Food Planning Philosophy

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

I am always impressed with people who can plan out specifically what they will eat for each meal, but I just never know what days I'll have time to make dinner, or eat a more elaborate breakfast, etc. so instead I try to get enough supplies to have some easy meal options and some more complicated recipes, etc. for when I want to cook. Here's an example for what I have this week:

Breakfast:

- As far as the simplest, quickest option, I get Nature Valley Trail Mix bars.
- Another pretty simple option is 100 calorie whole grain english muffins and light veggie cream cheese. I also ordered some Bagel Thins from Lender's for Andrew, they are a lot less calories than regular bagels.
- For when I want to make something, I got ingredients to make breakfast wraps of egg, light American cheese and fake bacon in a tortilla (Hungry Girl's breakfast burrito recipe); and also ingredients to make HG's cinnamon vanilla french toast.

Lunch:

- I decided this week to try ordering Weight Watchers' fresh meals instead of frozen, so even when I have to eat something on the go, these should be healthier with less salt, preservatives, etc. than frozen meals.
- I got ingredients to make sandwiches to bring to work - either a healthy egg salad (no mayo, light bread, etc.), HG's BLT recipe, or HG's caprese sandwich recipe.
- I also bought some Dole salad mixes - love those!

Dinner:
- Kashi frozen pizzas - probably one of the healthiest frozen pizza options out there, but still delicious - love them!
- Ingredients to make HG's 7-layer burrito blitz (recipe is on this blog) - so yummy!
- Ingredients to make HG's Mexi-tatos (recipe on the blog as well)
- Whole weat pasta and tomato basil sauce or pesto sauce

Snacks:
And of course, I got a variety of little 100 calorie or less options for snacks - Light n' Fit vanilla yogurt, apples, string cheese, some 100 calorie packs of veggie chips, etc.

Thank goodness for Peapod, I never have time to go to the store!

Snack Time

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

I could never ever be on a diet without snacks - which is why I love things like Weight Watchers, where you eat a reduced # of calories, and are supposed to eat all of your fruits, veggies, etc., but also aren't banned from eating certain kinds of foods. Because, well, I love snacks. Here's some of my favorite low-cal snacks:

Pringles Baked Wheat Stix (I like the pizza and cheese ones)

Smart Food Popcorn Clusters (I have only tried the chocolate cookie caramel pecan ones so far, but am going to try the others soon!)

100 Calorie Guacamole Packs (you can eat this with something like fresh veggies to make it a super healthy snack)

Fresh snow peas and light salad dressing

Dannon Light n' Fit with Fruit

Happy snacking :)

Delicious & Nutritious Breakfast

Friday, April 17, 2009

I know I had kinda given up posting all the things I eat, but now I am thinking I might get back into it, and even with pictures this time! Here's my breakfast today:



60 Calorie pack of Dannon Light n' Fit Yogurt (they sell them in packages of 6, it's 1/2 vanilla yogurt packs and 1/2 strawberry)

1/2 Granny Smith apple

1/4 cup Trail Mix Crunch cereal


Less than 200 calories of yumminess - and it has dairy, protein, fruit, etc.!

A New Take on Food Posts

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Wow, so I have been a COMPLETE blogging failure lately, I have been so busy lately there's hardly time to make anything to eat or work out, much less blog about it, lol! Anyways, I have decided that posting everything I eat every day doesn't really seem too feasible or necessarily helpful anymore, since I think everyone already has a good idea of what I eat. So, what I will do is just share all the new recipes I make, along with any good food finds at the grocery store or out at restaurants. Sound good? I think so :)

And of course, I've got some workouts to share too, I am way behind!

Food Recap - Feb. 23rd

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Breakfast:

WW Breakfast Sandwich (I was too busy to make anything!) - 4 points

Lunch:

BLT - 2 points
Chips - 3 points

Dinner:

Mexi-tato - 5 points

Snacks:
Milano cookies - 3 points
Chips -3 points

Food Recap - Feb. 22nd

Breakfast:

Well, I got up at 11am today, and past 11, I just go ahead and eat lunch, lol





Lunch:

BLT - 2 points (I know, if I eat any more of these, I'll turn into a BLT, lol!)
Sweet Onion Chips - 3 points

Dinner:

My Big Fat Greek Pita (I posted the recipe for this a few posts back) - 4 points - so, this was the first HG recipe I wasn't a big fan of, but I also am not sure why i picked to make this, since I don't usually really like the flavors of greek food, there was just something in the spices of this I didn't really love.





Snacks


2 Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies - 3 points
Goldfish - 3 points

Food Recap - Feb. 21st

Monday, February 23, 2009

Day 3 of the Hungry Girl diet, and actually some new recipes today, yay! I really feel like I could stick to this as a normal way of eating, not just as a "diet." I mean, I have only tried like 6 or 7 recipes so far, and like them all, and there are 160 in the book, so I think there's enough here to where every week I could just buy groceries based on which I'd like to make. And it's not a crazy fad diet, or a cleanse, or anything like that - I am not starving myself because it is a month before the wedding, just trying to eat healthier and stop eating sodium-loaded frozen dinners and baked chips, cuz let's be honest, that's not a proper diet for an adult. Anywho, here's what I ate today:

Breakfast:

Super-Duper Veggie Scramble - 183 Calories/3 points/3g fat/22g protein

1 veggie burger patty, thawed if previously frozen (I actually used the morningstar veggie breakfast sausage instead)

1/2 cup Egg Beaters

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped mushrooms

2 tablespoons chopped onions

Chop veggie patty into pieces, cook w/mushrooms & onions over medium heat. Add egg substitute to the pan, and scramble.

Lunch:

A BLT again - um, I kinda love these things, can you tell? (2 points/141 calories)

Dinner:

Veggie Wheels -143 calories/2 points/2.5g fat/10g protein

1 medium low fat tortilla

1/4 cup chopped bell peppers

1/2 cup fresh spinach

1 tablespoon chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped scallions

1 tablespoon fat free cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon ranch seasoning mix

Combine cream cheese and ranch seasoning until smooth.

Lay tortilla out and evenly spread cream cheese mixture on top.

Place spinach, red peppers, scallions and tomatoes evenly over cheese layer.

Very tightly roll the tortilla, creating a pinwheel of layers. Keep in the fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting into slices.

Snacks

Pirate's Booty - 3 points

Goldfish - 3 points

Food Recap - Feb. 20th

Saturday, February 21, 2009

So, today was day #2 of Hungry Girl week, and so far, it's going really well - the recipes fill you up, taste good and are easy - I am amazed how full I have felt just by having three HG recipes and then a couple little snacks. And I've already lost a pound, yay!

I could have tried new recipes today, but I was running around all day, so I ate a lot of the same things I ate yesterday - so all these recipes are posted in the previous couple posts :)

Breakfast - Yum-Tastic Breakfast Burrito - 4 points

Lunch - BLT - 2 points
100 Calorie dark chocolate almond pack - 2 points

Dinner - Rockin Tuna Melt - 4 points

Snacks - Pirate's Booty - 3 points

So again, I got to have snacks and was under my WW points limit :) So, I don't know if this is the perfect diet for anyone else, but it's the perfect one for me!! If you're interested, you can get the book online - it's got 150+ recipes in it :)

Food Recap - Feb. 19th

Thursday, February 19, 2009

So, today was the first day of my "all Hungry Girl" week. I wrote down breakfast, lunch & dinner recipes that looked interesting, and bought all the ingredients at the the store last night, and so far i LOVE everything, I am so glad my mom got me the cookbook. It's like it's made for me - the food seems like bad food for you - it's not salads, vegetable soup, etc. - it's pizza, BLT's, tuna melts, etc. - the kind of food I love, but all in healthy form! And every recipe is real easy, with a small # of common ingredients; all of these took me less than 10 minutes to make! Here's what I had today:

Breakfast: "Yum-Tastic Breakfast Burrito" - 4 points

1 low-fat tortilla (about 110 calories & at least 6g fiber)

2 slices (1 oz.) turkey bacon or veggie bacon

1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute

1 slice fat-free American cheese

Cook bacon. Set aside.

Pour egg substitute into a pan & scramble over medium heat.

Heat tortilla in the microwave.

Place cheese in the center of the tortilla. Top w/eggs & bacon.

Heat burrito in the microwave for an additional 20 seconds.

Lunch: "Guilt Free 1-2-3 BLT" - 2 points (yes, seriously, only 2 points, isn't that crazy? For those who aren't big into WW, 2 points generally equals 100 calories, this has 140 calories, but since it's low in fat & high in fiber, the points value goes down)

2 slices light bread (40-45 calories each w/2g fiber per slice)

2 slices extra lean turkey bacon or veggie bacon

2 leaves romaine lettuce

2 slices tomato

2 teaspoons fat-free mayo

Dinner: "Mexi-Tato" - 5 points

1 medium baking potato
2 tablespoons fat free liquid non dairy creamer

2 tablespoons shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
1/4 cup canned black beans
1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning mix
2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
Optional topping - fat-free sour cream

Pierce potato in several places with a fork. Peel the skin off the top of the potato only. Place potato in microwave and cook for 6-8 minutes (until tender). Wait 2 minutes for it to cool.

Gently remove all the pulp from the potato and place it in a microwave-safe dish. Set the empty shell aside. Add the creamer, cheese, taco seasoning, salt & pepper to the potato pulp and stir. Microwave mixture for 45 seconds.

Heat black beans in the microwave.

Place the cheesy potato mixture in the potato shell and then top with half of the black beans. Top w/tomatoes and scallion and if desired sour cream.



Snacks: Goldfish - 3 points



So, somehow, after eating all that food, it's only 14 points (approx. 700 calories)!! - and I am really not hungry right now. I've got 11 points left for the day, and probably will have some kind of little snack, but since this stuff was so low in calories, I can totally do that and still be fine!

Food Recap - Feb. 10th

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Breakfast:

Honey Maid Delight Bar (can you tell I've become obsessed with these?) - 2 points

Lunch:

Healthy Choice Natural Entree - Pasta w/mushrooms, tomato, spinach - 5 points

Dinner:

Uncle Ben's "Ready Rice" w/vegetables - 8 points

I love these uncle ben's rice pouches, it really only is 90 seconds in the microwave for it to fully heat up - they have rice pilaf, spanish rice, rice with vegetables, etc.

Snacks:

Robert's Gourmet Organic "Smart Puffs" - 4 points basically, organic cheetohs :)

100 Calorie pack of Emerald cocoa-roasted almonds - 2 points - these are a really yummy snack, I recommend them!

Exercise: 1 hour of Zumba!

Food Recap - Feb. 9th

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Breakfast:
Honey Maid Bar - 2 points

Lunch: Spinach & cheese omelette - 5 points
1 cup egg beaters - 3 points
Spinach - 0 points
1/4 cup low fat cheddar - 2 points

Dinner: 1/2 Qdoba veggie burrito - 12 points (yes, seriously, one half of one of their burritos is 500+ calories, they are really not good for you! But I was at a meeting for an organization, and they bought everyone burritos and didn't have anything else to eat). Nutrition info for Qdoba can be found at: http://www.qdoba.com/Calculate.aspx

Exercise: So, I was really proud of my workout today - I did 65 minutes/800 calories on the elliptical, AND 30 minutes of strength training (I didn't do legs b/c I figured the elliptical took care of that, I just did arms & abs).

Food Recap - Feb. 8th

Breakfast:
Apple - 1 point

Lunch:
Subway Veggie Sandwich w/swiss cheese, veggies & spicy mustard - 6 points

Dinner:
Fresh Express Ensalada Supreme Salad Mix - 8 points

Snacks:
1 glass of wine - 2 points
Cracker w/cheese - 3 points

Exercise:
45 minutes of strength training

Food Recap - Feb. 6th

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Breakfast:
Yogurt - 1 point

Lunch:
Egg scramble - 8 points - I cooked 1 cup of frozen tator tots in the skillet, then when they were done, I added 1 cup of egg beaters and 1/4 cup low fat cheddar, then mixed it all together as a scramble - it tasted like I was eating something super bad for me, but was actually not bad!

Dinner:
So I had breakfast for dinner, too, lol! Almost the same thing I had for lunch, except for out at a local diner & with fake sausage added :)

Exercise - 1 hour of spin class - I'm so glad Nola & I decided to go to this, it was fun new way to do cardio, I could see myself going every week so that I could force some motivation on myself on lazy Fridays when I have no class/no reason to get up before noon, lol

Food Recap - Feb. 5th

Friday, February 6, 2009

Breakfast:
Honey Maid Delight Bar - 2 points

Lunch
Salad - lettuce, green beans, black beans, green pepper, and a hard boiled egg, with fat free Italian dressing - 5 points

Dinner
Egg scramble - egg beaters, veggies, potatoes & fake sausage - got this out at a restaurant (yay for breakfast for dinner!) so I am not sure of the points, but I know generally fake sausage, egg beaters & veggies is a very low-calorie meal, so as long as the potatoes weren't like 600 calories, I should be fine :)

Snacks:
Baked Cheese Puffs - 4 points

Exercise (I forgot that I said I was going to post this too): 1 hour of strength training with Kerry

Food Recap - Feb. 4th

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Breakfast - 2 points



I bought these new 100 calorie pack Honey Maid "Delight Bars" and had one of those for breakfast - I suppose it's really supposed to be more of a snack or dessert than breakfast, but either way, I really liked it!


Lunch - 7 points

During my weekly grocery store trip this week, I discovered Healthy Choice's new "All Natural Entrees" - they are frozen dinners, but made with all natural ingredients. And the best part (at least for me) is that they are all vegetarian, I guess because meat in a frozen dinner form is never quite natural, lol. So, for lunch I had the Asian potstickers, and it was really yummy - you get three veggie potstickers and rice, yum! I'd definitely get it again!



Dinner - 6 points


So I liked my lunch so much I ate another all natural entree for dinner - this one was Pumpkin Squash Ravioli with sage butter sauce, and with asparagus and butternut squash on the side. The squash on the side was mushy and not good, but everything else, especially the ravioli, was really yummy! I don't have any pics or other info on these entrees, they must be brand new b/c there's no info yet about them on the Healthy Choice site.


Snacks - 5 points

Goldfish - yum yum :)

Calorie Counting Tips

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

So, one thing most dieters agree on is that keeping a food log, whether you're tracking calories, or Weight Watchers points, or just trying to see what you're eating, is key to figuring out what to improve on. And I think it really opens your eyes to how much you are really eating - sometimes, I will think, i really don't eat that much, why am I not losing weight? But then, when I really write every single thing down, I see where the problems are!

Calories Needed to Maintain Weight:
And the amount of calories needed to maintain even a heavier weight is not that excessive - if you take your weight times 10, thats about the number of calories per day it takes to maintain your weight - so, even to maintain a 200 pound weight, you only have to eat 2000 calories a day. S

Calories Needed to Lose Weight:
And to lose weight, it is often recommended that you eat your current weight times 7. So, if you're 200 pounds, you need to be eating 1400 calories. Granted, these are of course just general recommendations, and will fluctuate depending on your personal activity level.

Places to Track Your Food:
Like I have mentioned, I have an online membership to Weight Watchers, and I have found the only way for me to consistently remember to track my food is to keep the "Points Tracker" open on my laptop so that I have no excuse not to jot something down the moment I eat it - the longer you wait, the more you forget, and probably tend to underestimate what you really ate.

For free services, I think www.fitday.com is great - you can track calories, exercise, nutrients, food groups, etc. - it is awesome! I used it all the time before getting the WW membership (which I mainly got so that I could access their recipes).

Food Recap - Feb. 2nd

Okay, so now that I am back from my FL wedding-planning trip, I can finally get back to logging my food every day! I have realized lately that i have been doing pretty good at keeping under the points/calorie limit (which for me, for WW is about 25 points a day/1250 calories), but not as good as making things myself and eating enough fruits and veggies, so I vow to do better at that!

Breakfast:
Nature Valley Oats n' Honey Granola Bars - 4 points

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli - 6 points

Dinner:
Egg Beater Omelette - it's definitely time for me to get more groceries, b/c all I could find to put in my omelette was the eggs and some low-fat, part-skim mozzarella - the veggies make it so much more yummy, I need to get more! - 5 points

Snacks:
Synder's Whole Grain Cheese Puffs - 4 points - so Andrew picked these up for me at the store, and they sound like a bit of an oxy-moron, whole grain & cheese puff together? I think they're pretty good, and obviously way better for you than Cheetos.

And, what has become my standard dessert, Hershey's chocolate covered pretzels - 3 points - I am telling ya, 7 of these for 130 calories is a great deal! Sometimes you just don't want a 10 calorie jello pack, ya know? I feel like its just everything in moderation - you can have Oreos for dessert, but 2 of them, not 6, at least that's my thought.

Food Recap - Jan. 29

Friday, January 30, 2009

Breakfast:
Breakfast trail mix - 4 points

Lunch:
Fresh Express Medittearanean Supreme salad mix (I ate the whole bag, but why not? It's lots of veggies & good for you!) - 6 points
100 Calorie pack of Cheetos - 2 points

Dinner:
Tuna Melt - 8 points

Snack:
Quaker Cheddar Rice Cakes - 3 points

Food Recap - Jan. 22nd

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Breakfast:
Yogurt - 1 point

Lunch:
I ate out at Harvest today and the only vegetarian thing they had was pasta which looked really unhealthy, so I had a grilled cod sandwich (I generally don't eat fish anymore, but have decided to make exceptions when there is nothing else to eat). And I had a salad on the side, not fries! I have no idea on points, but I thought it was a good healthy selection :)

Dinner:
Boca Italian sausage w/bun - 4 points
Chips - 2 points

Exercise: 1 hour of strength training with Kerry, it made my whole body ache the next day but was actually pretty fun at the time, which is like the perfect workout! We did squats, push-ups, bicep curls, shoulder presses, tricep kick-backs, some super painful ab work, etc.! I am so proud at how I have progressed physical fitness wise, the first meeting with Kerry, I couldn't even do one good push up, and today I did three sets of 10!!!

Food Recap - Jan. 21st

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Breakfast:
Nature Valley Oats n' Honey granola bar - 2 points (I was proud that i ate one of them and threw the 2nd away - why do they have to come in packages of two? It's just tempting me, lol!)

Lunch:
So I didn't have a second for lunch today because I went straight from the gym to court, and from court to class, so I hate to say this, but I had to have my lunch out of the vending machine (I know, I know, I should no better!). So yeah, lunch was Baked Lays - 3 points.

Dinner:
Since I was starving from not eating lunch, I ate dinner at like 4:30 :) I had two vegetable maki rolls, yum! I of course do not know the exact nutritional info for these rolls in particular, but it's probably about 400 calories/8 points for both rolls.'

Snacks:
More Snyder's chocolate covered pretzels - they're so good! - 3 points

Exercise: 50 min/600 calories on the elliptical.