Eating under the Palm tree - more on simplicity

I was just reading an e-zine article in which the writer was telling stories of people who had chosen to live more simply: a pastor who gave away most of her clothes, accessories and fancy shoes in favor of seven dresses just alike; an author and his wife who chose to downsize from their mansion to a cottage and streamline other things as well.

In the Christian calendar we have just entered the season of Lent. There are many who choose this time of year to give up something - and so often it is something they will give up for 40 days and then snatch back. The article pointed to the above examples as ways to give up and keep giving. The focus shifts from what has been given up to the ways the time or money can be used. (A friend's family has given up ice cream for Lent and are donating the money they would have spent to an orphanage.)

I refer to this in our series on eating healthfully because of this reference: the author and his wife chose to relieve themselves of the tedium of choosing what to have and how to fix meals that would be "fitting" for guests etc. Their lunch each day is vegetable soup, wheat bread, cheese and yogurt. Likewise their breakfast and dinners are simple and easy to prepare. She has "given up" the extra time it takes to plan interesting menus for everyday or entertaining. She can now give that time to other pursuits.

How many diet programs promise "lots of variety" and "never boring"? How many hours do we spend poring over recipes and ingredients, wandering through the grocery wondering which of the many options we should have for dinner?

I have the same thing for breakfast 5 days a week: one egg fried in extra virgin olive oil, a slice of cheese and a slice of wheat toast. I drink a huge glass of water with which I swallow my vitamins. On Saturdays I have a bowl of Shredded Wheat 'n' Bran with banana and milk, and on Sunday we go out for breakfast and I have an egg sandwich then too. I spent years trying to do different things, but find that I prefer this - I get a good breakfast made inexpensively at home with little effort or thought - it has become part of my routine.

Perhaps we (Americans?) have begun to devote too much time to our food. We own tons of cookbooks and yet we tend to eat the same things (sometime on the same nights each week!).

Finished the article, I thought about how much time I could spend writing, reading, working on other house projects, working on other interests if I prepared fewer foods and more simply.

AND the other thing these people gave up (IMHO)? Paying attention to all the fads, the new products, the new ingredients, etc... they just eat the simple things they like and are not out buying and trying every new snack food that comes along. Ultimately they are saving time and money, using both for other things. They probably save a significant number of calories as well.

SO as part of our K.I.S.S. week, let's give this some consideration. How could you benefit from this approach? I'm going to try it! Let's share experiences and insights, okay?