The Surprise Ingredient

Canned Clams!!!
Audience responds with “EWWWWWW!!!”

Linguine in a Tomato Clam Sauce
with Zucchini, Jalapeño, Capers and Spinach

The husband LOVED it!!!

Run:
Got off work around 2 p.m. and came home to relax. Around 3, husband and I went for our run. I made the mistake of trying to run too far on too little energy – we did a HARD 5.3 miles. My legs were like lead. I have more energy at 5:30 in the morning than I did today! If this is what it’s like to be sleep deprived, I can’t imagine those of you who don’t get enough a few days in a row. I really feel sick! After the run, though, I felt a lot better, although my brain was no longer tired, my legs sure are! 400 calories burned though.

Snack:
Husband and I showered and put on all of our Davidson College sweats

I had a post-workout snack of unsweetened applesauce and half a serving of Kashi Heart to Heart. ~

Cocktail Hour:
We had an early dinner since I was getting hungry around 5:45. Dinner was all on me, and when I cook alone, I like to have a drink, even if it’s just sparkling water and lime. Tonight I had a Gin + Tonic, but it only had about 1/3 an oz of gin.

Kath Cooks:
My production was inspired by this recipe from Cooking Light for Linguine with Clam Sauce, but I rarely follow a recipe and made quite a few changes to this guy.

In action:

Here’s what was in my sauce:

• 10 oz of chopped zucchini (2 medium)
• 1 jalapeño, chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 big handful baby spinach
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 6.5 oz can minced clams, partially drained (EWW!)
• Basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and Dry Sherry (just a splash)
• 2 tbsp or so of capers
• 1 tsp EVOO for veggies
• 7 grams grated fresh Parmesan

I served it over 2 oz whole wheat linguine for me plus 4 oz spaghetti squash (pre-cooked leftovers for more volume!). The husband just got 3 oz linguine.

Dinner is served!

Vegetable Mountain:

A volume eater’s delight! (See below of the shocking low calories on this dinner!)

Leftovers. It is a RARE occasion that I don’t clean my plate, but I was really stuffed when I got to the bottom. I gave this to the husband and subtracted 1/2 oz pasta from my bowl, which may have been a little less but the leftover sauce made up for it. I probably should have done without the spaghetti squash on the bottom, but who knew 2 oz of linguine was this much pasta!?

Total dinner calories: 398!

The reason this HUGE bowl of pasta is not very high is that I used lots of vegetables to bulk it up and used crushed tomatoes and added my own seasonings instead of jarred tomato sauce, which is usually pretty high in calorie. This dinner was amazing! I think next time I’d like to use bigger pieces of clam. These were good, but they were so tiny I didn’t get too many bites where I thought “Mmmmm, clam!”

Total Tuesday calories: 1559.

Amazing since I was awake for so many hours, but I never got too hungry. I think it was the super-filling meals – oatmeal, soup, and vegetable delight.

-410 through 5.3 mile run

= net of 1149. I’m waaaay too full to have the rest of my allotment.

Off to watch some March of the Penguins with the husband then it’s up to read in bed and hit the sack early. Night!

Thanksgiving Leftovers…..Or Was It???

Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Rice Salad

Tonight was a mish-mosh of a dinner. We were supposed to have leftover turkey, but our families ate it all the day after Turkey Day!! So husband baked some chicken breasts this afternoon for tonight’s planned Turkey and Wild Rice Salad.

We just used the recipe as a guide though. We had some leftover brown rice and black beans (like 7 days leftover – it had to go!) and I chopped up some celery, carrots and green beans to bulk it up some more. On the side, I warmed up 4 oz of shredded chicken in a skillet and toasted about 2 tbsp of walnuts. Also added 1 mini box of raisins instead of the cranberries (I can’t find cranberries without added sugar – grrr!). Lastly, I made the dressing from leftover cranberry sauce, tangy mustard, 1 tsp EVOO, and Williams-Sonoma Aged Balsamic vinegar and topped it all over some baby spinach. And topped that with 1 oz of plain yogurt!! Whew!

The heavily toasted walnuts and cranberry sauce really made the dish. I didn’t really taste much else!

From above, with my Thanksgiving pumpkin candle. ~ 415 calories. (It was pretty high because of of the 1/2 cup of black beans and rice for 120 cals, which I barely tasted! I like my rice on the side of things, not mixed in.)

Uggg. Charlotte rush hour was NOT pretty tonight! I had a bite of freshly cooked spaghetti squash when I got home and packed my lunch for tomorrow.

Total Monday calories: ~1650

-486 at the gym

= 1186 net. I’m a little hungry (or just thirsty, probably) but I have GOT to get in bed RIGHT NOW!!! (See below so there’s no time for a snack!

Tomorrow:
I’ve got to get up at 3:15 a.m. tomorrow to host a client on a 5-8 a.m. newscast! YIKES!!! This means:

1. No workout in the morning. I’m hoping to get in a workout in the afternoon, but it depends on how tired I am. I may have to settle for a short walk, but husband and I are planning a 3-4 mile run as of now.
2. I get to leave work early because my workday starts at 4:30!
3. I need to get in bed NOW!!!!

I made my oatmeal tonight on the stovetop (I like it made with half milk and half water on the stovetop – it’s creamier and has more texture that way!) so all I have to do tomorrow is toast walnuts, measure peanut butter and nuke the oatmeal and pears! I’ve got everything all set up and ready to go

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to post breakfast or not – it depends on how late I’m running, but I’ll certainly be here for lunch!

Comforting Dinner

Creamy Butternut Squash, Carrot and Root Vegetable Soup

I decided to make Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup tonight to use up some things we had on hand. It turned out great!! I nibbled on 2 Kashi crackers and some of the root vegetables while packing my lunch for tomorrow, which is going to be SO yummy!! I was pretty starving at 5:30 since I didn’t eat much today, but the nibbles helped tide me until the soup was ready. And we have two servings of this soup left for Tuesday’s lunch.

Recipe:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped (2 pounds, 4 oz worth)
• 3 carrots, chopped (9.5 oz worth)
• Leftover root vegetables (4.5 oz worth)
• 1 small box Pacific Brand Carrot Cashew Ginger Soup (These make the BEST soup bases!!)
• 1 cup of water
• Peeled and chopped ginger root, about an inch
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
• About 1/3 cup fat free half and half (any kind without trans-fat)

Put all vegetables in pot over high heat. Let cook around to sear on the outside. Add liquids and seasonings. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until squash is tender. Puree with a stick blender (or transfer to blender and puree 75% of mixture). Divide between 2 bowls and 2 tupperwares for the leftovers! This made a very thick soup. You could add a little more water or broth to thin it out some.

~250 calories per serving.

I had Kashi crackers on the side:

Total dinner calories: ~335

Total Sunday calories: 1277. Whoa!

Didn’t get in a walk, but I could use a rest. We totally would have gone walking if the weather hadn’t been so rainy and gross. I’ll be back at it hard tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m.!!

= net of 1277. Just over weight loss net goal. I’m really full from the soup, so I may just get in bed soon and hit the sack early. Mondays are easier if I get in bed at 8:30 or so

I’m Done!

Whew. Done eating out. Done overeating. I’m ready to get back on track (and couldn’t be more excited about eating healthy again!) I think I did some damage this weekend, but not as much as it could have been thanks to a few hard workouts and good choices.

Saturday recap:

Lunch:
Once we arrived in Spartanburg we had Progresso Reduced Sodium Gumbo with grilled cheese. I had my grilled cheese open-faced to save calories. Also had a Diet Coke.

Lunch calories: ~371. Rather low!

Snack:
I was starving around 2:30, so I decided to try the Kashi GoLean Crunchy Pretzel Chocolate bar I brought along if I needed it. 150 calories, 8 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber. It was good, but I was expecting more pretzel and less chocolate. I only got a few tastes of pretzel. But it did a good job holding my hunger for a late dinner. I’ll probably get these again, but I didn’t think it was as good as the TLC bars. But the stats are heavier for longer tiding of hunger. Hard decision!

I also had a few sips of husband’s nonfat latte at Barnes and Noble. Sorry, no photo.

We came back to get ready for dinner and I had a few Wheat Thins and some of the husband’s Bourbon on the rocks. I LOVE this drink, but only as sips from the husband. I don’t think I’d want my own. I am certainly acquiring a taste for liquor these days! Bourbon reminds me of Christmas, so that’s why I love it

Total snack calories: ~225, which put me around 1,000 for the day. Had plenty available for dinner.

Dinner:
But……..unfortunately I blew it at dinner!!! I made healthy choices, but I just ate too much and did way too much nibbling off of other people’s plates. It was also the kind of place that I couldn’t pass up on wine (we got 2 bottles for the table) so I had about 8 oz – not. good.

Had two of these:

Had a tiny piece of bread:

And two mussels from the appetizer:

Husband had frog legs for his appetizer – ewww! I couldn’t bear to try them, although I believe they did taste like chicken. Duh.

I had a tomato / goat cheese / balsamic / pesto salad to start. I had 2 of the 4 tomatoes and shared the rest.

I went with the healthiest choice I could: Grilled pork chop with asparagus and beets. Well, the pork chop was covered in butter sauce and served over buttery grits (NOT on the menu!), the asparagus was just 3 spears and the “beets” were just two beet chips. All topped with fried carrots. Of course I ate too much of the grits (probably half served) but I did only eat about 1/3 of the pork chop and gave the rest to the husband. I wanted the Grouper, but I got this because it seemed healthier, but the grouper was a much better choice!! Ugg. Oh well. It was good.

Also had 2 bites of husband’s filet, about 4 french fries, and 1/4 of this braised cabbage, which was SOOO good. Not sure the nutritional, but I logged it as 50 calories.

Since the restaurant screwed up our order a few times, we got 2 free desserts (too bad they couldn’t just have reduced the bill instead of giving us food we didn’t need!). I had about 4 bites of the creme brulee….

And two of the chocolate mousse….

And a decaf coffee….

So that was dinner. I ate about 1,000 calories, and did NOT do a very good job, thanks to the wine. But as always, it could have been a lot worse. Amazingly, I did so well during the first half of the day that I hit about 2,000 calories total. Thanks to 500 calories worth of exercise, I net about 1400 - which is actually acceptable.

The worst part was that I when we got home and I was a little tipsy, I had 2 Starburst and 2 Wintergreen candies. Totally out of character!!! I told you wine is my best friend and worst enemy. I think I was just sad the day was over. I logged them though, so they’re included in the numbers.

All three holidays, I was at or just over maintenance calories, so although I drank and ate too much, I didn’t do as much damage as it feels like. Just a few days of healthy eating will get me right back to where I was.

And I can’t wait to resume my healthy lifestyle!!

Alcohol + Leftovers = ugggggggggg!

Wine = <3

Did I mention that alcohol is a big trigger of mine?? How is it that I managed to do more damage the day AFTER Thanksgiving than the day itself?? ALCOHOL!! I had a glass of wine before we started dinner….and the rest is history.

Breakfast:
Starting this morning, I woke up on little sleep and feeling icky from a glass or two of wine the night before. I had a big bowl of oatmeal with banana and walnuts before we departed on our family hike to Crowders Mountain.

Breakfast calories: 340

Hike!!
We did a 3.5 mile hike up a mountain and back down. I wore my heart rate monitor and burned about 300 calories. Not too bad, but not enough to fight Thanksgiving leftovers! At the top of the mountain, I had a cranberry-turkey-spinach sandwich and some fresh fruit. Check out the view!!

Cute husband eating!

View from the top of the mountain:

Lunch calories: 357

Afternoon:
After we got back from the hiking, I was pretty hungry. I had a cup of tea to tide me until dinner, but it didn’t do much….I had some bites of mashed potatoes and vegetables.

And mom and I got in 40 more minutes of walking!!

After our walk, it was about 4pm and I was going on about 800 calories with 450 calories burned. I need some fuel!! Had a bowl of leftover veggies and brussels sprouts. And one too many nibbles of sweet potato casserole

Afternoon calories: About 300. Too many bites of other people’s dishes!

Dinner
OK, can we emphasize again that wine is the catalyst for me to overeat?? At 5:00, the whole family came over again for a dinner of leftovers. We opened a bottle of pinot, and it was FABULOUS!!!!!!!! I had a glass before dinner (about 2 of these 3 oz ones) and it triggered me to overeat….

I also sipped on the husband’s DELICIOUS Chardonnay (Indian Wells from Washington – unbelievable!!) 2 more oz under my belt.

Here’s my plate of leftovers, which isn’t that damaging, except that I did a lot more nibbling than is photographed. Sorry to be inaccurate, but I was BAD tonight!

For dessert, I had a sliver of pumpkin chiffon and some pecan - too much of both! But seriously, is that really 151 calories worth of pecan pie?!?!? It is 1/3 of a slice, but I find that so hard to believe!!!

Also had about 2-3 oz of mead (honey dessert wine) when the husband surprise-opened it, which was above and beyond what I had planned.

Here’s my dinner calorie estimate:

Dinner		Cals
	5 serving Roasted Veggies by OZ	102
	4 serving Cranberry Sauce – Thanksgiving Version	85
	0.5 serving, 1/2 cup (4 oz) Wegmans: Bread Products: Holiday Dinners, Herb Stuffing	103
	1 1/2 cup Brussels Sprouts with Apple	54
	0.5 serving, 2/3 cup (5.9 oz) Puddings: Corn, home prepared	109
	7 fl.oz Sutter Home: Wines: Pinot Noir	161
	1 oz Turkey: Light Meat, boneless, no skin, roasted	45
	2 fl.oz Wines: Mulled or Mead	88
	2 fl.oz Sutter Home: Wines: Chardonnay	47
	.4 serving, 1/2 cup Vrooman: Sides: Sweet Potato Casserole	82
	0.25 oz Be Happy & Healthy: Breads: Pumpkin	19
	1 piece (0.2 oz) Sunspire: Chocolate: Grain Sweetened, Dark Earth Balls	32
	0.3 piece, 1/8 of 9″ dia (4.3 oz) Pies & Tarts: Pies, Pecan, prepared from recipe	151
	0.33 serving Pumpkin Chiffon Pie	98
	1 oz Beer: Regular (5% alc.)	12
Total:		1188

SO as you can see, I was not very well behaved today. One day this week was enough damage!!

Total Friday calories: 2189

-448 through hiking + walk

+ 300 added maintenance calories to lighten the load.

= net of 1440.

Now I know plenty of people who have done fine on 1440 net, but I’m not one of them. I know my body and know that this was overboard. This is NOT how a nutritionist would eat. This is how the old me would eat. Get a grip, me!

Tomorrow we’re headed to Spartanburg, SC to visit my husband’s dad, and we’re going to dinner at a German restaurant. I would love to limit myself to NO alcohol tomorrow, but I know that is unrealistic. I think I’ll just do my best (absolute BEST) and call it a weekend. I’ll be back on track hard core on Monday. We do plan on hitting the gym hard tomorrow morning, early, so that should help.

See you then!!

Kath

Thanksgiving 2007 Recap

I did great!!!! I’m full, but not stuffed. Very satisfied. Got lots of exercise today, and ate a little of everything. I’m guessing I had about 2200 – 2300 calories. I had planned for 2000, so I consider being just a hair over a great success. I also can’t believe how easy it was to eat a small amount for breakfast and lunch since I was so busy. I think being the chef for Thanksgiving really helped me eat less (if I was a guest at a more traditional (and more unhealthy) dinner, I’m sure I would have eaten more).

Our guests had a great time and we got lots of compliments on all the foods!

I do feel pretty full and uncomfortable, but I think I’m more full from drinking lots of water than lots of food!! I also did eat most of my calories at one meal, so it’s no wonder I’m full. I’m reallllly thirsty, but other than that, I feel like I just had a big meal, that’s all. Go me!!!

Here’s a recap…………….

Thanksgiving Run:
Woke up to a drizzle outside – so cozy!! After a small bite of banana and PB, husband and I set out on our run just in time to have the sun poke through the clouds!! It was a wonderful run (despite my aching hamstrings, which took a while to warm up!). 5.3 miles; 450 calories burned. Perfect weather: overcast with bouts of sunshine, 60* and a slight breeze.

Breakfast:
Since I’m obviously trying to eat light today, I just had an oatmeal pancake and coffee. Yum! The coffee made me rather jittery and my shoulders did their tension thing. I am giving up caffeinated coffee forever!

Breakfast calories: ~310 (including pre-run banana)

Morning Meal Prep:
We spent the morning prepping for afternoon cooking. Veggies were chopped, ingredients measured, and everything was put in tupperware so it can be dumped right into the recipe when we’re under time pressure.

Lunch:
Kept things simple and light with a smoked salmon sandwich.

And some sliced apple:

Lunch calories: 310.

Afternoon:
Of course we spent the afternoon cooking. I went for a 30 minute walk with my mom, sweet! Got in all my required exercise. I was pretty hungry after our walk, but I had a few grapes and a virgin tonic and lime and felt much better to make it until 5pm.

There are a few bites missing of things throughout the day, but I kept an eye on my bites and don’t think I had more than 100 calories of extra bites of things like Brussels sprouts and 1 bite of cornbread.

Afternoon calories (sips of husband’s beer, apple core, grapes, cornbread): ~100.

Chopping apples:

Virgin Tonic (everyone else had liquor in theirs!)

Table Decor:
Here’s our beautiful table….

Kitchen centerpiece:

Cocktail Hour:
I assembled the appetizer plate and put it out at 4pm. I only had a few grapes and one piece of cheese. No crackers and I certainly didn’t nibble. Nice!! The guests gobbled it up like turkeys!

Cranberry cheese, crackers, grapes, almonds, apricots:

5:00 Dinner is Served!

Pumpkin Bread and Blue Cornbread:

Vegetables on the grill:

Bleu Cheese Smashed Potatoes:

The most amazing wild rice, mushroom and sourdough dressing (with homemade bread!)

Apple-Bacon Brussels Sprouts:

Mom’s Corn Pudding:

My cranberry sauce (made with brown sugar…). And in the words of my 21-year-old brother in law “This cranberry sauce is DEE-licious!!! The best I’ve ever had!!”

Gravy..stovetop homemade

And our favorite: roasted vegetables:

Turkey!!!!

Carving the turkey!

My plate:

A little of everything, in moderation of course! I was full about 1/2 way through but kept eating. Was just perfectly full when I was done. Only had a little seconds on the dressing (which I usually hate) and the cranberry sauce, but not enough of either to do damage. Also had exactly 6 oz of wine – go me!!! Dinner calories: ~1,000 (including 6 oz wine).

Dessert:
We cleaned the entire kitchen before eating dessert, so I built up another appetite. I had the exact portions I had planned but they seemed SO SMALL!! I had a few more nibbles of pie, but not a significant amount (although with pie, it’s always significant!). But my initial pieces may have been a bit small, so who knows what my exact calories were! We also had a dessert wine with dessert (duh) and I had my planned 2 oz. I pretty much ate exactly as planned.

My grandmother’s Staffordshire turkey plates:

The pies!! Pecan and Pumpkin Chiffon (so much better than regular pumpkin!)

The table all set up with the turkey plates:

Dessert calories: ~500, including dessert wine.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!!!

Tomorrow is a hike up Crowders Mountain with turkey sandwiches at the top and leftovers for dinner. Can’t wait!

4-day Weekend Begins!

Fun afternoon!

After getting off of work early (YAHOO IT’S THE WEEKEND!!!!!!!) we went for a 30-minute walk (what I beautiful afternoon!), made cranberry sauce (it boiled over), brined the turkey (it’s in a cooler in a brining bag full of salt and OJ and spices), baked the most DELICIOUS sourdough bread for the stuffing, baked a loaf of pumpkin bread, went to EarthFare for dinner, and watched Planet Earth.

Surprisingly, I was able to realize that I didn’t need a huge planned snack and just nibble on a few things – a bread sample and some cranberry sauce – this afternoon.

At EarthFare, I got a salad, but I didn’t get lots of the fun side items so it was a little disappointing.

• Mixed greens
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Shredded carrots
• Bell peppers
• Raw mushrooms
• Marinated mushrooms
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Broccoli salad (3 florets)
• Saffron pasta (5-6 fettuccine pieces)
• Glazed baby carrots (4)
• Kalamata olives (4)
• Spicy peppers

I think that’s it??

Plus the most delicious Cranberry Butternut Squash Salad EVER!!! (SUSAN - this one’s for you!!!) I warmed it in the microwave. Thanks to Wegman’s, which I’ve never been to but would LOVE to have in the South!!, I was able to get the nutritional info for this pretty accurately. Calorie King has so may of Wegman’s packages salads in its database. Since it was .13 pounds, or 2.1 oz, I calculated it about 60 calories. It was delicious!!!

With all of our Thanksgiving prep, I forgot to have my glass of leftover wine I’ve been saving all week! I had it when we got home, but was really too tired and it was a tad old (too bad because it was expensive!) so I had 3 oz and gave the rest to the husband.

Dinner calories + Wine: 425

Total Wednesday Calories: 1605 (possibly a little more b/c of unlogged bites today)

-519 thru workout and walk

= net of 1097. Too low but I’m too sleepy! Plus, I felt like I ate enough today. If I wasn’t counting, I’d think I ate plenty.

Our house smells amazingly like a brewery from the yeasty bread. And it’s sitting in the cabinet drying out for tomorrow – so tempting!!

Tomorrow’s plan:

8:00 – 5 mile run (if my hamstrings aren’t too sore from Tuesday’s lunges – I can barely walk!!)
9:30 – Oatmeal Pancake
10:00 – Thanksgiving prep
11:30 – Parents Arrive
12:00 – Smoked salmon sandwiches with my mom
1:00 – Thanksgiving prep
2:00 – Family walk
3:00 – More cooking
4:00 – Cocktail hour + hors d’oeuvres
5:00 – Dinnertime!
7:00 – Mandatory family walk
8:00 – Dessert

I’ve got a game plan for eating for the day – y’all need to hold me accountable!!

Fun Dinner!

Taco salads!!!

They were amazing!!!

Components:

• Spinach
• Bell peppers (lots)
• Jalapeños
• Leftover beans and rice (1/2 a cup)
• .5 oz avocado
• Chopped tomato
• 1.5 oz Mexican reduced fat cheese
• 2 oz plain yogurt
• 1 Blue Corn taco shell, toasted in the oven

Total Dinner Calories: 443

+ 2 oz pear core
+ 2 Kashi crackers

Afternoon Snack:

Yogurt + Cran + Fiber One. Had it at 4pm. Perfect tide-me-over.

Dessert: 1/2 a CIB with 6 oz skim milk = “hot chocolate.” It was heavenly!!!

Total Tuesday calories: 1729

-553 thru workout and walk

= net 1176.

Feeling Proud(er)

Spinach Salad with Root Veggies, Turkey and Pomegranate

How on earth did I end up under net today!?!?!?

This is why I rock: I didn’t nibble all afternoon. When I got home and convinced the husband to take a 30-minute walk. Then I had a simple spinach, turkey and veggie salad, drank some water, made a SUPER healthy and delicious lunch for tomorrow (curry tuna salad, spinach salad, fruit, Kashis) and am going to read in bed. How fun!

I was really kind of full all afternoon. Or not really full, but I just didn’t feel like eating. Wait, I take that back, I felt like pigging out on everything in the kitchen, but I knew that lunch should have kept me satisfied for HOURS so I knew better. Come 6pm, I still didn’t really want anything for dinner, but I could feel hungry returning…er….fullness leaving. So I settled on a small salad and feel nice and satisfied again and happy with my day!

Husband’s dinner of leftovers:

Despite the fact that I ate a little too much at lunch today, I made up for it with no snacks, plenty of exercise and healthy choices (as I said before, I could have easily doubled my lunch calories as some of my colleagues did!). THESE ARE THE REASONS WHY I AM FIT AND HEALTHY!!!

And I think I’m going to do GREAT on our actual Thanksgiving!

Total calories for Monday: ~1736

-530 thru workout and pre-dinner walk

= net of 1206.

Of course I could have consumed way more calories than I estimated, but I’m just going to have to assume I was accurate and be proud of myself!

Sunday Recap

I’m feeling rather down today and I’m pretty sure hormones are to blame I can feel them racing around my bloodstream, and I wish I could make them go away! I had a good day though, and we got lots of stuff done, including my final project for Nutrition. All I have left is the final exam!

Breakfast:
Had a leisurely breakfast of PB oatmeal and a Toffee Latte:

Breakfast calories: 472.

Workout:
Was going to skip a workout today and just go for a long walk, but husband suggested a run around 11:00, so run we did. About 4.75 miles. 400 calories burned!

Lunch:
Had the most AMAZING lunch after our run. I was brainstorming what I craved most and decided I would have whatever that was.

Tuna salad?
PB + J?
Bean Sandwich?
Spinach salad?

Nothing was appealing. Then I thought about grilled cheese – and grilled cheese it was!!

Ezekiel Bread with 1 slice chipotle cheese, 1/8 cup shredded reduced-fat Italian, and some Smart Balance (~ 1 tsp?) on the bread for good flavor. We put it in a pan over medium heat and topped it with a few pots for a panini-style press.

Had it with Pacific Buttery Corn Soup. I LOVE this brand of soups. They are a little on the boring side by themselves, but they make the perfect base for a quick homemade soup. I chopped up some carrots, celery and broccoli, presto soup! You could easily just add pre-chopped frozen veggies too.

All together for 420 calories. I felt SO satisfied when I was done…

After lunch the mother-in-law stopped by with pecan pie. I had 1 good-sized bite and that was it (husband wolfed the rest down before I could even think about a second). Logged it for 60 calories! Yikes!! I’m well aware that pecan is the MOST DANGEROUS pie there is, but it’s one of my favorites

Afternoon:
After lunch I worked on my project, then we went to Target and World Market for some items. I was hungry when we left at 3:30 but decided I would live without food since I didn’t feel like making a snack. But when we got home, I was sluggish with low blood sugar (or something!) and needed a snack. Vanilla tea with yogurt, cranberry, pom and fiber one for ~120 calories.

Dinner:
Dinner was good, but left us wanting more.

Salmon patty on a big white bun with spinach, avocado, dill and mustard.

Steamed broccoli that I did in the microwave for 3 minutes with a little water in the bottom of the bowl. It was the PERFECT doneness and SO quick and easy!

And rosemary oven-baked red potato “home fries” with ketchup:

All together for ~480 calories (thanks to that huge bun!)

Dessert:
Had a warmed jello pudding cup and chopped pineapple for dessert. And 2 bites of a chocolate-covered frozen banana (husband’s). Last night I did have an oatmeal pancake but didn’t get the photo up. ~125 calories.

Total Sunday calories: 1686

-450 from run and walking

= net of 1235.

I’m thinking of upping my net back to 1350 or 1400 after I get through Thanksgiving. Just seems like I’ve been eating so well that my body could use some more fuel. We’ll see how the next week goes!

Tomorrow is the Thanksgiving Pot-Luck at my office. I know the menu since I’ve been the one in charge of coordinating the dishes, including like 10 desserts! My strategy is going to be:

1. Skip the turkey since I’ll be having it again this week (I’ll probably just have 1 oz instead of the usual 3-4 oz serving)
2. Fill up on the dishes that look homemade and worth it (the healthier ones, that is)
3. To not eat anything store bought (I can eat that anytime!)
4. Stick to two SMALL bites of dessert – whichever looks the best
5. I’m also going to log it all before lunch rather than after – that always helps keep things in perspective.

I think I’ll do well at the lunch, but the real question is: can I stay away from the leftovers all afternoon? We don’t have dinner planned tomorrow to leave some wiggle room. I’m hoping to be a show off on my blog at how well I do, but we shall see!! Hold me to it ladies!