What I Ate Wednesday: Cutting the cheese … again

Eff it.

That’s what I said to that whole dairy-free thing this weekend. I ate pizza. I had fro-yo. I had cheese. And then, on Monday, Miles had one of his worst days in a long time. Non-stop fussing and discomfort. Was it the dairy? I don’t know but I’m back to being dairy free just in case.

Three cheers for soy milk … YAY! Yay! Uh …

Now, on to my eats for WIAW.

Breakfast

Multigrain English muffin with Artisana pecan butter and tart cherry butter with a peach on the side

Lunch

Low-carb wrap with a Morningstar Farms spicy black bean burger, veggie “cheese” slice, guacamole and salsa with sweet potato fries. I washed it down with an Ocean Spray Diet Sparkling Cranberry – LOVE THESE.

Snack

Apple and a Larabar – obviously I was very hungry come snack time

Homemade zucchini bread (recipe from Eating Well). Hooray for Miles taking a nap!

Dinner

Leftover marinara with Ronzoni SmartTaste penne and Brussels sprouts

Evening snacks

Half-cup Private Selection Northern Black Cherry sorbet – BEST. STUFF. EVER.

Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal (got a free sample in the mail) with light vanilla soy milk

Dear diary

The minute Miles was born, I became officially uncool. Or so my boss says. But nonetheless, I am going to try. And try I will today, joining the community of bloggers for What I Ate Wednesday.

I figured this week was a good week, joining WW and going dairy free, to show you just what I’m eating. Let me rephrase: What I can eat.

Breakfast

Oatmeal made with 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze, banana, pinch of salt, Truvia and 2 tablespoons Kashi Summer Berry granola (though the granola added nothing to it).

Snack

 

1 cup cherries and a decaf soy latte from Starbucks (unpictured)

Lunch

Flour tortilla (gasp!) with spinach and garlic hummus and assorted veggies, carrots and mixed nuts.

Snacks

1 serving Wheat Thins, a half banana (unpictured and only because it was sitting on the counter next to the Wheat Thins) and PB&J bread – my fave “dessert” of late.

Dinner

Veggie skillet with one egg and Cornmeal Pancakes with light syrup.

Snack

Stonyfield soy yogurt with 1/4 cup Kashi granola (it actually added something here). BTW, I thought the soy yogurt would be nasty – I bought it only because it was BOGO – but it was surprisingly not repulsive.

What have you been eating lately? Should I do WIAW again?

Showin’ the love

This one is for you, L!

Right now, life is super exciting. It’s a cycle of go to the bathroom, pick up Miles, feed Miles, drink water while feeding Miles, burp Miles, change Miles, feed Miles some more, pray Miles goes to sleep.

Yeah, this whole baby thing is much harder than I thought it would be. Thankfully, there are some things getting me through. Here’s what I’m loving lately.

Vitamin Water Zero. I have to drink an insane amount of water to stay hydrated since I’m nursing and let me tell you, there’s only so much water you can drink. Vitamin Water Zero, which is sweetened with Truvia (for the win!), gives me some semblance of flavor without any caffeine.

Kashi Pita Crisps. Because Kashi loves me Kashi was promoting its new pita crisps to people on their mailing list, I received a box of the new product in the mail. They are quite tasty, especially with my new favorite hummus: Private Selection Garlic and Chive (found at Kroger). Note: I love the hummus so much that I bought it today and it was NOT on sale. Put those two things on a plate with some baby carrots and a half-sandwich, and you have my lunch most days.

Walking. I haven’t been out the past two days but I did log a walk Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with Wednesday’s jaunt coming in at close to 2 miles. Sadly, I had some twinges in my incision and I probably reached my limit, distance-wise, for the next week or so. A bonus to walks: Miles sleeps in the stroller.

Compliments. They seem to be just pouring in – people telling me how great I look for being a new mom. It’s much appreciated as I’m a whole lot jigglier than I’d like to be and have about 20 pounds to take off to get to pre-preggo weight. I’m planning to head back to Weight Watchers next week and focus on good eating until I can take on a good exercise regimen (fingers corssed that I can do it at 6 weeks post-partum).

A sleeping baby. We had a rough day or so over here but things are looking up. Or quiet, at least. And yes, that’s a wash cloth on Miles’ head. Even with central air – a new system at that – this heat has us down. I took Grandma’s suggestion and put a cool cloth on his head. Note: I’m sure he’ll hate me for this photo in about 12 years.

What are you loving lately? Any new products or workouts you want to share?

Three Things Thursday

Pre-workout fuel breakfast: Bowl of Kashi Island Vanilla with 1 cup milk and sliced banana
Workout: Walk with Denali and 20 minutes upper body with weights

1. Just because a big bowl of cereal sounds good before you start your planned session with Jillian Michaels/OnDemand doesn't mean it's a good idea. It's not. Your tummy is full, and the thought of working out is nauseating.

2. I was watching "The Doctors" this morning as I got ready for work - straightening my hair, drinking coffee, flossing my teeth. The show kind of irks me because I don't think it's really possible to give sound health advice to the masses. It's all quippy crap that you read in magazines like Prevention. It's not that the information is wrong. I guess it's just not new. Anyway, they were talking about 24 ways to improve your health in 24 hours. It's not all eat right, exercise more either. It's sleep this way -- not that way. Don't walk and text or you'll fall in a manhole. If you have to pee, pee. In the toilet, that is. Anyways, it got me thinking that there's more to take care of me than eating right and exercising. Like I need to get back on the teeth flossing bandwagon.

3. After lunch this morning, I stopped at Higher Grounds for a decaf coffee. For some reason, I felt inclined to order a blueberry scone. It can't be that bad ... or can it. Yeah, my little splurge is 400+ calories and still sitting on my desk. I haven't decided whether to eat it or take it home to Mark. So sad, little scone. You're so cute and tasty-looking.

If the shoe fits

Pre-workout fuel: Half-slice of whole-wheat toast and half-caff coffee pre-yoga. Bowl of Kashi Island Vanilla biscuits with milk and a banana.
Workout: 30 minutes yoga, 2-ish mile walk with Denali and 20 minutes upper body with weights.

Brooks ... Mizuno ... Saucony ... Asics ... Puma. Oh, the shoe wall at Three Rivers Running Co. How it tempts me!

Mark and I stopped at my fave running shop in FW (OK, it's the only one but whatev) so that he could get a pair of shoes. He's been running in 2-year-old Nikes that he got at Kohl's and with him signing up for Fort-4-Fitness, an upgrade was beyond necessary.

We walked in, and Mark made a bee line for the shoes. Silly boy! He knew he had to be fitted first. I directed the salesgirl to him and she got him on the treadmill in a pair of neutral-fitting Brooks. It was quite the feat, he said later, given the fatigue of our 11-miler. His gait analysis showed that his right ankle flopped in a bit, and he'd need a stability shoe.

The first shoe he tried was an Asics pair. He found it to be quite heavy, not surprising as he calls his other pair of sneakers (Asics) "clodhoppers." The salesgirl said he wouldn't like the other shoes she grabbed for him and went to the back to get a pair of Brooks Adrenaline and some Mizunos. He tried them both on but it was love at first step with the Brooks.

While he was doing all of that, I couldn't help but want to look for me. My shoes have about 325 miles on them so they should be good through the half marathon. But that's not the point. I want new ones! Namely, the Brooks Ghost 3, which received the Editor's Choice Award from Runner's World. I have never worn this shoe so my desire is completely arbitrary. It's just me, being a girl. A girl who LOVES shoes.

How often do you replace your shoes?

Thin pickings

Today's lunch was brought to you by Operation: Clean Out the Pantry.


Tuna salad on Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with a slice of cheese and a side of cut vegetables. (Sorry about Feisty Fiona. She forced herself into the photo and tried to steal the sandwich.)

The other day, I found myself waist-deep in the bottom cabinet looking for a box of pasta. I pushed aside a can of garbanzo beans, a can of white beans, two cans of tuna and myriad other items - all of which were purchased with a dish in mind, dishes that were never made. It's a bit ridiculous to have so much food and just let it sit there.

And so Operation: Clean Out the Pantry was born.

Canned tuna, packed in water, is the easiest item for me to use. I decided to whip up a quick tuna salad made with:

• 1 can water-packed tuna
• 1/2 rib celery, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped squash-zucchini mix
• 1 egg white, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic-herb mayonnaise (I received this as a sample in the mail)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

I toasted an Everything Bagel Thin from Thomas in the toaster oven at work, added a slice of cheese and topped it with my tuna salad and sliced tomato. A side of cut veggies along with a Kashi oatmeal raisin cookie rounded out the meal. It was a tasty lunch that looked like I actually put thought into it.

Thanks, Operation: Clean Out the Pantry!