Back to the grind.

It's Monday and I am back to the grind. I got a phone call this morning at 4 a.m. from my sister saying that my mother had a heart attack and was in the hospital. This was enough to keep me awake for the rest of the morning. Needless to say, I am on barely any sleep. Please keep my mom in your prayers. This is the second time that she has had a heart related promblem. This time was way worse than the last. I am staying here in Athens and working until she gets released, then I will make the decision whether or not to go home. When things like this happen it makes me feel stressed and helplessness. Living a few hours away causes me to feel too far to be there when needed. It could always be worse. I could live across the country but when you want to be there, you want to be there fast.

I just wanted to give you guys a heads up just in case my posts are all over the place this week.

With all that being said lets talk about food when you are stressed out and have a lot of things on your mind...

I will not lie....This morning when I got the phone call and was barely awake. When I got the news I was very upset. I could feel my heart pumping and I knew that there was no way for me to go back to bed. There is nothing worse than getting a call in the middle of the night from a family member. As soon as I saw it was my sister calling, I knew that bad news. After talking with her for a few minutes and pacing around my kitchen, I caught myself grabbing for things out of the fridge to calm me. At that time I didn't care or even stop to think about what I was doing. Now, after getting to work and have had my coffee, I am re tracking my steps this morning. I didnt go on a binge or anything. I didn't stuff my mouth with things like cookies or cake when I could have. Instead, I went for a whole grain Dr. Kracker. Two things come to mind when I think about what I reached for this morning. One, I am so proud of myself that I could have but didn't go for the real comfort foods that I still have left over. This means that I may have successfully trained myself to actually DEAL with my problems instead of feed them. Two: Why a whole grain cracker? Well, I think that the cracker box was right in clear site and I think that I wanted something that wouldn't make me feel worse after getting such bad news. I think that this brings up a great topic...

Place foods that are healthy and good for you in eye's view. Reachable foods that are low calorie and healthy will be easier for you to choose, even in stressful times. This made my stressful morning a no brainer when it came to me eating something when I felt like I needed a little something to sooth my tummy. This is something that I think you should consider in your pantries, cabinets and drawers. I am not a fan of hiding foods. To be truthful, when I hide foods it just makes me feel like I am cheating (and I try not to exclude and one food group from my diet). Instead of feeling like you are sneaking around eating that piece of dark chocolate just eat it and be done with it. If you hide things and make you feel like you are being "bad" then it is just going to feed that emotion and before you know it you are playing games with yourself and food. Instead, try strategically placing your food. I do this and it works for me. I also find that it helps me stay organized which is bonus! Here is a picture of one cabinet that makes perfect since to me.

This photos are not of my pantry, it makes mine look awful. In this pantry notice what is eye level.

I like this picture because one of the first things that I noticed was the fizzy water. I would totally grab one of those to fill my stomach up and get hydrated as well. Notice you don't see, cookies, chips or candy in the middle sections.

Here is another pantry that I liked a lot. This one was divided up into sections. Nothing bad here and in fact I don't really see anything that I could grab and eat without using it for actually preparing food. This is a good idea. Eating a clean diet is great because 90% of the foods that I eat are not packaged and need to be eaten within a few days of buying. Fresh fruits and veggies are always on hand and usually chopped up and in a ready to go container.

If you are not a pantry kinda person and usually go for the fridge when stressed, anxious or just plain bored. Make sure that you have fresh fruits and veggies to get your fix. I always have chopped cooked veggies and chicken ready for me at anytime. I can pair these two ingrediants and make just about anything I want. I am a emotional eater like so many and I just had to figure out what works for me. I grab a banana or some fresh fruit if I have a "craving" for something sweet. If I want something crunchy I go for celery and if I want something savory I go for the veggies and chicken with salsa. This is what works for me.

Something else that works for me is having a designated spot. I have two other roommates and I was the one that said "I hope that this is not weird but I need to have the fridge and pantry divided up into our own spots." I wanted this for two reasons. One, Karen and I eat a lot of the same foods and I didn't want to accidentally eat some of her food if it weren't mine. Secondly, I wanted to be able to know exactly where my food was so that I could see if I needed to re stock so that I always had a plan for those days I would come home tired from the gym, stressed out from work or those bored evenings when it is a rest day and you are trying to have a low key evening. third, I am not a vegetarian and I think that if you eat meat and someone in your household doesnt, you should be considerate and not out your meat next to their foods. Some people are very sensitive to these sorts of things.

There is a method to my madness!

Another tip that I have is utilize your freezer. I almost never go for the freezer. To me the freezer=work. That means that whatever I grab out of there I have to prepare. I always think that if it is the freezer it is going to take a while to thaw and must be assembled. Not completely....I use the freezer for things like my chocolate stash. I put my chocolate in there because it allows for it to be cold and fresh and I always forget to look in the freezer when I am on the prowl. I sometimes freeze things that I know I would reach for. You can also have some fresh on hand and freeze the rest so that you don't have it all at once!

These are just tips that help me stay on track, when my mind may not be. Next time you are in the mood to rearrange or clean out your fridge and cabinets, make a effort to place foods strategically. Sometimes doing something as simple as moving those cookies from the middle shelf to the bottom shelf can make a world of difference.

I know that it has for me!

I will be having more news and reviews this week so stay tuned!

See you tomorrow!

-Heather