Fueling Foods

I have mentioned before that my work schedule has gotten really busy over the past few weeks. On those days where I am really busy, food choices are even more important because my foods need to fuel me for a long day.

When you are working late, it can be easy to mindlessly snack all day. Sometimes I do feel like I get even hungrier on those days. So I like to bring foods that will keep me full for a while. This is what I ate yesterday to keep me full and energized.

I started the day with a peanut butter waffle (recipe coming soon!) topped with hot apples, cinnamon, and a little maple syrup.

The apple on the waffle added some extra fiber that kept me full for several hours.

On the way to work, I picked up my new favorite drink from Starbucks, a skinny White Chocolate Mocha. I also added some cinnamon and nutmeg to it to give it a little something special.

Granted, this was decaf so I didn’t exactly get a caffeine boost. But it still gave me a surge in energy.

Breakfast kept me full for a while so I had a late lunch. I had some chili that my husband and I prepared last week (leftover chili is the best). I added some brown rice and some kidney beans for a little added bulk.

Not a pretty picture, but it was delicious! And it kept me full for a while as well.

I had an afternoon/early evening snack of a couple of hard boiled eggs.

I think that eggs get a bad rap. They are a great source of protein!

A little while later, I was feeling a little snackish again. I brought out my little homemade snack mix that I made that morning.

In the tupperware container were some Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins, some Trader Joe’s peanut butter filled pretzels, and some honey roasted peanuts. Can you tell that I love peanut butter? 🙂 Because the eggs had done their job, I didn’t feel hungry enough to eat all of it. I just had the pretzels and about half of the cereal. Great munching material!

I did not get home until after 8:00 pm. I didn’t take a picture of my food, but my wonderful husband had prepared me a dinner of sweet potato fries and a lean hamburger patty. Yummy!

I will be honest and say that after dinner I was in the mood for something sweet, so I had a few of my husband’s Famous Amos vanilla sandwich cookies. They were so good!

The best thing about my busy schedule is that I stay very active at work. There are a couple of sets of stairs that I have to climb. The busier we are, the more times I have to climb the stairs. So I may not have had time for a workout, but it’s hard to feel guilty when my quads are feeling this sore! 🙂

What is your favorite snack or meal that keeps you full for a long period of time?

He’s Back!!!

Okay, I’m going to make this a quick post. My husband is now home from his business trip and he’s ready to annoy spend time with me. 🙂

Breakfast started out with a meal of champions. I had a couple of eggs, some American cheese and I topped them with hot sauce. With the eggs, I had some a toasted pita with almond butter and Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter.

I was really surprised that my pumpkin butter has been in my cabinet since Saturday and I hadn’t opened it yet. Surprisingly, I was not super impressed with it. It was a little too spicy or something (meaning too much nutmeg) and I thought it could have used some extra sweetness or something. I will continue to eat it, but I’m not sure I will buy it again.

I went to work kind of early (for a Thursday anyway) and I was hungry by midmorning, so I had a snack of some Farmer’s Market fresh pineapple. Mmm . . . it was so fresh and so juicy. I love pineapple!

Lunch was some Trader Joe’s roasted turkey slices, hummus, and spinach on a whole wheat pita. I also may have put some hot sauce on it. I swear, I put that stuff on everything lately!

I have got to find another type of bread for my sandwiches. I don’t know what is up, but lately the pitas that I get at the store just fall apart. They are so flimsy! The pita starts breaking even before I begin to put my fillings in. Above is a pretty picture of the sandwich. Below is a picture that shows the broken parts of the pita.

These broken pitas make for a very messy lunch. Tasty, but messy.

An afternoon snack consisted of something that I haven’t had in a super long time . . . a Larabar!!! I was so thrilled to eat this. I am reintroducing dried fruits to my diet to see if they cause migraines. I know that nuts do not cause headaches (thank goodness), so I am eating some Larabars to see if dried fruit causes a reaction.

I had the Peanut Butter Cookie flavor. I don ‘t know how the people of Larabar gets their bars to taste so much like peanut butter cookies when the only ingredients are peanuts, dates and salt . . . but dammit, they taste awesome!

After work and picking up Callie from doggy daycare, I headed home. Callie and I both wanted a bit of exercise in the form of a jog (even though she was super tired from her day) and I had a great pre-workout snack of Peanut Butter Puffins.

several handfuls of these

Where have these things been all my life?? I adore the peanut butter flavor and they taste so much better than the original. I could get super addicted to these things!

Callie and I had an awesome jog and then I also did 30 minutes on the elliptical. So I did an hour of cardio today and I feel great . . . although my feet are a bit sore.

Does anyone have any ideas or links to direct me to for good stretches after running? I did stretch today (yay for me), but I usually feel as if I’m going blind and I’m not sure the proper stretches to do so that I stretch the muscles that I have used the most. If anyone has any ideas to help, that would be great.

Dinner came together quickly. I heated up the leftover Red Beans and Rice and I heated up some Canadian Farm organic frozen peas. So yummy, filling, and quick. My favorite!

Yes, I have everything mixed together in a crazy mess. For some reason, I can only eat certain veggies if they are mixed in with other things. Is anyone else like that? I felt pretty good about myself by eating a dish with beans, peas, and tomatoes. No one had to bribe me to eat my veggies today. Oh wait, are beans a vegetable? Maybe not . . . 😉

Now I must go because my husband is back from his business trip (yay!) and I am so happy to have him home. And he was so nice that he brought a sandwich and chicken chili from Jason’s Deli on his way home (my favorite!). How sweet is that? I know that I will be having a good lunch of leftovers at work this week. 🙂

Goals and Satisfying a Craving

Why is it that the rain just completely drains me of all energy?

It has been raining all day today, and since it was my day off I spent most of the day indoors, not doing a whole lot of anything. It felt so good.

Last week, I talked about how I got a physical and some blood work done for the first time ever. I finally got the results back (most of them anyway). Most of the numbers are pretty much normal, except for my good cholesterol, which is a little low. Also, my Vitamin D level seems to be low as well. The doctor said that could explain why I have been so tired. She prescribed me some Vitamin D and she advised me to start taking fish oil supplements to raise my good cholesterol.

Unfortunately, she told me that she “forgot” to get complete blood work on me that would determine whether I was anemic or not. So I had to drag myself out of the house in this nasty weather today in order to get my blood drawn. I actually had to wait 45 minutes for this. Ugh!

After the blood was drawn, I headed to Sam’s to pick up some vitamins. Seriously, I got enough vitamins to last for months! The bottles were huge, but it was a really good deal. My cabinet now resembles a pharmacy.

Yes, these are the vitamins that I must take (including my prescribed one). And yes, that is a prenatal multivitamin you see but, no I am not pregnant. 🙂 I have heard that prenatal vitamins are the best for women to take because it gives women the nutrients they need more than other types of vitamins.

So now that I have my blood work done, I have a few goals for October and beyond (can’t believe October is just about over!).

1. Eat a healthy breakfast every day.

Yesterday’s breakfast: 2 eggs with cheese and hot sauce, half a whole wheat bagel with almond butter and jam

2. Eat more fruits and veggies.

Yesterday’s lunch: salad with hamburger patty, cheese, and homemade Italian vinaigrette

Snack for today: mashed avocado and hot sauce (served with unpictured tortilla chips)

3. Sweat (or exercise) 5 days a week.

Side note: It’s always nice to work out with a partner. 😉

6. Incorporate more strength training into my workouts. Speaking of which, I did Gina’s Bridal Bootcamp yesterday and WOW. Yes, I am already married but who doesn’t need a little boost to get nice and buff. My ENTIRE upper body is sore: biceps, triceps, even my back). It’s not the kind of sore that makes me never want to work out again or inhibits my daily activities. But my muscles are sore enough so that I do wince a little when I reach for stuff and I definitely feel that I got in a great workout. I can’t wait for the rest of the bootcamp workouts!

7. Cook more meals at home. I am all about indulging in moderation and I have always included about one meal a week at a restaurant just for a change of pace. But when Corey and I were going over the money, we discovered that we had gone over budget and we had also eaten out a LOT this month. I do try to make healthier decisions when I eat out (most of the time anyway), but let’s face it . . . the calorie counts are still too high. And I wonder why I have hit a plateau with my weight.

In honor of my new goal to cook more meals at home, I made a very tasty meal tonight. It would have been so easy to order in since Corey is out of town. But I want to stick with my goal and I was in the mood for some beans and rice.

Yes . . . beans and rice. For some reason, I have had a craving for a week or so. I googled a bunch of recipes, but I finally just made some changes to a couple different ones until I had one that sounded good. And boy, was it delicious! This is coming from someone who normally doesn’t even like beans. The amount of the spice was so perfect that, for once, I didn’t need to put hot sauce on it. The recipe is below. I can’t wait until I eat the leftovers. So good!

Red Beans and Rice (serves 2)

1/2 of a 15 oz. can reduced sodium dark red kidney beans, drained
1/2 of a 14 oz. can diced tomatoes and chiles, undrained
3 slices of bacon, fried and drained
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Brown Rice, cooked

Mix the cooked bacon, undrained tomatoes, drained beans, and spices together. Simmer until heated through. Serve over cooked rice.

Seriously . . . how easy is that?? I did use only half a can because it was just me (and one more serving for leftovers of course). If you are cooking for more people, obviously you can use the whole cans of beans and tomatoes and adjust the spices accordingly.