Monday, December 15, 2008

Breakfast-starting the day, and this project, off right
One of the reasons I wanted to do this was to force myself to get a little more variety in my diet. I, like most human beings, am a creature of habit. This is especially true with my morning routine. When I get up, the first thing I do is have a glass of orange juice and start brewing some coffee. Apparently I was not ready for a change yet, because today was no exception.
I had an 8 ounce glass of orange juice (the store brand is cheaper and just as good). Because I don't drink milk by itself, I buy the kind with added calcium just in case I'm not able to get enough dairy products in throughout the day (one cup provides the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk). I also had a cup of coffee with two tablespoons of fat free half and half and 1 packet of Equal. The coffee, along with what I added to it, does not provide very many calories or nutrients, but it is an absolute necessity! In my quest to become less habitual with my eating habits, the orange juice is negotiable...the coffee is not!
I did try something a little different with my oatmeal this morning. Usually I just dump the packet in the bowl, microwave it with 1/2 cup of water and add a little milk. Today I made a packet of Market Pantry (Target brand) lower sugar maple & brown sugar, then added 1/2 cup of skim milk, 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds and 1/4 cup of raisins. It was wonderful, and allowed me to get more food groups into my morning meal.
The raisins count as 1/2 cup of fruit and the almonds count as 1 oz. in the meat & beans group. 1 packet of oatmeal = 1 oz of grains.










All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (oatmeal)
Fruits: 1 1/2 cups (orange juice & raisins)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 1/2 cup (skim milk)
Meat & Beans: 1 oz. (almonds)
Oil: 1 tsp (almonds)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.56

Lunch
Again, lunch can sometimes be a bit monotonous for me. When school is in, I usually have to eat on the go, so I bring along a sandwich or something equally as portable. Today, I had just enough turkey (Healthy Ones from the deli) left for a sandwich, so I made a grilled turkey and mozzarella on whole wheat bread (Sara Lee soft & smooth 100% whole wheat). I used about a teaspoon of Smart Balance light spread to grill the sandwich and had an ounce of Baked Lays potato chips (about 15 chips) on the side. Believe it or not, potato chips DO count as a vegetable! The serving I had counts as 1/2 cup. Baked Lays are a good choice because they are relatively low in calories and still provide some fiber, without all the fat of regular chips.
I am pretty plain with my sandwiches. I don't like mayo or mustard, but somehow toasting the sandwich made it a little more exciting than my normal cold sandwiches...especially on a cold winter day like today! I did have a cold glass of water to drink, though.
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz. whole (2 slices 100% wheat bread)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 1/2 cup (Baked Lays potato chips)
Milk: 3/4 cup (1 slice mozzarella cheese)
Meat & Beans: 2 oz (2 slices turkey)
Oils: 1 tsp (Smart Balance)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.74

Dinner-One of my favorites
I made chicken Parmesan for dinner tonight. I make this several different ways...sometimes I even make "fake chicken parm" with the Boca or Morningstar Farms soy patties. I planned on doing that tonight, but when I went to the store today the 3 lb. bag of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts was on sale for $5. 47. Seeing as I am trying to stay within my budget, I couldn't pass it up. I thawed out the chicken in the microwave (about 3 ounces or a small breast per serving), trimmed any remaining fat/tissue from the meat and cut it into smaller, thinner pieces (so it would cook faster). I rolled the chicken in some premade breadcrumbs to get a light coating and then sauteed in a little olive oil (about 1 tsp per serving) for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken was cooked, I turned off the heat and added a slice of mozzarella cheese, covering the pan to allow it to melt. I served the chicken over 1 1/2 cups of cooked whole wheat spaghetti pasta (Barilla was on sale) and 1/2 cup of premade pasta sauce (Barilla tomato & basil). I also made some brussels sprouts as a side. I just discovered that I like these about a year ago...it seems like you either love them or hate them, no in between! I still have not been able to convince my boyfriend, Matt, that they are good, so I just made them for myself. Especially during the winter when the price of produce goes up, I buy my vegetables frozen. They are just as nutritious as they are fresh and I think they taste just as good as well. When I'm short on time, I steam my brussels sprouts in the microwave for a few minutes (in a tupperware container with a little water). I drain the excess water out and add about a teaspoon of Smart Balance light. Then, I add my "secret weapon"...Mrs. Dash seasoning. Tonight I used a few generous shakes of the Garlic & Herb variety. These seasonings are so awesome...full of flavor and salt free! It was cold tonight, so along with my water I also had a cup of hot tea (English Breakfast). I added about a half teaspoon of honey to the tea, but that was it. I mostly drank it to stay warm!
All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 3 0z whole (1/2 cup pasta=1 oz, so 3 oz total)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 2 cups (1/2 cup sauce and 1 1/2 cups brussels sprouts)
Milk: 3/4 cup (slice of mozzarella)
Meat & Beans: 3 oz (chicken breast)
Oil: 2 tsp (olive oil and Smart Balance)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.78

A late evening snack
I knew that I would probably be up kind of late tonight, so I decided to have a snack that would provide the "missing pieces" of my diet for the day. I'm sure the fact that I knew I was going to log this publicly was a big factor in my decision, but either way I reached for something healthy instead of some chocolate or a cookie like I might normally have done! I had a small glass (4 oz) of Old Orchard Pomegranate Blueberry 100% juice blend, and a 6 0z. cup of fat free cherry yogurt.







All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 0
Fruits: 1/2 cup (100% juice)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 3/4 cup (yogurt)
Meat & Beans: 0
Oils: 0
The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.67

How did I do today?
Grains: 6 oz out of 6 oz - all were whole!
Fruits: 2 cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 1/2 cups out of 2 1/2 cups
Milk: 2 3/4 cups out of 3 cups
Meat & Beans: 6 oz out of 5 1/2 oz
Oils: 4 tsp out of 6 tsp
Total cost for the day: $5.74

Not too bad for my first day. I will need to try and cut costs a little over the next few days, though...if I spend this much every day I won't be able to make my goal of 35.90 for the week. My challenge is to keep the cost low and the food exciting and different as much as I can each day. That's all for tonight...time to get some sleep and hopefully some warmth in this cold weather!