I received a bunch of requests for “more from Matt” in the KERF Survey. One in particular came up a few times: what does the guy eat all day!? Here’s a snapshot of the life of a bakery owner!
I was glad to learn that you readers were still curious about what I eat in a day – I think I’ve done at least a few posts like this and people seem to be most interested in how someone can eat healthy while owning a bakery! I mostly feel like I eat what I want, but I also temper that with making healthy choices and considering what else I have eaten in one day. I also believe in Kath’s squiggly line effect; without a doubt I eat better during the week and save some room for the weekend.
The day I documented in this post I went into the bakery around 8am. Pretty much every day of mine starts with a couple cups of coffee.
I’ve had this cup for way too long and it has a permanent coffee smell, so it lives at the bakery. While I definitely notice increased mental clarity when I drink coffee, I don’t actually feel like I get much of a coffee effect. By that I mean getting shaky, energized, or hyper. In the past this has meant that I drank it continuously all morning but I’ve limited my consumption to two cups (12-16oz) per day. Those are the only ones that really taste any good!
This morning was the first day this year we made Irish Soda Bread, so there were a few new employees who had never experienced it before. I supervised the production. Here are some kneaded, shaped, flour-dusted, and slashed dough balls before going in the oven:
Irish Soda Bread is like challah and King Cakes – lots of interpretations of the truly authentic method. The absolute requirements are buttermilk and non-yeast leaveners (baking soda and powder). Raisins are usually included. Traditionally it would be made with a mostly-sifted wheat flour. This was as close to white flour as old millers and bakers could get. We approximate this by using 50% whole wheat flour, and put a Great Harvest spin on it with some honey. I really look forward to this bread every year – it’s tangy, sweet, and almost fruity/flowery from the raisins and honey. Here’s the finished loaves out of the oven:
More breads proofing in the meantime:
Breakfast is usually a lighter meal for me – I frequently feel like I’m still full from the night before. A typical breakfast at the bakery is a big slice from one of the hot loaves out of the oven, swiped with a slab of butter. We keep bananas and apples for employees to munch on, and I’ll frequently grab one of those. Around 9:30a I had this hot ISB:
Nothin goes with bread like butter…
The bane of my tastebuds at the bakery would not be something sweet, but actually a hot loaf of Cheddar Garlic straight outta the oven.
When I’m walking past the racks and I see those oozing “cheese chips,” I instantly salivate! So I couldn’t resist a big slice around 10a:
Besides the ISB instruction, my morning was mostly spent in the office. I finalized the March menu and got the artwork to the printer, made the employee schedule for the next week, investigated Facebook ads for the first time and tried a test run with ISB, and reviewed inventory so I could place an order with one of our vendors.
Around 1p I had a helper stop by!
Best day ever when the family joins for lunch!
Lunch is my favorite meal of the day. I love sandwiches – in fact, finding the perfect sandwich bread was one of the reasons I got into home baking in the first place. I probably eat a sandwich for lunch at least four times a week, but today I used the ingredients at the bakery to make a salad.
Nice salad bowl, eh? We also buy spring mix or baby spinach for employees to eat, so what I typically do is put down a big mass of greens and pick and choose from our sandwich spreads. This salad has some lemony-hummus, chicken salad, and (my favorite) pimento cheese. I also tossed in some cucumber slices, tomato wedges, and a drizzle of pesto and EVOO. Plus a slab of Dakota on the side. Kath’s bowl was a little more elegant!
The perspective might be a little off in the pic because of the weird bowl but this is a pretty big salad, although typical for me. I like big lunches as I feel the stretch until dinner is my most difficult. That’s why I later had a slice of Potato Sourdough with pimento cheese on it!
Not too much to speak of in terms of afternoon work except for bagging up a fresh batch of Double Fudge Brownie Mix (unbelievably gooey).
I tasted a piece of Savannah Bar at one point but forgot to photograph it – I’m not against sweets or anything, but they don’t tempt me too much. Customers frequently say, “Oh I could never work here – the temptation!” but it’s easy for a few reasons. First, I’m obviously motivated to sell the stuff to customers rather than eat it! But more importantly, it’s not that you get tired of everything – it’s that it gets familiar. I feel that part of the enjoyment of eating is tasting new and interesting flavor combinations. When you’re so aware of how something will taste before you eat it, it dramatically reduces its excitement and pleasure. These days most of my sweets eating at work is limited to tasting a bite of something to check quality, or maybe having a palate cleanser in the afternoon.
And now onto the beer! How does beer fit into a healthy lifestyle? First off I’m just going to be speaking my own thoughts here – no professional research included. I also want to say that the reasons I drink beer have very little to do with nutrition – it tastes and smells great, it’s a social drink, and I feel connected to the history of civilization by brewing it.
There’s a couple things that I keep in mind: while we frequently equate one pint of beer, one glass of wine, and one shot of liquor or a mixed drink, nutritionally there are some differences. I really do think of beer as liquid bread. Beer is basically a big vat of dissolved carbohydrates, proteins, and a little fat. There is still a good amount of fuel that our bodies can use for energy. Wine and liquor don’t have nearly the same amount.
It’s a blessing and a curse to have beer on tap in our house! It eliminates that feeling of commitment you get from opening one of your coveted bottles of beer you purchased. It’s also great to be able to only have 4, 6, 8 ounces if you want. But that first small pour can easily lead to a second! Bottom line for me: I’m conscious that if I’m going to have some beer, I’ll be more restrained in some other area. Because beer is usually consumed in the evening, I usually use breakfast to balance it out.
I had my evening “snack” while someone else had his!
Sweet potatoes!
Tonight’s dinner was black bean enchiladas – the first time I’ve made them and I was pretty pleased! I can see some good enchilada recipes coming down the road.
My dinner portions are about 10-20% bigger than Kath’s. When we’re portioning out I just kinda eyeball a little extra on my plate.
With a meal like this I wouldn’t break up one of the enchiladas for a bigger portion, but I had a suspicion that Kath would get full before she was finished. And I was right – score an extra few bites from her plate!
So that’s everything I had – Kath tells me I somewhat embody the intuitive eating mentality. I mostly agree, although I think many of my eating decisions are more conscious that a true intuitive eater would be. I’m really not into labeling diets, so my philosophy is to make balanced decisions on intake that are based on what I ate earlier and what I plan to eat later. The one thing I’m attentive about is eating enough vegetables – I just feel that if I get something like 50% of my “fullness” from veggies I can’t go wrong. And I never forget to love food!
Ali @ Peaches and Football says
Thanks for popping in Matt – it’s great to see your perspective from time to time. I would probably go nuts working in a bakery for the first month or so. I’d want to eat everything in sight. But, I agree that over time things get familiar. I used to clean a bakery and could eat all the mis-shaped doughnuts that were throwaways. That was the BOMB the first couple weeks and after that I didn’t eat another cake doughnut for almost two years!! Ha Ha
I’ve got to ask, if you only had one GH item, what would be your absolute favorite?
Matt says
High Five bread – crispy flax and millet, crunchy sunflower seeds, lotsa fiber from oatbran and wheat bran.
brittany says
Matt! I have a question. Does your bakery have a bread tasting board? There is a Great Harvest close to where I live, and they have a miniscule board and are quite frugal with the amount your allowed to taste (as in, literally the size of a crouton, and you are only allowed one little piece. Is this the norm? I understand you dont want to give out tons of free bread, but it would be nice to have a variety of tasting so I can go into the store and purchase something I really like since the bread is generally more expensive anyway (but so freaking delicious and worth the money!). Just wondering. Sorry if its a stupid question
Kay Lynn says
Our Great Harvest gives such big pieces that I sometimes save them for an afternoon snack! I LOVE that.
lisa [email protected] vittles says
I know you work at a bakery, but do you ever worry about eating too much bread? Do you find you eat more of it now that you own the bakery? I try to limit eating baked goods to once a day, but we eat a lot of whole grains at home. I just find it harder to digest bread than whole grains.
Matt says
Nope, I never worry about that. Bread is not bad.
I assumed by “whole grains” you mean whole oats, barley, rice, etc? Because I find it strange that bread would be more difficult to digest than these whole pieces. Bread/flour is more broken down than a chunk of a grain. Theoretically the nutrients in bread are more available for digestion than whole grains, right?
Ella P says
I can actually see Lisa’s point. I may assume it may depend on the presence of yeast in bread, which maybe not well tolerated. I have heard more than one person addressing this very issue.
Jen says
But grains and bread have changed over the years…the agriculture. Hybrid plants, added ingredients, It’s not what it used to be or as healthy. Hence why so many people have allergies and intolerances nowadays – most of the time symptoms don’t show up until years later. Not to mention lectins and their effects. Curious if you both actually do any reading on this – read Wheat Belly, Primal – to read the research before just dismissing is as lore as you have in the past. I’m not saying its all necessarily correct – it’s individual as well – but I think it’s important to be educated on all sides and respect that.
The last pic is too cute!!
K says
Good suggestion and great resources. But something tells me that a bread store owner is not going to have Wheat Belly on their bookshelf…
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
I love the behind the scenes look from a guy’s perspective! I’m thinking maybe I should work at Krispy Kreme or a cupcake store so the smell doesn’t tempt me like you with the bakery. 🙂
Emily says
Oh my gosh, Mazen! That last photo is hilarious – I love those cheekers! I enjoyed your post today, Matt!
Cristal says
Thanks for sharing Matt, I really enjoyed reading a mans perspective of eats. I find typically Men dont think as much about their food as us ladies do. Too be honest, you actually eat less then I thought you may. I’m sure there is a connection to people busy at work to slow paced/at home jobs where an active day at work creates less tine to eat/think about food. When im at home, or doing an office job its easier to graze and eat a lot more. The pictures of your bread and melted butter have me drooling. This is a great post, thanks for sharing:)
Elizabeth says
Thanks, Matt! I live a few miles from your beloved Davidson! Saw your sign in the pic 🙂 My daughter attends preschool In town. right now I’m imagining a GH on Main Street 🙂 Enjoyed your post!
Wendy says
Mazen looks adorable….a lil’ baby bird, he is.
Reading about a typical day of eats for Matt is interesting. I think it’s too easy to say men can eat whatever they want and still stay slim, but it’s not true.
Lindsey @ Pas de Deux says
Thanks for sharing, Matt. It’s nice to hear your perspective on healthy eating. I need to come in soon to get a loaf of that ISB–it looks delicious!
carol says
Nice post!!! Mazen is truly amazin – terrific photos of him and the last one can split your side – unbelieveably adorable. Thanks for the nice post.
Robyn @thereallife_RD says
I love the last line about “never forgetting to love food!”
Ha, Mazen’s chubby cheeks are precious 🙂
Ella P says
Thank you, Matt, for this interesting and informative post.
Just one little question: what is on your Potato Sourdough slab toghere with the cheese?
Ella
Matt says
Our pimento cheese has cajun spiced pecans in it… delicious
Ella P says
Ohh, that is something!
Merci 🙂
Johanna B says
I love the last photo in this post. It’s what my mother used to call the little bird mouth waiting for good food. He’s so cute and BTW thank Matt for this post.
Carly @ Snack Therapy says
I love this! First of all, I’m jealous of all of that fresh, warm bread. Secondly, I love your eating mentality. It’s great that you go with the flow, eat what you want, but still pay attention to eating a healthy diet. And oh my, Mazen is looking like a sweet little chipmunk! I can’t even handle it!
[email protected] says
Love this! I usually sharewhat my hubs eats, and I think people find it interesting to see how you can balance eating healthy with a spouse/significant other! Especially since I am vegetarian/mostly vegan and he is a meat and taters guy…Gets complicated!
Steph M. says
Fun post! It’s always neat to hear from Matt.
I have a food question about Charlottesville for either you or Kath (or anyone from Charlottesville). Are there very many vegan friendly restaurants? How would it compare to Asheville? Thanks for any help you can provide!
Matt says
There are a lot of vegan dishes in the city but nothing like The Laughing Seed in Asheville that I can think of… Overall I’d say it’s a pretty vegan/vegetarian friendly city.
ann says
Love this post Matt! But can I please come over and feed that baby? I love the pictures of him wanting to jump on that spoon.
[email protected] says
I could not work around all that yummy bread!! And enchiladas look so good!
Karen says
Fun post..thanks for glimpse into your bakery life, Matt! I always love hearing from you!
And Kath – that photo of you and Maze is one of my favorites…you and Maze are glowing with love and joy! 🙂
Amelia says
Mazen, I can’t get enough of you! You are such a sweet baby. Love the pic of mama and Mazen together at lunch. 🙂
Matt— I agree that High 5 is the best!! It is what turned me onto GH breads. Yum yum!!
Marjie Scheib says
thanks for the post Matt. I especially liked;
“When you’re so aware of how something will taste before you eat it, it dramatically reduces its excitement and pleasure”
I think that is the reason I seek out new recipes with bold flavors. So much of my childhood was spent eating the same foods every week and I brought that along into adulthood especially with children. Now I experiment with spices and textures like never before. It does make it rather hard to go “home” and eat my Mom’s cooking 🙂 shhhh don’t tell her I said that.
I hope we get to hear from you more!
Ellen M. Gregg says
Yes. This. The same line stood out, and I’m right in line with you on the rest of your comment, Marjie.
linda says
I enjoyed this post a lot. Do you try to get a certain amount of exercise during the week? I would like to hear your perspective.
Matt says
I used to be better about it but I don’t quite have the time. I hope to get three workouts in during the week – usually at least two are runs (sometimes with the stroller) and then I do some lifting.
Also, I walk to work most days so I guess that counts for something.
Elise @ Expeditions of Elise says
It’s so fun to see Mazen eating solid food. Is there going to be an update about it on Baby KERF?
chris says
That last pic, with the baby beluga bib, priceless!! I like that you put a little honey in the Irish Soda Bread, I’m coming over!
Nina @ Too Hottie For That Body says
I love the fact that you guys love food. I’m a reader because I love the way you balance the pleasure of food with the nutrition. Do you sell beer with your bread? As a consumer I wouldn’t mind going to a beer and bread tasting 😉
Matt says
Nope, no beer sold at the bakery
Laurie says
Fantastic post, Matt! You have such a healthy relationship with REAL food – from knowing where it comes from, to knowing how to prepare it, to appreciating all of it’s nutrients and engery. REAL food ROCKS!! You have a gorgeous healthy, happy family, don’t you!
Liz says
Loved this post! I like to see what M&M do/eat during the day as well 🙂 Gives me a picture of the entire family 🙂 Your blog is like watch a TV show “What happened today in the house of Kath & Matt”
becca says
What a precious baby. So round cheaked and rolly poly.I love tubby babies.
Christine says
Great post! I would think working at a bakery would be a very physically demanding job – working with dough and being on your feet all day.
M says
Mazen is too adorable! Also, I don’t think bane means what you think it does.. 🙂
Alan says
GREAT post. Not sure which is more delicious looking–that cute-as-could-be baby or the bread!!!
I know that you don’t want to give away any “company secrets” but could you share with us how you shape your bread and get it to look so good? Obviously practice helps (and when you make dozens-hundreds per day, that is different than one or two a week) but the shaping is really tough for me. ANd nothing is as satisfying to me as baking my own bread.
I actually dig your beer brewing, also. I bought brew-at-home stuff last year, but gave up alcohol altogether before I could use it. Not for addiction purposes (never drank like that) but because it lost its appeal–I see too many ill effects in our society of alcohol and it has worn on me, plus trying to see if I could lose weight without the alcohol/beer. I imagine I’ll be back drinking beer before too long so I didn’t get rid of it, but your combination seems like a lot of fun for us amateurs.
Matt says
You gotta knead it well so it has good internal structure first. Then, think of shaping like creating a tight balloon around the bread. It really should be stretched as tightly as it possibly can without tearing the skin. This will give it enough structure so that it proofs and rises upwards and out, rather than just flubbing like a pancake. Practice practice!
Ellen M. Gregg says
That is so helpful. It’s been a while since I’ve made bread, but sometimes it was mile-high and sometimes only one-half mile, and sometimes a mere inch. There is rhyme and reason.
Boogie says
Bread AND liquid bread! I’m ready to open my own bakery. Where do I sign up?! And yes, Mazen and his baby bird feeding pose is the cutest ever!
Marie-Sophie says
Honestly so great to read about a “male” perspective!! Thanks, Matt!
And a GREAT last sentence: “And I never forget to love food” Amen to that!
Claire @ Health Nut Claire says
Great post! I’m always interested in seeing what the healthy men of the world are eating, haha!
Tonya says
Aww-thanks for ending your post with your greatest work of art! 🙂
I loved this post. I got something out of it that had absolutely nothing to do with food or nutrition. The behind the scenes peek into your typical day of running your own business inspired a light bulb moment in me. I literally stopped reading to journal about it. I’m not going to share all of that here but please know that you sparked something in me today, Matt.
Thanks!
Kel says
I love the food from Matt’s perspective!
And the baby pics!! Gah! So CUTE!
Sarah @ Yogi in Action says
That last picture of Mazen is possibly the cutest picture I have ever seen! Adorable.
Thanks for the “day in the life of” post. I love these! And those breads look amazing- I wish I could eat my computer screen with pictures like those…
Katie says
Great post. I think it’s always interesting, and helpful to remember, that everyone has their own style of eating that works best for them…ie. Matt doesn’t eat much for breakfast because he naturally doesn’t want to but some people need a big breakfast, etc.. We don’t all have to fit into the same mold!
The last picture of Mazen is SO cute!!!
Shephalli says
Great post. Mazen is super adorable! Kath – can you please, please, please write a post on purees/solids? We just started our baby on them and I am so confused about what to do. Starting with rice cereal, oats and then pears but the info out there is so confusing!
KathEats says
It is really confusing…I feel the same way! I’m definitely no expert, but I’ll write about it eventually
Ashley says
Hi Kath, I love the photos of Mazen being fed. He’s loving it! I was wondering if you had heard of Baby Led Weaning? It seems right in line with your Real Food ideals.
KathEats says
I have heard of it and will be doing some of it, but I’m not an all-or-nothing kind of gal, so we’ll be doing all kinds of techniques, purees included.
Angelica says
A FANTASTIC site: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/
KathEats says
Yes!! That was the one I had been on but couldn’t remember the url. Love how it’s broken down by category.
Lousi says
Try looking at sproutright.com. I took classes with the owner of Sprout Right, Lianne. She taught me all about how to feed my babies and how to make my own baby food. She has DVD’s and a book. She’s really knowledgable. I highly recommend her!
Ellen @ Wannabe Health Nut says
Great post, Matt! I like that you are health conscious, but still indulge like a dude; it seems to be the perfect balance. I wish my fiance was more this way. He has definitely improved since we met 7 years ago, but he tends to be “all or nothing” at times and the inconsistency can be hard to watch because when he goes off the rails he gets frustrated and then has to “start over.” However, he is a Brit, so I suppose the fact that he drinks a smoothie each morning for breakfast (that I make him!) and is open to foods like quinoa, kale and spaghetti squash is certainly a step in the right direction. Fingers crossed that he will continue to take my lead. All I can do is set a good example because I really don’t think nagging works!!
Claire says
This post made me smile….. We have all of those here in England! Juices and smoothies ahops are becoming more popular. What does he eat as a Brit? 🙂
Ellen @ Wannabe Health Nut says
Hi Claire,
Perhaps I should blame his eating habits on his love for a good pint. 😉 The eating tends to go downhill when the drinking begins, but I suppose that’s true for everyone. However, I have to say, whenever I am in London, I do get frustrated with the lack of dark leafy greens, whole grains, etc on restaurant menus. I know they exist, but I suppose I have become accustomed to having all the healthy foods I want at my fingertips here in NYC and it’s spoiled me a bit. I’m glad juices and smoothies are catching on in England though! I actually went to your version of our Whole Foods (can’t remember the name??) and was pleased with the healthy variety. Didn’t mean to stereotype. 🙂
Susan H @ The Food Allergy Chronicles says
Oh, to be surrounded by so many delicious choices of bread…a bread for breakfast, lunch, snack and at home for dinner…yummy! Looking forward to baking a loaf of Irish Soda Bread with Raisins…with my son’s dairy allergy, the buttermilk is easily replaced with a rice/soy beverage mixed with vinegar. Delish! 🙂
Kate says
I agree that being surrounded by awesome food can lose it’s excitement. I work in an office that serves breakfast, lunch, and always has TONS of snacks around (all free!) but I somehow don’t go crazy. My friends who come to visit always say they would gain 10 pounds working here, but when it’s always available you don’t feel the need to go crazy 🙂
Cait says
great post Matt! I look forward to hearing more from you!
Alicia @ Wanna Be Ina says
Great post Matt! I personally am not a sweets person either, but being around all that fresh bread, butter, and pimento cheese would be rough for me!
I don’t want to stereotype, but in my experience men seem to be better at intuitive eating than women. I think men aren’t as wired to eat emotionally as women are.
I have said this before, but I will say it again, any chance that you and Kath can pull the owners of the Indianapolis GH to the side at the next conference, and let them know that their clients are telling you they want more variety?
Jen says
Why don’t you tell them yourself?! Most owners want feedback I’d imagine…
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
This was great to hear from you, Matt! It’s nice to see what you do during the day at the bakery.
TC says
Great post, thank you! I’m trying to lose weight but hate the thought of giving up beer entirely — I just love it too much. Glad to see you are successfully balancing it with your other meals.
[email protected] says
Great post Matt! It’s really great to get a mans perspective and see what other half of Kath is like! You both are so passionate about food, together and separately concocting some wonderful creations! Born bread and living in Ireland I must get to making some soda bread for Paddy’s Day!
Mom says
Excellent post Matt. Always love seeing the bakery operations. Loved the Gouda Stout you sent to us!
Sarah says
Super grainy breads are the absolute best- wish our nearest Great Harvest wasn’t a 45 min car ride.
Erin @ The Elliptical Chronicles says
Though I LOVE my sweets, I have to say that all the bread you photographed looks delicious! And yes, nothing goes better with bread than some butter (or some cheese :D).
Also, I think it’s awesome that you keep bananas and apples on hand for your employees to munch on throughout the day in addition to baby spring mix/spinach – it’s too bad more employers don’t do this b/c it’s so conducive to eating healthier throughout the work day…
Thanks for sharing, Matt!
Annie says
I’m sorry I didn’t read the other comments, so feel free to ignore if you’ve already answered. I’m curious as to why the “Great Harvest spin” is to add honey to the bread. I don’t have a GH near me- too bad there isn’t one in Davidson. 😉
And might I add the pictures of your baby eating his veggies? Adorable. Brings back fond memories of feeding my three kids (now teens) and their little mouths. They would be trembling with excitement with their little mouths open- just like your baby! I couldn’t feed them fast enough. Ironically with two teenage boys, I still can’t feed them enough.
Matt says
We put honey in practically all our breads – for the most part it’s because of its preservative effect (GH bread lasts 7-10 days on the countertop). But of course it’s a great complement to the flavor of whole wheat flour.
So with breads like ISB and for example, our challah, where honey isn’t necessarily traditional, we add honey because it’s part of our signature flavor.
Kay Lynn says
I never knew why GH bread kept so well….it’s the honey! Huh!
Leah says
Great Harvest has the BEST challah. My dad picks it up every Friday 🙂
Ella says
So delicious looking at all those pics of bread. The first bread I ever made age 13 was soda bread. brings back happy memories!
robin says
interesting. I didnt know Mazen was eating solid food now, fun:)
Jane @ Not Plain So Jane says
That cheddar garlic bread looks delicious! During my cooking lab in college, the fresh bread was by far the biggest perk to waking up early! Nothing like fresh bread & leftovers to take home 🙂
Louise says
Great post, Matt. I’d love to see a home brewing post!
Katherine S says
Great post, love this!
Ellen M. Gregg says
Wow. I’m echoing so many above, I know, but must reiterate: it’s great to get a male perspective on eating. I don’t know why it seems so elusive – maybe because we women tend to talk more (and therefore write more) about our everyday? At any rate, great post and insights.
Also, like Louise, I’d love to see a home-brewing post. I love beer. 😀
As for Mazen (here comes another broken record), it is beyond cute to see him enjoying his food. Healthy and happy to the max, it appears, and that’s best of all.
Thanks to both of you for sharing. 🙂
Holly @ A Year in Wichita says
This is one of my fave posts in a while! Matt really DOES do a good job with intuitive eating. How I wish my job offered such delicious and nutritious options!
Lisa says
I can’t get over how big Mazen is! What a cutie with those sweet potatoes!
Katherine says
I’m a Great Harvest fan! Especially the high fiber – the textures is amazing.
http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com
Hilary (Common Mouse) says
That last photo, so cute! Definitely another foodie in the family.
Good one, Matt!
nana says
i accidentally found your website and currently kinda addicted to it- i’ve been reading the articles for daily basis. Never thought that theres also someone who love oat as much as i do! keep on sharing healthy meals 🙂
Katie @ SkinnyMinnieMoves says
I loved this post! Great to see you post on here Matt, and that baby so cute. I love when they open their mouths like that! hehe 🙂
kayla says
love this post! thanks so much for sharing. it’s super intriguing to hear what men eat throughout the day because you are right, they ARE intuitive eaters most of the time and don’t think twice about it.
i still find it fascinating that my brother can sometimes not even eat breakfast and then won’t eat lunch until 3PM, eats dinner at 9PM and then has another meal at 2AM. weird compared to when society tells us we feel like we should be eating!
m says
Hi
An Irish reader here, just an FYI – Soada Bread never has raisins in it. Never Never Never!!. 🙂 Really i have never seen it here like that ever. So if you want to be authentic no raisins!
M
Matt says
Fair enough – every recipe I’ve used has had them in it, and with some light googling I see that about 80% of recipes do include them.
The most interesting request I get is from some people who have had it with caraway seeds! I think they would taste good, but from a business perspective they are not a very popular flavor so I’m reluctant to make the entire batch with ’em.
Lisa @bitesforbabies says
Wow! I would be SO overweight if I worked in that bakery! lol!!!!
Amy says
Thanks for dropping by, Matt. What I liked the most about this post was the “behind the scenes” bakery information. So fun!
Amy says
Thanks for popping by, Matt. What I liked most about this post was the “behind the scenes” bakery information. So fun!
Steph says
I like this post a lot! Matt’s way of eating is great. He seems to enjoy his food while being health conscious.
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
Haha this was such a cool post! I like what he said about not getting sick of things, but them just getting familiar… that makes sense!
donna says
Well, being as young as you are, you can eat bread multiple times a day….and still stay thin! Once you get older, your metabolism will slow down, and you won’t be able to eat as many carbs. Enjoy it while you can!
Alisha @ Alisha's Appetite says
well this post is adorable. Matt is so down to earth, I love it!
Randomreader says
Sorry to go off topic, but I had to post (for the first time) to say Mazen is so friggin’ cute and handsome! He’s such a happy and healthy looking baby. Kath, that photo of you and Mazen is adorable-frameworthy. He is a charmer and it’s a great photo of you. I also love the photo of Mazen smiling as he waits for the spoonful of healthy food to arrive at his mouth. Makes me almost miss that phase, but boy does life get easier once they are potty trained.
Diana @ Eating Made Easy says
OK that last picture of Mazen is so freaking adorable! Fun to hear from Matt too!!
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning says
“Beer is liquid bread”- I love it! 🙂 You make a good argument there.
This was a really cute post- and the photos of the bread in the beginning were making my mouth water! I 100% agree that bread’s best compliment is butter. There’s nothing like it.
The enchiladas look pretty darn tasty too.
Dana says
As a BF’ing momma, I couldn’t help but think “great latch form, Mazen” when I saw that last pic, haha.
KathEats says
Haha
Jeanie says
The butter dripping off that bread literally made my mouth water. I love me some butter! The enchiladas look great, too. And I think somebody loves sweet potatoes.
Beth @ CraveableCleveland says
Fun! It never fails to amaze me how much men can eat vs. women – must be nice!! But I agree, I used to work in a bakery and wasn’t too tempted after a while. The treats were delicious but became part of a normal day!
Kathy W. says
love love love Irish Soda bread!! I actually used to make it myself, but haven’t in years.
and great look into a day in the life!
also, Mazen gives new meaning to the phrase “Open wide!” He’ll be good at future dental appointments 🙂
[email protected] says
It was great to hear more from Matt! And interesting point about the nutritional content of beer – I’d never thought of it that way.
Kari F says
The black bean enchiladas look delicious… recipe please!! :o)
Caitlin says
this post is super cute. thanks matt!
kate says
Do GH breads use GMO grains? thanks
Matt says
No we do not. In fact, nobody uses GMO wheat. It is not commercially available, though I’m sure Monsanto is trying to develop it.
This is beginning to be a problematic question in the baking world, mostly due to this book Wheat Belly (hmmm, a book written by someone who can’t eat gluten about how bad gluten is…. suspicious?).
Let’s look at the loose definitions of GMO on Wikipedia: “A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.” If you click on genetic engineering you get this: “Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct manipulation of an organism’s genome using biotechnology.”
So we’re talking about using science and technology to alter the DNA of a living thing. Conversely, I understand that the book Wheat Belly (disclosure, I haven’t read it) is claiming that because wheat has been bred using farming techniques throughout thousands of years for various traits, it has been genetically modified. Wheat has certainly been modified from what it must have originally been. It has been selected for having a weaker husk so that it’s easier to remove the grains. It has been selected for more protein to make better bread.
If someone claims that we shouldn’t eat wheat because breeding has made it a GMO, then we should also not be eating many other foods. Check out the history of corn and its origins from a tiny plant called teosinte. Through thousands of years, people in mesoamerica bred teosinte to become corn as we now know it. Do we not eat something just because it’s different? What about the “unnatural” procedure of using grafting to grow grapes that are more resistant to disease? Grafting isn’t likely to occur in nature.
Unfortunately I’m having to answer this GMO question about 2 times a month now, and it’s because people don’t understand what GMO really means. Furthermore, they’re not really interested in listening – once you’ve read something it must be true right? And it appears to be coming from this book that seems to have its own agenda and isn’t correctly explaining itself.
So that’s my long winded answer about GMO wheat!
Matt says
Oh also here’s a great website about worldwide GMO stuff:
http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/home/
And their specific entry on wheat:
http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/grocery_shopping/crops/22.genetically_modified_wheat.html
maya says
i was initially looking for overnight oats recipes when i stumbled upon your website. really good posts here. i am incapable of cooking haha but now that i think about it that just might be a blessing in disguise. i can definitely just drop vegetables over each other in a pretty bowl like yours and strive to eat healthier. 🙂
Wanda says
I love how good the enchiladas look. Mmm made me hungry, lol.