Anyone Can Do This
I didn’t wake up this morning with an elaborate plan for what I was going to eat. I went grocery shopping yesterday and have a few things in my fridge.
My husband Chris has been the primary cook for the 15 years we’ve been together. I was 18 when we met and I never learned how to cook! He married me anyways. I am forever thankful for his skills and sacrifice in this area. For everyone out there who is the primary cook: We see your contributions and though we might not always be good at saying it, we value what you provide and we value how it impacts our health and our lives. Thank you!
Chris, after much deliberation on our parts, has run off to farm for the summer! We are absolutely ecstatic for this opportunity and we can’t wait to tell more about it in the coming days. Since I plan to keep vanlifing solo, people are asking me: “What are you going to do?” I wasn’t worried about that question, I was worried: “What am I going to eat?”
Maybe that sounds a little dramatic, but as a child of the 90s growing up on TV dinners, boxed food, and snacks, I never had much exposure to “real food” until I got married. I was very happy to wash my hands of it, pay the bills, and let Chris handle it. This worked out really well for me for years. Yet here I am, 33 years old and learning to cook for the first time.
We have been eating a meat-based, whole food diet for years, so luckily, I know pretty well WHAT to eat. It’s just making it happen for myself that is the trick. I’ve decided to keep it insanely simple as I’m learning, and I think that could really help others who are trying to embark on a whole food diet themselves.
My grocery cart from a few days ago - I had some PMS-related cravings and I wasn’t brave enough to buy the raw hamburger yet.
One of the misconceptions of the diet/nutrition world that I will tackle is the idea that we have to have “perfect macros” or know how many calories it has along with other metrics. I don’t know what math has to do with eating, but I don’t think it belongs there. I prefer to subscribe to an intuitive approach: Am I hungry? What is going to nourish me? Does it sound appetizing? I eat when hungry, until full. I’ve been doing this for years while maintaining a healthy relationship with food and my body. I look and feel great. So if this simple path works, why is everyone tracking everything?
That’s a question for them, because I can’t answer it! I listen to my body and tweak from there. It’s also a very wholesome message to send to yourself. “I know what I need and I’m capable of acquiring it.” I know enough, and I am enough. It’s not the message we’re getting from sales and marketing because confident, satisfied, put-together people are not spending money on things they don’t need. I’m careful to align my self-talk with my values.
I can self-talk myself to the moon, but if I can’t cook a burger, I’m not going to survive, so here we go:
I made it happen. I bought this ground beef on a whim, I liked the message: Buy from the state you’re in. Even if it’s not “organic” or “grass-fed.” Local is king. I panfried my patties in butter on med-high heat. Yes, I paired my local burger with Irish butter. I do the best I can when it comes to sourcing. Kerrygold is imported, but it’s high quality. There’s no concern for harmful packaging from the sticks. I think this was the first time I’ve handled raw burger with my hands. I am not joking, Chris did ALL the cooking. What a saint.
I salted these babies to taste and I ate 3 of them! I had Cleveland Classic Caraway Kraut in my fridge, so I ate some of that too, and even made myself dessert!
Would you like the details on the dessert? I don’t eat a lot of sweet stuff, but certain times call for it! I’d rather have a whole-food alternative to stopping and eating whatever I’m served. This gives me control over ingredients and even the method of making. It’s become important to me to do things a tiny bit the hard way. I think it builds character! Ha. But it’s ok to stop and buy an ice cream once in a while if that’s your jam.
We all deserve high-quality, nourishing food that supports our intentions. Even if you can’t cook, like me, real food is accessible to you if you step a little out of your comfort zone. We don’t have to work that hard: It doesn’t have to be a 6-course elaborate meal. Sometimes a burger and kraut will do just fine. It was delicious and I feel great. This is base-level real food, it’s wholesome, and it’s enough!
What are some of your favorite whole food go-tos when you don’t feel like a fancy meal?