Fluffy oats!

Wow, I’ve been really bad about this whole picture taking thing over the past two days. I only have two pictures from tonight, and they don’t even cover all of my dinner!

I had the usual banana oatmeal for breakfast this morning with cinnamon, granola, raisins and a dab of peanut butter on top. I tried Kath’s technique of heating everything together (instead of bringing the liquid to a boil first) and they were so much smoother and creamier! I think I’ve found a new way to make oats and it even gives me time to put my lunch together while I wait! Plus this big bowl held me over all the way until lunch (I was hungry so I used 1/2 cup of oats instead of 1/3)

Well lunch was a spinach salad with goat cheese and craisins plus the last of my pomegranate dressing as well as some asiago Kashis which are pretty good, but the flavor is very subtle.

I had a clementine as a mid-afternoon snack and 10 or so almonds with a few shredded wheat and bran pieces before going on a walk with Gypsy. I had myself all geared up to go to a Group Centergy class at the gym tonight but the weather was so beautiful and mild (mid 60s and sunny) that I couldn’t bear to be cooped up and miss it. Plus Gypsy been getting really excited to go out lately so she deserved a longer walk. We walked probably a total of three miles and after her kibble she went upstairs to pass out. One requirement for our next apartment is easy access to sidewalks, for her sake and mine!

Dinner happened in multiple parts. First was chips and salsa: this 1/4 cup measuring cup was originally overflowing

Next came a Gardenburger California burger that I forgot to take a picture of

Third was the last of the roasted vegetables (red potatoes, zucchini and asparagus)

And dessert is a Tootsie pop.

As always I want nothing more than to lie down and read my current Outlander book until I can no longer keep my eyes open but I’m a tad stinky so I think I’ll do tomorrow’s library visitors a favor and take a shower first. I promise to try to remember to take pictures tomorrow! It’s just not the first thing on my mind at 6:00 in the morning!

Food policy

Breakfast was the same as yesterday but somehow held me through the morning better. The other half of yesterday’s smoothie and another piece of bread with peanut butter.

For lunch I had last night’s leftovers but remembered to toss on some ground ginger. I don’t know how much it really enhanced the flavors, but I’m not complaining!

Also had a cookie for lunch-dessert. I was going to skip the second until a co-worker brought in iced molasses cookies full of HFCS. I had a nibble and then ate my second oatmeal cookie to keep from more nibbles.

My husband didn’t get out of his lab job until 6. To hold me over until I could eat with him I had the last of the Red Lobster cheddar biscuits. Rather stale, but still tasty!

I need to go grocery shopping so for dinner we finished off the tater tots and I had a black bean Gardenburger. Come to think of it we could have had eggs for dinner. Oh well!

*******

I’m only about 70 pages into The Omnivore’s Dilemma but it’s reinforced my interest in attempting to eat only whole, natural food. I also listened to one of Yale’s Rudd Center iTunes U lectures about food policy and how it could affect nutrition and the environment. My goal for the next month is to eat as many un-chemically processed foods as possible. Nothing with unpronounceable words or possibly based in corn (except maybe actual corn). Ideally I’d like to stick to things with a very short ingredient list. Expect salads, frozen veggies, smoothies, whole grains and legumes. And my baked goods. The only fake things I’m going to expect are my Rieces Pieces. Om nom nom. While one person changing they way they eat may not make a huge difference, the local food movement will send a message. I can’t afford to eat completely local but I plan to do the best I can on a very limited budget.

Through this I also hope to feel better: better rested, more energetic, and maybe even feel better about my body too. I’m going to get back to running (I’ve let myself take several days off to rest up from Saturday) and hopefully make it back to pilates as well. That’s my goal, help me stick to it!

***

Off to watch the Vampire Diaries!

Lackluster energy

I have been so exhausted all day. I ended up getting up to give the dogs their meds at midnight last night and then didn’t sleep as well as I would have liked. I was hoping to get a nap on my lunch break when I came home to give them more medicine, but didn’t have time.

Breakfast was somewhere between half a serving and a full serving of Dannon natural yogurt with the last of my box of Kashi Go Lean, which was a little more than a serving. I ate it at work, at my desk so there is no picture. I also bought a large coffee because I forgot both my water bottle and a mug so had no vehicle for either the free office coffee (which might have tasted better) or water. The caffeine definitely helped bring me to life.

I have a picture of lunch though! I ate about a third of this pouch of tuna and a serving of crackers (which are rather bland, if I haven’t mentioned it before) while waiting for Rose to finish eating. The salad was spinach, the last of the Italian mix, peppers and almonds, eaten at my desk once back at work.

Dinner was eating early because we were both wanting tater tots. I had tater tots, a Gardenburger portobella burger, and a bag of Green Giant corn in sweet butter sauce.

Needless to say, there’s been a pretty big exercise void this weekend. I’ve barely had the energy to do normal things, much less anything extra. I hope to resume with the running tomorrow. Perhaps I should skip the episode of Gossip Girl and head to bed now… that doesn’t sound like much fun.