Munchies

 Bringing in a big load of groceries always inspires me to get my kitchen in better shape, too. I cleaned out the fridge and organized the counters a bit. I recently hung a little Cafe Du Monde postcard on the side of the fridge. 

Now I have a perfect little coffee corner!

Don't you love it when you finally get around to completing a much-needed grocery shopping trip? I finally dragged myself to the store after being home with a mostly empty kitchen, post-New Orleans. Once I was actually began shopping though, it was actually nice to spend time going through my list (oh, you know I had a list) and picking things out.

I've decided to let myself off the strict diet I had mostly been on for the last couple months (with some splurging days/weekends here and there; I didn't "kill" myself over the diet, but I was very conscious of it and what my body goals were. I had been avoiding carbs quite a bit and sticking to mostly fish, vegetables, and salads.). I wanted to kick my body back into gear for bikini weather and my vacations, and I feel now like I've met many of those goals. Now that I feel more back-on-track, I'd like to fill my kitchen with fresh, healthy, but more "fun foods" (at least for right now).
I haven't kept cereal in my house in forever (and hadn't even considered it, because I've also been cutting down on my dairy use), but yesterday I bought some gluten-free rice Chex and some Raisin Bran. I feel like a kid again, having a bowl of regular 'ol cold cereal in the morning!

I feel like I've been in a real snacking mood lately, so I picked up some things that will help me create more of an hor d'ourves-type lunch, and stuff that's healthy to munch on when I need a pick-me-up snack. I recently had mangos at a film shoot and was totally hooked. I've had them before in smoothies, drinks, or desserts, but I don't know that I've ever just snacked on plain slices, and I've definitely never bought them for myself. I think this will be a really nice "new" healthy snack to keep me from getting bored.
I also got some blueberries (a GREAT snack to keep you occupied when you have the munchies), low fat string cheese, fresh hummus (to use as dip for baby carrots, grape tomatoes, or some whole wheat pita bread slices), and a trail mix of sunflower nuts, pumpkin seeds, cashews, almonds, and raisins.

This was after I'd sliced one mango up for breakfast.....annnnd forgot to take a photo of it before eating it. There's something really inviting about having bright, fresh fruit on the kitchen counter, don't you think?

Not a bad little lunch!

 

Most of what I picked up at the store. Happiness!! Some other things not previously mentioned: frozen tilapia (I also got salmon) in individual bags (so easy to just take out what you need and thaw before dinner) and feta cheese (I add it to practically everything. It's great in salads, sprinkled into a bowl of sliced strawberries, and as a topping for pasta, chicken, or fish dishes. Honestly, sometimes I just eat the larger crumbles right out of the package!).

We'll see how some of these foods suit me, and whether I can stay on a relatively balanced and healthy diet from here. I think keeping in shape is a lot about trial and error, so you might as well make it as enjoyable as possible and use it to broaden your food horizons a bit, right?

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