Finally...a day off!

Breakfast
I began my day with a homemade latte today. I added a cup of hot skim milk to my espresso, and mixed in a packet of Equal and a little vanilla extract. I topped it off with some cinnamon and cocoa powder. I'm not sure what to call it...a vanilla-cinna-mocha skinny latte? Watch out, Starbucks!
Still on my quest to try new things, I made yet another exploration this morning with my oatmeal. I prepared it as usual: 1/4 + 1/8 cup of quick oats heated with 1 cup of skim milk, and a packet of Equal added for sweetness. Then, I added 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin (unsweetened). I would never have thought of this on my own, but someone mentioned to me that they had seen it somewhere and I thought it might be worth trying. Then, pumpkin came up in the budget foods article I read recently (see link in yesterday's post) and I was inspired enough to try it. I may have added too much, as it made my oatmeal kind of pasty in texture. However, I wanted to add an amount that would at least be significant toward my recommendations. I also added 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts. For some reason, I thought it would taste like pumpkin pie, but it didn't (I guess that's because pumpkin pie has all kinds of sugar and other ingredients added to it...silly me). I did add a considerable amount of cinnamon, and a little nutmeg to try and capture that tasty dessert flavor, but I must be honest...I wasn't that impressed. It was really just what it sounds like...pureed squash added to oatmeal. I'm not sure if I will be having this again, but at least I tried, right? Now I have to find something to do with the rest of the can of pumpkin. I see myself baking pumpkin muffins in the near future...

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (oatmeal)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 1/2 cup (pumpkin)
Milk: 2 cup (skim milk in latte and oatmeal)
Meats & beans: 1 oz (walnuts)
Oils: 1 teaspoon (walnuts)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.03

Lunch
Today, I had the leftover chickpeas, tomatoes and brown rice from dinner last night (there was about a cup left). I also steamed a cup of frozen green beans and mixed them with a teaspoon of Smart Balance Light. I was afraid this wouldn't fill me up (I'm eating lunch late today, and not planning to have a snack this afternoon before dinner) so I also had a 6 oz cup of Schnucks fat free blueberry yogurt, and an 8 oz glass of Trader Joe's gala apple juice to drink. Okay, back to reading Biochem...gotta stay focused (or at least awake)...

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 oz whole (about 1/2 cup brown rice in mixture)
Fruits: 1 cup (apple juice)
Vegetables: 1 1/4 cups (1 cup green beans + 1/4 cup tomatoes in mixture)
Milk: 3/4 cup (yogurt)
Meats & beans: 1 oz (about 1/4 cup chickpeas in mixture)
Oils: 1 teaspoon (Smart Balance on green beans)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.06

Dinner
I made stir-fried teriyaki vegetables with chicken over brown rice for dinner tonight. First, I heated 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok with 2 cloves of minced fresh garlic. Next, I threw in about 8 ounces of cubed chicken breast and cooked for about 5 minutes. Last, I added a 16 oz bag of frozen mixed stir-fry veggies (Archer Farms brand, from Target) and the rest of a bag of frozen broccoli I had sitting in freezer, and cooked until everything was hot. Just before serving, I added 2 tablespoons of Kikkoman low sodium teriyaki sauce (about a tablespoon per serving). My portion was 1 cup of brown rice (Uncle Ben's) with 1 1/2 cups of vegetables and 4 ounces of chicken. I also had a cup of canned apricots (Schnucks brand) in pear juice. This was an easy meal that was fun to make...you can't go wrong with anything that involves the use of a wok!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 2 oz whole (brown rice)
Fruits: 1 cup (apricots)
Vegetables: 1 1/2 cups (mixed vegetables)
Milk: 0
Meats & beans: 4 oz (chicken)
Oils: 2 teaspoons (oil)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.61

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

Total cost for the day: $4.70