Guilty Pleasures post ahead! I don’t ever want to give off the impression on this blog that I am cooking complete meals for my family every single night or perfect at eating healthy.  I love to cook and I find it tremendously important to feed my family nourishing food ideally from local and sustainable sources. That being said, I definitely don’t eat this way all the time and I have my share of guilty pleasures. I love to go out to eat and that includes the occasional (gasp) fast food chain.  I can eat an entire package of birthday cake Oreos in one sitting.  I love to bake my grandmother’s sugary and buttery recipes, especially her cheesecake, (don’t worry, I will share her recipe in the near future). I go through phases where I become obsessed with late night Ben & Jerry’s sessions.  I crave sour belt candy when I’m pregnant.  I enjoy greasy pepperoni pizza.  I love giant cinnamon rolls and sometimes let my children drink poisonous pink milk because it makes them so happy. I think you get the picture.In an attempt to keep this blog real I will post my guilty pleasures as I indulge in them.  It is a way for me to stay honest and authentic.  I will sometimes share indulgent recipes as well.

This Guilty Pleasures series is inspired by a few favorite quotes:

I love all of Michael Pollan’s books, including Food Rules where he writes out 64 rules on how to go about eating in a sustainable and healthy way.  I think his final rule may be my very favorite though: “break the rules once in a while.” I feel like you only live once and sometimes you can indulge a little and stop thinking so hard about every ingredient, where it came from, if your grandma would have had it in her cupboard, and if it is good for you.

I love Brene Brown, her books and Ted Talks on vulnerability and shame are pretty incredible. I love the idea she teaches that there is a difference between guilt and shame.  Guilt means you did something bad, shame means you think you are bad. While guilt is an acknowledgement that you are not perfect, shame can be extremely damaging, especially when shrouded in silence and secrecy.  I think this can relate to our eating habits and that if we could all become more open about the things we eat, even the things that “we aren’t supposed to be eating” there could be less food shame and dysfunction.

Brene Brown is my hero lately if you can’t tell.  She also has said “Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.”  I have gone through phases where I tried to be a “perfect” eater… I’ve been vegan, strict vegetarian, and gone completely off sugar or processed foods.  While I found great satisfaction in some results from those lifestyles, the perfectionism that seemed to come along with it for me were a turn off. 

This final quote is inspired by my sister Jessica and pretty much sums it up.  I don’t claim to be a Saint.  I do not buy all my produce locally and from my farmer’s market.  I don’t cook for my kids every single day.  I love to bake sugary treats for my friends and family (and myself, obviously). I have guilty pleasures, and I’m here to share them with you.

For example, I cannot stop baking these pumpkin cookies from Let’s Dish this Fall.  They are AMAZING!

What are your guilty food pleasures?