What I Eat in a Day

I have a love/hate relationship with food. I love to eat, I love to try new ingredients and cuisines, I love to savor. I hate what certain foods due to my body as I’ve gotten older. My digestion and gut health has changed dramatically over the years and while I have found some work-arounds; I miss a lot of things. Truth is, there are some amazing substitutes that can almost get you there flavor-wise. You just have to experiment a lot to find the right brand. In my case, once I do I repeat, repeat, repeat!

When I surveyed my IG family a couple weeks ago regarding blog content, it was pretty unanimous that people were curious about what I eat on a given day so that’s what today’s post is about. It’s important to know that I splurge every weekend and I do not believe in deprivation. I believe in moderation and enjoying life to the fullest. I just use and consume different ingredients than I used to but it still feels like a splurge.

In all honesty, I am not a breakfast girl. Never was. I don’t like feeling full that early and I am not hungry. I’ve been intermittent fasting before it was cool. My body does not crave food until about 11am most days. In the mornings I drink lemon water <hello September kidney stone crisis> and two cups of coffee in the morning with oat milk and stevia. I became addicted to foaming my own oat milk in 2019 and there’s no turning back. And believe it or not, this keeps me satisfied until lunch. I also drink a lot of water each day which is a commitment but a worthy one at that.

LUNCH: Lunch is the same everyday from M-F unless I have a business lunch. I toast GF bread, mash half of a small avocado and sprinkle with EBTB seasoning, top with a handful of arugula, one fried egg and YellowBird sriracha hot sauce. Literally every.single.day. Lately I’ve been craving crunch so I fell hard for baby bell peppers that I stuff with Green Valley Lactose Free cream cheese and top with EBTB seasoning. This is just the right amount of food for me. Healthy fats, protein, fiber, leafy greens and all the taste. Most of my food choices are based on texture. I am a girl that loves crunch!

Sometimes I change it up with GF crackers and Trader Joe’s Buffalo Hummus on the side or jicama sticks but the foundation is always this “Johanna version” of avocado toast. In the winter I will switch it up with soups or Amy’s Organic Chili but again, as a woman who sits behind a computer all day, I am very conscious of overeating and feeling uncomfortable. It makes me tired.

AFTERNOON SNACK: I hit a slump just like anyone else but I do not snack endlessly like I used to. Water fills me up which is a good thing. For a quick snack that is low in calories, I grab a Verb Energy Bar. They are 90 calories and equivalent to one shot of espresso. The flavors are delicious and they are satisfying. Click this link for a 4-pack trial that will run you only .95! If you like them, you can go on a monthly subscription and get a pack which is what I do.

If I really want to change it up I will grab a honeycrisp apple and Maranatha Peanut Butter which is my ultimate favorite indulgence. It’s an old school snack but it cures my sweet tooth. If I am craving something warm, I will make my own matcha latte or vanilla chai latte. There are a gazillion mixes in your local supermarket and it’s better than spending money elsewhere.

DINNER: Dinner has the most variance for obvious reasons. It’s not about me but rather the entire family. During Covid we all committed to going vegetarian M-Th. We have occasional slip-ups because I want my kids to enjoy food and life but for the most part they’ve been really receptive. I only photographed two dinners here but here are some of the things we’ve been enjoying… With all dinners, I am really working to add a simple side salad to the mix to ensure everyone gets their greens. My kids have developed a stronger love for fresh veggies and it’s also how I grew up.

1. Simple Nature Edamame Pasta with roasted shrimp/scallops or a basic marinara sauce.

2. Vegetarian Tostadas with roasted squash, black beans, onions, avocado, hot sauce…whatever toppings we have on deck.

3. One Sheet Pan dinner with garlic shrimp and roasted zucchini.

4. Taco Pasta with vegetable pasta, Trader Joe’s Meatless Crumbles and one jar of mild salsa.

5. Trader Joe’s Firm Tofu with your choice of veggies and a simmer sauce. My kids like Asian flavors so we switch between Indian curry and Chinese sauces.

6. Make-Your-Own Gluten Free Pizzas which we choose our toppings and pick a cauliflower crust up at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. You can even buy meatless pepperoni slices. We gravitate towards dairy free cheese usually. Trader Joe’s has a great almond mozzarella or we go with Daiyo.

7. Roasted lemon/garlic salmon filets with any roasted veggies. We love charred broccoli or cauliflower.

8. Quinoa bowls with beans, salsa, avocado…basically taco toppings but with a grain.

9. Lettuce wraps with Aldi coconut Thai chicken and butter lettuce.

10. Baked sweet potato bar with a myriad of toppings…Daiyo shredded cheese, plain Greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream, hot sauce, butter. All the toppings!

AFTER DINNER SNACK: I used to be so bad about this. It’s a really bad habit that I trained my body to crave but it’s not necessary. I cut it out all together but I do get hungrier on the days I work out heavily. If I am really dying for something, and this is gross, I will grab a spoon and have two teaspoon fulls of my favorite Maranatha peanut butter and call it a day. I always finish with a glass of warm lemon water and a digestive tea.

The end! I am your basic b*tch when it comes to eating at home but I’ve found that it works because I can control my calories and portions. Portion control is my biggest weakness. Most importantly, with so many gut issues, controlling the ingredients and what I make is critical in feeling my best. I live for eating out on the weekends, which is a total treat after cooking all week, but you never know how much butter, salt or artificial ingredients are being used and that is my biggest challenge in feeling my best. Feeling awesome is worth missing out on gluten, dairy and sweets for me at this stage in my life but you have to do what is best for you!

THINGS I REGULARLY STOCK UP ON:

1. GF crackers and dips

2. Avocados

3. Arugula

4. Eggs

5. cherry tomatoes or baby peppers

6. Traditional Medicinals tea

7. Earth Balance Plant butter

8. Oat milk

9. Almond or coconut flour

10. Trader Joe’s crisp bread, wasa crackers, melba toast

11. Any kind of meatless chicken nugget. The Gardein version is great.

12. All the fruit for my kiddos

13. Trader Joe’s arugula, lemon, basil salad mix

14. Trader Joe’s salmon lox

15. Trader Joe’s premade salads

16. Trader Joe’s garlic dip

17. Siete Nacho Chips

18. GF pretzels

19. Smartfoods or Skinnygirl popcorn

20. Trader Joe’s dried, tart cherries

21. Don’t forget daily gummies!

Note: I don’t drink much sparkling water because it’s actually quite bad for people with digestive issues. My family loves LaCroix and Bubly though.

Questions? Hit me in the comments!