Monday, January 17, 2011

Decadant Supper

The last couple of years I have taught myself to not eat, but SCARF my food. When I was in college there were only precious minutes between classes and I would rush home to eat and go to work or go out. When Trent got here I quickly realized that my child was really against me eating a warm meal, so I learned to eat really fast. Two years later and he would still rather I ate my food at room temperature.
Tonight I made a supper I was really looking forward to. I rarely make white sauces for my pastas because I know how loaded in fat they are. Tonight I made a decadent seafood 'carbanara' over spaghettini. Trent and I sit down to eat and right away I'm shovelling it into my mouth. How can I truly enjoy this wonderful treat if I'm barely taking the time to chew?! So I started taking smaller bites. I put my fork down between each bite. I closed my eyes...

The cream sauce seems to float on the thin noodles. Each shrimp has a bouncy bite to it, firm, but giving. The scallops have a sweet, creamy taste; they seem to melt on my tongue. Every so often you get a bite where the sauce has puddled a little bit and your mouth explodes with a creamy cheese decadence. Then there are the little sprinkles of bacon, the texture is so out of place in all this soft creaminess that it fits! It's salty to the sweet, and compliments everything else.
I didn't even finish my plate. Not because it was too rich. Not because it got too cold or because Trent was yanking on my pant legs. It's because I took the time to eat to allow my body to communicate to my mind "Hey dude! We're full!". And because I took my time, this is the first meal in I-don't-know-how-long that I really enjoyed it. My nutrition journey isn't just about how many calories something has, or it's fat content. It's learning how to enjoy GOOD food again. Learning how to enjoy food that is good for me. And learning what it really means to be full. It's nice finishing a meal without wanting to unbutton my pants!

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