Some people might call me a creature of habit.
At which point, I’d backhand those foolish folks. Alright fine, I wouldn’t actually harm anybody, especially when there’s some nugget of truth to what they’re saying, even if it’s the teeniest, tiniest, itsy, bitsy, yellow, polka dot…oh crap, where was I?
Ah yes, food ruts.
It’s safe to say I’ve been known to get stuck in a few of them, although I will of course emphatically deny it or more likely give you some kind of justification for my meals on repeat. For example, potatoes are awesome so there’s no reason you shouldn’t be eating them often. So what if I eat granola five days a week; I’m constantly switching the flavor profile – Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Orange Cranberry, Lemon Blueberry – so it doesn’t even come close to counting as a food rut. Hell if anything, I’m the picture of variety and versatility.
Um hello, I can hear you scoffing all the way in Cleveland.
Which is why today, I’m bringing my eats from last Wednesday to our WIAW party because they aren’t typical for me, and sometimes that’s half the fun. We’ll gloss over the fact it was purely accidental and instead relish in the moment of breaking free from our food rut chains.
My first breakfast was actually pretty standard, par for the course for little ol’ me (not in a literal sense because I’m not okay with aging, despite the inevitability of it): a smoothie with frozen pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, a banana, kale, flax powder and bee pollen. The bee pollen is my newest addition to my morning cocktail. I’ll be honest, it tastes god awful when eaten alone, so I’ve been adding it to my smoothies to disguise its repulsive flavor. The health benefits are supposed to be tremendous, so time will tell if I keep consuming it.
Second breakfast was three, yes count them three, Sunrise Energy Bars. These are my fallback when I’m out of granola, which is practically a travesty, but it does happen…like that time the Hubby ‘accidentally’ took my granola AND his granola back to school with him. By the way, I don’t buy this accidental business for one bit; mama didn’t raise no fools.
Lunch was supposed to be a quinoa salad but when I removed my lovely, little Tupperware lid, I was overcome with a powerful stench, which implied my meal was no longer in the land of the living and certainly not edible. So I took a pass and hit up the vending machines at work instead. I was able to score some grapes, cheese and crackers and pretzels and hummus. The cheese tasted like plastic, the crackers not much better; I ate them anyway. What can I say? I was really hungry, which is when my standards tend to get tossed out the window.
Dinner was probably my most unconventional meal of the day. It involved breakfast, which isn’t all that shocking, but it came in the form of muffins. Yep, my dinner was Kirsten’s Healthy No Sugar Carrot Cake Muffins. They’re a mouthful, the good kind, in more ways than one. They’re jam-packed with nutritional goodness and the dates make them super sweet, despite the lack of sugar. I housed four of these muffins with smears of butter for dinner, and I’d do it again, if I wasn’t already out of muffins.
There you have it. A day unlike most others for me; a day where I survived on bee pollen and processed bars for breakfast, where I raided the vending machines for lunch and a day where I ate nothing but muffins for dinner. Truth be told, I missed my granola and fancy pants cheese, but those muffins…well I’d eat those for any meal.
Do you tend to get in food ruts? If so, how do break the chains? Is it by choice or is it accidental? Tell me about some of your unconventional eats; the foods that aren’t typically in your repertoire.
I am in a breakfast rut now. Smoothie + eggs and toast. I’ve been trying to switch it up this week with homemade waffles, maybe oats one day, a breakfast bake the next. we will see if that works. eggs and toast is just so much easier.
Lunches are where it is at right now for me. I am having fun with different salads by using leftovers as toppings (Moroccan sweet potato salad, thai zucchini meatballs, chopped veggies) and having an abundance of sides like hummus, crackers, and fruit. I am a volume eater, so big lunches are a must.
A breakfast bake is a great idea. I need to look into some of those.
I like the idea of switching up salad toppings. I actually think salads can be incredible versatile and your salads are proof of that. Very creative!!
I do tend to eat similarly most days, but then there was yesterday..where I snacked myself through the entire day and had ice cream and cookies for dinner. Then for dessert (because I guess I did this backwards?) I had strawberries and almond butter. I woke up a bit bloated, but no shame in my game. HAHA. Those muffins look legit, and I shed small tears when my food is no longer in the land of the living.
I was so bummed about my lunch no longer being any good.
Hell yeah to No Shame in Our Games. Life is too short for that. Or too long, but either way shame should have no part!!
I always have my food ruts that change every few weeks usually neither by choice nor by accident but anything in between. My food phases always depend on my mood, food availability and temperature.
It’s so annoying when your prepared food isn’t what you expected. For today I had packed a millet stuffed eggplant end ended up eating just the millet. The eggplant was disgusting! And after that lunch frustration I realized I forgot to pack a snack. We don’t have any vending machines at work so I was hungry all afternoon. BUMMER!!!
That is a bummer, especially because conceptually the idea sounds really good. Then again, eggplant isn’t really my favorite veggie. I can stomach it in some things, but usually not by itself or anywhere it’s the star of the show.
My food choices will change as the veggies in our area come into fruition. I’m rather excited for it actually.
I feel like I am always in a food rut, to change it up I just buy different veggies haha and some different seasonings!
Always in a food rut…oh no, that’s no fun. I like the idea of using different veggies and different seasonings though.
Food ruts can be tough! I hate when I run out of ideas…it’s fun to mix it up! The carrot cake muffins look so good!
The carrot cake muffins were actually delicious. I will definitely be making those again!!
Hello there old friend! I have been stalking you on Instagram but I’m not going to lie: I missed your blog and YOU :)! Would it make me a terrible HLB if I admitted that i actually have a soft spot for those plastic-looking cheeses. There’s something about processed cheese that just tastes so darn good (gross I know ha)! The strangest thing I recently ate (out of choice) was a bowl of daal. I say strange because it’s EXTREMELY rare for me to voluntarily eat an Indian meal..even more so when I end the bowl wanting more!
I’ve missed you too, and I’m thrilled to hear you’re back!!
Admit away, that’s one of the things I rather enjoy about you: your honestly. I’m pretty sure it’s the “natural cheese flavoring” and the extra salt that makes it taste so good.
I’ve looked into using bee pollen before because my allergies are killer! I couldn’t find enough info at the time to justify the cost for myself, but let me know if it works for you 🙂
What is it with boys stealing granola? Last weekend BF walked out with half my batch like it was no big deal… I love that he’s eating my stuff over the processed junk but granola is a serious business!
I don’t have allergies so I won’t be any help in that department. I can tell you I was able to get a pound of bee pollen for $10. I’m not sure if that’s comparable, but I know it’s going to last a long time, since I use about 1 teaspoon per day.
Granola is serious business!!
I definitely get into “food ruts,” but did much more so when I had to pack my breakfast and lunch for work every day. I work from home, therefore I eat most meals at home, so I can be a little creative. But, we definitely tend to eat the same 8 or so meals for dinner on rotation. And- I don’t mind it! The classics always taste good.
Your day looks pretty delicious to me- and my standards definitely go out the window when I’m hangry too. 🙂
Hangry means standards absolutely get tossed. Then it’s all about give me food.
I have some staples too, which I love, but my upcoming CSA will ensure my taste buds get some variety. I’m pretty sure I’m just done with winter and everything that comes with it (even the foods) and ready for Spring flavors and sunshine!!
Not gonna lie: Food ruts are like the plague around here lately. I’m trying so hard to get out of mine and signing up for a new CSA in Vancouver is helping. I can’t wait to see what I get! Also, just finished reading Preserving By The Pint – totally excites me!!! I think there’s a lot of ways we can get out of ruts… like making smoothies.
….I want to make them every time I see yours!!! They look SO good. I need a new blender first though. Mine just chops up the ice into pellets. haha.
PS. Bee pollen tastes like moldy ass. But it’s okay if you mix it into something.
Aw you’re sweet. I’m still digging my smoothies and all they really are is fruit, fruit, more fruit, some greens if I got ’em and now bee pollen, also known as moldy ass.
I can’t wait for you to get your CSA. I predict great things for you my friend.
I get in ruts and do cleanses to break them. Not really, but it did help!
I share your thoughts on bee pollen. I mix it with honey and coconut milk yo choke it down.
TWSS!
Men are such granola stealers! I suffer from similar issues at my house although instead of it leaving the premise mine just eats it while I am asleep and I wake up to none when I know there was more than one serving when I went to bed. Thiefs!
Nighttime thieves is right. Sometimes I think elves live in the house and eat everything while we sleep. Turns out it’s just the Hubby.
….Let’s just say be thankful our offices don’t share the same vending machines. BUT, had we been in the SAME building, you could have just come to my desk and had some cheese and potatoes while scoffing at my judgemental co workers.
Food ruts? Well…I guess technically I do go through them (the potato one, then the cheese one) and then enjoy them so much, I do it again and may guise it under an event or a birthday 😉 Please let me know if you have a wedding anniversary or such coming up- I feel like I need a new excuse to eat cheese for every meal. Multiple cheeses.
How about I back hand your judgmental coworkers? Would that work?
I do have a wedding anniversary coming up as a matter of fact. April 23rd to be exact.
I also had gelato again this past weekend. I’m pretty sure my gelato cravings have been inspired by you.
Oh those muffins look like HEAVEN! You know I get into the occassional food rut…and you also know that I am firm in my deniability of such things. Honestly, the only thing that saves me is usually eating through whatever I’m rutting on (yes, I totally just made that a verb…you know you love it!) OR I will get to the point where thinking of the rut food in question litterally makes me ill…yeah, it’s happened on more than one occassion. Actually, it’s the reason that I haven’t had Greek yogurt…or hardly any dairy in almost three weeks. Crazy, I know! I have to say jumping on the cleanse wagon with Laura did me a lot of good…chia pudding, quinoa dishes, and lentil burgers were definitely NOT in my repertoire before and now I’m loving them…in a moderate kind of way! 🙂
PS, I totally laughed out loud at your intro…and now I’m singing that song! Lol <- See?Did it again! 😉
Well of course you have to eat through the food you’re rutting on (verbing it right back atacha). How else are you supposed to get it out of the house?
I gave up all dairy a few years back because of a book I read, which scared the dairy right out of me. Since then, I’ve slowly added it back in the form of cheese, which I love and Greek yogurt in small amounts. In the last couple of years, I’ve reintroduced ice cream, gelato and occasionally cream for some recipe. I don’t actually consume dairy is mass amounts so I never really worry about it anymore. Besides it’s too delicious to evict from my life and there really are some fantastic health benefits associated with it.
Nothing is worse than too thin food. Thin brownies, cookies, cake??!? Totally deceptive. Those sunrise energy bars are not lacking in the the deepness quality though, and they look totally jam-packed with goodness.
I think if you are eating a variety of granola that does not count as a food rut. I tell myself I’m “changing it up” when I eat zucchini instead of yellow squash, or make waffles instead of pancakes (even if it’s the same recipe). All things relative!
What is the brick background from in your last picture? Do you have a brick house? Or maybe just a brick wall? Please tell me you have a lone brick wall slap dab right in the middle of your hard, just calling out “Take pictures in front of me! I’d make a great backdrop for cookies or soup!” 🙂
One of my coworkers told me they looked like bird food. Ha. They are really good, packed full of seeds, nuts, and plenty of other healthy things alongside a little butter and brown sugar. They have good staying power and I can read all the ingredients so I like them.
We have a brick house. Ow, mighty mighty letting it all hang out. Oh a brick house!
Oops, sorry about that.