#really it's just oatmeal and omelettes

[emotional-moss]

physical self care tips for folks who don’t have the emotional/physical capacity to do so

disclaimer: these are not going to work for everyone nor are they a cure-all. sometimes you need additional help or sometimes these just aren’t going to work for you. this is not me assuming that every single mentally or physically disabled person is able to do all these. at the lowest points in my life i wasn’t even to get out of bed for days on end and once didn’t brush my teeth for several months. but these help some folks, and that’s all i’m going for!

can’t brush/floss your teeth? mouthwash. mouthwash always. plus you can get it in fun flavors :)

- additionally: are physically capable of brushing/flossing but can’t find the emotional capacity to do so? put on a video/show you like in the background. it helps me !

- oh also you can get toothpaste in fun flavors too if that helps

- you only really need to wash your face like once a day with a fairly gentle soap. like even a bar soap or a diluted hand soap works.

- don’t wanna deal with acne and stuff? pimple patches are your best friend (but wash your face first)

- additionally, acne is normal and common. you don’t have to have ���perfect skin” and it’s super rare that people do (and if they do, they most likely invest in a bunch of expensive skincare products and routines).

- don’t/can’t shower? deodorant on stinky/sweaty areas. your armpits, your neck and upper back (trust me on this one), your crotch area, all that stuff.

- or you can just use a washcloth. wet it, put some soap on it, and then rub it on stinky areas. make sure there’s more water on it than soap so that you can wipe it off with a dry washcloth after.

- if you don’t wanna take care of your hair and you don’t need/want to keep it long, buzz it. or just cut it short!

- alternately, if you want/need to keep your hair long but can’t take care of it:

- if you have a looser hair type, run through it every now and then with a brush or your fingers. if you’re able, run through it with your fingers at least a few times a day. running it under water for a little and then gently running through it with your fingers/a comb works as well. also, dry shampoo is your best friend if you’ve got oily hair. if you don’t want to brush/wash it often, keep it in easy to maintain styles like regular braids.

- for black/coiled hair types: i’m not black and have 2c/3a wavy/curly hair so i really don’t know much about this so please do not take this as if i have firsthand experience, this is all internet knowledge/from black peers. i always open to better information, please tell me if you have any! from what i’ve heard and learned black/coiled hair doesn’t need to be washed as much. keeping it short helps because it shrinks easily and means you don’t have to wash/clean it often. but if you want to keep it long, it can get dry easily. separating it into sections and then running through it with a detangling brush helps (a good option is the Spornette DeVille Cushion Paddle Boar Bristle 344). protective hairstyles mean you don’t have to wash it that often as well. 

- some foods may not be healthy but if they’re easy to prepare and leave you sustained for some time, fucking go for it. as long as you don’t have any dietary/medical restrictions regarding them.

- foods like omelettes, oatmeal, microwavable burritos/ramen/etc, peanut butter on toast, tuna sandwiches, frozen chicken nuggets, bag salads, and mixed nuts are all easy to make and/or good sources of vitamins and protein.

- fatness isn’t a bad thing. you don’t need to work out or eat specifically to “stay in shape.”

- but if you do want to work out: i am not a physical therapist, personal trainer, etc. nor do i have much gym experience. listen to your body and consult legitimate medical sources/medical professionals. i am also not physically disabled. i cannot judge what is right for your body; only you and medical professionals can do that.

- remember to warm up and cool down. wear comfortable clothes that make you feel good. drink plenty of water!!!! and listen to what your body is telling you !!! if you experience pain/nausea, it’s time to stop for a bit and there’s no shame in that.

- simple workouts! focus on one specific thing, like flexibility or strength or something. walking/pacing is an easy one if you’re able to do that. listening to music while doing it helps too. - stretches are awesome. yoga is awesome. simple things that increase flexibility and don’t require a lot of physical activity are awesome. just a simple stretch now and then is rad as fuck.

- as always, laziness is a myth. sometimes your mind or your body just doesn’t want to do something and that’s perfectly fine. 

- that’s all i can think of for now i might add more later

[heavenlyhoundoom]

Seahorse dad au Father's day.

(Father's day was coming up, and the bloodtwins were trying to figure out a gift for Eclipse).

Hunter: What should we get dad for Father's day?

Scythe: I don't know, but it has to be something really special.

Hunter: I'll see what we can make.

(Hunter starts rummaging through a chest of items).

Hunter: Should we make him a family painting?

Scythe: No, we already did that last year.

Hunter: What about we knit him a sweater?

Scythe: We don't know how to knit. Besides, it's summer.

Hunter: Okay, but what if we make breakfast for him to eat while he's in bed.

Scythe: We're too young to use an oven, and dad doesn't really like oatmeal.

Hunter: Then, what do we do?

Scythe: I don't know. Maybe we'll think of something during school.

(It cuts to Hunter and Scythe in school, learning how to add and subtract two digit numbers and trying to figure out a gift for their dad).

Scythe: And fourteen plus forty-three equals... fifty-seven, I think.

Hunter: I'm still trying to figure out what seventy-five plus forty-eight equals.

Clementine: The answer is clearly one hundred and twenty-three, idiot!

The other students:(annoyed) Ugh, Clementine...

Ms.Cadabra: Clementine, you can't just call people names.

Clementine: But they should already know this if either of them wish to be a golden child, such as myself.

Scythe: Have you ever considered that Hunter and don't want to be golden children?

Hunter: Yeah, not everyone wants to be perfect!

Clementine: Well, they should!

Ms.Cadabra: Let's try to change the subject so as not to start another huge argument. What are you getting your dads for Father's Day?

Lizzy: I made him a new tye-dye shirt because he loves tye-dye.

Damian: I'm gonna help mom make him an omelette breakfast in bed.

Fleur:(sad) My dad passed away when I was a baby, so I don't get to celebrate Father's Day.

The other students(except Clementine): (sad and sympathetic): Aw...

Clementine: Well, I'm gonna buy my dad a new speed boat with my allowance, as he did mention needing a new one.

Lizzy: This isn't about you Clementine!

Hunter: Yeah, especially after Fleur said her dad is dead!

Clementine: Whatever!

(Throughout the day, the bloodtwins see how nice and caring Ms.Cadabra is, they then realized they she was the same age as their dad and was also single)

Scythe: I figured out what we should get dad for Father's day.

Hunter: What is it, Scythe?

Scythe: We should get him a date with Ms.Cadabra.

Hunter: Oh, that's a good idea, Scythe.

(The two go up to Ms.Cadabra and ask her if she'd like to go out on a date with their dad on Father's day, she would ask why, and they would say explain how they have so much in common and it would be the perfect father's day gift).

Ms.Cadabra: Okay, I'll go on qdate with him.

Hunter and Scythe: (Excited) Yeah!

(That's part 1. Part 2 will be about the date).

[littlesolo]

Takes Place Immediately After 2x08 Curtain Call

Okay, so maybe not immediately, but like twenty minutes afterwards...

There is someone knocking at her door. Pounding hard enough to take it off it's hinges. Kate's just gotten back from surfing and taken a shower. These are not work hours, which is why she's in jeans and a tee, and she can't think of anyone who would bang on her door without calling first. Well, her neighbor Mr. Marco doesn't really need a reason to be mad at her, but she hasn't done anything to piss him off lately.

There's still someone banging at her door. Taking a drink from her water bottle she heads to the door and pulls it open. She was not expecting Jane Tennant.

"Jane? What's happened? What's wrong?"

"She wasn't wearing pants! In my kitchen!" More than a little confused, Kate closes the door after Jane storms her way in. Someone not wearing pants sounds like a conversation that shouldn't happen in her doorway.

"Who wasn't wearing pants?"

"Cassandra was in my kitchen, making oatmeal waffles, without pants."

That... That was not something she could have prepared for. Jane's one of the smartest people she knows, in more ways than one, there's no way Alex could be that stupid. She's caught up now though and the way Jane is pacing, she's here to keep from killing her son.

"Where was Alex?"

"Still asleep."

"Julie?"

"With her dad."

"Where's Charlie 1?" That brings Jane to a stop.

"What?"

"Well, if he's still on the island, I could help you load Cassandra into his trunk. He owes you for saving him, right?"

"How'd you--?"

"Jesse clearly didn't like him and you tend to save everyone. But making someone disappear? That's the kind of the thing he's trained to do!" Jane rubs at her temple with one hand.

"Don't tempt me. Although, my first impulse is to kill Alex. He knows the rules. Don't have your girlfriend over without pants is common sense. So is having her spend the night. He knows better." Kate nods. "What?" What she was thinking must have shown on her face.

"Just... I've met Cassandra a few times. She doesn't know much, does she?" That gets a smirk out of Jane.

"When I called last night, she called the subject of social studies 'completely antiquated'." Kate can't help frowning at that. "She also didn't see anything wrong with being in MY kitchen without pants. She offered me oatmeal pancakes and then to pick up Julie."

"How'd you leave it?"

"Told her she had to go and had Daniel come over with Julie and the baby while I went to cool down."

"Yeah, well, we both still need breakfast and I know a place that does an amazing omelette and grand slam."

"It's not going to keep me from wanting to kill Alex."

"No, but you have to eat and it might as well be good food. I know nothing about raising kids and my babysitting max age was ten, but I can listen. Did Alex say anything?"

"He knew he screwed up and could sense that trying to explain wasn't smart."

"That's survival instinct more than common sense."

"Kate, please tell me you were never that stupid" says Jane as she locks up and they head towards the garage.

"No, not that stupid. I've done stupid stuff though."

"I look forward to hearing about it over breakfast."

"Wait. I didn't agree to that!"

"It will keep me from killing my son, Kate."

"I really think getting rid of Cassandra would help things."

"That's not something we can brainstorm in public."

[scaryscarecrows]

On a scale from one to ten, how well can the squad + jason cook

Jason: 7.5. He'll try anything once, though oatmeal--instant or not--is his nemesis. Cream of wheat doesn't work out so well, either. But his omelettes could bring about world peace.

Antoine: 7, but lazy. He's more likely to have three or four easy dinners that he just rotates through, but every so often he'll be stricken with the urge to Cook. He makes a great jambalaya, and he knows how to make gumbo, though he and Frank are very divided over who makes the better one.

Frank: Solid 8. Home Southern Cooking, right here, but there's a 55% he'll call the pizza dude. His best, impress-anyone dish is his pulled pork. He could commit murder in broad daylight and his neighbors would cover for him.

Trent: 5. He can grill. That's about it, though he grills well, so that's something.

Riley: 4.5. Riley makes a really, really good ramen broth, thanks to his grandmother, but he's more likely to call for takeout than cook. He also fucked up rice once. In a rice cooker. He's not sure what happened.

Jimmy: 1. Maybe 1.5 on a good day. See: green drink.

Mark: 7-ish. He doesn't usually have time, but every so often he will fry tacos. He also knows how to make tamales, but those are a pain and he doesn't do it often.

[justkenz]

What are your fav meals and desserts to make?

That’s so hard, it really depends on my mood,

Meals:

- Tofu in garlic sauce

- sweet potato tacos

- Avocado Toast

- chickpea omelette

- black bean sweet potato burgers

- Focaccia Bread

- Everything Bagels

- naan bread

- Fried Plantains

- Chickpea Pot pie

- Pizza

- Veggie Nachos

- sushi

Desserts:

- pumpkin pie

- sugar cookies

- haystacks

- cinnamon rolls

- coconut cream pie

- oatmeal cookies

- chocolate chip cookies

- lemon squares

These are just some things I found in my Pinterest that I like hahaha I’m sure there are others 😂

[doctortreklock]

The Breakfast Club - July 29, 2019

Part of my Resolution19. Read it on AO3.

Prompt: Breakfast in Avengers Tower

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Title: the movie “The Breakfast Club”

Words: 1573

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The communal kitchen of Avengers Tower was in its usual morning uproar. Clint was sitting on the edge of the counter juggling eggs and cracking them one by one into the fry pans next to him, where Bruce was making omelettes with the vegetables Natasha had just chopped up. On the other stove, Steve was stirring a huge vat of oatmeal. Thor was in charge of squeezing orange juice, and had managed to splash every counter and flat surface in a four foot radius. Tony was nominally in charge of setting the table, though in actuality he was just sitting at the table fiddling with something on his StarkPad and complaining loudly about freeloaders and obsolete tech.

"--running missile software on eight-inch floppy drives, I tell you--"

"I think that's enough green pepp--or not, we can always add more."

"Maybe they didn't want you trying to interrupt a nuke launch."

"I require more oranges! Where may I find more of this mighty fruit?"

"It's well within my rights as an American citizen to know our nuclear warheads are--"

"I don't really think anyone believes you're curious out of 'patriotic duty', Stark."

"Where are the oranges?"

"Children," Phil chided gently, gliding into the room in full Agent Coulson mode and immediately taking control of the room. "Thor, there are more oranges in the pantry, bottom shelf on the left in the back. Stark, if the United States government required your input on nuclear protocols, they would request it. Natasha, I believe that's probably enough green pepper for Captain Rogers. Clint, please get off the counter; we prepare food there. Bruce, Captain, how long do we have left on breakfast?" His voice was firm, but Clint could see the warmth in his eyes that he only had when dealing with his favorite group of rogue elements.

The bustle of hungry superheroes fell instantly into smoothly organized chaos.

"Half a minute," Bruce called, absently poking at one pan.

"Just about ready," Steve declared. "Clint?"

Clint had just finished replacing the unused eggs in their carton in anticipation of the Captain's request. He hopped off the counter and whipped open a drawer, pulling a large, lopsided, crocheted potholder out of it and tossing it over to the table, where it landed neatly in the middle. Then he hip-checked the drawer closed and leaned over to give his boyfriend a short, but very warm welcome.

"Hi," he whispered after breaking the kiss.

"Good morning," Phil whispered back, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening in a smile.

"Oi, Barton!" Tony yelled, not looking up from where he was poking at his StarkPad. "You can canoodle with Agent later."

"Yeah, yeah," Clint shouted, waving an arm vaguely in Tony's direction and peeling off from Phil to help Bruce plate omelettes.

By now Natasha had neatly cleaned up her chopping station, the offending green pepper and her knives nowhere to be seen. Instead, she slid neatly through the whirlwind of her teammates to end up next to the silverware drawer and started picking through the haphazard mess of utensils with ease.

"'Scuse me," Steve said loudly, lugging the heavy tub of hot oatmeal through the kitchen easily. "Pardon me, coming through."

Thor stepped out of the pantry with an armful of oranges and nearly got clipped by the steaming pot. "Apologies, friend," he called, neatly sidestepping around Steve and back to his squeezing station. "I had merely gone to fetch the object of my quest and did not see you there!"

"'S fine," Steve said, concentrating on maneuvering the heavy pot around Tony's head, since the inventor didn't seem inclined to move.

Finally, the large silver stock pot settled on the potholder with a thud, and Steve sighed happily. "There."

"Hmm?" Tony looked up to find the oatmeal right in front of him and a supersoldier behind him. "Cool." He craned his head straight back to meet Steve's eyes. "We got any bowls?"

Steve put his hands on his hips and scowled down at the billionaire. "You do have legs you know. They're not even broken," he pointed out.

Tony just laid the back of one hand dramatically over his forehead and leaned sideways off his chair to get the appropriate depth to the motion. "Oh, but my good Captain," he exclaimed dramatically, "I couldn't possibly." He gave Steve his biggest, most beseeching eyes.

Steve wavered.

"Tony," Phil warned mildly from the other side of the kitchen where he had busied himself with the coffeepot.

Tony huffed. "Fine." He left his StarkPad on the table and pushed himself to his feet. "Don't know why I have to do this," he muttered. "It's my tower, after--Hey!" he shouted as a spoon clipped him on its way to the table. "What was that for?"

"Oops," Natasha deadpanned, holding a fistful of silver.

Clint snickered. He was attempting to balance two plates on each arm and one on the top of his head, but the omelette on his head was wobbling dangerously with each laugh.

"Two at a time, Clint," Phil told him exasperatedly, reaching for the plate, but before the senior agent could reach it, the plate had already tipped past the point of no return.

Natasha caught it deftly, twisting her wrist neatly to avoid losing the omelette. "Ostorozhno, yastrebka," she scolded him.

"Sorry, Nat." Clint's grin was bashful.

Bruce sighed good-naturedly, the last two plated omelettes safely in his hands. "If we're quite finished...."

"Why is the floor sticky?" Tony wrinkled his nose as his sneakers stuck to the tile floor.

"I have vanquished the orange fruits and emerged victorious with pitchers of glorious orange juice!" Thor proclaimed, brandishing a pair of very large pitchers brimming with freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Oh," Tony said, staring at the disaster of orange where he used to have a counter. "Is someone going to clean that up?"

"On it," Steve said. "Thor, the juice can go on the table. Tony, bowls." Steve looked pointedly at the cupboard behind the genius.

"Make way, friends, for the sweet orange nectar which I have wrung from yon wasted fruits!" Thor swapped places with Steve, managing to set the pitchers on the table without losing any or running into Clint, Bruce, or Natasha, all of whom were now flitting around the table with their plates and silverware.

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there," Tony said. "Hold your horses, Cap." He pulled the door to one of the upper cabinets open with a flourish, then paused and frowned. "Aren't the bowls in here?"

A suited arm cut across his vision and closed the cabinet before opening the next one over. "They're in here, the same place they've been for the past six months," Phil said, holding the door with one hand and sipping the coffee held in his other. "Grab seven. Clint," he called. "If you're done bothering Dr. Banner and Natasha, you could get the rest of the oatmeal fixings out."

"On it," Clint called, tossing Phil a grin and a sloppy salute.

Phil smiled into his coffee mug.

"That's disgusting," Tony said, gaping at Phil. "The two of you, in a public venue no less--"

"Bowls, Stark," Phil said, letting go of the door and turning to survey the table. The corner of his mouth turned up a little when Tony yelped at the cabinet door auto-closing on him.

It was almost time to eat. The table was just missing-- Natasha walked past him with seven glass tumblers balanced in her hands. Perfect.

Clint and Bruce finished putting the last of the brown sugar and raisins on the table around the same time Steve finished cleaning up the worst of the orange mess and Tony finally made it to the table with bowls. Phil topped off his coffee and joined them.

The seven of them converged at the table at the same time, pulling out chairs and sitting down before passing bowls of oatmeal around the table at high speed.

"Pass the raisins over here?"

"I thought you already had the raisins?"

"Didn't we say we were going to get two bags of raisins next time? Didn't we?"

"Where did the brown sugar go?"

"Give me the orange juice."

"Weren't we going to get dried cranberries for the oatmeal too?"

"Wow, that's--ahem--that's a lot of green peppers."

"I don't understand how you people can eat raisins. Ugh."

"The small grapes are most pleasing in a meal of steamed oats! You would do well to hold your tongue."

"Clint, if you throw one more raisin at Tony, we are going to be having words later, and you will not enjoy it."

"...Yes, sir."

"Wow, Barton, he's got you whipp--"

"See me after breakfast, Mr. Stark."

"...Fine."

Finally, Steve cleared his throat and looked around the table with his best, most earnest, team-building smile. "I'd like to thank you all for making time in your schedules for team breakfast."

There was a lot of poking at congealed oatmeal and scrutinizing glasses at that, the exceptions being Thor's sharp attention and Tony's uncomfortable scoffing. Phil just watched the whole thing with an air of faint amusement.

"It doesn't seem like a lot, but every bit helps when it comes to acting as a united force in the field." Then Steve put on his brightest bond-selling grin. "I'm sure we're only going to be closer after doing dishes."

That got him pelted with raisins.

--

Nat's Russian: Ostorozhno, yastrebka - Careful, little hawk (diminutive).

[salt-and-spice]

Let’s talk for a moment about breakfast stuffings, and some variations on that theme that you could treat a character (or yourself) to:

A classic hearty breakfast with eggs, bacon or sausage, and toast or a fluffy biscuit. Perhaps a short stack of pancakes or some crispy fried potatoes on the side, or some fruit to help cut through all those heavy foods. To be enjoyed with orange juice and a hot beverage. This menu is pretty versatile as far as fic types go! You could easily have a character wind up heavy, dazed, and very content afterwards, or have them eat to the point of an aching stomach if you prefer.

Continental breakfasts are known for being light, but they’re also generally served buffet-style, so a character can eat to their heart’s content. Let’s not underestimate the versatility of bread -- a character could fill up on bagels with cream cheese, toast with peanut butter, croissants with butter and jam, and pastries of all kinds (cheese danishes, cinnamon rolls, pain au chocolat, coffee cake, blueberry muffins, apple turnovers, glazed doughnuts, I could go on...) Plus cold meats and cheeses, fruits of all kinds, and yogurt or cottage cheese. There’s something fun about the kind of fullness that results from filling up on “light” foods -- not terribly heavy or sleepy, just immensely stretched out.

A big sweet breakfast is a great option for characters with a sweet tooth, or if you want to write a fic where that stuffed stomach doesn’t feel so good afterwards. Think a big stack of pancakes or a pile of french toast with whipped cream, chocolate chips, and/or sweet fruit compote. Optional additions of a giant cinnamon roll that just can’t be passed up and a big mug of hot chocolate to drink.

It’s hard not to overindulge on a fancy brunch! And from a writing perspective, it can really fun to describe characters getting to treat themselves to something a little extravagant. There are so many possibilities for the main dish: omelettes loaded with cheese and vegetables, eggs benedict (perhaps with smoked salmon), scrambler bowls with eggs and meat served over fried potatoes, breakfast tacos, bagel sandwiches, quiche... Add on sides of fruit and bread, plus some juice and coffee (or a few cocktails, if your character would be into boozy brunch) and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a very full and well-treated tummy.

If you’re looking for something more simple, oatmeal is a really good food to fill up on. It falls into the same camp as potatoes, rice, and pasta -- heavy yet easy to digest, and so likely to provide a really satisfying feeling of fullness without troubling your stomach. It’s also easy to dress up! Add sprinkles of cinnamon, brown sugar, or maple syrup, and stir in dried fruit, chopped nuts, or a little bit of milk or cream, and you’ll have something both filling and delicious.

[thenewfuture]

From what I know from the ingredients listed and regular breakfast meals, you could make a really hearty and good omelette plus some orange juice, or some pancakes and juice with a side of bacon or such.

*Hajime is making omelets while humming a little tune...*

*Makoto and the others walk in* Oh, who's making breakfast-?

Hajime...?

Hey Makoto, just in time. My omelets are just about done.

You....you did this...? *Makoto looks and sees on the table an assortment of pancakes, waffles, fruits, eggs that are boiled, scrambled and sunny side up, bacon, sausages, rice, toast and french toast, quiches, crepes, oatmeal, and now omelets*

My goodness....you...certainly have been busy...

Yeah I wanted to make more, like fried rice but I was cautious of the sodium intake already. And steak to go with some of the eggs, but that'll take forever to thaw out. I also wanted to make hash browns but I just settled on potatoes instead.

*Ding!*

Oh, my biscuits! *Hajime goes to the oven*

My, if I had known you would've been this courteous, I would've told Chiaki to wake you up sooner.

I'm just doing my part around here. It's my way of saying thank you.

*He puts the biscuits down into a basket* Careful with these, they just came out.

........

You didn't....poison any of this, did you?

Byakuya!

I'm just taking necessary precautions, Makoto.

I don't know why don't you ask, Hina and Hiro there?

Hmm?

*Hina and Hiro are busy stuffing their faces with some of the food*

!

Does that answer your question?

Th-those two idiots are just reckless with their lives.

So you don't want some of this french toast?

.......

....I'll take some, thanks.

[justthehiddleswrites]

Accidently Married | Tom Hiddleston x OFC | Chapter 3 | And Miss Out on Mum Meeting the Girl You Married Without Telling Her? Not a Chance

A/N:  Tom makes certain comments about an ex (who is unnamed).  It is a fictional girlfriend, take from it what you will.  Keep your hate to yourself.  

SERIES MASTERLIST HERE

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Molly Bishop)

Summary: Tom is stuck in a news cycle from hell; Molly is stuck in the dead end job of bartending with a pile of student and credit debt.  Tom has an idea to solve all their problems.  Get married, get the paparazzi off his back, divorce after a year and Tom pays off Molly’s debts.  Tom has everything figured out, that is until he sees Molly as more than a just a friend and so does someone else.  In this vying for affections who will win, the handsome Brit or the boy from Boston?

This Chapter: Molly finally gets to meet Luke and they try to convince him that this marriage is not some elaborate plot to manipulate the press.  And Tom makes a critical error.  We learn more about Molly and her past. 

Warnings: fake marriage, smut (vaginal sex), mentions of:  child abuse/neglect, foster care, substance abuse, cheating.

TAGLIST IS OPEN! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED!  THANK YOU FOR READING!

–

Tom regretted drinking two cups of espresso the next morning before heading to Luke’s. He definitely regretted not eating anything more than a piece of toast with butter and marmalade. Even after Molly offered to make something for him.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to make you eggs, an omelette? I could probably manage some French toast before we have to leave.” Molly sipped her tea as she ate some oatmeal. 

French toast sounded divine at the moment as Tom’s stomach did somersaults. Molly’s knee bounced in the passenger seat on the way to the Prosper office. 

“Do you think Luke will yell at me?” Molly asked. “I don’t do well when people yell at me.”

Tom’s head snapped over at her. She sighed. 

“Foster parents are not always kind. Bio parents can be worse.” She wrung her hands. 

He reached over and squeezed Molly’s knee. “I promise I won’t let him yell at you.” 

“Thank you, Tom. Are we telling him the truth?” 

“Only if necessary.” 

“Then what are we telling him?” 

“That I went to Vegas, and I fell madly in love with you and on a whim we got married.”

“A fanciful tale.” Her head dropped to her chest. 

“Oh, I don’t know, darling. You sell yourself short. You’re bright, funny, caring and dare I even say easy on the eyes.”

Molly blushed. “Thank you. You are not so bad yourself. Although I seriously question your dietary habits.”

Tom chuckled. “I’ll work on it. And I hope after all of this we will be good friends.”

“Me too.” 

“Looks like we are here.” Tom parked the car on the street. He hustled around to open Molly’s door and help her out. “Time to face the firing squad.” Her eyes widened. “Kidding!”

By the time the meeting was done, Molly wished it had been a firing squad. 

-

“Luke, this is Molly Bishop, now Hiddleston.” Tom wrapped his arm around her waist. “My wife.” 

“My condolences.” Luke shook Molly’s hand. 

Molly’s brow furrowed. “I…” 

“Of all the stupid shit you have ever fucking done—” Luke started in on Tom. 

“Luke, watch your tone.” Tom jabbed a finger in his publicist’s face. “You are not to yell at Molly.” His bright blue eyes flashed and his fists clenched. 

Luke took a step back. “Right. Take a seat and let’s see if we can straighten this out.” 

They sat next to each other. Molly reached for Tom’s hand and he took it. Luke sat down behind his desk, staring at the two of them. Luke pinched his nose hard and took several deep breaths. Before speaking, he poured a glass of water and dropped two Alka-Seltzer into the water. Molly stared at the whole thing. Tom leaned over. 

“For later. Luke says I give him indigestion.” he whispered.

“And headaches.” Luke added.

“I can understand the feeling.” Molly muttered under her breath.

“I beg your pardon!” Tom twisted around to face Molly. “Et tu. Is this about the vegetables?”

“It wouldn’t kill you to eat one every so often. You’re not 21 anymore.”

Tom gritted his teeth. “I said I would work on it. Can we not talk about this right now?”

“You’re the one who brought it up. I was just making a comment.”

Luke’s head bounced back and forth like watching a tennis match, a smirk growing on his face.

“You two are good. Really good. Damn Tom, the lengths you will go to… hiring an actress to pretend to be your wife, that’s—”

“We got married, Luke. In Vegas.” Tom retorted. “Darling, do you have the copy of the license?”

Molly grumbled. “I do, but we are not done with the whole diet thing.” She rummaged through her purse and produced the folded piece of paper. “Show him the photos.” She whispered to Tom as she handed over the license. 

“I’m not showing him the photos unless I have to.” Tom hissed.

“Show me the photos, Tom.” Luke beckoned him. 

Tom side eyed Molly and handed over the license and his phone. Luke glanced at the license and then scrolled through the photos, eyes growing wider. He zoomed in on one and squinted. 

“Is that a spider ring?” he asked.

“His name is Clive.” Tom deadpanned.

Luke cuts his eyes at Tom. “Of course, you named it. You wouldn’t happen to have the ring, would you?” He turned to Molly.

She let loose a breath, exasperated. “Honestly,” she jabbed a finger at Tom and then Luke. “I was not expecting the Spanish Inquisition.” She dug through her purse again. “You are both lucky that I planned ahead.” Molly slammed the two Tiffany boxes on the desk. “There, here is your pound of flesh.”

Luke opened the boxes and found the spider ring and plastic gem ring. His eyes went to their proper rings and then ran his hands through his hair. 

“Holy shit, you got married.”

Tom rolled his eyes. “I have been saying that for the last 24 hours, mate. Can we move on?”

Molly giggled. 

“I… I… apologize. Sorry.” He sputtered, he turned to Molly. “I’m sorry, Molly. You have no idea the things this man has put me through.”

“I can imagine.”

“Hey! I—”

“Not talking to you, Tom.” Luke held up a hand. “I am talking to your bride. Clearly the reasonable one. Although she did marry you, so…”

Tom slumped in the chair. “Two of you. I thought you were on my side.”

Molly reached over and rubbed his arm. “I’m always on your side, honey.”

Tom smiled and leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, darling. Do you believe me now, Luke?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes, I do.” He slammed his hand on his desk, rattling his water. “Now let’s talk about these.” He held up several newspapers.

Forty-five minutes later, they finally ended the meeting. Tom was starving. Luke grilled Molly about her background. By the end of everything, Tom now knew that Molly spent the ages of 12-18 in foster care, went to college where she worked two jobs to make ends meet, and has no contact with her younger brother who was adopted. Tom felt a twinge of guilt listening to Molly tell her life story. He never really bothered to ask. 

Luke led them to the door but stopped short. 

“How did your mom take the news, Tom?” Luke asked. Tom froze and paled. Luke leaned in. “You did tell her?”

Molly glanced between them. “I thought you called her when we got home.”

Tom ran his hands through his hair. Little bits stuck up. His mouth fell open and his eyes widened. “I forgot. I was distracted by someone yelling at me.”

“You haven’t told your mother about us?!” Molly screeched. 

Luke chuckled, which soon turned into a full belly laugh. “You are so dead, Tom.” Molly gasped. “You will be fine, Molly, but pray for your husband. There is nothing scarier in this world than Diana Hiddleston mad at her only son.” 

Molly gulped. “I will keep that in mind. Now if you excuse us, we have some calls to make.” 

Tom nodded, still reeling from the fact he didn’t tell his mum, or his sisters, that he got married. Fake or not. He hoped she hadn’t seen any of the photos yet. But knowing Emma and Sarah, they sent her the links. “Right, calls.” 

Molly pushed Tom out of the office and towards the elevator. She waved bye to Luke as the doors closed. 

“That went better than expected.” Molly shifted her weight from side to side.

“Yeah, yeah!” Tom blinked and came back to reality. “You were brilliant. What made you think to bring the rings?”

“People have the tendency to believe you when you can present physical evidence. That, coupled with the photos, lends credibility. I mean, who gets married with a plastic spider ring?” She laughed and Tom joined in. 

“Genius, really. Luke would have never—” Tom’s stomach rumbled. He blushed. “You were right I should have eaten something.” 

Molly stretched to reach his cheek and gave him a quick peck. “You will soon learn I am always right. Let’s find you some food and then you call your mother.”

“Fine.”

-

They found a place for Tom to grab a sandwich since it was too late for breakfast and not quite time for lunch. Molly stared on as Tom inhaled the sandwich, a bag of potato chips, and a bottle of water. 

“Did you taste any of that?”

Tom glanced up at her as he poked the last bit of the sandwich into his mouth. “Yes.” 

She shoved a napkin towards him. “You have crumbs on your face.”

Tom swallowed. “Thanks.”

“Call your mother.” 

Tom slouched. “Can’t we wait until we get home?” 

“No.” She stared him down. “If you don’t do it, I will.” Molly lunged for his phone, but Tom was too fast and grabbed it first.

“I’m calling her right now.” He held the phone to his ear, praying it would go to voicemail.

“Tom!” Diana’s warm voice filled his ear. “How are you doing, love?”

“Doing good. A bit of jet lag, I was in Vegas over the weekend.”

Diana hummed. “And how is Luke?”

Tom chuckled. “Angry at me as always.”

“If you would just listen to him…”

“I like her.” Molly popped in.

Tom waved her off. 

“I know, Mother. Listen,” He fidgeted with his hair again. Molly realized it was an absolute tell when Tom was nervous. “I was wondering if you might like to grab some lunch this week. We can catch up. So much as happened since I last saw you.”

“I would be delighted, Thomas. Why don’t you come up to the house? Does Wednesday work for you?”

Tom mouthed “Wednesday” to Molly, who shrugged her shoulders.

“Like I’m doing anything? You and Luke are the only people I know here.”

“Right.” He returned to the call. “Wednesday is perfect, mum. Noon?”

“It’s a date. Don’t forget to bring that wife of yours, Thomas. I am quite keen on meeting her.”

All the blood drained from Tom’s face. “I… I… can explain—”

“I’m sure you can. On Wednesday. I have to go, love. It was good to chat.” The line went dead.

Tom stared at the phone. “I’m so dead. She knows about you.”

“Oh, she knows. You are her son. And didn’t you mention having sisters? They totally ratted you out.” Molly smiled at him.

-

Tom had some appointments on Tuesday which kept his mind occupied from seeing his mother the next day. Molly took some time to figure out how to change her name, get a new passport, and figure out how to maneuver life in a foreign country. Tom took her to get a phone that would work. 

“Here you go.” 

The first thing she did was snap Tom to add to his contact list. He was laughing in the photo.

“Don’t use that one!” Tom pouted. “Let me pose.”

“But I like this one. It captures your essence.”

But now it is Wednesday morning. Tom woke up early to go for a run. Molly was already up, sipping tea in the living room.

“Can I join you?” she asked upon seeing Tom in workout gear.

“I run about three miles…”

“Sounds perfect. Give me two minutes.” She bounded off the couch towards her bedroom. 

Tom fiddled with his headphones until Molly emerged in sneakers and workout leggings. Over the ear headphones around her neck. 

“Ready to go.” She tucked her phone into a pocket. “I will just follow you.”

“Let me know if you need to turn around.” Tom winked as they set off.

They returned home about thirty minutes later.

“Sure you don’t want to go another mile?” Molly bounced on her feet. 

Tom breathed hard. “Maybe another time. I’m a bit out of shape. You run?”

Molly nodded. “Most days I run. If I get up in time. I miss the gym.”

Tom chuckled. “We need to get you a membership. And I need to ..get into shape myself. Can’t let my wife show me up in paparazzi photos.” he half-joked. 

Molly coughed. “They take photos of you running?!”

“Sometimes.” He took a sip of water, his heart rate going back to normal. “Definitely now with you in the picture.”

Molly raised an eyebrow, stepping towards him, grabbing the water bottle from him. “Think they are out there right now?” 

Tom glanced around and sure enough, he spied a few cameras with zoom lenses down the street.

“Yup.” 

Molly wrapped her arms around his neck. “Maybe we should give them a more scandalous photo.” 

Tom leaned down. “What did you have in mind?” he smirked as Molly tugged his head towards her and her lips crashed against his. She sighed and Tom slipped his tongue into her mouth. Molly did the same. As he fisted the back of her shirt, Tom noticed one of Molly’s arms moving. 

“AH!!” He screamed as the cold water poured down on his head and Molly jumped back laughing.

“I thought you needed a little cooling off.” she laughed.

Tom lunged for her with a smile on his face, droplets of water falling from his hair. 

“You’ll pay for that!” Tom gave chase, while Molly dashed into the house, screaming and laughing.

She made it as far as the living room before Tom’s long legs caught up with her.

“Got you!” 

Tom grabbed her by the waist to pull her towards him, but their feet slipped and they ended up on the couch. Tom on top of her. Their eyes locked for a moment before Tom scrambled to his feet. 

“I’ll get you all wet.” he commented nervously. “I should…”

“Right.” Molly nodded, sitting up. “I’ll make some breakfast. Eggs and toast. I don’t know what your mother is planning on for lunch.”

“A light breakfast would be best.” Tom shook out his now soaked t-shirt and Molly caught a glimpse of his abs. 

“No problem.” She smiled. 

They both headed off in different directions. When it was time to leave for Diana’s house, Molly fidgeted with her casual dress and knee-high boots.

“Do I look okay?” she glanced at Tom in jeans and a sweater. “I’m overdressed. Look at you, casually gorgeous. I’m going to change. I have nothing to wear. Nothing to wear…” Molly’s face broke down.

Tom wrapped his arms around her. “What’s going on, darling?” She buried her head in his sweater. “You didn’t freak out like this when we went to go see Luke.”

“That was business. This is your mother. I don’t do well with families, particularly mothers. What if she hates me?” 

He kissed the top of her head. “First off, you look beautiful. Second, if my mum hates anyone between the two of us, it will be me. She is going to love you, darling.” 

Molly sniffled and dabbed her eyes with the back of her fingers. “Really?”

“I am 100% certain. Now let’s get on the road.”

Molly smiled and nodded. The fear wasn’t gone, but she felt better knowing Tom would be there with her. That fear came rushing back as they stood on the front step of the house of Diana Hiddleston. Tom reached for Molly first. 

“I’ve got you, darling.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek right as the door opened.

“Gross, Tom. And at Mum’s house no less.” Emma gagged.

Tom’s cheeks turned a bright pink. “Emma! I didn’t expect you to be here.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “What a surprise.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “And miss out on Mum meeting the girl you married without telling her, not a chance.” Emma turned to Molly. “Emma.”

“Molly B… Hiddleston.” She smiled and extended her hand. Emma shook it with a firm grip.

“The papers didn’t give a name. She seems nice, Tom. Clearly she doesn’t know the real you.”

Tom continued to blush. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Em. Can we come in or are we eating on the front step?”

Emma held the door open wide and stepped aside. They stepped inside. “Mum’s in the kitchen.”

As if on cue, Diana’s voice rang out. “Is that them, Emma?” 

“They just got here!” she yelled before turning back to them. “She’s been cooking all day.” 

Molly gulped. Tom squeezed her hand. An older woman with grey white shoulder length hair. She came up to Tom's shoulder, if that.

“You were supposed to tell me when they got here.” she scolded Emma.

“I was on my way to tell you.” 

“Go take the food out of the oven.”

“But…” Emma protested.

“Go, child. You’ll have the entire meal to listen to me yell. Right now I need a word with your brother.”

Emma pursed her lips as she walked into the kitchen but made a slashing throat gesture, mouthing the words “you’re so dead” at Tom before disappearing. 

Diana wiped her hands on her apron. “Now where is my new daughter-in-law?” 

Molly raised her hand. “That would be me. Molly, ma’am.”

Diana held open her arms and wrapped them around Molly tight. She realized where Tom got his hugging skills. 

“You are just a doll. Is my son treating you well?”

Molly nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” 

“So polite and much shorter than the last one. Right at eye height for me.”

“Mother…”

Diana waved Tom off. “And please call me Diana or Mum or Mom. I promise I don’t bite.”

Molly giggled. “Yes, ma.. Diana.”

Diana hugged her again before spinning to face her son.

“Tom.” She crossed her arms.

“Mum.” Tom grew very interested in the rug on the floor. 

“Do I get a hug?” Diana smiled. 

Tom looked up and grinned. “Always.” The two of them hugged tight, Tom bending at the knees to wrap his arms around her. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” Diana pulled back.

Her hand reached out and smacked Tom right upside the head. Tom cowered, covering his head.

“Mum!” he howled.

“You got married and didn’t tell me!”

“I was getting around to it. Luke distracted me!” Tom explained. 

Diana smacked his arm. “Do not blame Luke for this, he is a saint! You were keeping this lovely girl away from me.”

Molly beamed as Diana smacked Tom one more time. 

“You think I’m lovely?” she asked.

Diana turned to Molly. “Oh dear. You are perfectly charming. Unlike my wretch of a son.” Another smack to the chest.

“Really, Mum? In front of our guest?” Tom flinched.

“Molly is family.” Diana stopped, took a deep breath, and smiled. “Now with that sorted, let’s go eat.” She spun on her heel and headed back to the kitchen. 

Tom hooked his arm with Molly’s. “My mother.”

“I like her.” 

-

Emma and Diane pumped the two of them for every detail about this abbreviated courtship.

“A chapel in Vegas, Tom? Romantic.” Emma sneered.

“I thought so.” Molly added.

“Thank you, darling.” Tom leaned against her. 

“Awww.” Emma commented.

Diana stood to clear the dishes as Emma examined Molly’s ring.

“Let me help you.” Tom rose to help, taking the rest of the dishes. Diana grabbed his arm when they reached the sink.

“I really like her, Thomas. You did well.”

“Thank you. She is something.” Tom smiled.

“Much better than the last girl you brought home.”

Tom frowned. “Mum, I…”

Diana held up her hand. “I know. Don’t mention her. But I will say this. There was something about her that didn’t sit right with me.” 

“You never said anything to me.”

Diana smiled softly and cupped Tom’s cheek. “You seemed so in love and happy. And all I have ever wanted for all my kids is to be happy.”

“Oh.”

“But none of that matters. You have Molly now and the two of you have years of happiness ahead.” 

Tom glanced over to where Emma and Molly hunched over Emma’s phone. Tom’s heart twinged with guilt. 

“Right. Of course.” He smiled.

Molly burst out in laughter.

“What is so funny over there?” Tom called out, heading over to the table.

Emma giggled. “Just some old pictures.”

Tom’s face fell. “No, you didn’t…”

Molly giggled. “You were so skinny and that hair!” 

The two girls fell into a fit of giggles as Diane placed a hand on Tom’s shoulder.

“Yes, I like her very much.” she whispered. “Why don’t we pull out the old picture albums?”

Tom groaned. 

[adhdarcheologist]

Feeding Yourself on Site

Ok I’ll be the first to admit, I am not the poster child for this. I am notoriously bad at planning and bringing meals to the dig site. Doing it in my normal life is hard enough and then you add planning, a time limit to make and eat it plus the facilities available to you on site? It’s not great. But this is a super important part of digging. You’re using allot of energy and you need to eat. So here are some tips and favourite items I’ve complied to try and make that a reality.

Things you might always want to have

> Chocolate/ cookies > Tea/ instant coffee/ hot chocolate etc. > Electrolyte/ vitamin drink mix

These are just some basics you’ll probably want on site. When you’re digging the little mood boost provided by chocolate or cookies etc. Is invaluable. Not to mention that it’s pretty common to bring snacks to share with others and cookies or candies are always a hit. I’d also suggest a favourite warm beverage of choice cause sometimes you just need it to keep going. Most sites have hot water of some kind available but if it doesn’t I’d suggest bringing a thermos of it with you (even then it’s good to have your own cup/ mug to drink from).

Snacks are your friend

> Hummus + crackers and/or veggies > Fruit bars/ leather/ strips > Granola bars > Nuts or trail mix > Oat cakes > Cheese > Soup packets/ to go cups (my go to is miso soup packets) 

Even if you can’t manage to make a full meal (which I never can), snacks are perfect. They usually come pre made and pre packaged and you can just throw them into your bag and you’re done. The two main things for this though is that 1. You want enough of them to keep you going, and 2. They need to be filling an healthy cause they’re replacing a meal. Even if you’re just packing snacks to add to a meal these principles stay the same, and worse comes to worse if it’s more than you eat that day you can keep it in your bag for the next.

Easy meals to bring

> The ever underrated sandwich

- Even if it’s just the components of a sandwich thrown together but eaten separately it’s always a solid option.

> Chickpea salad/ pasta salad

- Theses are good because they’re filling and easier to keep in the field than other salads. Throw some pasta or chickpeas together with some cucumber, red onion, herbs, peepers or tomatoes and toss with some oil and vinegar/ lemon juice and you’re good to go.

> Wraps or pancakes

- Like the sandwich you can throw anything in these. If you’re in Europe you can usually buy pre-made thin pancakes (or you can find them at IKEA).

> Oatmeal

- This can go either savoury or sweet depending on your taste and can be eaten hot or cold. For sweet i’d suggest adding seeds (chia, pumpkin, sunflower) and some kind of nut or seed butter, along with some dried fruit to bulk it out. Savoury I’d say add in some frozen veg (spinach, veg mix etc), hummus and some sort of veggie or regular sausage.

> Charcuterie/ smörgåsbord/ ploughman’s

- This is a fancy way of basically saying cold meat, bread, cheese, some veg, maybe a hard boiled egg. Plus some sort of spread like jam, marmalade, tahini etc for the bread.

> Frittata (thick omelette)

- Again sounds fancy but really just load up some whisked eggs with veg, meat, cheese, etc. And cut pieces to take with you as needed.

—

These are just some suggestions but of course everyone has their favourite foods. Just make sure that everything you bring can be eaten cold because you aren’t always guaranteed somewhere to heat food. And most importantly just remember that food is food. As long as you’ve gotten some sort of sustenance for the day that’s an achievement even if it’s not the ‘ideal’.

[redgillan]

Under Pastel Skies - 2

Sugar daddy!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Modern!AU Bucky doesn’t need anyone, especially not a sugar baby. He isn’t that desperate… but she smiles so sweetly and she’s endearingly awkward, and he’s so lonely. She’s an artist, a painter, the type of person who always puts others before herself. Throwing caution to the wind Bucky offers her a place to live, a place where she can finally paint whatever her heart desires. He doesn’t need much in return; a friend, a muse.

Word Count: 2,024

Warnings: none

A/N: I’m just going to remind you that this sugar daddy fic isn’t about smut. I love smut but it’s not what I’m focusing on here. 

Bucky stood under the glass awning in front of the hotel, the neon green light illuminating the path to the automatic doors. He forced his eyes closed and listened to the sound of rain hitting the glass shelter.

It was just after 6:30 in the morning and he had been standing there for over ten minutes, trying to work up the courage to enter the building. He was sweating, trembling, breathing like he’d just run a marathon. Every sound around him seemed amplified; cars honking, people talking or listening to music. It was hell.

He desperately wanted to take a cab ride back to Brooklyn and hide in his apartment. Bucky had a strict routine -get up at six, eat, shave, shower, go for a walk, etc- and he needed it to keep his mind focused and his body healthy. Though lately, his therapist had encouraged him to stray from his routine if he felt like it. And he wanted to, but his body wasn’t cooperating.

Instead he just stood here, stuck between two choices that terrified him. He could go back home and hate himself for taking the ‘easy way out’, or he could take the plunge and enter the building. He had come here on a whim, but now that he was here he felt as if he really needed to see you. He didn’t even know if you were working.

He looked over his shoulder, he could almost see the metaphorical pack of wolves waiting for him. It would be easy to give in and let them take him. He could go back to his old life, his old habits, or he could jump off that metaphorical cliff and hope for the best.

Your chances are infinite. Anything can happen.

“Can I help you, sir?”

Bucky greeted the receptionist with a smile. He asked if he could have breakfast at the hotel restaurant and she agreed before leading him to the Bar Lounge.

The room was large, with row after row of square tables perfectly aligned. There were a few more private seats close to the bar and an oval buffet in the middle of the room. A woman in a dark grey suit scooped a small portion of scrambled eggs onto her plate next to two slices of toasted white bread. She raised her gaze to his and nodded in greeting.

The swing door that led to the kitchen burst open and Bucky turned his attention to the sound. You were carrying a large tank of orange juice to the buffet table, a pen tucked behind your ear and a piece of paper between your lips. There was a slight furrow between your brows as you set the tank on the table.

Your scuffed boots were gone, replaced by black ballet flats. Your pencil skirt rose up as you stretched to reach the highest part of the buffet. Bucky hastily looked away from your bare legs, not wanting to look like a total creep. Once you were done, you smoothed down your skirt and tucked your white shirt into your skirt.

Your hair was brushed away from your face and your lips were painted red, something dark and empowering, and it contrasted beautifully with your strict, uninspiring uniform, which only intended to erase any sense of individuality.

“Hi, how can I h- Hey, I know you,” you said, approaching him. “You’re Bucky.”

He bashfully looked at his shoes. “Yeah, hi.” He cleared his throat and raised his gaze to yours. “I was hoping to run into you. I, uh, I can’t stop thinking about our talk.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I was rude and brusque, and you were incredibly nice. I really feel like an ass.”

You chuckled. “It’s fine. Honestly, I was nervous, too. You should have seen me –I was a complete mess.”

“Could have fooled me,” he replied with a grin. “Though you did say that meeting me was like choosing between a pack of wolves or jumping off a cliff.”

“Gosh!” You facepalmed. “See? A complete mess!” You gestured to the table behind you. “Have you eaten yet? Sit down, it’s on me.” He opened his mouth to protest but you cut him off. “You paid for the taxi. It’s only fair.”

Amused, he shook his head and followed you to the buffet table. Everything looked and smelled delicious. He spotted several glass cereal dispensers filled with frosted flakes, Cap'n Crunch, Lucky Charms and good old Fruit Loops.

“We also have French toasts, pancakes, croissants, turnovers, omelettes, eggs, four different types of bread with margarine, butter, jam, Nutella, or marmalade,” you said without pausing for a breath, “freshly sliced fruits, a variety of yogurts, granola, oatmeal, orange juice, apple juice, Danish pastries, muffins and a great selection of teas.”

“And that’s it?” Bucky asked, his face breaking into a teasing smile. You liked the way his eyes crinkled at the corners right before he smiled.

You pouted your lips while you thought. “Actually no, we also have scrambled eggs –which, frankly, I don’t recommend. They come in a plastic bag and we have to heat them up in the microwave. It’s a little gross. You can try the sausage and bacon though, unless you don’t eat meat.”

“And coffee?” He found your flustered reaction to his teasing absolutely adorable.

“Yes, of course,” you said, biting your bottom lip. “Sorry, I get a little excited sometimes.”

“I understand,” he nodded. “That’s a pretty great buffet, though I’ll stay clear of the scrambled eggs.”

You took a few steps toward the kitchen and turned back to him, a little apologetic cringe on your face. “Um, how do you take your coffee? Expresso, Americano, latte, cappuccino, macchiato, mocha, ristretto-” you paused to take a breath “-or iced coffee?”

A laugh bubbled out of him. He couldn’t help it, you were just too endearing. “Black,” he said, grinning. “I know I’m boring.”

“Oh, no! You’re not boring,” you rushed to say, then realized what he was doing. “Ugh, you’re messing with me, aren’t you?”

“A little.” His nose scrunched up as he said it.

You went to the kitchen to make his cup of coffee and Bucky began to browse the length of the buffet table. Scooping food onto his plate with only one hand proved more challenging than he expected, and he was glad that the lounge was mostly empty.

He could feel the lady in the grey suit’s eyes on him as he moved around. He set his plate on the bar, removed the glass lid, scooped up two hefty pancakes and stacked them on his plate. They looked pretty fluffy, it wouldn’t be hard to cut them with the edge of a fork. Then he replaced the lid and moved his plate closer to the maple syrup bottle.

He glanced at the woman who hastily looked away as if she hadn’t been staring at him the whole time. Annoyed, he kept looking at her while he poured maple syrup over his pancakes. He hated when people stared at him as if he were a freak. He narrowed his eyes menacingly and grinned to himself when she started fidgeting in her seat.

“You must really love maple syrup.”

Bucky paused at the sound of your voice, his features immediately softened. He looked down at his plate and realised he had drowned his pancakes in a gooey river of maple syrup. He must have spaced out during his staring contest with the business woman.

He had a strange look in his eyes, his expression a mix of confusion and anguish. Finally his eyes found yours and you smiled warmly at him, making him fight back a blink. You pried the bottle out of his rigid hand, and he let you take it.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice weak.

You weren’t sure what he was apologizing for but it wasn’t something you were going to analyse right now. “There’s a cup of coffee waiting for you. Best cup in Manhattan.”

He laughed, the crinkles were back. “You’re an angel.”

Bucky returned to his table and loaded his coffee with three teaspoons of sugar before he took a sip. He had always preferred sweet to savoury, and coffee was way too bitter for him.

There wasn’t much to do in the lounge. The television was behind him, the sound kept to a minimum. The lady in the grey suit left soon after and Bucky watched you clean her table.

You moved back and forth between the main room and the kitchen, going about your work and occasionally shooting him a smile. The food was good, not spectacular, but still better than his usual breakfast –two slices of toasted white bread with butter and a cup of coffee.

“Do you need anything else?” you asked, standing next to his table.

“Company?” he said with a hopeful look. “Please.”

You offered him a pained grimace when he gestured at the seat across from him. “I’m not allowed to sit. Sorry.”

It was hard to resist his puppy dog eyes but you needed to keep your job if you wanted to be able to afford your own place.

“Do you like working here?”

“It’s okay,” you shrugged. “I’m glad I have a job.”

“Sam mentioned you’re an artist.”

You shyly looked around you, you were the only two people in the room now. “I haven’t painted since I got this job,” you revealed. “I’m pretty sure my artist membership card has been cancelled.”

“Nope, those are for life.”

You laughed. “I hope so.”

You looked at each other before he asked, “Do you have any pictures of your work?”

You were genuinely surprised that someone wanted to see your work. Usually people offered a half-hearted ‘oh, that nice. I paint, too, occasionally” and changed the subject. You patted your pockets, searching for your phone, and groaned when you remembered that it was in your locker.

“I don’t have my phone with me but wait-” You took a napkin from the table and started writing. “This is my Instagram. I do a bit of everything, mostly landscapes and portraits.”

Bucky took the piece of paper and, before he could comment, a family of four walked into the lounge area. You apologized to him and walked over to the family, greeting them with a smile and asking them if they had a good night’s sleep.

The children looked like walking zombies until they spotted the cereal bar, and then chaos ensued. More people went down to breakfast and you didn’t have time to chat with him anymore.

He stayed a little longer, watching you help the kids pour cereal and milk into their bowls. A man who didn’t speak English very well asked you a question and you froze, trying to make him understand since you didn’t speak his language. Bucky smiled when you mimed the answer. The man laughed and gave you a thumb’s up.

There was something about you, something soft and caring, that made people at ease. Even when people started complaining that the platter of scrambled eggs was empty, you defused the situation so smoothly that they left with a smile on their face. It was the kind of person you were, kind-hearted and willing to help.

An angel.

When you looked in his direction again, Bucky was gone. You felt a pang of disappointment that he hadn’t said goodbye, but you had been so busy that even if he had been trying to get your attention, chances are you wouldn’t have noticed him.

Pouting exaggeratedly to yourself, you went to his table with your tray and a clean rag to collect the dirty dishes. You moved the unfolded napkin and what you saw underneath made you stop. You blinked, once, twice, three times, certain that you were hallucinating. You scooped up the bills and counted them.

$300

Your eyes were the size of saucers as you ran back to the lobby. You checked outside for Bucky but he was gone. You stood there, under the glass awning, with a bewildered look on your face, still clutching the bills.

Part 3

[lovergirl]

hi <3 I wanna know what ur go to meals r! I eat the same b l and d everyday and need some inspo

For breakfast, i usually eat something light and easy like yogurt (balkan yogurt is my favourite btw!!!) with maple syrup and i add seeds and granola to it! Oatmeal is also very good and like yogurt you can add whatever topping you want! And then on days i don't work i go for heavier and more labour intensive meals like omelettes and pancakes and bruleed french toast or remake what left over i have for brunch put it on fried rice add some egg! And then just eat it w whatever fruit i have!!!

And then for lunch i just have whatever they serve at work, i usually get sandwich and very good soup like the best soup of your life soup and you can do this too like i find esp with soup making all you need is a really good stock to save you and whatever vegetable and meat you want to add to your soup and then you can switch it up everyday, just invest on having good stock at home and you're set with soup making! and then when i'm on my day off i like making simple cucumber and sprout banchans and i have that with kimchi/tofu soup or kimchi fried rice! It's important to have a tub of kimchi in ur fridge i think, you can do so much with it - soup, fried rice, pancakes, omelette, on its own as a side, add to ramen etc... and then a couple of days ago i had tomato poached fish yummy, i also like making tempura bc all you really need is the batter and you can tempura whatever veggie you have! And like i said!!! If all else fails!!! Just make a soup!!! Like what i do sometimes is grab my left over veggies and usually it's just carrots and some cabbages and maybe potatoes and i soup them together and then i add dry beans if i have some and let the stock do the work and i'm saved and i have that w bread or whatever carb i have!

I go all out on dinner bc i have the most prep time for that! So that's when i make pasta and my go to sauce base is just butter and lemon zest and pepper and lots of garlic and whatever herb i have mixed w the pasta water and parm cheese to make that a lil creamier! I also like making japanese curry during colder days and i make katsu to go with it - bc u can make katsu out of everything just stock up on panko - so for me it's usually eggplant or tofu katsu or if i don't have that i just make tamagoyaki! I like making braised pork belly too, very easy! And then sometimes i make chicken adobo - this is very good if u live alone bc it has long shelf life, just refrigerate it and it gets better the longer it stays in the fridge bc ur protein absorbs the flavour it gets from the vinegar and soy sauce so like u can survive off of it for daysss! I also like making karaage out of broccoli or cauliflower! Miso soup w udon and i eat that w fried tofu!

I think the key to making your meals interesting is to have a really good pantry/fridge full of versatile ingredients so like i said keep a good stock around bc you can turn that into stews or soups or put in ur gravy or what have you, kimchi, panko bread crumbs, eggs always eggs, msg so that u get that boost of flavour, butter to make everything u cook taste decadent etc... like the way i cook, i try to revolve my meals around the ingredients i have on my pantry/fridge and see where it takes me and you can just be as creative as you want! Pretend ur in cut throat kitchen or something!!! Have fun!!! Eat well!!!!!!

[charofthestars]

[ clean ]

[ clean ] your muse cleaning a smudge of something off mine’s cheek , forehead , etc

“ —keep telling them that the rations are going to be better for emergencies, or for after we make land. People are going to go off exploring and they’re going to need food they don’t have to cook. ”

Charlie points with his spoon, and the Captain nods seriously. He can’t quite tell if they’re patronizing him or not, but they aren’t stopping him, so he decides to proceed. It’s their own fault, really.

“ Nobody knows how long it will take to establish on the ground either. People aren’t going to come back up to the Invincible for food. ” He huffs. “ Yet people keep dipping into the ration boxes because it’s easier than coming all the way down here, or even waiting for me to come to them. But here I am fighting to make good food out of fucking— ” He shakes a packet currently sitting on his worktop. “ —pinto bean flakes. And I just feel like nobody appreciates how much freeze dried nonsense I have to deal with to make their oatmeal and their soup and their pasta and— ”

Charlie is cut off by Hare suddenly reaching a hand out and scrubbing their palm over his jaw. He reels back, startled, but the Captain hauls him closer and continues to rub at it despite his protests until they’re satisfied.

When they show him their glove, he can see the smear of green flakes left behind, removed from his face. He blinks at it, and then smiles somewhat sheepishly. “ That would be some of the spinach flakes from the omelettes I made for breakfast. ”

[ Make them eat flake sandwiches. ]

Charlie sputters out a laugh. It’s hardly a solution, but it does make him feel better to imagine those high-and-mighty pricks chowing down on powdered veggies on rye.

[jessbakescakes]

@twwobsessed​ asked for either 89. I noticed or 90. you can tell me anything from this post..

I accidentally deleted the ask, sorry! 

This one spans across the series... it also got way longer than I anticipated. Oops?

“Want some chips?”

Donna looks to her left to find Josh holding out a bag of barbecue potato chips he insisted on getting from the store across the street before they loaded up the bus to South Carolina. “Thanks,” she says, taking a couple from the bag. 

“Take as many as you want. It’ll probably be a little bit before we can stop to get something to eat, and we didn’t get a chance to eat lunch.” He places the bag between them, but doesn’t so much as reach for the chips again.

~*~

“Pizza’s here!” CJ announces, dropping several pizza boxes on the table in the center of the room. 

Josh tosses his pen on his notepad. “What did you get? I’ll grab it for you.”

Donna looks up from her note cards. “Oh, no, I didn’t get anything.”

“What? Why?”

She thinks back to the intern who came around asking for everyone’s orders about an hour ago, and the excuse she gave him. The Massachusetts Democratic Party catered a lunch with a sandwich spread; she told the intern that she was still full from lunch, but Josh would see right through that. He sat right next to her while she ate half a turkey sub and a just-this-side-of-stale oatmeal raisin cookie before they were ready to head to their next meeting. 

The truth, of course, is that she’s made a pretty big dent in her already modest savings account since rejoining the campaign. Her parents, in an attempt to impart some financial wisdom upon her during her teen years, had declared that half of each paycheck from whatever after school or summer job she held at the time was to be deposited into a savings account. She managed to make it all this time without having to dip into it; selling her car and sleeping on the floor had made it easier to stretch her limited budget. But it won’t last forever.

Before she can answer, CJ interrupts, calling out everyone’s orders. “Looks like we have some breadsticks on top, here, and some wings… here’s a cheese pizza for Kevin McCallister over there,” CJ says, motioning toward Josh as she opens the box, places it beside the stack, then closes the lid. 

“Hey now, Donna and I are splitting this pizza, I wanted to make her feel at home,” Josh retorts, grabbing a plate and handing it to Donna before pulling two slices of pizza out of the box CJ just abandoned. 

Donna turns to Josh. “I’m fine, Josh, really.”

“Donna,” he says, grabbing her hand and pulling her up from her seat.

“I don’t want to eat your food.” Josh gives her a pointed look, and she lets out a sigh. “How much do I owe you?”

Josh laughs. “What’s mine is yours, Donnatella.” He places his hand at the small of her back and ushers her toward the pizza box. “Eat.”

~*~

They manage to find a 24 hour diner in Little Rock two weeks before the convention. When their server approaches, everyone’s either staring blankly at their menus or engaged in subdued conversation. They were already tired, but they were pulling hours even longer than normal due to what should have been a minor PR snafu turned media beast that just wouldn’t die. 

Josh had gotten Leo to agree to bring Donna on as a salaried member of the campaign once the Governor was no longer the presumptive nominee, but the official nominee; all Donna needed to do was make her last few dollars stretch as far as possible for just a little longer. Her stomach growls loudly as the server moves next to Josh.

“I’ll have the chicken and waffles,” Josh starts, handing the server his menu and sliding Donna’s toward him. “She’ll have an omelette with spinach and feta.”

By the time she opens her mouth to protest, the server’s gone and Josh is listening intently to whatever it is Sam is saying to his left.

~*~

“I’m just saying,” Josh starts, putting his half-eaten box of Chinese food on the table in the Mural Room, “if Thompson thinks Braun and Miller will pull out, we need to plan for that now.”

“You really think they’ll do that?” Toby asks. 

Josh nudges the container toward Donna. “I do. At least, that’s what Braun was hinting at earlier. I don’t know what the hell that guy’s up to; he’s harder to read than any woman I’ve ever dated.”

Donna reaches for the food and peeks inside, noticing that it’s honey garlic chicken - her favorite.

~*~

“I think you’re not giving theoretical physics enough of a chance,” Josh insists. “I think you have some weird, unfair bias against it.”

Donna holds out her hand and takes the wrapper to Josh’s chicken sandwich. “Well, considering physics was the only class I ever came close to failing, I think my biases are perfectly fair.”

Josh laughs. “Donna Moss almost failed a class?”

“I stayed every day after school for a month and pulled it up to an A minus. But for a little while there I was in the mid-C range.”

“Painfully average,” Josh teases. 

“Shut up and eat your salad,” Donna sighs.

“I’m full, you can have it.”

Donna rolls her eyes. “Josh, you ordered this salad. You said you wanted this salad, and I didn’t question you…”

“You’re about to go back to work, and I know you won’t have time to stop and grab something for another… seven, eight hours? Eat the damn salad.”

~*~

The Hawk and Dove is nearly empty; it’s just CJ, Sam, Donna, Charlie, and Josh in the late hours of the snowy evening. 

“Toby was mentioning that earlier,” CJ says. “I don’t buy it.”

Donna pulls Josh’s untouched tray of cheese fries toward her and begins to eat, expecting a grumble or a whine from him. It never comes.

~*~

She’s not invited to this particular State Dinner. She could have gone home an hour ago, but she decided to take advantage of the rare opportunity to catch up on some filing while Josh wasn’t around. 

Donna works through the last stack of files and returns to her desk to find two plates full of hors d'oeuvres.

~*~

Donna opens her eyes and stretches as much as the hospital bed will allow. Josh hears her stir and stands up from his chair. “Hey,” he says. “How are you feeling?”

“Been better,” she says, her voice a little hoarse. 

“They brought you some breakfast. Looks like you’ve got some fruit and eggs. They’re probably a little cold by now, though. You hungry?”

“A little, yeah.” 

Josh extends his hand and offers her a small package of mini muffins. “Don’t ask me how this works, but apparently there’s a vending machine down the hall that has some American snacks in it. I thought these would be chocolate chip, but… they’re blueberry.” 

She takes the package and notices that the word blueberry is written in bold, blue font across the front, directly underneath the logo. He hasn’t eaten any of them.

~*~

“If anyone asks, the Congressman won’t be commenting on the situation with Senator Stephens,” Lou says. “Donna, do your best to make sure they don’t ask.”

Donna nods. She walks back to her seat to find a small bag of chocolate covered pretzels sitting in the chair. She looks across the room at Josh, staring at an electoral map, eating a bag of the same pretzels. He turns to grab a marker and makes eye contact with her from across the room.

Donna’s stomach nearly ties itself in knots when he gives her a small smile before returning to the board.

~*~

Josh takes his seat next to Donna, leaning in for a kiss. “Hi.”

“Hey,” she says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Everything okay?”

He nods. “Yeah. I was just getting the ‘don’t you dare hurt her’ talk from the President.”

“Which one?” Donna asks, taking a sip of champagne.

“Either. Both. They both like you better than me, anyway, does it really matter?” 

Donna laughs. “No, I guess it doesn’t.”

Josh looks down at his empty plate, then at Donna. “You ate my slice of cake?” He’s saying it in a tone of incredulity, but he’s grinning.

She shrugs. “You left it; I assumed you didn’t want it.”

“Donna,” Josh whines. “I was going to eat that.”

“There’s still plenty left,” Donna reassures him. “Don’t worry. You can get another slice.”

“Why, so you can eat that one, too?” Josh sighs. “At what point did you start stealing my food, anyway?”

Donna moves her arm to rest on Josh’s chair. “Probably around the time I noticed that even though I was on salary, you still continued to feed me. I don’t think I ever thanked you for that, by the way.”

Josh turns to face her. “Wait, you knew?”

“Of course I knew, Josh,” Donna says. “It was your way of taking care of me. It’s really thoughtful, actually. One of the many reasons I fell in love with you.” 

She looks at him for a moment, studying the smirk on his face. She’s still in awe that she gets to call this man her husband - this incredibly caring, ridiculously sweet, wonderful man married her. 

“I’m going to start putting my name on my leftovers,” Josh declares

“I’ll just eat them anyway,” Donna says, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah. You will.”

[inwintersolitude]

- April 11th 2022 -

Were you upset when you found out certain things weren't real? (santa, tooth fairy..) No. As far as I can remember, I came to the conclusion on my own that that stuff wasn't real, simply based off of it not making logical sense. And then when someone else told me that it wasn't real, I was like... "well duh, I already figured that out."

Name something you're proud of. brag a little bit. I got my pilots license when I was only 19.

Where would you like to go right now? Nowhere. It's a chilly/gloomy/stormy day, and I'm happy to be relaxing at home.

Which store would you like to win $1000 for? Pottery Barn. They have really nice furniture. There's an upholstered armchair there that I've been thinking of buying.

What do you usually eat for breakfast? A bagel with either plain or vegetable cream cheese, avocado toast, an omelette, oatmeal, or muesli topped with berries. Sometimes I'll have a hard boiled egg as well. I like to have a lot of variation in what I eat from day-to-day.

Do you pay any attention to celebrity drama? Nope.

Name a random fact. Bananas produce anti-matter! As they ripen, they emit one positron every ~75 minutes.

What's been an embarrassing phase you went through? I went through an "I'm not like the other girls" phase when I was 18/19 and in my first year of college/flight school where I thought that I was better/tougher than other women just because I was in a very male-dominated field. I never expressed this stuff outwardly towards anyone, but I'm sure that people could still pick up on that egotism and internalized misogyny. Yikes.

Would you ever move a far distance for a relationship? Not exactly applicable to me... I'm married, my husband and I live together and we move together. I've never been in a long-distance relationship, and never will be.

What's the ugliest animal in your opinion? That hairless cat breed. Sphynx cats, I think? They look like a cross between an uncooked chicken and a ballsack.

What about cutest? Budgies, guinea pigs, donkeys, hairy woodpeckers, capybaras.

Are you good at math? Yes, I've always had a natural talent for math.

What song describes your life currently? I can't think of one.

What popular food do you dislike? Hershey's chocolate. It has a chalky texture and a slight vomit-ish taste.

How long could you be famous before you got "canceled"? I don't know.

Is water wet? If you define “wet” as “having been made damp/saturated due to coming in contact with liquid or moisture,” then I suppose so, because technically water is in contact with itself... or something like that.  Lol.

How old were you when you got your first cell phone? Around 14 or 15.

Are you in any pain currently? Nope.

What's the closest object to you that is red? A red Sharpie.

Do you have any cats? Nope.

Are you impulsive? Nope.

What 3 things do you think you'd need during a zombie apocalypse to survive? Hmmm... a water filtration system, a gun, and a gardening kit to grow your own food.

What's the last meal you've had? Dinner. I had chicken parmigiana.

Have you ever got in trouble with the law? I've gotten a speeding ticket before, but that's all.

What's a law you would create if possible? I've always had a HUGE problem with the current attractive nuisance laws as they pertain to homeowners, so I'd get rid of those. If you have a pool, fountain, trampoline, yardwork equipment, etc... anything that attracts a curious child onto your property, and then that child hurts/kills themselves on your property, that should NOT be the homeowner's fault. It should 100% be the fault of the child's parents for not doing the most basic level of parenting, which is supervising your child and making sure they don't wander onto other people's property and hurt/kill themselves. People who don't have children should not have to make their property child-friendly just because the neighbors are shitty parents who won't watch their kids.

Have you given any thought about what the Christian God looks like? I'm an atheist, I don't believe in that stuff. But I was raised Christian, and as a young kid I remember imagining what "God" might look like.

What's your most used emojis? 😂

What age would you choose to be forever if you had to choose? Roughly the same age as I am now. Early 30s.

How many slices of pizza can you eat in 1 sitting? I guess I technically could eat 3-4 slices, but I would never actually eat that much!

Do you prefer to fix things yourself or always call an expert? It depends. I enjoy fixing things, so there are some things that I do myself, but I also know my limits on what I can handle so I have no problem calling a professional for bigger repairs. And of course there are times where I could fix something, but it's just easier and more convenient to hire someone to do it.

[no-footprints-in-the-snow]

My Recipes

Resharing my recipes to help out some people looking for foods to eat low-carb, low-cal options! <3 <3 <3 

My favourite foods for meals are hard boiled eggs (72 calories a piece - a dash of salt or pepper, as snacks or sandwich filler), tuna (120 calories a can), tilapia (80 calories a fillet), frozen salmon fillets (130/4 oz), romaine lettuce (5 calories for two LARGE leafs/10 for 4) for salads or in replacement of bread.

For tuna wraps (two cans of skipjack drained (240 calories), tbsp of full-fat mayo (80 calories), pepper medley, (you can add chives or celery), wrap in lettuce (head of lettuce - 5 calories for two LARGE leafs/10 for 4) -- makes multiple 'sandwiches'. (325 calories - 205 calories for 1 can) Sometimes I just drain a can of tuna, throw on some Clubhouse ‘La Grille’ Pepper Medley and eat it straight out of the can with a fork. (120 calories)

Egg salad wraps (two-three-four eggs, depends on how hungry you are), tbsp full-fat mayo (80 calories), yellow mustard to taste (0 cals) -- you can add a dash of salt or pepper, wrap lettuce (5-15) around it to make multiple 'sandwiches'. (229-301-373 calories - 2-3-4 large eggs)

I typically boil an entire carton of eggs in one sitting, remember that it takes more time to cook a whole carton. I also get cartons of egg whites (two containers/250g a container/a cup a container), I use a whole carton, microwave for 2 minutes 45 seconds, and then mix in a big tablespoon of peanut butter. It's surprisingly delicious! And low-carb. (206-286 calories if you use 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter respectively) Veggies with dinner or any meal: Simply Steam Green Giant items (like cauliflower rice and broccoli with cheese sauce, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce, and brussel sprouts in butter sauce). All of them are low-cal and delicious. I avoid corn. I'm more a veggie girl than a fruit girl (I've never really been a fan. I don't know why). (40-50-80 calories for half a package - 80-100-160 calories for a full package) You can even make an egg white omelette with one of those 250g cartons and Simply Steam veggies! Just add one cup/250g of egg whites into a frying pan (115 calories), I typically use the broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce package and it comes to 215 calories.

Snacks: Large hardboiled eggs (dash of salt or pepper) - (72 calories a piece), cherry tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, celery, (all great for salads as well), peanut butter, greek yogurt (don't get sweetened ones, they have a LOT of sugar in them). Sometimes, I just slice up a whole tomato (Beefsteak - 33 calories), and put some salt on it, and eat just that as a snack.

Get full fat dressing of your choice to dip or use as dressing. Smoked oysters (good healthy fat) with Clubhouse “La Grille pepper medley”. (130 calories) However, I get light peanut butter.

You can put peanut butter on your celery. Also, 15 almonds is about 100 calories – if you put them in water and in the fridge, they'll double to triple in size, much more filling that way!

Carbs: Whole grain brown rice (usually Uncle Ben's Express roasted chicken, vegetable medley, or mushroom), ready in 90 seconds! I typically only eat half a bag because the carb count can add up, for the second use -- you add a cup of water in the microwave, and heat up for 45-60 seconds. (130-140-150 calories) / (260-280-300 calories for a full bag)

Feel like pasta? They have low calorie options by Slendier – "Calorie Clever", which is gluten free, low carb, and a source of fiber. An entire package is 25 calories.

Feel like pizza? Get the whole wheat 7" tortilla wraps (the smaller size), a dash of tomato sauce spread around with the bottom of a spoon, mozza fat-free cheese slices (X2), top with low-cal toppings, spinach, chicken – 7 minutes in the oven at 400F. (235 calories)

Dessert or sweet tooth? A big spoonful of peanut butter (80-190 calories), or you can make a packet of maple oatmeal (Quaker), and a cup of cottage cheese, is REALLY good as a dessert. Mix it together, it's creamy-deliciousness! Great as breakfast/lunch/dessert, whenever. (271 calories)

Also, ICE CREAM. Plain. Chocolate. Vanilla. Nothing EXTRA in it, is what I mean. Chapman’s even makes a sugar-free, lactose-free kind. Chocolate and vanilla. And yes, Chapman's makes sugar-free chocolate and vanilla, and even ice cream sandwiches – so those are keto friendly! lol

I'm lactose-intolerant so I tend to avoid dairy products. I -love- ice cream, but ice cream does NOT love me. Chapman's makes sugar-free, lactose-free Chocolate, Vanilla, Maple Walnut, Butterscotch Ripple, and Black Cherry Ice Cream! And they taste AMAZING.

Not only that, I find I urinate most of it out, so it doesn’t add to the scale the following day for me.

Broth – I also like chicken bone broth with turmeric and black pepper. Easy to find on Amazon. I add a little bit of chicken bouillon and it tastes like a mug of spicy chicken soup. (75 calories)

I keep vitamins on hand: Essential Electrolytes, K2, Liquid Vitamin D (the pills don't absorb properly), B6, B12, biotin, and I have Apple Cider Vinegar pills (with 'mother') and Turmeric pills on hand. Keep in mind that for some people ACV helps acid reflux, for others it doesn't.

Turmeric is NOT a supplement. Do NOT take it on an empty stomach. I took two pills, then drank coffee. It was like I ate a ghost pepper, I could feel the heat in my mouth for the rest of the day and my stomach hurt. Only take Turmeric BEFORE you eat a meal. I also only take ACV before a meal. Never on an empty stomach.

Remember that the low-fat options typically have a LOT more sodium/sugar in them!

Drink LOTS of water, and don't count coffee or other liquids as your water intake. If you want to determine the exact amount you should drink according to your body weight, you can follow these steps: Take your weight and divide it in half and translate the lbs to ounces. Done.

Avoid sugar-free gum unless you're going to chew the same piece for 60 minutes + because that's how long it takes to burn off the calories in it by chewing it. If you’re going to exercise -- than sugar-free gum won’t matter, but it slows down your weight loss because it causes an insulin spike. You won’t stay in ketosis because of it. This is the same thing with sugar-free energy drinks unfortunately. I find changing your eating window around helps, because it confuses your metabolism. All of these things are easy to make, because I'm lazy. LOL

P.S. I'm a 'dirty faster', and put sweetener in my coffee, albeit I'm learning not to put sweetener in. And lime in my water (you can use lime or lemon), which is scientifically proven to kick your metabolism in the butt. Cool/cold showers instead of hot ones actually burns calories, and clears up skin from acne as well.

P.P.S. I've actually been clean fasting since early February. So now, black coffee, green tea, and water, are the only thing I intake while I'm fasting.