Thanks for all the comments on the “11 Useless Facts” post. Sometimes it’s nice to mix it up with random posts like that and I enjoyed reading about your useless facts. I love it when y’all share things with me and I get to know you a little better! You know I never want this blog to be a one-way flow of information. I learn so much when you share your experiences and questions.
Yesterday was one of those hungry days. I literally ate all day long.
I woke up starving so I decided to make a substantial breakfast and give steel cut oats another go. In the past I have not been a fan of steel cut oatmeal but I think I finally discovered a cooking method that I like and that provided the texture I was looking for. I used Alton Brown’s recipe as a guide.
Here’s how I prepared them…
Butter
1/2 cup oats
1 1/2 cups water
Pinch salt
Cinnamon
1/2 banana, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon ground flax
1/2 cup 1% milk
Golden raisins and dried cranberries
Melt a pat of butter in a saucepan and add oats. Stir to coat in butter and let toast for 2-3 minutes. Add water and a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Let cook for 25 minutes uncovered and without stirring.
Stir in cinnamon, banana, flax, milk and dried fruit and continue to simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Towards the end when oats are getting to the desired thickness, stir vigorously to break up the banana and fluff up the oats.
It’s that simple and I finally like steel cut oats now! I topped mine with blueberries, Justin’s Maple Almond Butter and Crofter’s Superfruit Spread.
After breakfast the eating madness began. I was hungry again by 9:45 and found myself eating leftover roasted brussels sprouts. I told myself if I was really hungry then I at least needed to eat some vegetables.
Then I had a soy latte during a meeting.
Then I had a bowl of chicken tortilla soup which I did not take a picture of because you’ve seen so many this week!
Then I had two Biscoff cookies.
I did squeeze a four-mile run in between teaching a lunch yoga class and training a client.
And then I came home and ate peanut butter toast and grapes before heading to the American Cancer Society to participate in a workshop for caregivers.
When we first moved to Charlotte I worked for the American Cancer Society for a few months to help with their breast cancer walk. One of my old co-workers reached out to me recently and asked if I would lead a relaxation and beginner’s yoga session during a “Mind, Body, Spirit” workshop they were hosting for caregivers. Of course I eagerly agreed and it was a wonderful experience. I would love to carve out more time to give back through yoga and participate in more events like last night’s.
I rushed from the workshop over to Vivace to meet some of my most favorite yogis for dinner and drinks. I immediately ordered a glass of wine and attacked the bread basket.
I ordered the fig and prosciutto pizza with arugula and gorgonzola. I have a serious weakness for this combination. It’s just so good. I put a pretty good dent in this pizza on my own.
One of my friends brought us red velvet cupcakes for dessert. The perfect end to my day of ridiculous eating and snacking. I don’t even want to know what my total calorie intake was for the day but I don’t care. I always evaluate if I’m really hungry or just bored/thirsty/etc and I have just been really hungry. I figure my body knows what it needs and if it’s asking for fuel then I need to feed it. That said, I have been focusing on attempting to up my protein intake a bit during this time and not just eat sugar and carbs! (Which are delicious but not sustaining.)
How do you deal with the “extra hungry” days?
And it’s Friday! I’m off to train a client and teach a yoga class then I’m done for the day and have lots of errands to run and things to get done around the house.
Hope you’re having a good day!
I have a marathon next weekend (Austin!) and as you remember, training for a marathon make you SO HUNGRY. I just eat small meals through out the day and not really worry about the calories. My favorite (and yours too) is peanut butter toast, gahhh I love it! Have a great weekend!
I have been having a lot of those super hungry days! When that happens I try to step back and evaluate–is my period coming soon? That is usually the culprit since my body needs more calories during that time. Other times it is because I’ve been lifting and working out more! I try to listen to my body because it is usually hungry for a reason!
I’ve having an extra hungry day right now! I woke up hungry so I had 1/2 a clif bar before my 3 mile run and yoga class. Then I had a medium Dunkin Donuts coffee on my drive to work. Once I got to work I had a whole wheat english muffin w/ cinnamon butter, an orange and a banana. it’s now less than 2 hours since I ate and I am hungry again!
How do I handle those days? I just eat. 🙂
Those ‘ravenous hunger’ days are the best, aren’t they!?? 😉 While I definitely gorge myself, I keep it healthy… minus the bowl of ice cream before bed time.
I love mastering recipes – such a confidence boost AND delicious?? Heck yes.
Very cool that you’re reaching out to the community. I’m sure its a breath of fresh air!
Must make that pizza combination some time… I usually stick with my ‘green’ pizza, so this is totally up my alley!
On days I lift weights I am ravenous. I just benched 95 yesterday! It was my new max and I ate EVERYTHING that day! When I have days like those I find that chobani and pb, banana & honey toast almost always do the trick. When I wake up hungry I put an egg in my oatmeal. Ok I know it sounds gross, but you can barely taste it and it adds hunger satiating fat and protein. Plus it makes the oats super fluffy. Try it out & let me know if you like it!
I do not deal with them at all!!!;)
I mean I eat what I feel like, but yesterday I just had one of those days that I was really hungry and in the end of the day I was overeaten…
Today in the morning I just felt not right. I went to sauna and it helped a lot. I love sauna:)
Though “hungry days” still bug me, I’ve at least learned to embrace them a bit more. I try to let myself fill up on healthy stuff. I’ve learned that if I don’t give in early enough, I’ll be a crazy, angry, ravenous woman by dinner.
I am also a big fan of that salty sweet pizza combo. There is a similar pizza that I get in NYC that I dream about! I just try to eat bulky foods…popcorn, salad, rice cakes, hot drinks and hope my mind buys into it that I am full.
Glad I wasn’t the only on who was super hungry yesterday! I felt like I was eating every 2 hours or so. You’re totally right-your body knows what it wants, we just have to learn to listen to it. I’m still working on that every day.
Totally having one of those days today!
Lol, Im preggers with twins and continue to workout moderately (so far, knock on wood!!) so I’m a beast when it comes to eating! Peanut butter toast has become a staple snack through the day. I’ve never commented before, but I’ve read your blog for over a year and love it!
I’m just glad to know that I’m not the only one out there that has really “hungry” days! Yesterday was one for me. The only good thing, is that I usually am not so hungry come dinnertime so I’m hoping it all evens out! I also think I’m hungrier the day AFTER a long run, working out day. I think you are so right about listening to your body – I never really ate red meat until I was pregnant with my first child – then I couldn’t eat enough hamburgers!
Usually a bigger portion of protein (filet mignon comes to mind) is what my body needs when I’m having extra hunger days. I think it’s funny when you use phrases such as “squeeze in” when talking about a 4 mile run. Ha!
When I have days like that, I take it as a sign that I haven’t been eating enough for the last few days or so. For example, when my husband was out of town for a week, I just had a baked sweet potato with some cheese for dinner every night because it’s easy and healthy. I then had a bunch of hungry days because I didn’t supplement any of my other meals. I mostly just try to add some more protein to my meals, and then if all else fails, ice cream. For some reason, ice cream usually ends the cycle!
By eating. We’re hungry for a reason and it usually means our bodies need more calories. I’ll drink a lot of water to make sure it’s not just boredom..and if my stomachs really asking for something, I’ll give it something!
Did I miss something? Where’s the “crazy snackage”? You had Brussell sprouts mid-morning and a couple of cookies in the afternoon…you only had a bowl of soup for lunch; normally people have a salad and roll on the side – so I don’t see the big deal. I’m not saying this meanly – I’m just pointing out the obvious. I’m so sick of reading so many bloggers that just don’t GET how they are sending such a bad message and obsessed with food, diet and body image. And if you don’t ‘get’ that, then you really are just as sucked into it as everyone else.
When I was growing up my mom named my eating habits “bird days” and “snake days”. My snake days are the days where I just cannot seem to get full and eat BIG! But then it seems as if I subconsciously balance it all out with days where I’m just not that hungry and those are the days when I supposedly eat like a little bird. 🙂 As I get older I seem to be having more snake days….
Hey there…came by you off of a friend’s blog…
what type of yoga do you practice? I like you, am a runner and yogi..I practice Bikram yoga. However, currently I am recovering from hip surgery.
Looking forward to reading more about you…I LOVE steel cut oats as well!
I try not to buy a lot of unhealthy snacks because I have a lot of days I can’t seem to eat enough. But some days it is nice to given in.