Bree Eats: A Side Project

I love food. I love to eat food. Food is quite delicious. And usually bountiful for me. One of the most tastiest most filling foods is meat. I love eating meat. Meat can be juicy, it can be tangy, it can be oh so many things! Meat is just amazing. I also find it amazing that I usually only eat it 3 times a week.

O_O....I want to go to there...

 But why Brianne? WHYYYYYYYY!!!! How can you have such a love affair with meat and only eat it sometimes? The truth is as much as I love eating it, I know its not something I need all the time. Perhaps if I still lived in the bush and had to catch my dinner every night I could understand. Mostly living off of vegetation and having to expend large amounts of energy in order to catch my food sounds like something I am far removed from. Since I rarely have to chase my food down (wait ice cream man! I want a fudge-sicle!!), eating large quantities are no longer necessary. I just don't eat it as much as I used to.
  I've made significant changes to my diet 5 years ago. I cut out sugary drinks and began a journey to drink water often. The first year was the hardest. I couldn't stand the flavor of water. It wasn't sweet and full of calories. But I persevered uing the method of gradualism. Back then I was in to my second year of college and still had a meal plan. All I could eat twice a day. So come lunch and dinner time I would grab my meal along with two cups. I would fill the first with the drink I wanted; the second, with water. The first couple of weeks were torture for me. I had to discipline myself. Yes I can have seconds on soda, but first I would have to drink half of my water glass. My taste buds had definitely lost its natural thirst for mother natures ultimate quencher. Next I ended my seconds on soda. I only had a glass of both. so If I was thirsty, I had a glass of water sitting on my tray just waiting to be taken in. The beginning was very rough. However, my willpower (for once in my life) was beyond steel. I rarely went back for soda seconds, and every week tried to finish my cup of water. After a semester of this, it was time to change gears, time to reverse the damage completely. Instead of a glass of soda I had half a glass. I drank 2 glasses of water to compensate. After a while I only drank juice, half a glass, along side my two glasses of water (if i were that thirsty). And by the end of that year, I had successfully stopped drinking sugar drinks. I was only drinking water with the occasional glass of juice (however, this does not include...my alcohol intake LOL). I was able to ween myself from drinks in a year.

   I wrote all of this to voice that 'it', whatever it may be, can be done. And so, I am slowly doing the same thing with meat. There are plenty of things outside of my diet that I love to eat. Potato chips are one of them. God, I haven't had a bag of lays in a little over 4 months. As much as I like eating them I just don't. Even when I am starving and passing a vendor. I look at it and look over it. I look for pretzels instead. I have trained myself to not grab the first fatty yet delicious thing I see and it has done wonders for me. But meat and I have a different type of affection towards each other. Only second to sweets, meat makes me feel better when eating it. I believe as a group of people, Americans eat meat out of comfort and convenience. Too often I've been in a hurry and stopped at the Wendy's drive thru (back when I was living in Georgia and had a car) and looked the menu over trying to find  a healthy meal before work. Nothing. The fruit was not worth the money and the salads were lack luster. I would always settle on a junior bacon cheeseburger, value fries (smaller than a small some how) and ask for a cup of water (Remember, I weened off sodas). Meat is just so available now. And making a meal minus the meat for some reason seems to take longer (not always but in the minds of a meat eater yes). Meat gives me such a heavy feeling. nothing like a rare steak and potatoes to put me to sleep for an hour or two. I'm not sure that is really a good thing.

   This past year I was introduced to a family that ate very different from how I ate. First off my employer, the poor dear, is unable to eat meat because of her inability to digest the protein. Secondly, They just eat relatively healthier. Most of the meals are eaten at home with the occasional (and I do mean occasional) sit down restaurant. Chipotle and subways are the only two technical fast food places eaten at. What I have learned over the past 5 years, and really mostly this year, has really changed my outlook on eating. My employer's son and I eat a 1lb of beef some nights for dinner. That's half a lb of cow flesh. Stepping back and looking at that I go wow...no need to ask where's the beef, that's a lot of meat in one sitting. Thank goodness I usually prepare myself for that by not eating any meat the entire day.  As much as I love to eat, I realized sometimes I overeat. If I enjoy the taste of what I'm eating, regardless of whether or not I am hungry, I want more of it. Because I am a women, once a month I crave food and no, it ain't sticks of celery. I crave chocolate, and cakes and cheese, and anything else I probably should not eat regularly. I can not change my 'monthly binge' but the rest of the year I can definitely watch what I eat. It takes some getting used to, as anything does, but once you've significantly cut down your meat intake you feel a lot better. And you appreciate other flavors besides animal. My favorite quick and simple 'fatty snack' is raw green beans and blue cheese. The flavors go SO well together. I just grab it. toss it together and eat it. I also have fallen in love with the salad. I noticed the best salads are made at home. Rarely do you find all of the delicious flavors of a home salad at a restaurant let alone a fast food chain (those salad choices are just HIDEOUS!). The flavors of dried fruits and nuts and cheese and peppers and spices and olive oil and vinegar and and and oooooooooohhhh honey and tomatoes and olives and mushrooms and and and...the list just goes on! Salads are far from boring if you do it right. I really did think at one point that a salad consisted of  iceburg lettuce(the most nutritiously-void leaf to eat), tomatoes, cucumbers, and Italian dressing. When I went to restaurants that usually added an onion and a pound of chedder cheese I thought "ooh, they're gettin' fancy"! Man was I wrong about the beauty behind the salad.

Oooh, yummers, thats looks great too!

  I haven't had meat in a little over 2 days. And I am full and satisfied. I have had meat protein (in the form of eggs, cheese, and milk). If you could take anything away from what I am writing right now, I would like you to take away being healthy and happy without starving yourself! It can be done. I follow a raw foodie's blog and I sit there and read her tale and say to myself  "this chick is crazy." because I love meat. I am more than sure I can not live without the flavor of it as of right now. However, I applaud her for breaking such a hard to break habit. I will enjoy my hamburgers and chicken. Just not everyday if I can manage. Try it sometime. No it doesn't have to be everyday, But go meatless. Make pasta with mixed vegetables or a huge salad. have a bean burrito stuffed with tomatoes and brown rice. Have a huge bowl of lentil soup with potatoes and carrots. EAT INDIAN FOOD!!! (they seem to have perfected the meal that mimics meat in fullness and flavor minus the meat!!) No excuses either! I don't want to here them (I've used most of them on myself so I know the game). A little effort goes a long way.

 Well, all this talk about meat has made me hungry! I would kill for a big fat marbled steak right about now. mmmmmm steaaaaaaaakkkkk!


Ciao baby.