Trade-offs

On my walk home from the gym tonight I had a little realization. I dare to say that most of our days are filled with trade-offs of some sort: bringing lunch to work or school in an effort to save money and eat healthy, to do something our friend / partner / spouse wants to do instead of what we want to do, staying up late versus getting a good amount of sleep. And that's just off the top of my head! This idea struck me because the past 24 hours have been full of trade-offs.

I traded extra sleep (which I made effort to try to get) for a bout of insomnia. This left me less than eager to wake up for my aspired weight lifting time before a meeting first thing this morning at work. So, I compromised, slept the extra half hour, and dragged my tired self out of bed. My motivation? This wonderfully delicious Overnight GF Hot Ceral IAJ (in a jar).  I had maybe 3/4 of a tablespoon left in this jar of peanut butter and put it to good use. I whipped up my standard hot cereal mix and combined it with a couple chopped strawberries and blueberries and popped it into the fridge. Knowing I only had to cook my egg white made me especially excited for this breakfast!

My meeting went for 3 hours and I finally broke for some lunch a little while later. I met up with my friend Suzy and was excited to catch up! We both traded eating out for bringing something to share. Suzy had whipped up this GF summer squash tart with a polenta crust and brought some pieces and I brought a big veggie salad with red pepper hummus for dipping. This was a great trade-off that neither of us minded making!

My afternoon was much quieter and I caught up from the morning. Towards the end of the day I snacked on a cracker with a bit of hummus plus an apple with a schmear of almond butter.

Since I needed the extra sleep this morning I decided to trade in weights for my pilates class. I'm happy to say that this trade-off made me feel so much better! I felt awake after class for the first time all day and was appreciative of the endorphin boost!

For dinner, there was 1 non-negotiable - kale chips. It had been way to long and I had a craving! While they cooked, I got to work on a red beans and rice dish. I added 1/4c chopped bell pepper, 1/4c chopped onion, and okra to a pan with garlic powder and paprika. I cooked til softened and browned. When I went to get a can of kidney beans I discovered I was all out! That never happens but I rolled with it and traded in my last can of beans in my apartment - pinto beans! I combined a serving of beans with 1/2c brown rice and the veggies, plus lots of hot sauce!

This was a light, delicious, veggie-rific dinner!

I'm laying low and trying to hopefully get to bed (and sleep) early tonight. Losing out on my 8 hours of sleep is a trade-off I don't think my brain can handle another day.

What were some trade-offs you made today? How many hours do you need to function well during the day? For me, I need 8 to feel sharp and like my normal self!