Can You Have Just a Half Cup Of Ice Cream?

 

 

 

Wild Mushroom Soup, Garnished with Walnuts

This recipe looks fancy but it was so easy. We invented it ourselves tonight The husband took the initiative to add 100 calories worth of butter, which I thought was rather pointless because I couldn’t even taste it. Oh well. The navy beans are also optional, but we added them for more protein and fiber (and because we needed to get rid of them!)

Wild Mushroom Soup:

 

• 1 pound assorted mushrooms (cremini, button, oyster, skitaki)
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 large stalk celery, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, Low-Sodium
• 14 oz can beef broth, low-sodium
• 1/2 cup navy beans
• Butter (optional)
• Chopped walnuts for garnish

Cook chopped mushrooms, garlic and veggies in a large dutch oven until tender. You can cook it in butter for extra flavor, but it’s not necessary. Add broth and cream of mushroom. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Puree with a stick blender, leaving some chunks. Or puree 3/4 of soup in food processor or stand blender. Garnish with walnuts.

Makes 2 servings. ~326 calories per serving when using 1 tbsp butter. 250 calories without butter!

It was fantastic and VERY filling!!!!!!! I loved the crunch of the walnuts.

Snacks

This afternoon I snacked on a new kind of raw fruit/nut bar: Think Organic. It was a lot like the LaraBar I had yesterday – actually almost exactly the same but a little smaller and a little less calories. I didn’t think it would tide my hunger very well, but I ate at 3:30 and still wasn’t hungry for dinner at 6 when I got home!

And I had a few Kashi crackers when I was packing my lunch, which, by the way, is going to be AWESOME tomorrow!

Yes, It’s Possible

And yes, it is possible to have just a half cup of ice cream and stop. Edy’s Slow-churned Egg Nog and Fiber One….

Gosh that stuff is amazing. Just like real egg nog!!! Who needs the drink when you can chew it for 1/4 the calories!?

Total Wednesday calories: ~ 1719

- 566 from workout and walk

= net of 1152.

Night!

P.S. I’m about to curse this computer screen out with all the formatting issues in this post!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Glad to be Home!

Snowy Syracuse

I don’t know how people live there. The outdoors are simply off-limits when it’s snowy and windy! You have to live 100% indoors. That sucks!

 

Morning Snack

Lunch

Lunch was a disappointment. I started with a club sandwich with swiss, turkey and ham Also had a plate of fruit, a pickle and 2 bites of Christmas cookies!

When I opened the sandwich, however, I discovered it was COVERED in mayo (full fat, most likely). I thought I could just take off one slice of bread and eat it open faced. Then I discovered the ham was really salty. At that point I went back for a wrap to try to change directions! I kept the original turkey and tomato though, so I ate parts of that.

The new wrap was chicken, mushroom and Italian dressing, but luckily the dressing was only on one side. I ate pieces of the chicken and some of the mushrooms and about 2/3 of the tortilla (which I’m sure was not whole wheat despite it’s color and probably had trans-fats in it )

I ate all my fruit plus some more since I was still hungry and not feeling very satisfied. The second plate isn’t pictured.

The cookies were delicious and really hit the spot!

So I had two more bites, one pictured here.

My stomach was unhappy when our meetings resumed, but more significantly my brain was unsatisfied with the lunch. I should have just eaten the first sandwich without the ham, but oh well. I still felt hungry, but it calmed after 20 minutes or so so I guess I just had to catch up.

Snacks

I had a kashi bar at the airport – where I couldn’t get the WiFi to work :angry: Sorry, no photo.

I was starving when my flight took off at 4:45 and welcomed a 60-calorie pack of soy nuts, pretzels, and sesame sticks. And a seltzer.

Dinner

Had only 45 minutes to grab something to eat in Washington, but since I’d spent 5 hours there the day before I knew my options. I was craving a salad, so salad it was. The California Chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, soggy croutons, kalamata olives, and a garliky but good avocado dressing of which I had about a tsp. After starting to eat, I had to take dinner on the plane because we started to board – not quite the ideal dining experience!

Also grabbed more fresh fruit, which seems to be the world’s #1 grab and go healthy food. Some of my grapes were rotten though

The whole she-bang, including my LaraBar for dessert! Total calories ~ 631. I needed the fuel!

Dessert

I don’t eat bars that much, but they’re hard to beat when you’re on the go. I like LaraBars, but I don’t eat them often because they are on the high-cal side. But this seemed like the perfect dessert considering my dinner only totaled about 400 calories and I was pretty low over the day, all things considered. I ate this guy really slowly and he was great. Really hit the spot.

Total Tuesday calories: ~ 1665

- 444 through morning workout. I’m sure I burned more through airport walking and lugging my bags around, but I have no way of guessing. Maybe add 100?

=net of 1221 ish.

Stuck In The Airport

My flight out of Charlotte was delayed 45 minutes, so of course I missed my connection and am now stuck in the Washington airport for 5 hours. I was very annoyed to find out I had to pay for WiFi, but I’m an internet nerd and decided it was worth $9.99 to have internet for 5 hours I’m missing the whole first day of our PR retreat – and my presentation – but there is nothing I can do. I’m happy enough sitting at a table with my laptop and at least they have healthy food at this airport!

…..which brings me to lunch! Well before I get to lunch, I got settled at a table at 11 a.m. and was starving, so I had a Clementine (from home), a few almonds and pistachios, and hot tea! I debated a latte (I don’t drink them often but love them) but thought I didn’t need it since lunch was looming on the horizon.

But before I settled down, I scoped out all of my lunch options (I know better than to set up camp and then I have to pack up to leave for 10 minutes and come back since I have no one to watch my stuff.)

There’s a little booth called Cibo Gourmet Express with lots of exciting things: sandwiches, fresh fruit, diced fruit, a good looking chef salad, Larabars, Perrier, dried fruit and nuts, and some other stuff. There’s also a place with these good looking panini things on pita bread that lots of people are eating, but I know better I wanted a black forest ham and brie sandwich and the turkey and cheddar but they all had mayonnaise and were large with cheese so I figured I’d have more fun with a smaller sandwich and more sides. There was also a really good looking vegan veggie sandwich, but it has onions on it and I couldn’t tell if they were chopped finely (bad) or big and easy to pick off (good) but I decided not to risk it.

I ended up with the boring turkey, lettuce, tomato and mustard on what looks like whole grain bread. It was a LOT of bread. I logged it as 2 slices at 110 calories each, but hard to tell. I guess lugging my heavy bags around the airport can cancel it out.

Although the bread was good, it actually wasn’t that great of a sandwich on the inside….

On the side I got fresh berries

And a Colombo yogurt from another vendor. (Which I noticed after the fact has HFCS it it! Ug. I’ll eat this on occasion). It was no plain yogurt + cran….

Drink:

I looked all over for a small salad, but I all I could find was a hefty $10 one and an iceburg one, so I’m veggie-less today.

Lunch calories: ~475.

I also swiped a Nectar bar to try at some point this week. And a little dark chocolate, which I didn’t end up eating because it was 11 grams = 60 calories!! Not worth it for something that small, at least right now it’s not

I hate that I’m not going to be able to workout today and am eating my normal amounts of food, but I guess this is a good example of “you gain some, you lose some.” (I updated the FAQs with this concept, by the way.) I’m just going to keep my focus on making the healthiest choices and we’ll see where this evening takes me. My plan now is 1 glass of wine and 2 bites of dessert, but we’ll see!

So long for now!

Afternoon Snack

I always have bananas in the mornings, so I never want to have them for a snack too. This morning I had pear, so I packed a banana! Also had a few Kashi crackers….

Another view of the Charlotte skyline!

Having vegetable mac-n-cheese for dinner!! And getting in a walk to the grocery store to pick up some ingredients first!!

Dining Hall CLOSED = Unexpected Bad Situation

No time to type!!!! Here’s a photo recap. The dining hall was closed so my mother in law raved this place with homemade soups only for us to get there and find it out it was a smoky bar with pub food. Ewwww.

I had vegetarian black bean chili, which I guessed was 200 calories. 100 for 1/2 cup of beans and 100 for the rest of the cup (all veggies, cooked). I ate the 2 saltines it came with.

Also had a salad of iceburg lettuce, bell peppers, homemade croutons, and raspberry dressing (which I think was low-cal because it was really runny).

Also had two sips of husband’s beer!

I think I did a great job making the best of a bad situation. I ordered my salad without cheese or creamy dressing and the healthiest soup I could find. But the bad part was it only added up to about 300 calories, including saltines and beer sips, so I was pretty hungry when I got home.

Had some toast with jam:

Dinner 1 + Dinner 2 (toast) Calories: 405.

I also ate the other half of my Kashi bar during class, but that was already accounted for!

AND, I got in about 15 minutes more walking across the campus.

Afternoon Snack:

Total Thursday calories: 1616 (man, this has been a low week!)

- 571 thru walks and workout

= net of 1045. Geez. I’ll eat a little more tomorrow!

Night!!

Warm Afternoon Snack

I was freezing again (I’m only wearing 1 layer today = big mistake!) so I had my hot chocolate at 3:15 – a little earlier than usual. I think I really missed my yogurt at lunch because my stomach never really got rid of all of its hunger. I like the cold, wet weight of yogurt to end lunch with!

So I had a cup of skim milk, half a CIB and 2 tbsp Cool Whip – a major splurge since I try to stay away from fake things and HFCS, but it was in the work fridge and tempted me. Yeah, I’m a real person with real cravings : )

I also had two rice cakes made with Kamut and sweetened with Agave nectar. I needed something to crunch with my hot chocolate!

Snack Calories: ~215.

Dinner should be interesting – we’re making a turkey and wild rice salad with chicken and 7-day old black beans and rice. Hmmmmm….

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!!

Chili Night! (On a Hot Night)

Turkey Chili with A Dollop of Yogurt and Blue Cornbread

Chili Ingredients:

• 12 oz turkey
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce (the small ones)
• 1 can mixed chili beans
• 1 cup frozen okra
• 3 oz frozen corn
• 3 oz green pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Spices galore, including cocoa powder!

Cornbread!! I called the husband at 5 and told him I had lots of calories left and wouldn’t it be fun if we had cornbread? So he whipped some up. As much as I stressed “healthy”, it still came out to 80 calories per oz, which is quite heafty for a volume eater. But he did manage to replace 500 calories (!!!) worth of vegetable oil with applesauce to reduce the calories a little.

Chili Simmering with a huge frozen chunk of chicken stock!

Cocktail Hour:
Gin and tonic (with a splash of gin!! – who knew I liked gin!?)

Snacktime!
AMAZINGLY I made it all the way to 5:00 without thinking about food!! Something in my brain is changing. Husband says he’s been less hungry lately too………could it be…….the peanut butter oatmeal???? More protein in the AM???

String cheese and melba crackers - just something light to hold me an hour or so.

I also had a handful of Kashi Heart to Heart and .5 oz roasted veggies while packing my lunch. Bad behavior despite having a few calories left! I was full and did NOT need those nibbles!

Total Tuesday calories: 1762

-563 thru workout and walk

= net of 1200.

See ya tomorrow!

Snacktime!!

Despite feeling hungry after lunch and my walk, I made it until 4:00 without feeling hungry again. Had my snack of cottage cheese, cranberry and Kashi crackers!

Oh, and I had a small piece of dark chocolate after lunch

Wonderful Saturday!!!

I had the most amazing Saturday!! It was filled with good food, exercise, friendship, shopping, and love. What more could I ask for!?!?

Started the day by sleeping for almost 9 hours – yikes!!

Breakfast:
Got up at 8 in time to make a quick (but light) breakfast before 9:15 cycle class.

Oatmeal pancake made with cranberry sauce and 4 strawberries. And hot pumpkin tea. Only about 200 calories. I liked the cranberry, but it didn’t even compare to mashed banana.

Workout:
45 minute cycle class and 15 minutes elliptical for 426 calories. 45 minutes is the PERFECT cycle length for the brain but it was a little short for the body and calorie burn, so I had to add some cardio on.

Snack:
Had a banana after my workout before I went to lunch. I never eat bananas like this – it was GOOD! I LOVE bananas!! 86 calories.

Lunch:
I met a friend at EarthFare for lunch. Of course I got a salad (and did some grocery shopping!!)

Salad ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chickpeas
• 4 baby carrots in ginger
• Zucchini (raw and marinated/grilled)
• Black bean and corn salad (1/5 cup)
• Edamame in sesame oil (1/5 cup)
• 5 asparagus spears
• 1 falafel ball
• 3 pineapple cubes
• 2 cantaloupe cubes
• 1 grape
• 1/2 oz cubed turkey
• Shredded carrots
• Some baby spinach
• Some raw mushrooms
• 2-3 roasted red peppers
• 1/2 a tsp dressing

I think that’s it?!?!? This was quite a salad to log, but I think I did a great job of it! Appx. 380 calories!

After lunch I had some Thanksgiving samples

Orange-marmalade sweet potatoes:

Roasted vegetables

Cranberry-Apple Pie!

And a small piece of gouda.

Total lunch calories: ~475

Afternoon Exercise, Eating and Shopping:
Went for a 30-minute walk in our neighborhood after lunch. It was so beautiful out and the walk hit the spot!! Had a tiny sip of Pinot (about 1.5 oz?) while I sampled some with my friend and a bite of smoked salmon toast (the husband’s) which I canceled out with “extra weekend moving.”

I had an apple and peanut butter as an afternoon snack:

Snack calories: ~180

After the walk and snacks, the husband and I went shopping together. We hit up Williams-Sonoma with some of our wedding present giftcards. He got an All-Clad skillet that he’s been craving for ages and I got the vanilla extract that Barefoot Contessa uses. OH MY GOSH is it good!! Worth all $20. So far our $20 balsamic vinegar and vanilla have been totally worth the triple-cost that they are in regular grocery stores. These are things you have to have quality of! I can’t WAIT to try the vanilla in my oatmeal!! I also got a new WS candle, which I love b/c they really carry their scents. I had some pumpkin butter and bread samples at WS, which I canceled out with 1 hour of shopping walking (we did a lot of walking around the mall in 2 hours, so I logged one and canceled one out).

Then we went to Ann Taylor, where I got some jeans, 2 sweaters, and a buttondown, all on sale, after exchanging a pair of pants that I got for my birthday. I also had two coupons for Aveda and got two free samples!! Lastly, I had a $15 coupon at Banana Republic for my birthday month (Banana Rewards : ) and got a REALLY cool cashmere and silk sleep mask.

(Side Note: I have a black cheap sleeping mask that someone game me (from an airplane!?) that I use on occasion. Well I’ve noticed that when I use it I sleep deeper and better. Noticeably so! So I got a nice one so I wouldn’t’ feel so gross in my cheap black one and will look cuter for the husband, who thinks my mask is hilarious. You all should try sleeping in one. You feel a little strange going to bed, but I really think knocking out ANY light – whether from moonlight or an alarm clock – makes a HUGE difference in my sleep.)

So I ended up with a ton of new things for next to nothing since I started with all giftcards!

Dinner:
Husband and I came home to polish off the wine and make the most amazing dinner.

6 oz Pinot, which is now gone.

Smoked Salmon, Goat Cheese, and Portabella Sandwiches with Char-Grilled Marinated Acorn Squash

At a catering event the husband watched a chef make this squash and we copied it. It. was. amazing. SO delicious!! Especially if you like char.

Marinade:

• 1/2 tbsp EVOO
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 2 oz red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• Rosemary
• Salt + Pepper
• Lots of fresh tyme

Cut up acorn squash into pieces, leaving skin ON. Marinate for about 30 minutes and grill on high for 10-15 minutes, depending on how charred you like it. If less char, you might want to bake in the oven.

Some of the pieces melted in your mouth just like a marshmallow. YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ATE A POUND OF SQUASH!!!

……….Which meant that I really had no room for the other half of my sandwich, which was absolutely amazing too.

So I easily COULD have eaten the other half, but I decided I was full and it could be saved. GO ME!!!

Packed up in tupperware:

Speaking of intuitive eating, I’m reading this great book called “Fit From Within: 101 Simple Secrets to Change Your Body and Your Life” by Victoria Moran. Basically she wrote the book I want to write. But she’s maintained weight loss for over 18 years and has mastered eating for health. As I was snuggled under the covers reading last night there were 1,000 lightbulbs going off in my head. I bought the book for $2 on Amazon and paid another $2 in shipping – it’s worth buying even only on chapter 16!

Total Saturday calories: 1479 (unbelievable!!) Although I was pretty hungry when we got home at 6 and tided my hunger with the wine (not the best choice, I know).

-640 calories through workout, walk and shopping (with some even canceled out from nibbling)

= net of 839. WHAT!?!? I have 400 calories left today. That dinner was so filling too! I’m not sure what I’ll have, but probably another pumpkin dessert. Or something that involves the vanilla…..