1.23.09

Breakfast
Today I started with "double" bowl of oatmeal (1/2 cup of oats instead of my normal 1/4), made with a cup of skim milk. I had practicum again this morning, and I have noticed they don't take a break until after noon. There's really no time for snacking, either-so I wanted to make sure I stayed full. I added 1/4 cup of dried mixed fruit (Archer Farms), and a few shakes of cinnamon. I also had a 6 oz. glass of apple juice.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz whole (oatmeal)
Fruits: 1 1/4 cups (dried fruit and apple juice)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 1 cup (skim milk in oatmeal)
Meats & beans: 0
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.73

Lunch/snack
I brought a PBJ along, as well as 15 baby carrots to snack on when I got the chance. Luckily, I was busy enough that I didn't even realize I was hungry. I forgot about this effect that working in food service can have-it's been so long since I've worked in it. I have become totally spoiled by working jobs where all I do is sit at a desk all day, and am able to eat whenever I want to. I was able to sit down for a few minutes and eat my sandwich, but the carrots became a snack later in the afternoon when I got off, along with a 6 oz fat free yogurt cup when I realized how hungry I was.

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz whole (bread)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 1 1/4 cups (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 black bean burritos with guacamole for dinner tonight. Avocados are not really that cheap right now, but I was really craving one. I usually make up my guacamole recipe as I go along...tonight I mashed up one avocado and added a clove of crushed garlic, a couple tablespoons of salsa, a teaspoon of lime juice, and a little salt and dried cilantro. I had one whole wheat tortilla (Manny's brand-on sale for $2.00 at Schnucks!) topped with 3/4 cup of black beans (S&W brand, low sodium-stocked up while they're on sale 3/$2.00), 1/4 cup of Schnucks reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons of guacamole, and 2 tablespoons of salsa. I also had another 1/2 cup of the beans on the side, topped with another 2 tablespoons of guacamole and 1/2 cup of frozen, steamed zucchini/yellow squash mixture. I made my usual additions to the steamed veggies: 1 teaspoon of Smart Balance Light and a few shakes of Mrs. Dash. This was another of those quick to throw together meals...I've been having a lot of those lately-shows I'm back in school. At least I'm still keepin' it cheap!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (tortilla)
Fruits: 1/4 cup (avocado from guacamole)
Vegetables: 1 1/4 cups (squash mix, salsa, and 1/2 cup of beans counted here)
Milk: 1 cup (cheddar cheese)
Meats & beans: 3 oz (other 3/4 cup of beans)
Oils: 1 teaspoons (Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.67

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

Total cost for the day: $3.61