Health(ier) Eating Habits

I am constantly hungry, so I sometimes feel like eating/planning what I’m going to eat is a full-time job. Packing lunch/snacks takes pre-planning when it comes to grocery shopping (we’re huge proponents of packing lunch: (1) It’s cheaper going out to lunch, (2) it’s usually healthier, and (3) you can control portions easily). I find that my hungriest time of the day is before lunchtime. No matter what I eat for breakfast, I’m STARVING by 9:00 am. This may partially be because I eat breakfast around 6:30 am. For the longest time it’s been a bowl of cereal because that’s quick and easy. I’m beginning to think that I may need to ramp-up by breakfast routine. Oatmeal with fresh fruit and nuts on top or eggs, fruit, and toast. I’d probably get a lot more nutrients from either of those than I do from my bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (which I LOVE. Oh, and Trix. And Lucky Charms. We’re such children). But making breakfast would require me to wake-up earlier, as in BEFORE 6:00 am. And there’d be those pesky extra  dishes each day (btw, I HATE doing the dishes. If Mr. H would do all of the dishes and vacuum the stairs for the rest of our lives, I would be one happy camper). And I’d be willing to bet that I would still commit redrum for food by 9:00 am.

Yesterday morning I had a bowl of plain yogurt, strawberries, and granola at 9:30 am. By 10:30 am, I was right back to the hunger reminders (light-headed, headache, cranky) of 9:15 am. I am definitely more hungry now that I’m pregnant, but I’ve always been hungry ALL OF THE TIME. And I’ve always been a grazer during the day. Unless I go-out to lunch with co-workers, I don’t eat a big meal at lunch time. I just snack my way through the day, and have a small portion of dinner leftovers or a sandwich at lunchtime. Maybe I’m not eating the right things to fill me up? Either way, I’m feeling the need to change-up my eating habits.

Mr. H and I have always been decent eaters. We don’t snack when we’re at home. I make dinner almost every night. We pack our lunches. We eat wheat bread, yogurt, and fresh fruit like it’s our job. One of our favorite snacks is hummus and whole wheat pita. Mr. H even switched from mayo on his sandwich to hummus. He doesn’t drink any alcohol, and I (pre-pregnancy) drink little. We don’t drink much soda, except we usually have a bottle of Ginger Ale in the fridge. It’s a lot of water, milk, juice, and G2 for us. Even though we’re not terribly unhealthy, I feel like there’s a lot of room for growth. One major set-back for me is this: I’m not very food adventurous. And I don’t like onions. As in, I HATE them. Cooked, raw, sautéed into submission – hate them. Mr. H will literally try anything once. And if it’s not his favorite, he’ll eat it anyway (Please, Lord, let our son have his eating habits).  So naturally I hate him too.

I’ve been reading a lot of fitness/food/healthy living blogs lately, and I’m feeling inspired. Not inspired enough to run out to Whole Foods and buy-up the whole store, but I’m feeling encouraged. Plus, changes like this don’t go well when you make a major switch overnight. The process needs to be gradual if it’s really going to stick. And maybe the process has already started; I’m in the beginning, consideration phase. We’re planning a Saturday morning trip to a local farmer’s market, so hopefully we’re taking a step in the right direction.  I have big plans for zucchini bread/muffins this weekend!

I also have a big dream for next summer: I want to plant a veggie garden in our backyard.  This is a BIG dream: (1) Because next summer is really far away, (2) We'll have a kid under one, (3) I'm really not in to yard work, and (4) I tend to kill plants easily.  Either way, I still have the dream.  We're not big tomato fans (I want to try and change this), but I figure we HAVE to plant at least one tomato plant.  Other than tomatoes, I'm thinking: green beans (FAV), zucchini, yellow squash, red/green peppers, and maybe some lettuce?  I don't want to go too crazy. Is corn easy to grow?  I've done a little reading, and most of these veggies listed needed warm weather and full sun, which shouldn't be a problem.  Mr. H has even agreed to help me build an enclosure of sorts.  Check back in one year for progress (just THINK about how different things are going to be in one year - wowsa).

Side note: I’ve added a couple pages to the blog. I’m working on an “About Us” page. Hopefully I’ll get it done before baby comes, but we’re a little preoccupied right now :)