Recently with my church, I participated in a 21 Day Daniel
Fast. In short, this includes, no meats, no sweets and no breads, for the full
21 days, in conjunction with prayer, meditation and study, of course. For the first year, in many years, this came
fairly easy to me. I had very little trouble maintaining this temporary diet,
and giving up meat really turned out to be not a huge struggle at all! This,
coming from a self-proclaimed “Ultimate Carnivore”. I mean, I LOVE MEAT!! Nothing makes me
happier than a well-seasoned, juicy, tender delicious piece of animal. Which is
also slightly ironic, considering how much I love animals (not on my plate). So
I mean, this really turned out to be no issue for me at all! Towards the third
week though, I began to cave, not on meats, but on the sweets! Again, a HUGE
surprise to me! It was touch and go there for a while, but eventually I made it
to the end. Not completely successfully, but more successful than I’d ever
been, and very very proud of myself. All of this to say, those three weeks got
me to thinking: What foods can I actually not live without?? What would I
actually go crazy from the loss of? What foods could I eat for the rest of my
life? The answer turned out to be really, incredibly hard to come to. I mean, I
think I discovered my life’s biggest mystery here. Anyone that knows me, knows
that I love food probably more than I should….ok, definitely more than I
should. It’s quite possible that the only reason that I am not an actual
glutton is because I really do have more important things to love in my life.
And because it’s a huge sin, and if I’m gonna get cast out of heaven, I’m not
going to let it be because I couldn’t put the bacon down! So after much contemplation, here’s what I
figure I need in my life for always. At least for now. I’m a fickle fickle
lover I am.
10 – Broccoli
Ok, I know this is a boring one, but come on, there has to
be a veggie option right?? And you can pretty much do anything you want to
broccoli. You can eat it raw or cooked. Broiled or boiled. Covered in ranch,
cheese, butter, or nothing at all!! It’s the ultimate veggie!! Plus is loaded
in iron and vitamins stuffs. And it’s green. So you know, the green benes.
9 – Pasta
It was very hard to choose between rice and pasta. They’re
both so amazing and versatile! But I decided that pasta was the way to go for
me. I can do just about anything with pasta that I can do with rice. It won’t
taste exactly the same, but it will come pretty close depending on how I cook
and prepare it!
8 – Sunflower Seeds
I could literally sit at my desk or on my couch and eat
sunflower seeds ALL DAY LONG!! In the shell or out, they’re the perfect snack!
And they can be seasoned every which way you can imagine. LOVE!
7 – Tomatoes
I know. Healthier than you thought right? But like sunflower
seeds, I can eat a carton of small tomatoes all day as well!! I’m not as crazy
about the roasted or sun-dried variety, but a fresh, juicy, plump little
pop-in-your-mouth tomato will absolutely make my day!
6 – Eggs
Yea. This one is a real weakness of mine. I mean, deviled
eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, poached eggs. Come on! Giving up eggs was
the one thing I could not bring myself to bend on during the fast this year. As
a matter of fact, I purposefully kept myself from asking my parents if it was
ok, because I was terrified that they would say I had to give the eggs up, and
then my life would be over. And I need my life.
5 – Cheese
Oh precious delicious miraculous thing that is cheese!! I
mean really, that’s all I need to say here, right?
4 – Fish
Ok, this was a toughie. I LOVE seafood. All kinds of
seafood. But I didn’t want this list to be so generic, so I tried really hard
to consider one specific type of seafood that I would be the most upset about
losing. And fish won, hands down. No, I didn’t choose a specific type of fish,
because, let’s face it, that’s like asking if I want to lose my right arm or
right leg. That’s just not fair. And no one with a proper sense of mind would
make anyone choose. No one.
3 – Cookies
I knew I had to throw a sweet in here, or else I might not
make it. And the decision between cake and cookies was a difficult as the
decision between rice and pasta. They come neck and neck for me and choosing
just one is VERY hard! But, in the end, cookies won out. Cookies are a lifetime
love, and if given the choice between the two at a buffet or a party, I usually
go with the cookies. They’re easy to make, and even better, easy to make just
the way you like them! Soft and chewy, or crispy and buttery, or a little bit
of both, cookies make me happy in so many different ways it’s hard to decide
just between those!
2 – Bacon
You thought that’d be number one didn’t you!!! HAHA!! While
bacon is the love of my life, it is not the MOST important food in my fridge. Believe
me, I was just as shocked as you to discover this! I really don’t need to say
much about bacon except, I mean, bacon. So there’s that. And yes, I love all
kinds of bacon, I don’t discriminate! Turkey, pork, beef, whatever!! I am DOWN!
And the number one food I could eat for the rest of my days
is……
POTATOES!!!!
I mean really. I. LOVE. POTATOES!! They make me so happy in
every single form they come in. I can add potatos to any meal and will feel
like it was mixed with love. I can eat potatoes with anything on this list and
be in absolute heaven!! Potatoes make life worth living. They are delicious, filling,
healthy(ish), versatile, and downright the perfect food!!
So ok. This list was super hard. I mean, I LOVE food and
choosing 10 took me much longer than I anticipated. This list may change from
time to time. Some things could get swapped out, or switched around or moved up
or down. But in the end, all that matters is this: Food Is Life. Don’t ever
forget that. I know I certainly never will.
--Lo
--justagirl
