July 4th Grill Fest

The husband and I had a low-key July 4th.  We did some gardening, worked out, ran some errands, grilled out, and then watched a movie.  Nothing fancy, but I must say it’s nice to wake up hungover from copious amount of alcohol.  Here was the day in food:

Pre-Workout Lunch

Chopped squash with a cheese stick and balsamic vinaigrette – weird I know (I’m trying to use up the crisper full of squash)

Workout: P90X Shoulders & Back and Ab Ripper DVDs

Post-Workout Lunch

Mexican Egg White Veggie Scramble

(2 HUGE servings)

- 2 cups egg whites

- medium squash

- medium zucchini

- medium onion

- 1/2 cup salsa

- 1/2 cup 2% cheese

- spices: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika

I sauteed the veggies & spices first (a dash of each) on medium heat.  Then I added salsa and stirred it around, followed by the egg whites:

It was a little watery, so next time I will add the salsa after the eggs are cooked.

Top with cheese and enjoy!

I also had two clementines:

One was perfectly sweet and one was just okay.

Afternoon Snack

An end slice of whole wheat tuscan pane with light cream cheese

Dinner

Grilled Tinfoil Vegetables

- medium onion

- large squash

- large zucchini

- handful baby carrots

- dash of dill

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Place a double layer of heavy duty foil on counter.  Fill with chopped vegetables; top with olive oil, lemon juice, and spices.  Close vegetables tightly into long foil package.  Grill for 30 minutes or until desired consistency, then top with Parmesan cheese.

We also grilled corn and burgers (96/4).  Jim put cheese in the middle of his, and I added onions & garlic powder to mine.  The corn was delish and super easy.  All you do is pull back the husks, remove the silk, coat with butter and salt (we used spray butter), replace the husks, and then grill for 10-20 minutes (turn regularly).  While everything was grilling, I enjoyed one of these:

Kenan might have enjoyed a few sips of Jim’s:

He’s almost 21 in dog years, so I let it slide

My plate – I finished everything but was stuffed afterward! Must be the beer appetizer!

I had another beer while we watched the movie (Pursuit of Happiness) and 1/2 cup of Edy’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream:

We opted for the “real deal” instead of the light – those 30 extra calories are worth it!

Breakfast today was the leftover Mexican Egg White Veggie Scramble…

…and a piece of whole wheat tuscan pane with almond butter & apple butter:

YUM!

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda today besides a workout and tidying up around the house.  Hope everyone else is enjoying this beautiful Sunday!  Oh, and don’t forget to check out Angie’s Trader Joe’s Giveaway! 

Wednesday/Thursday Catch up!

Word of caution – this is going to be a long post.  I’ve been out of the loop for two days now and feel so behind!  I’ll give you a recap of Wednesday and Thursday’s bites with minimal explanation, and then I’ll post some pictures and video (if I can figure it out) from flying with my Dad yesterday.

Wednesday

Breakfast

Kashi Go Lean/Go Lean Crunch, 1% Kefir, banana…

…1 egg & 1/4 cup All Whites

Morning Snack

cheese stick and cucumber slices

Lunch

Tuna salad with homemade pickles, whole wheat mini pitas, carrots, and squash

Afternoon Snack

One of the protein bars we carry at our clinic for our bariatric surgery patients.  Here are the stats:

Not completely natural, but they make a nice treat every now and then.

I also had a spoonful of nut butter and a package of Kashi crackers a few hours later, but forgot to snap a picture.  Dinner was unpictured as well…forgive me.   One of my friends from college is a teacher and in town to visit her family for a few days.  She invited me to eat dinner at her dad’s house.  Dinner was a mexican casserole (refried beans in tortillas topped with enchilada sauce and veggies), a side of rice, and Edy’s ice cream for dessert.  It was excellent!  I didn’t get home until 10:00, so I skipped posting and opted for bed instead.

Thursday

Breakfast

Kashi Go Lean/Go Lean Crunch with 1% Kefir and a kiwi.

I was planning on doing the P90X shoulders & back DVD, but opted for a run instead.  Being short on time, I kept it to 2.5 miles and then did about 20 minutes of the stretching DVD to cool down.  Lunch had to be quick (and super early…11am!)

Two slices TJ’s low calorie bread with pbu…

…and leftover squash & zucchini (dill, champagne vinegar for flavoring), to which I added tofu and mozzarella cheese.

Luckily, I was able to shower and make it to my dentist appointment on time.   They took impressions for the bite guard, which should be ready in a few weeks.  Following my appointment, I made the 40 minute drive to the regional airport to meet my dad.   I brought some squash to munch on in the car…

Don’t worry – I didn’t eat this straight like an apple.  I had a knife I used to chop it up!

But that didn’t do the trick, so I stopped at a gas station for this:

YUM!

Dad and I flew for an hour or so, and then headed back to my parent’s house for dinner.  My mom made fresh okra, grilled “tin-foil” vegetables (squash, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini with olive oi & spices wrapped in tin foil on the grill for 30 minutes), and teriyaki steak kabobs:

A variety of “salads”:

I wasn’t a huge fan of either cole slaw so I only had one bite of each, but I finished the three bean salad.

…and Breyer’s light cookies & cream ice cream for dessert!  Delish!

We walked to my grandparent’s after dinner and hung out with them for a bit.  They had to show me my grandmother’s “second kitchen” (she started a catering busy at age 60….so cute!), which was formerly part of my grandpa’s workshop.  And we also checked out the  enormous garden…the garden alone is bigger than my backyard!  One of the perks of country life.  After a fun day/night of visiting, it was time to go home.  Dad flew me back to the airport and then I drove the remainder.  I had a quick snack, bath, and then settled into bed around 11pm.

TJ’s low calorie bread with light cream cheese

I think I’m going to save the flying pictures for my next post.  It’s starting to get hot outside and I wanted to get a run in before it’s officially roasting….more to come this afternoon….

Monday’s Bites

Today started with a slice of Trader Joe’s low calorie bread and ~1 Tbsp of light cream cheese before my 6:30am workout:

Jim and I lunged and squatted out way through the P90X Legs & Back DVD (~1 hour) and then completed the 15 minute Ab Ribber segment.  Very intense, but in a good way.  Post-workout, I refueled with a mixed up bowl of cottage cheese, kiwi, sliced almonds, and Kashi GOLEAN Crunch cereal:

I love kiwi!

Breakfast lasted me until about 11:30, but I knew I didn’t have time for lunch until 1pm – cheese stick to the rescue!

Lunch was leftover tofu and veggies from last night:

I chopped up a cheese stick for a little more staying power, and also had an apple on the side (unpictured)…

…followed by one of these guys for dessert!

By 5pm, I was starting to feel a tiny bit hungry, but not enough for a real snack.  I settled on raw zucchini:

This held me until dinner at 6:45pm:

Egg & mozzarella panini (TJ’s low calorie bread with a smear of Earth Balance margarine) heated on my panini press.  YUM!  I might have had a piece of bread while this was cooking.  I wasn’t feeling up to veggies due to a rumbly stomach, but wanted something munchy – enter 100 calorie bag of popcorn:

I feel totally satisfied and won’t question my sweet tooth’s current disappearance…I’m sure it will reappear soon enough!  Jim and I might be bowling with friends tonight, but I plan on abstaining from the pitchers of beer that will be floating around.  This girl is too tired for alcohol tonight!  Hope everyone else is doing well and full of energy!

Flying vegetables!

Breakfast

Breakfast cookie with 1/3 cup oats, splash of Almond Breeze, 1/2 tsp cocoa, 1 Tbsp pbu on top, and a drizzle of agave…

…and some egg substitute with low fat mozzarella tucked inside.

I also had a cup of green tea with skim milk:

After breakfast, I drove to meet my dad at the regional airport. I am so upset – my camera died on the airfield today!  I took a picture of some of the other planes:

…and the tail of the one we were taking…

…and then the battery went dead!

It’s my own fault for not checking before I left.  We had a great time though – he even let me fly (or attempt to fly) for a bit.  The hard part was seeing over the dashboard because I’m so short.  Next time I need to bring a big pillow.

We made a pit stop in Gastonia to celebrate his and my grandmother-in-law’s birthday.  Lunch was a spread – roast beef, potato casserole, shrimp etufe, rice, okra, fried squash, salad, and rolls.  I had 3 oz or so of the roast beef, 1/2 cup of potato casserole, 1/4 cup of shrimp, a few pieces of okra, two small slices of fried squash, and salad.  I skipped the rolls and rice to save room for dessert – a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake!  YUM!

After lunch, we flew for another hour or so and then landed to exchange goodies.  His birthday present for a huge bag of veggies from the garden, homemade pickles, and fresh zucchini bread.  Check out my crisper – totally packed!

Flying vegetables!  – cucumbers, okra, yellow squash, and zucchini (it’s hiding underneath)…

…and the pickles which I’ll open sometime this week.

I was starting to feel a bit sluggish around 4, so I had a protein bar on the drive home.  It’s Healthwise, the brand we carry at my office – not natural by any means, but it did the job.  I don’t have a picture since I hadn’t made it home to change the camera battery yet.   After putting up my goodies, I set out to do the P90X Yoga – it was 90 minutes and no walk in the park.  I’m still flexible from my former dance/twirling days, but there were some moves I couldn’t master.

Dinner was fairly light due to the large lunch:

Mixed-up bowl of squash, zucchini, onions, tofu, and mozzarella flavored with champagne vinegar and dill

I couldn’t resist trying a slice of my mom’s homemade zucchini/blueberry bread.  It was really good, but I’m feeling a bit stuffed now.  Too many sweets in one day!

Well, it’s time for this girl to shower and wind down.  I hope everyone had wonderful weekends – I know I did!

Slow morning

I am too old for alcohol – my head is not happy with me right now…

We were supposed to go bowling last night but never made it to the alley.  The wait was 2 hours, and Chris was starving so we went to Mez instead.  It’s a restaurant adjacent to a club – Chris and his neighbor ordered fillet and roasted chicken which smelled and looked awesome, but I was full from dinner earlier.  I settled for two Samuel Adams Summer Ales instead and was already feeling the effects after one, so I threw in two glasses of water.  Then they decided they wanted to hang out at the actual club; against my better judgment I had a red bull vodka and about 1/2 of a Miller Lite.  We got home around 2am – way too late.   I feel so sluggish today and my head hurts.

For the longest time I wouldn’t go out because I was embarrassed of my weight and would compare myself to other girls (I swear, downtown Charlotte is like a mini-LA sometimes) – me going out as much as I have lately shows my self-esteem is improving.  The only problem is it usually involves alcohol and I end up feeling it the next day.  I’ve got to learn to be able to have one drink and stop!

On a more positive note, Jim and I talked about the P90X nutrition plan.  He doesn’t want to follow the plan exactly and just wants to eat healthier in general.  YAY!  Now I don’t have to worry about cutting back on my carbs.  I’ve worked hard at “making peace” with carbs; following a low-carb plan would set me back mentally and probably increase my cravings/overeating frequency as well.  Consequently, breakfast included carbs and protein

Breakfast Cookie with Pbu

Egg substitute with low fat colby jack

Tazo Green Tea…

…couldn’t resist a splash of skim milk!

And just for fun…

This just bloomed yesterday in our back yard!

Today’s agenda is up in the air.  A workout is a must!  Today is a chest & arms day for P90X, but I want to get in some cardio as well, especially after last night.  Not sure if I’ll feel up to a run – we’ll see.  My weekly grocery run needs to happen today as well since I have a busy day tomorrow.

I’m meeting my dad to fly at the Monroe airport- he was in the Army and used to ride in the backseat of the fighter jets.  Post-army he got his pilot’s license and became a member of the local flying club – now he rents small planes (Cesna’s I think…I’m not up on plane jargon) for weekend joy rides.  I’ll be sure to take some pictures.  It’s also Jim’s grandmother’s birthday, so I think we might fly to the Gastonia airport, have Jim pick us up so we can hang out with his family, and then fly back to Monroe after that.  It should be a lot of fun.

I hope everyone else is having great weekends so far!

P90X is here…what’s a wife to do?

The husband and I tried out the P90X chest & back DVD after my post last night – boy, am I sore today!  LOTS of push-ups – I did the majority of them girly style on my knees and have the bruises today to prove it.  Today’s tape was pyelometrics (lots of jumping around) and both of us worked up a good sweat.

I’ve decided to follow the exercise program with Jim, but I’m not so sure about the nutrition part.  The first phase is 50% protein – ridiculous!   I’m having a moral dilemma here – following it would go against everything I’ve learned as a dietitian about balance BUT I want to be supportive of the hubby.  What’s a wife to do? Suggestions or advice anyone?

Moral dilemmas aside; it’s time for today’s bites…

Last night’s post-workout snack:  Kashi Mighty Bites in skim milk

BREAKFAST

Breakfast cookie (1/2 cup oats, 2 Tbsp PBU, splash of Almond Breeze, 1/2 tsp cocoa powder) topped with another Tbsp of PBU – HEAVEN!

Egg substitute with reduced fat mozzarella

MORNING SNACK

cheese stick

LUNCH

Salad with romaine, carrots, tofu, egg, almonds, and balsamic vinaigrette.  I planned on an apple for dessert, but decided on this instead:

KASHI!

AFTERNOON SNACKS

Lowfat plain yogurt with 1 Tbsp PBU

Microwaved rye with 1 Tbsp PBU

DINNER

Stir fry with edamame, tofu, sesame oil, garlic powder, and the last of my mozzerella cheese…

1/2 cup total Kashi Mighty Bites/GOLEAN Crunch in skim milk…

…and another slice of rye with PBU – I’m officially obsessed with this stuff! It is soooo good. 

I had a DEXA scan today to retest my body composition (I hop on there every now and then for free – one of awesome perks of my job) – I’m down 2 lbs and 0.5% in body fat over the past month.  It’s a slow loss, but I’m happy to be moving in the right direction.  The weird thing is that my left arm has more muscle than my right – and I’m right handed!  Gotta even those suckers out!

Alrighty, I need to shower – Jim and I are probably going bowling with Chris tonight.  Should be fun! Hope everyone else is having a great Friday night!

I finally made PBU!

After my late breakfast, I went for a jog/walk – 4 miles in 55 minutes (I think I ran 40 and walked 15 or so).   I wish I’d woken up early because it was really hot by 10am (80-90 degrees?).  I wore sunscreen and a hat and still got burned – my skin is just super fair.  I keep touching my cheeks and they’re still hot 8 hours later….oh well, free blush.  I cooled down while reading blogs, and then fixed myself an early lunch since I had to be at my hair appointment by 12:30.

I was craving fruit, so I made of bowl of lowfat plain yogurt, peaches, banana, almonds, and Kashi GOLEAN Crunch cereal.

Up Close

I sat for almost 3 hours this afternoon for my highlights and trim, and then had a handful of almonds in the car on the way to the mall.

My sister-in-law was supposed to meet me, but she never answered her phone.  I perused the sale rack at Anthropologie and tried a few things on, but nothing worked.  I get so frustrated being “well-endowed” and short.  I realize I can have things altered (and nearly every item I buy ends up going to a tailor) but it gets old…and expensive.  I did manage to find a BCBG shirt at Belk for $40 from $138 – gotta love a bargain!

I could get away without altering this one, but it’s sleeveless and an inch off the fabric at the shoulders would make a huge difference.  I’ll probably spend the extra $10 or $15….sigh.  At least I found something fun though!

I worked up an appetite shopping and wanted something quick when I got home.  Decided on a salad with tofu, egg, romaine, carrots, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and TJ’s reduced fat cilantro dressing.

And a slice of rye bread with Earth Balance margarine:

Microwaving it for 30 seconds makes it taste so much better!

Okay, so I’ve been reading a lot about ABU and PBU on various blogs and decided it was time to make some of my own:

1 cup Skippy Natural PB + 2 cups unsweetened almond breeze = PBU

It turned out a little watery, but even watery this stuff is AWESOME!  Emily is a genious!  I had a Tbsp or so straight off the spoon and also used it to make my breakfast cookie for breakfast tomorrow.  I will be dreaming of it tonight for sure.  Oh, and the peanut butter spurred a chocolate craving, so I had a few Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips:

YUM!  I love dark chocolate because just a little bit satisfies.

Kenan just went psycho – the UPS guy dropped off the P90X DVDs my husband ordered.  MAN that was fast!  I have to go check these things out…

MIA and back in action

I know I was MIA yesterday – no excuses really, I just didn’t feel like blogging.  Here’s a recap of Wednesday:

Breakfast

Breakfast cookie made with 1/2 cup oats, splash skim milk, 1 tsp cocoa, 1/2 scoop unflavored whey protein, and 1 Tbsp peanut butter

1/2 cup egg substitute with a bit of sea salt

Morning Snack

cheese stick

Lunch

Green beans, 1/2 cup couscous, 1/4 block tofu, pat Earth Balance margarine, & 1 Tbsp champagne vinegar…

…hard boiled egg…

…and an apple.

Afternoon Snacks

Kashi bar around 2:30pm

Fresh cucumber slices…

…and 1/2 cup yogurt with homemade strawberry glaze around 5pm.

Dinner

carrots and hummus

homemade pizza (see recipe page)

I had good intentions on Wednesday – went for a 45 minute walk during work and planned on working out when I got home, but I talked myself out of it.   I watched DVR’d episodes of The Cleaner instead – slacker.  This was followed by some mindless munching  – Kashi crackers with peanut butter, cereal, Kashi cookies, sunchips, and a few mini Twix bars.   Technically I should say binge instead of munching…munching sounds so much better though.  Moral of the story – I have to blog every day even if I don’t feel like it.  Also, I am allowed to take a day off from working out, but shouldn’t feel guilty and let that turn into eating unnecessary stuff.

Enough about that…today I will not continue yesterday’s cycle.  Wasn’t feeling that hungry because of all the junk last night, so I decided on a light smoothie:

- 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

- 1/2 frozen peach

- 1/2 frozen banana

- 8 oz skim milk

- 1 scoop unflavored whey protein

- 1 tsp agave nectar

Very refreshing!

Now I’m ready to take on the day.  Today’s agenda includes working out, a haircut/highlight, hanging out with my sister-in-law, and whatever else I feel like accomplishing.  Glad to be back!

PS – Check out the Real Simple & PURE Bar Giveaway from Kristin at Iowa Girl Eats!

Atypical dinner – smoothie and cereal

Do you ever wake up in total confusion, struggling to remember what day it is?  Today was one of those mornings, and I was sorely disappointed when I realized it was Tuesday instead of Thursday (my day off).  I got over it pretty quick though and moved on to breakfast by 6:30:

Overnight oatmeal (1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt, 1/4 cup almond breeze, 1/3 cup oats) topped with 1/2 oz almonds, 1/4 cup Kashi GOLEAN, and a drizzle of agave nectar AND some protein:

1/2 cup egg substitute and 1/2 oz low fat mozzarella

I had a cup of coffee at work around 7:30 with a splash of 1% milk (unpictured) to get me going.  Unfortunately, I felt the caffeine crash a few hours later, but gotta love that buzz while it lasts!

I snacked on a cheese stick at 10:00 and decided to have an early lunch at 11:45:

LEFTOVERS!

- 4 oz extra lean ground beef with 1 packet ketchup I “stole” from the break room

- 1/2 cup couscous with pat of Earth Balance margarine

- a pile of green beans with balsamic vinegar

Nothing spectacular, but it did the job and I knew it needed to be eaten before it went bad.  Waste not, want not…or something like that.

Dessert was perfectly sweet though….

…the last of the fresh pineapple. YUM!

One of my patients canceled, so I went for a 30 minute walk around 1pm.  Nothing like fresh air to perk you up, even if it is 90 degree air!

By 4 I was started to feel a little headach-y and hunger was starting to grow, so I had a piece of rye bread with almond butter and agave nectar.  I left work around 4:30 and then had some carrots when I walked in the door.  I debated running, but didn’t really feel up to it; Kenan and I settled for a walk in the park instead.  There were tons of geese and ducks out today!  He loved it – watching his excitement makes me beam like a proud parent…I can’t imagine what being a REAL parent will feel like if a dog brings out this much emotion in me.  Not that I’m planning on becoming a parent anytime soon…just sayin’.

I didn’t feel up to a hot dinner tonight for 3 reasons:

#1 – It’s hot outside!

#2 – Jim is out of town for work so I don’t feel compelled to cook.

#3 – I already had a hot meal at lunch.

Irregardless of the reason, I decided to make a big smoothie and a bowl of cereal:

Pineapple-Strawberry Dream Smoothie

- handful frozen pineapple &- handful frozen strawberries

- 1 to 2 Tbsp lemon juice

- water to preferred consistency (I think I used 6 oz???)

- 1 scoop unflavored whey protein

- few drops vanilla extract

- small chunk of brown sugar (?1 tsp)

BLEND AND ENJOY!

I was trying to recreate the sorbet consistency of the glaze I made Sunday night, but it didn’t turn out as thick.  I think I should have used less water and a food processor.  It was still really good though; a perfect summer “treat”!

My cereal bowl contained about 1 cup total – it was a mixture of Kashi Mighty Bites, Kashi GOLEAN, and the last of my Peanut Butter Bumpers (!!!) in skim milk.  I’m going to have to buy another box this weekend for sure.

This may not be typical dinner fare, but I was very pleased and am feeling quite content at the moment.  Now I just have to figure out what to do with the rest of my night. 

Big Daddy’s Burger Bar

My snacks from last night:

a small peach…

…and 4 oz of skim milk

I was still hungry as I was trying to fall asleep, so I had a cheese stick around 11 as well (unpictured).

Now another Monday draws to a close…it’s been a jam-packed day on too little sleep.  I went to bed last night at 10:30 but didn’t fall asleep until well after midnight.  This insomnia thing has got to improve!  I didn’t have to be at work until 9am, so I mentally cancelled my workout last night and reset my alarm for 8.  Luckily, I awoke at 7:15 and decided I would feel better if I worked out – I did a quick 30 minutes on the elliptical followed by breakfast:

A slice of my veggie-rific egg substitute casserole (see recipe page) from the freezer…

…and overnight oatmeal (1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt, 1/4 cup almond breeze, 1/3 cup oatmeal) topped with 1/2 oz almonds and a drizzle of agave nectar.   The egg casserole wasn’t as good this time around – it was pretty watery, but it was quick and easy so I can’t complain.  The combo lasted me until lunch around 12:30.  I brought a leftover burger from last night, but decided I would save that for tomorrow’s lunch since I had plans to go out for burgers at dinner.  Instead I had the following:

…cucumbers from the farmer’s market (you can definitely tell the difference in taste!), carrots, and a slice of rye with 2 Tbsp fresh ground almond butter & a drizzle of agave nectar.  I ended the meal with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt topped with a bit of the strawberry glaze I made last night.

Looks sort of gross, but it was tasty!

After lunch, Renee (one of the other RDs at my office) and I went for a 30 minute walk.  So refreshing!  Lunch lasted me until 4, and then I decided it was time for a snack.

This one’s self-explanatory

Dinner was girls’ night out with Renee and Arielle – we went to Big Daddy’s Burger Bar.  The names implies grease pit, so I was shocked at the selection of healthier fare.  There was a huge selection of burgers and “fixins” along with entree salads; you could even create your own salad, which I decided was my best bet.  I chose the buffalo burger on a bed of romaine lettuce, mushrooms, chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and pecans/balsamic vinaigrette on the side.

I am proud to say I took my first food picture in public! Granted it’s not too odd in front of an RD and fitness trainer, but it’s a start, right?

This was my first experience with bison and after this tasty burger, I’m a fan!  I finished all of the burger, most of the salad, 1/2 the nuts, and 1/4 of the dressing (which was really thick for a vinaigrette)…

I wasn’t that hungry after dinner, but still wanted something sweet to end the night…

1/2 cup each Peanut Butter Bumpers and Kashi Mighty Bites with skim milk

Going to catch up on reading blogs, and then it’s off to bed.  Nighty nite!