100 Days Challenge - Day 21 - Eating With Awareness

It's been nearly 10 days since I last blogged, so obviously this is not actually Day 21.  In fact, I started this Challenge towards the end of January!  Not being home for nearly three weeks has thrown  my routine off but I have, at least, been mindful of my eating, though not nearly as mindful about my exercising.   I did get back to doing a 35 minute walk today, and Monday, I got in about 10,000 steps.   Yesterday, I had good intentions but the high winds did not allow me to carry out my plans to get in a walk.

Day 21 focuses on eating an entire meal with awareness - savoring each and every bite of a meal rather than eating it so quickly that one cannot even recall the taste of each food item.   As in every day on this Challenge, there is a homework assignment, which I did on Monday.   The weather was lovely and I had a relaxing day all to myself.   After a 9:00 a.m. medical appointment, I went to a large outdoor shopping mall called La Cantera.   I shopped at several stores and then had a leisurely lunch at Mimi's Cafe at about 1:30 p.m - the restaurant is located within walking distance from the mall.   Though I had never eaten there, I was aware that it  has some dishes inspired by traditional French cuisine - which has long been a favorite of mine! Here is the link to the restaurant:   http://www.mimiscafe.com/

Being half-French myself, I know that the French are people who definitely see "la cuisine" as an art and every meal is treated as a special occasion so this made it a perfect choice for this type of exercise.  In France,  eating "on the fly" is practically non-existent - in fact I can think of no translation for it!  When I taught in France as an exchange teacher,  even lunch at school was special!  We had several courses served to us in La Cantine and the meals were not only well-balanced but delicious!    Lunch break was usually 1.5 hours  - to give teachers and students time to enjoy their meal.    How different from the 30 minute lunch breaks we get in American schools - barely time to warm up something in the microwave and certainly never time to sit down and enjoy a relaxing meal.

I arrived at Mimi's Cafe in anticipation of a relaxing and delicious lunch.  I chose my menu items mindfully - a 3 oz grilled salmon filet on a bed of greens with strawberries with a light vinaigrette dressing, and a side of citrus fruit.   I wish I had had a camera as the plate looked so appealing - and for good reason as it was delicious!   I savored each morsel of salmon, and enjoyed the combined flavors of the greens along with the slices of strawberries.   The sweetness and just-right ripeness of the fruit was a perfect ending to a perfect lunch!  

The rest of the exercise ask us how we felt after the meal.   I felt very relaxed and very content!  I had been walking and shopping all morning and had been both very tired and famished!   The choices I made and the manner of savoring each bite definitely gave me a feeling of satisfaction.   By the end of meal, I also felt re-energized.   I realized that when I hurry through a meal, I don't allow myself to truly enjoy it nor do I experience the same level of satisfaction.  I need to resolve to repeat this exercise regularly.

What did I do today to demonstrate my Total Commitment?
1.  I kept within my boundaries on my food plan.   Breakfast - Greek yogurt w/tsp. honey and fresh blueberries;     Lunch - McDonald Bacon Ranch Salad w/1/2 packet of ff balsamic dressing;   1/2 strawberry smoothie;    Dinner - baked tilapia with parmesan crust with veggies ;  fresh fruit

2.  Exercise - 2.3 mile walk