Does anyone enjoy December in the PNW?

Sorry for the month long hiatus. This Washington winter is already kicking my butt. The sun raises around seven thirty and the sun sets around three thirty.  So I get about a full work day worth of “sunlight”, which has definitely been made better by the fact that my new office receives natural light now. The cold puts me in a very clear state of hibernation. I’m usually awful at getting out of bed (I will regularly hit the snooze button for two hours), but no one wants to get out of bed when it’s freezing and dark out. My clear and annoying whining is to explain that I haven’t been on my best behavior. Exercise is cut out (also due to my back pain) and eating carbs is at an all-time high. I’d eat straight bread all winter if they let me.

I also didn’t follow all the plant based on a budget weeks. I did this mostly because I was able to be thriftier by receiving free veggies from my aunt and eating the abundance of leftovers from the first week. I also made my own meal plan when getting ready for Thanksgiving so I could eat comfortably around my family. I’m happy to say it was the first Thanksgiving I was completely vegan! I’m now excited for Christmas and all the yummy baked goods I’m already planning to make. Lately, I’ve been eating Happy Herbivore meal plan recipes.  Last night I even had a kale-tastic cooking session. I now only have kale-containing prepared meals and salads in my fridge. Hopefully all the healthy benefits of kale will help me through this winter!

Thanksgiving Dinner: Quinoa loaf, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and lots of HH gravy!

Where I have been dropping the ball most lately is eating often. I tend to eat small low calorie meal/snacks every two to three hours to keep my energy up. I never have liked doing this. Eating that often makes people look at you funny, gets comments from your boss, and feels sometimes like a huge waste of time, but it helps a lot for people who have poor insulin control. I haven’t been eating as often because with the cold I am craving more calorie dense foods. So, I find instead of sitting down and eating a healthy snack that I don’t feel like, I skip my snack time altogether.  This obviously leads to more ravenous cravings and me just going home and eating potatoes for dinner. I’m serious.  Does anyone else have this problem in the winter? Or do you just start binge eating period?

The antithesis to this winter story is I just had my interview for the Master’s program I applied to. It is based in Texas! If I did well, I will be enjoying 40-50 degree weather this time next year. Amazing! Although, I heard in the hotter areas of the states they have a different type of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In the hottest months residents may suffer from SAD because they stay inside more often. Pretty interesting, Huh?  Well, here’s to hoping I get to complain about 100 degree weather in six months J