I had very  much an “Eat, Live, Run moment” at Publix today.

No, no one that I know of at Publix reads my blog (??) but I had an in action moment where I got to practice what I preach, I suppose you could say.

Here’s what happened—

I decided to make my mom and I dinner tonight because she gets home from work exhausted around 7:30. So, I rode my bike over to Publix to pick up a few things and also grabbed my favorite Endangered Species Dark Chocolate with Deep Forest Mint bar. At the register the girl goes, “YOU are buying a chocolate bar??! You’re so tiny!” I sort of laughed and then said, “Well I plan to make that chocolate bar last about two weeks.” She sort of looked at me before saying, “what?? You don’t just eat it all at once?” I said no. I like to savor it slowly and enjoy a small square after every meal instead of inhaling it in three minutes (which I assure you I could). She then said she could “never” do that because she just wouldn’t have the willpower.

The conversation ended then but it just made me think just how Americans really need to re-teach themselves to eat! We are constantly SO worried about calories, low fat, low carb, no sugar added…blah blah blah…..but if we could just stop looking at food as the enemy and start eating what we want in moderation and smaller portions, I really think we all would be just fine. Wine, chocolate, BREAD, sweets…….they all are meant to be enjoyed! You CAN enjoy these foods—-you just have to enjoy them in moderation (not every day!) and scale your portion size down. It’s all about balance, yall. Balance.

Anyways, to step down off my soap box here are my eats! When I got home from Publix I made a super smoothie—

This was a combo of about a fourth of the container of blueberries, 1/2 cup 0% Fage, 5 pecan halves, a splash of soymilk and a squirt of agave. I knew I wanted something with a tad more protein in it because I was going to a yoga flow class until 7 tonight and needed fuel to get me through. This did the job perfectly

My mom and I had dinner around 8:00 tonight. I made a delicious adaption of a Nigella Lawson recipe—Sunday Night Chicken Noodle—out of her lovely book, “How to Eat” (how appropriate?) . I LOVE Nigella. She just seems to real and down to earth and I read her cookbooks as if they were novels. I get so into them! She is a wonderful writer and has such a clear head when it comes to food. I can’t get enough. Here is my adaptation of the recipe:

Monday Night Noodle Bowls

Serves 4

6 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp tamari

2 big garlic cloves, smashed down with a knife

1/4th tsp hot chili flakes

1 lb boneless skinless chicken tender, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices

8 oz rice noodles

1 head bok choy

4 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp coconut oil + a few drops sesame oil

1. Combine the mirin, soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken and marinate for about an hour in the fridge.

2. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water and add the bok choy during the final minute of the cooking process. Drain both bok choy and pasta and run cold water over. Set aside.

3. Simmer the stock and keep warm on the stove. Heat up a large wok or pan and add the oils.

4. Add the chicken to the hot pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until done. Pour over the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes or until golden.

5. Place rice noodles and bok choy in each bowl and cover with chicken. Pour about a cup of simmering stock to top. Serve immediately.

Mmmmmmm it was perfect!!!! Next time I might add some ginger and use soba noodles for a variation

Dessert was vanilla tea and a handful of biscotti—

(I also had a tiny square of my chocolate. Obvi)

Ryan is on his way over right now to watch the Ohio State game. My dad and uncle are actually there in Arizona for the game. They are diehard fans for those buckeyes!!

See you in the morning! Go Buckeyes! =)