Time to talk food. A whole day’s worth.
If you didn’t catch my last snapshot, this is a new series I’ve started to put my favorite meals, snacks, tips and tricks, and foodie obsessions into context for a typical weekday. Not intended to tell you what to eat, but certainly to share ideas and inspiration!
Breakfast
Kicked off Monday morning with a fairly typical breakfast equation that goes like this: yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit and cereal + toasted nut-butter-covered whole grain + tea. I’ve been hooked on this formula for years because it’s quick, never fails to fill me up, and allows for so many options even I don’t get bored. Plus, I tend to favor the sweet side of things when I wake up, so this combo can get me my fix without overdoing the refined sugar. Protein from dairy, fiber and complex carbs from whole grains, and fats from nuts keep the balance in check.
This morning featured 1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese with frozen berries (sadly waving goodbye to fresh summer produce), topped with 1/2 serving Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal, and just a touch of maple syrup (about 1/2 tsp) as a finishing touch. Alongside was a Garden Lites Blueberry Oat Muffin, toasted and slathered in 2 tsp Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. These muffins are AMAZING by the way, and life-savers on busy mornings. It just needs ~30 sec in the microwave, then I split it down the center and give it a couple minutes in the toaster oven on each side. My favorites are Blueberry Oat and Banana Chocolate Chip for breakfast, and Blueberry Oat is heavenly covered in chocolate nut butter…but what isn’t, really? The Chocolate ones taste so decadent I actually save them for after-lunch treats. You would never guess that the nutrition label is so impressive! Only 120 calories, gluten free, contain a decent amount of protein and fiber, relatively low sugar, and only quality ingredients. I’m hooked.
(about 400 calories total)
Lunch
After morning classes I whipped up this Roasted Butternut Black Bean Salad and remembered how much I love it! Roasted butternut squash with thyme, black beans, toasted walnuts, feta, red onion, greens, and a quick honey dijon dressing. Perfect for the first day it’s actually felt like fall here.
Newman’s Own High-Protein Pretzels and grapes on the side. 🙂
(about 300 calories total)
Snack
Surprisingly I didn’t have a meeting this afternoon (WHAT???), so that meant a little extra time to catch up on schoolwork. And after a couple mentally draining hours, the mid-afternoon slump was hitting hard. But Squarebar and Celestial Seasonings Dirty Chai + a touch of milk came to the rescue as a pre-workout pick-me-up!
(about 230 calories total)
Dinner
After teaching a kick-butt Stadium Conditioning class (which all my Gators out there should definitely come to!), I came home to this leftover seafood paella…swoon. Not only is it super easy, jam-packed with all the best seafood and veggies and flavors, and perfect for leftovers, but I think it’s even more delicious the second time around. No joke. You MUST go make it.
Roll on the side for a little something extra. (about 450 calories total)
Dessert
Finished off the day (very late, I might add–need to work on that) with this One-Minute Chocolate Cake (again). It’s probably safe to say that this is my favorite dessert EVER. Quick and easy single-serving moist and fluffy chocolate cake with warm chocolate cream cheese frosting. And it’s even good-for-you. Hard to beat that. (about 250 calories including my glass of milk)
Hope this was helpful! Wishing all of you a week of good eats 😉