Foodie Type Stuff

I made a collage from photos of all the foods I ate last Sunday. I often have more calories on the weekends because the guys are home. The only thing that you probably wouldn't see during the week, would be the apple fritter. I will have one of those every few weeks, when the guys get their donut fix on Sunday mornings. It is a family tradition...or so says my husband! This time I only ate half the fritter. I was JUST as satisfied as I had been with having a whole fritter! It is very true that the first bite is the most satisfying. The rest of the bites are never as good, so why eat the whole thing? I can utilize those extra calories in yogurts or fruits, later in the day. I felt better about not having eaten the whole thing too. It was a win-win moment!

The coffee cups are representative of the cups of coffee I had that day. I use a powdered creamer. The rice cakes are those mini ones that are more satisfying, to me anyway, than the big rice cakes you can get. The dinner plate has steak made the way I tend to have it now, shish-kabobed. I eat less meat this way and the grilled vegetables are divine! Adding a loaded romaine salad makes this a huge meal without the guilt!

I am still without a vehicle. I don't know what to expect from this week's weigh-in. I feel like I've eaten way too much and exercised too little! I am also on day three of no cigarettes! I am more determined to make this 'quitting', last for more than ten months. Damn smokes are SO addictive!!!

I am making changes for my family this week. I started making my son's lunches to take to school. I know the school says their lunches are nutritionally on track, but when you see things like "chicken rings" on the menu, you gotta wonder what planet those chickens are from! The thought of finely ground chicken parts, from parts of the chicken we normally don't think of as edible, creeps me out. I know these are breaded and probably fried and it does not instill a lot of confidence in what the school says is healthy! So far, my son is eating everything I send with him too. Well, almost everything. That one carrot stick. I snuck into his lunch bag, did come back.

I sure miss shopping more than once a week, for fresh produce! Apples are coming in season and the organic ones have a LOT of flavor to them! This is one of the foods that I really notice the differences in flavors when comparing organic to non-organic. I am also really enjoying the new romaine lettuce packs at our local grocery store. They are in the "artisan lettuce" area of our store. There are two perfect romaine lettuce bunches in each container. I use mine from the outside in. First the outer leaves are used in sandwiches. As I work my way into each lettuce heart, I can make perfect lettuce wraps filled with tuna or black bean and salsa salad. The lettuce heart is made into a very wonderful chopped salad with grape tomatoes, sliced onions, sliced peppers, and whatever else I am enjoying that day, for salad fixin's. (grapes, Craisins®, raisins, mushrooms, etc.)
This lettuce comes in a hard plastic tray, with two to a package. They never wilted and kept fresh for a whole week! They are crisp and crunchy and very satisfying! They store in my fridge in the plastic packaging they come in. I really like this new product! I do not like the pre-chopped stuff. I end up throwing away half the lettuce in the pre-packaged, three-to-a-pack romaines, and I throw away too many outside leaves in the single loose heads of romaine. I found this pack to be just right for one person. Currently it is selling for $2.99 a package. Since there is so little waste, it turns out to be the most bang for my buck!

Well, that's it for today. I am off to walk the child to school and then come back and do some yoga on the Wii. I hope you are having a wonderful day too!