“Me-moment”

It’s the beginning of week 7 here in Paris and I just can’t believe it. It’s a big week at school – midterms, papers, readings, museum visits. The works. I’m savoring all the little “me-moments” I can get!

Is that selfish? Well….good.

 

Let’s see. “Me-moment” number one. Chocolate. Did you know that it’s a vegetable? And it’s also an acceptable breakfast food? Well, a girl can dream…

I seriously can’t get enough of this dark chocolate. Thank you Gillian Young….seriously. I love this stuff. I’ve been eating it with my coffee. In the mornings. With breakfast. Don’t judge.

 

“Me-moment” number two. One hour of glorious yoga. Glorious, grounding, booty-kickin’ yoga. It felt so good to spend some time on the mat, feelin’ the changes in my body. Not judging them, just feeling them. My hips and hamstrings are tighter they have been in a long time, but that’s okay…it’s proof that I’ve been wandering this glorious city on foot! But I’m glad I got on the mat and stretched it out a bit – not to mention I’ve gotta keep that handstand practice up so I can take pictures all over the city when the weather gets better

 

“Me-moment” number three was delicious. I haven’t made a real dinner at home for myself in what feels like forever so I spent some time in the kitchen this evening cookin’ up something healthy and delicious.

On the menu…quinoa. Love this stuff.

We are really fancy here. Like the cover to our pot? Like I said, fancy.

 

One of my latest favorite thing to cook is onions and peppers. Just slice ‘em up, and let them do their thang (yes, a technical term) in the pan with some EVOO until they are browned and delicious.

Ohh. And if you feel extra fancy, splash in some balsamic vinegar at the end and let it cook down a bit. It gets all sweet and syrupy and delicious. Mmm.

et Voila! Dinner is served!

   

Quinoa, steamed broccoli, peppers and onions and an over medium egg. Nothing special but it sure was good. Mmmm.

 

I’m finding it really easy to eat healthy in Paris. And you know what else? I love that everyone eats food the way it was supposed to be eaten. Low-fat things like yogurt and milk are scarcely available, but full fat dairy is clearly the most popular choice. Also, when you go to the charcuterie, you don’t see them advertising for lean chicken and low fat bison – nope, not here. Bring on the marbled cuts of steak! Oh, and on any given day you can wander to a marché and buy fresh, local produce.

 

I had a little moment of clarity when I thought about all of that today. I cooked my dinner tonight in lots of olive oil, and fried the egg in butter. I’ve been snacking on flavorful cheeses and some of the creamiest yogurt I’ve had in quite some time, and heating almonds and cashews like it’s going out of style. And I feel gooooooooooood. Healthy and wholesome. And gooooooood.

 

Yep. Such a simple thing, and something that causes lots of fear and anxiety for us Type-A perfectionist-perfect-eater-non-cheaters-yada-yada-yada. Trust me, I have my moments, especially living in a place where I’m surrounded by chocolate and pastries and butter. Lots of butter. But why would we go and try to mess up something as glorious as crème liquide  (ahem, which I may or may not have been putting in my coffee), by taking all the fat out!? Now THAT sounds crazy.

 

Well. Enough about me. Did you have any “me-moments” for yourself today? What’s something you do everyday that is just for you?

It’s bedtime for me, friends. I turn into a pumpkin after midnight  

 

Good night!

Tagged as: cooking, Paris, quinoa, recipes, vegetables