I’ve been trying really hard lately to not be such a little piggy – I told Steven it was less about eating healthy all the time and more about just eating LESS (at least for now). Anyway, I am traveling, and have been doing pretty good, but damn, I ALWAYS clean my plate! I NEVER seem to leave food on my plate (well, you know, a few onions with my fajitas yesterday, and a bit of sauce with pasta – you get the idea). How do people do it?!
It was really hard last night because my coworker and I finally went to Ramsi’s Café on the World – a restaurant in Louisville that Erin recommended to me a long time ago. They have a huge, varied menu, with a lot of different cuisines, and I had so many vegan options I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. I was so excited I was giddy.
I ended up selected the Egyptian Kitchen, which the menu described as “Traditional dish of Egypt: ditalini, lentils, chick peas, toasted angel hair, white rice, fried onions. Fiery harissa on the side.”
Oh my gosh, it was so good. And just what I love – a bowl full of carbs! It had a very unique taste (some cinnamon in there) and I totally finished it.
And you know we had to try a vegan dessert (sorry for the bad picture):
My coworker and I split the carrot cake (it’s from a local bakery – Sweet Surrender – I must check it out!). We couldn’t finish it but we both left very full, and very satisfied. She wants to go back (they had a lot of meat friendly options too and she got some prawn dish).
Yum yum yum. I wish I would have gone to this place sooner, but we were always looking for food in downtown Louisville before (now we are staying in Indiana, and this place is in Louisville but not downtown). Anyway… it’s back home this afternoon… and back to trying not to be such a little piggy!
I know what you mean about leaving food behind. I think, because I’m pretty good about eye-balling servings for myself at home when cooking, I still feel the need to finish everything when I’m out to eat.
It probably also stems from my mom saying “don’t be wasteful, there are kids in other countries starving and you’re just going to let it go to waste…”
Yeah, at home I totally clean my plate too because I put a serving of whatever I am eating on it. I wonder if I should ask them to box half of my stuff at restaurants before I even start eating. But that is no fun (and I don’t usually eat out so often!).
I wish I had advice but I struggle with this same issue. That looks delicious.
I always eat too much, its so hard to stop when the food is so good. But calling it quits when I feel full is the only advice I have. Eating slowly too helps to let your body adjust and let you know when it is full.
I think this is something that was ingrained in me as a kid–clean your plate and don’t waste food. I have come to realize though that I’ll be just as happy (probably moreso) of I order the smallest option when dining out.
That does look delish!
I also order appetizers usually because they are smaller options of a regular dish *sometimes*. At home I do eat on a smaller plate. I saw a news story last year about how people are buying these older homes and can’t figure out why their plates of today don’t fit in the cabinets. Well that’s because plates in the 30-50’s were about 9 inches wide and todays are about 11-12 inches. So besides plates increasing in width what else has happened? So has our waistlines. If I could convince the hubby to switch to all salad plates we would be better off but that won’t fly here. 😛
That is really interesting about the older homes! I have heard that – about how big our plates are. Ours at home are really big too. When I eat by myself I usually use the salad plate.
That Egyptian dish sounds AMAZING. No advice here, only empathy.
it’s called koshary! it’s amazing!
in Egypt, you can buy it ANYWHERE and it costs about $1.25 for a ginormous portion. in addition to the red sauce, it’s served with a lemon/garlic vinegar that has made my mouth water just thinking about it.
it’s deceptively hard to make (well).
I am happy to hear it’s a legit dish! I thought about you when I ordered it. I absolutely loved it! 🙂 Do they use cinnamon in a lot of their dishes?
I always clean my plate, too. I have no idea how people don’t, honestly.
I have trouble knowing when I am full but I think that comes from not eating consciously? Like if I eat hurried, when I am doing something else (like watching TV)…I think that when I eat slower and in good company with no rushing I can tell when I am full and stop. But sometimes it’s just so tasty and VIOLA it’s all gone. That happened to me the other night when I was out to dinner with my friend- delicious cauliflower soup followed by brick chicken and mashed potatoes followed by a banana’s foster. OH MY HELL. So good. So full. 🙂
At home, I eat out of small bowls when Im having something I know Im going to want seconds of. That way, I have time to decide if Im actually still hungry or if I just want more because it was good. When Im out, and its a big serving of pasta or whatever, I usually divide my plate in half right away. One side is my meal, the other is my lunch for the next day. Looking at it like that helps, because I always get excited to have leftovers for lunch.
That is a really good tip – dividing it yourself! I should try that 🙂
Yay! I’m glad you made it there and enjoyed it.
When food is really good it’s so hard to stop. I don’t blame you for eating all of it 🙂