To make up for the recipe post scarcity on the blog, I wanted to share some of eats this month, both restaurant food and stuff I scavenged together at home. Some breakfasts, work lunches, quick dinners.

Before I dive in,  I want to be as real and open and authentic with y'all as I can be about this post, about where I am in my eating disorder recovery, about my eating in general. That's why I'm going to mention if I split/finished the meal or not. I don't want to pretend that I am not struggling because I undoubtedly am. Remaining focused on recovery has been extremely difficult with my internship right now. Being surrounded by people for 80% of my day is rough. Plus, there are a lot of potentially triggering conversations that stem from this diet/healthy-eating/thin-ideal society that we live in. More than anything, I think I wanted to post this for myself as a reminder

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Taking a nod from Ms. Week in Review herself and mixing things up with a Silver Linings edition for this week's WIR. Loved this idea because it allows for spinning the lows from one's week into a positive. Rather than let a slip set me back and worry, I can direct my energy to viewing what I can do in the situation I am in, which is something I have really been trying to do more of. In the midst of my usual laundry/meal prep/outfit plan/dishwashing chores, here are some of the more exciting things I did this week.


Cloud: Not getting to work more than 40 hours during my internship like I had originally thought coming into this internship 😞

Silver Lining: Getting off early on Fridays and getting in that must needed alone time


Cloud: My oatmeal overflowed in the microwave yet again....

Silver Lining: I still got to enjoy my breakfast-for-dinner meal. Made with almond milk and a dash of salt, that had almost a buttery taste to it. Topped with pears, almonds, dates and flaxseed. Simple meal, simply delicious.

Cloud: Feeling disconnected from myself and a little lost recently. I am beginning to question my career goals. The uncertainty of the future is terrifying. More terrifying, I think, is seeing the future that is pretty certain and not necessarily enjoying what I see.

Silver Lining: Finally phoned chatted with three of my bestest friends who are all on the other side of the world (these time zone difference struggles are real). 👯  Even if they were quick and semi-spontaneous calls, hearing their advice, their voices was enough. It's amazing that with how different our lives are, our struggles are all too parallel.

Cloud: There were so many people at the yoga class I signed up for, which typically puts me on edge. I feel like everybody is watching me. 😳   Not the best state of mind when you are trying to focus on your breath and relax.

Silver Lining: Managed to stay intentional with my practice. Came out feeling refreshed and ready to tackle this weekend!

Cloud: It looks like I am on a streak of cooking-fails recently (see oatmeal above). I had an expiring container of cottage cheese to use up and decided to make fritters with it ending up as a gloopy mess rather than fritter shaped. I'm guessing it was a lack scarcity of flour.

Silver Lining: Was able to salvage my creation and it turned out even better than expected.


Cloud: There were literal clouds all day on Saturday. ☁️  And the weather was blah, which usual means I feel kinda blah too. As I leave work after the sun has gone down, I am in terrible need of Vitamin D. It's frustrating that when I can actually go outside, there is no sun to soak in. Boo.

Silver Lining: Attended this pop-up restaurant that served Laotian cuisine. Though we had to sit outside with the chilly air, the company and food (I had crispy coconut rice & tofu lettuce wraps!) made up for my lack of appropriate clothing. And the weather this week is going to be pretty gosh darn gorgeous and totally un-winter esque.



Cloud: I promised a couple of friends that I would go out with them over the weekend. And if it wasn't already apparent from my previous posts, that is not my scene. At. All. I would much rather spend the evening in, playing board games or watching lame movies. So Saturday night, I was feeling slightly (okay, extremely) anxious and trying to think of reasonable excuses to bail on them again.

Silver Lining: Went out anyway despite my hesitations and enjoyed it more than I thought I would though I would still opt for a 🍷 & cheese night over shots any day.

Cloud: Had to bring some work home with me

Silver Lining: Getting to multi-task and watch America's Next Top Model with this two-screen situation going on. Plus, how can I complain about working in PJs!!!! I seriously need to get another screen for my personal use.



Questions:
Have you ever tried Laotian food? What is one type of food you've always wanted to try?
What was your worst recipe fail?
Are you more productive when you work from home? 
Any tips for coordinating phone calls/dates/meet-ups with friends? 
What is one cloud & silver lining from your weekend?  

Hihi,

In honor of this 20th edition of my must-reads, I shall skip to the good stuff (the links!) and not ramble on about my boring life right now:

1. Finished Gilmore Girls about a week ago (not the revival Netflix episodes yet though so no spoilers please!) Then I came across two lists with ALL the books and movies referred to in the show. LIKE WHAT. Where should I even begin?! There goes my next 50 years... HAHAHA.

2. A little reminder from Cora to keep looking out for the beautiful things in life. BTW, in case you haven't of her blog, My Little Tablespoon, she's a wonderful writer who knows how to say exactly what I'm thinking in a way that I could never describe so eloquently.

3. To all those who are struggling with feeling unaccomplished: this is your life and the life you are living is enough as long as you keep, well, living. (This poem is where that quote's from btw!!)

4. Raise your hand if you too are a people pleaser. 🙋  This article from Verily focuses on checking yourself and finding boundaries for said people pleasing.

"pleasing others is not the same as helping others"

5. Considering what is currently going on in our country and in the entire world, everyone needs to give this video a watch. We are more alike than we seem no matter our race, religion, sexual orientation, age, etc. 

6. Started my hump day off with a smile by watching NPH & James Corden singing broadway tunes in my bed 😁


7. Being alone ≠ feeling lonely

8. At it again with these fun, mindless Buzzfeed quizzes like Which Yoga Pose Matches your Personality? Interesting because it's one of my favorite poses! 🌴🌲🌵