Revelations

I just had what has to be the most definitively satisfying breakfast I've had in awhile.  Okay, except for the chorizo benedict (yes, be jealous, it was incredible) that I had in Reno last weekend.  Worth the 8 hour drive just for the food.  So I had the most satisfying breakfast I've made for myself in awhile.

If you can get past my terrible photography skills, you might be like, um, that looks like an omelet and I thought you were all about veganism.  You would be correct.  I was. 
And then on a whim I got Real Food out of the library.  I am only like two chapters in so I should probably finish it before coming to definitive conclusions, but even in the first few chapters, the author makes a pretty good argument that meat and dairy are not the enemy, processed food is.  And I will be the first to admit that while vegan, I'm thrilled when there's something gross and processed (hello, Oreos!) that I can eat, and I will.  I started reading the ingredient list on my almond milk this morning and I was like, hm, that's all a bit scary.  I put it in my smoothie anyway because I'm a big believer in not wasting food, but it's doubtful I'll be buying more.
Ultimately, I'm a believer in the fact that no book can tell you want to do and that you should figure out what works for you and your body.  I know I've generally felt better while vegan, but that may have a lot to do with the fact that I'm eating more fruits and vegetables, not necessarily that I'm not eating meat.  Veganism also works for me because dairy tends to be one of those foods I wildly overindulge in (hello, my friend cheese), and there are certain things, like coconut milk ice cream, that I prefer to the dairy version as they seem to have some redeeming nutritional qualities.  Also, I am terrible at cooking most meat, and I really don't much care for chicken in any recipe where it's not slathered with cheese and/or cream sauce.  Also, I have not looked recently, but I'm pretty sure all this organic grass fed business is going to be expensive.  So where does that leave me?  I think I'm going to stick to cooking mostly vegan protein for myself, but when I really want it, I'll be adding back in organic/free range/hand massaged/whatever meats, and eggs and butter (organic, I suppose) are going to start finding themselves being regulars in my fridge again.  I'm also going to try and cut out pretty much anything that comes in a box; if the ingredient list has more than five things on it or I can't pronounce any of them, it's not going in my shopping cart.
So, back to breakfast.  Inspired by the book and the fact that I actually have eggs and cheese in my fridge, I decided to make eggs.  They were originally going to be scrambled, but they poured so nicely into the pan that I thought I'd try for omelet territory.  It went...better than usual for me.  I also made my usual raspberry mocha smoothie because I had coffee in the fridge that I didn't drink yesterday, and because there wasn't actually as many scary ingredients in my protein powder as I thought there might be. 
And then I did something really weird.  I usually hate eating alone, probably because we are from childhood eating most of our meals either with family or in a group at school (at least I was; we were a sit at the table family; food was never eaten in front of the tv).  As I live alone (and even when I had a roommate, we never at the same thing or at the same time), I usually compensate for my alone-ness by doing something on the computer or watching TV while eating.  At the library, I also got out Naturally Thin (had some useful insights so it's vaguely worth reading but definitely don't spend money on it), and there's a lot in there about mindful eating and really enjoying your food.  So today, I sat down at my recently decluttered kitchen table, and for ten minutes, I just sat and ate and focused on my food.  And it was delicious.  In general, I'm not much of a cook, so this was surprising.  Maybe it's just that I haven't had one in awhile, but the omelet was perfect and light and fluffy and the combination of the eggs with herbs and the melted cheese was just, wow, for something that took me all of five minutes to make.  And thus, I realized that there really is no excuse for Lean Cuisine to be a part of my life anymore. 
Totally perfect breakfast.  450 calories (550 if you count the banana I had before spin).  I realize the one part of my whole food thing I need to get over next is the calorie counting compulsion, but as a former Weight Watcher, I feel like I need to have numbers somewhere in my life to keep things under control.  But it's something I think I'm going to try and work on.
Wow this was long.  Moral of the story:  Eggs good, convenience food bad!  And now, to Bar Method.