Believe it or not, I'm home sick today from work (with 13 days left to go until summer. I can honestly say I'd rather be at work!!!), so I figured why not blog! :) Hopefully being home all day will make this sinus funk go away! I'm so over these sinus infections! This is my second one this year!
Eating right is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Remember, no diets. Dieting is a quick fix and in my past experiences, I've lost weight only for it to pile back on what I lost and more! I am not a fan of the "fad" diets either. Believe it or not, you shouldn't completely eliminate any food group, including carbs! In moderation, carbs are fine! I do say that I am a "low-fat" and "fat-free" junkie. I tend to gravitate towards the "sugar-free" products, but I've been doing a lot of research and I'm trying to cut back my intake of artificial sweeteners. This past weekend, I bought regular Jell-O pudding packs (yes, I'm 5 years old and need pudding in my lunch). I also jumped back on the greek yogurt train instead of getting my usual "Yoplait Light". I still drink diet soda (caffeine free though) as well as adding Splenda to my morning coffee. I would like to eventually avoid all artificial sweetener, as I'm thinking it may have something to do with my recent headaches (not the sinus ones). Small steps my friends, small steps.
So, what do I eat? Believe it or not, I eat a lot! I usually nibble on food all day long!
I start off my morning with 1/2 a banana on my way to the gym. I work out at 5am, so I just need a little something before I hop on the machines. When I get home, I have 1/2 a grapefruit (no sugar needed to those little gems) and a bowl of cereal with unsweetened almond milk. My cereal choices vary week to week and I even change cereals every other day. Since I pretty much eat cereal 7 days a week, I cannot eat the same thing every day. My favorites are Special K Blueberry, regular Cheerios, Rice Chex, and Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch. And yes, I do get kids cereal sometimes - Cocoa Puffs, Peanut Butter Toast Crunch, and Golden Grahams are delicious, but soooo high in sugar! I only buy those when I'm really craving it!
Once I get to my classroom and I'm ready for my darlings to come in, I'm usually snacking on a VitaMuffin Tops (Banana Chocolate Chip are my favorite). However, I need to start cutting those out because they are expensive! I also have coffee. I've switched over to decaf coffee because I felt like I was getting too much caffeine!
For lunch, I'm a creature of habit. I usually have a sandwich (PB & J). I've been loving Smuckers Sugar-Free blackberry preserves, but I'm on my last jar of the sugar-free stuff. I also have a cheese stick (either mozz. or cheddar cheese - need to get calcium since I don't drink a lot of milk). Along with that, I have veggies (carrots, cucumber, and broccoli) along with a tablespoon of veggie dip. To finish, I usually have a pudding treat! :)
Later in the day, I usually snack on a whole banana and I usually pick at whatever I give my babies for snack (animal crackers, chex mix, etc...)
Dinner varies every night. Again, I don't go low on carbs by any stretch. I love bread and potatoes! If I do eat potatoes though, it's usually a sweet potato because they are just so good for you! I buy organic sweet potatoes so it's safe to eat the skin too! My usual dinners often consist of:
- baked chicken, sweet potato, and salad
- chicken sausage with peppers and onions
- chicken meatloaf, creamed corn, sweet potato, and salad
- baked chicken over salad
- stuffed shells with veggie marinara with garlic bread and a salad
- veggie pizza (either homemade or from a local pizza place. I order "light" on the cheese" and I always blot the gross grease)
- veggie burger on an english muffin (or sandwich thin), sweet potato wedges, and steamed broccoli
- veggie omelet with a toasted bagel and a side of fruit
Now that I'm approaching summer, I'll be able to do more intricate meals because I'll have more time! I've pinned a zillion recipes that I'm very eager to try!
After dinner, I always need dessert! LOL! I love the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches (the snickerdoodle ones are the best). We also sometimes have strawberry shortcake, or low-fat brownies. Dessert is always a requirement! I also usually snack on a few pieces of Dove Dark Chocolate (because dark chocolate is good for you)! :)
Around 9pm, I get a snack attack and lately, it's been for Pirates Booty popcorn puffs. I am obsessed, which isn't a good thing because it's expensive! I buy the "lunch" packs because if I sat on the couch with a regular bag, I'd probably eat the whole thing!
So, that my friends is usually what I eat during the day. Of course it varies from day to day and I do snack on other things here and there (yesterday afternoon I had a Chobani Peach Greek Yogurt and it hit the spot!). And yes, I drink a ridiculous amount of water - probably 8-9 glasses!
Remember, I'm not a nutritionist, so I cannot offer professional advice. This is just what has worked for me! :) Adjust as you see fit!
Lots of love,
Lauren
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