Weekly wrap-up: 2/9/09-2/15/09

How did I do this week?

Average serving/day:
Grains: 6 oz
Fruits: 2 cups
Vegetables: 2 1/4 cups
Milk: 2 1/2 cups
Meats & Beans: 4 3/4 oz
Oils: 4 teaspoons

Average cost per day: $5.10
Total cost for the week: $35.72

I feel off a little on the veggies, milk and meats & beans this week...but I'm doing much better on the oils! Snacking on a few almonds really makes a difference. I kept the weekly cost low too, although I did have a couple of expensive days, it all evened out. I'm going to try out some new options for meat substitutes this week...hopefully I can keep from falling short on the protein foods again.

Breakfast
My presentation is tomorrow...and I still have lots of work to do on it. Unfortunately, I have to go to work all day...darn that need for an income!!
Breakfast was 1 1/2 cups of Kashi Honey Toasted Oats cereal with a cup of skim milk, an 8 ounce glass of OJ, and a medium sized banana (which I ended up saving for after I got to work).

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (cereal)

Fruits: 1 3/4 cups (OJ and banana)

Vegetables: 0

Milk: 1 cup (skim milk)

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.27

Lunch
I continued my lunchtime workout routine today. I'm so glad I have started doing this for myself, otherwise I wouldn't get any exercise at all! Ever since I canceled my membership at Gold's to save money (I really wasn't getting enough use out of it anyway) I have really struggled with getting my physical activity in adequate amounts. This is especially bad when it's cold outside and school is going on...two big roadblocks in one! I walked on the treadmill for 40 minutes today, very briskly with a pretty steep incline. I wanted to do some free weights at the end, but I was running out of time (and getting very hungry!), so I guess I'll try to do a little lifting when I get home.
Lunch was leftover Moroccan chicken from last night-about 4 ounces of meat with 3/4 cup of brown rice, a cup of broccoli and 1/2 cup of sauce. I also had a 6 ounce cup of fat free cherry yogurt. This meal was even better the second day...thanks Time for Dinner!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (brown rice)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 1 1/4 cups (broccoli and tomatoes/onions in sauce)

Milk: 3/4 cup (yogurt)

Meats & beans: 4 oz (chicken)

Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.09

Dinner
Matt surprised me by bringing home a Chicago style pizza from this Italian place down the street. The only topping he added was broccoli, which was perfect with the chunky tomato sauce and cheese. I had about 2 slices total, and estimated the toppings as best I could. This type of pizza is very messy, and requires the use of a fork and knife to eat it. The last time I had Chicago style pizza was actually in Chicago, and this definitely measured up. Yum! To add some extra veggies, I steamed a cup of frozen Brussels sprouts in the microwave and added a teaspoon of Smart Balance and some Mrs. Dash seasoning blend.

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 3 oz (thick pizza crust)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 1 1/2 cups (broccoli and tomatoes on pizza, and Brussels sprouts)

Milk: 1 cup (cheese on pizza)

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 1 teaspoon (Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal (if I had prepared the pizza at home) was approximately: $1.08


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

Total cost for the day: $4.44

Breakfast
This morning I made oatmeal with a cup of skim milk, a sliced banana, 3 tablespoons of chopped walnuts, and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. I think this is one of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal...it's the perfect combination! It looks like it's Cooper's favorite as well :)!
I also had a 6 ounce glass of OJ. Today is going to be a busy day. I have to work at my practicum until 3, then I'm coming straight home to (hopefully) finish my presentation that's due on Monday. I've hardly started it. Yikes!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz (oatmeal)

Fruits: 1 1/2 cups (banana and OJ)

Vegetables: 0

Milk: 1 cup (skim milk)

Meats & beans: 1 1/2 oz (walnuts)

Oils: 1 1/2 teaspoons (walnuts)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.80

Snack
I decided to take some snacks along today, and just planned on eating a late lunch when I got home. I had a mixed berry Nutrigrain bar and a 1-ounce handful of almonds (about 11). I was so busy that I hardly noticed I was hungry, until I looked up at the clock as saw it was almost 1:00! I knew I had to take a quick break if I was going to make it through the afternoon at that point.

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1/2 oz whole (Nutrigrain bar)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 0

Milk: 0

Meats & beans: 1 oz (almonds)

Oils: 1 teaspoon (almonds)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.48

Lunch
Finally....I get to sit down! It's not as if I was doing hard labor or anything, but just being on my feet for so long is kind of tiring! I assembled gooey butter cakes for 4 hours today...but the nice thing is, since I was doing such a repetitive task, I had time to think about my presentation. I actually came up with some pretty good ideas!
For my late lunch, I made a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat with 2 slices of fat free American cheese, and a teaspoon of Smart Balance Light on the bread. I also had a cup of raw baby carrots (about 12) and 1/2 cup of grapes. Now, I must finish this project!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 2 oz whole (bread)

Fruits: 1/2 cup (grapes)

Vegetables: 1 cup (carrots)

Milk: 1 cup (cheese)

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 1 teaspoon (Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.12

Dinner
I brought home one of the entrees from my practicum site for dinner. I wanted to make something good for dinner tonight, since Matt and I are staying in and far away from all the v-day hype. However, I knew I didn't have time to prepare anything substantial, and, well, that's kind of the point of the place-they are a meal preparation service, where you can go and make entrees to keep in your freezer and prepare quickly when you need them. I got the Moroccan chicken, a spicy dish with kind of an Indian-style flair. The sauce and chicken were all ready to go in the bag; all I had to do was dump it in a skillet and heat. I made brown rice and steamed broccoli as sides, and served the chicken and sauce over the rice. I had a cup of rice, about 4 ounces of chicken, 1/2 cup of sauce (which contains about half tomatoes and onions), and 1 1/2 cups of broccoli with a teaspoon of Smart Balance Light. I also had a cup of fat free vanilla yogurt with cinnamon on the side with mine, to get the rest of my milk for the day. It was almost like a dessert! This meal was so good, and easy! Now I know why they call the place "Time for Dinner"!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 2 oz whole (brown rice)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 1 3/4 cups (broccoli and vegetables in sauce)

Milk: 1 cup (yogurt)

Meats & beans: 4 oz (chicken)

Oils: 1 teaspoon (Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.63

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

Total cost for the day: $5.02

Breakfast
I made a sugar free caramel latte with a cup of skim milk to start the morning today. The sugar free syrup is good, but I've learned to use it in very small amounts-otherwise, it's too overpowering. I really enjoyed my fruit and yogurt snack yesterday, so I made it again this morning but added some granola cereal (store brand-honey & oats) to the mix. I used a cup of fat free vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup of granola cereal, 1/2 cup of frozen (thawed) blueberries, and 11 almonds. It was so good! I really like the Dannon yogurt-I'm so glad I tried it.

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 oz whole (cereal)

Fruits: 1/2 cup (blueberries)

Vegetables: 0

Milk: 2 cup (milk in latte and yogurt)

Meats & beans: 1 oz (almonds)

Oils: 1 teaspoon (almonds)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.05

Snack
I had Fiber One bar as a snack about an hour before I went on my lunch break. This time, I tried the Oats, Almonds and Strawberries variety...so good! It even had a chocolate drizzle over the top. What a delicious way to get your fiber!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1/2 oz whole

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.50

Lunch
Leftover pasta, once again. I had about a cup of pasta with pesto, peas and carrots left, so I decided to bring that for lunch today and finish it off. I added about another cup of veggies, because there weren't many left in the container. I also made a mixed fruit salad (about 1 1/2 cups) of red and greeen grapes, frozen strawberries and blueberries. The grapes were on sale and the quality didn't look too bad so I picked up about a pound of them. By the time I got around to eating my lunch, the frozen fruit had thawed so it worked out perfectly. It was a pretty light lunch, but I ate late so I should be good until dinner without a snack.

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 2 oz (pasta)

Fruits: 1 1/2 cups (mixed fruit)

Vegetables: 1 cup (peas and carrots)

Milk: 0

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 2 teaspoon (pesto)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.58

Dinner
I did not have a plan for dinner tonight, and I spent the last half hour of work mentally scanning what I had at home that might be made into a meal. I couldn't come up with a thing, so I went by the store and picked up a few items to make "breakfast for dinner" with. I ended up making scrambled eggs with hash browns and soy sausage, topped with reduced fat cheddar and salsa, with whole wheat toast. I bought real eggs this time instead of the egg substitute, inspired by an article I read today that said eggs are no longer considered to contain bad cholesterol. I have heard mixed views on this for awhile now, but seeing it in print was helpful to sort it out. Eggs do have many additional vitamins and minerals that are not found in egg substitute, which is essentially just egg whites. All the good stuff is in the yolk. I will probably still continue to use the substitute for some things, but I realized that whole eggs are much more economical price-wise. I got 12 servings for $1.99, where I only get 8 servings of the Better n'eggs for $2.39. Sounds like a deal to me! My serving contained 2 eggs, about 1/2 cup of hash browned potatoes, 2 Morningstar Farms soy sausage patties (1 oz each), 1/4 cup of reduced fat cheddar, 1/4 cup of salsa, and two slices of toast with a teaspoon of Smart Balance Light. I took a picture of it looking pretty before I mashed it all up together! Yum!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 2 oz (toast)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 1 cup (hash browns and salsa)

Milk: 1 cup (cheddar cheese)

Meats & beans: 4 oz (eggs and "sausage" patties)

Oils: 1 teaspoon (Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.78

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

Total cost for the day: $6.91

Breakfast
I had all kinds of crazy dreams last night because I watched Lost...that always seems to happen for some reason. I guess it's because I watch it right before I go to bed, so it's stuck in my mind...maybe I'm a little obsessed with that show?? Either way, I was ready for a big cup of coffee this morning when I woke up. Once I was nice and awake, I started in on reading Biochem. I do not want to get behind again, although it seems inevitable with that subject. I am truly afraid to find out what grade I got on that test...part of me hopes she doesn't hand them back today, because I'm not ready to see it.
For breakfast, I had a cup of Raisin Bran cereal with 3/4 cup of skim milk, and a large orange. I love oranges, but they are so messy-and kind of a chore to cut up and remove from the peel. I guess that's why I reserve eating the whole orange for mornings when I don't have to run out the door-juice works better on those days.

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 oz whole (cereal)

Fruits: 1 cup (orange)

Vegetables: 0

Milk: 3/4 cup (skim milk)

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.93

Lunch
I had leftover pasta from last night: 1 1/2 cups of rotini pasta tossed with a tablespoon of pesto and 3/4 cup of steamed veggies. There were already some peas & carrots in the pasta, but I added a little broccoli as well. I topped it off with some lemon juice and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 3 oz (pasta)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 1 cup (peas, carrots and broccoli)

Milk: 1/4 cup (Parmesan cheese)

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 2 teaspoons (pesto)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $0.63

Snack
My teacher didn't give our tests back today...all she said was that of the papers she's graded, there were some good grades-and some not so good grades. Not very comforting! I'm going out to happy hour with a few girls from work tonight, so I thought it would be a good idea to eat something before I left. I had a some tea with a cup of fat free vanilla yogurt (I bought a 32 ounce tub of Dannon Light & Fit) and mixed in 3/4 cup of thawed frozen blueberries and strawberries and 15 almonds. I have been craving different fruits (something besides oranges and bananas) so much lately, but I just can't break down and buy the fresh stuff yet...it's way too expensive, and I know the quality will not be good enough right now to match the price. I can't wait 'til spring when things start to come in season!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 0

Fruits: 3/4 cup (strawberries & blueberries)

Vegetables: 0

Milk: 1 cup (yogurt)

Meats & beans: 1 1/2 oz (almonds)

Oils: 1 1/2 teaspoons (almonds)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.81

Dinner
Happy hour was so fun! We've been trying to do these "girls night out" things monthly, but it's hard to find a time that's good for everyone since we all work such different shifts. There were just 4 of us tonight, but we had a great time. I paced myself and only had 2 drinks, partially because I was driving but also because I knew I still have some things to do for school tonight. I'm not feeling extremely motivated right now, but I'm going to try anyway.
The girls ordered some appetizers, but since I had my snack before I got there I wasn't hungry (yes, that was premeditated) and waited until I got home to eat dinner. I made veggie burgers tonight (Morningstar Farms-I had a coupon). I had mine on a whole wheat bun with a slice of fat free American cheese, with a baked sweet potato and 1/2 cup of Brussels sprouts (frozen, steamed). I used 2 teaspoons of Smart Balance Light: 1 on the potato and 1 on the sprouts. This is another one of my favorite quick and easy dinners, which I rely on when things are busy. I truly do love cooking and trying new recipes though, and I hope I have some time in the near future to do that!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (bun)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 1 1/2 cups (sweet potato and Brussels sprouts)

Milk: 1/2 cup (cheese)

Meats & beans: 2 1/2 oz (soy burger)

Oils: 2 teaspoons (Smart Balance)

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.13

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

Total cost for the day: $5.49

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

A much needed relaxing evening

Breakfast
I think I dreamed about biochem last night!!! What a nightmare! Along with my coffee this morning, I had 1 cup of Raisin Bran (Target Brand) cereal with 3/4 cup of skim milk, and a whole large orange. Now it's time to go get these tests over with!

Snack-I brought a mixed berry Nutrigrain bar with me to school, to eat between classes. I'm considering this part of breakfast because I had it kind of early.

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (1 from Raisin Bran & 1/2 from Nutrigrain bar)

Fruits: 1 cup (orange)

Vegetables: 0

Milk: 3/4 cup (skim milk)

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $1.24

Lunch
Whew...it's over! One test went good, and the other, I'm not so sure about. I'll let you guess which is which. At least the majority of my class felt the same way, because we spent about 20 minutes complaining about it in the hallway after we finished! I'm over it though...time to move on. Maybe the next exam will be better...I can only hope!
For lunch, I had a can of Progresso 50% lower sodium Garden Vegetable soup. They were still on sale at Schnucks, so I stocked up...it's nice to have around for a quick meal. I also had half of a Lender's whole wheat bagel with about a teaspoon of cream cheese, a 6 ounce cup of fat free yogurt, and a 6 ounce glass of Old Orchard blueberry pomegranate juice. It was kind of a mis-matched meal, but it worked. Now, I get to bake some cookies and muffins for a bake sale that's going on at school tomorrow, then me and Matt are going out to celebrate our 3 year anniversary! The first part of the day might have been stressful, but the second part will make up for it :)

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz whole (bagel)

Fruits: 3/4 cup (juice)

Vegetables: 1 cup (soup)

Milk: 3/4 cup (yogurt)

Meats & beans: 0

Oils: 0

The cost of this meal was approximately: $2.30

Dinner
We went to one of our favorite restaurants to celebrate tonight. Mangia is a great Italian restaurant (on South Grand...if you live in STL you should try it if you haven't already), and has never disappointed in all the times we've been there. It's been awhile, and they actually had some new items on their menu that I was excited to try. We started off with some Merlot, along with french bread with olive oil and Parmesan cheese (I like to make a pasty concoction of the two, personally). We shared a spinach salad with goat cheese, pecans, and bacon with balsamic vinagerette dressing. Yes, I ate bacon!! I haven't had it in ages...honestly, I don't see the big deal with it-I find it a bit salty for my taste. There was only a small amount of it in the salad anyway. For my main entree, I got the goat cheese ravioli with grilled chicken added. The pasta was tossed in olive oil with fresh basil...yummy! I ate about half of what you see here...8 ravioli and (I estimated) 5 ounces of the chicken breast. It was an awesome dinner, and we had a really great time reminiscing about how much things have changed. It's hard to believe it's been three years...back when we started dating, I thought I wanted to become an accountant and live in a cubicle for the rest of my life. I never thought I'd be going to school to become a dietitian, and blogging about the nutritional content of what I eat every day. I'm so glad things changed for the better! Okay, I'm getting sentimental due to high amounts of red wine consumption. Time to get to bed!

All together, this meal provided:

Grains: 1 1/2 oz (ravioli)

Fruits: 0

Vegetables: 3/4 cup (spinach)

Milk: 1/2 cup (goat cheeese)

Meats & beans: 5 1/2 oz (chicken and pecans in salad)

Oils: 4 teaspoons (olive oil, salad dressing and pecans)

The cost of this meal (if I had prepared it at home) was approximately: $2.43

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

Total cost for the day: $5.97