Snacks + Dinner

Man, I ate too much today!!


I left work at 3pm and headed to Queens to pick up my parking pass and buy my $160 textbook for my Nutrition course. I decided not to have my yogurt at work so I was pretty hungry when I got home.

The solution? A smoothie! 1 cup of low-fat yogurt + 1/2 cup frozen blackberries + 1/2 cup frozen raspberries. It was thick, and rather yogurty, but delicious. Yet it only satisfied my hunger 80%. I wanted some carbs, but knew I was having a lot for dinner, so I tried to find other distractions.

For dinner we had my college roommate over. She's of Middle Eastern decent so we did a Mediterranean feast for her. I think she liked it!

The Menu:

Homemade grilled flatbread:



And whole wheat couscous tossed with grilled zucchini and squash and curry-cumin marinated chicken. There was tons of plain yogurt involved in true Middle Eastern style!



I also had two 3 oz glasses of wine, one while cooking and one with dinner:



Husband decided to mix the couscous, veggies and chicken all together so it was really hard to judge how much I had of each. I estimated 3/4 a cup of couscous and 1/3 a cup each of zucchini, chicken, and plain yogurt. I also ate too much flatbread - but I did weigh it before hand and am guessing I ate about 2.75-3 oz worth, roughly 200 calories.

Friday Recap:

Here's summary of calories for the day. I'm still under 2,000, which is my daily target now that I'm in maintenance, but since I've felt like I've gained a little, I wish I wasn't quite so high. Leaving out the wine would have helped!

Kashi bar	140
Cereal	100
Fiber One	30
Strawberries	50
Banana	75
Milk	90
Roll	150
Turkey	55
Chez	80
Avocado	30
Veggies	15
Hummus	40
Apple	100
Yogurt	130
Blackberries	50
Raspberries	40
Nibbles	75
Wine	150
Chicken	100
Marinade	25
Couscous	125
Flatbread (?)	200
Zucchini	20
Yogurt	50
Beer sip	25
Total	1945
Exercise	-500
Net	1445

Lunch + Walk

Met my mother-in-law and husband for lunch in a park. It was a last minute decision, so I had to rush out only to find that my sandwich was soggy on the bottom (I usually toast them). But my new rolls were SO delicious that they made up for it! I also topped the sandwich with a little pesto, so that made the whole thing more interesting.




Lunch:


Rudi's 100% Whole Wheat Roll
1 slice low-fat swiss cheese
1.5 oz turkey breast meat
Cucumber slices
Mustard
Avocado
1 tbsp leftover lemon hummus
1/2 cup bell pepper slices
Large apple, sliced
Diet Fresca

...also had a few sips of husband's beer and 2 of his spicy chips!

I have a yogurt and weetabix to have in a bit for a snack!

Also managed 12 minutes of walking in my short lunch break. We talked for a while, so I didn't have time to do the full 30 minutes. But that might be better since it was pretty humid out there today!

Workout + Breakfast

Went to spinning this morning. 430 calories burned! Had half a kashi honey almond flax bar before leaving for the gym and I'll have the other half for snack.

Breakfast was shredded wheat cereal and fiber one (1.5 cups equiv.) with 1 cup skim milk, 1 cup strawberries, and 1 small banana. I drizzled a smidge of honey on too! Also had a cup of coffee.

The office closes at 3pm today - wheeee!

We're having my Middle Eastern college roommate over for dinner. On the menu? Curried chicken tenders, rice with plain yogurt, zucchini, and homemade flatbread by the husband!

Off to work...

Thursday Calorie Report

Estimates......
Yogurt	120
Strawberries	50
Grapes	30
Fiber One	60
Almonds	80
Milk	10
Raisins	40
Bread	180
Turkey	55
Chez	80
Avocado	30
Veggies	10
Carrots	10
Yogurt	60
Jam	10
Apple	125
Puffins	110
Snacks (office treat)	75
Frozen peas	60
Potato	50
Garbanzo	85
Tortillini	50
Crackers	50
Quinoa	70
Feta	40
Veggies	50
Oils	20
Cookie	100
	1710
Exercise	-450
NET:	1260

A little low but I have to go to bed!! And I honestly wasn't very hungry all day except for the hour of 10-11am!

Dinner

Had a great dinner at Earth Fare, the organic/healthy grocery store that just opened here a few weeks ago. Mother in law is visiting, and we spent the evening watching Alton Brown and eating a cookie (!) so I don't have time for a full report, but here's a quick summary of what I had for dinner:

I had a delicious salad of.....

peas
zucchini
squash
greens
sprouts
carrots
garbanzo beans
quinoa salad (1/4 cup)
feta cheese (1 cube)
sweet potatoes (1/4 cup)
2 tortellini
1 piece chicken salad
1 roasted potato
1 bite of husband's lamb and brussel sprouts from the hot bar

....I think that's it.

And 2 Ak-Mak crackers!

Talk about a delicious salad.

Then I had a really thin ginger cookie for dessert, estimated at 100 calories.

Night!

Lunch + Walk

Wish I could post photos with every meal, but I just don't know how feasible that is!

Lunch today was a big, fluffy kaiser roll topped with 2 oz of turkey, 1 slice low-fat swiss, avocado, cucumber and green pepper. On the side I had a HUGE apple, sliced with cinnamon, and a Greek yogurt with some sugar-free raspberry preserves stirred it. And a green tea, lemon :)

I found the most amazing sandwich shop menu in my work kitchen for the Laurel Market here in Charlotte. I haven't been before because the place looks more like a former gas station than a gourmet deli, but the menu has me hooked before I've even taken a bite! Some of the highlights -

• Tomato Basil: Tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, cracked pepper, leaf lettuce on wheat bread.
• Kismet: Granny smith apples, brie and walnuts on baguette.
• Steve Sandwich: Hummus, avocado, red pepper, leaf lettuce, tomato, honey mustard on focaccaia bread.
• Ham n Cran: Ham, swiss, shredded carrots, leaf lettuce, and honey mustard on cranberry walnut bread.
• Cheddar Apple Smoked Turkey: Smoked turkey, cheddar, green apple, honey mustard, leaf lettuce on wheat bread.
• The Capricorn: Turkey, goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, vinaigrette on focaccia bread.
• Uber Pimento: Turkey, pimento cheese, red and green pepper, leaf lettuce on wheat.
• And for the husband: The Valium aka Italian Torpedo: Salami, capriocola, prosciutto, provolone, green pepper, lettuce, tomato, oregano, vinaigrette.
• And my favorite but something I probably won't get because it seems to cross the border into "dangerous" foods: Turkey, brie, cranberry quesadilla, toasted and served with tomato and leaf lettuce.
  

All the bread is homemade from a local bakery. They also have an array of delicious salads. I will definitely be making a trip there soon!! All of these sandwiches are never something I would have considered eating when I was in prime weight loss mode. But now that I'm counting food groups instead of calories as my focus, I can be more flexible with my choices - and I just have to be sure I watch my other meals that day!

Got in a 30 minute walk after lunch. It was warm, but not hot, despite the 90* forecast. Since I had a shorter run this morning, I'll probably take another walk this evening.

Snacktime

Breakfast held me until 11 - my stomach was grumbling at 10:30 but I was in a meeting! Having a small box of raisins to tide me until noon.

Workout + Breakfast

Pre-workout
Just water today

Workout
4.2 mile run in 37:35 // 8.55 pace

Breakfast
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 cup strawberries
1/4 cup grapes
1/2 oz almond slices
Serving Fiber One
Iced coffee + splash milk

I forgot to photograph breakfast - oops! I was too excited to eat! Once I get in the swing of blogging I'll remember. But here's an old picture of my fruit, yogurt and fiber one breakfasts, although today's was bigger and better!



Decided to run this morning instead of hitting the gym. Left the house at 5:55am with the husband and did our 4.2 mile route around the neighborhood. It was a good run - I had lots of energy. We ran the first 2 miles in the dark, in silence, and spent the second 2 talking about what makes a meal keep you full. Turns out his body is the "protein and fat" type and mine takes grains, weight and fiber to stay full. Hence the reason my breakfasts hold me the longest!

Lunch today is a delicious turkey sandwich prepared by the husband! And some other fun things.

We have a "Sweet Treats" break today at work at 3pm. I have no idea what's on the menu, but I'm armed with some Peanut Butter Puffins as my alternative, so unless there are homemade baked goods (my biggest weakness and a totally 'worth it' splurge) I'll pass.

For dinner tonight we're headed to Earth Fare, the new organic/healthy grocery store in town with my mother in law for big salads from the huge salad bar. I'm so excited, as grocery store + salad bar = my idea of the perfect outing!

Wednesday Recap

Pre-workout
1/2 Kashi peanut butter bar

Exercise
30 minutes Stairmaster
7 minutes skiing elliptical
15 minutes upper body lifting

Breakfast
1.5 cups sliced banana and strawberries
1 cup shredded wheat cereal
Sprinkling Fiber One
1 cup milk
Drizzle honey

Lunch
1/2 wheat roll (1.5 oz)
2 oz turkey meat
1 slice low-fat swiss
Avocado slices
Red pepper + cucumber slices
1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese
1 cup strawberries + kiwi
7 Kashi crackers

Walk
26 minute walk at lunch

Snacks
6 oz Plain yogurt
Weetabix biscuit
Tiny kiwi

Other 1/2 Kashi peanut butter bar

Chocolate!! Just a small piece. I had a craving.

Handful few almonds, seeds, raisins

Dinner
4 oz frozen tilapia
Corn/peas/okra/tomatoes/tomato paste/zucchini/carrot/celery - about 2 cups
1/4 cup kidney beans
10 saltines
A few strawberries


My estimate after dinner: 1800 calories. We shall see!

Total calories burned: 490ish

AND THE TOTAL: Around 1815!! Not bad!

Frozen, Canned and Leftover Fish Chili

That's right, nothing from tonight's dinner was fresh. I threw together a bunch of vegetables, kidney beans, and canned tomatoes to make a base and then topped with with seared tilapia. On the side: saltines!

In the pot:

1/2 c frozen corn
1/2 c frozen peas
1 cup frozen okra
1/2 c canned kidney beans
1 small leftover zucchini
1/4 c leftover carrot chips
4 leftover celery stalks (4")
1 can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste

2 frozen tilapia, seared in 1 tsp EVOO.

10 saltines

YUM!