Food, lately: Post marathon redux

You want to know something insane?

Don't answer that - I'm going to tell you anyway. Now that the racing season is over and I'm fully embracing the "relax, have fun" mentality, I'm not burning 1,000 calories a day and my body no longer needs endless bowls of oatmeal and bread. Insanity, I told you! It's easy (to want) to forget but the carb loading for Veterans left me feeling bloated and with a bit of an overhang - if you know what I mean.

As I mourned my disappointing race, I decided that the one thing I could fix was my diet. I wanted to rein in calories, cut back on the carbs, reduce sugar and build in some more protein. I am by no means perfect, especially yesterday when I had to take Miles to the doctor (wheezing = steroids + breathing treatments) and a photo shoot at work that necessitated red velvet cake.

It is better, though, and I'll take it.

Breakfast: Egg Beater veggie scramble with side of wheat toast
Snack 1: Fage 0% Greek yogurt + Red Velvet Munchkins (after the doctor)
Lunch: White Bean Chili with mixed green salad
Snack 2: Veggies with Eat Well Enjoy Life Edamame Hummus (my new obsession) + popcorn (unpictured) + 1/2 slice red velvet cake
Dinner: Chickpea burger on lettuce, microwave turnip chips and a couple tablespoons mac and cheese
Snack 3: Oatmeal with chia seeds and a handful of Cheez-Its while I read to Miles

What have you been eating lately?

WIAW: Tuesday troubles

Tuesdays are a tough day for me when it comes to eating. I'm coming off a relatively easy Monday, when I just take spin, and don't workout again till my night classes.

But, oh, those night classes.

They begin at 5:15, and I don't get home till 7:30. For the girl who eats lunch at 11:30 and dinner by 6, it's hard to know how to eat. I've tried varying strategies over the past couple months and still haven't found works best though I am getting closer.

Here's what I did yesterday.

Breakfast: Egg sandwich on wheat with a homegrown tomato and avocado, and I tried to make a squash "hashbrown" but it was more like sauteed squash.

Mid-morning snack: Black coffee and spiced biscotti from Starbucks. It wasn't the best choice but I had to run to Target for a few quick things. I was going to get oatmeal but opted against it since it would have just as much sugar and double the calories of biscotti.

Lunch: Leftover vegetable enchiladas and green beans. It was delicious.

And a Chobani bite, which I would have preferred a tub. It was the coffee with dark chocolate flecks - very good.

Afternoon snack: OK, this happened. I write the restaurant news column for the paper, and I wanted to stop by a bakery that just underwent an ownership and name change. I wanted to make sure they still had the scones and cookies that I mentioned, and I walked out with an orange-chocolate cupcake and a peach empanada. I split them three ways and a third of each.

Pre-class: Lara Alt Bar during my 4 o'clock meeting. The Alt Bar is a million times better than the Uber bars but think Clif bars are a bit heartier and better for what I need.

Mid-class: I ate these almond-pistachio thins. There is no photo because I was completely uncouth and tried to eat them as I changed weights during BODYPUMP.

Post-class. Hungry. So, so, so hungry.

Sometimes I can have just a snack, such as popcorn or these evil organic vanilla sandwich cookies I found on closeout at Kroger. But not last night.

I had some random leftovers - a pork chop and Spanish rice. I considered making squash but was not patient enough to cook.

I was still hungry (but probably just needed water) and ate this random bowl of banana, blueberries and cottage cheese.

And there you have it, my day in food. It was a bit more carb-heavy than I prefer but it was it was. Any tips for how I should eat for my classes?

What I Ate Wednesday: Front lines

Let's be honest here for a minute. Wait, I'm always honest. Like too honest sometimes.

So ... yeah. I'm going to be upfront: When I participate in What I Ate Wednesday, I always try to plan a good day and show you how well I eat and that I'm just super awesome.

I planned such a day like that yesterday, and I was going to illustrate how I plan things when I teach in the evenings and miss dinner with the guys. My intake was in line with the plan oh, until, I made Miles a mini bagel that looked so good that I had to have one ... and then my friend and I went to the hospital for some supplemental lunch ... and then I got bit by the hangry monster ... and then I got cranky. My perfect day became not so perfect and incredibly carb heavy.

Alas, I'm going to share it with you because, well, why not.




Pre-run

[use your imagination. fairly certain you know what these look like. i don't take pictures at 5 a.m. nor do i capitalize letters]

Fig cookie - Best. Idea. Ever. One cookie is 45 calories, easy to grab and delicious. So delicious that I'm taking them to tutoring for snack because I can't exhibit self-control around them.

Breakfast

Oatmeal "custard" made with oats, almond milk, water, chia seeds, banana, chopped mango, unsweetened coconut and egg whites.

Mid-morning snacks

Mini bagel with apple butter, apple and hot chocolate

Lunch

Whole wheat wrap with Sabra roasted red pepper hummus, mixed greens, sprouts, carrots and turkey; and lemon spaghetti. By the way, did you know that many grocery stores don't carry sprouts because of the salmonella risk? I bought these clover sprouts at the co-op but I'm thinking I might start growing my own.

Followed by banana pudding and chicken noodle soup from the hospital. I friggin' love pudding so much that it's ridiculous. A grown woman should be able to pass up such a thing but I, alas, cannot.

Afternoon eats

Carrots with my friend's homemade tzatziki sauce, orange and The Laughing Cow's new Mini Babybel Mozzarella (SO GOOD).

Evening

The plan was to eat a Clif bar for "dinner," before my BODYPUMP class, and eat a substantial post-class snack. So I ate the Clif bar.

And then I came home ravenous and ate a bowl and half of barbecue chicken pasta.

And a bowl of cereal (mix of Kashi Go Lean, Cinnamon Chex and Fit & Active Vitality Vanilla Almond) with almond milk ... and a cookie. Yes, cookie in the cereal, which I ate out of a measuring cup.

At least I measured the cereal, right? Right!

All in all, I came in about 2,100 calories - about 300 more than I'd like on a given day - and I know a good 200 was stress eating (see above photo of cereal). I also had more sugar than I prefer (hot chocolate + pudding + cookie) but what's done is done, and I tracked it all.

Disclosure:  While The Laughing Cow® provided me with product for review, opinions are mine.

Things I've been eating + giveaway

I was feeling so proud of myself. I had reviewed two days of entries on MyFitnessPal, and I had noticed that it had been two days since I had eaten meat.

And I hadn't died. Shocking, I know.

Also shocking - I can be wrong but we'll get to that in a little bit but first, like any good eater, let's talk about breakfast.

I was fortunate enough to receive a gracious and generous box of goodies from a blend, and it included rye bread from Liz's favorite bakery. I'm a German girl, through and through, and I have been finding any chance I can to eat it. Breakfasts have been a (whole) egg with cheese on rye toast and served with some kind of produce. Tuesday it was an orange; this morning, grilled zucchini.

I'm making another go at a more substantial morning snack and, thanks to Bzz Agent, I'm trying out Kroger's yogurts - Greek, Greek Lite and CARBmaster. I prefer the Greek to Greek Lite but this particular morning I had the Lite pineapple mango with a bit of sliced banana and trail mix I found at Fresh Market. It was a great balance of protein plus carbs to hold me over to my lunch date.

One thing: My lunch date got held up and I had to scrounge up a snack from a drawer. I'd like to say I picked the nuts but it was a handful of marshmallows and some raisins. However, I did not eat the lint roller. Win.

Our big idea for the day was to find some Cajun- or Creole-inspired food to ring in Mardi Gras. We went to one of my favorite neighborhood places, and I got my even more favoritest salad - red beans and rice over lettuce with tomatoes and cheese - and gumbo. See, this is where I was wrong about the meat. Gumbo had chicken.

And putting the fat in Fat Tuesday was a packi from a neighborhood bakery. Apple, if you are interested. I ate half to only feel sort of fat.

I was feeling rather full and sick to be honest from the paczki that I didn't snack my way through the afternoon, saving room for dinner - blackened salmon po boys and Alexia Foods Multigrain Onion Rings.

The onion rings were courtesy of Alexia, and I was excited to try a more nutrient-dense version of a favorite indulgence. They were crunchy, hearty and tasty.

I had a post-dinner workout planned, and I grabbed a handful of candy. To power me through, of course.

The workout pretty much sucked - I blame the lingering illness. But the good news ... well, totally unrelated. Alexia Foods is offering one Healthy Strides reader a gourmet cooking prize-pack giveaway. The winner will receive an Alexia apron, Alexia kitchen timer and a coupon for a FREE Alexia Product 

You can also sign up to be part of the Alexia Ambassador Program for exclusive recipes, coupons, free gift cards and kitchen gear. Simply visit http://rewards.alexiafoods.com to begin earning points towards these prizes and more!

To enter, simply leave a comment telling me which Alexia Foods product you would select with the coupon.

 The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and will end on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The winner will be selected at random and announced on the blog Thursday, Feb. 21. The winner will have 72 hours to claim her prize (by emailing hlthystrides at gmail dot com) or a new winner will be selected.

WIAW: Kim goes to Korea

I have a secret to tell you. Come in.

Closer.

Closer still.

Here it is: I ate oatmeal for breakfast yesterday, and I didn't take a picture of it. Astounding, right? Even more astounding was that it had no artificial sweeteners or added sugar or muffin tops. It was oats, banana, raisins, cinnamon, egg whites and a dash of vanilla.

Wait, there was some peanut butter, too. Cut me some slack.

While I didn't nab a photo of that post-run bowl - nor the quarter mini bagel I ate before the run - I felt it was time to track the comings (not goings) of my mouth.





Morning snack.

Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin with hazelnut spread - not Nutella. Nutella is a trademarked brand, and my jar has the name Kroger on it. Whatevs. The muffin was most definitely Ezekiel. It was my first time trying the variety, purchased by me with moneys, and it had that hardy flavor that Ezekiel products have and that I so enjoy. It wasn't as sweet as most cinnamon raisin products but I, for one, was glad to see it wasn't sugar-loaded.

Lunch.

Once or twice a month, I go out to lunch with a co-worker. She and I both love love ethnic foods and both have husbands who are less adventurous eaters. Whenever we go out, we try to go exotic. Tuesday was Korean. At a restaurant neighboring a Marathon gas station. What can I say, we keep it classy.

I started out with egg drop soup and kimchi salad, both of which were lovely.

As part of the lunch special, the server/owner brought out a plate with crab Rangoon, egg roll and mandoo. I am not one to turn down a Rangoon so I ate that and enjoyed the insides only of the other fried treats.

My entree was the pork bulgogi, which was on special, and sounded very authentic. It was good. If you ever come to Fort Wayne, we can go and then you can tell me it's good.

Snacks.

I was a busy girl yesterday afternoon. Blarg. Being busy is dumb. But it does keep you from eating.

I managed an apple and an orange throughout the afternoon, and I had a cup of no sugar added hot cocoa while I interviewed a job candidate.

Dinner.

Can I get a thank you God for the slow cooker? Slow Cooker French Onion Meatloaf (made with Laura's Lean Beef), Alexia Sweet Potato Tots (spotted at Target) and spinach. Most of it once frozen. Except the beef. I bought it that morning. All of it was delicious.

After dinner, I had a handful of Walmart brand honey nut O's or whatever you want to call 'em. And then,  later, a half-cup with almond milk (I prefer Silk unsweetened original). Further proof that I can't have cereal in the house.

Snack.

Skinny Cow. My last one. For a while probably.

What have you been eating lately?

Forget that, eat this

If there is one thing I've learned over the years of trying to find a healthy lifestyle it is forgiveness. Forgive yourself for having a bad day. Forgive yourself for eating two pieces of dessert. Forgive yourself for hitting snooze and taking an unplanned rest day.

Of course, I say this with a belly bursting at the seems. The bland tuna casserole made with white pasta, which went against my healthy holiday challenge, sits heavy in my stomach. I almost feel sick, and the sad thing is that those extra bites weren't even worth it. (In my defense, I think I kept eating it in the hopes that it would magically get better.)

But rather than beat myself up for a less than stellar day, I'm going to move on and relish the rather inspired eats of recent days.

1. Hash made with green peppers, onions, broccoli, spinach and red potato with an egg on top.

2. Mini whole wheat bagel with homemade cinnamon almond-pecan butter and a sprinkling of trail mix.

3. Apple with trail mix (raisins, seeds and nuts)

4. Thai Fried Quinoa with marinated scrambled tofu (Figging amazing. I swear.)

5. Hospital salad with cottage cheese (no dressing) and Naked juice

6. Baby carrots

7. Cuban-style sandwich made with leftover roast pork, grilled onions and jalapenos on Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Flax bread. It was served with broccoli.

Of course.

WIAW: Getting ruff

I had a lovely dinner planned last night. I was going to make Salmon Caesar Pita Pockets, roast broccoli from our farm delivery and enjoy some strawberries with frozen whipped topping.

And then my mother-in-law invited us over for dinner.

While I had been looking forward to a healthful meal after a weekend of parties in Cincinnati, I'm not one to turn down an already prepared meal.

So we ate ziti.

We drank.

We laughed.

And then I ate a bowl of light caramel ice cream with a cup of caffeinated caramel-flavored coffee.

Yes, my friends, life is good.

WIAW: Happy baby

"Seven times?" Mark asked. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, Mark. Seven times," I told him. "Eight if you count the middle of the night."

I was giving Mark a feeding schedule for Miles while I'm away. It's more of an ideal schedule than an actual one ... but that could be said for pretty much anything about babies.

Anyway, while I was getting Miles' food down, I thought it might be interesting to do What I Ate Wednesday ... Miles edition. 

6 a.m. Bottle, 4 ounces.

8 a.m. 3 tablespoons cereal with pureed fruit and 3-ounce bottle.

Right now, we have three boxes of baby cereal going on - oatmeal, brown rice and barley. It's a good thing they're flaky and weird because we all know I can chow on some cereal. Anyway, I just throw a tablespoon of each into the bowl, add a couple plops of fruit (if using Gerber) or 1 cube (if homemade). Today was Gerber, of the apple-prune variety. Mmm.

10:30 a.m. 4-ounce bottle, served in the tony lobby of our pediatrician's office/in the back of the car.

Yep, we were at the doctor again. Miles was still pulling at his ear, and I was worried that his ear infection was lingering. I wanted to make sure he was as close to 100 percent as I could before leaving for NOLA so I made an appointment.

And, as it turns out, I was right. I might be 98 percent clueless but I did get that one right. New antibiotic for Miles. Yay. So if he's fussy for Mark this weekend, it will be separation anxiety and/or general crankiness.

Noon. 3-ounce bottle and 4 tablespoons cereal ... with beets. Yes, beets. My son ate beets. My son, who refused solids for so long. I swear my daycare provider can get him to do just about anything - nap, eat foods, behave.

3 p.m. 3-ounce bottle


5 p.m. 3 tablespoons cereal with green beans - his favorite.

And, no, we don't use bibs.

6 p.m. Potato

OK, he really didn't eat it. More like chewed. I gave it to him (washed, of course) while I was prepping my dinner.

Open-faced Buffalo chicken sandwich with roasted potatoes and broccoli.

7 p.m. 6-ounce bottle

11 p.m. 4-ounce bottle

Sounds super interesting, right? I'm sure you've got something better. What are you eating today?

WIAW: A brief return

I felt like I had finally made my peace with the scale. After nearly eight months of trying to get my pre-baby body back, I resigned myself to the idea that maybe, just maybe, my post-baby happy weight would be more like 129-130 than the 125 I wanted it to be and definitely not the 122 I saw on the scale just shortly before the big news.

Then something happened. I lost two pounds. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I was filled with new energy and new hope that the number 125 would be in my future. My resolve to eat well was renewed, and I recorded my first 20-mile week.

But just as the excitement set in, something happened. This time, not so good. I stepped on the scale yesterday morning and I was up 3 pounds. I know there is no way I gained 3 pounds and it's likely a fluke but it didn't do much for my mood, which was already dampened because my run got rained out.

In an effort to not let the scale (or Fat Tuesday) set me back, I thought I would bring back What I Ate Wednesday just for fun. 

Breakfast



Grits with cheese and dippy egg

Unpictured: Pre-breakfast snack of Fiber One 90-cal bar

Mid-morning snack



Fat-free hot chocolate spiked with instant coffee

Lunch



"Sushi" salad - Bibb lettuce topped with diced cucumbers, matchstick carrots, cubed avocado, faux crab and a brown rice mixture made with brown rice (duh!), 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon wasabi and a couple drops of Sriracha.

Afternoon snacks

 

Apple, Chips Ahoy 100-calorie pack, 1 ounce cashews and Weight Watchers smoked mozzarella string cheese

Dinner



The Deen Brothers Lighter Slow Cooked Stuffed Pepper (On a side note, this recipe was good but not great. I loved the ease of preparation and nutritional stats but it was definitely lacking in flavor. I would add more salt or even better, season salt, black pepper and maybe some Italian herbs.)

Unpictured: Post-run fat-free fudge pop

How did you fare on Fat Tuesday? I would like to note that I passed up King Cake, brownies, pasta leftover from a luncheon in another department and french bread. Go me!