What are you having for lunch?

Kimchi soup and roasted asparagus!

I don't have any nice pictures, but I'm getting some grilled chicken thighs.

That looks delicious!

Do you often eat lunch (or other meals) without an animal protein? I feel like its a learned habit from growing up for me that there is always some kind of protein with a meal that I'm trying to outgrow.

Timothy Norton wrote:Do you often eat lunch (or other meals) without an animal protein?

Very often! We don't eat any body parts here. But there happens to be a little egg in that soup because I threw in the leftovers from the fried rice I made last night.

no pics, but I made an almost-instant omuraisu (omelet wrapped around leftover rice/amaranth from the other night, with some readymade seaweed/wasabi furikake mixed in the rice because I didnt have time to make the traditional fried rice to go inside. Topped with ketchup and more furikake, of course). Ate it incongruously with the German sweet-and-sour red cabbage I was craving and made last night...

Quesadillas filled with Chihuahua cheese & taco meat - it was a 'must-goes' day, today.

Pepperoni pizza!

Ya'll are weird. Cooking from scratch and stuff...

I had pierogies with cauliflower and mustard greens, topped with some fermented kohlrabi, hot sauce, and smoked sea salt. Yum.

No time for lunch today, but yesterday was fresh baby spinach salad topped with fresh mango, dressed with sesame dressing. Yum. The spinach I grew myself. The mangos I traded for and was local. The dressing was given to me by a friend who had purchased it but didn’t find it to her liking.

Tomorrow will be a homemade soup—- rice, beans, green onions, and tomatoes cooked in chicken broth, seasoned with local smoked/cured ham. Only the rice isn’t local. I haven’t gotten around to growing my own rice yet…. and maybe never will. I’m running out of time to try that.  But I’m pleased that the soup is mostly local. I’ve tried this soup before and it was delicious.

I'll probably do the OMAD (one meal a day - in my case, just an evening meal) thing today, since I have a project I'll be working on out in the bush.  Maybe I'll take a small snack with me (a chunk of cheese, maybe a bit of leftover pot roast or some nuts).  I am pretty well keto-adapted these days, so I only briefly get a touch of "the hungries", which soon passes, after which I am on cruise.  But, I am trying to maintain my weight and not lose much more, so I do eat lunch most days.  However, depending on what's going on at work, it may be 2 or even 3pm before I get to lunch.

My breakfasts, such as they are, usually consist of two 6-ounce cups of coffee with a drip of heavy cream.  Sometimes, I'll eat a handful of nuts, partway through the morning (raw almonds, or macadamia nuts, usually - but mostly almonds).

Most days, I eat a big salad for lunch (6 or more ounces of mixed greens, with olives, meat, cheese, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, salad dressing with extra oil).  I vary the meat a bit (usually chicken or tuna, sometimes  pepperoni or salami), but otherwise, it's pretty much the same, day in and day out.  Sometimes I'll have a few sticks of celery or a few broccoli florets, as well.  The broccoli is good for chasing any low-lying salad dressing at the end, since I'm not eating bread for now.  This winter, I'll start making homemade sourdough whole meal (Graham flour) bread again, from freshly ground flour, but for now, no bread.

This is an experiment.  So far, it seems to be successful - or at least, not counterproductive.  I had total PSA numbers of 8 in the spring, and climbing.  Now, down to 3.6 at last check.  Something made the difference.  Maybe it was keeping my serum blood sugar and insulin low by carefully monitoring the feedstock.  I would assess that my overall health is better.  Weight down about 15 pounds, and comfortably wearing some older clothes.  Blood pressure down a bit, though it wasn't actually considered high to start with.  Many fewer aches and pains, far less sinusitis and fewer headaches.  Can't say the same will happen for everyone your mileage may vary - but I am happy with the outcomes, so far.  I'll try adding some minimally processed carbohydrates, with full fiber (sweet potatoes with the skins on, slow fermented whole meal bread), and see how that goes.

Anyway, most days a big salad, but today, likely nothing, or maybe just a small snack.