Breakfast
Today I had a pretty simple breakfast-1 1/2 cups of Kashi Honey Toasted Oats cereal with a cup of skim milk, and a cup of orange juice (Old Orchard, 100% juice from concentrate). I had to be at practicum early today, then straight to school for a meeting and a class directly afterward, so I needed something that would keep me full for awhile. I love Kashi cereals-they are full of whole grains (and therefore fiber) and don't include many added sugars. Plus, every variety I have had tastes great. If I could afford to, I'd eat them all the time, but they are usually pretty pricey. Every once in awhile, Target puts them on sale and I stock up. I got this box for only $2.50-a savings of nearly $1.50 off the regular price.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (cereal)
Fruits: 1 cup (orange juice)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 1 cup (skim milk)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.15

Lunch=snacks: a change of plans!
I finished up with practicum and had to rush right over to school to make a noon meeting for an organization that I joined last semester. I kind of feel old when I go to these meetings, as most of the other members are the age you are supposed to be when you attend college...but it's nice to get involved, and most people think I'm younger than I actually am so I think I blend in okay. Anyway, at these meetings they usually serve pizza. I decided this morning that I would eat a slice of cheese pizza, but also bring along some snacks for later so I could still fulfill some of my requirements in other food groups. I brought along a banana, some homemade trail mix (22 almonds with 1/4 cup of dried mixed fruit), and an ounce of baked potato chips. Well, I was totally thrown for a loop when I got to the meeting and found they were serving chili cheese nachos instead of pizza! I'll be honest-nachos are not my thing-so I politely did not partake (hopefully unnoticed, but I'm not totally sure about that), and ate my snacks later during class. It was really not much of a lunch, so I had another snack when I got home-a slice of toasted whole wheat bread with a tablespoon of peanut butter. This just goes to show that, no matter how well you try to plan balanced meals, it's impossible to predict how things are actually going to turn out! I'm just glad I was prepared with snacks, or I would have been starving (or had to eat the nachos anyway).

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (bread)
Fruits: 1/2 cup (dried fruit)
Vegetables: 1/2 cup (baked chips)
Milk: 0
Meats & beans: 3 oz (2 from almonds and 1 from peanut butter)
Oils: 3 teaspoons (2 from almonds and 1 from peanut butter)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.34

Dinner
I didn't get my pizza for lunch today, so I decided to make it for dinner, using my 100% whole wheat homemade pizza crust recipe. I know I have posted this recipe before, but since I have some new readers I will post again. This recipe is SO easy! Anyone can make it-don't be scared off by the fact that it's bread and has to rise, etc. Heat 1/2 cup of water in the microwave until it's hot but not boiling. Pour it in a mixing bowl and add 1 packet of active yeast (I have had better results with active, as opposed to very or highly active). Stir in 2 teaspoons of honey and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Give it a few minutes to do it's thing, then start slowly adding whole wheat flour. I start with 1/2 cup, and usually end up adding about 3 of these by the time it's ready. How do you know when it's ready? Well, that part isn't so simple to explain. Once the mixture turns into a soft dough and is sticking together in one ball rather than to the sides of the bowl, it's time to take it out and start kneading it on a floured surface (the counter works just fine). Knead it for a few minutes until it sort of "bounces back" when you poke it...so it's a little firm, yet still somewhat soft. Once you think it's had enough, place it in another clean bowl on top of a tablespoon or so of oil (olive oil gives it the best flavor). Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it sit in a warm area (next to the preheating oven is perfect) for about 15 minutes. After the dough has risen to my satisfaction, I take it out and place it on a pizza pan well coated with cooking spray. I don't to any fancy tricks to spread out the dough-I just stretch it out across the pan. It's not usually a perfect circle, but so what? Recently, I have begun letting the dough rise again once it's on the pan. I cover it with plastic wrap (loosely this time) and let it sit for another 5 minutes or so. This seems to make it a little softer after baking-just a personal preference. After it has finished rising, it's time to add the toppings! This time, I made my own pizza sauce with a can of no-salt-added tomato paste. I added water until it was "sauce-like"-it took about 3/4 cup. I also added dried herbs and spices: oregano, basil, garlic, and a "dash" of Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning. I covered the pizza with the sauce (it was a lot-but I like saucy pizza), then added steamed fresh spinach (about 4 cups before I steamed it) and a sliced chicken sausage. A pizza wouldn't be a pizza without the cheese, so I also added 1 cup of part-skim mozzarella and 1/2 cup of feta crumbles. The feta was actually a nice touch, and went very well with the spinach and sausage. In fact, this was probably one of the best pizzas I have ever made, if I do say so myself! I had 4 small slices, which was close to half of the 10 inch pizza.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 4 oz whole (pizza crust)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 1 1/2 cup (1 from spinach and 1/2 from sauce)
Milk: 2 cups (mozzarella and feta cheese)
Meats & beans: 1 1/2 oz (about 1/2 of a chicken sausage on my portion)
Oils: 2 teaspoons (oil on dough)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.77

How did I do today?
Grains: 6 1/2 oz out of 6 oz (all were whole)
Fruits: 2 1/4 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 cups out of 2 1/2 cups
Milk: 3 cups out of 3 cups
Meats & Beans: 4 1/2 oz out of 5 1/2 oz
Oils: 5 teaspoons out of 6 teaspoons

Total cost for the day: $5.27