Well, hello February.
January was a busy month as evidenced by my lack of blogging. This warm winter has been fantastic, though, especially because I walk to work. A couple of weekends ago we did finally get some snow, but it’s completely gone now.
I don’t know if you’ve tried lentil hummus yet, but I’ve been a bit obsessed with it lately. It’s also really inexpensive to make, probably even less expensive than homemade bean hummus ($0.12/oz). The last time I did a comparison this = 3x cheaper than storebought hummus.
With the new month, I’ve noticed a change in breakfast patterns. I have been on 3 different breakfast kicks since starting this blog during grad school in 2009.
- [2007-2010] oatmeal in every way imaginable
- [2010-2011] egg + toast
- [2012] green smoothies are making a comeback
I have to admit that this latest kick has been inspired by convenience and trying to streamline my morning routine.
Overnight, I refrigerate directly in the blender container:
- 1/2 cup oats,
- ~1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup of raw kale
- 1 T peanut butter
- 1 banana
- cinnamon, and a little vanilla extract
In the morning, I just turn the blender on, and breakfast is served in 2.5 seconds.
Do you eat the same thing every day for breakfast?
And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about food and the standard American diet (SAD), how nutrition is a simple yet seemingly impossible solution to a wealth of diseases, how we have the power to take control of our health yet continually choose quick fixes, and how we have to make decisions about whether or not what we buy at the grocery store is real food. Nutrition isn’t simple stuff anymore.
The ready availability of energy dense, nutrient poor junk food and fast food doesn’t help anything. I know a lot of these thoughts are coming from frustration after reviewing a lot of diet records filled with processed products, but it just makes me sad that so many people truly don’t know what it looks like to eat things that don’t come out of packages and boxes…and for that matter, why the American Dietetic Association even promotes some of these products. Personally, I find that incredibly shameful, and it’s part of the reason I’m no longer a part of that organization (still a registered dietitian, just not a formal member of the ADA).
But enough on that…in other [good] news, my ankle is nearly healed; thanks for all the well wishes. Running is such a huge outlet for me, and I’m glad that it can be part of life again. And I’ll try to be more careful this time. ;)
