Breakfast
This morning I needed an extra jolt to get me going (could have something to do with having a half bottle of wine last night at dinner). I had my regular cup of coffee, and then made a latte with a cup of skim milk a bit later. For breakfast, I scrambled 1/2 cup of Better n'eggs and topped it with 1/4 cup of reduced fat shredded cheddar and 3 tablespoons of salsa. I also toasted a slice of whole wheat bread and had that with a teaspoon of Smart Balance Light and an 8 ounce glass of orange juice. It was nice to have something a little different for a change...no cereal today!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 oz whole (toast)

Fruits: 1 cup (OJ)

Vegetables: 1/4 cup (salsa)

Milk: 1 cup (cheddar cheeese)

Meats & beans: 2 oz (Better n'eggs)

Oils: 1 teaspoons (Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.66

Snack
I had a large banana in the early afternoon as a snack (I'm at work today). I like to go walk on the treadmill before I eat lunch, and I knew I wouldn't be doing that until around 2 so I needed something to hold me over. I'll be honest...I was so tired today that I was not feeling up to working out. However, I have found that those are the times I really have to persevere and do it anyway-otherwise I'm letting myself off way to easy. I was glad I did it today-it really gave me some much needed energy to get through the rest of the afternoon!

This meal provided...
Fruits: 1 cup
The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.31

Lunch
I pretty much had my standard "work lunch" again today...PBJ on whole wheat with 2 tablespoons of PB and a teaspoon of J. I also had a 6 ounce cup of fat free blueberry yogurt and 12 baby carrots. I started to lose my energy toward late afternoon/early evening, but it picked back up again as we got busy tonight and I needed to stay focused. I was definitely glad when 7:30 rolled around though :)

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 2 oz whole (bread)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 1 cup (carrots)

Milk: 3/4 cup (yogurt)

Meats & beans: 2 oz (peanut butter)

Oils: 2 teaspoons (peanut butter)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.21

Dinner
I made my simple pasta with veggies tonight...rotini pasta (enriched, with Omega-3 added) tossed with pesto sauce (Classico-from the jar) and frozen steamed peas and carrots. I think this is my new favorite "quick fix" meal. It only takes about 20 minutes to make, and it tastes great. I had about 1 1/2 cups of pasta with a cup of veggies and about a tablespoon of pesto, topped with a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and a little lemon juice. By the time we finished eating dinner, it was time to watch Lost! I have a few other shows that I like, but that is the one that I really look forward to watching every week. This season has been pretty weird so far, and I always have a million questions after it's over (I guess that's what keeps me coming back). Did anyone else tune in tonight?

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 3 oz (pasta)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 1 cup (peas & carrots)

Milk: 1/4 cup (Parmesan cheese)

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 2 teaspoons (pesto)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.71

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

Total cost for the day: $3.89