Does Food Have to be a “Thing”?

 

How about you?  Do you dread menu planning, grocery shopping, and cooking?  If you aren’t having fun with food, my guess is that you consider food a “thing”.  Something that occupies too much of your mental energy and time away from other things you do enjoy.

 

5 tips to put food in it’s place:

1. Make simple meals with few ingredients.  Our digestive system works best with few foods at one time.  As much as I enjoy playing with foods, I also appreciate a one food meal.  I’ve been known to eat a big bowl of fresh green beans with lemon pepper and a bit of butter in the summer.  Yum!  Take the pressure off and eat simply a few times a week.  Just be sure it’s “real” food, not packaged.
2. Try something totally different. Walk to the produce section and pick out a veggie you’ve never eaten before.  If you don’t know how to prepare it, you can always go online and find a new recipe.  
3. Cook a big batch of grains or legumes and keep in the refrigerator to use during the week.  Rice, barley, quinoa, beans or again try something new.  Depending on the time of year and your personal taste, these are great to add to any soup, stir fry, or salad.  This is a timesaving trick that helps take the pressure off menu planning.  
4. Let’s stretch our taste buds a bit and really try something different.  Example:  Spaghetti and meat sauce is a traditional dish.  Switch the tomato meat sauce with basil pesto, olive oil and seafood.  Completely new taste and meal.
5. Sit down and take a moment of gratitude for the food you are about to eat and the farmers who grew it.  The purpose of food is to nourish our bodies, an opportunity to appreciate loved ones and to show gratitude for our blessings.  Yes, I’m back to gratitude again.  The more gratitude we feel, the less negativity we experience.

I am putting the final touches on my Fall Detox Program and I know you are going to love it.  Seasonal cleanse/detox programs are designed to reset our bodies and to help us let go of using food as a “thing”.  Next week I’ll talk to you about why detoxing in the Fall is so important.