Mac and Cheese
with Mushrooms, Broccoli, Zucchini and Roasted Red Peppers
Topped with Bleu Cheese Crumbles

Egg Nog Ice Cream
My two loves in the same photo

Rode the lightrail home from work! It was fun again and flew by with my novel in hand. Once home, the husband and I went on a 20-minute walk to the grocery store for dinner vegetables and bread for tomorrow’s lunch. We live right around the corner from a Harris Teeter, so it’s very convenient to make ourselves walk. Of course we brought our reusable BHappy Bags along for the ride! While we were there, I spotted Edy’s Slow Churned EGG NOG Ice Cream. Mmmmmm. Now I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped in the ice cream aisle and almost bought it. I LOVE egg nog and get one carton of this every year. I knew I had room for it today, so we splurged!

Volumetrics:

So as many of you know, I’m a volume eater. Which means I just like to eat good food, and lots of it!! You’ve probably also heard of Barbara Rolls, the infamous author of Volumetrics. Here’s a passage from her book that TOTALLY makes sense:

Research shows that over a day or two, a person will eat about the same weight of food. Obviously, there is some variability – on days that someone eats out, for example, she may eat more food. But in general, when scientists have looked at what people report they eat, or when food intake has been measured in the lab, the weight of food a person eats is more similar from day to day than the number of calories consumed. It seems that we have learned how much food it takes to satisfy our hunger, and that is what we choose to eat…..

My takeaway message from these studies is that by choosing foods that have fewer calories in your usual weight of food you will end up eating fewer calories. And you won’t feel any hungrier! -The Volumetrics Eating Plan, p. 8

So Barbara says it best: if you want to be healthy and keep your calories in check, choose foods that are low in energy density, namely, lots of vegetables!

I didn’t use to like many vegetables when I was growing up. I ate broccoli, corn, potatoes. That was about it. But in my adult life, I’ve experimented with SO many kinds of veggies – particularly the cooking style – and found that I just LOVE them!! I love that I can eat a lot of them and that they’re not going to derail my diet.

So volumetrics is the concept behind my vegetable mac and cheese, although I really shouldn’t say “my” mac and cheese because this is probably the most well-known thing to do to mac and cheese to lower the calorie density!!

Dinner:
I really like the Annie’s brand mac and cheese’s – I’ve tried both whole wheat kinds. I have to say I like the Wisconsin Cheddar one better (it has the same nutritional information but it makes 3.5 servings instead of 2.5, so we have to pull one out instead of just splitting the box). But this one was good!

Add to it whatever veggies you like – sautée them first in a pan with whatever seasonings you might want to add. Mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini and roasted red pepper from a can:

And voila! A yummy dinner! Topped with just a few crumbles of bleu cheese.

This was actually a HUGE portion (we have big bowls ) About half way through it didn’t even look like I’d made a dent!

Dinner calories: ~415.

Dessert:
Husband and I settled on the couch to watch March of the Penguins (cute movie – I can’t believe how long they go without food!!). And for dessert we had our egg nog ice cream!! I had a full cup (I had the room) and got in my holiday egg nog fix. I have to say, for 110 calories a cup, this is better than the real stuff!!

I try to avoid processed foods and “fake” things, but I thought for ice cream this one had pretty good stats, particularly for a once-in-a-while treat.

INGREDIENTS: milk, skim milk, cream, corn syrup, sugar, egg yolks, whey protein, tapioca maltodextrin, natural flavor, nutmeg, cellulose gum, annatto color, mono and diglycerides, turmeric color, guar gum, carrageenan, dextrose, vitamin A palmitate

I also had hot tea to balance out the coldness!! It’s not exactly the season for ice cream

Dessert calories: 220.

This afternoon I also snacked on a mini box of raisins, as my banana didn’t do very well to fill me up I didn’t want anything filling since dinner was looming, and these were perfect to tide hunger.

Total Friday calories: 1901

-661 through workout and 2 walks

= net of 1241. Just over my daily goal of 1226, and no biggie since I was under a few days this week. And I did get lots of exercise today!

Tomorrow we’re getting up to hit the gym before we head into town to watch our alma mater, Davidson College, play Duke. I’m not sure which team I’m routing for, as I was a huge Duke fan growing up (and still am…). May the best team win!

This is Friday night’s pumpkin pie:

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• cinnamon
• vanilla extract
• 7 grams maple syrup

Microwave for 2-3 minutes, cool slightly and eat!! If only I approved of Cool Whip…..

I was in a funk all day today. From breakfast thru dinner. I have no idea what it was – if I was having mental trouble at work or if I’m coming down with the bug some people at the office have. I was hungry all day and did not have my normal healthy attitude about food and hunger. By the time I left, my whole back, neck and shoulders were aching and I felt totally drained from head to toe. After deep breaths on my car ride home, a pleasant 30-minute walk with my husband before dinner, a 1/2 an oz of gin (!!), and a fun new recipe, I feel SO much better. I’m headed upstairs to read in bed and hit the sack early.

The Tuna Casserole turned out great!!

My only complaint was that it wasn’t a big enough portion to fill a volume eater like me (and it wasn’t skimpy either!). Next time I’m throwing in a lot more veggies and baking it longer to bulk it up. Would have been nice over a huge pile of sauteed spinach.

When I first found the recipe, it clocked in at 450 calories a serving. I managed to get it down to 330 calories for each of the four servings! First off, I was using way too many noodles. The Campbell’s can said “2 cups cooked” and I had no idea how much 2 cups was in weight, so I made 6 oz which ended up being about 5 cups. We saved some in the fridge and I guessed I actually used 4 oz of egg noodles.

I basically used the recipe on the back of the Campbell’s Cream of Celery Soup can (the 98% fat free one):

• 4 oz of egg noodles
• 1 can 98% fat free cream of celery soup
• 4 oz skim milk
• 2 cans of tuna in water
• 3 oz chopped celery
• 4 oz frozen peas (not sure if that’s a whole cup like the can said)
• 7 saltines + 1 tbsp butter on top during the last 5 minutes of cooking

We made it in a pie dish we got for the wedding – perfect vessel for a casserole!

I weighed the dish before I put in the ingredients in and then again after to get 36 oz of casserole, 9 oz per serving. I had 9 for dinner, husband had 10ish, I’m having 5.5 oz for lunch tomorrow, and he’s got the rest.

My portion: ~340 calories.

I also had half an oz of gin, which the husband sort of snuck into my virgin “cocktail” of Diet Tonic and lime! I could actually feel it and enjoyed it

(By the way, lunch tomorrow is going to be SO yummy! Casserole on an English muffin topped with cheese, kiwi, and homemade cole slaw!)

For dessert I had pumpkin with 3 ginger snap cookies and a little honey:

Total dinner + dessert calories: ~426

This afternoon I had skim milk and goldfish and MORE trail mix nibbles…uggg….again, I could not control myself!!

Total Wednesday calories: 1762

-627 thru 2 walks + workout

=1135 net. Pretty low, all things considered.

Gotta run! Night

Just go ahead and skip to dessert!

Dinner:

For dinner I ended up reasoning that I needed to eat up both the bagel and our goat’s cheese, and that I needed vegetables with it, so I toasted the bagel, topped with 20 grams goat cheese, and some grilled veggies (thanks, husband!)

Had a side salad with more of the veggies, lemon-tahini dressing, and pomegranate seeds:

What a colorful dinner!

Total dinner calories: 465, thanks to a big bagel!

Husband and I got in a great 30-minute walk after dinner while catching up on our days : )

Dessert:

Now for dessert!!! I came across a fellow CK member who has a blog who posted this recipe for a chocolate pumpkin cake. You can find Cakegrrl here!

So I LOVE pumpkin and of course chocolate, and of course anything with volume! So I whipped up this concoction. I attempted to double the recipe but still wanted to use egg whites and not a whole egg, so I need to work on my portions. Here’s what I put in:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp egg whites
• cinnamon
• Some sugar-free vanilla syrup made with splenda
• Some more splenda
• Touch of vanilla

And the grand finale after 2-3 interrupted minutes in the microwave:

It was great!!!!!!!! Rather bitter, but definitely cured my craving for chocolate and a gooey cake. I drizzled a little maple syrup on top. If I ate fake foods, I would have loved to blob some Cool Whip on top – or even better – frosting! I think next time I’m going to try a real egg, as I imagine the yolk adds a lot. And I’m going to let it cook longer (tonight I was afraid it was going to burn so I kept stopping the microwave).

And the calories? 110!! Perfect for a dessert – and quite filling too!

Thanks, Cakegrrl!

Calories:

Total Monday calories: 1788

-668 thru exercise (thanks to TWO walks!)

= net of 1121. Still have 100 calories left, but I’m off to bed to read a book!

What a green dinner!!

• Whole wheat rigatoni (only 1 oz)
• 10 shrimp
• 2 oz peas
• 1/2 bunch spinach
• Homemade pesto with mostly basil, a drizzle of EVOO, 1/2 oz Parmesan

The photos aren’t very pretty. I wish I could have had better presentation!

Total dinner calories: 308

My lunch that left me unsatisfied? Well it sure kept hunger at bay all afternoon! Go salmon! But I did have a half portion of oatmeal with 2 oz skim milk, cinnamon and 4 almonds at 4pm. It meant I wasn’t really hungry for dinner, but it was good!

Total snack calories: 125

Total Wednesday calories: 1363.

Ummm….I think I need some dessert!

(25 minutes later)

Dessert: Jello sugar-free pudding cup + 25 grams Kashi heart to heart + 1 oz milk.

I feel a little guilty for having the pudding since it’s processed, but meh.

Total Wednesday calories: 1524

-317 from morning run (wow that’s low!)

= net of 1207!

Morning! I’m stuffed! Had a big breakfast, so I sure hope it lasts me until lunch.

Half a Kashi bar before the gym:

Workout:
45 minutes elliptical (I wanted to run but my magazine was too good!) + 10 minutes upper body free weights = ~400 calories burned.

Banana Foster Pancake + Smoothie made with fresh peach, blueberries, frozen tropical fruit, 1/2 c plain yogurt, 1/2 c milk, and flax + Coffee.

My smoothie actually kind of sucked today. Not sure if it was the peach, the lack of banana, the fewer-than-normal amount of blueberries or the new frozen tropical fruit I got. It was kind of watered down?? : * (

But pancake was superb!!

Total breakfast: ~ 675 calories (yikes! But that includes half a leftover Kashi bar that I’ll save for the afternoon and I have raw veggies for a snack and dinner at the dining hall, so I should be fine to balance it out)

I’m going out to lunch with a client today and it would be inappropriate for me to take my camera, so I’ll have to skip that photo. But I’ll be sure to recap the meal!

Last night’s tapioca pudding, topped with a tsp of Grape Nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup for about 125 calories:

So remember my realization about how brushing my teeth means I don’t want to snack (shocking, right!?) Well it worked today, big time. I brushed at 3pm because I wanted to munch and wasn’t hungry and I didn’t get hungry until 5:00!!! And I didn’t even have that big of a lunch. Because I knew I was having homemade pizza in an hour, I resisted snacking (and hummus still wasn’t that appealing with toothpaste taste) so I skipped my snack. Oh my gosh, I didn’t die of hunger without a snack! Go me!!

So of course what did I celebrate with? A beer. But I only had 2/3 of it and gave the rest to the husband. Nice choice. (90 calories vs. 150)

Husband worked on the homemade dough (his specialty – you could just buy it refrigerated at the store. I hear Trader Joe’s is really good) and roasted some grape tomatoes and zucchini in the oven for the toppings. Note his pretty wedding ring!!

Pizza toppings included:

• Cherry tomatoes
• 5 slices zucchini
• Leftover homemade tomato sauce mixed with some spaghetti squash (about 50 cals)
• 1/2 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese
• Fresh basil from the garden

I have to say though, it wasn’t as good as when we grilled the crust. So I think we’ll go back to that next time.
Pizza calories: ~510 (I could have done with half the cheese, but I knew I had the room for it)

Wednesday calories: 1629.

-500 through workout and 35 minutes walking.

Net= 1129 (Too low – and I’m a little bit hungry)

…………………….Which is why I decided to make tapioca!

This will add another 100 to my day and get in a serving of dairy and a bit more protein.

And I am totally making another Banana Foster Pancake tomorrow!

We created the most amazing dinner for my mother in law tonight. Pork, bleu cheese, and date homemade whole wheat ravoili over sauteed collard greens with bacon, date, and bleu cheese. (See a carry-through of flavors here!?)

Oh my gosh it was delicious!!

1. First we pan-fried 3 slices of bacon that were chopped into bits so they got nice and crispy.
2. Then we added a HUGE bunch of chopped collards to the bacon fat and let them reduce.
3. Then we added 2 chopped dates - which steamed their sweetness throughout the whole dish!
4. We then plated the greens and dates, topped it with the crumbled bacon, and topped that with 4-5 of the homemade raviolis and then topped that with a bit of bleu cheese.

I was so excited to eat it I forgot to take a picture!! Here’s mine after one of the raviolis is gone (I had 4 at 60 calories each) and a few bites of collards:

Also had two 3-oz glasses of wine:

After dinner I was still lower on calories so I had a Sugar-Free Chocolate pudding with 12 raspberries and a sprinkle of high fiber cereal:

It totally hit the spot : )

Dinner + Dessert: ~600 calories (would be better without 150 in wine)

Day total: 1743 calories

-430 thru exercise

= 1313 net.

OK with me!

I came home today to a clean house full of baking bread smell. Mmmmmmmmmm!!

The source:

Husband was hard at work!

For dinner we had leftover roasted vegetables from our Wednesday night dinner. Potatoes, parsnips, carrots, garlic and squash. We simmered them in Pacific Brand Creamy Roasted Carrot Soup and added 2 cups of fresh broccoli to top it off. Talk about a healthy dinner!

I love these Pacific boxed soups. I haven’t been disappointed yet! The butternut squash one is the secret base for my butternut squash and vegetable winter stew, the cashew ginger one is great, and I love the tomato too. They don’t have that disgusting onion flavor that most canned soups have. Of course, they’re best when you bulk them up with veggies, beans, or pre-cooked meats.

I also had a 2.5 oz hunk of bread, clocking in at 180 calories.

All together:

For dessert, I had about 1/3 cup of pumpkin nuked with some dried fruit and topped with nutmeg, cinnamon and 1 tsp brown sugar. It was gone FAST!

Dinner + Dessert Calories:

Total: ~580.

Daily total: 1620.

-520 through workout and walking.

=1100 net

Nice recovery day. I’ll bump calories back up tomorrow!

I was bad. I made tapioca even though I’m not hungry at all just because I was excited about the recipe. I made it without sugar, so the ingredients are 1 T tapioca balls, .9 cups milk, and 1/3 of an egg. I topped it with 8 raspberries for some sweetness. It’s pretty healthy since it’s really just like a cup of milk! I wonder if it would work with just egg whites…. Calories ~ 120.

Total calories today: ~1310, which is still insanely low.