What I Eat - Day Sixty-Seven

I thought I'd take a moment to talk about navigating food intolerance and one's ideals.  The way I choose to eat at home is not the way I ask others to cook for me, nor is it the way I always eat out.   

At home:

• I don't eat pork
• the rest of my meat comes from local and/or humane farms
• I steer clear of the dirty dozen, and 
• I try very hard to avoid purchasing food that has been transported a long distance.  

If I visit someone, and they serve me Hawaiian pineapple slices on pork roast with a side of imported snap peas....well, I count my blessings and I dig in!   It is almost always delicious.  Food is an important part of our culture, and I truly believe that your body will handily assimilate most foods that were made for you with love.   As long as people avoid the foods I just can't ever eat (gluten, nuts, and shellfish), I will eat just about anything else on a special occasion.   

I also believe in eating the occasional unhealthy treat!   The way I phrase it to my patients is that we each need to find our own way to 'live in the world.'  

Breakfast - Potato Bake

So, all the above was a pre-amble for this absolutely delicious dish prepared by my friend Sarah.   She layered fried bell peppers and onions over hash browns, and topped the dish with bacon.   It was so good! 

Lunch - Pasta

I made this late one night after coming home from watching the movie Chef (which inspired me to cook), and then I ate the leftovers as lunch.   I sliced up an entire red onion and fried it at a medium heat in olive oil.   Once it was starting to caramelize, I added dried basil and a sliced tomato.    A few minutes later I added leftover rice noodles from another day's dinner with a few tablespoons of water, and let them warm up until the water evaporated.   I topped it with some fresh ground pepper. 

Dinner - Food for Relay for Life

I took part in Relay for Life.  I knew that I'd require really hearty food if I was going to be staying up until 7 a.m.   I was also in a huge rush before I left.  My solution was to throw chicken breasts and sweet potatoes (peeled and halved) into the oven to roast the night before.  Then, in the morning, I just cut everything up into equal sized chunks and added Daiya mozzarella style shreds, olive oil, and pepper.   It was a great meal to eat out of a cooler.    

The salad was Sarah's contribution to our Relay for Life food.   It is steamed beets, arugula, goat cheese, and salad dressing.