I’m doing a little victory dance right now. (<--- That video will never get old!)

We had a fabulous day in these parts. I felt more rested than the past couple of days. Things weren’t hectic around here at all today. We also had a play date with our good friends, Danielle (for me) and Riley (for Makenzie).

Girl time certainly helps break up the day nicely. Danielle just ventured into stay-at-home-mom territory and I can’t wait to spend more time hanging out together. Our little girls love each other too!

After our play time, I made a simple lunch of leftover soup with a slice of 9 grain bakery bread topped with a slice of swiss.

I always have the most difficulty deciding what to eat for lunch. Thank goodness for leftovers that make for simple and satisfying meals. Although I don’t consider it quite as satisfying as my lunch “dessert”. I always enjoy a square of dark chocolate with a cup of decaf coffee during their afternoon naps. It’s my little moment of heaven every day. You think I’m exaggerating? Ha! I love it so much I didn’t even pause for a picture of it. That’s how much I enjoy it.

Now, I have just finished munching my afternoon snack of Chobani and an apple.

I seriously can eat this snack every day. It does not get old. Ever. Plus it makes for the perfect pre-workout fuel and I need that as today marks the start of something exciting for me.

That’s right. Today I am officially beginning the Couch To 5K program. So, with that…I’ll catch you later.

Question of the Evening – Is there a snack you can never get sick of? And have you ever done C25K?

That title seems like quite the oxymoron, doesn’t it? Many perceive intuitive eating as completely go-with-the-flow in moment to moment eating decisions. Doesn’t planning negate that concept? I don’t really know the answer, but I do know that I would say I practice it.

Most of you know how much I believe in intuitive eating. I wrote an entire series reviewing its principles after all. (You can find all those posts under my Top Posts page). At the same time, however, I have to plan out much of what I eat..and when I eat. As a mom coordinating schedules for two others, I have to make time for myself to eat because otherwise I honestly may forget to eat. That’s no fun and only leaves me ravenous and out of touch with my body. Also, we have a pretty tight budget when it comes to groceries; meal planning has to occur.

For this reason, I typically eat the same things each week for breakfast, lunch, and snacks as they are the items planned for in my meals. Dinner is something new every night, but also planned while making my grocery list. My meals this week, for example, look something like this -

Breakfast = oats topped w/ natural peanut butter & fruit, an egg on the side

Snack 1 = a banana and some Cocoa Roast or Cinnamon Roast almonds

Lunch = a sandwich on bakery fresh 9 grain bread w/ turkey, tomato, spinach, mustard, pickles, onion and veggies w/ hummus on the side…some dark chocolate for my sweet tooth

Sometimes I will have leftovers for lunch instead of the above.

Snack 2 = a container of Chobani and an apple before heading to the gym

Dinners = last night we had roasted chicken & carrots, fresh green beans, and whole wheat macaroni & cheese (thanks, Alisha for the care meal! delicious!!!)

Dessert = If I’m craving something, I will have a small somethin’ somethin’ for dessert. You can imagine this happens in some form most nights. 😉

So, how can I call this intuitive eating if I know ahead of time what I plan to eat? In my opinion, there is one basic difference that allows this style of eating to work for me and still be intuitive on a whole. My plans are simply due to lifestyle and not set with the intention of having control over my food. This way I can still practice true intuitive eating with the following adjustments if necessary:

• If I still feel hungry over what I planned to eat, I do not hesitate to have more.
• If I truly don’t feel like eating something, I don’t force it. We do have other options I can make work when I don’t feel like having a planned meal.
• I still focus on eating mindfully and being aware of cravings caused by emotions, stress, fatigue, etc.
• I plan foods and meals I truly enjoy and I know I will want to eat. I don’t plan foods because they are “good” versus “bad” or fit a certain caloric allotment.

So, there you have it. My approach as “planned intuitive eating”. It works for me.

Question of the Day – Do you plan out meals or take things one meal at a time? What ways do you practice eating intuitively?

Also, do you like the occasional “my day of eats” posts to see what I have or do you prefer it more sporadic with showing a snack here, breakfast there, dinner every now and then?