For some reason, I just felt like blogging a lot last night. I'm not sure why, considering the fact that it was 3:15 am when I started this post. But that's okay. As I am on this crazy adventure of growing up, I am having to learn how to plan and make my own meals. Near the beginning of the summer, I wrote about how I am in the process of eating "closer to nature," or eating intentionally. Basically, this just means I buy as little boxed/pre-packaged food as possible, but if I absolutely have to go for processed jank, I look at the nutrition labels and pick the brand with the fewest ingredients. I have actually started to get very passionate about intentional eating and nutrition, which has made me somewhat of a food snob. I don't think that's a bad thing though, because I have felt changes in my body. By the end of my first year, I was SO OVER dining hall food. It really did make me feel heavy and gross. So this summer I worked to purify my food intake and get back to basics.
The key idea is this: we eat to live. We do not live to eat. And food must be considered as what it is: fuel. We need food in order for our bodies to run as the machines God created them to be (which is why starvation diets DO NOT WORK). But it can't just be any random food in any random amount. It was easy to change my eating habits at home because my mom did the grocery shopping and cooking. I could just look into my fridge if I wanted a snack and grab some celery or random fruits. Living in an apartment on my own is rather different. The responsibility of making sure I have a fridge stocked full of healthy foods now falls to me. I also have to learn how to mix it all together to create meals, which is proving to be more difficult than I thought due to time constraints (aaaand lack of skill when it comes to cooking). Of course, the hardest part cannot be forgotten: trying to do this all within a monthly budget. I am proud to say that I am doing really well with the intentional eating, though. I have had scrambled eggs and fruit every day for breakfast. Lunch has either been a sandwich or peanut butter toast+ salad. For dinner, we have made tacos, healthy pasta, and make your own pizza. It is SO GOOD to be done with dining hall foods. While it is somewhat of a pain to cook every meal for myself, it is great because I know what I'm putting into each meal and am therefore controlling what is going into my body. So, if you are living in an apartment this year and interested in changing the way you eat (and feel about your body), stay tuned. I will definitely share any insights I gain throughout the year.
First insight (recipe): coffee drinks. I am totally a Starbucks-style coffee fan (more like addict). I'm a college kid. I NEED my coffee in order to function properly throughout the day (and stay up late to get my work done). But Starbucks is expensive both health-wise and money-wise. So today I made my own fru-fru coffee, intentional eating style.
Step 1: Brew your coffee. It can be caffeinated or decaffeinated.
Step 2: Add almond milk instead of regular milk or creamer (to taste). Among other benefits, almond milk has fewer calories than regular milk...but be careful when choosing which brand to get. Remember- the fewer the ingredients on the list, the better.
Step 3: Add sugar (to taste). But not just any sugar. Evaporated cane juice (the healthy alternative to sugar) is the way to go. It doesn't go through as much processing as regular sugar and therefore retains more nutrients. I found that you don't need as much because 1) the almond juice is pretty sweet and 2) the more nutrients an ingredient contains, the less you need of it to be satisfied (which is why this whole thing works, by the way. Less processed=more nutrient dense=you eat less of it).
Step 4: Enjoy as is, or add ice for iced-coffee.
And there you have your very own designer coffee drink :)
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