Dietitian Eats: WIAW (9/30/15)

I can't believe tomorrow marks October 1st! This year seemed to fly by for me so far. I am pretty excited for fall weather and Halloween decorations (they are probably my favorite).

So, today was a bit crazy with what I ate. I had a snack and lunch all planned out; however, my day didn't seem to go as planned. This morning I just had a quick bowl of KIND cinnamon oat clusters with unsweetened almond milk. Not typically something I would buy; however, I got them as a sample and was not in the mode for my regular smoothie.  Usually when I eat cereal (which isn't too often) I am starving within 2 hours. That is usually when I would have my snack. Today, my 1st counseling appointment got pushed back so I just ended up eating lunch later. I was starving before my appointment so I snacked on half of a Cliff-Z bar. Again, not something I would typically buy, but they were a sample I had. Not too bad on sugar, but usually I go for more fiber and protein in a snack bar. But things happen :)

Lunch today was a vegan chili I made over the weekend. I was super glad I made a ton because the past few nights I didn't feel like making extra food for my lunches. Basically, I just threw in low sodium vegetable broth, homemade gravy (tomato sauce) with tomatoes from my garden, broccoli, faro, brown rice, chickpeas, peas, and parsley into my crockpot. I let that all simmer for a couple of hours. Again, a lifesaver when it comes to lazy meal prep during the week. I also had apricot-applesauce (no-sugar-added). I am loving these Charles & Alice cups. They have a mango flavor which is also one of my favs! I like them especially because they are made with real fruit and don't have any junk added. Plus, when I don't feel like chopping up an apple or pear, I can just grab one of these.

Since I ate lunch kind of at a weird time, I didn't have my normal snack (I had packed hummus and gluten-free pretzel crisps). That being said, I was starving when I go home. I ended up grabbing some sliced carrots, ShopRite artichoke hummus, and pumpkin tortilla chips (new from Aldi's for the season). My plate looks a little skimpy because I forgot to take a picture until everything was half eaten. Whoops :) I run a walking group at work so I usually like to have something small before I go. If not, I come home starving yet again. I didn't really have much for grab and go so I had some new granola I just bought. I like Bakery on Main because it has 9g of fiber, 7g of protein, and 7g of sugar (I look for less than 10g). I also like the there is a short ingredient list with things I recognize.

With grad school, working 2 jobs, and balancing my private practice, I am not much in the mood for cooking an all-out meal tonight. Instead, I am going to make a smoothie with unsweetened almond milk, kale/lettuce (from my garden), frozen fruit (mangos and raspberries tonight), chia seeds, and my plant-based protein powder. I also plan on snacking on some fresh anise (fennel) I got today. I love smoothies for a quick (and balanced) meal replacer when I don't feel like making a whole lot.


Thinking back on today, I know I need to pack some more grab-and-go type snacks. Sometimes I will have multigrain cheerios mixed with almond slivers or a pack of nuts or some kind of bar (I also like the fig bars so something sweet!). This helps if I am busy at work and can't sit down for a snack.

How did your day go today? Did you pack your snacks/lunch?

Grad School, Vacation, and Dietitian Shore Eats

Well we are officially in September and I am finally on vacation! This week has been kind of weird for me. This is my first PAID vacation from my new job (started last year) and the first week of grad school! I am doing online school for my Masters in Dietetics Administration from Utah State University, which is also the University I did my dietetic internship through!

It definitely felt weird to turn my work phone off, and leave it at home! Normally, on my days off from work, I leave it on and check my emails and voicemails. I figured it would be good to disconnect for a while! I do keep having weird dreams where I come back to work with 533 emails or a huge pile of boxes at my desk (this happens when I am gone for just a day or two). It never felt weird being away from my part-time job for a while; however, I figure because I am full-time and more invested in my new position that it feels so odd. This time next year I will probably be thinking I was crazy for saying this! HA-HA.

So, Monday marked the first day of grad school! Yay! I was excited about getting back into school; that is until I started getting overwhelmed with all the assignments and deadlines! Balancing school and work has never been an issue for me. I always worked 1 (or 2) jobs and went to school full-time. I just need to be even more organized with working 2 jobs + getting my new business off of the ground! I'll feel better once I have all my assignments mapped out in my planner and highlighted in their different colors :) I am a highlighter junkie!

Everyone always asks me if I ever eat junk. Well of course I do! Just rarely and mostly saved for vacations HA-HA. Yesterday was a prime example of this. I had a morning smoothie with fruit, unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, and plant-based protein powder. I like to try out different types of powders to see which I like best. This was the first time I had vanilla cinnamon and it was really good!

  

I followed that up with some So Delicious cookies and cream "ice cream," which was sooooo delicious. I made tofu, broccoli, stewed tomatoes (from my garden), and sautéed potatoes for lunch. I followed that up with some chips :) I finally cut and ate some of the watermelon we bought Sunday. Again, I followed this with 1/2 of a corn muffin. For dinner, I made refried bean burritos and more broccoli. I followed that with some more chips :) Do you see a pattern yet? :)

Here is my personal stance on vacation eating. Try to still eat healthy (maybe the main meals) and sprinkle some unhealthy in between. I know I don't normally eat these kinds of foods; however, if I want them on vacation, I am going to indulge and not feel bad about it. I also try to keep active on vacation (aka like our 32-mile bike ride on Tuesday or my 2 beach walks today). I figure that also evens out the not-so-healthy-foods :)