adult school lunch

Hi all!
I was thinking about food (sometimes I do), and I was wondering, if I looked at all the food I ate at work all day, would it look like too much? So I decided to post it here. Now, this is what I have most days. Sometimes there will be variety, but honestly, not much. Once I find what I like, I tend to stick to it.

So, we start with Breakfast! I stop at my local starbucks to visit my friends the baristas every day. I get:

1) Grande Decaf coffee (I used to get a Decaf Soy Sugar Free Hazlenut Grade Misto, but methinks I may be sensitive to soy). I add in non-dairy fat free creamer when I get to work, less each day, because I'm trying to ween myself off of it.

2) Protein Bistro Box (I never eat the cheese, and I eat the egg as a late afternoon snack)





So that's done. Generally I finish breakfast and coffee by 11am (I'm a grazer).

I don't eat a typical lunch, so the remaining things I snack on as I'm hungry throughout the day.

1) I always have a Fruit 2.0 water with me. Sometimes I'll have more than one going.

2) Late July mini peanut butter sandwich crackers. Just a handful.

3) Luna Bar Chocolate covered Coconut. Please don't tell me this isn't healthy, I really don't want to know. It's their newest flavor and it is INSANELY good.

4) That egg I mentioned earlier.

5) Red Grapes

6) Banana(s)

7) Baby Carrots with a smidgen of Ranch for dipping.













I get that brand of carrots from the Whole Foods, and the ranch is really good without being heavy. Delish.

Sometimes, I can't eat all this. Sometimes, I'm super hungry and have an instant oatmeal or fiber one bar too. Sometimes, I have a cookie attack (trying to limit those!) But mostly, this is what I snack on while I'm at work. If you work with me, you probably think I eat all day long, and well, I do.

So I'm putting this out there - who's a nutritional guru? What am I eating too much/too little of?

update on the health front

Hi!

Just thought I'd give a little update on the diet (not a diet) and the exercising front. This morning, I did Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred. That is deceptively hard. I'm all, oh yeah, Jillian, bring it on, jumping jacks and squats, I've got this covered. After 15 minutes, yeah, covered in sweat. Good way to start the day though, thumbs up.

I decided to add in a little at home, early morning kind of workout to my routine, to kind of cover me on those days where the last thing I want to do after work is go go to the gym. I still plan on heading to the gym 4-5 times a week, but getting the 30 minute workout done in the AM is a good way to ensure I get it done, no matter what else my day throws out at me.

As for diet - still following along on my plan to eat mostly Paleo. I've been getting a little bored, so I picked up Tosca's Eat Clean cookbook (the first one I think) and I've been trying out some recipes. Had fajitas last night, marinated in lime, lemon, pineapple juice, chili powder, garlic, a little salt and pepper. Delish.

So, its going.

an experiment in diet

Yesterday we had a drinks/apps reception THING, at work. Today, we have LEFTOVERS. This has led to me eating little bits of things that are bad for me but quite delicious. And it has got me thinking about how easy it is to eat things that aren't the best. And it got me on a little research kick.

This is actually nothing new, my curiousity about something called the Paleo diet. I was introduced to it via a blog I read (when it was still published) by Kristin D. She also does Cross Fit and generally kicks ass, but that's neither here nor there.

At first I thought, yeah, yeah, Paleo is another word for Atkins. No grains, no legumes, etc. But its not. Fruit is encouraged.

Let me take a step back. The Paleo diet, for those of you who haven't heard, is based on the human diet in the Paleolithic Era, pre-agriculture. You eat like a caveman, basically. Meat. Fruit. Veg. Honey if you are a LUCKY caveman. No salt, no dairy, no legumes, no grains (well, if you WANT to eat wheat, just as it grows out of the ground, maybe ground into a rough paste, be my guest). No butter. Olive oil is ok. Cause we are Greek cavemen =)

But you get the point. I am of mixed mind about this. Normally, I avoid any and all diets that are overly restrictive. I am much more of the Weight Watchers, you can eat what you want just not too much of it school. This school no longers works for me.

I HAVE seen success over the years with repetitive menus. This is supposedly one of the "Secrets of the Skinny". Oof, it hurts to write that I still am a skinny person...in my head. This appeals to me when trying to start to change your diet. One of the most frustrating things is figuring out WHAT THE HECK TO EAT. So, you hit on a combo that works for you, and you repeat. Once you see results, you venture. It works.

So, combining this Paleo diet idea and my fondness for repetitive menus, well, I made up a menu. It doesn't differ much from what I already eat, actually. Here goes:

Breakfast
2 eggs, scrambled with
Spinach
Turkey Bacon
1 banana

Lunch
Big-ole salad from Whole Foods salad bar with some grilled chicken breast, couple of tofu pieces, and balsamic vinegar dressing
Peaches

Dinner
Some kind of protein (the only part that i plan to switch up - grilled shrimp, grilled or baked chicken, steak, bun-free burger, veggie burger, etc.)
Grilled veg - generally squash and/or asparagus or roasted peppers and mushrooms

Dessert
Coconut Milk Ice Cream with Honey

Ok - sounds pretty good, right? Seriously.

So, curious, I plugged this day into Weight Watchers. Guess what? Bam. Exact correct number of points for a day.

Freaky.

So, I am eating this tomorrow. (And dinner tonight, but full day tomorrow). If I like it, I will eat it the next day. Etc. If anything good happens as a result, or bad, I will tell you about it. But we're not calling it a diet, mmmkay? Ok then.