What Has Been Fueling Me
Good morning! Last week was out. of. control! My brother was in town and we were extremely busy all week, plus I was working! The week was spent sightseeing, hanging out, and enjoying a few beers! Craft beers are becoming extremely popular, especially in ATX, and my husband and brother are OBSESSED with trying new beers. Therefore, the majority of the week I was tagging along with them and trying out new breweries! We ate out for most dinners; the majority of the meals I ordered a salad. I typically do not order salads out, because that can be boring and everyone always assumes that a dietitian is going to order a salad- we like to eat greasy foods too!! However, this week we were drinking more than usual and eating out more. We love to eat out, but the meals are often higher in fat and sodium (they need the food to taste good and be satisfying to keep you coming back). SInce we were eating out so much, I decided to go with lighter dinners and order a salad.
We did eat in one night. My husband and brother wanted steak, I don't eat meat, which left me on my own. At HEB they have premade, raw, dinners! I picked up the pesto salmon dish with red potatoes and broccoli! It was very good and I would recommend this option to everyone! All I had to do was take off the plastic wrap and bake it for 20 minutes. There was no prep and no clean up! AKA the perfect dinner!
This past week I had some downtime, sleep, and was able to make a few meals in the kitchen! For breakfast most mornings I had the usual: a green smoothies, or scrambled eggs and fruit! Since I love my sleep and do not leave much time in the mornings I eat a quick breakfast! I did switch it up a little this week for lunch. I have been getting bored of the salads at work- it's the same thing day after day. This week I made a little salad, but on a whole-grain wheat thin! I forgot to snap a picture of it, but I had it a few days this week! I sliced up a hard boiled egg and then put mixed greens, shredded carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and oil & vinegar on it! It was the perfect mix for a satisfying, but light lunch. One day I had a greek yogurt with it, which was great and I was satisfied until dinner!
For dinner this week I was able to make a few dishes. I tried out a new recipe using spaghetti squash! Spaghetti squash can be found in most grocery stores and very easy to make! Preheat your oven to 375, cut the squash in half (the long way) rub some olive oil on it, and bake for ~50 minutes! You can then do anything with it and it will make any dish low-carb. Spaghetti squash is also high in fiber, a good source of vitamin C, and also contains folate, vitamin A, and magnesium! You can't get all of that in a regular pasta dish!
When my husband wants pasta I usually bake a squash and mix his plate with half squash and half a whole wheat pasta. This increasing the vegetables he is consuming, decreases the carbohydrates, and is still extremely satisfying to him. This week I made shrimp scampi and did not use any pasta, only spaghetti squash. The recipe is here. I highly recommend it. It makes for a much lighter dinner option, but still a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and contains fiber (I was full all night)! My husband also enjoyed it and was shocked at how good the dish was! If shrimp scampi is not your thing, then I encourage you to check out pinterest for more recipes! I was bored one day at work and was searching for spaghetti squash recipes and came across an endless amount! I will be sure to share some of the dishes we have next!
We also had salmon burgers one night, which has been one of my favorite things to eat recently. I am a salmon lover!!! They are a healthy, fatty fish that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids (brain health),
B vitamins, and protein! One of the benefits of their higher fat content (besides brain health) is that it will keep you fuller longer! No one likes to eat a meal and 1 hour later need to eat again! By pairing my salmon patty with a whole wheat bun, mixed greens, and watermelon I had a dinner rich in: protein, fiber, vitamins & minerals, fat, and carbohydrates! We eat dinner early and I was the perfect full all night!
When planning your meals, I always suggest meal planning at the beginning of the week. When you meal plan you are able to build each dinner and make sure it is well rounded. When we do not meal plan, we often miss a food group and then fill it in with something that may not be as healthy. Meal planning not only helps you build healthier meals and cut down on stress, but it can also help to cut down on the cost of your groceries! Often times we do not use all of the fruit, vegetable, or grain at a meal; when we meal plan we can plan to have the left over at another meal! If you do not meal plan, I encourage you to try it this month! It might take a week or two to get use to it, but I promise it will pay off in the end and the results will show on your grocery bill, but also on your plates!!
Please feel free to share some of your meal planning tricks below! Thanks for spending a few minutes with me! I hope this segment of "What I ate" was fun because I enjoyed it! It kind of served as a food diary for me and made me more aware of some of the foods I am eating and other foods that I should be adding into my diet!
Becky
