Before I dive into it, I just want to say that I'm not doing this to obsess over every calorie. I will mention calories so you know what my range is, but it is more about reflecting back on the food of the day, and thinking about changes I can make in the future. Strict calorie counting can result in obsessive thoughts about food (leading you to eat more!).
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so I will start with that:
1) I had not one, but TWO "Eggs-in-a-hole". Or should I say, I ate two eggs-in-holes? This meal is very simple and easy to make, and you can usually make it and eat it in less than 20 mins (but I encourage slow eating whenever possible).
Here is my Egg-in-a-Hole:
To make, you simply cut a hole in the middle of the bread (I'm still eating Jewish Rye bread because my bag has not run out). Eat this portion as an appetizer.
Then place the piece of bread on a warmed-up pan with a little bit of olive oil. Spread the bread through the olive oil so it is flavorful all throughout.
Crack an egg and let the yolk fall directly into the hole. Let it cook on one side for 2-4 mins, and then switch to the other side. The ONLY tricky part is flipping the piece of bread. You must do this gently so the yolk does not break in the pan. My first one was perfect, but my second one was too rushed and I broke the yolk by slapping the piece of bread down too hard. Fortunately, it was still very delicious.
You can cook the second side for as long as you like, depending on how you like your eggs. I like mine to be really runny, so I cooked the other side for 1-2 mins. If you like it "firmer" you can increase that to 3 mins.
Why did I eat two eggs-in-holes instead of one? Well, each egg has 70 calories, and each slice of bread has 100 calories. Total, my breakfast was 340 calories. For me, this is perfect. I think any less and I would be hungry too soon. Any more and I might feel too full. Your caloric intake for breakfast will depend on what you have to do that day. As a student, my brain eats up most of my energy (even though we moved around a lot today). Your brain burns TONS of calories per hour, and many people overlook this. Ever feel especially hungry after taking a long test? This is because you are burning tons of energy (i.e. calories!).
Another option is to make one egg-in-a-hole and add a little bit of avocado, tomato, and/or cheese. This can add additional calories without having to make a whole 'nother "hole". Tip: Limit your avocado intake to no more than 1/2 a day. They have nearly 300 calories and 32 grams of fat (good fat!).
2) Ok, onto my snacks for the day. I always eat right around 9:45 am each day. Today, I brought a smoothie with me that I made at home. Ingredients:
1. 4 strawberries
2. 10 or so raspberries
3. Splash of low fat milk
4. Large spoonful of Fage Greek Yogurt
5. Ice
There's a refrigerator at my campus, so it is easy to bring food like this and keep it chilled. Check to see if your work/study environment has a fridge available to you (it makes bringing left-overs easy). Also see if there is a microwave and/or hot water.
I don't know how many calories this smoothie has, but I would guess somewhere between 250 and 350. It has very little fat, but good protein thanks to the yogurt (I HIGHLY recommend Fage- 23 grams of protein per serving!!).
I drank a few sips of it at 9:45 am and I also munched on rice crackers (10 or so), and ate a bag of pistachio's that a friend brought to me. Nuts are a great source of protein- but they are like avocados. You have to watch how many you eat, because the calories and fat can add up. I suggest eating 4 servings of nuts per week. One serving is usually 1/4 cup.
3) At 11:45 am I was definitely hungry for lunch. I drank another half of my smoothie (still cold and delicious!) and went to Panera Bread with a friend for lunch. Panera is a wonderful, yet very tricky environment to navigate. There are so many hidden calories and fat that you do have to be semi-conscientious of what you order. They have symbols indicating vegetarian and low-fat, and these are usually good options. I ordered a bowl of Black-Bean Soup, and it was great ($4.97)! Not extrememly flavorful, but a good source of protein. I also had a piece of their delicious bread with butter on the side. www.panerabread.com/pdf/nutr-guide.pdf
4) By the end of my school day (3:00 pm), I was hungry again! I finished my smoothie and drove home (I actually carpool with a friend- the same one who I went to Panera with). I arrived home at 3:30 or so, and munched mindlessly on some pretzels with red-pepper hummus, and more rice crackers.
At 4:20, I headed to the gym for 1 hour of cardio-sculpt and 45 mins of Zumba. I couldn't finish my Zumba class because I was actually too hungry. I made the choice to leave a few minutes early so I could start making dinner.
5) That brings me dinner. Tonight was a classic meal that I have been making for myself since senior year of college. It is pasta with meat sauce (plus vegetables that you want to add).
(I like to use organic meat because it tastes better and there's less guilt involved. At Costco, you can buy a 3-pack of organic ground beef for less than $10.00. Freeze two of them, and use one within a week. Also look for organic meat at farmers markets and health food stores. This is a controversial topic for me right now, so I will write again about organic versus non-organic meat, and meat versus vegetarianism).
Boil a large pot of water, and add the pasta (pasta is another "heated" topic which I will address another time). Start cooking the meat in a pan- chop it up with a spatula as it cooks. Add mushrooms, onions, garlic, red pepper, broccoli, anything you want! I added mushrooms and part of a tomato. Once it's fully cooked, add sauce on top and let it simmer. I like to use tomato sauce, but sometimes I use a can of diced tomatoes instead (much cheaper). You can add a little bit of Alfredo sauce if you like the creaminess (or almond milk- a great alternative).
I ate a large portion of this (probably 500-700 cals) and I still feel satisfied at 10:51 pm.
So how did I do today? Well, I had enough energy to get through 6 hours of class without feeling drowsy. What I should have done is eaten a better snack before my workout. A better option than pretzels and rice crackers would be a banana with peanut butter. This is much more sustaining to get through a long cardio workout.
Ok, people, that's it for now. If you stuck through it all, great job. I'll try and be more succinct next time.
Think about what you ate today and see if there were any changes you can make for tomorrow.
Buenas noches,
Dana
p.s. Despite blogging, exercising, going to class, and cooking, I still had time to complete my homework. If you budget your time correctly, you can fit it all in. : )
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