Every Sunday I get that doesn’t involve me working a brunch service is a gift. It might surprise a few that working in restaurants negatively effected my relationship with food. Things got unhealthy before I could even realize it. I was constantly cooking but rarely eating much of anything. Not all kitchens make time for family meal. I picked at scraps around the kitchen like a bird and scarfed down meals mindlessly in between shifts. My blood sugar levels were wacked out all the time. I religiously jammed coffee to keep it all going. There were post shift drinks and a lot of middle of the night drive through nonsense. Eating and sleeping were complete afterthoughts. They were what happened when I was tapped and literally crashing. My adrenals were shot and I was chronically pissed off. At the time I couldn’t see the direct correlation between my lifestyle and my unraveling physical and mental state. I honestly thought maybe I was just an asshole who happened to be surrounded by many other assholes. While I sometimes miss the comradery and creativity I found in all those kitchens, I could never go back to a life that required me to prioritize myself last. I’m so grateful to be home today. Using everything I learned to feed myself a nutritious meal that looks as good as it tastes. So very grateful that there is no one here crying in the pantry, screaming about eggs or flipping out about table 22 not getting their side of whipped butter. Keep all of this in mind when things open up again and the decadent possibilities of brunch returns to your life. It’s not a blast for everyone. Be cool, be grateful and tip the hell out of the people making it happen for you.

Day 106: Yoga appetizer. Quinoa, lentils, roasted beets, kale with lemon, scallions, sun dried tomatoes, broccoli, feta and sunflower sprouts. Seed garnish. Foraged grapefruit.