April's Challenge of the Month

There are a few benefits to starting a new monthly challenge on the weekend. For starters, you have the time to plan things out and organize your day to around the new challenge.

Tomorrow is the start of my new challenge of the month!

And just before I sat down to write this - I almost messed it up totally.

I'm headed out of town for the weekend and that requires me to pack. This is no big deal, but my challenge for April is this...

Each day - take all vitamins/supplements/pills on time.

You may have read a previous post or two about how this seems to be a challenge for me normally.

And here's how I almost screwed it up...

I recently bought a new bottle of pills because I had an inclination that this is what I'd challenge myself to do for April. So, I've had them out in an obvious place on my table so that I'd see them each day leading up to the challenge.

Well, in prepping the house last night for out of town travel, I put things away.

Yup. You guessed it. For me, it's quite literally, "Out of sight, out of mind."

But today, as I type this post - thankfully I remembered!

I have what I need for the weekend and I'm pill ready! I've organized my stock and I think this will be the beginning of a good new habit for the month.

So, as non-dramatic as this sounds, I'm certain there will be challenges - after all, the weekend out of town is the perfect time to lose track of any type of regimen. But, I'm hoping and putting plans in place for the best! Here we go!

Don't Forget Your Pills

Having systems in place is the only way I can actually change habits. Today I was reminded that if you fail to plan, then you most certainly should plan to fail.

I'm a dedicated pill purchaser. I have great intentions of buying them and being diligent about taking them. I like reading about the benefits of adding vitamins and supplements to my life and all in all, I believe that they provide health benefits.

I have a shelf full of them. I have a pill case that I carry around in my purse that's full of them. I'm a pill purchaser, for sure.

Years ago, I had a sneaking suspicion that I probably wasn't getting all of the nutrients I needed from my diet - so, multi-vitamins seemed like a good addition to my life.

Once I started buying and taking multi-vitamins, I began to branch off into other - vitamins. I read up on them and I promptly got myself a bottle or two.

As you might have guessed, I was very good about taking those pills regularly in the beginning and from there - after months of doing so, my fervor for it all waned.

Currently, I have bottles of pills that I've had the darndest time remembering to take!

Since I don't have any ailments or conditions that prompt me to take the pills, I simply forget. I'd like to not forget - but I think I'd better put one of those systems in place to be sure.

Taking pills for me is easy. Remembering to take the pills at the same time every day is shockingly difficult. And that's where the challenge lies.

I need a plan and someone told me today that, yes - in fact there is an app for that.

Taking Those Pesky Pills

My first memory of having a negative effect from not following medication instructions are from my early-ish adult years. I had some annoying cold-like situation that just wouldn't go away on it's own.

So, I went to the doctor and got myself some pills.

I'm not a very good pill taker. When the symptoms are there - a cough, a sneeze, or whatever, then that's the action that reminds me - "Hey, take your meds." But, the trouble is once the meds start working and the symptoms go away...I forget!

This particular instance was one of those moments. I was sick, I had pills. I took the pills, started feeling better and therefore ceased taking the pills - even though clearly the instructions on the bottle said to finish the full dosage of the prescription no matter if I felt better before they were finished.

I saw the directions, I read them - but after I started feeling better, I started to forget...

The cough, sneeze, runny nose, etc. that prompted my memory to take the pills was no longer there.

And of course - like all resilient cold bugs - because I didn't follow the directions on the package and finish the full dosage - the cold came back almost immediately.

Gaaah!

This was a good lesson. Number 1 - finish the full prescription. Number 2 - when symptoms don't exist, I need to set up some other type of indicator.

Although I don't take any regularly scheduled medicines - I do try to take vitamins daily...and maybe now you can see where this is leading.

I want to take pills for nutritional balance, but dangit, I keep forgetting. I need a plan for those pesky pills! Maybe I should start with one for memory!

Tell No One or Tell Everyone

I'm working on implementing some life-improving changes. Sometimes it's easier and sometimes...

It's just not.

Old habits can sometimes die so hard.

I've read lots about achieving goals. Some people believe that you shouldn't share your goals with others - that you should only keep them to yourself and tell everyone after the fact. A great example is training to run a marathon.

If you train in private - never sharing your ultimate goal with others, it's supposed to take the stress away. No one will know you're training, so no one will question your practices and there's no one but yourself to let down if today you'd rather sit on the couch and binge watch your favorite television show instead of train.

No one ever has to know...

Conversely, there are those who believe that once you set your sights on a goal, that you should tell any- and everybody what your intentions are - for exactly the opposite reason. People will ask you about it, cheer you on, watch your habits and even question your sanity.

Since it's so difficult for many people to make habitual changes, it's precarious for them to see someone else succeed where they may have previously failed themselves.

When you decide to make changes, people will raise questionable eyebrows. When they do - the multiple times you respond to the inquiries may even help you "sell" the goal to yourself.

Yes, you can and will do this.

All of those positive thoughts help cloud out your self-doubt. However, now that people know - that raises the stakes and will certainly magnify your success or your failure. At least, in your own mind.

Either way - tell no one or tell everyone, the main focus should be simply to embark on the journey.

12 Resolutions - the Origin

For April's challenge, I am taking on something that I've been struggling with, um - my whole adult life.

The concept of coming up with monthly challenges for myself was actually introduced to me by a friend. I remember asking her what her New Year's resolution was and she told me that she makes goals for each month of the year. Hello ambition! Meet your big sister!

It never dawned on me to make a resolution for each month of the year. On one hand, it seems extreme! Twelve resolutions!? That seems like a lot of extra work.

However, if each of them fits the time constraint or even builds up toward the final goal at the end of the year - then that's where the whole thing starts to make sense.

In years past, I've made lists. I've kept them in my phone, written them on a calendar, posted them to the refrigerator - but even then, with the goals there in my face daily, it was so hard to keep up with.

Maybe my goals where a bit too lofty...

Or, maybe they just weren't sized to fit the time constraint of 30-ish days.

It took a few rounds of practice in order to get the hang of it. I learned that my monthly goals needed to be specific.

If you want to save $10,000 by the end of the year in your savings account - that's all well and good, but you'd better map out how exactly you plan to do that. What steps are needed? How much do you need to save per month? Per week?

I'm happy to share my thoughts, goals and challenges with you while we continue to strive for our better selves and keep pressing toward the mark. Who knows where we'll land at the end of the year?

Vanity Rhymes with Insanity

There's a commercial running right now and the tagline has been stuck in my head this week specifically.

The voiceover woman says, "You're tired of the same ol' - same ol' because it's the same, and it's old." Don't ask me why it's rattling around in my head; it just is. Since I've brought it up - I'm thinking about what's the same and old in my current life...

Sometimes I feel like I'm on a merry go 'round when it comes to diet, nutrition, fitness and the jazz that goes along with it. I'd like to drop these thoughts from my brain completely because honestly - I feel pretty darn healthy and at the same time exhausted from going 'round and 'round.

So, why the merry go 'round action? Because truly, it is the same and it's so very old.

We have internal dialog that on one hand, tells us that we're healthy, happy and feeling just fine as is. And, on the other hand - there's this voice - it sounds like yours only because you're recalling what someone else has said to you - that tells you that actually, you're not alright; you could be thinner, more muscular, and just better looking.

Vanity. It rhymes with insanity.

How do you balance these conflicting thoughts? Things in life, for whatever cruel joke nature plays on us seem to get more difficult every day we grow older. What worked in the past, sometimes doesn't give the same results today.

But - we keep trying.

And at the same time, LOTS of times we hit one wall after another. With the next challenge, I'll try something else and hope for no wall at all.

We Are Water

For as long as I've been drinking water, there seemed to have been debates about what time of day to drink it, how much to drink, what temperature to drink it at, whether or not you should drink it before or after a meal - etcetera.

Man, as confident as I once was, I'm not so sure I've been doing it right this whole time!

It wasn't until my mid-twenties that I discovered that there were people in the world that didn't like water at all. They'd tell me that they didn't like the taste of it.

I was so very confused.

How could you not like water? We need water. We are water. Water has no taste and that's the point. It's perfectly perfect as-is.

Since I have zero problems drinking my fair share, it's the variety of ways I could or should be drinking it that intrigues me.

Flavored water? No thanks. That stuff tastes weird to me. What about infused water? Okay, this seems better - let's go with it. But, what about the temperature? Is ice cold water actually bad for you? Is it easier on the system at room temperature or even warm?

I have so many questions and doubt that there's one right answer. The thing I know is this - I love water ice cold, room temperature or even warm. But if my water could be doing even more for me by me drinking it early in the morning or with slices of produce in it or right before a meal - I'm willing to challenge myself to switch it up and reap the extra benefits.

All the Little Things

I'm t-minus ten days before the beginning of the new month. I've already had a few days to ponder what the challenge of the month will be. I haven't had much success. The problem isn't that I don't know what to choose, the challenge is that I have so many to choose from.

It's these little things in life that we sometimes can't seem to get a handle on.

The big things? We adult the heck out of that stuff and get 'er done. But these little things...

Aargh!

Remember when I was focused on getting to bed at a reasonable time every night? Yeah, I'm still working on that one. Each day is different and I realize that in order to make that happen, like dominoes, every action leading up to that has to fall perfectly in place.

The problem is - sometimes the pieces are dominoes and sometimes there are a few monopoly pieces in there, a few leggos and a couple of hot wheels. Ahh, variety certainly is the spice of life.

Spice is nice and so not predictable.

So, if I figure out how to put that unpredictable spice in a perfectly packaged box, I'll be on my way to greatness!

But, that's not all. Look at how long it took me to utilize my bento box after it sat unopened for more than a year!

Thanks to these challenges I'm giving myself, I've figured out how to make a few things such as the bento box work in my life. I'll go ahead and call that a win.

As for the next challenge, that's yet to be determined. I suppose it all depends on what change or habit is most pressing or even what fun things I want to give a whirl.

Consistent Baby Steps

Oftentimes people ask me why I do these self-inflicted challenges and more often than not, I respond with, "Why not?"

Life can sometimes get humdrum without adding even a little variety to it. Since I'm not able to do nearly as much as I'd like, I try to make these incremental improvements to my life that will hopefully benefit me in the long run.

Big changes require consistent baby steps along the way.

I remember driving home one day and noticing how beautiful the blooming tree branches looked. I could have sworn that it didn't look that way just yesterday. How was it possible that an entire block of trees all bloomed on the same exact day?

Since I'm from the Midwest, winter seems to last forever and even though you know for a fact that spring is coming - there's always the looming possibility that winter will hold on just a bit longer...

And then, BOOM! It's spring! Wait, what? Where the heck did spring come from? It was just winter yesterday. It was gray and the tree branches were bare, but now?

Everything on the planet that evolves takes consistent baby steps. Those flowers on the trees didn't just bloom over night. They were working on that all winter long! Day by day - they worked consistently on making their debut when the time was right.

The sucky thing about consistent baby steps is that when we're making them in our own lives, we can't see the finish line. Our results seem to take for frickin' ever and so we sometimes backslide in the other direction.

With these challenges, I remind myself that consistent baby steps lead to much more satisfying outcomes; especially during those times when I can't see the finish line.

Bento Lessons Learned

Officially, today was the final day of the 14 business days of bento box lunches. Yep, I understand that this challenge seemed like a bizarre one. But, the self-reflection time I had and the things I've learned about myself and my habits were well worth the challenge and the efforts.

A few things I learned about myself:

1) Forced portion control is beneficial and necessary.

2) Eating from the same vessel everyday helps alleviate some decision fatigue.

3) Meal prepping the night before makes the mornings smooth sailing.

4) Including high-nutrient foods mitigates hunger - even when portions are restricted.

5) Taking extra care in assembling food adds to the value of the meal itself.

6) When I buy something, I should put it to immediate use.

We don't have to be disorganized in one of the most important aspects of our lives.

Daily use of a bento box isn't a new concept, nor is it rocket science. When you look at some of the habits of fitness professionals or sports athlete's, one of the few commonalities we can share with them is that we can also meal prep.

No, you may not aspire to become a professional athlete, (Lord knows I don't), but if by eliminating 5 more decisions per week about what I'm going to eat, by adding more nutritious foods to my daily life, or by practicing portion control without having to spend more than 2 minutes planning for it - then I think that's a pretty impressive lifestyle enhancement.

I'm encouraged to use other things around the house that I haven't used yet.

Do you have anything around the house you're not using? Why did you buy it? Why are you keeping it? And, if you answered, "Just in case..." then that doesn't count.

Bentos Mean Business

With my 14 business days of bento box lunch challenge coming to an end on Monday, I have to determine my next steps.

Apparently, it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Even though I haven't spent 21 days utilizing my bento box for lunches at work, I think I've successfully formed the habit of using my bento box during the work week.

One more business day left, and after that - I'm on my own. It feels good to have gotten this far, but of course, I'm eyeing the next challenge...

The February juicing challenge bombed for me, but it was a good learning experience and I even picked up a good practice of making my own natural juices from fruits.

The 14 business days of bento box lunches helped me create a system of prepping my work-week lunches and keeping the healthful options at the forefront. I think I'm going to keep that practice going. It makes sense to me and for me at this point.

Today's weather showed clear signs of warmer temperatures on the horizon. This means it may be time to get some type of physical challenge going so that when I get a chance to play in the great outdoors, my body isn't met with a rude awakening.

It's happened before.

I don't ever intend for it to happen again.

Each year I sign myself up for a charity bike ride or two and those 30-mile rides take a certain amount of prep and training. Did I train as hard as I should have? Nope. And it was the WORST. I remember it well and I don't plan on returning to that place. I think by putting some of these good challenge habits in place, I'm building a series of practices that will help me succeed this year.

The Art of Presentation

I never really knew what a Mediterranean diet consisted of. Seems like it's mostly crudité. Some olives, a few nuts, hummus, a variety of meats, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, cheese...

Wine.

The one thing that stuck out to me about it - it resembled a spread of appetizers. This particular diet allows you to graze and choose foods you like - and is a low investment way to sample new things that you've never had before.

But still, it seems like I'd still be hungry.

Even if I went back to eating meat, trying to force a typical American meal into the bento box is nearly impossible. I can't even image a serving of meat and potatoes smashed in there let alone pizza or a fully dressed burger.

I can definitely appreciate the limitations the bento box puts on me and I have an even higher admiration for people of different cultures who take such time perfecting not only the food itself, but the artful presentation of it all.

I've heard it said, you eat with your eyes first...

Taking the time to masterfully prep your meals really enhances the value of the food. While it takes no time to speed through a drive-thru window for dinner, it takes nearly the same time to shove it down at the speed of light - only to regret it later.

With a good knife and a little inspiration from Mediterranean and Japanese cultures, you can add value and possibly even more nutrients to the meals in your lunch container - because frankly, if you can't eat gourmet everyday - you can at least fake it 'til you make it and get your food to dress the part.

Research & Retention

Food is one of my favorite topics of discussion. It's a topic that everyone can relate to and that most people get enthused talking about.

Whenever I add something new to my diet, I immediately research the benefits. Sure - I know that all vegetables are good for you, and so are fruits - but why? What makes them good for us? Tell me why I should be eating a certain thing or at least show me the long list of health benefits I'll be getting from eating them.

Convince me.

The thing is this - when I'm talking to others about my love of vegetables specifically, a lot of times they ask me why I eat or drink certain things. "What are the benefits?"

And then I'm stumped.

I've researched the health benefits of certain vegetables, but to be honest - most of them have so many benefits, that I've never even tried to memorize any of them.

It kind of goes like this:

I eat the vegetable. I like the vegetable. I wonder what the health benefits of the vegetable are. I immediately search the benefits of the vegetable online. I read the long list of health benefits of eating the vegetable. I confirm that yes - I should continue eating the vegetable because it's good for me. I continue with my daily life eating the vegetable never to remember why I eat the vegetable in the first place, (other than liking it).

Knowing that it's good for me and that I should eat it is convincing enough. But maybe I should try to memorize a few benefits so I'm not caught up in that moment when people ask me, "What are the benefits?"

Replacing Old Habits is Easy

When I was finally able to put a title to the "condition" I have called minimalism, I was so happy to give it a name! Everything about minimalism speaks to me - especially because I don't believe anyone should spend more than a certain amount of their lives cleaning things that are (in the big scheme of things) irrelevant.

Tchotchkes anyone?

For someone who doesn't necessarily love to clean (or even like to clean for that matter), it was essential that I applied minimalism to even the most simple parts of my life - like, the bento box.

There are so many beautiful photos online that show the varieties of ways people have prepared their bento box meals using cutesy containers, food separators, teeny plastic chopsticks, tiny forks and even little plastic cup-like things that resemble cupcake baking papers.

As I ogled the images, what I really wanted was a solution that could work for me that didn't involve all of those extra pieces...

Before minimalism - I laughed at the concept of sporks! A spoon that was also suited to perform as a fork? Umm, no. Just get yourself a spoon and a fork. Case closed.

But, nowadays, having just one or two things that function 100% of the time that doesn't clutter my space and create more cleaning is worth its weight in gold!

I only have one bento box. That means I have to be dedicated to washing it, drying it filling it and getting it ready for the next day.

You know what? It wasn't a hard habit to create. I've found success in changing even the most miniscule things in my life and all of those things eventually add up to the big things!

Stopping old bad habits is hard. Replacing old habits with new ones is so much easier!

Onto the Next Thing

As a card-carrying member of the Clean Plate Club, I've adjusted to the portions I can comfortably fit into the bento box. This means, I can eat all the food and have zero regrets.

Hooray!

Another one of the best parts of it all, is that really - because I've upped the nutritional factors of the foods I've been putting inside, I'm completely satiated with the quantity. To me, that deserves a big 'ole pat on the back!

We live in the land of...okay - ate that...what's next? We can never satiate ourselves - we're always craving something else...

It reminds me of the saying that some people, instead of listening to you, are simply waiting to speak. Before they truly hear you out and process what you've just said to them, they're already contemplating what they're going to say back - never truly living in the moment.

Before our stomachs can process what we've sent down there, our minds are already onto the next thing. Dessert?

With the bento box - there is no next.

You have what you have, so when you're prepping it, you'd better make some solid choices. Sound limiting? Why yes - that's the whole point. There's something to be said for restrictions and limitations.

Just because we can, doesn't mean we should.

As a child, all I ever wanted was to be an adult. I wanted the freedom to do what I wanted, say what I wanted, eat what I wanted, and sleep when I wanted. Now, as an adult the world is my oyster. I can do all of those things - but at what cost? Just because I can stay up all night or eat whatever I want doesn't mean it doesn't come at a cost.

Adulthood ups those costs. Yawn...Burp!

Quality Over Quantity

Today, I made it past the 1/2 way point of the current challenge. Eight days of the bento box challenge is behind me and it's getting easier day-by-day.

I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with having more fresh food options in the kitchen.

I made spring rolls last night for dinner and for lunch today. I was concerned with how they'd hold up over night, but to my surprise, they did pretty well.

As an adult, I've nearly perfected the ability to finish all of the food on my plate - no matter how big the plate.

I'm certain it stems from my parents telling me about how kids in other countries were starving...

I explicitly remember having to sit at the kitchen table alone while everyone else finished eating and moved along with their lives.

I definitely fell asleep a couple of times.

It didn't take long for me to realize that the sooner I finished, the sooner I could just get up and leave too. Somewhere in my teenage years I officially joined the 'Clean Plate Club.'

After a while, I started to really like food. A lot. I wasn't paying attention to the size of the servings or anything - I just ate it all. After all, there were still starving kids out there somewhere. I had the metabolism of a humming bird and I couldn't let those kids down.

The beauty of the bento box challenge is that I can eat all of the food that fits in the compartments and still stay within acceptable serving sizes since undoubtedly, my metabolism is slowing down.

By eating healthful food from a right-sized vessel - I'm starting to adapt to quality over quantity.

What about you? Where did your food story begin?

Making Hunger Subside

For the past week, I've been pseudo-obsessively looking at photos online of Asian-style spring rolls.

I've Googled, Pinned and even YouTubed everything there is to know about constructing the perfect spring rolls. I'll go ahead and categorize it as a healthy obsession.

See what I did there?

This all started with the bento box challenge. I wanted a couple of creative ways to eat cold foods. It also helps if they're delicious foods.

Since I'm really trying to minimize eating processed foods, I wanted to make the most of the fresh food markets that are accessible to me. After all, not everyone has the benefit of being able to buy fresh produce.

During a trip out for groceries, I purchased the perfect spring roll ingredients. It's mostly vegetables and herbs, so I couldn't exactly go wrong.

Tonight, I spent a considerable amount of time prepping vegetables. But, as you might have remembered from a previous post, I don't mind chopping. The only thing that makes chopping a pain is a crappy knife. I promise. Get yourself two amazing knives, one with a serrated edge and one without and you'll be on your way to slicing and dicing in no time at all.

At any rate, who wants to do all of that after getting home from work? I certainly didn't - especially because I was already hungry when I walked through the door!

When I got myself together to prep the veggies, the beautiful colors and the fresh smells of it all calmed me down. It was as if my body was relaxed knowing that although food wasn't coming immediately, GOOD food was on its way.

Not only did I have an amazing dinner, I have something colorful to look forward to when I open my bento box tomorrow.

Groceries Like the Joneses

Most adults have figured out a rhythm in order to keep their households running smoothly. Or, maybe I'm still assuming those pesky Joneses have it all figured out and everyone is really flying by the seats of their pants.

How could we ever truly know?

The perfect household... Laundry on Sunday. Grocery shopping on Saturday. Tacos on Tuesdays...

In keeping up with my 14 Business Days of Bento Box Lunches, I've run into a few hurdles here and there. If I miss the designated grocery day - I'm in a bind and I'm scouring the kitchen looking for any items that will help my lunch concoction make some type of sense...

The thing is, I'm trying to minimize the amount of heavily processed foods I consume. It's a long, arduous road, I know - but I'm on it taking one step at a time...

Packaged foods are good for a few reasons - a long shelf life is one of them. For the foods I need in constructing lunch meals, I have to think about using things before they spoil. But, I haven't quite figured out how to buy fresh foods that run out exactly when I expect them to; hence, I end up going to a variety of stores throughout the week picking up this and that to supplement what's already in the kitchen.

Am I the only one? I need to see if I can find some type of system to work this out. Have you figured out a system that works for you? I don't mind going shopping for fresh things twice a week, but I don't like the feeling of running around to different places picking up odds and ends regularly. I'm not 100% sure, but I think I can figure out some type of solution for this eventually. After all, the Joneses have.

Enough is Enough

I have an image of a bicycle on my computer and it's a reminder of why I bought my bento box in the first place - discipline and practicing 'enough.'

In today's society, the sleek marketing campaigns, whether they be magazine ads, commercials, social media posts, etc., - are feeding everyone this idea that having enough is actually having less than.

It's hard to avoid. I can see how our society could be caught up in the storm of MORE! Commercials are quick to ask, "Why have that when you could have this?" It encourages you to buy more, even when what you have is actually enough.

As a minimalist, I think I've done a pretty good job of pairing down the objects at home. I'm sure I could dig a little deeper, but maybe we'll cover that in future posts...

Right now, at home - there is enough. The items here are functional, necessary, fun or simply beautiful.

In pairing down, I've been looking in other directions. I've had great satisfaction in minimizing tangible items - so what other aspects of my life could use a little reduction?

Immediately, I think of food. Food glorious food!

Maybe eating simple foods from the bento box is actually okay. In utilizing it, it's teaching me quite a bit about 'enough.' When I work on getting all of the colors of the rainbow in there - I know that nutritionally, just for that one meal - my body is getting enough.

Haste Makes Waste

Oh the bento box diaries...

Today while I was grabbing my lunch from the fridge at work, someone asked me what I was having. So, I semi-proudly displayed my bento box and the food inside. Not much food. Mostly just cucumbers and hummus. Well, truly, it was only cucumbers and hummus. Seems perfectly fine to me considering I put it together at maybe midnight last night and I didn't prep by going to the grocery store and actually buying other foods to go in it.

Eh, who needs variety? Ah, I've finally hit the wall.

I knew this would happen! I've fallen into the same rote pattern of eating the same food. But, this can't be bad, could it? I generally do well with variety, but I'm sort of hell bent on not wasting food and so I'm eating what some might call a hodgepodge of things - just to keep from throwing them out.

Haste makes waste, right?

What does that even mean? Hold for internet searching...

Okay, no. That's not the phrase I'm looking for... I think, "Waste not, want not," is what I was going for.

At any rate, this year I've been very focused on not wasting food once its brought home. According to Feeding America, 70 billion pounds of food is wasted each year.

 http://www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/how-we-work/securing-meals/reducing-food-waste.html

That's a lot of food going to waste and yet there are so many hungry people...

So, yah. I'm really working on not doing that. If I end up eating a mishmash of things that don't generally seem to go together, so be it!

Eat all the (healthy) things!

Chopping is Food Therapy

Wowza. I almost didn't make bento lunch last night. Of course, after getting in later than usual, I procrastinated, which then turned into an even later night. Didn't I tell myself that I needed to try and get to bed on time?

Promises, promises.

Meal prep takes time. Let's step into the 'way back' machine for a minute...

Remember when I said that someone asked what exactly would make this particular bento box challenge so difficult? And, remember when I said that prepping vegetables by washing, peeling, and cutting into nearly the exact same sized pieces would be a big part of the challenge? Well...I wasn't wrong.

Don't misunderstand. I'm one of those rare gems that enjoys vegetable prepping and chopping. Although admittedly, it requires some time...

Here's my philosophy on the whole thing. Vegetable prep shouldn't be treated as a chore. Vegetable, fruit and herb chopping is a great indicator that you are getting ready to provide your body with fantastic things! Healthy and delicious things! Things that are unprocessed and generally unpackaged.

Have you ever thought about that? I've never had to chop a burger or spaghetti or fried chicken. I've also never chopped cookies, cake or potato chips.

Coincidence? I'm thinking not.

So, the next time you begin to dread meal prep simply because of the work prepping the veggies will take, try to see it in another light. You're literally preparing the nutrients and vitamins that your body requires to function properly in a delicious way that your taste buds won't object.

So there. I like to chop. It's therapeutic and I hope to see lots more chopping in my future. What do you think? Do you like to chop? Do you see it as a pain in the rear? Have you ever considered that chopping might just be the gateway to better health?

I'm Crafty, Not Creative

Thank goodness I can borrow from the creative ideas of others. I'm not exactly sure what I would do without pictures on the internet, blogs and inspiration from my family, friends and colleagues.

People seem to think that I'm creative simply because I'm crafty. I put those in two different categories, much like having a talent versus a skill. To me, people who are creative are 'big picture' people. They can envision something out of nothing! They can conceptualize the impossible and things that are not yet invented.

Nope. Not it.

Creative people can get ideas after doing a little research on what's been done already - by others. We aren't necessarily the most original thinkers, but we can pretty much execute to a 'T' when given the right tools. That's when the creative juices start pouring in.

Today was day two of the bento-style boxed lunches for me. It was another salad. The same as day one. Tomorrow has a very good potential of ending up like the first two days, except I'm currently having a late evening and I haven't even prepped my bento for tomorrow. Oh man.

You know, I don't think I'd be able to deviate at all from the same 'ole meal ideas if it wasn't for the internet. Pictures can really help you determine what you like versus what you don't.

As for me and my bento box, I'd better get cracking on the meal prep for tomorrow - the last business day of the week before it gets too late...

I definitely don't want to plan to fail by failing to plan!

If You're Not Sure; Eyeball It

After the very first day of taking lunch in my bento box, I think this is where I'm supposed to sing its praises.

Okay, sure. It's definitely song worthy!

When I made my salad, I just kind of eyeballed the serving. I mean, spinach - how do you approximate that? One handful? Half a handful? You just kind of eyeball it. But, after I made the impromptu salad, (named as such because I literally used whatever the heck was in the kitchen that goes in salads), I had some doubt that it would fit. You know what? It fit!

Queue the music!

And of course, it doesn't take much for me to get excited in life. If I find things that are functional, helpful, useful, and solve an issue, I like to celebrate! I feel that as long as I continue to make good use of the thing, then it's well worth keeping around, storing, washing, and maintaining. Everything at home should earn it's keep - unless it's just a piece of artwork and you love it and don't mind dusting it.

All else should be held under suspicion.

The bento box definitely earned its keep with just one use. I strongly believe that I'll get to a point where I won't feel very creative when coming up with ideas on what to put in it, but for those times, I'll lean on Pinterest and YouTube for inspiration.

There are a variety of different styles of bento boxes out there. During my initial search, I wanted to be sure to get one that was already compartmentalized. Yes, that would eliminate my creativity slightly in how I could organize food in it, but at the same time - the thought of having to hand wash multiple tiny compartments individually simply did not appeal to me.