What I Ate Wednesday 33 + NGI Week 2

It’s HUMP day!

We made it to the halfway point of the week and I CANNOT be more excited for the weekend to get here…my bestie is getting MARRIED!! I’ve been cutting the salt to banish the bloat and filling up on TONS of veggies this week because, ya know, #shreddingforthewedding…

I’m still head over heels in love with my community rotation of my dietetic internship at the Natural Gourmet Institute <– click there if you have no clue what I’m talking about. I’m receiving an education that is so far beyond what I could ever learn in a classroom, and that is exactly what a dietetic internship is supposed to be about! My preceptor is insanely smart, I get to play in the kitchen for half of the day, and I’m learning new culinary techniques, learning about new foods, and thinking about familiar foods in new ways.

This week (so far)…

• I learned about real farm to table cuisine and the behind the scenes action of a farm from Chef Megan Huylo, an NGI graduate, who now lives on Bhumi Farms in the Hamptons on Long Island. 
• I helped students work with tempeh (fermented tofu) and now I can’t wait to experiment in my kitchen with this new-to-me ingredient!
• We made fruit leather from scratch, using a dehydrator for the first time (and I documented it on Snapchat — @ChelseyAmer — follow me!).
• The owner of Ellary’s Greens (a great organic cafe here in NYC) came to talk to the class about the restaurant business, chasing your goals and passions and how being misunderstood is OK.
• You CAN achieve the flavor of garlic and onions on a low FODMAPs elimination diet. I’ll tell you more about it at another time…promise!

OK, now let’s get straight to the EATS…

I woke up nice and early to get some work done before work and get my arm workout in, but first, I caffeinated (above). It’s been pretty rainy here in NYC, 🙁 but hopefully the rain gets out of the way and leaves room for a beautiful weekend! ((cross your fingers with me!!)) I woke up craving oatmeal for brekkie…

…so I filled my oatmeal bowl (⅓ cup rolled oats with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon and ⅔ cup soy milk –> cooked on the stovetop –> and then I added half of a chopped peach) and topped it with a couple slices of kiwi, bloobs and sunflower seeds.

Then mid-morning I munched on an apple and sipped on H2O during lecture.

I packed lunch and (unfortunately, against all advice I ever give) did some work while munching…

…A quinoa salad with chopped veggies, arugula and seeds. With cherries on the side. It totally tasted better than it looks!

I was on my feet all afternoon in the cooking lab (which is deceptively exhausting!) and stayed hydrated with about a liter of water during the 3 hours. When I got back to the office after the students left, I was ready for an afternoon snack — dry roasted edamame, some seeds, and some dried mango (with no added sugar).

I walked home from work, ran a few errands along the way, and had a couple of calls when I got home from work (#businesswoman). I chugged more water, changed into my gym clothes and then decided to make some nana ice cream because unfortunately (or fortunately!!) Fresh Direct sent us 2 bunches of naners that looked like they were ready for banana bread (womp womp…or NOT!), so I sliced ‘em up and put them in the freezer last night….and chocolate nice cream today it was!

I licked the Vitamix bowl clean and then intended on exercising, but I got an enormous wave of exhaustion so decided to listen to my body and take the day off…and I was OK with it! I did a few sun salutations, showered, and took my time cookin’ up dinner. I defrosted a bag of veggies, made zucchini “noodle” strands with my veggie peeler and warmed it up in my favorite Rao’s sauce. Then I topped it with nutritional yeast and some crispy edamame for crunch. It was perfect!

I lounged on the couch for the rest of the evening, did some work (shocker!), and watched The Bachelorette (#guiltypleasure…anyone else???). And then I dove head-first into a bowl of nana ice cream with a cherry on top 🙂 YUM-O!

And tiiime for bed because this girl is exhausted!

What delicious eats filled up your day?! 

Til next week,
XO