What I Ate in a Day With Some Life Q&A

Hi friends! Today’s post is a throwback to a little real talk paired with a recap of what I ate in a day. I used to blog in this style all the time, so thank you for humoring me as we take a trip back down memory lane!

I still get requests to share more What I Ate Wednesday posts, so we’re going there today. And yes, I originally tried to get this up yesterday to fit into the theme. But, such is life, and this is exactly what we’re diving into.

But before we get to the eats, let’s chat over a cup of coffee or your beverage of choice.

(No judgements here, we are in quarantine after all.)

So. How are we doing? Like really, how are you doing right now? I know a lot of us are feeling very out of control and very much like we’re winging it one day at a time as we enter our fifth month of quarantine. I see you, and I feel you, my friend.

I shared a little about this on Instagram stories yesterday (and here), and I think the subject deserves more air time. Without further ado, here are a few answers to some questions I’ve been getting.

And just to preface it, Scott and I are in complete limbo right now. We honestly couldn’t tell you what we will be doing or where that will be six months from now … and that’s wild, but it isn’t something we haven’t experienced before. The quick recap is that Scott’s business in sports entertainment is on a complete pause until the world opens up again. I left my full-time job in February to be able to support his business and stay home with Skyler while he frequently traveled, so you might say it’s the definition of ironic.

As you can imagine, there really isn’t anywhere for him to go or anything for him to do at this moment. We’ve accepted that the business may or may not pick back up when traveling overseas is a thing again, and he’s been applying for jobs here, there, and everywhere.

Now onto the questions!

Are you staying in New York City?

Your guess is as good as mine! Our intentions aren’t to leave Brooklyn or NYC right now, but it definitely isn’t the same city that we moved to four and a half years ago. Living isn’t cheap, and the advantages of being a quick subway ride away from lavish dinners, speak easy bars, Broadway shows, and the culture that makes this city sparkle aren’t there right now. We hope to be able to stick it out long enough to make it out on the other side, when there are things to do and see again, but it all just depends.

Ideally, we would like to stop paying rent and start investing into a home. We’ve been married for nine years and have had a dream of doing this since 2011. It’s time. We were casually looking at homes in New Jersey before COVID-19 hit, but we aren’t ready to make any moves until we have more of an idea of what life here will look like for us. It could legitimately change at any moment!

What is Scott doing for work?

Well, Scott’s work is volunteering right now. He is a part of an organization that helps stock and deliver goods to food pantries across NYC. He also volunteers with our church’s food pantry ministry and is usually away from home doing this eight hours a day, four days a week.

He still has contracts and consulting work here and there, but all of his in-person live event production has been paused until further notice … which is his main source of income. In the mean time, we are both open to opportunities that make sense and would make a move for the right one if/when it pops up. We’re just doing our best and taking things one day a time.

How are you doing through all of this?

Everything was just fine at first, but I’m getting to the point of losing it. (Real talk, anyone else?) I’m sure some of you reading this can relate — this pandemic is hitting us all in different ways every day!

Some days are easier than others, and I have held myself together and stayed positive for the most part. But, I’m human, and I have breakdowns over the smallest things sometimes. It’s all just a lot to process.

My strategy is to find the happy in the “now” and stop concentrating on things that we can’t control. When you think about it, dwelling in the past or trying to jump to the future is robbing yourself of the gift you have to live in the moment and appreciate the little things for what they are. I know, it’s easier said than done … but it’s true.

So yeah, I’m hanging in there. I am focusing on things that make me happy and doing those activities as much as I can. Just like any other season we’ve been through, this too shall pass.

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If you have any other questions for me, fire away. Y’all know that I am pretty open in this space, and my goal in doing so is to reach someone who feels similarly and hopefully provide a sense of comfort. Writing things out is therapeutic for me, and I appreciate the interest and support from this audience so much. Thank you.

Now onto the eats …

What I Ate in a Day: Three Easy-To-Assemble Meals

This edition of WIAW (now Thursday) is out of the norm for me. I didn’t get to the workout I meant to, and I spent the day in our bedroom organizing Skyler’s old baby clothes and gear and putting things up for sale on local forums. Life without a garage to store things is really hard sometimes. We’ve been staring at boxes labeled 0-6 months, 6-12 months, etc. for a bit and it’s time to declutter and fill our space with essentials only.

Does that mean that we aren’t having another baby? Not necessarily. We’re just taking life as it comes to see where it goes. And there’s another answer for you, because I get that question all the time!

Anyways, let’s talk about food.

Below you will find my full day of eats on Tuesday. Unlike a usual day for me, this one did not include snacks, as I was very focused on the tasks listed above paired with normal mom duties. I prefer to eat 5-6 smaller meals/snacks throughout the day, but this day led me to 3 satisfying meals instead.

Breakfast: was on the hearty side. I wanted to go for a run later in the morning, so I fueled up early with a slice of whole wheat toast smeared in cashew butter, two hard boiled eggs sprinkled in salt and pepper, and a 1/2 cup Greek yogurt topped in berries and hemp heart seeds.

It was filling and perfect!

Lunch: was easy to put together, thanks to a salad kit and hi-protein veggie burger from Trader Joe’s. I just love salad kits. I typically beef them up by adding my own ingredients, and I make a big bowl (like the one pictured below) to feed both of us with a some leftover for the next day.

I started with the Mediterranean Style salad kit and added spinach, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, marinated olives, red peppers, and an Italian dressing to mix with the one that came in the kit.

I also added one hi-protein veggie burger, and stuck with one only because it was quite large. I loved it!

Dinner: Dinner was also very simple, thanks to a Pesto Pasta Veggie Sauté Kit from Trader Joe’s. I added two chicken breasts from the stovetop, and it was the perfect amount for Scott, Skyler, and I. We all enjoyed the flavor, and I appreciate any dish that gets my toddler excited about eating carrots and broccoli. A definite win!

Dessert: is usually pretty low-key around here. Give me a few squares of dark chocolate and a tall glass of almond milk, and I’m good to go. But, I had a freshly baked loaf of banana bread staring at me, so I went all out by heating it up and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream for everyone to share.

It was very good, and the recipe couldn’t be any easier. Simply pick up a box of banana bread mix from Trader Joe’s, add a banana, and cook according to the box instructions. Voila!

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And that is what you call a blog post. It’s completely random, filled with rambles, and sprinkled with something that you can hopefully take with you.

Have a great rest of your day, and keep your heads up out there. Day by day, we will get through it and come out stronger on the other side.

Thank you for checking in, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites!