Healthy, yummy and KIMOCHI

........BREAKFAST.............................LUNCH..............................DINNER........

Today I had a mega weird breakfast. Had. Quaker oatmeal squares, Justin's honey almond butter, 1 tangerine, heaps of cinnamon in Almond breeze vanilla. Totally weeeeeird! But it sustained me through to lunch so I guess it was fine.

Lunch had some major sweetness going on. The raging fire within me calling out for all thing sweet and yummy. Sunday is a day I tend to overeat and I have no clue why. I did figure it could be my lack of proper lunch (bars and all), so I decided to get things right. A thick slice of wholemeal spelt 7 grain loaf from London's Whole Foods Market, drenched in maple syrup and Crisco 0 calorie butter-flavored spray, topped with generous sprinkles of cinnamon sugar and fresh blueberries. It was dense, filling and healthy.

Chizuko said this, "healthy is one of the most important things in life. Without it, life is not worth living. Without it, you can't enjoy life." Who is Chizuko? Well, it's the author's mother of the book that I am reading now, The Japan Diet. It makes a lot of sense and at the end of the day everything can and may be taken away from you, but health is something within us. Closer than a spouse or any material thing.

Dinner was once again Japanese inspired. It's definitely the book's influence, but hey, I'm a willing victim. Japanese simmered vegetables with 1 organic Korean rice cutlet. Japanese simmered veggies are so awesome and healthy! Take the time to savor your meal and admire the colors and flavors that integrate together to form a perfect harmony of a healthy dish. Just like our traditional well-known Chinese stir-fry veggies, the Japanese have their own preferred style too. However, I used my own mix of veggies. Recipe here.

Japanese simmered vegetables

serves 1

100g broccoli, chopped, florets and stems separated

50g carrot, chopped

1/2 pack roasted chestnuts (I used some Korean brand)

300ml instant dashi stock (I dissolved the powdered form into water)

1/2 tablespoon low-sodium shoyu

1/2 teaspoon sake

1. Bring the stock to a simmer, add in vegetables from hard to soft. Carrots first.

2. 3-4 minutes later, add in broccoli stems.

3. 1-2 minutes later, add in broccoli florets, shoyu and sake.

4. 1 minutes later, remove from heat and serve!

It is really simple and healthy, most importantly full of flavor. A tip for choosing vegetable mix, try and choose varying colors to get as much vitamins and minerals that our body needs. Today's meals have kept me satisfied and I managed to resist any binge urges, hence I'm really happy. After yesterday's episode, I'm just really glad to be me. Not everyone has the privilege to have awesome planned meals throughout the day, 7 days a week! I pray God remains my source of strength and grants me a discerning mind to know what is best for me. Why try to be ordinary when He made me special?

I hope the same for fellow gastric-ers or even those suffering from allergens such as dairy, gluten, etc. Life can be tiring and we find ourselves envious of the very ordinary things in life. But nobody can ever love us more than we love our own bodies and by treating it right, in turn our bodies will love us back with good health, happiness and a wonderful life in years to come.

xoxo. God bless.