happy at home

EXERCISES IN AWARENESS, #3 (today's lunch)

Record everything you eat in a day. Also, the time you ate it, what was going on around you, your emotional state, etc. How did the foods you ate affect your well being that day?

**I thought this would be a good exercise for me to do today, after a week of mindless eating at the beach. I notice that just the act of practicing awareness helps me make better food choices. I don't want to write down that I had a moment of weakness and ate half a bag of marshmellows, so therefore, I am less likely to eat them!**

FOOD JOURNAL FOR TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2009

10:15 AM: Very hungry. Kids have already been fed, so I am cooking just for myself. I am intentional about focusing just on the food I am eating, resisting the urge to turn on my cell phone or computer, or open a book, or make a to-do list. Instead, I sit at the table and force myself to eat slowly and really enjoy it. It feels a little weird but is relaxing.

-2 eggs, scrambled (eggs from my mom's chickens, seasoned with some of my new sea salt and pepper).
-1 piece of Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted cinnamon raisin bread, toasted with butter and local honey
-Large glass of ice water (3rd for the morning).

1:45 PM: Slightly hungry. Feeling a little frazzled, and am glad it is Bauer's nap time. Used the computer while I ate.
-A personal pizza of sorts. An Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain tortilla, topped with tomato sauce, fresh spinach, onion, and a little feta cheese. Heated through. Yummy.
-Large glass of ice water (5th of the day).

6:45 PM: Gnawing-off-my-arm -hungry. While fixing dinner for the family, I wolf down...
-Matt's Japanese left-overs from the night before (rice, zucchini, onions, chicken).
-Handful of yellow raisins
-Large glass of ice water (glass 8 or 9 for the day). Eating all this quickly leaves me with awful heartburn.

8:15 PM: Greatly anticipating my dessert for the evening. Enjoyed with much gusto and lip-smacking.
-Small cup of Strawberry Lemon Love Coconut Bliss ice-cream.

9:30 PM: Settled in with a book (rereading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver) and wanted something sweet.
-1 cup of frozen grapes. Yummy. Perfect ending to the day.