The Chatty Gourmet

Somedays I wake up in the morning and lay in bed wondering what I will enjoy that morning for breakfast. I am a huge breakfast lover. Once in a while I crave donuts or pastries, but I have found when I indulge in these items I not only start the day feeling bloated and heavy, but I continue to want to eat that way throughout the day. The one thing I was so excited to learn when I started at SHG was the wonderful breakfasts we have, which even include pastries and pancakes. Another great breakfast treat I enjoy on a regular basis is oatmeal with a little brown sugar. It tastes great, starts out the day right, and keeps me feeling full longer.

Summer is slowly coming to an end, and that means vacation time is as well. Whether you enjoyed a getaway weekend or a month long vacation many have a difficult time with keeping their food routine through the summer months. I know for myself when I hear the word vacation it makes me think I can over indulge in all those yummy foods I don’t normally eat. Last week I went and visited my mom in North Carolina, before I even arrived she asked me if I had any requests on home cooked meals. Upon arriving at the airport I had started what I call my “food vacation” with a cinn-a-bon. When I arrived I indulged in home made spaghetti, lots of breads, brownies, shrimp and grits, and a waffle cone with ice cream. The majority of the time I would have been hard on myself for eating that way in such a small period of time, however I made sure to do lots of activities. My sister and I went swimming played Wii, and walked the river walk. In my opinion I think as long as you stay active and have fun in doing so, you should be able to eat what you like on vacation. However it is also important to make a commitment to yourself to get back into a healthy routine when you return home. If you think that to much over indulgence wouldn’t work for you, you could go to the local grocery store and make some of your own heart healthy meals. That way you can save the calories for going out to dinner one or two nights or enjoying some of the local cuisine in that area. It is also a way to save money. So enjoy your vacation because it’s the experiences that you remember most.

One of the most important things I hear about being in the health food industry is that portion size is so important. If you look at our program you can see that we have three different portion sizes (calorie levels). Most young adults over eat and portion sizes at restaurants don't help. That's one of the main reasons our program works. If you aren't on our program or only eat dinner or a couple of our meals a week, it is a good idea to look at the size of the intake of the other meals you eat. One thing I can suggest is when you put food on your plate or are served a meal only eat half of it. If you have to, ask for a box right away and place the other half in the box so you are not tempted, and can have the rest as another meal. Or if you're at home and made your own plate, do so, and then put half of it back to keep you from overeating. I am sure you will find that you are not only satisfied but full as well. This way you get the taste of the food you like without the guilt...

On Wednesday my task was to package again, but not only chocolate, Susan's Healthy Gourmet meals as well, since it was delivery day. The kitchen was crazy! There were trays going everywhere and drivers asking for the meals that they were responsible for delivering. Packaging was like an assembly line. The people in the refrigerated room put the meals together then they went to Victor. He scanned them and finally they went to me and I put them in bags and into the tray. Once again everyone was working together. After we were finished, I went to help Steve package chocolate for a second time. Everyone in the kitchen and Xan Confections were very nice and helpful. Everyone in the office are nice as well which makes it more enjoyable to be interning at Susan's Healthy Gourmet.

On Tuesday July 13th I arrived I little early than usual to Susan's Healthy Gourmet because my math teacher let us out early. I was looking forward to what my task would be for the day. Carissa asked Tracey if XAN Confections needed help packaging. Tracey said yes so I put my hair cap on and went to work with Steve, the shipping manager, from XAN Confections. Since I love chocolate, I was delighted to package it! I was working along with two other employees; it was a team effort. One of the main things that I have learned so far is that nothing gets done at Susan's Healthy Gourmet without team effort.