You may have noticed I have not been writing my blog, but I learned three important lessons while not blogging. I did not mean to neglect Olive Sunshine. I apologize to my readers. Saying I am sorry to my readers reminds me of a scene from the movie Julie and Julia. The movie has been playing on HBO frequently and in fact, this movie is playing as I write this post. Julie, played by Amy Adams, is a food blogger and a famous food critic was coming to her home for dinner. She shared this exciting event with her readers and the food critic cancelled. Julie wailed to her husband, “My readers will be so disappointed, what will I tell them?” His response? “They will live.”
They will live. I am sure my husband would say the same about you (if anyone is reading this) and Olive Sunshine. If you are a regular reader, it is not likely you would notice it has been a month since I have last posted. While you may not have noticed, I have missed writing to you and want to rectify my absence! If you did miss me, feel free to share a comment. I would love for you to let me know, but only if you forgive me.
What Had Happened Was…
A very close family member is ill. My world came to a stop for eighteen days until the situation stabilized. Living out of a hastily packed suitcase, twenty hours from home, I was unable to focus on much else. Spending my time at the hospital while trying to juggle my job as a district-level educator left me little time for anything else. At first I did not have an appetite. Once I did feel hungry, I only had the opportunity to cook a couple of times. Blogging simply did not enter my mind.
Lessons I Learned from Not Blogging
I have been home for a week, and I am still struggling to write a post or a recipe. I am struggling to think like the type of blogger I am attempting to be. So here I am writing about my feelings. As I write this, I am not sure I will even post it as this is different than how I see my blog. Instinctively, I think I must acknowledge my experience. Blogging about food seems silly after my recent experience.
But upon reflection, I realize I did learn some things about the Mediterranean Diet and how having my blog, Olive Sunshine, impacts my life. Interestingly, I learned these lessons when I was away from my kitchen and my computer. The lessons I learned may serve to reinforce my commitment to this lifestyle and allow me to be clearer in understanding Why I Blog.
Three Lessons Learned When Not Blogging
Lesson One
First, Mark and I realize how important it is to maintain our eating habits even when things are not normal. Keeping your diet may seem hard when you are away from home. A couple of times, it seemed easier to stray outside of the guidelines of the Mediterranean Diet. It may have been easier, but I felt physically gross. Our adopted eating lifestyle, based on the Mediterranean Diet, is tasty and enjoyable. Even better, the food fuels the body which is really important when going through a crisis. Many easy to reach for foods, while providing calories, also provide ugly side effects like headache, sluggishness, and inflammation. No, thank you.
Lessons Two
The few times I was able to cook over the three weeks away from home gave me a sense of control in an otherwise uncontrollable time. Second, I realize and appreciate how cooking can create a sense of comfort. There is something extremely comforting in knowing that a series of ingredients can form to produce something tasty. It is calming to sit at the table with people I love, eating good food that is good for you.
I read many posts and articles bemoaning the time it takes to cook. Some view cooking as an onerous task, stealing time and taking too much effort. If I spent time preparing meals leaving me feeling tired and bloated maybe I would hate it too. It is much more fulfilling to know the time I put into planning for, and preparing my food, makes me feel good.
Lesson Three
Third, I can follow the Mediterranean Diet even if I do not have much time. In my regular setting, Mark and I spend a good amount of time planning, gathering, preparing, and enjoying our food. We actually enjoy going to the farmer’s market and specialty shops and planning our menus. This was not possible during my family emergency. There was not time. Yet, it was important for me to eat Mediterranean Diet compliant meals so I could have energy to support my family. To accomplish this I had to plan. While I did not have the time to invest, I needed to take a few minutes to think about what I would eat, and where I could get it. Mindless eating is dangerous. In any given circumstance I need to think about what I am going to eat.
Planning Matters
At the hospital, I repeated the same meals a few times to stay within the guidelines. I passed on the fast food runs and donut splurges my family turned to during the stressful times. This does not mean you cannot ever grab food on the go. Sometimes cooking is just not an option. My thoughtful brother ordered take out for the family at a Mexican restaurant. I was able to remain compliant because I took the time to read the ingredients. It was a good thing too I because I found my new favorite vegan burrito (more on that later). I also put together snack bags of veggies and nuts and carried them with around with me to avoid grabbing the wrong food later.
This experience showed me I can stay within the Mediterranean Diet guidelines during difficult times with minimal effort. Why? Because the Mediterranean Diet is not tricky. In its simplest form, the diet is choosing food with minimal processing that focuses mostly on whole grains and vegetables. I am grateful for the lessons learned when not blogging.
How Do I Return to Blogging?
In the movie Julie and Julia, Julie admits that the very act of blogging is self-absorbent. As she said, “It is just me, me, me” so I do have an excuse for this post. This self-absorbent reflection of my present state is helping me to find my path. Before beginning this post, the thought of blogging felt overwhelming. Now I realize I just need to write about where I am this minute.
Moving Forward: Three New Recipes
Where am I this minute? I realize I learned lessons when not writing my blog about why I blog and how it is helping me on the journey. Olive Sunshine is an expression of eating well and putting my (and my Sweetheart’s) health first. I am not sure I specifically understood that prior to writing this blog. As a teacher I always understood my students had to reflect on the learning to really anchor the knowledge. This blog serves as a my reflection.
My next three recipes will reflect the experiences and lessons learned when I was not blogging. Because I am so excited to finally have clarity, I am going to post this blog before I have these recipes posted – but I promise it will be worth checking back! I won’t make you wait long.
Mediterranean Diet Tuna Noodle Casserole
This is not your grandmother’s calorie laden dish. It is lighter and tangy but with the same level of comfort you think of with a casserole. While at my mother’s house when everyone else grabbed fast food, I passed. I scoured her near empty pantry and pulled together a tasty and compliant dinner. It was super tasty and took five minutes. My version of the Mediterranean Diet Tuna Noodle Casserole is so easy. I found all of the ingredients in the pantry. My mom ditched her fast food to join me in eating my Mediterranean Diet Tuna Casserole.
Mediterraneanized Deluxe Vegan Burrito
You can eat out on the Mediterranean Diet and I was able to eat out successfully during my time away. One of my brothers treated my family to take-away dinner from Maiz Mexican Cantina in Depot Town an area in my hometown Ypsilanti, Michigan. I like this place because they list the ingredients in their menu and do not mind omitting items. They will not substitute items, but they made sure my burrito was over-flowing with the good stuff.
I ordered the Ultimate Veggie Burrito. It was delicious and healthy. I will warn you that the Burrito is too big for one meal and eating proper portions is part of the Mediterranean Diet, but it heats up beautifully to have for lunch the next day. When reading the ingredients, at first glance the Burrito appears to be off limits. It was easy to omit the crème and cheese, as it was chalk full of other delicious ingredients. This was by far my favorite Mediterranean Diet friendly Burrito. The secret is the potato-zucchini hash. I finally have my own version, the Mediterraneanized Deluxe Vegan Burrito. My Sweetheart is handy as my number one taste-tester and helped me perfect this recipe! Here is a secret – I like it BETTER thank Maiz Cantina’s.
Dairy-Free Grouper Piccata over Angel Hair Pasta
When we first arrived home, after our twenty-hour drive Mark went right to the grocery store to restore our kitchen. While I resumed cooking every meal, my concern for my family member kept me from feeling creative in the kitchen. Instead I made some of my stand-by favorites that did not require much thought.
Saturday I did make the effort to visit our friend Vickie (Vickie’s Seafood). Inspired by a giant piece of fresh black grouper, I had to make something spectacular. Grouper Piccata over Angel Hair was just the ticket. Piccata is usually full of butter, this healthy Mediterranean Diet version is dairy free. It is also the best piccata I have ever tried. It was great to spend a little extra time making something really special for my Sweetheart.
I Learned Lessons When Not Blogging
If you read this post and made it to the end – thank you. It was actually cathartic to process this experience within the context of Olive Sunshine. More than a blog, Olive Sunshine is an enjoyable journey of healthy food and exercise choices that places value on health and well-being. I learned lessons when not blogging. What I learned through this experience, is that even when life is challenging, I deserve to value myself, my health, and my well-being.
Great Read. I understand that it can be unmotivating to write blog posts, but we do it because we believe in what we write about 🙂 Looking forward to seeing more updates!