The other day Tina over at Carrots ‘n Cake asked if her readers minded seeing the same kinds of foods on food blogs and it got me thinking.  Usually I don’t mind when different food bloggers try out the same recipe/idea.  The more people who try it the more likely I am to try it.  For instance I tried chia seeds and homemade nut butter and some other recipes after seeing them on a few blogs.  But if its a recipe/idea I’ve already tried or don’t have any interest in I might skim the script to find something interesting like about Tina’s puppy Murphy or Kath’s Travels or Brandi’s Missions trip to Honduras.

But then I remembered something I said about Why I Blog?and the reason I don’t post pics of my food…I’m boring and repetitive.  I try to change up foods but a lot of time I find myself coming back to the same foods.  In college I ate the same 4 or 5 things every few days.  First of all I didn’t eat breakfast.  I know its a big No, No but I thought I was saving calories for later; maybe I wasn’t so smart in college.  Then I would usually eat a waffle or sandwich and salad from the dining hall at lunch because they were quick and easy…oh yeah and I’m boring.  Then for dinner I would usually have a huge salad with whatever hot entree of the day if I went to the dining hall or some lovely Velveeta Shells and Cheese in my room.  Even after college I stuck to the same repetitive stuff.   I would not eat breakfast (maybe I didn’t get smarter after graduation), have some sort of sub or sandwich for lunch or order pizza out with the other teachers and then things like quesadillas, pizza, and cheesy broccoli rice.  I was the queen of could I cook it fast and make it cheap. 

Then I started my Weight Loss Journey and changed things up…a bit.  I started eating breakfast but always had the same three things in rotation depending on the day.  I either ate oatmeal, cereal and milk or a Special K bar and milk.  For lunch I generally had a nice salad with spinach, ham or turkey, Gorgonzola, lots of other veggies and something sweet to finish it off (usually fruit or a pudding cup).  I would pack a bit of a variety of snacks ranging from cottage cheese and fruit to jello and fruit to Peanut butter and Fruit…sensing a pattern here.  And then at dinner I tried to stay healthy and have brown rice, chicken and veggies…or seafood, pasta and veggies.  Same old same old.  It was just comfortable.

As much as the title of this blog is It All Changes…I HATE CHANGE!  I think I got into the wrong profession for change because things never stay the same and I move quite a bit over the course of my career but is an entirely different post.  But the point is, If I’m comfortable with food and know I like it I tend to stick with it.  Even now I usually eat the same oatmeal for breakfast (although I have eaten overnight oats more recently and had cereal this morning); salads and chicken burgers reign at lunch; and dinners can be standard.  But I’m trying to break out of this.  I’ve looked at new recipes and tried out different things…to come up with new things I like to have more of a rotation.

Is this necessarily bad…NO!  It’s not bad to know what you like and stick with it.  When it does become bad is when I get bored of the same old same old and start sneaking in other food to supplement what I’m not getting from the “regulars.”  I’m all about taste and when the “good stuff” starts becoming the “boring stuff” I start snacking more.  So I try to make sure food is a pleasurable experience.  I want to enjoy what I’m eating and not just eat it because it’s safe and I know the points/calories and how it tastes.  I want to branch out and find new stuff I like to change it up a bit. 

I’m a creature of habit but you can teach this old dog new tricks…occasionally. 

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Now with sports:  Dang its been hot here in Massachusetts the last few days.  Not that I’m really complaining because it could have been like this all summer.  But yesterday I wanted to stretch out my muscles a bit so I did something called “Slow-robics” on FitTV.  It was nice and got me moving and stretching.  But I was sweating and dripping by the end and it wasn’t high impact.  In fact I was sweating so much my dog Peanut was licking the sweat off my face.  She actually stood on my chest while I was doing sit ups to get a better angle (she only has 4″ legs…she’s a Pomchi).  But I was worn out. 

I did manage to make it to the gym but I was just drained so I walked on the Treadmill for 20 minutes during 18 Kids and Counting before heading to the grocery for some fruit and a chocolate bar, Dark Chocolate and Ginger to be exact.    Tonight I’ll be back at it though after we work at our towns downtown fair thing.  We’re working in the kids section doing crafts.