Breakfast-on the go
I had to work very early this morning, so I did have my standby glass of O.J. when I sleepily stumbled to the kitchen (barely awake and on autopilot…so I didn’t take a picture). I had my coffee too (that was a given-especially today), but I didn’t have time to sit down and have breakfast so I had to grab something to bring along. I had a 6 oz. cup of fat free cherry yogurt mixed with 2/3 cup of dry granola cereal (Cascadian Farm brand-honestly I don’t know where I got it or how long it’s been sitting on my shelf-must have been an impulse buy of long ago!) when I got to work. It was pretty filling and carried me through all the way through lunch (along with a second cup of coffee).
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz. whole
Vegetables: 0
Fruits: 1 cup (Orange juice)
Milk: ¾ cup (yogurt)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.49
Lunch-si
mple yet filling
Lunch had to be portable today, since I was going to be eating at work. I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread to bring along, with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and about 1 teaspoon of jelly. I also grabbed some Baked Lays potato chips (about 1 oz) and a banana. Not the most exciting lunch, but very filling due to the protein and fat in the peanut butter. I used to be afraid to eat too much peanut butter, as I was daunted by the amount of calories and fat in just one serving. Now I know that the fat in peanut butter is a good fat, and choosing this as a meal is helpful when I need to stay full since fats take a longer time to digest.
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz. whole
Vegetables: ½ oz. (Baked Lays-about 15 chips)
Fruits: ¾ cup (medium banana)
Milk: O
Meats & beans: 2 oz (peanut butter)
Oils: 2 tsp
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.03
Dinner-work with what you’ve got
I was so tired tonight that I didn’t have much of a plan for dinner. This is potentially a dangerous situation, because it normally results in going out and picking something up-which is not really an option within my budget. I fought the urge and ended up throwing together some things I had on hand, based on what nutritional requirements I needed to fulfill. I sautéed some frozen chicken breast (about 4 oz. for myself) in about a teaspoon of olive oil. I served this over 1 cup of whole-wheat spaghetti pasta and mixed in a cup of steamed mixed frozen veggies (peas, carrots and broccoli) and a teaspoon of pre-made pesto sauce. I topped the whole thing with a slice of mozzarella cheese. I was still lacking a cup of vegetables, so I made a sweet potato to serve on the side. Sweet potatoes are another newfound favorite of
mine! I always thought of them as more of a dessert item, because the only context I had seen them in was covered in marshmallows on the Thanksgiving dinner table. I never really liked them this way, but once I tried one plain I realized that they have a great flavor. They are so good for you, too…full of beta carotene/vitamin A. Sweet potatoes are quite simple to prepare, even if you’re short on time. I just rinse well, poke a few holes with a fork and throw in the microwave in a loosely covered Tupperware container will a little water. The potato will be ready to eat in 5 minutes! I usually eat it like a baked potato and split it down the middle or cut into large chunks. Tonight, I added a teaspoon of Smart Balance Light. I eat most of the skin, too-extra fiber! Overall, not a bad thrown together dinner-and on 5 hours of sleep, nonetheless!
Snack/
Dessert
As usual, I was short in getting my milk products in for the day. Since I can’t drink milk by itself (okay…not can’t, but won’t) I need to come up with creative ways to trick myself into drinking it anyway. Tonight, I heated up a cup of skim milk in the microwave and made it into malted hot chocolate. I added about 2 teaspoons of chocolate syrup (Hershey’s) and 1 teaspoon of malted milk powder. It wasn’t the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had, but it did the trick and satisfied my chocolate craving as well.
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz. whole (1 cup spaghetti)
Vegetables: 2 cups (1 cup mixed veggies and 1 medium sweet potato)
Fruits: 0
Milk: 1 ¾ cups (slice of mozzarella cheese and skim milk)
Meats & beans: 4 oz (chicken breast)
Oils: 2 tsp (olive oil and pesto sauce)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.67
How did I do today?
Grains: 6 oz. out of 6 oz. (all were whole!)
Vegetables: 2 ½ cups out of 2 ½ cups
Fruits: 1 ¾ cups out of 2 cups
Milk: 2 ½ cups out of 3 cups
Meats & beans: 6 oz. out of 5 ½ oz.
Oils: 4 tsp out of 6 tsp
$4.18 total cost for the day
I had to work very early this morning, so I did have my standby glass of O.J. when I sleepily stumbled to the kitchen (barely awake and on autopilot…so I didn’t take a picture). I had my coffee too (that was a given-especially today), but I didn’t have time to sit down and have breakfast so I had to grab something to bring along. I had a 6 oz. cup of fat free cherry yogurt mixed with 2/3 cup of dry granola cereal (Cascadian Farm brand-honestly I don’t know where I got it or how long it’s been sitting on my shelf-must have been an impulse buy of long ago!) when I got to work. It was pretty filling and carried me through all the way through lunch (along with a second cup of coffee).
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz. whole
Vegetables: 0
Fruits: 1 cup (Orange juice)
Milk: ¾ cup (yogurt)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.49
Lunch-si
mple yet fillingLunch had to be portable today, since I was going to be eating at work. I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread to bring along, with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and about 1 teaspoon of jelly. I also grabbed some Baked Lays potato chips (about 1 oz) and a banana. Not the most exciting lunch, but very filling due to the protein and fat in the peanut butter. I used to be afraid to eat too much peanut butter, as I was daunted by the amount of calories and fat in just one serving. Now I know that the fat in peanut butter is a good fat, and choosing this as a meal is helpful when I need to stay full since fats take a longer time to digest.
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz. whole
Vegetables: ½ oz. (Baked Lays-about 15 chips)
Fruits: ¾ cup (medium banana)
Milk: O
Meats & beans: 2 oz (peanut butter)
Oils: 2 tsp
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.03
Dinner-work with what you’ve got
I was so tired tonight that I didn’t have much of a plan for dinner. This is potentially a dangerous situation, because it normally results in going out and picking something up-which is not really an option within my budget. I fought the urge and ended up throwing together some things I had on hand, based on what nutritional requirements I needed to fulfill. I sautéed some frozen chicken breast (about 4 oz. for myself) in about a teaspoon of olive oil. I served this over 1 cup of whole-wheat spaghetti pasta and mixed in a cup of steamed mixed frozen veggies (peas, carrots and broccoli) and a teaspoon of pre-made pesto sauce. I topped the whole thing with a slice of mozzarella cheese. I was still lacking a cup of vegetables, so I made a sweet potato to serve on the side. Sweet potatoes are another newfound favorite of
mine! I always thought of them as more of a dessert item, because the only context I had seen them in was covered in marshmallows on the Thanksgiving dinner table. I never really liked them this way, but once I tried one plain I realized that they have a great flavor. They are so good for you, too…full of beta carotene/vitamin A. Sweet potatoes are quite simple to prepare, even if you’re short on time. I just rinse well, poke a few holes with a fork and throw in the microwave in a loosely covered Tupperware container will a little water. The potato will be ready to eat in 5 minutes! I usually eat it like a baked potato and split it down the middle or cut into large chunks. Tonight, I added a teaspoon of Smart Balance Light. I eat most of the skin, too-extra fiber! Overall, not a bad thrown together dinner-and on 5 hours of sleep, nonetheless!Snack/
DessertAs usual, I was short in getting my milk products in for the day. Since I can’t drink milk by itself (okay…not can’t, but won’t) I need to come up with creative ways to trick myself into drinking it anyway. Tonight, I heated up a cup of skim milk in the microwave and made it into malted hot chocolate. I added about 2 teaspoons of chocolate syrup (Hershey’s) and 1 teaspoon of malted milk powder. It wasn’t the best hot cocoa I’ve ever had, but it did the trick and satisfied my chocolate craving as well.
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz. whole (1 cup spaghetti)
Vegetables: 2 cups (1 cup mixed veggies and 1 medium sweet potato)
Fruits: 0
Milk: 1 ¾ cups (slice of mozzarella cheese and skim milk)
Meats & beans: 4 oz (chicken breast)
Oils: 2 tsp (olive oil and pesto sauce)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.67
How did I do today?
Grains: 6 oz. out of 6 oz. (all were whole!)
Vegetables: 2 ½ cups out of 2 ½ cups
Fruits: 1 ¾ cups out of 2 cups
Milk: 2 ½ cups out of 3 cups
Meats & beans: 6 oz. out of 5 ½ oz.
Oils: 4 tsp out of 6 tsp
$4.18 total cost for the day
Pretty good, considering my lack of sleep! Tomorrow I will officially be finished with all my classes for the semester, so it will be time to get out the recipe books and find some new things to try over the next few weeks. It's also time to bake cookies for the holidays. I will be making some of my favorite "better for you" recipes, along with trying out some new ones this year. Stay tuned!
Great idea Dena, I'm really enjoying it so far.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of Milk and Honey... Radiohead gave me the idea :). Heat some milk, add some honey, stir and enjoy.