In an effort to eat better and ultimately live healthier, I’ve set myself on a course to eat healthier foods and adopt a healthier lifestyle. This goal may be difficult coming from a former snackaholic with a Starbucks Frappuccino addiction.
In my quest to eat healthier, I am striving to eat more fruits and veggies as well as more natural foods. Natural foods are those that are unprocessed and come, almost directly, from mother nature – like raw fruits, vegetables, fresh meats and poultry, etc. But natural foods can be prepackaged foods, like all natural crackers or granola – the key is to find the packages with the fewest and most natural ingredients available. In this day and age, it is difficult to find an abundance of natural foods – beyond the produce section – that won’t break your budget. But, because I am determined to fulfill my healthy goal, I am willing to pay a little more for food with few ingredients.
As I’ve mentioned in my previous post about the French Diet, the majority of meals in France are made from fresh and all natural ingredients. But, this lifestyle also requires them to go to the market nearly every day of the week to purchase this fresh food. I have to admit, fitting in a grocery store run every day, with my already hectic schedule, seems a little excessive, not to mention a waste of gas, but if I must, I must. And hey, if the French can do it, so can I!
Although I’ve been trying to eat healthier for the last few weeks, I have decided to just now share my eating habits with you. I hope that my new, healthier, eating philosophy will encourage you to embark on your own healthy eating journey.
BREAKFAST
After my typical 4-mile morning run, I contemplated grabbing a quick bite and eating it in the car. However, the new Bistro Chic attitude quickly prompted me to make a crunchy English muffin and top it with 2 tsp. all natural peanut butter (we’re talking peanuts and salt!) – followed by a 1/2 a VERY juicy pear. Delicious and filling!
English muffin spread with all natural peanut butter.
Skinny Vanilla Latte - hmmm...sooo....goood!
SECOND BREAKFAST
En route to work, I was torn between kicking my Starbucks habit today or next week (see my future post about not eating out for one month), and decided next week would fit in with my schedule better. However, I did not get my usual tall mocha frap (250 calories) but opted for the skinny vanilla latte.Wow! The taste was fantastic! Too bad I’m breaking up with the little green mermaid next week.
LUNCH
I worked, worked, worked all morning and decided around 12:45 that it was time to do as traditional Belgians do and eat soup for lunch. I brought in my homemade (yes, I really made it from scratch) chicken and dumpling soup. After 1 1/2 cups of that I was nearly completely full from the rich, creamy taste – and it felt great to eat something warm and cozy on a chilly day.
Homemade chicken and dumpling soup - a definite comfort food.
The soup was more than enough for lunch and kept me going for most of the afternoon. But, after checking emails and participating in a few conference calls, I needed to reenergize with a Quaker Granola bar (sorry no picture) and some English Breakfast tea. The strong, even taste of the tea was a great complement to the sweet, chewy snack.
DINNER
By the time I arrived home from work at 6 PM, I still didn’t feel too hungry (note to self – may stick with 1 cup soup for lunch). But eventually, I could hear the leftover turkey tacos calling my name. However, I decided to make a taco salad, instead of wasting calories on flavorless flour tortillas. The salad (with 2 cups of lettuce, 1/2 tomato, 1 oz cheddar cheese, and 3 oz turkey taco meat) proved to be just what my body needed. The salad left me feeling full, but not stuffed, and energized enough to take a 30-minute power walk.
Taco salad - ole!
SNACK
As I wind down at night, I often crave milk, not any dairy product, just milk. But after having my English Breakfast tea this afternoon, I was looking forward to more. I made a fresh, two cup pot of EB tea (decaf this time) and enjoyed two chocolate chip cookies (not homemade but purchased for a good cause). Delish!
A little tea with my cookie please....
After my late evening snack it was yoga time – 25 minutes of Gaiam strengthening yoga. This is a great routine, but probably not the best to do before bed.
All in all, not a bad food day for a Thursday – and a stressful one at that! About 1,350 calories for today (a huge difference from my typical 1,800-1,900), and I didn’t even feel hungry in between meals!
Let’s see if I can do it all over again tomorrow!
