Breakfast
I had oatmeal for breakfast today, prepared yet another new way. I prepared it as usual, with 1/4 + 1/8 cup of oats and a cup of skim milk, then added a tablespoon of peanut butter and a sliced banana. This was so good...I can't believe I never thought to add peanut butter before! It melted and mixed right in with the hot oatmeal, and the banana was the perfect addition to the mix! Yum! I also had a 6 ounce glass of OJ. I needed a big breakfast, since today is my long morning at school...2 classes back to back, which don't end until nearly 2:00. I'm bringing a snack with me, but I don't plan on eating lunch until afterwards. Matt is picking me up from school today, and we're going out for coffee for our Tuesday date!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (oatmeal)
Fruits: 1 1/2 cups (3/4 from banana and 3/4 from OJ)
Vegetables: 0
Milk: 1 cup (skim milk)
Meats & beans: 1 oz (peanut butter)
Oils: 1 teaspoon (peanut butter)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.72

Snack
I brought a FiberOne granola bar as a snack. They were on sale for 2.50 for a box of 6 at the grocery store...not a bad deal for 9 grams of fiber in a bar! This will definitely keep me full until lunch!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains:1/2 oz whole (oatmeal)
The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.42

Lunch

We went to Kayak's for lunch...it's a coffee house that serves lots of yummy food. I got a "sonoma" sandwich, which was turkey, tomatoes, onions and red peppers topped with spinach artichoke spread. I didn't get a side with mine, but Matt graciously split his orange with me. After lunch, we moved on to another coffee house, Kaldi's, to actually get coffee (not that the coffee at Kayak's isn't good...we just wanted to try this other place too). I got a tall turtle latte with skim milk. It probably had a lot of extra sugars from the flavoring, but I still managed to get in a serving of milk. It was a really great afternoon...totally made up for my long morning at school!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 3 oz (bread-they were big slices!)
Fruits: 1/2 cups (orange)
Vegetables: 1/4 cup (veggies on sandwich…I picked off most of the red peppers and onions-I know, I’m terrible)
Milk: 3/4 cup (skim milk in latte)
Meats & beans: 2 oz (turkey)
Oils: 0

The cost of this meal (if I had prepared it as home) was approximately: $1.42

Dinner

I made bison burgers for dinner tonight! Last time I wanted them, I couldn’t find the meat anywhere-so today when we were right by Whole Foods I ran in and got some. Bison is very lean, and is higher in iron than ground beef and other meats, so while I don’t love the idea of paying 5.99 for a pound of it, I will do it once in awhile. I made a 3 ounce burger for myself, topped with a slice of fat free American cheese on a whole wheat bun. I also had a few Alexia potato wedges (the last of the bag), and about 4 cups of fresh spinach sautéed in 2 teaspoons of Smart Balance Light (counts as 2 cups after cooking) topped with a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. What a delicious meal! The cost wasn’t even all that bad when I added it up. I couldn’t eat like this at every meal, but it’s a welcome treat on occasion!

All together, this meal provided:
Grains: 1 ½ oz whole (hamburger bun)
Fruits: 0
Vegetables: 2 ½ cups (2 from spinach and ½ from potatoes)
Milk: ¾ cup (1/2 from American and ¼ from Parmesan cheese)
Meats & beans: 3 oz (bison burger)
Oils: 2 teaspoons (Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.80

How did I do today?
Grains: 6 ½ oz out of 6 oz (3 ½ were whole)
Fruits: 2 ¼ cups out of 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 ¾ cups out of 2 ½ cups
Milk: 2 ½ cups out of 3 cups
Meats & Beans: 6 oz out of 5 1/2 oz
Oils: 3 teaspoons out of 6 teaspoons

Total cost for the day: $5.35