When Life Gets Busy...

Hi there.
My name is Steph.
I love food.
I'm currently a year 12 student.
I have no time and my stress levels would be higher than that of an average human being.

Sometimes I truly feel like this is me... :P

Aaaaand that's pretty much my current bio!

Ok, ok, I lie, there's a lo more to me than that but I guess those are the biggest factors playing a role in my life right now as i set my sights on that end dream of studying nutrition at uni whilst also studying year 12 at school!

But this post isn't about that.

Nope, this post is about the effects a busy/ stressful/ tiring life can have on one's health. now, I think I've struck a pretty good balance with myself when i think about the study and stress I allow myself in balance with the breaks and time outs and Friends watching binges I allow myself. I've made sleep a priority and I try to get some form of movement into my day to day life in one way or another (generally a quick, fun Blogilates vid before brekky :))

However as much as I still possess the capabilities to make beautiful and delicious and creative breakfasts after a full night's rest, after a long day slogging the books/ meeting with people/ other commitments I have at school with my leadership role etc., by the time dinner rolls round I'm done.

 Literal dinner photo...

 Yup, that is one baked Japanese white sweet potato with coconut butter and a bowl of steamed peas and beans!

 Not gonna lie, it was delicious! ;)

And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this. I have no doubts people working full-time jobs/ full-time studying students/ full-time functioning humans all have stages in life when returning home from whatever it is you were doing and being confronted with the prospect of cooking dinner has left you reaching for the easiest thing on hand. Hello cereal-for-dinner bowls.

 Or even just a bowl of oven roasted coconut oil potatoes (regular potatoes and white and purple sweet potato- so goood!!)

Whilst I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing (hey, we all have one of those days) it's probably not great long term.

But again, this is not what this post is about. Today I want to talk about how during stressful times in our lives, those of us who are used to preparing beautiful, creative, time-consuming, intricate meals- probably mainly talking about food bloggers/ instagrammers/ chefs/ actually anyone who loves to cook! -shouldn't feel guilty about having an extended (and this could be quite extended) period of our well-known, easy-to-throw-together meals. I know that is where I currently am right now (I've lost track of the number of roast veggie bowls I've had this week.)

 Roasted veggies with a side of refreshing cucumber with hommus  for dipping!

 Yes, I bit into one already... y'all know the hunger I go through!! :D

What I'm saying is, we shouldn't feel guilty about this. Ok, so maybe we aren't making the meals to the standards we're used to, or lack any creative flow whatsoever and thus dinners may seem a little on the simple side. But hey, this is a time when our focus needs to be somewhere else and if the only thing you're mind can conjure up for dinner is avocado and eggs on toast, than you gosh-darn make those delicious avocado and egg toasts and enjoy them! Sure, anyone can make them, but that does not matter- you're still feeling the beautiful machine that does so much for you, just with simpler meals that you might even love more than that complicated zucchini noodle with toasted garlic salad you made that one time. (Yes, I have made this before :P)

Yeah, this one was just a real I-have-no-thinking-capacity-left meal and I enjoyed the heck out of it. A chopped up green appple, toasted seedy sourdough bread spread with hommus and topped with sliced avocado and poached eggs and a whole cucumber broken in half :) Also, hello there feet!

And if you need any other reasons to not feel guilty? Know that everyone goes through this and I have resorted to eggs on toast, or simple roasted veggies, or heating up some instant rice and mixing it through with some chickpeas more times than ever before this year- and truth be told, I love going back to a little kid version of eating! Baked bean toastie? heck yes!!

 Nom.

As long as you're still nourishing your body with whole, beautiful, natural foods- what does it matter if your sweet potato has been spiralled or not? Your body is getting those same awesome nutrients and your brain is getting that same nice break of preparing something you know you love to eat and is simple enough to do while day dreaming :).

Your turn:
Do you ever have busy periods of your life where you turn to simpler meals? 
What's your go-to simple dinner?
Cereal for dinner culprit?

I hope you all have an awesome day, remember to take a breather if you need it, and don't feel guilty if you're dinner turns out to be a whole baked sweet potato with nut butter... you know it's going to taste good! Bye for now friendly friends! :D