- A good dress is powerful. I was tired, stressed yet I felt fantastic. That’s because I knew I looked good. No, I did not instantly drop those damn 15lbs but the wrap dress I had on today hugged me in all the right places and was very forgiving in others. I felt FIERCE. So fierce that when I encountered a very abrasive co-worker, I gave him the verbal equivalent of a middle finger and moved on. Three years ago (or even last week on a bad day) I would have probably cried in the bathroom (or at least wanted to). Today the dress gave me the power that I needed. Go dress! But since this is a food blog, let’s see what else I got going…

- b.good mango smoothie, blended with Amazing Grass chocolate powder, extra ice, milk and some gums makes for a kickass breakfast. I was impressed.

- Sometimes a brownie makes it all better. Today’s fudgy brownie from Whole Foods was not on my “planned” list but it was my one and only dessert. I don’t regret a single bite.

- Sushi bento boxes from Haru make one amazing dinner. I almost didn’t mind that I was eating it at my desk at 10pm instead of being at home with the hubs (not true actually but it was good). I hope I can expense that baby.

- No gym today. Nearly 14 hours of work and yet I feel like I got nothing done. I think my new goal is to hit it every other day. Those reports don’t write themselves and financial statements cannot be analyzed while kicking butt in bootcamp. I AM making it happen tomorrow though. Promise.

Today’s eats….. (oh and last thought of the day - I hate my tripod!!… you’ll see why)

Ok, I have a 7am conference call tomorrow so I’m off to get my beauty sleep. It never stops, folks. Seriously. See you with a Thursday recap tomorrow night. I’m kind of liking this format for super busy nights. You?

So remember the bake-off I mentioned a few posts ago? I emailed the organizer yesterday and she clarified the rules to me – this is a brownie contest! Dang, and I thought a had a winning recipe all planned out. Brownies happened to be one of my favorite desserts of all time, so I’m super excited for the tasting portion of the contest, but I’ve never actually baked a brownie I thought was outstanding. My last attempt at rocky road brownies was a good try. I liked the topping (and think it may be a great contestant!) but the brownie was really dry. I asked you for your favorite brownie recipe in that post (and Jen came to the rescue – I plan on testing it soon, Jen!) but I’m asking again. Do you have a favorite brownie recipe? It can be a basic brownie (I’ll add my own topping) or a great brownie “combo.” Thanks again!! I love that I have you all here as my resources.

Yesterday’s eats – it’s was Meatless Monday, fyi.

BREAKFAST

A green smoothie: almond milk, water, frozen banana, frozen strawberries, frozen spinach, ground peanuts (from a failed attempt at making pb) + Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood packet

Oh yes, let’s not forget the Bran Buds I received as a sample from the company. They added a nice crunch to the smoothie, which I ate with a spoon. Adam and I agreed we’d buy this cereal – it was really yummy

LUNCH

My favorite sandwich combo of all time – seriously! I brought it to work with me and couldn’t resist but eat half before my lunchtime workout.

Grilled peppers, zucchini and eggplant, fresh tomato, goat cheese and Stonewall Kitchen sundried tomato pesto on a TJ’s scooped out ciabatta roll

Just thinking about this sandwich again makes me happy. I can never resits this combo!!

WORKOUT

Power yoga at my gym. The girl’s voice wasn’t as soothing as my favorite instructor’s on Thursdays but the practice was good at the end. Once we started flowing I forgot about all this other nonsense like how I wish the girl didn’t sound so “valley.”

DINNER

I really tried being vegan for the day but couldn’t resist the urge to add the goat cheese to my lunchtime sandwich. For dinner the cheese jumped in once again but we couldn’t really taste it at the end, so it’s going to be 100% vegan next time. So what did we have, you ask?

Avocado and pinto black bean enchiladas from Eat, Drink & be Vegan

I made a few tiny modifications to the recipe – if you can get a hold of it and want to recreate my version exactly, here they are. I used only 8 corn tortillas (to save cals – 2/prs is plenty), black beans instead of pinto (Adam is obsessed with black beans!), almond slices instead of cashews (all we had), no onions, 1 jar of TJ’s enchilada sauce, 1/4-1/2 cup of Stonewall kitchen peach mango hot sauce and a sprinkle of TJ’s light Mexican cheese. I think that’s it

I served it with a Russian inspired salad – fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, S&P + nonfat yogurt (Russians would traditionally use sour cream) – it was perfectly cool to balance out the spiciness of the enchiladas!

Let’s peak inside the enchiladas…

They were “meaty”, creamy, spicy, super flavorful. Adam already requested that we make these again. Yay the vegan book is coming in handy!

Dessert (definitely not vegan!) – break-up bars

Yeah, go ahead and double that – so much for portion control.

Other snacks throughout the day included edamame hummus with baby carrots, a packet of somersaults, pickles, toast with hummus. I was definitely snacky!

We are having our outdoor furniture delivered today. Our first farmers market is also opening today. Lots of excitement for one day. What are you looking forward to today?

Before I dive in, let me start by mentioning that I had a super fabulous dinner last night at Bin26.

My lovely dates: Meghan and Kirsten

I love these girls! I ran with both of them before and there is something about a bond you build while you run, especially long distance. You pick each other up and motivate each other to keep going. I wish we had a chance to hang out more. I think we’ll try to make it happen after last night (and apparently our husbands/boyfriends have a lot in common too – think: Top Gear).

Bin26 is a gorgeous wine bar in Beacon Hill. I loved the clean + modern atmosphere with wine bottles decorating the space…. in expected:

… and unexpected ways (that’s a ceiling in the bathroom!!)

I started with a 250ml glass of Grosjean Freres Premetta Pinor Noir upon Kirsten’s suggestion. She knows wines and said this was one of her favorites. This was the best wine I’ve ever had in my life!!! It was fruity and smooth yet complex but not too sweet. I am really horrible at describing wines but I am telling you that this beats $100+ bottles I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy.

After a lot of indecisiveness, we finally decided to split a plate of cheeses and zucchini carpaccio. Fresh sourdough bread with EVOO came out as well. Perfect!

Selection of 4: Grana Padano, Pecorino Toscano, Taleggio di Malga, Gorgonzola Naturale

I am not a fan of gorgonzola (or any other blue cheese for that matter) but the other 3 were fantastic. I loved their diversity… cheese + wine is a fantastic combo!

Zucchini carpacio – zucchini ribbons drizzled with lemon vinaigrette + pine nuts

This was so incredibly fresh and flavorful. I really have to recreate this at home! What a perfect summer appetizer.

So we shared these 2 plates and then I decided to order an entree as my meal.

Cocoa tagliatelle with porcini mushroom ragout scented with nepitella

Sounds fancy, no? It was delicious. Very mushroomy though so it’s not for the faint of heart. I love mushrooms so I polished this off no problem

When the waitress offered a dessert menu, I didn’t hesitate. Yes, please. I’ll have the chocolate layer cake served with semifreddo

I was stoked to see cherries but the cake was not my favorite. It was soaked in some kind of liquor, which I suppose is appropriate for a wine bar but I didn’t care for it. Guess what? I still ate every bite.

On my way home, this is where it hit me – I was stuffed, uncomfortably so. This is also where my paranoia about what and how much I eat sunk in. Meghan only had the shared apps and Kirsten ordered a tiny tapa as her meal + a small biscotti that nearly broke her tooth so she only had a bite of it. These girls are thin and I am not. Yes, I’m healthy. I made a lot of progress recently in the self-acceptance department but nights like this give me perspective on my actions. I ordered last night like I would on any other night out. I treat nights like this as treats and of course accept larger portions than usual since of course I wouldn’t have an appetizer, entree, dessert + wine on a typical Monday night at home. But is that the right thing to do? Am I just fattening myself up slowly and giving myself a green light to do so in the spirit of “self acceptance”?

This is my “analysis” after a night of sleep. You can only imagine the less productive thoughts running through my head on my walk home. Of course I shouldn’t compare myself to others. I shouldn’t even presume I know the circumstances of other people. I think Meghan had plans for dinner with her husband later than night (makes sense why she’d eat lightly before that). Maybe the girls had giant lunches, maybe finances played a role in their decisions. The point is that I shouldn’t care. But I twisted it up and made myself feel bad. I felt paranoid about my own less than stellar choices and should have viewed them in vacuum without throwing what other people ate into the mix. Ok I think I’m done. I really did have an amazing time catching up with the girls. I just hate how unproductive thoughts creep in sometimes and ruin a perfectly fun night.

Other eats…

BREAKFAST

Green monster – silken tofu, almond milk, banana, frozen mixed berries + frozen spinach, topped with Zoe’s granola

This was the best smoothie I’ve ever made. I attribute it to lots of berries.

LUNCH

Everything but the kitchen sink salad – kale massaged with lemon juice and 1t basil EVOO, carrots, grape tomatoes, pickles, boiled egg, walnuts + feta

The pickles made the salad. I think I’m a genius for thinking of this.

SNACKS

Mid-morning:

Mid-afternoon:

What can I say, I love fruit + nuts combo

WORKOUT

A super sweaty 60 minute class with jump rope/weight intervals. Somehow I was able to keep up.

Do you ever compare your food choices to others’?

After a day full of delicious and pretty healthy meals, I found myself snacking on some fresh bread with sundried tomato pesto, which went undocumented. And then of course there were too many almonds. I didn’t feel great afterwards physically but this is where my mindset about this situation could make or break my night, or even the next day. I had 2 choices: understand that some days we are just hungrier than others and also that I have a weakness for roasted almonds which can only be controlled by portioning them out before hand. This is the reasonable approach and if taken, could let me move on with my life… like a normal person. My other choice was to view this as a failed attempt at eating reasonably and mindfully. I am no longer counting calories so listening to my hunger cues is key to maintaining my weight. The problem with the second approach is that of course it’s negative and not constructive. This kind of mindset would only bring me down and make me question other things in my life because that’s exactly what happens when I’m in “that” kind of mood. How many of you believe that the first approach is the right one? How many of you can’t help but take on the second one? The same situation can take on a really different life, depending on your perspective. I’m happy to report that I let this little incident slide. I just brushed it off and ate like I would (read: healthy + yummy eats) the next day (see below). Your perspective can make a big difference. I am questioning my own ways of viewing things and mindfully trying to take the right approach. As a result, I’ve been much happier lately. I think the sunshine may have helped a little too.

Now let’s talk food + fitness

BREAKFAST

Green monster: 1/4 block of silken tofu, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 frozen banana, frozen spinach, frozen organic wild blueberries, 1/4t xantham gum, 1/8t guar gum

Toppings: Zoe’s granola + dried bing cherries

I love the crunchy cereal in every few “bites.” This was a delicious combo

MID-AFTERNOON/PRE-WORKOUT SNACK

I actually ate only 1/2 of this banana. This is definitely one of my favorite snacks, although a big messy.

WORKOUT

We have summer weather here in Boston (like 80*!!) and I’ve been taking full advantage of it by incorporating more outdoor runs. Yesterday I ran for 5.25 miles (taking a short walk in the mega sun at some point for maybe 2 minutes). Warm up + cool down walks also amounted to about a mile. I was a giant sweaty mess at the end. It was a tough run. I’m trying to work up to 6+ miles over this week and maybe even attempt some double digits soon. Man, taking time off from running is really making it difficult for me to come back. I’m determined though.

LUNCH

This next picture is lame but this lunch was delicious!

Ww Tuscane pane, edamame spread, grilled asparagus + grilled peppers, feta cheese

Fantastic sandwich! I just love eating fresh foods like that. It makes me feel so good, knowing how well I’m feeding my body. And seriously, just the thought of this sandwich makes me a little more excited. It was the perfect lunch!

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

I shared another one of these little packets with Adam at night.

DINNER

Yes, go ahead, start drooling now.

Manchego-stuffed pork chops with roasted red-pepper pepita sauce (recipe can be found here).

+ fiddleheads! I steamed these guys for 7 minutes then quickly sauteed them with garlic and 1tsp of EVOO on a hot skillet. They were so yummy – reminded me of a cross between sauteed spinach and snap peas with a texture of tender asparagus. Yummy.

The manchego stuffed pork chops were of course the stars, though. This recipe was so simple and produced such flavorful results. I forgot how much I love manchego cheese (I nibbled on a little square while prepping this meal). The roasted red pepper-pepita sauce also freshens up the indulgent, cheesy pork chop.

I think it’s going on my favorites list! [PS. I only ate 1/2 of what you see here. 1/2 of a pork chop just doesn't photograph well so I took a picture of the whole thing and saved what I left on the plate for lunch the next day.]

MID-EVENING SNACK (at photography class)

Chocolate white chocolate chip cookie

And once again, I’m running late for work. Story of my life. Peace.

So let’s cover a few things today…

1. Apparently even healthy meals with 1 treat may be too much for me some days. Yesterday seemed like a well balanced day. I ate only when I was hungry and I may have eaten a bit past the fullness point but it was all on super healthy and crazy delicious foods so I was okay with it. The hardest thing for me to do is throw away food that I know is good for me and that I LOVE. So yeah, after an amazing salad and a treat (which I knew I didn’t need but I wanted) – I went to bed super full and woke up, if it’s possible, even more full. I forced some coffee with milk into myself after walking up (just to get my metabolism going) but was unable to eat real breakfast for another 3 hours.

Introducing BREAKFAST:

Green monster: 1/4 block of silken tofu, 1/2 cup skim milk, 5 giant frozen organic strawberries, 1/2 banana, a few cups of fresh spinach.

Toppings: Zoe’s granola, kashi golean cereal, raw cacao nibs

These pictures are atrocious but I overfilled this bowl and couldn’t bring it to the table I usually photograph my food at (the lighting is slightly better there). What I can say is that it was one of the best smoothies I’ve ever made!!!!! The cacao nibs tasted just like chocolate in this (I usually find them bitter). I think they soaked the sweetness from the cereal and the natural sugars in the banana + strawberries. Yum!

2. Emotional eating is hard to stop sometimes, even when you realize you are doing it. Sometimes it doesn’t seem as important. Sometimes food is soothing and that’s ok (just don’t do it every day!!). Sometimes you can break the rules!

Introducing DINNER:

Stonyfield cookies ‘n cream organic frozen yogurt with TJ’s organic chocolate flavored syrup

Oh yes, and this:

Didn’t stand a chance! Picture is of the wrapper.

I felt bad because although I was satisfied with my “dinner,” I didn’t feel like cooking anymore and Adam was on his own. His dinner: cereal.

LUNCH had no other significance than being amazing –> healthy + delicious = a winning combo!

Mixed greens, heirloom grape tomatoes, Niman Ranch ham, tamari roasted chickpeas, goat cheese, Samira’s baba ganoush + 1T Annie’s goddess dressing.

I could seriously eat this every day of my life and be happy. SO good! I also had an orange for dessert (unpictured because we all know what oranges look like ).

Do you break the rules sometimes and still feel healthy?

No worries, though, because I feel fantastic today!!!! Weeeee I’m going to thank you and a few friends I was able to meet up during the day that just made yesterday a really great day despite a slow start. As planned, during lunch I met up with Shannon for a long walk. It was exactly what I needed. We just walked briskly, sweating and catching up on all things non-food related and then I dove into it and just spilled everything I’ve had on my mind recently – all the conflicting thoughts, all the behaviors I’m ashamed of. She had no “answers” (she often goes through the same struggles) but it was just really good to get it all out of my system. Go to Shannon’s blog and thank her for the little therapy session we had, otherwise I would have written novels and novels here. Haha. Seriously, it’s amazing how a brisk walk with a friend really clears your head. You guys should try it sometime!

BREAKFAST

So I wasn’t hungry in the morning but I knew I needed to eat. The perfect solution – SIAB (smoothie in a bowl).

This guy contained: 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 water, 1/2 frozen banana, frozen mango chunks, frozen organic strawberries, frozen spinach, almond butter, 1/4t xantham gum, 1/8t guar gum

It tasted like a refreshing sorbet!!! I added some Kashi GoLean cereal on top, mostly for esthetics but actually ended up enjoying the crunch. Awesome, awesome breakfast!!!

LUNCH

After a long walk, my hunger finally came back. I was super happy about that because this lunch was amazing and I didn’t want to just eat it like a robot.

Leftover spinach, artichoke, chickpea and tomato frittata

I know the pictures don’t make it look like anything special, but please trust me – this is a fantastic dish! Make it and you won’t regret it!!!!!

For lunch dessert, I had an orange.

MID-AFTERNOON SNACKS

Needed a sugar fix…

And then some more food to tie me over until a 7pm dinner – 1/2 FFL english muffin with 1T Barney Butter and 1/2 banana + tea

I forgot how much I love this snack – it’s so comforting. You will likely see it again tomorrow.

DINNER WITH FRIENDS

So we had some fun dinner plans as well. Adam and I met up with Melissa (@mgonyeo – she’s a twitter goddess!!) and husband Josh at American Craft for dinner + drinks. Josh writes a beer blog so we wanted to make sure he could try some fun new beers. I knew the beer menu would be fantastic, but I’m always nervous about eating at a bar. Food just always seems secondary and for me that’s just not good enough.

I started the evening with Ommegang Hennepin as per Adam’s suggestion

I loved this beer!! It’s a saison, which I usually like. Has a very full body and a very smooth taste. Later Adam told me it had 9% alcohol. Well, I couldn’t tell from the taste! Good thing I have high tolerance, though, huh? Jeez

For my meal, I decided to get a burger. American Craft offers a “make your own burger” with a natural beef, turkey or veggie base, then lots of creative toppings. I ordered a veggie burger with cheddar, garlicky greens and mushrooms + mixed greens.

The veggie burger was homemade at the restaurant and as per the waitress, was their take on falafel. This was my very first time having a veggie burger at a restaurant because they usually have onions (this one only had onion powder, which went undetected by me). You guys, this was the best veggie burger I’ve ever had!!!!!!!

It was soft and slightly chewy + super flavorful and all the toppings of my choosing were great as well. The garlicky greens were VERY garlicky and I love me some garlic. Hopefully I wasn’t breathing it onto everyone. The challah bun was also out of this world amazing. I originally planned on only having half of this, but there was no way I could stop myself at just that. It was seriously amazing. The mixed greens instead of fries also insured that I wasn’t in a food coma for the rest of the night. I did steal a few fries from Adam.

So after some food (everyone liked their meals, btw – we’ll definitely be back. I will be craving that burger without a doubt!!), we decided to try our luck at getting a table at the Publick House. The Publick House is very famous around these parts but this also means that there is always a wait… as we found out, even on a Tuesday. It’s ok, we waited patiently, with a few drinks in our hands.

I got a pint of the Original Sin hard cider. Creepsville (haha, Adam – just for you!)

About half an hour later, we finally got a table. Hi, Josh and Melissa!

Josh was a smart man and ordered a cheese plate – gruyere on the left, chimay on the right

I had 2 toasts with both cheeses and a bit of the whole grain mustard (which btw tasted like nothing). I believe the bread had some cheese baked into it – it was excellent. Both cheeses were great too – I surprisingly preferred the creamier chimay (usually I’m a hard cheese kinda girl). It tasted like a harder and slightly stronger brie. Yum!

We all stayed past our bedtime, leaving the restaurant at 10:15. It was just so much fun. Thanks, Melissa and Josh, for driving all the way to Brookline to meet with us. I think a day spent with friends is what the doctor prescribed for me. Oh, and I just have to say this….. 2 more days until Aruba! Yay!!!!

If you’d like to guest post on Healthy and Sane while I’m away, please send your posts to elina@healthyandsane.com by tonight (Wednesday) or the latest tomorrow morning. Thanks so much! K, back to the grind….

So we’re going back in time a bit. This post is about Friday’s eats. They were too good and I couldn’t just let them slide.

BREAKFAST

Green monster with skim milk, water, 1/2 frozen banana, organic frozen strawberries, frozen spinach and almond butter + 1/4t xantham gum and 1/8t guar gum

All blended…

… and ready to go!

I love almond butter in smoothies. You can’t taste it but it gives smoothies real staying power!

LUNCH

Mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower + spinach artichoke dip

+ a juicy orange. I can’t get enough of oranges these days!!!

SNACKS

So Friday was the most gorgeous day in Boston. It was amazing, almost summer-like. After the craziest rains (which are back again ) this weather was such a treat. I left work a bit early to celebrate. I bought Eat, Pray, Love on the way home and enjoyed a few hours with the book, some green tea and a clif mojo mountain trek mix.

The book has been on my “to-read” list for ages and last Friday I needed to read it. It goes really well with my “what do you really want” line of thinking. The heroine finds herself thinking the same thing and spends 4 months in Italy just eating… then she spends months meditating in India (I’m not there yet in the book but I’m looking forward to it ).

Eventually I started snacking again… 2 pea pesto crostini

… and THREE chocolate almond cherry clusters

So the chocolate almond clusters are delicious but there is usually another reason for overeating if you truly listen to yourself. I realized that in fact I was hungry. Of course I couldn’t peel myself off the chocolate container! So I made an early dinner…

DINNER #1

Chipotle chicken sausage, roasted red pepper, laughing cow cheese, pesto + cucumbers on ww Tuscan pane

After taking 2 bites and determining that the sandwich was delicious, I also determined that I no longer was hungry. Doh! So I left the sandwich for Adam who happily consumed it. A few hours later…

DINNER #2

2 mini toasts (ends from the above sandwich slices) with Samira’s baba ganoush + some soul food

This Friday was the first day of true intuitive eating. I did overdo it on the chocolates but I caught myself and readjusted accordingly. I am excited about “getting it” again. It WILL get easier.

For those that started this intuitive eating journey with me, how did you do this past week? Anything you’d like to share with us here?

For those that are already eating intuitively, do you ever eat 3 chocolate truffles and if you do, how do you feel about those instances?

Time to go to work. It’s gross out, I just want to stay in and cuddle up on the couch with some Food Network.

In the blender – 1+ frozen banana, frozen blueberries, 1c water, 1c 1% milk, Greens+ wild berry burst, 8 ice cubes, baby spinach and 1/4t xantham gum and 1/8t guar gum

It made 2 awesome smoothies – Adam and I shared them.

I paired my smoothie with a Food For Life millet toast with Barney Butter

[300 calories]

MID-MORNING SNACK

[70 calories]

LUNCH

Leftover savory pumpkin pudding

Still delicious the next day

[450 calories]

MID-AFTERNOON SNACKS

TJ’s 100 calorie dark chocolate bar

+ 2 somersault packets

[All together: 240 calories]

WORKOUT

I had a lunch meeting, which meant I had to go to the gym after work. I REALLY hate working out after work but for some reason I got a burst of energy right at 5pm. I left a bit later and found Adam on one of the treadmills finishing up his workout. It never gets old seeing my husband running! Unfortunately, the second I started running, all that energy disappeared. I was dragging. I had 4 miles with 6×200 on the schedule but I wanted to get off the treadmill a minute after starting running. I finished 6×200 with walking for recovery for most intervals (I NEVER do that!) and then got off. I probably ran a little over 1 mile instead of 4. Ugh This is my 3rd crappy run in a row. I considered quitting all together last night. Something is off with me on the running front, and I feel trapped. Maybe the 5K I’m running this weekend will be the perfect fun distance for me, and then I can get back to distance running. We’ll see how it goes.

DINNER

Sweet potato gnocchi with brussels sprouts and walnuts (recipe can be found here, originally discovered through Tri to Cook)

To make this, I used the Nuovo sp gnocchi (purchased at Whole Foods). This was super quick and Adam and I both really enjoyed it. The brussels sprouts overwhelmed the sweet potato taste a bit when eaten together in one bite, but alternating bites between the gnocchi and the brussels sprouts resulted in a great balance between sweet and earthy. The walnut pieces added a nice crunch as well. Great, great dinner!

Oh yes, and there was a bit of vino involved. This bottle of Cono Sur pinot noir was fantastic. So smooth. I had this glass and another splash after that. What a fun treat on a Tuesday night!

Label close-up:

Dessert: the infamous peanut butter chocolate chip granola bar cookie

This time I ate it like dessert and enjoyed it immensely. It really is kind of a perfect bar cookie (minus the calories).

Are you ever super tired for several consecutive days? Any ideas on how to re-energize? I’m all ears!

BREAKFAST

A “green” monster + a power bran muffin

In the monster – 1/2 frozen banana, frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup skim milk, large handful of baby spinach + Amazing Grass Green Food packet… it kind of came out black but still delicious I loved getting so many servings of fruits and veggies by 8 am!

The bran muffin was toasted from frozen and was still yummy although a little dry.

[405 calories]

MID-MORNING SNACK

1/2 cashew cookie larabar. I love this flavor!!

[105 calories]

LUNCH

Lunch was the aforementioned date with Mary Kate at Tossed. I got a giant salad with mixed greens, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, mandarin oranges, snow peas and cajun shrimp + dijon mustard dressing on the side (I used about a tablespoon).

So much veggie awesomeness!

After paying I realized adding the shrimp cost $5!!! I will say the shrimp was delicious.

[~272 calories]

Mary Kate, I had a great time catching up with you. I’m looking forward to future lunch dates

When I got back to my desk, despite feeling uncomfortably full, I wanted chocolate in a bad way. A little calcium did the trick. Taking vitamins is so hard. lol

[30 calories]

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

The craving for a baked good hit later in the day. This chocolate brownie zbar really satisfied me today. I used to eat these all the time and forgot how good they are. I think I need to stock up  – these are great and are only 120 calories!

[120 calories]

DINNER

Dinner was unphotogenic but very delicious. I made Ellie Krieger’s nutty sweet potato soup, hosted by Popsicles and Sandy Feet this week on CEiMB. I think a dollop of greek yogurt on top would have made it a little prettier but we are all out. I tried crumbling some goat cheese on top but it just sank. In any case, the soup was hearty, flavorful and just the right amount of spicy (I used 1/2 amount of cayenne). The only little problem I had with it was the texture – my peanut butter didn’t melt that well. Once in a while there were pb chunks on the spoon. Not the worst problem but I was hoping for a super creamy consistency. Probably my fault.  On the side I enjoyed 1/2 FFL english muffin with some four pepper goat cheese. A perfect meal on a cold winter night!

[399 calories]

NIGHT-TIME SNACK

Once again I haven’t had enough calories during the day. I was craving white chocolate and I was cold. I grabbed a piece of chocolate and went to the cupboard for tea… and then I saw hot chocolate packets! Brilliant

These are fancy shmancy French hot chocolate packets we got at a gourmet cheese store last year. I used 1/2 cup of 1% milk, 1/2 cup hot water and the whole hot cocoa packet to make my hot chocolate. This was so rich and satisfying that I ended up only eating 1 little square of the white chocolate. Yay for listening to my body and being reasonable around yummy foods!!

[~155 calories]

Total calories consumed: ~1500

I’m going to dinner at Oleana in Cambridge tomorrow night with the hubs. Calories will not be counted at dinner but every bite will be enjoyed. This is how I keep myself sane!

Happy Thursday/Friday (if that’s when you read it)!!

Here are yesterday’s eats. I tried the Amazing Grass original powder and didn’t hate it! I really thought it would taste like dirt, but in a smoothie with bananas, mango, mixed berries, milk and white grape juice, it just tasted like fake protein powder. With all the amazing stuff that’s in this powder (wheat grass, barley grass, rice protein, hemp protein, acai, carrot, blueberry, goji, rose hips, maca, banana + various enzymes) it could be worth a purchase to bulk up breakfast on occasion. I have a few other samples, including the chocolate flavored kind, so we’ll see if I become an addict by the time my stash is gone

This girl needs solid food with her breakfast… add organic spelt toast with Barney Butter. Yum!

Random discovery: a red grape covered in the toasted almond hummus tastes like a maraschino cherry. I’m actually a sour cherry kind of a girl but I thought it was fun I just had 1 of these for experimental purposes

Pre workout snack: 2 medjool dates

Lunch: mixed greens, roasted veggies (eggplant, zucchini, peppers), grape tomatoes, shrimp + goat cheese.

It was a great salad, but my sweet tooth wanted to be satisfied too. I reached into the desk drawer for some chocolate and found a fudge brownie. Sweet! Totally forgot I stashed it there.

Mid afternoon snack: TJ’s low carb tortilla + Barney Butter + 1/2 banana. Who said you can’t have Barney Butter twice in 1 day

Dinner: healthy chicken tikka masala + brown rice and nonfat yogurt (by popular demand, the recipe for the chicken has been provided in the comments section )

+ juicy personal sized watermelon slices

I also overindulged on some pecans and roasted almonds straight out of their bags. Gotta stop that!

Sorry for a lack-laster post. I went to an amazing restaurant on Sunday and am dying to do a restaurant review post (even if you don’t live in Boston, the pictures will make you hungry!) but that will have to wait. Hope you’re having a great week. I’ll try to post as often as I can but I can’t promise much at this point. I’ll be better next week