Breakfast
I got up after having only 7 hours of (restless) sleep, only to get right into studying again. I had a nice big cup of coffee, along with 1/2 + 1/4 cups of quick oats prepared with a cup of skim milk with a sliced banana, 2 tablespoons of walnuts and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. I found that I only needed 1/2 packet of Equal to sweeten the oatmeal today...bananas are so sweet alone, and the ones I bought this time are large enough to count as a whole cup of fruit. Now, the short break is over...back to studying. Am I too hard on myself?

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (oatmeal)

Fruits: 1 cup (banana)

Vegetables: 0

Milk: 1 cup (skim milk)

Meats & beans: 1 oz (walnuts)

Oils: 1 teaspoon (walnuts)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.80

Lunch
I studied all morning for my community nutrition exam...it was a nice break from biochem. Okay, something's wrong here-I'm considering studying for another test to be a break!! I just am really not looking forward to that biochem test...ugh. I'll get through it though, I always do. For lunch, I made a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with 2 slices of fat free American cheese, using about a teaspoon of Smart Balance light on the bread. I also had a cup (12) raw baby carrots and the rest of the fruit cocktail, which was about 3/4 cup. Now I have to go to class, and then, you guessed it, come home and continue studying.

Snack-I brought some almonds with me to class, and had a small handful (about 11). I'm including it here to save space...

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 2 oz whole (bread)

Fruits: 3/4 cup (fruit cocktail)
Vegetables: 1 cup (carrots)

Milk: 1 cup (cheese)

Meats & beans: 1 oz (almonds)

Oils: 2 teaspoon (1 from Smart Balance and 1 from almonds)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.56

Dinner
Tonight I made whole wheat rotini pasta with marinara sauce (Classico, from the jar) and added Boca soy crumbles in with the sauce, using equal amounts of the Boca and the sauce. It turned out really good, and took hardly any time to prepare. I had about 1 1/2 cups of pasta with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce, topped with a tablespoon of Parmesean cheese. I also had about 3/4 cup of steamed frozen green beans with a teaspoon of Smart Balance. Now, for my final stage of studying...although I really don't expect to learn much more over the next couple of hours. I think my brain is at maximum biochem capacity right now...(which isn't really all that much).

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 3 oz whole (pasta)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 1 1/2 cups (marinara sauce and green beans)

Milk: 1/4 cup (Parmesan cheese)

Meats & beans: 2 oz (Boca crumbles)

Oils: 1 teaspoon (Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.64

How did I do today?
Grains: 6 1/2 oz out of 6 oz (all were whole)
Fruits: 1 3/4 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 ½ cups out of 2 ½ cups
Milk: 2 1/4 cups out of 3 cups
Meats & beans: 4 oz out of 5 ½ oz
Oils: 4 tsp out of 6 tsp

Total cost for the day: $4.00