Breakfast and such!

I decided to show you the way my eating has changed these past two months from calories (which I kind of estimate most days) to nutritional eating and holistic eating: i.e. eating that is good for my mind and my body and makes me feel good, fresh, clean , energized and alive! So I'm going to outline my breakfast components and why I chose what I chose...

Today's breakfast:
My fruit/produce bowl contained:
1. lots of blueberries and strawberries: My mom and dad bought this whole box of berries from Costco, and I am IN-LOVE!! I especially love eating berries because it gives me dreams of spring and summer when it's 28 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and they're sweet and plump and juicy and stain your teeth which is sooo much fun!
2. One half of a banana: This shows how far I've come. Last night I wanted dessert but I made a deal with myself that if I ate 1/2 a banana and still wanted something sweet and carby like that, I could. But I acknowledged that I had more need for fruit and my body could better process it than some refined carb, and I give myself the leeway to eat something else should this not have satisfied that. Well I ate 1/2 a banana, put the other half in the fridge and went to sleep. Just like that. There was no stress eating, no self sabotaging or anything like that. And this morning I decided to eat the other 1/2.
3. 1 red bell pepper: This is also another thing I added to make sure my body got the nutrients I needed. I know that I will be working today from 11-4 or maybe 4-8, so I knew that I wanted to make sure I got at least 1 cup of veggies before work, so that I didn't have to stress out that much during the day and my body could utilize those vitamins to generate the energy and health I need to sustain myself throughout the day.
So that's the fruit/veggie bowl: I make sure that I get at least 2 cups of fruits/veggies throughout the day, regardless of what else I eat because I think that eating those fruits/veggies make me feel whole, alive, beautiful, healthy, sustained, satisfied and nourished. Which is the way I DESERVE TO FEEL!!!! Sorry, just thought I should shout that out from the table tops.

Other stuff I ate:
-3 slices of whole wheat sandwich bread (tiny slices, each one around 45 cals) with some Smart Balance butter: Bread and butter is one of my favorite breakfasts and so I definitely make sure I get to have that once a week, probably on saturday since I breakfast in bed that day (most other days it's grabbing a larabar or odwalla bar and eating it in the car). I always do whole wheat now, and actually have grown to dislike the taste of white bread. I like smart balance because it's made with olive oil yet still retains the ooey gooey butter taste :D
-1 cup tea with two teaspons dehydrated milk and 2 teaspoons sugar: I used to take splenda becaues that's what we have in abundance around the house, with my mom being diabetic but I have stopped because a. I'm NOT diabetic and b. sugar satisfies me more than artificial sweetner. Plus my body knows what to do with fructose, and glucose but not necessarily with artificial ingredients; I'm trying to make the digestive process as easy as possible for my body, and as smooth as necessary for my colon. Haha.

In other news: I am REALLY REALLY happy. I love being busy and I thrive on activity. I am sooooo complete when I am in the pediatric ward, looking after sick children and bringing them joy and laughter. Food nourishes my body but this nourishes my soul. I Feel so complete. and so loved. and so needed. It's completely rewarding and stills you in the moment. And time then flies because you are not watching the clock. I will look forward to going back to school, but taking that semester off is probably the best decision I've ever made. I wanted to go back so badly after two weeks at home and actually had a fighting call with my dean who said he saw me last semester, saw the light was gone and didn't want me to come back in that state. I fought him saying I could do it and I would get better. But I'm so glad he made me stay put and find this work to do. Because he gave me the gift of time for growth, healing and LIVING. I like working at the Gap because I get to see how people live and you'd be surprised by how much people open up to complete strangers who are helping them find clothes. Shopping (esp. jeans shopping) is a REALLY emotional experience for many women, so I'm glad I'm there to help them walk through it and feel like their body is beautiful and made perfectly regardless of clothes fitting/not fitting. So that's my update for the day. I'll check in tomorrow perhaps. I'm on a roll :D