A meeting of the minds - Confidence and food prep

Over the past few weeks I have been going back and forth on what to write about. I didn’t feel like I had much to contribute these past few weeks. There have been some things going on but nothing worth writing about in my opinion. Luckily though life has a way of throwing us those little ah-ha moments and it really puts things in perspective so I thought I would share my experience.

Last week I went for drinks with a friend. We go drink margaritas every so often and have a “meeting of the minds” as we like to call it. Basically we drink and talk about all sorts of shit and really work a bunch of crap out. This time we talked mainly about weight loss and things we could do to help ourselves. Probably drinking margaritas could’ve been on that list but it wasn’t. They never will be.

At the end of our conversation and 2 margaritas later, I made a comment about a picture that I saw on Facebook. It said something along the lines of this – When I am sober, I wish I could be the kind of person I am drunk- Funny, outgoing, confident but most important, drunk. I thought it was funny but it really rings true. Not the drunk part, although I do enjoy that too, but the rest of it. I mentioned this and also commented that my cousin is like that all the time and I wish I had her confidence that she has day in and day out. My friend told me that was how she felt about me. That statement really hit me in the gut. I don’t see myself as confident at all. I struggle each and every day with confidence and all those little negative thoughts that pop in my head daily. My recent breakup hasn’t helped in this department at all!!

You’ve heard the phrase “fake it until you make it?” Subconsciously I must be doing that. Putting on a face of confidence when I don’t always feel that way. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I feel and look fabulous and I am truly confident in myself but it is not all the time. It’s a daily struggle. I guess my point in all this rambling is that no matter what you (I) feel on the inside, project your (my) best self to the outer world. You (I) never know how the way you (I) carry yourself (myself) will affect others around you (me). I’m mostly talking to myself here…

Enough lecturing from me. Now back to our meeting of the minds talk- As many of you know my biggest demon in my life is my ongoing struggle with my weight. I have huge body image issues that I am working on but I am also taking steps to lose weight too. One of the things that I have been doing is meal prep on Sundays. I have been making my lunches to take to work for the week ahead so that I don't eat out. It saves me money and calories! I have been doing this for a month now so I want to share those with you today because many people have asked for the recipes when I posted pictures on my Facebook. 

(sorry for the quality of the pictures. I use my cell phone and it isn't the greatest)

Baked egg rolls- I used breakfast sausage instead of ground turkey. I prefer the flavor it adds.

Singapore Noodle - I used tofu and bean thread noodles as a replacement for meat and rice noodles. I have never cooked with tofu before and wanted a change. It was good and something I probably won't use much but it is a nice change. 

Veggie Stir Fry - I didn't follow a recipe for this. I used a bottle of stir fry sauce that I had left over in the refrigerator and mixed it with a bunch of fresh vegetables. I also made wild brown rice to round out the meal. 

Here is the finished products. All ready for my belly!

 Chicken Salad - I didn't have Greek yogurt so I used 1/4 cup mayo and 1/4 cup light sour cream. I also didn't have grapes so I used pomegranate seeds that I had frozen. The change was surprisingly good and a nice switch from the usual grape chicken salad.

Lasagna- I didn't use a recipe for this one either. I was going to use zucchini noodles instead of pasta noodles but I burnt them in the oven. Oops! I ended up using only about 6 lasagna noodles total. I layered meat sauce, noodles, ricotta, parm/mozzarella blend, zucchini, mushrooms and artichoke hearts. This freezes really well so I put 2 servings in the freezer for future lunch emergency.  

 

Quinoa Bowl - I didn't use the lemon as the recipe calls for but I liked it without. I think that it will be a good lunch cold or hot. 

 Mini Taco Cups - Instead of using large muffin tins and layering the taco ingredients, I used mini muffin tins and made single layers. I was able to get a lot more cups and I will freeze some for later.

Sesame Ginger Instant Noodle Pots - For this recipe I used larger mason jars so that I could add more water. Don't forget to let your jars come to room temperature before adding hot water otherwise your jar will explode! 

The final product! This soup was really flavorful and super fast to make. I plan on using this idea and make some different types of soups. I will make sure I post those recipes when I make them.

All of these meals were delicious and I will definitely make them again. They might seem a little much when compared to a sandwich or a salad but lunch is my main meal of the day. I don't really eat a lot for dinner so lunch is a time for me to really enjoy my meal. The calories for these are also not as high as one might expect. I will always try to swap out a high fat/high calorie item for a healthier option and as you can tell I use the recipe as a base. Don't be afraid to experiment or switch out ingredients. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but that is the fun of cooking in my opinion. I'd love to hear some of your food prep meals in the comments. I am always looking for new yummy dishes to try!

Bon Appetit!!