Earthfare Outing + Society Too Caught Up in Figures for Diet?

Aww…he’s such a cute sleeper…

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Had to share these cute photos of Bailey asleep on the couch last night while I blogged away. He’s such a goober when he sleeps sometimes.

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On to today…

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Oatmeal with coconut milk was calling my name, but so were the eggs and Great Harvest bread which are both about to expire any day.

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So, since I was WFH today, I whipped up one of hubby’s fave breakfasts – fried cage free eggs and toast – 2 servings – one for each of us.

Work was so much better today from the comfort of my house. I really think I’m more productive here anyways.

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The only break I took today was to take some quick photos of Bails. He’s such a great little model.

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For lunch, I heated up more of my healthy vegetarian (guess it’s actually vegan, too) 3-bean chili, which I brightened up with some fresh parsley. I love how vibrant all the colors of this chili are!

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On the side, I toasted up more Great Harvest honey whole wheat, which I topped with some Laughing Cow cheese, fresh parsley, and hemp seeds.

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I ended up feeling full before I finished, so I decided that rather than forcing myself to finish, I’d save it for later.

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Hubby got us some doughnuts from our fave local bakery, which I enjoyed in the afternoon.

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Yogi tea echinacea tea.

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Yogi tea quote: “If you don’t love where you come from, you can’t love where you are going.” What do you think about this quote? Do you think it’s true? I don’t know about the quote, but personally, I am just recently coming to peace with where I came from. I’ve started to appreciate my life up till now with all the times I felt like both a success and a failure.

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I had some more doughnut holes later in the day.

You guys know I love my sweets and I pretty much eat them whenever I want, though usually as a way to say “take that restrictive eating! I eat what I want!” But, I’m coming to a point where I’m becoming more open to change and to possibly even giving up some of my sweets. Note – keyword = “some”. You guys know I’m big on gradual changes, but I’m keeping an open mind and I’m planning to do some research. We’ll see how things pan out.

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I met up with some girlfriends tonight for a casual dinner at Earthfare. From left to right: Michelle, Emily, Kath, Moi, and Kate.

(Group shot photo thanks to Kath)

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After picking out our eats, we took a moment to capture them on our cameras.

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I got a salad with romaine, baby spinach, purple cabbage, broccoli, cucumber, carrot, sprouts, bell pepper, celery, and balsamic vinaigrette.

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Plus a minestrone soup.

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Of course I enjoyed a whole wheat chocolate chip cookie, which I discovered this week is also vegan.

Oh and Michelle let me sample the vegan blondie she got and it was really good too! I may have to get that next time!

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I made use of the Stonyfield reusable tote I got yesterday to do some grocery shopping tonight.

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I picked up some staples: whole wheat pastry flour, tofu, roasted chili paste, wheatberries, walnuts, sunflower seeds and a new frozen mea to try – Macaroni & Three Cheeses.

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I also got some Augisa & Co Organics vegan body lotion (locally made!) and some all natural almond extract.

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It turns out the lotion is made by a lady I met once. She had the booth next to me when I was selling my handmade jewelry at a local craft show. Neat! I’m glad to see she’s doing well – I always liked her lotion.

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By far the best deal was the granola and Larry’s coffee beans I scored for FREE! Yes, that’s like $15 worth of stuff for free because I am signed up for the Earthfare email newsletter and they sent out a coupon for free granola and coffee with purchase! I forgot which flavor of beans I got but the description said something about being smooth with hints of vanilla or something and that sounded pretty good to me. For the granola I selected the Berry flavor.

If you live near an Earthfare, you must sign up for the newsletter! Such great deals! You can sign up at the bottom of their homepage at earthfare.com.

Also, take their Boot Challenge. It’s easy – they show you 2 products and you guess which one Earthfare would not sell in their store due to their policy on only selling high quality, healthy products (you can read their list of banned ingredients here). After submitting your guess,they tell you which one they would not permit in their store and why. I think the challenge is a fun and easy way to learn more about products you consume. Knowledge is power people. πŸ˜‰

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Oh and I swung by Barnes & Nobles quickly to pick up a gift for a friend. These aren’t the gifts for them. These are things I picked up for me: Well Being Journal and Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. The magazine looked like a good read and though Kath said I could borrow IDofF, I decided that it may be good to keep in the house for reference, so I bought. But thanks for offering Kath!

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On another tangent, I washed my new (yes, I got it for Christmas but still haven’t used it) Martha Stewart blue food processor parts today. I have a fun food project planned and just need to put it together. I’m so excited to try out my food processor – I’ve been wanting a good one for a long time!

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Tidbits

Heard about Zumba but not sure what the fuss is about? Want to know what to wear to class? What to expect? Check out my post on Zumba 101 – read the questions and answers for those new to Zumba.

I’ve answered more Formspring questions – see answers on my last post. Ask me some more questions on my Formspring profile (click).

I’m workingon some more detailed pages, but I did a quick update of my About page. Check it out.

Is Society Too Caught Up in Figures for Diet?

On another note…did anyone else see the news article today that Weight Watchers and McDonald’s have teamed up? Yup, McDonald’s is going to start promoting and selling WW-friendly meals. Is anyone else reminded of the so-called Taco Bell drive-through diet.

Is it healthy to make your WW points if all you ate that day was overly processed fast food? Are 1200 net calories of chicken sandwiches and french fries better than a day’s worth of whole foods?

I understand that counting calories, fats, and sugars really help some people lose weight, but, personally, I tend to get lost and confused trying to keep up with too many figures. I do okay focusing on one area at a time, but my best success in getting healthier has been when I returned to my roots and what my Dad has taught my family: eat the best quality food possible – the less processed the better. When I focus on eating as much whole food as possible, I have an easier time maintaining a weight loss (or losing weight) and I feel better, too. Instead of stressing over every gram of fat I’m consuming in a day, I can enjoy my food and know that I’m nourishing my body and that the fuel I’m providing it is high quality.

Do you think our society has gotten too caught up in figures when it comes to their diet (diet as in “food and drink regularly provided or consumed” as defined by Merriam Webster)? When you’re grocery shopping or deciding what to eat, what’s most important to you? Do you worry more about making sure you don’t go over your calories for the day (whether those calories include fast food and overly processed food) or do you focus more on the quality of your food (opting for whole foods, organic, etc)? Or something else?

I’ve created a poll so people can weigh in on their personal preference:

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I’d absolutely love it if you elaborated on your answer or provide an answer you don’t see in the poll in a comment. πŸ™‚

20 thoughts on “Earthfare Outing + Society Too Caught Up in Figures for Diet?”

  1. I love this post – from Bailey to your chili to the night out with the girls! =)
    To answer your poll, I choose to eat as wholesome as possible. I have stopped counting calories and eat much more healthy fat in my diet today than I ever have. Coincidentally I am the lightest and healthiest I have ever been. Why change a good thing? =)

    Reply
  2. Hey Diana!

    How are you? Well, I guess I kind of know! Phil said he saw you last week and passed along your β€œhello”. Then, yesterday a coworker of mine and I were discussing nutrition (she told me about spinach breakfast smoothies), exercise (I’ve recently tried out hot yoga), and food blogs.

    She gave me a couple of healthy eating blog sites and I checked them out last night/this morning. I saw you in Katheats.com and noticed a hyperlink to you tag in her post so discovered your blog. Very fun! I’m excited about getting some new ideas and recipes.

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    • Hey Teresa, I’m well, how are you!? What a small world? So glad you found me online. Let me know if I can help you find any recipes or other ideas. πŸ™‚ Have a great week!

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  3. I enjoy reading your blog but seeing doughnuts posted there might be to much for me. I think my cheat day will include doughnuts…

    I am watching my calories in and exercising everyday (calories out). I have lost weight and hope to continue to do so. I understand that over processed food can be bad for you but if processing takes out calories – that is where I am going.

    Keep up the GREAT work. I hope to try out that chili soon at home πŸ™‚

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    • Hey Emily, Glad to hear your calorie counting is successful. I used calorie counting, too, to lose weight. I think it’s a great way to determine portioning and make sure you’re getting enough food. Once I felt like I had a good grasp of calorie intake, I started focusing even more on “what” I was eating.

      Ooh, def try the chili – it’s wonderful! πŸ™‚

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  4. I LOVE BAILEY!!!! He cracks me up. I’ve decided he’s Cady’s new boyfriend (though she may be against dating “shorter” as many of my single friends are. She’s just gonna have to get over it).

    When we come home late at night, she’s too tired to get off the couch but she’ll grin at us from ear to ear. It kills us every time (and then there’s the upside-down sleep as well).

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  5. I wanted to vote but would have had to pick more than one – sorry!

    I love your blog BTW. You are one of my top favorites πŸ™‚ I love your style, your eats, your craftiness.

    We’ve messaged about Ellie Krieger and I really like her approach. Eat whole, real foods most of the time, and save the processed foods for sometimes and rarely. Nothing is forbidden (like doughnuts or chocolate). And make small changes to get to your desired habits!

    At the same time, I’ve done WW for the last 2.5 years (I lost 35 pounds that I had gained from taking depression meds for postpardum depression). I’ve had a very hard time trusting my instincts, my basic knowledge on portion sizes and calories. When I want to go against my norm I find myself counting calories to make sure it stays in the low range. But then when I get hormonal, or stressed out or overly hungry, I end up bingeing. So I have a lot of work to do. First thing is to forgive myself when I eat more than I planned. This is helping!

    WW sends mixed messages. They try to tell you to spend your points on “filling foods” (fruits & veg, whole grain, lean meat and fat free dairy). Yet they’re advertising 100 calorie (chemical-laden) twinkies and mcdonalds chicken mcnuggets.

    Blogs like yours are what inspire me to trust my instincts and knowledge about nutrition and let go of the emphasis on calories and weight. Baby steps πŸ™‚ Thank you for what you’re doing here!

    Reply
    • That is the sweetest comment! Thank you so much for your kind words!

      I definitely think people should trust their instincts more. It’s like Michael Pollan says – humans have survived for a very long time without scientists and nutritionists telling us what to eat or how much.

      My trick with portions has to do with my “big eyes.” When I was a kid, my parents always said I had “big eyes” – eyes that were bigger than my stomach. They taught me to take small portions and then if I was still hungry, to get a little more. If I’m not careful, I tend to put more food on my plate than I can actually eat, which causes me to overeat because I want to finish what’s on my plate. So, I try to put less food than I think I need on my plate and when I’m done eating it, see if I’m truly still hungry. If I am, I get more, if I’m not, I stop. πŸ™‚ HTH.

      And thank YOU for reading!

      Reply
  6. Good Morning,

    I too eat whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible. I eat very little meat; no pork products, very rarely I have red meat, but mostly chicken and turkey. Even then the only chicken or turkey I will eat must be humane certified and all natural with no hormones, antibiotics, etc. We eat a good deal of vegetarian foods such as Morningstar Farms products (love the “bacon,” “sausage,” and the tomato basil pizza “burgers.”) We also eat tofu, Veggie Patch and Quorn products as well. The Quorn tenders in a bag make amazing stir-fry dishes and taste just like chicken and are soy-free. We try to buy organic when we can, however with a budget, it is not realistic to buy everything organic so we make things that don’t have a thick skin such as lettuce (we buy Olivia’s Organics) or berries because they don’t have any protection from pesticides, the first priority. Also, anything we eat the skin of, like apples, we also buy organic. With no Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods here, and only a few local health food stores, it can be challenging to find everything, so every once in awhile, we make the 1 1/2 hour trek to the next state over and stock up at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. However, this fall we are getting a Fresh Market so I have high hopes for that! πŸ™‚ I wish we had Earth Fare; that place looks amazing!

    Thank you for sharing the wonderful recipes and foods that you eat. I, too, try not to focus on the numbers and just eat whole, healthy foods. I am currently losing weight without fussing over calories, just eating healthy and working out, so I am enjoying this less stressful journey. In the past, I was stressed over calories, or I’d get the calories right, but my protein would be too low or high, or I’d get carbs right, but have eaten too many sugars, etc. This method of eating mostly whole foods works much better. I allow myself the occasional treat, as I am also a chocoholic and love soft-serve ice cream in the summer. I try to eat sweets no more than one – two times per week but it doesn’t always work out that way. πŸ™‚

    Sorry for the long comment! As a final note, I want to say that I love, love, love your blog! I am catching up on it from being on vacation. I hope everything is going great and keep up the amazing posts!

    Cheers!

    Sarah

    Reply
    • PS – I forgot to say we also use Nellie’s Nest or Born Free Certified Humane Cage Free Eggs. πŸ™‚ Thank you for using cage free eggs; it makes the lives of the hens so much better and healthier.

      Reply

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