WIAW – Embracing the Savory

If you know me at all, you know I love sweet things.  I can easily pass up on the potato chips or french fries, but when the day comes that I turn down a cupcake or chocolate because “I don’t want one”, there is something seriously wrong with me.

Now don’t read into this too much – I know that sweets are treats, and that I feel disgusting when I eat them every day. But I can’t imagine living without them completely.

However, this does mean that I need to be conscious of my treats, and one way to do this is to make sure I eat bulk up my meals with savory foods.  No, I’m not trying to restrict or cut sweets out of my life, simply keep my cravings in check.  What better time to chat about savory/veggie love than on the last day of WIAW Love Your Veggies Month?

curry scrambled eggs with hot sauce, greens with balsamic and herbs, sweet potato [[<-- still need my sweet!]]

savory snackage!  chili and lemon pepper roasted chickpeas

random mini-meal/snack – spinach, roasted cauliflower, mahi-mahi burger, tahini dressing

big dinner! leftover lentil loaf (I need to make another one…), greens and peppers with balsamic and coconut oil.

Another big part of limiting my sugar consumption comes with breakfast.  Most days, I wake up craving something sweet.  I usually have a sweet breakfast to kick the craving – which does the trick for the day.  Every now and then, I wake up not craving anything in particular – so in those cases I try to go with something savory.

the start of one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a while.  Tortilla, arugula, salsa avocado…

…with 2 eggs! So sad I broke one of the yolks, though. Still needs something more…

Only the best hot sauce EVER.  My roommate and I go through this stuff like nobody’s business.

There.  Savory breakfast heaven.  I’m getting hungry now just thinking about it…

On campus in need of a snack – kosher gluten-free turkey wrap!  I only opted for the g-free version because the other option was a white flour tortilla.  This one was a buckwheat crêpe.  It’s really exciting to see these kinds of things in my campus dining hall.  If only these options existed when I was a freshman or sophomore on the meal plan.

another savory snack – quinoa, veggies, and melted goat cheese.  Yes, I’m weird.  This was delicious.

Bibimbap!  and a scallion pancake.  This was at a birthday dinner for a friend of mine, we went out for Korean BBQ.  I obviously didn’t get BBQ (meat to grill at your table) but this bowl of rice, veggies, and tofu was super tasty.  At these kinds of dinners, I’ve often opted for a smaller entrée to “save room” for dessert.  But when I think about it, this is slightly silly. After a good deal of experimenting, I have found that I generally feel better if I eat my real meal until I’m satisfied, then have a taste of dessert if I really want.  Which I usually do.  But then when I eat my dessert, I don’t feel the need to stuff my face. Win/win.

Oscars dinner!  A few girls and I ordered Vietnamese instead of the traditional party/snack food.  I got salmon over veggies and brown rice. Mmm!

scavenger salad (because I have yet to go grocery shopping this week) – last of the leftover quinoa, arugula, beets, Trader Joe’s smoked trout (the canned kind).  Packing a big, savory bowl for lunch helps keep the sweets monster at bay.

Since this post is already longer than I intended, I’ve decided to save the sweets photos I planned to share for another day.  So if savory things don’t tickle your fancy, stay tuned.

Are you a sweet or savory lover?