Eat to Run: Kitchen Tour

Q: Eat to run or run to eat? 

A: Eat to run, definitely. 

My food and meal planning principles are rooted in MichaelPollan’s advice to “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”  More specifically, I try to eat whole foods with five or fewer ingredients and buy organic produce whenever possible.  I also try to avoid things I have to unwrap and only shop the perimeter of the grocery store.

And then about once a week I’ll drink a bucket of Diet Coke which basically negates these efforts. 

You might say that makes me a hypocrite.  I like to think of Diet Coke as my insurance against self righteousness.

Either interpretation is acceptable.

For nearly four years we’ve been planning out two week’s worth of meals, creating a shopping list, and then filing these lists in a big binder.  The binder also started a place to store recipe clippings, but Pinterest has rendered that function obsolete.

 

 

I know, I know, admitting to “the binder” in public is like standing up and saying, “My name is Kayla and I have OCD.”  However, it’s been interesting to watch our tastes and habits change over the years.  The first entry in the binder shows that we ate cous cous tacos, frozen lasagna, spaghetti, pizza, penne with asparagus, and Zatarain’s Jambalaya. Today, that menu sounds exceptionally pasta-heavy, overly processed, and seriously lacking in nutrients.  The binder also reveals the years where we ate “people food” at least once a week: stir-fried rice and veggies with scrambled egg (we called it "people food" because it provided fuel but wasn’t particularly appetizing--like dog food for people).

Originally, meal planning and shopping for two week’s worth of groceries was a way to save time and money.  Today we’ve gotten to a place where we’re willing to spend more money on higher quality food.  Let me rephrase that: Donnie dragged me kicking and screaming to a place where I’m now willing to spend more money on higher quality food.  
 

 

(Meal Plan on the fridge above a picture of my running idol, Allyson Felix.  And a Great Clips coupon.  Keeping it classy.)

 

I also have running to thank for my improved nutrition.  Running has taught me to find the right combination of carbohydrates, protein, and fat so that I have enough fuel to run and enough energy to stay focused at work.  I’ve also become a lot more intentional about eating a variety of nutrient-packed fruits and vegetables every day. 

Here is a tour of our kitchen after a shopping trip:

 

 

In the fridge we've got cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs, Shadeau bread, big boxes of spinach and romaine, tomatoes, strawberries, asparagus, leeks, celery, cheese (feta, goat, cheddar, mozzarella), LaCroix, a steak for Donnie, and plenty of beer.  Carrots, green pepper, basil and apples on the bottom. 

 

We're thinking about investing in some Chiquita stock.  If not for the troubling socio-political implications.
 

Our wine rack serves double-duty as a place to keep our pita bread.

In the cupboard we’ve got peanut butter, almonds, walnuts, chick peas, black beans, pasta, orzo, brown rice, oatmeal, and spices.  Sweet potatoes and onions in the bowl underneath. 

Dark chocolate and strong coffee.  I could probably live without them, but I'm not sure I'd want to.

Last night we had our first outdoor meal of the season—it really is starting to feel like summer!  We had roasted new and sweet potatoes and black bean burgers with feta and red onion.

 

 

 

One time the woman who was checking us out at the grocery store said, "I can tell you two don't have kids. Kids wouldn't eat this stuff. And you won't be able to afford this kind of food when you have kids."  Ha!

 

I'll admit that it does take a lot of time to plan and cook 95% of our meals from scratch at home.  It takes two hours to meal plan and shop and at least an hour a day to prepare food.  And unfortunately it is pretty expensive.  Hopefully this time and money are an investment in our long-term health.  Unless the toxins from the Diet Coke are as bad as I suspect they are, in which case this will all have been an exercise in futility. 


-Kayla