A lil’ seriousness from yours truly…

Throughout the past couple weeks, as I’ve delved farther into the fabulous world of food blogging, I’ve been thinking.  Yes, thinking.  Now, don’t be scared.  I am constantly thinking.  My mind doesn’t shut off in fact.  I believe Liz Gilbert said it best on page 132 of “Eat, Pray, Love,” (one of my favorite books eva!).

“Like most humanoids, I am burdened with what the Buddhists call the “monkey mind” – the thoughts that swing from limb to limb, stopping only to scratch themselves, spit and howl.  From the distant past to the unknowable future, my mind swings wildly through time, touching on dozens of ideas a minute, unharnessed and undisciplined.”

Food blogging is a funny thing.  For me, it is not only about holding myself accountable for leading a healthy life, exploring a creative outlet and meeting fabulous new friends (because I do, in all honesty, consider you all friends). It is about learning from others, exploring new ideas and making leading a healthy existence FUN.  Because, damn it, we all need more fun and humor in our lives!

I love seeing all the new ideas other bloggers have – from recipes to workouts to funny sayings.  Would I have ever tried TJ’s raw almond butter without the advice of this lady?  Probably not.  Would I have learned to concoct the most creative bowl of oatmeal known to man?  Definitely not.  I mean, I don’t think I had ever used the words “food baby” or “mayjuh” in my life.  Where would I be now without all these people?  All these reasons and all these people are just some of the many reasons why I love food blogging.

However (you just knew this was coming, didn’t ya?), I think what is more important here is to remember that we are all individuals.  Some of us think olives and Amazing Grass taste like poo (that’s me!). Others know they need to avoid sugar.  Some of our tum-tums just can’t take too much dairy.  Others have fought and are fighting against stereotypes both women and men face on a daily basis.  Some of us are too friggin’ hilarious.  Others take such pretty food pictures, I want to eat the computer screen at work.  There are definitely people who are total running machines.  Some people’s spirits just jump right off the computer screen.  The moral is: we are all different.

Which leads me to the main point:  our bodies are also all different.  I encourage every one of you to read blogs, try new things (vegan? vegetarian? meat eating? raw food? fast food? slow food?) and experiment.  Don’t ever be afraid to try something new.  However, don’t get so wrapped up in following certain plans, ideas and people that you forget to stop listening to YOUR body.  Some of our tums can handle more than others, and what works for someone else may or may not work for you.  Don’t ever feel bad or wonder whether you should or should not be eating something.  Your body will tell you that.  For instance, if you haven’t noticed, my consumption of soy has rapidly decreased since starting the blog and skim/oat/almond milk is in abundance.  I figured out soy (more specifically, soy milk) was really hard for my stomach to digest and caused me some, ah, errrr…pooping problems?  We’re all friends here :).

So yes, I’ve been thinking.  Not anything too life changing, but something I think I need to remind myself of sometimes.  Listening to my body isn’t always easy, but I feel the extra effort will be well worth the prize: the best, most authentic me I can be.

Until my monkey mind swings back into action onto the blog again, here are the eats from today:

Power breakfast of champions: Zoe's Cranberry Currant Granola w/ vanilla almond milk & a naner

Plus a scoop of TJ's AB for good protein satiety 😉

Gourmet lunch parfait: Stonyfield Organic vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup Zoe's CC granola & mixed berries

One perfectly juicy nectarine for snacking

Zoe's Peanut Butter bar o' goodness for snacky #2

I would marry Chipotle if I could...

Scoop cilantro rice, black beans, fajita veggies, mild salsa (aka tomatoes), lettuce + the best guac eva!

Thanks for listening :).  Here is my agenda for the evening:

• Target run (hoping for under $30!!!)
• 3-mile run
• Vinyasa Yoga class
• Beddy bye

Be well my friends :).