Eat Like an Author: Molly Gaudry

When most people get bored, they eat. When I get bored, I brainstorm new series and features for the blog, and THEN eat. And not too long ago, as I was brainstorming and contemplating what I wanted to eat, I thought how cool it would be to have a mini-foodie series where authors share the things they like to eat. Photos and recipes and all. And so I asked them, and amazingly they responded, and I dubbed it EAT LIKE AN AUTHOR. 


Last week, Bradley J Milton shared his secret love of Chex Mix. 

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Today, Molly Gaudry gives us her daily rundown:

Under doctor’s orders, I’m supposed to eat 6 small meals a day.

I used to be a lot better at it, but I just moved across the country in August, to a totally different climate, and it’s been so hot here that it’s nearly impossible to even fathom the idea of cooking. Still, as the weeks wear on, I’m trying again to make a more decent effort.

The day always begins at sunup with coffee and water. I love my little Mr. Coffee hot plate/mug warmer. It is the best thing.

Breakfast, at 10 am, when I’m smart about it, is a blueberry, banana, yogurt, and protein smoothie. This one doesn’t have kale, which I usually like to add, but I also usually buy kale to cook with. Kale’s not on the grocery list these days. Did I mention it’s too hot to turn on the stove? I like to sometimes add a cucumber or an apple, but not today apparently.

My first snack around noon is usually a Cliff bar and a banana on the go.

Lunch, around 2 pm, is pre-grilled chicken strips from Trader Joe’s, eggplant hummus, naan, and coconut water. Yes yes yes.

Snack 2, around 4 pm, is whatever veggies I’ve got that are a day or two from starting to maybe be questionable. Here we have some tiny little sweet peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, and a topping of pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and flaxseed.

Dinner, not to be eaten after 6 pm, has lately been either already cooked Teriyaki turkey burgers or already grilled salmon from Whole Foods. Under the salmon here is Whole Foods’ amazing grilled green beans, and a mix of stuff from their salad bar: peas, corn, spicy kale salad, beets, carrots, cucumber, and another handful of that nuts and seeds mix. The protein shake was OK, but too expensive for just OK.

  

Dessert, sometime before bed, is more often than not my old friend Haagen-Dazs, but I really need to be eating more fruit. When I’m doing things right, dessert should look more like this—fresh fruit topped with yogurt, topped with nuts and seeds. 

But then of course, there’s this thing, which is basically the best thing ever.

And that’s it. My days in meals. . . .

I used to resent it, living on a timer, eating on a tightly regimented schedule. But I have to admit I do feel better, healthier than I’ve ever been. My nutrition levels don’t spike or dip. My moods and energy levels stay pretty even. My brain is better for it. My metabolism is better for it. And maybe, who knows, my writing might be better for it, too. 

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In 2011, Molly Gaudry was shortlisted for the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry, and her verse novel, We Take Me Apart, was named 2nd finalist for the Asian American Literary Award for Poetry. In 2012, YesYes Books released the 3-author volume Frequencies, which includes her short fiction collection "Lost July." In 2013, The Cupboard will release "Wild Thing," a collection of essays and poems, and in 2014 Ampersand Books is slated to reprint an expanded, revised edition of We Take Me Apart in anticipation of the release of its prequel Remember Us and its sequel The Uncertainty & Madness of Desire. Molly is a core faculty member of the Yale Writers' Conference and is the Creative Director at The Lit Pub. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Goodreads.