Oh hi there! 😀
In case you were wondering where I disappeared to yesterday, I’ll just briefly say that I needed to take a blogging sick-day. I got hit with some crazy stomach pains on Monday night that left me curled up in a fetal position for most of the evening – not exactly the most ideal condition when it comes to writing a blog post.
So I took the day off and nursed my still-sensitive stomach back to an acceptable level of health. The only problem is that today is What I Ate Wednesday, and seeing as I spent most of yesterday eating pretty much nothing but plain oatmeal, buttered toast, dry cereal, and white rice, I don’t exactly have the most interesting of spreads to share with you guys. BUT! I’ve figured out a way around that…
Everyone loves a theme!
When I look at how much my diet has evolved over the past couple of years, I can’t help but notice one thing: I end up eating my words a lot. I’m sure you guys know what I’m talking about… You say you’ll never do something, and then lo and behold, a few weeks/months/years later, you start doing (and enjoying) that very thing. Annoying. So, for today’s WIAW, I figured it would be fun to share a few of my recent eats and eat-my-words moments with you guys, and remind you to never say never.
So you all know that I love my oats, but some point I became an oatmeal snob and said I would never go back to eating quick oats after falling in love with the steel cut variety…
Breakfast: eggy oats with plain Greek yogurt, almond butter, honey, and cinnamon.
… when the reality is that quick oats are a lot easier for my stomach to handle. I actually gave up eating oats for about 6 months because I thought they were causing me some trouble, but [I guess] my stomach just had a harder time digesting the less-processed kind because I’ve been eating quick oats for months without any problems. The same applies to rice – I do much better with white than brown.
Never say never.
Waaaaay back in the day (we’re talking ~10 years here), I used to think that coffee looked like sludge and tasted like tar. I boggled at the idea that people actually liked it and said I would never enjoy it myself…
Morning coffee: dry cappuccino from Starbucks.
… and now I rarely go a day without – and when I do, it’s usually because I’m having some kind of stomach trouble and don’t want to aggravate things any further. I’ve heard coffee referred to as a “hug in a cup,” and that’s exactly what it is for me – liquid comfort and enjoyment. The buzz is just an added perk 😉
Never say never.
I followed a vegan diet for about a year and a vegetarian one for about 4, and during that time I told myself that I would never eat meat again…
Lunch: usually includes a baked chicken salad.
… but the reality of the matter is that I feel a lot better when I include meat in my diet. This is one that I fought against for quite some time because I honestly enjoyed vegetarian cooking, but all of the beans and soy did a real number on my stomach, and the massive amounts of veggies I ate didn’t help matters either. I’m not crazy about meat and don’t find myself truly craving it all that often, but it does keep me feeling good.
Never say never.
After struggling with an eating disorder and being afraid of all things calorically unknown, I [thought] that I would never again be able to enjoy the sweet, doughy goodness of a freshly made bakery treat…
Morning delight: the dark chocolate macaron from Duchess Bake Shop. The rose and salted caramel ones were eaten on Monday afternoon.
Afternoon delight: milk chocolate orange scone from Duchess Bake Shop.
… but I guess I didn’t give myself enough credit because I do enjoy them very much and on a semi-regular basis. And while they’re still a source of some anxiety, that’s more a fear of winding up in the hospital from an allergic reaction than anything else. Eep.
Never [think] never.
With all of the controversy surrounding it, I said that I would never eat red meat, and stick to things like chicken and turkey instead…
Dinner: leftover beef rouladen with buckwheat kasha and a salad.
… and now I enjoy a serving of red meat in moderation and see it as being responsible for some of the improvements in my health. What improvements? More energy (thanks to heme iron and B vitamins?), better skin/hair, and just an overall feeling of better well-being. I only eat it about once a week or less, but even that has been enough to reap some of the benefits.
Never say never.
At some point, I said that I would never eat cereal again because it did nothing to satisfy my hunger and I saw it as just being a waste of calories. And even when I started eating it again, I said I would never buy the “empty” sugar-laden kind…
Evening snack: a few bowls of Sally’s Cinnamon Bliss (aka: Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
… and… well… I’m pretty sure you guys know how that one turned out 😉
Never say never.
So there ya have it – some of the foods and words I’ve been eating. If there’s one thing I’m trying to do, it’s become more openminded about all things health, diet, and fitness related. Different things work for different people, and different things work for the same person at different times in their life. Change really is the only constant, and learning to embrace that concept and be open to experimentation plays a big role in staying healthy. I think that’s part of the reason why I dislike the whole idea of labelling diets – too much restriction.
Happy Wednesday, lovely people! 😀
. – . – . – .
What’s one thing you eat/do that you said you never enjoy? I’m still stubborn and say that I’ll never eat fish or enjoy running, but I guess you never know… even if I don’t want to admit it.
What’s your favourite thing to buy at a bakery?
What is/was on the menu for dinner tonight!?
I was a vegetarian for a good 3 years and told myself that I’d NEVVVEEERRR eat meat again and now I find myself enjoying it every so often. I still don’t like it a ton but sometimes I do crave it and it is oh so good 🙂 And believe it or not, I also used to hate running. And now look at me – so definitely never say never! Tonight/This afternoon is for Chipotle – I’m going all out and getting the chips ‘n’ guac too because my body is huuunngggrrryyyy after all of this packing 😉 Or at least that’s my reasoning to why my hunger has been insane the past few days! I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better – hopefully the bug is totally out of your system now!
I like this post. This is kind of where I am right now. I used to have rules like never eating past a certain time of day. Now, I listen to my body more.
Fingers crossed you’ll feel better soon[er than me – I’m ‘good’ at carrying around the remainders of sickness for way too long]! Not fair your stomach’s been plaguing you!
Great theme you picked here – not only in terms of food but life in general. I’m one of those persons who say ‘never’ too often only to find that I did get interested/enjoyed those very things a lot in the end. It’s a bit embarrassing but I was one of those girls who – as a ten-year-old – said they’d never ever want to have anything to do with boys. Yeees … I may or may not have had to remedy that statement very soon afterwards ;).
Food-wise tomatoes used to a food I swore I’d never eat. Fennel and beet still are though I keep meaning to give them another try once they’re in season again. In regards of my ED just trying a piece of cake or eating a plate of white pasta was off limits. Sure, whole-wheat tastes great but it’s been a few weeks since that white version now and it has yet to kill me or make me feel off. Eating any packaged food without a nutrition label scared me but now? Well, I’m still not at a point where I’m totally mindless but I care less. A work in progress that’s well worth it.
Feel better soon, love! <3
hope you feel better <3 i will always order anything with chocolate/coffee combination at the bakery.
Ohhh this is fun- can I play ;)?! The best and possibly worst thing about having a blog is the written account of changing tastes and preferences! Even since I started blogging, my eating habits have changed a lot! A few nevers for me include:
Actually enjoying veggies…and sometimes craving them!
Voluntarily heading out for a run
Sometimes opting for fresh fruit over chocolate
Eating beef
Drinking full-fat milk/eating full-fat cheese over the fat free varieties
…and those are just the few which came to mind!
Hope you’re having a great Wednesday, my friend!
So sorry to hear you weren’t feeling well! We’re two peas in a pod though, I was home sick yesterday with a fever and slept most of the day away. Starting to feel a little better today.
My favourite thing to buy at a bakery is chocolate croissants! I know it’s a treat I shouldn’t have too often so I do try to limit myself but it’s SO GOOD.
Hope you’re feeling better soon too!
Haha I love this! I don’t love that you were dealing with stomach pains though…hopefully you’re able to get off the toast and rice diet today – not that there’s anything wrong with them, but they would get boring after a while 😉
I have a whole list of things that I said I would never eat again. Pork and red meat – but now bacon and a medium-rare steak are two of my favourite things in the world. I also said that I would never eat white flour again, but sometimes you just need a classic pancake.
And as for how you felt about coffee…yea, I still feel like that 😉 unless baked or mixed into something sweet (ice cream, baked goods) I can’t handle it…if I were to drink a cup, it would need to have half coffee, half cream with a boatload of sugar for me to get through it! (so basically, I think I just need to try one of the Starbucks whipped-cream-chocolate-sprinkles-syrup confections…)
Favourite bakery treat…tough question! I’m going to have to agree with Jo and pick a Nanaimo bar. Whoopie Pies are definitely up there…and any sort of cupcake or brownie that mixes chocolate and peanut butter.
😆 That’s how I started drinking my coffee too – milk and sweetener with a hint of coffee 😉 But over time I started loving the taste more and more to the point where now I like it the best when it’s just straight up black. And I went through the same thing with regular old flour. I was convinced that everything whole wheat tasted better, buuuuuut that’s only because I hadn’t experienced the deliciousness of white in so long that I plain forgot how good it was.
Oh my, that scone looks so good!
I prefer steel cuts oats too but they take so much longer to cook. That’s interesting about your digestion issues though. I don’t even them enough to notice if it does it to me.
I love this post and am definitely guilty of eating my words. I often say I try to follow a paleo diet avoiding gluten, dairy, sugar, and processed foods then end up eating Quest bars, oatmeal bowls, and Gluten-free brownies! For this reason I now say I eat clean with Paleo type recipes 🙂
Great topic!
Growing up, I used to watch people eating mussels, lobster, shrimp..etc, and vow I’d never eat such a thing. Now, seafood is my absolute favourite food!!! (except oysters…can’t do it)
Basically all of the above! I said I would never drink coffee and now I drink two cups every single day! I love it and I enjoy it. I only started last year.
I did the no meat thing, no gluten thing, no processed thing, no sweets thing… Every time I say out loud I won’t do something… if feel trapped and sad, and end up doing it. no more of that for me.
You just gave me hope about oats! I am Celiac and a few months ago I started eating GF rolled oats in OOAJ but experienced severe stomach problems. Now I am wondering if my body actually can handle the protein in GF oats, but it was just a new bombardment that I didn’t consume slow enough to begin with. Maybe GF quick oats would even be better. One day I will go back to experimenting.
Overnight oats always gave me some problems, which is why I always eat cooked oats, and I cook them for a little longer than it calls for.
I honestly thought that I’d never be able to eat something with unknown calories. I would eat only at chain restaurants that had their nutrition information posted online, and even then I’d worry about the cooks trying to sabotage me by adding tons of calories to my dish. Sigh. So much paranoia.
I also used to say that I’d never eat oatmeal again, because yuck, except I’ve been eating it at work lately because I’m broke and it’s free.
Glad your stomach problems are on the up and up! Stomach pain is the pits.
I’m going to conveniently choose to overlook your comment about oatmeal 😛
Absolutely love this! I’ve definitely had to eat my own words when it comes to eating certain foods. I struggled a bit with an eating disorder as well, and thought I wouldn’t be going back to regular desserts, red meat, or fat in milk and yogurt. But now I enjoy all those things in moderation (except for the fat in milk and yogurt–every day for those!), and I feel so much better.
That scone looks absolutely delicious! I need to get scones more often. I feel like they’re “the forgotten” pastry. Must give them some more love 😉
They are! I always kind of gloss over them in favour of other pastries, and then kick myself for not eating them more often.
BAM!! You showed those foods whose boss. Whoop Whoop. Ha Ha! Yes I just said whoop whoop.. not sure where that came from. Your scone looks delicious! Can I tell you a secret… I’ve never purchased anything from a bakery before. Crazy right? !
Well, I hope you’re feeling better today! Stomach pains are definitely the worse thing ever. I can totally relate to that one.
It’s pretty amazing what you say you’ll never do or eat, then you try it out and you end up loving it. Funny how life is sometimes! For instance, for years I hated running (I mean I despised it!), then when I was HS I ended up joining the track team (ironic in and of itself), and loved it ever since. Also, this may be shocking…I used to hate peanut butter!!! Now it’s my fav thing ever!
Sorry to hear about the tummy woes my love, I know about those all too well!! Im still trying to figure mine out…I have good days and bad! Ive actually never had a macaroon, because well, they seem quite expensive for a little bitty cookie. Its like $2 for one at whole foods! Although everything there tends to be on the pricey side….
These ones were $1.50, and while I definitely can’t justify spending that much on a regular basis, it’s a nice treat every once in a while. You could always try baking your own!
I don’t know if there is really anything! I’m a pretty good eater in most cases. I do have a problem with scrambled eggs and other foods with that consistency. So usually my eggs are only in baking goods! Favorite buy at the bakery would probably have to be scones – they always taste so delicious! Dinner tonight is spaghetti with veggies, one of our favorite meals!
I’ve actually never had a macaron, but they always look so tasty! I also didn’t think I would ever like coffee…but…well…it’s fantastic. 🙂
I never thought I’d enjoy running long distances. I once said that I’d never run a marathon or that I’d never do a tri, or Heaven forbid an actual Ironman (or half). Well, I’m registered to run a marathon and I’m back in the pool soooo there’s that… 😉
Cereal will forever be a staple in my diet. I actually went to the store yesterday to stock up on some food to bring to school that I know I won’t be able to find there. On my list? Puffins, Kashi Honey Sunshines, almond butter, AND coconut peanut butter. I know I’ll have to get some oats, bananas and Greek yogurt when I’m there, but don’t you love how we end up falling into the most delicious habits?
A girl after my own heart <3 Cereal, AB, oats, bananas, and Greek yogurt? Welcome to what I basically live off 😆
I love this wiaw wednesday twist 🙂 I swore I would never like oatmeal…now one of my favorite breakfast foods in the winter. I swore I didn’t like pork or steak. Now pork tenderloin makes an appearance in our house a few times a month as do dishes with steak. I never thought I could enjoy “real desserts” again. I can 🙂 amazing what happens when we let go and try! I hope the tummy feels better today hun!!
Love this post so much! I had a lot of moments like yours too especially with meat. I was vegetarian for years and told myself I would never eat meat again and I hated it. Reality is I feel so much better with meat in my diet and actually love red meat 🙂
I think there’s a lot of events in life where w have to swallow our pride and eat our words. I said I’d never quit swiming, never eat chicken, never try alcohol. I’ve done all of those things. There was a period were I said I hated pizza, hated Mac and cheese, didn’t crave dessert. All false. All my favorite foods. I think disordered eating really does a number on the way we look at food and life in general. But it isn’t just a result of an ED- it’s also part of growing up! I hope you’re feeling better today!
The list of things I swore I’d never eat/do is really long, and most of them have been eaten and/or done…..
Favorite bakery buy is cinnamon buns- I’m on a huge kick with them right now!
Oh man, cinnamon buns are another favourite for sure. I would have gotten one myself, but they were all sold out. Apparently, a lot of people love them 😉
I was the same with coffee, haha. Although saying that – by the time I did start drinking it, I really – in my heart – knew that I wanted to like coffee. So I tricked myself into liking it!
I am still stubborn with sweetcorn – I will NEVER like sweetcorn.
I used to say I would never eat bagels. And now I do.
I used to say I hated mushrooms – well, I did. I would pick them out of anything. Now I love them!
I used to think I would never make anything more than a salad or stirfry if I were cooking alone. And I do make more than that! Although nothing too adventurous because, you know, it’s just me eating it.
You would never know I was a vegetarian in the past with all the meat I eat now. Without enough protein in my diet, I was always hungry, tired, and cranky. I wasn’t myself and had no energy. I’m so glad I went back to eating meat because I feel so much better.
What a a great post. So glad I found your blog, it’s wonderful to see such an honest and healthy approach to food in an online world of ‘healthy’ eating where it seems that healthy increasingly means eliminating all kinds of normal foods for often quite dubious reasons.
And in regards to the whole ‘never say never’ thing – about a year and a half ago I firmly believed that I’d never eat white sugar again, or regular flour, or, indeed, any kinds of grains. But I’m so glad I was wrong. Just enjoyed a toasted cheese sandwich for lunch and am having a bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce as I’m typing this…
I do however believe I’ll never eat meat again, since I went vegetarian the age of 14, which is now nearly 20 years ago, and it was (and is) an ethical choice for me. And to be honest, I barely recall what meat tastes like, it would just be such a weird thing for me to eat now.
Oh, and my favourite bakery items are almond croissants (filled with buttercream and marzipan) – yum.
It’s a shame to see healthy associated with so many restrictions for sure, but I went through the same thing and can only hope that people are just on their own journey to discover the true meaning of what healthy really is. And I can definitely relate to the whole sugar/flour/carb debacle… I’m extremely happy to be rid of all that nonsense myself, because life just wouldn’t be the same without sweet, doughy goodness in it.
Totally can relate to the “Never say never”! I used to NEVER eat red meat, well, dinner last night was an amazing grass-fed burger, to die for! I used to think I could NEVER drink coffee without Sweet N’ Low…now I can’t stand the stuff, black with a splash of milk please! I attribute the changes to getting more “sophisticated”…that works right?? Happy Wednesday Lady!
I hope you are fiting fit again soon! Those macaroons look so tasty!
Hope you continue feeling better, dear Amanda!
Ooooh MG those macarons! They look so delicious!
What a great theme! It makes me sooo happy to read that you get bakery treats now and overcame the “calorie-unknown” fear… you go girl! I used to say that I’d neverrr eat cereal too but I love Barbara puffins and have just discovered that Ezekiel makes a cinnamon raising cereal… delish!
Puffins are -amazing-… I always make sure to have a box stashed away in my pantry 😀
You’re right, I do like a theme. I especially like this theme! Good stuff girl, and I’ hope you’re feeling back to normal soon (if you’re not already there!)
I used to be the pickiest eater – up until a few years ago, I never touched fish, sushi or avocado. Um, avocado is probably one of my most favorite foods and I consume it every day. I love sushi and since going vegetarian, fish is on the menu quite often….What is funny is that just this morning while eating my steel cut oats, I gave thought to wanting old fashioned rolled oats, even though I kinda decided their was no comparison lol.
Love this post and I’ll admit I’m guilty of this sometimes….”I will never eat tofu again because it is just plain gross” and now I look forward to eating it (in some forms). Lesson learned and now I always keep an open-mind because you never know what will happen.
Oh and love that hug in a mug quote, it is so true! I can be having the worst day at school but get me a latte and I’m instantly warm and happy 🙂
Mmmmm, your food photos always make my mouth water. For a while, I didn’t eat meat for ethical reasons, but when I actually thought about it, I realized that it didn’t have to be so black & white. Now I just buy meat from local farms that I trust.
I love Nanaimo bars! AHHH. Seriously, well done Canada/whoever invented those.
Lol are those seriously Canadian? It’d be nice to be known for something other than maple syrup and poutine…
Jumping in here – a woman in Nanaimo, BC invented them. 😉 Definitely a point of Canadian pride!
awww, glad you’re feeling better! 🙂
coffee IS like a “hug in a mug”! lol i love that 🙂 glad you’re feeling better. and macarons are my absolute favorite bakery good. sometimes, its great to eat ones words, it shows that you’re changing, growing and not afraid of that change. i once said i would never eat turkey again because i had a bad experience, but alas, its once again my favorite thing 🙂
Oh I know this ‘I will NEVER…’ – it is coffee for me today, my feelings about it are the ones you had 10 years ago 🙂 But who knows…..
And maybe just a year back I read that dairy isn’t good for your diet, so I skipped it. And OH I missed it. It’s back in my life and I feel wonderful with it. Who can live without delicious yogurtmesses??
And last – brussel sprouts. i used to HATE them as a kid and swore I would never touch them. Today? LOVE them!!
Hope you feel better today, stomach pains are the worst! In Germany we just now one cure for that: zwieback with hot tea. Though I wouldn’t mind pictures of plain rice (I am a geek when it comes to asian food) I do prefer the theme you came up with. So cool because I could place my name under each and every one of it and I bet many other food bloggers could do so too. Though it is sad to see how much we restricted ourselves in the past, it makes me so happy to see how far we all came in battling our struggles. By the way: I purchased the ingredients for your rouladen this morning and will make them over the next days!
It -has- been really inspiring to see us all grow 😀 And definitely let me know how they turn out!