Crystal Aura Gaze

The past several years have been a slow but steady track into focusing more on home cooked meals and less processed foods. It’s taken me probably much longer than it should to get here.

My first few years of living away from parents and having to figure out all of my own meals, there was a lot of takeout and a lot of boxed/frozen foods. I did make an effort to learn more recipes and try new foods but at a pretty slow pace. I’m really not daring at all when it comes to trying new foods and making new cooking habits.

2024 began very much of the year of making a lot more of these changes but getting my wisdom teeth out in late April really set me back. I would say it took a full six weeks for me to fully recover. It took three weeks before I stopped feeling constant pain. That was followed by another three weeks of duller pain that would come and go. It was a painful experience but after those six weeks I could finally feel my energy come back.

So that period of recovering took all of the energy out of me. It was hard for me to enjoy eating, I would eat but I wouldn’t get that dopamine response that food is supposed to give you, so that ramped up my cravings. It made me want to eat more junk. I was too tired to cook and clean so I had a lot of takeout. And I wasn’t exercising much either from the exhaustion.

The healing was gradual but somehow by that sixth week, it was like everything was back to normal again. And now it’s been two full months and I feel great. I even feel better than I did pre-surgery when I was dealing with the toothaches that I’d grown completely complacent to. I’m very thankful that I had them pulled, and a hundred times more thankful that it’s all over now. I also have far more reverence for dental health.

So anyway, several months back I bought a cookbook with really simple meals which is exactly what I needed. Anything more than four or five ingredients overwhelms me.

Here are some dinners I’ve been enjoying…

• Quesadilla: fried whole grain tortilla wrap with melted cheese and guacamole.
• Carrot pancakes: eggs, whole wheat flour, and shredded carrot cooked in olive oil on the frying pan, topped with maple syrup. (Yes, for dinner!)
• Avocado-egg sandwich: scrambled eggs and guacamole on toast.
• Buddha bowl: grain + protein + veggies. I usually do rice or quinoa with fried tofu and cucumbers or peppers. You can get creative with this and do many different variations!
• Lazy vegan pizza as a healthier homemade alternative to takeout.
• Salads — simply putting vegetables together with seeds. I can also add fried tofu or chickpeas. But the only dressings I like are oil or apple cider vinegar. I can’t put anything creamy on vegetables, that doesn’t mix right to me.

Next on my list is to try a homemade burrito and see if I can mimic Chipotle.

Those are the dinner recipes I’ve been trying to incorporate more of. This is the goal, rather than endless pasta, frozen pizzas, and vegan chicken nuggets. But I still think that those foods are perfectly fine in small doses, just not every single night!

Throughout the day, I usually have protein shakes or protein bars. Those are helpful in assuring that I’m getting enough protein, but they are processed foods that usually contain some questionable ingredients.

Some lunches…

• *Healthy* PBJ by using whole grain bread (I use ezekiel which is minimally processed), natural peanut butter, and fruit preserves with no added sugar.
• Overnight oats with greek yogurt, milk, oats, and frozen fruit.

And for breakfast I’ve been trying to stick to smoothies because it’s such a great way to squeeze in as many nutrients as you can into one meal. But sometimes I wake up and feel like a liquid for breakfast is not enough, so instead I’ll have a protein waffle. Or, last week I made a batch of homemade protein muffins.

I’ve also been learning that eating healthier doesn’t necessarily mean more expensive. In some ways, I save a lot of money. By cutting back on takeout, I’m already saving so much (especially Chipotle and Panera… ugh… why are you so expensive?) You just have to make sure you plan your meals ahead, like with fruits and vegetables that spoil quickly. I try to lean on frozen fruit which is cheaper and lasts much longer. And when you’re choosing foods that make you fuller longer, you’re automatically buying less food for yourself.

So that’s where I am right now and hope to keep building on healthy habits!