How NOT to Start the Day as a Grouchy Bitch

March 2, 2010

in eating disorders,God,My story,product review,recipes

Sometimes, you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed. You know what I mean— you get up in the morning with a frown, every little thing seems to irritate you, and you continue on the rest of the day as a Grouchy Bitch.

The thing is, this bad morning mood kind of hangs onto you. It’s hard to shake off, especially because it is like a magnet that attracts more and more negativity. You’re like a small pile of turd—you stink, and all you attract are nasty flies. It doesn’t just affect you; it also affects everyone around you who has to bear with you, and it affects your overall productivity and health.

That’s why it’s just so important to start the day off right. You see, I noticed a pattern on my bad days, and it all starts from the day starting out wrong.

Typical Bad Day:

Wake up late —> Skip breakfast —> Rush to class —> Flustered mood —> Tired, doze off in class —>Feeling unproductive –> Cranky and annoyed –> Act like a bitch –> Shun social activities –> Lonely –> Unhappy

Does that sound familiar to you? I’ve had one too many days like this, and it has been really getting to me. It’s already the third month of 2010, and looking back to my New Year Prayer Topics, I’ve realized that I still have yet to actually work on some of my goals. I’ve been procrastinating on getting serious with them, and it’s only gotten harder and harder to start on them as time passes by and things get busier.

I’ve been reading up on new March goals on a lot of your blogs and it’s given me the motivation and inspiration to restart and work harder on my New Year prayer topics. And you know what? Instead of viewing them as a year’s goal, I’m going to crunch them down into a daily goal, and face them day by day so that I no longer have the excuse of “oh, I have a whole year to fulfill them!” And that day starts now, today.

So this is what I hope the start to my Typical Good Day will be like:

Wake up early –> Run –> Pray, listen to praise music, read the bible –> Breakfast –> Classes, rest of the day –> happy!

Today was Day#1, and I feel freaking wonderful. Thankfully my roommate was out, because I was singing along to praise songs, dancing to and fro as I cooked breakfast. And I did not doze off during classes at all! I feel surprisingly energetic, and I just feel…so alive and peaceful. I feel empowered by God’s word and spirits, and I can’t help humming as I walk across the school campus.

Another thing I realized: feed my spiritual body first. The truth is that I put so much attention on what I feed my physical body, but I’ve been neglecting consistently nourishing my spiritual body. Without a healthy, well-fed spiritual body, I become nothing but flesh—susceptible to physical weaknesses and worldly temptations. I’ve once again realized the importance of feeding both my physical and spiritual bodies, and how intricately they are connected and affect one another.

I know that not all of you share the same faith as I do, but I’m sure most of you will agree that we humans are not just a physical shell. We are more than just blood and flesh; we have spirits, and that spirits require daily food, too. For me, that spiritual food is God’s words. It’s more than historical text—it’s living and breathing, and it replenishes me with fresh power and faith each time I “eat” it.

As for physical food, I know for sure that all of you agree that it’s critical! Whether you live to eat or eat to live, food ties so much to our daily moods too. And in the same way, what you eat to start the day probably matters too. So let me suggest to you an example of a great meal to start your day…

Hash! Ah, is there anything more grubby and stick-to-your-ribs than good ol’ hash? The best thing about hashes is that they can easily be made with any leftovers you have, and it can be as simple or as lavish as you want it to be. My hash was actually inspired by this Tropical Traditions product that I won from Mara’s giveaway:

Coconut Peanut Butter! Oh this product is absolutely lovely! It is made from just two ingredients: organic Valencia peanuts and organic coconut. Nothing else!
It’s kind of runny, but I like that because it isn’t so dry like regular peanut butter. It’s not overwhelmingly coconutty, but enough to give it an exotic twist. As Mara said, it’s just screaming to be put into brownies or noodles. But obviously, I had to go the more untraditional route. So how does this product make into a hash? Well, all you need is a bit of imagination…

Especially because I hope that you participate in this week’s BSI (Bloggers Secret Ingredient)! Tara from Fun Fearless Foodie has asked me to host this week’s BSI again, and since the winter is clearing away for spring, I wanna hurry up and take advantage of the last of winter’s produce…BRUSSEL SPROUTS!!!

Please check out this page for previous BSI challenges and guidelines. And here’s just one idea on how to use brussel sprouts:

Coco-NUT-ty Sweet Potato & Brussel Sprouts Hash

1/2 cup Coconut PB cottage cheese blend (recipe to follow)
1 cup brussel sprouts, quartered
1 large sweet potato, cubed
olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 large onion, diced
2-3 mushrooms, chopped
salt and black pepper
balsamic vinegar
handful dried berries (or raisins, or craisins)
1 large egg
handful cheddar cheese

Coconut PB cottage cheese blend:

1 part dijon mustard
1 part honey
1 part apple cider vinegar
1 part Tropical Traditions Coconut Peanut Butter
2 parts cottage cheese

First you gotta make the CocoNUTty part of this dish. Just blend all the ingredients for the coconut PB cottage cheese blend together. I just gave ratios so you can make as little or as much as you want. I made a big batch, and stored it in an empty salsa jar:

Rich, luscious, creamy, sweet and savory. Almost pudding-y! SO good!
Now, I did not have any leftover brussel sprouts and sweet potato (are you kidding me? I always finish them off), so I had start with fresh ingredients. I put a pot to boil and then threw the sweet potato cubes in there, and boiled it for about 4 minutes. Then I threw the brussel sprouts in and cooked it all for another 1-2 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

Next, heat oil in a large skillet. Cook the garlic, onions, and mushrooms together. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high. Toss in the brussel sprouts and sweet potato and dried berries with a splash of balsamic vinegar, and cook over high heat.
In the meantime, in another skillet, fry up an egg to your desired doneness. When the brussel sprouts and sweet potato have a bit of sear to them, turn off the heat. Stir in a few dollops of the coconut PB cottage cheese blend; stir to coat.

Ladle the hash onto a serving dish. Top with runny egg, sprinkle with cheese, and drizzle more of that coconut PB blend on top.
Okay. Imagine me presenting you with this dish in the morning. Is that enough to make you burst out into a song, or what?
Let me count the ways why this dish is perfect to start your day: First, a runny egg.
Second, that creamy, exotic, incredible coconutty sauce.
Third, sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts (BSI ingredient!), cooked up nice and crispy.
Fourth, the melted, gooey cheese.
Fifth, it’s well-balanced, and freaking nutritious.
And finally, it’s a Sophia creation! What’s not to love?
Do you have a goofy grin on your face already? Because I sure do!

Another reason I have a goofy grin on my face, is because my hair is finally long enough for me to tie it back!!! AAAAAHHH!!!
For those of you who haven’t been with me long enough, you should know that I lost 70% of my hair because of my eating disorder, and the ones that were left looked like it’d been deep-fried…yeah, a side effect that nobody really warns you about diets until you start pulling out clumps and clumps of hair in the shower. Well, ever since I’ve started getting enough calories in, my hair has been steadily growing out, and they’re thick and healthy, not thin and fraggled! I still remember it was only almost exactly one year ago that I first discovered my new hair starting to grow out!
So it’s true. The best beauty you can possibly be is to be healthy. And I want to emphasize that previous to this, I was eating “healthy”. I refused white carbs, sugar, etc. I was obsessed about getting enough protein, fruits, vegetables, blah blah blah. But it was only when I got enough calories in, that my body started to regulate itself. The proof is in the hair, my friends.

Okay, enough hairy talk. I wanna hear from you! Tell me, dear readers, how do you start the day out right?

And this week’s BSI ingredient is BRUSSEL SPROUTS…Please enter! Or my lovely hash will be lonely! Email me your submission by Sunday, March 7th…which happens to be on the same day as the submission deadline for the “You Are What You Cook” Challenge! Wow! That is a lot of exclamation marks and bold words! Okay, I’ll stop, I’m being annoying. Just remember to check out this page for BSI guidelines!

'cuz burping and slurping is mandatory and polite when it comes to good eats

How NOT to Start the Day as a Grouchy Bitch

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