Raise your hand if you stayed up waaayyy too late watching the election results last night. Yeah, me too… Rub your bleary eyes and check out What I Ate Wednesday!

Before we start, I just want to take a sec to talk about how cool it was to see TWO females on the ballot for president today. Even if you’re not a fan of one or both of them, the symbolism of how far our country has come is pretty amazing. I feel very strongly about the examples we set for the daughters of our generations and seeing women participating in the highest level of politics is certainly a good standard to set. End rant. EDITED: This was written Tuesday night before the most bigoted man to ever run for office was elected to be the leader and the example for millions of children. A sad day, indeed…

We hit the gym suuuper early so that we could get a good workout in before lining up at the polls. Half a banana is about as much as I’m ready to consume at 5am…

I got a late start getting ready for work since we were voting, but luckily I had prepped a smoothie the night before. Lately, I’ve been throwing all of my smoothie ingredients into the blender the night before, popping the whole container in the freezer, and then just taking it out, adding milk and blending away. This bad boy had banana, cauliflower, pumpkin, spinach, Vega protein powder, and pumpkin pie spice. My seasonal fav for sure!!

I was SO excited to hit up one of my favorite spots for lunch, Angry Baker, with a friend today. But, alas, I was a disappointed. I ordered the roasted veggie wrap but asked for it in a bowl. They somehow missed that memo and it came in a tortilla anyways, which I just wasn’t feeling. Don’t get me wrong, the fillings were BOMB (uhhmm hello harissa roasted sweet potatoes) and I still adore the place, just wasn’t diggin’ it today.

Even though lunch wasn’t all that satisfying, it kept me full until about 4:00 when I munched on a big, juicy apple. Truth be told, I was mostly just bored but I guess a crisp apple is a better boredom snack than say.. leftover Halloween candy from the bowl in the kitchen.

We had to run errands and drop some things off with John’s parents so dinner was also on the go. I hit the Whole Foods salad bar roasted veg selection up HARD. I picked their garlicky kale (honestly could eat it every day of my life), maple sweet potatoes, herb tofu, and roasted purple sweet potatoes, parsnips, and carrots. I microwaved it in the dining area (I was cold) and then dipped everything in ketchup and mustard because condiments are bae.

I brewed a cup of my favorite decaf snickerdoodle flavored coffee to curl up with while watching the election results. I called it quits before midnight, after dozing in and out of sleep for a few hours.

Most of us are waking up to shocking news today. Some may be in positive awe, others in downright despair. I, myself, am far more sad than I had expected to be but found comfort in a quote from a Jewel song that a friend posted on Facebook. It’s a song I used to love but that rings true now more than ever. I’ll leave you with it:

“If I could tell the world just one thing, it would be that we’re all OK. And not worry ’cause worry is wasteful and useless in times like these. I won’t be made useless. Won’t be idle with despair. I will gather myself around my faith for light does the darkness most fear.“

It’s been a hot minute since I put pen to paper (err, fingers to keyboard?) to share with you all. I’ve been experiencing some very turbulent mood swings, as sometimes happens as the season changes. This week, I thought I’d share some of the not-so-lovely parts of life, in addition to the traditional What I Ate Wednesday. Some midweek eats with a side of real talk, anyone?

 

Breakfast was a chopped apple, Kashi cereal, rolled oats, and Larabar Renola.

I think a lot of us folks who blog (still not confident enough to call myself a “blogger”), face the fear of judgment in a very real way. Putting your life, your words, your photos, your recipes out for the entire world to see is a very vulnerable experience. It’s this anxiety that someone, somewhere might not like what you have to say that damages confidence and causes me writers block.

 

Lunch was spinach and roasted squash with some hemp seeds and balsamic vinegar.

Fear of judgment is a huge part of what makes me (and I’m sure others) an obsessive perfectionist. If I make a recipe, and the photos don’t turn out exactly how I hoped they would, I do it again. And again. And again. And if it’s still not perfect, prepare for meltdown Captain. While striving and driving for high quality can be healthy, it’s important, albeit extremely difficult, to remember that no one is perfect.

 

Dinner was taking forever so a few baby carrots held me over.

Being afraid of being judged and constantly striving for perfection is exhausting. Because of that, I sometimes find myself suffering from a serious lack of motivation or inspiration. It seems counterintuitive. In a stressful world, shouldn’t one’s hobby bring joy, calm, and balance to life? Maybe. But when you’re a chronic anxiety and depression sufferer with a hobby that forces you to be vulnerable, motivation runs dry. I’m an introvert by nature, and even blogging can be an extrovert’s game. If I’ve had a day of socializing, it can be tempting to retreat into the couch and push away any (even digital) conversation.

Turmeric roasted cauliflower, leftover roasted squash and steamed broccoli, crackers with homemade vegan “cheese”, and Dijon mustard for dipping.

As I write about feeling judged, imperfect, and tired, I hope I don’t come off as a whiney or “woe is me”. By noting some of the uglier parts of weekly blogging, I hope my followers know that things aren’t as always as glossy and beaming as they appear but that cooking and writing are my passions and I love every recipe that I get to share with you all. It’s my hope that some of you can relate and find company in my words. Now, I’m going to try to get back on this blogging horse and come at you with a new recipe soon! Have a fantastic week friends!!

Happy Humpday! I’ve had a busy week at work and home but I’m feeling productive and energetic- woo! Let’s dig into What I Ate Wednesday.

Last week, I was feeling exhausted and fatigued every morning and throughout the day. I suspect it had to do with the season change and decreasing amount of daylight, but either way I’m feeling much better this week! Alive enough to munch on a [grossly under ripe] banana before hitting the gym for a run and lifting.

This emerald green smoothie is chock full of frozen banana, blueberries, raspberries, and cauliflower blended up with powdered peanut butter, vanilla Vega protein, lots of spirulina, and almond milk. Lots of plant-based power to kick off a busy day!

My morning was hectic so I had to tote my Kale Salad with me to a Nonprofit IT Forum luncheon. And boy, am I glad I did. The event (which was fantastic) served gas station pizza for lunch (not so fantastic). I didn’t want to look even more snobby than I already did with my pile of kale, so you’ll have to pretend this picture is actually of my lunchbox in a room full of fellow nerds.

I snacked on an apple (another recycled pic, I suck) to get me through the end of the workday and then some grapes to hold me over until dinner. Fruit is my absolute favorite snack!

Dinner was a bombbbb a$$ feast. I stared by roasting a gargantuan sweet potato. DO IT: cut monster in half, wrap in foil, and roast at 425 for 45 minutes. NEXT. Simple salad with Dijon mustard and cherry tomatoes. No frills. THEN reheated some leftover turmeric roasted cauliflower. LAST served the whole thing with the creamiest, most perfect avocado there ever was. DONE.

Snacked on some of my absolute favorite chocolate in the whole wide world while watching This is Us (omg you guys). Th-th-th-that’s all folks!