You know the familiar saying that once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget how and it is always easy. Well, some things I thought would be like that…aren’t. This morning for breakfast I was craving a bowl of oats. It has been at least two months since that last happened because cold breakfasts of whole wheat bagels + fruit served me as my go-to meal. I went for what my body asked for and prepared some oats. Errr, tried to. I totally screwed up the first bowl and had to start from scratch. Who forgets how to make oats for goodness sake? I do, apparently. Success finally came in the form of oats + cinnamon + honey pb + banana + coconut.

I’m glad my body went for the oats breakfast. It helped tide me over until lunch, which I needed. In between breakfast and lunch I was out and about nabbing bargains for new toys and fall/winter clothes for Makenzie. I scored 7 shirts, 7 pants, 2 pajamas, 1 Christmas dress, 1 pair of shoes, 11 books, an Elmo guitar, and a puzzle for $60. Now if only shopping like that could happen for me. Just switch out the Elmo guitar and puzzle for a Tofu Xpress and Vitamix.

Even though the oats lasted well, I was a starving Marvin by lunch. Breakfast continued to call my name. Along with tomato. Mmm, tomato. Fresh from my sis-in-law’s garden.

Lunch consisted of a monster breakfast sandwich. A whole wheat sandwich thin topped with laughing cow, 1 egg + 1 egg white scrambled, tomato slice, and crumbled Morningstar Farms sausage. Grapes and baby carrots for the accoutrement.

My stomach began singing “Oh, Happy Day” on the spot. I still managed to remember that just because something tastes amazing doesn’t mean you HAVE to eat it all though. I devoured most of it, but was amply satisfied by this point.

Intuitive eating never gets old. Which brings me to my next intuitive eating discussion. It has been a long time coming, I know. And I think we all know intuitive eating is NOT like riding a bike. We were able to do it growing up, but someone it became difficult and before we knew it we weren’t able to cruise easily through eating and food relationships. A lot of those changes may have something to do with our use of food to cope with emotions.

Many of us have been there. Having some ice cream thanks to the sadness heartbreak brought us. Diving into chocolate after an unbearably stressful day. Gorging on pizza at a party with friends. Celebrating a new job with a huge dinner out on the town. That is not to say any of these things are bad. It is not to say that you can’t do these things if you eat intuitively and have a healthy relationship with food. The difference comes in the control of the situation. 

Can you pause and ask yourself some vital questions before diving in? Can you determine if you are truly hungry and could you choose something to eat more beneficial to your body? Can you recognize you are enjoying food for a celebration, out of boredom, or from anger? It is always best to try to manage emotions in an alternative way, but the truth is we will still turn to food at times and that is okay if we understand the cause and aren’t always turning to food. Be sure to remember that if you do reach for the cookie jar in a time of emotional need, don’t punish yourself. That will only cause a never ending cycle of emotion surrounded by wrappers of Twix, KitKat, and Butterfinger.

• What is your favorite “breakfast for lunch (or dinner)” creation?
• What emotions cause you to reach for food? Boredom, excitement, soothing, frustration, stress, friendship?
• How do you try to cope with emotions instead of food? I love reading a book, getting online to chat with my favorite blog friends, get in a workout, talk to Peter or a friend, and play with Makenzie. Or cry. Because big girls DO cry.

Thank you all for your support of my 6 month blog “birthday”! It truly meant a lot to me to read all the comments. As a thank you, I have a few interesting things to share in this post. We’ll start with a great product review from last night.

Awhile ago the wonderful people from Frontier Soups sent me two soup mixes and a taco dip mix for review on the blog. I already shared the Sausage & Lentil Soup and the Tortilla Soup and how utterly fabulous they are with you all. Last night I prepared the last of the loot. I used their Taco Party Mix Dip as a burrito filling for the family and I.

This meal came together incredibly quickly and fired up our dinner. As always, I felt good consuming this product as the ingredients were simply freeze dried black beans, corn, red and green bell peppers,  and onion with a chipotle spice blend. To prepare this spectacular dish you only need to add a few more things and blink your eyes. That’s how fast this is ready.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1/2 c water
• one 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes + diced chilies
• 8 oz shredded Mexican cheese

Preparation

After browning meat in a pan, stir the taco mix evenly into meat.

Add water and Rotel. Mix evenly and simmer 10 minutes until liquid dissolves.

Stir in cheese until absorbed and melted throughout.

Serve as dip  with tortilla or pita chips. You can also roll in a whole wheat tortilla for a flavorful burrito.

Just like the other Frontier Soups products this one did not disappoint. They seriously are sooooo good! You must try them! The products offered by Frontier Soups use no salt, MSG or preservatives. All the ingredients are dried, natural, and wholesome. The soups and dips are easy to prepare in a pinch, tasty, and cost effective to get a full and hearty meal for minimal ingredients. I cannot rave enough about them!

Now, I have another exciting tidbit for this post. Those of you who are following me on Twitter know what I’m talking about, but for those of you who don’t know yet – I’m the new Pregnancy Fitness Examiner for Atlanta! Excitement doesn’t begin to cover how I feel. I know this is a perfect starting point for me and my writing. I honestly love sharing about fitness, health, and living well in all ways so this serves as another way to do that. It could even be a small step towards other opportunities, and if not that’s okay. I will go down whatever path God leads me to.

Now I’m going to do a bit of self promotion. PLEASE click on my ARTICLE – preggo or not – to give me support. Examiners are successful based on how much they write and the exposure they bring to their site. The fitness tips I shared apply to pregnancy but can also be generalized for anyone. Please show me some love. You know I would return the favor. 😉

I do have a confession to share though. For as much excitement that came with a new venture, concern and doubt also appeared. I had to spend a good chunk of time going over editorial guidelines, acquainting myself with the process, and getting my first article lined up for approval. I felt extremely guilty for spending some extra time on the computer. I questioned my abilities as a mother and wife. For the longest time those were my main two roles, but as the blog grows and I branch out into new things I need more time for personal development and goals.

I prayed about it last night after a bit of a breakdown to Peter, but then God quickly reassured me that all was well and I am simply living the life He has brought to me. The first chapter of my Bible reading this morning was Proverbs 31. The qualities of a wife of noble character. These verses popped right out to me - “her husband has full confidence in her” (v11), “she works with eager hands” (v13), and “she does not eat the bread of idleness” (v27). Message received loud and clear. Working hard does not make me lesser of a mother. It makes me more of a person. And I just realized I never think poorly of working moms (in fact I admire them and don’t know how they do it!), so why would I put such pressure on myself? Little M doesn’t need me at her side at all waking moments. She will flourish. Especially with a strong and dedicated mother as an example.

• What things do you judge yourself harshly on?
• Did you check out my article?? Okay you don’t really have to answer that! LOL