Issue #36: Everything I Ate for a Week
Food trucks, TJ's freezer aisle, and a need for a sugar detox
When I first stopped eating meat, a question that annoyed me was, “What do you even eat then?” Who knows why it was so triggering for me or why I felt so defensive, but I hated it. I also hate telling people I’m a pescatarian because, for some reason, it sounds obnoxious compared to vegetarian. But I eat fish every once in a while, so that’s the title.
I’m no longer annoyed by the question because I cannot get enough food content. I will read every single breakdown of what people eat, and I love talking about food. Top Chef is one of my favorite TV shows, and I subscribe to many food blogs.
After being cooped up for a year during the pandemic, I was sick of cooking, cleaning, and doing dishes. Coming up with meal ideas sounded less appealing than walking across burning coals. To be honest, I still have days like that. If I grocery shop, the last thing I want to do when I get home is make food because my capacity for food-related tasks is reached. But, I can consume content about food nonstop.
One goal I set for myself this year is to try 26 different cookbooks (from the library), which has helped me get more excited about meal planning and cooking. I’m doing a little less take-out and frozen food and a little more kitchen time. A few weeks ago, I decided to write down everything I ate for a week to see if there were other changes I should make in my eating habits. I figured other people might be just as nosy as I am about what other people actually have time to put together.
So, here is a full week of food and drinks. No judgments, please.
Everything I Ate In One Week
Monday:
Vanilla almond yogurt, granola, chia seeds & strawberries
2 cups of coffee with almond creamer
Reheated spaghetti from the weekend
Flakiest Fish with potatoes and walnut gremolata from the More is More cookbook
Tuesday:
1 cup of coffee
Vanilla almond yogurt, granola, chia seeds & strawberries
Quesadilla with black beans & corn from the frozen section at Trader Joe’s
Broccoli, rice & cheese dish also from Trader Joe’s
Waffle Fries with ranch and two beers at Trivia
Wednesday:
2 cups of chai tea and strawberries
Cucumber sandwich with garlic spread, avocados, lettuce, and provolone
Trader Joe's peanut butter stuffed pretzels + root beer
Take out from Dantini Pizza - the Pistachio Pesto Pizza that I couldn’t stop thinking about from the weekend before
Diet Dr. Pepper
Thursday:
1 cup of coffee with almond creamer
Smoothie with carrot, turmeric, frozen greens & berries, and watermelon juice
Peanut butter on whole grain toast, strawberries & cottage cheese
Leftover pizza
Friday:
Sour cream donut and green tea
Cottage cheese, a PB&J sandwich, and blackberries
A Vegetable burrito from a food truck with peppers, onions, corn, beans, and rice
Beers at Cloudburst Brewing and a dive bar for March Madness
Saturday:
Banana + cottage cheese
BBQ mac & cheese from a food truck, plus plenty of beers at breweries in the neighborhood
Bites of grilled cheese, fries, Doritos - not my best showing while out brewery hopping and at the house afterward
Sunday:
Sour Cream donut + Gatorade (necessary after horrible eating habits the day before and multiple beers)
Smash That Burger - Vegetarian with pickles + lager at Rooftop Brewing
A Big-Ass latke (another recipe from More is More), spicy couscous (with jalapeno spinach sauce), and a green goddess salad + glass of rose
A handful of dark chocolate candies
And Now I Need A Sugar Break
Sometimes, just writing down what I’m eating is enough motivation to make a few changes in what I put in my body. I’m surprised I did well with breakfast this week—that does not always happen. I am also guilty of bad Saturday eating often. I barely ate dinner, but instead, I just snacked all evening on trash. Obviously, I’m going to feel horrible the next day. There was also more eating out than I typically do, but who can blame me? Sometimes, you just can’t stop thinking about pizza until you eat it.
The sugar and beer content was higher than I’d like. Every few years, we do a little sugar detox in our household. You slowly cut out added sugars for a few weeks and then add them back in smaller amounts. Women shouldn’t have more than 24 grams of added sugar each day, so it’s a good thing for me to track for a few weeks. I always find new foods that I love. We are diving into that and cutting back on sugar for the next few weeks. I’m actually looking forward to it.
If you’ve never done a sugar detox, this is the website we initially got information from. This Healthline article also provides easy-to-follow guidelines for a 30-day cleanse. I’m always careful not to restrict myself too much because as soon as I say out loud that I can’t eat something, it’s all I can think about. It’s more about reducing sugar for the next few weeks and being aware of what I eat. Wish me luck.
This writer ate dog food for a week and wrote about it.
If you missed my breakdown of all the ways to make the most of your public library (like trying cookbooks), catch up here:
I mentioned the More is More cookbook in my weekly meals. You can read my full review and see the pictures. It’s been one of my favorites so far this year.
Want more food recaps? Kait shares hers with iPhone pics.
What time do most Americans eat dinner? This study was interesting but not too surprising. We joke that we eat dinner at senior hour because I’m ready for food around 5:00.
Spending more time in the kitchen makes me want to upgrade our runner to something more comfortable to stand on, like this.
I’m not ready to share my thoughts on TTPD yet, but I will get there. If you need one, this podcast recapped the album, and while I don’t agree with their takes, it was still entertaining.
If my kitchen weren’t so small, I would buy this fun gadget. I’m still considering it, but I would need to get rid of something else to make room.
I’m hungry after writing all this, so it’s time to go into the kitchen and make a mess. Let me know what your favorite low-sugar snacks are, and wish me luck on this journey. Thanks for reading, commenting, sharing, liking, and subscribing.
Cheers!
Steph