stressed = desserts

I never used to be a stress eater, I wasn't much of an eater at all until I was pregnant with Conner. But I can not get away from food these days! Even now as I'm writing this, I'm eating my Belgian Milk Chocolate Gelato that I got bogo from Publix last week.I have been doing really good about not buying crap food at the store, but I couldn't pass up this delicious deal! And I've been going to get froyo fairly often lately. It's good for you though right? I can't help it, it's just so cheap and delicious and Conner and I always share so I don't eat to much (justification, justification, justification). What it comes down to is I crave chocolate. When I am so overwhelmed I can't see straight, chocolate helps clear my vision.
I really have been eating better though. It's just the quantity that's has kind of increased. All I cook is mainly grilled chicken or fish. We eat lots of fruit and I try to remember vegetables. I have been making some pasta dishes recently which are on the higher end of my caloric intake. Really what it comes down to is this: I have so much to think about and do during my day/week/semester, the last thing I want to think about is food. So I don't think I eat. Whatever strikes my fancy I eat it. Usually a salad, or a bagel, a  tortilla pizza with mushrooms, or a quesadilla. It's nothing that someone would think is bad for me, but just based off of past eating habits to current ones, the change is the quantity of food. I didn't used to eat healthy, now I do. I didn't used to eat but one meal a day, now I eat three plus a snack or two. That is why the last 10 pounds that I've been carrying around for almost 3 years refuses to go away! That and lack of exercise. And maybe the fibroids on my ovaries... I heard they cause weight gain.
Cooking destresses me too. I love to take 20-30 minutes after a long day and make something I can be proud of. I'm usually the only one who gets to partake, because my picky son won't touch it if it isn't cheese, chicken, or blueberries, but it's nice successfully preparing a delicious meal. This grad school stuff is not easy. I'm making grades I've never seen before. So when the perfectionist in me is screaming for something positive to hold on to I cook, cause I know that it will come out good every time (usually).