Sometimes I laugh when I think about how I used to never eat meat, and now I am looking at this built in grill guide to get the best griller for my meat recipes.

Because I thought it was healthier for me.

It was only funny, because not once did I ever actually think about why I thought that.

It was just common knowledge in the nutrition world: duh, meat is bad. Being vegetarian or vegan, by association, meant healthy. And good.

Even though so much of the stuff I used to eat as a vegetarian/my 1 year vegan stint, was processed. Tofu. Soy milk. Granola bars. Cereal. Non-fat yogurt and cheese. I mean, just to name a few of my daily staples.

And I’d eat a lot of those things, because I was always so freaking hungry. And never really satisfied or that “perfect full” feeling after a meal. I was pretty much always in search of something sweet, or a snack, etc, even if I had just ate a few hours ago.

I tuned that piece out- it didn’t cross my mind that that wasn’t normal!

Until, the sweet day, when my sister (the always on point attorney in her, coming out with logical truth bombs that always get me): so, if I cared prided myself on, eating food that was in it’s most real, natural, state– wouldn’t grass-fed and well raised animals quantify as that?

Even if it was “meat”?

I probably nodded real slow to that one. Because yes, it’s true. But I didn’t want to really admit it. Because that would mean that eating meat was, by definition, a potentially healthy food. If it was raised well, and the animal it came from, was healthy itself.

Called out!

I was totally stuck in my comfort zone, and old beliefs I held to be true, without actually thinking if it made sense.

Which, ironically, is what I try to help OTHER people do, you see. To get out of those auto-pilot modes.

Because set routines never really help when it comes to food.  Despite every single diet and program out there that suggests you do just that. Like a robot.

Because what happens is this: you just start to tune out every way that your body actually speaks to you- about when you’re hungry, what kind of food you need, and how you feel after it.

You try to over-ride it, like you know better.

Which, newsflash my sweethearts: that is never the case. Like, ever. It leads you really far away from what you’re pursuing in the first place: to feel better.

And like you can take on the world and give more to others every single day.

And it all starts from eating real food.

ALL kinds of real food, and seeing how your own body does with a big, wide open, AMAZING, beautiful assortment of foods.

And not being scared about it. But thinking of it as fun.

Because it is.

And because, if you let it be, and can find more joy with food, it permeates the rest of your life.

So, now I enjoy steak. Grass-fed, grilled (ok, served more well done than most people prefer, but I’m working on it). With the most amazing sauce. And I love it. So much so, it even went in the cookbook this past year.

So, try it. This, or whatever else you may be avoiding thinking it’s not “healthy”.

It could be a cocktail, great cheese, eating a whole freaking avocado in one sitting, cooking with butter, or a homemade dessert.

If it’s real food, it’s on the table. And is probably more healthy for you mentally than you know. If not also physically too.

So today, the routine-breaking, get outside of your comfort zone steak.

Happy eating sweet friends.

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce 

Makes approximately 4 servings

Notes: This sauce is also great with beef, chicken, fish or shrimp, and potatoes or quinoa as a side.

1 pound organic grass-fed flank steak

olive oil, sea salt + pepper to taste

Chimichurri Sauce

Makes approximately 4 servings

1 bunch parsley, leaves only

1 bunch cilantro, leaves only

3 tablespoons capers

2 garlic cloves

1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon pepper

½ cup olive oil

For a more traditional chimichurri sauce, chop all ingredients finely by hand and mix with olive oil. If you are short on time, add it all to a blender, and pulse or blend to your desired consistency.

Ahead of time: Cover steak in a plastic bag or in a glass baking dish with the chimichurri sauce (saving most of it for a topping after the meat cooked) or olive oil, sea salt and pepper, for up to 24 hours before cooking.

When ready to eat: Heat a skillet, grill pan, or BBQ to medium-high heat. Add a bit of butter, olive oil or coconut oil to the pan, and wait for the heat source to warm up.  Add steak to the hot pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steak and your taste preference. When the steak is done, remove it from the heat, and let stand 2-3 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Top with chimichurri sauce to serve.

photos by Jasmine Pulley for the Simply Real Health Cookbook, available here or on Amazon.com