Weekday Eats: Snapshot #3

Coming at you with another sneak peak into the foodie side of my life!

I say that like the “foodie side” is separate, but the point is actually to show how a healthy, satisfying diet of delicious homemade meals can be woven into everyday life…even on the busiest of weekdays.

Case in point: this Monday

Breakfast

Started out the day with probably the quickest and easiest breakfast I make on a regular basis–“smoothie” yogurt bowl with a myriad of yummy mix-ins and toppings.

 For the base, I just combine a 5-oz container of plain Greek yogurt (Stonyfield) + 1/4 cup milk, and whisk with a spoon until smooth. No blender required! I also stir in ~1/2 packet stevia to tone down the tang, but not overdo the sweetness.

Then I mix in chopped strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries (all frozen when out of season), and 1/3 sliced banana. And on top of this bowl went Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Raisin Granola (about 40g), 2 tsp Barney Butter Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter and a generous sprinkle of Lily’s Dark Chocolate Baking Chips.

For more of the “smoothie” aspect, you could go ahead and add the fruit and give it a whirl in the blender, but I really like the extra texture. And it means 1 fewer step, so win-win!

Plus a new tea–Numi Breakfast Blend–that I’m VERY happy with. 🙂

~400 cal total

Lunch

Short break after classes to refuel and get some work done before picking back up in the afternoon. I’ve also been trying to squeeze in a nap during this time because I really don’t get enough sleep at night, and did you know a nap is great for restoring lost REM sleep? Score for learning and memory!

Anyway, lunch was this SUPER flavorful salad of…

• romaine
• pulled leftover chicken
• grapes
• sliced avocado and red onion
• crumbled gorgonzola
• toasted walnuts
• quick maple balsamic vinaigrette: 1/8 tsp garlic, 1/4 tsp Dijon, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp Tuscan herb-infused EVOO, 1/2 tsp maple syrup, a light sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves, and a pinch salt and pepper

Definitely a keeper!

Plus Beanitos Restaurant-Style White Bean Chips on the side. Love these for their impressive ingredient list, protein and fiber content, and awesome texture and taste. Beans for a chip…who would have known they’d be so flippin’ yummy?

~300 cal total

Snack

After lab meeting and before my Stadium Conditioning class, I got to sit out in this gorgeous fall weather for my afternoon pick-me-up:

1. Clif Organic Trail Mix Bar. I avoid most Clif bars because of some of the processed ingredients in them, but the Organic Trail Mix series is an exception–reliable ingredients, awesome macros, great taste. It’s very chewy with crunchy nuts and big hunks of chocolate. And you can’t go wrong with big hunks of chocolate.
2. Chai tea (Steep by Bigelow). I’m sure Starbucks wouldn’t like me very much because I go in week after week, bring my own tea bag, just order hot water and don’t pay for anything. It saves me some money and gives me more options, so oh well…

200 cal

Dinner

After a great workout with a group of amazing Gators (which is also incidentally my job…how awesome is that?!?!), and still some studying to do, a quick yet filling and wholesome dinner was crucial…

Enter this big bowl of penne, seafood, veggies, and all the goodness of Italian comfort.

• Whole grain penne (boiled 10 minutes in salted water)
• Into the fry pan: a bit of EVOO, sliced yellow onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, dried Italian herbs, sprinkle fennel seed and black pepper (3-5 minutes)
• then minced garlic (from a jar = super convenient), raw wild shrimp (3-5 minutes)
• then a splash white cooking wine
• over reduced heat, chopped jarred artichoke heart and 1/2 cup Dave’s Red Heirloom Pasta Sauce (seriously the best sauce EVER).
• Throw it all in a bowl and stir in lots of Parm. Swoon.
• Finally I threw some asparagus in the same pan and sautéed them until crisp-tender, finished with s/p and lemon.

It’s like happiness in a bowl.

~430 cal

Dessert

(photo courtesy of Salazon)

Finally you know that I will not be neglecting dessert. There’s ALWAYS room for chocolate in my world. Monday featured pieces from two of my absolute FAVORITE chocolate bars–Salazon Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Coconut + Endangered Species Dark Chocolate with Espresso Beans–plus a small glass of cold milk.

~200 cal

Highly recommended way to finish off the day. Repeat as needed throughout the week 😉