Tag Archives: lunch

Out with the old and in with the new

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The days following January 1st are filled with people rejecting bad habits, discarding unwanted clutter, throwing out perfectly good miniature trees and resigning themselves to making healthier decisions.

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I have weeded out many undesirable habits over the years as I work towards an ideal, but balanced healthy lifestyle.

This year of recovery will be a year where I focus on really being conscious of what I put into my body, specifically reducing my snacking.

Today I made sure lunch would be filling so I loaded up on some protein and healthy fats with smoked salmon and olives in a salad.

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I made sure not to skimp on the protein and it definitely kept me fuller for longer, and my desire to snack around 3pm never scratched the surface. Now I just have turn this into a habit and not just a one time thing :)

Long days call for good dinners

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Saturdays – a day for sleeping AND getting things done!

While the cat did not let me sleep in very much I did keep my eyes closed past my normal wake up call. Then I was off to the pool for some exercise, I did some grocery shopping and dropped off laundry and met a dear friend for a long lunch by the water.

After an afternoon walk doing some more errands my poor body was done moving for the day. Before the accident I would walk for miles and miles and not think twice, but in the beginning stages of recovery walking is taking more out of me than I every could have thought.

When dinner rolled around I was ready to make myself something wonderful. And while it was simple, it was perfect:

Brown rice, kale, tuna, onions and some asian dressing.

On to another day of taking care of business – happy Sunday!

WIAW – back at work

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My cat, like all cats, does not like to sleep at night, but boy does she love to snuggle and snooze in the morning. We normally put her in the bathroom at night so she is calm in a small space, but Monday night we couldn’t catch her and she kept us awake most of the night running around and meowing. When I laid down on the couch yesterday morning she was exhausted and came right up on my lap and fell asleep for a LONG time. I was not happy to be awake the other night, but it’s hard to be mad at her when she is such a good cuddler :)

She even refused to move when I ate my breakfast of rice cakes and PB and J

Because I am heading into work this week around noon I have been splitting up my lunch. Before I left the house I had some cottage cheese and then snacked on this minty luna bar at my desk.

I bought this tofu jerky awhile ago and when I started to get hungry I reached for it in my desk drawer. Big mistake! This was disgusting. I am all for soy products, but this texture was way off and immediately after the first bite I ran to our company candy jar and had a piece of chocolate to save my taste buds.

By the time I got home I was ready for a big salad with turkey, avocado, cherry tomatos and broccoli eaten while reclining on the couch.

(Please ignore the broken lamp behind me)

The rest of the evening involved some cereal with almond slivers and my feet up on the couch.

Today I have a special visitor!! So happy to see him…

Working Girl

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I may be stuck at home, chained to my couch and slave to my aches and pains, but that does not mean that I am not working hard on my recovery or on my career. I have an arrangement with my boss to work on some projects from home that don’t necessarily need to be completed in an office setting.

So while yes, I do take naps and watch TV and play games, before these things happen I work. I really do miss my office, but it’s nice to start working when I get up early and have things accomplished before people even get into the office. And it’s even nicer to make a tuna melt when you have the urge to do so like I did yesterday.

(canned tuna, sandwich thin, almond cheddar cheese and some dijon mustard)

Or play a game on your break:

(this was Dave’s hand as we ended the game – clearly I am the better Monopolist)

Or even … not wear pants while working!

Let’s jus say that I am adjusting to working from home quite well, but I will be ready soon enough to go back to the structure of office life – especially because at a toy company game playing happens every day ;)

Do you work from home?

Rasberry Jam Kind Of Day

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I promised myself that after a super snacky Tuesday I was going to commit to better meals on Wednesday and I think I succeeded.

Breakfast was cottage cheese and some rice cakes with RASPBERRY JAM

I made it to lunch with only a few nibbles on leftover cookies that were hanging around the office. The mid-day meal consisted of carrots, a few sweet potato pop chips and a PB, banana and RASPBERRY JAM sandwich.

I did indulge in a few more bites of cookie later in the afternoon, but I decided to eat a better snack and pulled out some edamame.

I was able to sneak in a quick workout and then ran home for dinner. Unfortunately, our fridge was bare and so it ended up being a meal consisting of elements from earlier in the day, including more RASPBERRY JAM. Regardless of how the day ended I felt much better knowing I was focusing on meals instead of nibbling on crappy food throughout the entire day.

Let’s see if I can keep up the good work for the rest of the week – hey wait, that’s only 2 more days!

The Holiday Spirit

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It’s not every day that your co-worker comes in waving her finger with an engagement ring on it! After the announcement of a new fiance in the office everyone was on a high – especially because it was a Friday before a 3 day weekend.

Friday was definitely a day of treating one’s self to start the holiday early. For lunch I dined out with a coworker and enjoyed this simple but delicious quinoa dish at a local cafe.

After loading up on a lengthy to do list for when I get back next week, I ran out of the office to meet dave for dinner at Grub.

To celebrate the end of the week wine was in order

Grub is known for their mac and cheese so I left that to dave

and I had a veggie burger

Once full on restaurant food we made our way back home to unwind from the day and rest up for today’s big adventure…

which involves traveling over this baby (Happy 75th Birthday Golden Gate Bridge!)

only for a moment

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The rain finally stopped Sunday morning and it would have been a cold, but refreshing day for a run. I let myself be sad for one second and then embraced the fact the pain in my lower back has gotten very minimal and pumped myself up for a hardcore pilates class.

Sunday’s instructor was a woman I have never met before and all I can say is she meant business. As soon as I felt like I had mastered a move she would come over and make the slightest adjustment to my form and the burning in my muscles would multiply by ten.

Needless to say I was hungry for lunch after I survived the class and whipped up some parsnip and rutabaga fries with some cinnamon and maple syrup. I also made a PB2 dipping sauce and rounded out the meal with a bowl of cottage cheese and jam.

Sunday errands included getting groceries, taking out the recycling and picking up around the apartment. Just enough to tire me out and work up another appetite for dinner:

I can’t believe it’s Monday again! Who’s ready for the weekend? ME ME!

Inaugural What I Ate Wednesday

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Here I go with my first What I Ate Wednesday thanks to Peas and Crayons.

Breakfast was 9 grain cereal with banana, some added protein powder and of course sprinkles

A little later I indulged in a pear.

I say indulged because I have steered away from whole fruit because I noticed it was upsetting my colitis. I used to eat 3-4 whole pieces of fruit a day but I have cut back drastically and noticed a dramatic reduction in stomach pain and trips to the bathroom.

Later my stomach was a little upset but nothing too horrible and it was a delicious pear from Harry and David so it was worth the bit of discomfort.

Lunch was leftovers from dinner. I ate them cold and still really enjoyed it. And some fake ice cream to end the mid-day meal on a sweet note.

I had a pilates class at 6:30 so I had a snack at 4ish to hold me over till dinner: rice cakes and jam – simple but satisfying.

Dinner was simply some cottage cheese, I wasn’t particularly hungry and I was more interested in finishing my pint of Arctic Freeze than anything else, so my cottage cheese did not warrant a picture. Of course in between these meals my hand found itself inside the cereal box munching on banana nut cheerios too ;)

Looking back I would say I skimped on the veggies on Tuesday since I normally have a heaping pile at lunch and dinner, but my pear was nice and green so that fits the theme :)

What green food did you eat recently?

TCOB

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Taking. Care. Of. Business.

With the help of a list.

I’m a girl who makes lists. Loves lists. Eats and breaths lists. So Monday, you guessed it, I made a list.

I wrote down recipes, listed needed pantry items and jotted down random ideas. Then I followed my list and made the emails and phone calls that were on my agenda and accomplished the tasks at hand. I find it incredibly satisfying to detail everything I need to do and thoughts I have and cross them off once I have completed them. Also, this is a fool proof plan to avoid forgetting important small items that might slip my mind later in the day/week. Are you a lister?

Lunch was leftover broccoli, brussel sprouts, turkey and bit of the “cheese sauce” I made last week with some pasta sauce as well. Sounds a bit odd but heated up it was quite satisfying as a mid-day meal.

Dinner involved simple Parsnip Fries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut up parsnips into desired fry-like shapes and distribute on a baking sheet.

Spritz (I use the misto container) or drizzle of olive oil on the raw parsnips and lightly salt and pepper the veggies. Cook in the oven, about 30 min, until the fries are lightly browned and fully cooked. Serve with the best condiment – Ketchup! (Yes, the bowl has crayons on it and yes, I used this when I was 4 years old).

Pudding cup!

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If there ever was a day to enjoy a pudding cup, monday was the day.

I loved vanilla pudding as a kid and when I saw these in Whole Foods the other day I couldn’t resist. Already by lunch I needed a pick me up and while a beach-side vacation would have been ideal, I settled for a lovely chocolate and vanilla soy pudding cup :)

What are the little things that you do to brighten your mood?