feel like I won’t be able to think straight until I get some. It’s been all over the place these days and I just need to find some ASAP.
As you can tell, I love cereal and I never can stop at one bowl! This will definitely help me out a bit 😉
Use those coupons to nab a box, girl!