Breakfast-PB&B smoothie (no cereal!)

This morning I had a regular cup of coffee to start with (no latte today). I decided to wait to eat because I have to work the later shift today, and won't have lunch until after 2. I made a smoothie by blending up ice, a tablespoon of peanut butter, a whole banana, and 3/4 cup of skim milk. Smoothies are such a delicious and easy way to eat (or rather drink) fruit! I am going to have to work on some ideas to make them part of my routine more often. Too add some grains, I also had a piece of whole wheat toast with 1/2 teaspoon of Smart Balance Light. Now it's off to work I go!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 oz whole (toast)

Fruits: 1 cup (banana)

Vegetables: 0

Milk: 3/4 cup (milk)

Meats & beans: 1 oz (peanut butter)

Oils: 1 1/2 teaspoons (peanut butter and Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.69

Snack

I had a Fiber One bar as a snack again today. These are so good, and so filling! I'm going to have to go and grab some more while they're still on sale. I bought the Oats & Apple Streusel variety, but they had some others that looked worth trying too. The calories aren't too bad on these either...only 130 for the bar. A perfect snack!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1/2 oz whole

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.42

Lunch

I made a tuna melt wrap for lunch today. It was one of those rare occasions where I actually wasn't running late before work, so I had the time to get everything together that I needed. I brought a whole wheat tortilla (Mission brand), a can of white tuna in water (pre-drained and put in tupperware to make it less messy), and 2 slices of fat-free American cheese. I melted the cheese on top of about 4 ounces of the tuna in the tortilla, then rolled it up like a burrito. I don't think I have even had a tuna melt before, but I'm really trying to find new inexpensive foods to eat that will satisfy my requirements in the meats & beans group. I also know that I need to include fatty fish in my diet to get those Omega-3's, so this is a good way to fulfill both! The wrap was really good...I wasn't sure how the American cheese would be, but it definitely worked. I also had an ounce (about 15) baked potato chips and an orange. The chips were Archer Farms garlic & rosemary-I picked these up at Target awhile back and haven't been eating them much lately. So good!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (tortilla)

Fruits: 3/4 cup (medium orange)

Vegetables: 1/2 cup (baked chips)

Milk: 1 cup (American cheese)

Meats & beans: 4 oz (tuna)

Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.12

Dinner-veggies galore!
I made a pretty simple pasta dinner tonight-1 1/2 cups of whole wheat rotini mixed with a tablespoon of pesto sauce (Classico-from the jar) and a cup of steamed (frozen) mixed peas and carrots. I also had an additional cup of steamed (also frozen) Brussels sprouts on the side, with a teaspoon of Smart Balance Light and a "dash" of Mrs. Dash seasoning. I topped it all off with a little lemon juice and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. What a yummy dinner...I never thought I would love Brussels sprouts so much, but I have really taken a liking to them over the past year or so. Even the frozen ones are still pretty good, and nice to have on hand in this form so I can make them any time. Since I already fulfilled my meats & beans requirements throughout the day, I didn't need to incorporate this group in my dinner tonight. The result? A very colorful, and inexpensive dish!
What a long day! I walked on the treadmill at lunch, and work was so busy tonight...I am just ready to go to bed. I was going to try and tackle some Biochem tonight, but my mind is saying, no way! Goodnight!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (pasta)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 2 cups (mixed peas & carrots and Brussels sprouts)

Milk: 1/4 cup (Parmesan cheese)

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 3 teaspoons (pesto sauce and Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.02

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

Total cost for the day: $4.26