I thought we’d shake things up a bit today.
Don’t worry I still plan on participating in Jenn’s What I Ate Wednesday link up. I’d have to be bat shit crazy to voluntarily skip that kind of fun. Oh wait…
For the past few months now, I’ve been sharing a total day’s worth of food, and I still plan on doing more of the same. Hell, it might be awkward if I didn’t, in light of my diatribe about WIAW rule breakers. So I’ve been sharing my eats, week in and week out, but they’ve almost always been my weekend meals; the ones I’d like to think of as my ‘pretty meals.’
Well, I’m putting my foot down. No more pretty meals. Not here. Not today. Stomp….bam…crash…ouch.
Instead, in the words of ODB (Ol’ Dirty Bastard), I’m “keeping it real, son,” because today I’m sharing my low down and dirty eats. It sounds good already, doesn’t it?
I’m sharing the kind of food I eat the majority of the time. The kind that make up my usual workday, poor lighting and all. The kind you might correctly call my Monday meals.
The kind where I eat my banana in privacy. That’s right; you’ll just have to use your imagination.
I’m sharing the kind of eats, where my meals aren’t staged unless you count my rather fine plastic cutlery and the Greek God in the background. Greek Gods always add a little je ne sais quoi to photos. A little Orange Cranberry Granola doesn’t hurt either.
I’m sharing the kind of eats where I use my iPhone to snap a quick picture because pulling out my full on camera at a rare work lunch out might seem weird. The kind where a giant black bean veggie burger and barley salad leave me totally satiated and snack free for the afternoon.
I’m sharing the kind of eats I consume when I get home after a long day at the office, followed by a quick Turbo Kick class. The kind where cooking can be a stretch, so you can forget about elaborate creations. The kind where dinner is happily eaten in front of the computer, while catching up with some of my favorite blogs.
I’m talking about the kind of eats that end on a sweet note. The kind where you willingly consume three squares of chocolate. The kind where you put an uneven number back for another day. The kind that makes my self-diagnosed OCD scream.
Since I’m all about keeping it real today, you should also know my hair is naturally curly or wavy or frizzy or something along those lines. This is also the first time I’ve worn it this way in YEARS.
What’s a real day of food look like for you? What do you normally eat after a long day at the J.O.B.? Do you rock your ‘natural’ hair, either in color or in style?
kristen @ verbs and vignettes says
February 26, 2014 at 7:18 AMhahaha. i love the “weekend meals are pretty meals.” so true!! i barely have time to put on my shoes in the morning, let alone fix nice-looking meals for the day. that black bean burger + barley salad look delicious!! and i’m usually too awkward to take out even my iphone at work lunches.
nice sneaky work selfie. i’ve done a couple of those. and i like your hair! i put a ton of frizz-helping product in my hair, but other than that, it’s all me… you gotta accept the curls. 😉
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:08 AMAin’t that the truth. About weekend meals and curl acceptance. Sometimes our hair controls us. Ha.
lindsay says
February 26, 2014 at 7:32 AMlove the realness and the hair. It’s hot! and eggs are our go to… always and forever. fry it up
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:09 AMEggs are the best for quick and easy and on the go.
I like to do a keeping it real edition every few weeks or so. Keeps my humble and well, real. 🙂
Olivia @ Liv Lives Life says
February 26, 2014 at 7:41 AMYour hair looks cute! Mine is (obviously) naturally curly, too, and I get so annoyed with it, but you totally pull it off!
When I read about your three squares of chocolate, my OCD screamed a bit, too. Haha.
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:09 AMThanks Liv.
It’s funny, I haven’t touched that bar since Monday night so my uneven chocolate squares are still taunting me.
Fran@BCDC says
February 26, 2014 at 7:46 AMYour lunch out with the bb burger and the barley salad looks perfect. I should do more with barley, it’s always tasty. I love your hair that way and pink is such a good color for you! Have a great day, Meghan!
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:10 AMBarley really is delicious. I need to cook with it more too. We could start a new trend!!
Thanks Fran!
Laura@fitfreshnfunny says
February 26, 2014 at 8:35 AMMy natural hair is dishwater blonde, but I decided I’m supposed to be a brunette so I’ve been rocking that for years now. Maintenance sucks but the result is worth it!
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:10 AMTrue Dat!
kirsten@FarmFreshFeasts says
February 26, 2014 at 8:48 AMGood grief I don’t even wear makeup much less do stuff to my hair. Talk about keeping it real . . . though I will share pretty pictures of beets on Friday.
The burger and barley is nice, yes, but what I want are the potatoes and eggs. Yum!
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:11 AMI always want the potato and eggs!
Sarah Pie says
February 26, 2014 at 9:08 AMLove the hair! Mines the natural color but I have to do something to tame it from its normal half curly/wavy/straight state most days.
And if that black bean burger tasted half as good as it looked you are one lucky girl 🙂
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:12 AMThe black bean burger was delicious, but not as delicious as Peas and Crayons Pumpkin Burgers or her Spicy Bean Burgers either, for that matter. I’m pretty sure she has the market cornered on veggie burgers.
caren says
February 26, 2014 at 10:04 AMLook at you with the curls! Personally I could never rock my natural hair color (haven’t seen I was 14).
I think I’d look 72 if I did that now! lol
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:13 AMYou and me both. Curly is the natural style, but dishwater blonde or weird light brown is my actual color, speckled with spots of gray (AHHH!).
Davida @ The Healthy Maven says
February 26, 2014 at 11:16 AMalways rocking the natural afro. I like to believe it’s beyonce-esque (it’s not).
So I did a WIAW trial (I’ve never done one) that I’ll probably be posting about next week. It was an interesting experience to say the least…
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:13 AMI would like to see a Beyoncé-esque afro selfie from you. That might make my day.
Can’t wait to see it.
Amanda @ .running with spoons. says
February 26, 2014 at 12:50 PMI’m always rockin’ the natural ‘do — dark brown and stick straight. My hair is a stubborn bastard, and it pretty much refuses to do anything I tell it. I’ll try curling it only to have it be stick straight again in 15 minutes… no matter how much I fight. So I threw in the towel and don’t even bother anymore. I consider it a good day when I run a comb through it. And a normal day of food for me usually includes around 20 handfuls of random stuff, which I would never show on the blog because there are only so many ways to make cereal and dried fruit look interesting.
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:14 AMI’m not sure I’ve ever heard you swear before. I like it.
Gemma @ Retired Cardio Queen says
February 26, 2014 at 12:58 PMI love the curly look. I have wavy/curly hair and I go between letting it go free (no product and wavy) and straightening it. It’s nice to be able to change it up – we are lucky to have the choice 🙂 A lot of my WIAW pictures aren’t the pretty weekend ones cause I tend to forget to take pictures then lol I should probably start to pay more attention!
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:15 AMThat’s very true. I’m constantly changing my hair up; color and style. I get bored with it easily so I need to mix it up a lot.
I wouldn’t worry about it; real pictures are more fun for WIAW.
Michael Anderson says
February 26, 2014 at 1:23 PMLove the ‘keeping it real’ … and honestly it is why I have basically stopped reading all of the WIAW posts. I mean, isn’t this all supposed to be about keeping it real?
How does it inspire someone when you have elaborate unreal meals shown on blogs and you are just trying to make sure everyone gets something in their face before tossing the kids on the bus and rushing out the door to work … ?
We do our best to do ‘menu planning’ for every week, and since our younger son (just turned 16) is an excellent cook, it means having three people to make meals (ok, our 17 year old technically CAN … but, yeah … ). Sometimes it is ‘quick & dirty’, other times it gets more elaborate. We all eat breakfast – mine is normally greek yogurt, fresh fruit and peanut butter toast. Though I have a Bulgur recipe I have been totally loving recently!
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:20 AMI try to do a keeping it real type WIAW every few weeks for this reason alone.
Your breakfast sound right up my alley, and perhaps you can send your 16 year old my way. I could use an extra set of hands in the kitchen.
Thanks for stopping by and saying hello too. I love hearing from new people.
Jen@Twenty-Something&Starving says
February 26, 2014 at 1:33 PMGreek Gods make everything better. I think your real day of food looks just as delightful as a weekend! It’s funny – I always post my Mondays for WIAW but I plan to do a weekend soon!
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:20 AMCan’t wait to see it.
Eating 4 Balance says
February 26, 2014 at 9:06 PMDon’t be offended, but when I scrolled down I thought your sandwich was a huge piece of chicken and I paused. It was just the color…. so golden and delicious. At first I was kind of disappointed because, I think chicken is kind of the bomb. But then I read that it was black bean burger and, well, that sounds pretty darn good too.
My hair these days is wash it and walk out. No fancy stuff here. Down one day, up the next in a messy bun, and then wash it the next. And I always have a black headband tied up around my wrist for when my hair gets in my face. I need a hair cut.
Oh, but all natural hair color for me. I like your hair in its natural state; it suits you!
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:21 AMNo offense taken. 🙂
You should cut it all off. Then you don’t have to worry about buns, headbands or anything really. It’s wash and go, literally.
Jess @ JessieBear What Will You Wear? says
February 26, 2014 at 10:35 PMAww I think your curly hair is pretty!! And I love the “real” eats haha
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:22 AMThanks sweets!
Jen@HealthyFoodandFamily says
February 27, 2014 at 1:36 PMLove it! When I first started blogging, I was obsessed with making every meal perfect. Not only did my bank account hate me, but I was sick of having to make new and interesting things for every meal. Real eats are always better in my book 🙂
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:22 AMYep, yep. I feel ya on that. Real eats help more people too, in my opinion anyway.
Brittany says
February 27, 2014 at 11:10 PMThat burger and that barley mix..I NEED THAT! This all looks legit. And your hair makes you look like a sassy little monkey.
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:24 AM“Your compliments rock,” she says while thumping her chest wildly.
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
February 28, 2014 at 9:33 PMFor a workweek day of ‘real’ eats- still looks mighty mighty to me! That burger almost makes me want to go vegetarian…for one meal. My WIAW posts are a typical day- sometimes it’s a weekend if it’s been interesting otherwise just the norm.
Confession- I made your cabbage, egg and potato skillet dish the other day- and um..ate all of it even though it served more than one :p
Meghan says
March 1, 2014 at 10:27 AMYes! I love that you made the cabbage, egg dish. I got that from Farm Fresh Feasts and I will tell you, the Hubby and I destroyed more than half of it, even though it served four. Then, I polished off the leftovers with more eggs all by myself the very next day, so you are not alone in the eating it all boat. It was damn good!!
That’s what I like about your WIAW’s. Keeping it real. No shame in your game. We are kindred souls.
Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli says
March 3, 2014 at 5:53 AMOmg girl, I LOVE the hair!!! And the pink…you are totally rocking that pink! And this post is awesome…unapologetic eats. Perhaps we should start yet ANOTHER movement for WIAW! 😉
Meghan says
March 4, 2014 at 1:21 AMThanks Love. I think we should definitely start another WIAW movement. Next week though m’kay. Because I’m breaking the rules this week. Oops.