Two Days in One

Day three of my food journaling and I have come to one conclusion: I eat out far too much. Perhaps it is due to working in the hospitality industry – constantly on the go and working odd hours? Or because I buy any and all groceries on an empty stomach. Therefore accumulating a pantry filled with Nutella, spicy ramen packages, and  microwavable popcorn rather than a fridge with fresh produce.

Whatever the reasoning, the last two days were the filled with a plethora of delicious treats that satisfied my never-ending cravings.

Day Two
I began my morning with Nutella on toasted rye, a shot of Impact Kitchen Enzymatic, and a fresh glass of orange juice. This is my second recorded day drinking one of these vinegar based bad boys, but they are fantastic for the digestive system.

If you are like me, and do not follow any regular food plan, here are two simple tricks to set up your body and digestive system for a new day:

1) Drink lemon and water to flush out toxins.
2) Drink vinegar water to kill bad bacterias.

These two substances are very rough on your teeth, so be mindful and do not swish it around your mouth. Lemon and vinegar both erode enamel over a lengthy period of time.

Therefore the Enzymatic works really well for me. It is a tasty shot – no swishing – of pineapple cold press and apple cider vinegar (for those who’s gage reflex reacts to strong acidic smells). I definitely recommend trying it out!

As I walked to work, I spotted a new pastry shop that had just opened down the road from where I live. It is called Sugarloaf and they make a variety of Portuguese and German delicacies. You, my friends, may not know this about me but: sugar is my weakness! So although I chastised myself for looking in the window and managed to walk half a block away – I ended up turning around and picking up some snacks.

Yup, I’m a sugar addict. There needs to be an anonymous meeting for this!

The shop itself seemed quite cozy, and there was a lovely selection of pastries and jarred cakes. I chose their popular Chocolate de Leche croissant and a jar of their caramel cheese cake. The presentation greatly out shone the product unfortunately, however I am definitely willing to give them another shot! Every shop has an off day. I am going back on the weekend to sit in and sample some more treats.

Point in case about me eating out: I am already forecasting out-of-house dining.

Arriving at work, I was immediately introduced to Kouign Amann. Pronounced “queen-a-mon” – the staff had a few Digimon related chuckles – these tarts are made with croissant batter, layered with sugar, and baked until that sugar crystalizes. I spent a few moments, staging and snapping shots for our social media accounts before tasting one of the little monsters.

They were horrible. Never come to my pastry shop and order one so I can eat them all…

This day was also my attempted staff meal – which was a crepe breakfast burrito. Filled with ham, smoked cheddar, garlic aioli, tomato jam, and arugula – it was tasty. However the crepe was not a sufficient substitute for a soft shell taco. I need a bit more time to perfect the recipe.

My evening ended with Sidelaunch Dark Lager which is a fantastic tin from Hi-Lo on Queen, and ramen packages.

Conclusion
The Cake Boss theme comes to mind: sugar sugar…also how are all my arteries not clogged?

Day Three
I woke up incredibly late, and thankfully a breakfast of bacon and fruit was packed already. Bacon is not something I eat regularly but it was incredibly kind of the family I am renting from to put together a meal for me.

Lunch was a lovely meal with my mother and sister at Beaumont; a new O&B restaurant attached to Saks 5th Avenue. It is truly a rare occasion for me to sit down with both of them and somehow the stars aligned. The staff at the Beaumont being both fantastic and thoughtful enhanced our time together. I am incredibly thankful to our server and to the chef who took such wonderful care of us.

I began my meal with a complimentary glass of orange and cantaloupe juice and an arugula and root vegetable salad. The candied walnuts that topped it were divine!

My main course was a Yellow Finn tuna tartare, cubed with watermelon and served with a side of taro chips. I really enjoyed the contrast of the sharp citrus used to marinate the tuna and the sweetness of the watermelon.

All the food looked delicious and as much as I wished to sample from other plates, everything disappeared in an instant.

There is always room for dessert though! A phylo wrapped cheese cake topped with cooked pear and macadamia nuts really finished us off. We spent most of our afternoon happy, chatting, and comfortably full.

Plus there is always room for dessert part two: ice cream! I love Laura Secord ice cream, it was such a staple from my childhood. Going to Sherway Gardens with my grandparents, shopping at the Toys R’Us, and finishing off with a delicious cone. Therefore, I was torn between nostalgia and making and adult decision. You can see what won out in the end…

I ended my day, eating a panzoratti and caesar salad with my sister, and watching the Mindy Project. We finished all the new episodes… Darn it season 5, why aren’t you out yet? This marathon obviously ended quite late (we also watched Pirates of the Caribbean if that adds any time perception), and so I Uber-ed home.

Uber has been a wonderful tool for me the last month that I have used it. I’ve had many insightful and wonderful human interactions. Last night however was probably the Murphy’s Law 1 out of 100  strange encounters. As I paraphrased it to a friend:

…basically it was a mixture between asking for a blowjob, talking about how rich he made his family, and asking me out on a date. While complaining about his ex…so weird. So uncomfortable. And his car smelt like dirty hair.

Have you encountered this sort of driver? How did you respond to this sort of situation?

Conclusion
My day was wonderful, I spent it with people I love and who love me in return. It is unfortunate that I had this encounter with such a sad person. This individual will not overshadow all the good though. I am happy.

Not as Shocking as I Anticipated

Would you be shocked if you randomly decided to track what you eat regularly? Would you be honest with the results? Would your eating habits change because they were being monitored? Follow my journey as I attempt to unravel my own habits in regards to my favourite thing: food.

Amongst those closest to me, I am known for under eating or over indulging, and testing out new cuisine quite regularly. All of which is contrary to one another, and from both a health and financial stand point: questionable.

Therefore I have decided to capture my meals in what I am now calling: “Sam Is…” to try and evaluate what I am consuming. Is there cause for concern? Will changes need to be implemented?

We are what we eat after all!

Day One
Today started out with a lovely bowl of honey Greek yogurt from Liberté and Special K cereal. On the side there was two pieces of Nutella slathered rye bread and a glass of fresh orange juice. As I only committed to begin this project in the later half of my day, unfortunately my breakfast was not captured.

It is always nice to set yourself up for writing success: great croissants are generally key.

I decided to try and write at a café in the mid afternoon, and settled down with a spiced hot chocolate and pistachio croissant at Clockwork Coffee in the downtown core. An old friend and co-worker of mine is the manager there and although not much writing was accomplished, I spent a fantastic afternoon chatting. I always feel very inspired when I interact with this friend, as he is such a light. I truly strive towards being as welcoming and thoughtful as he is. Such a humble soul.

Our time together ended with swirled ice cream from Godiva Chocolate – and a sipping chocolate for me. I just about went into a chocolate stupor.

In the later part of the day, I found myself at a burger shop with my sister. I ordered an “all the way, minus mushrooms” kids cheeseburger from Five Guys. If you have been to Five Guys before, you know the kids size is a one patty and the regular is a two. God, I wish I could still eat the regular! I know I would go into a food abyss, one with no return. So instead, I shared some cajun fries on the side, doused in pepper.

I will admit: at least once a day I think about milkshakes, burgers, and fries. It is quite disgusting but such is the truth. Hamburgers are possibly the only reason I could not be a vegetarian.

I finished off the day with my new tea infuser from David’s Tea and their Monk’s Blend. I am really enjoying the flavours and fragrance. It is a white tea base with jasmine and hibiscus. Nom. There is also a side of the Enzymatic from Impact Kitchen which I am sipping through at the moment.

The taste of vinegar is hard for me to swallow.

In conclusion
Today I ate like crap. There was an incredibly amount of gluten, transfats, lactate, granulated sugar, caffeine, starch, and processed chocolate. It is incredibly important for me to begin to pay attention to these bad habits and start correcting them as early as possible.

We only have one body, treat it well.