Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 2:10 PM
| posted by Cristin
The day has flown by! Mom group usually goes from 10-11:30 but we got to talking and didn't wrap things up until after noontime. I got home from there, fed Will, grabbed a portable snack and walked Bruce around the neighborhood. It's actually not bad at all outside if you stay on the sunny side of the street. We will definitely try to get our next walk in while the sun is still out and then hope that Mike is home in time for the last two (when it is dark and colder). For my quick snack I grabbed a reduced fat cheese stick and some baby carrots. When I got back in from the walk I made a tuna melt sandwich on my Griddler. I used this great bread I found at the store called Arnold Sandwich Thins - it's 100% whole wheat and only 100 calories per pair.
I put a piece of munster cheese on either side and some chunk light tuna packed in water between. A couple quick minutes on the grill press and I had a tasty lunch! I paired it up with some whole grain goldfish and a glass of milk. The diet has been a little dairy heavy recently but the carb/protein content of those products really keeps me feeling energized and holds me over well which is helpful because my meal times are pretty sporadic these days as you can see from the random times the posts go up. I figure having a little more milk than I need is not that bad, it obviously could be worse. I like to keep the dairy products in the house because they are there to grab when I need them. Trust me, if I had junk around the house I am sure I would be tempted to grab that instead so I use that as my motivation for keeping it out of the house and enjoying it when I am out somewhere.
This Meal & Snack Provides Approximately: Grains = 3-3.5 ounces (+whole), Vegetables = 1 cup, Milk = 1.75 cups, Meat & Beans = 3 ounces, Discretionary Calories = 30 kcals (cheese)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 7:56 AM
| posted by Cristin
Today I am going to go to mom's group because I can only go a couple more times before the course I am teaching starts since it will also be on Tuesday mornings. I am going to try to find another group to go to because I do enjoy learning from the instructor and the other moms. For breakfast I had a yogurt with almond slivers, a clementine and two pieces of cinnamon raisin bread. I love raisin bread but I have not been able to find the whole wheat variety anymore so I bulked up the protein & fiber content of the yogurt with the almonds and I can still enjoy the bread without getting hungry soon after. It's a lot colder today than yesterday so I am not sure how many extra blocks we'll be going on the walks we take. They say the cold is setting the stage for the next snow storm rolling in tomorrow so I am glad I took advantage yesterday! Will has a doctor's appointment tomorrow so I hope we don't get too much snow! Have a good day!
This Meal Provides Approximately: Grains = 2 ounces (+whole), Fruit = 0.33 cup, Milk = 0.75 cup, Meat & Beans = 1.5 ounce, Oils = 1.5 teaspoon, Discretionary Calories = 30-40 kcals (sweetened yogurt)
Monday, January 5, 2009 at 10:40 PM
| posted by Cristin
It remained mild (I use that term loosely) this afternoon so when Will and I walked Bruce again we went a few extra blocks because I think being out of the house in the fresh 40 degree air was good for all three of us. I wanted to let him go to the dog park but it's been wet outside and he would have come out of there really dirty so I am going to wait until things dry off or wait until Mike is around to give him a bath. I actually dropped Bruce back in the house, switched Will over from the Bjorn to the stroller and walked up to the grocery store to get something for dinner. I figure with all the dog walks and the last trip to the store I probably walked 3-4 miles today which felt so good to squeeze in throughout the now busier days. I get my arm workouts in everyday toting the baby around but my cardio workouts have been more sporadic because of weather, timing, etc. You can bet that once we have nice weather this spring, a long walk with Will & Bruce will be part of the daily routine. My Christmas decorations are all packed away and waiting to be put in the storage shed where they'll stay until next year! The tree is definitely dead and will be out on the curb ASAP -- and then I will try to sweep up all the needles that have fallen off but I am sure I'll be finding them in random places for months...it happens every year! For dinner I made a "basic three" - baked center cut pork chops, parmesan couscous and steamed green beans. Easy to make and easy to clean up afterward...that's about all I can handle these days but at least I am cooking right?! Hope this first full week of work or school is off to a good start!
This Meal Provides Approximately: Grains = 2-2.5 ounces (-whole), Vegetables = 2 cups, Meat & Beans = 4 ounces, Oils = 0.5-1 teaspoon
Monday, January 5, 2009 at 1:47 PM
| posted by Cristin
Thankfully things thawed out a little so I was able to safely take Bruce for a walk before lunch and I will gladly go back out with him again in a little while. It's been nice to stay home today but it also feels good to get some fresh air every few hours. This morning was filled with the usual mix of household duties and a little work. Will was having a hard time deciding what he wanted to do but after a good nap he seems pretty happy to be playing in his "jungle" now and Bruce is always happy to be supervising! You would think that would mean a little hands free time for me but I need four hands to keep Bruce from licking him!
I just ate a quick bowl of soup for lunch because I am a little tired of turkey sandwiches...I have been on a bit of a binge since I've had Will and now I think I am going to take a break from them. I also had a cheese stick and some crackers.
This Meal Provides Approximately: Grains = 2-2.5 ounce (+whole), Vegetables = 0.5-0.75 cup, Milk = 0.5 cup, Discretionary Calories = 10 kcals (reduced fat cheese)
Monday, January 5, 2009 at 8:08 AM
| posted by Cristin
Boston is covered in a big sheet of ice! Apparently we got a freezing rain storm last night and now everything has a layer of ice over it making walking and driving pretty dangerous. Mike did the morning walk with Bruce and I have my fingers crossed we get a thaw out by the time he needs his next one because I am nervous to have the baby out with such icy footing underneath me. I have just a couple of things to do outside of the house this week but I am otherwise staying close to home so that I can rest up, get the Christmas decorations down and get prepared to start going back to school! In just a couple weeks my course starts so I am really getting down to doing some tangible preparation now. This morning I had a bowl of cereal with skim milk and a clementine. I love having the crate of clementines in the fridge because they are so easy to grab and so refreshing to eat!
This Meal Provides Approximately: Grains = 1.25 ounces (+whole), Fruit = 0.33 cup, Milk = 1.25 cup
Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 11:30 PM
| posted by Cristin
My fifth and final MomLogic.com post was actually put up on 1.1.09 but here is the link because I forgot to post it that day. "
Skip The Fad Diets in 2009" Enjoy!
Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 11:10 PM
| posted by Cristin
I guess the holidays are now officially over. We celebrated New Year's then had a couple days off before celebrating Christmas again with Mike's side of the family but now everything is done and we have to go back to the usual routine of baby care, dog care and my own work squeezed in between. No more cookie swaps, no more presents and no more parties with yummy food - that's the sad part...no more running around like crazy, that's the good part because I am exhausted! I hope to get a good night of sleep and take it as easy as I can tomorrow so that I can recuperate. The only thing I really want to do is get the Christmas decorations put away so that we can get our very dry tree out to the curb for pick-up...it's starting to make me nervous being inside. I hope you had a great weekend as well, maybe an extended one if you were lucky! Happy New Year again and I am looking forward to seeing what 2009 brings!
Here is an abbreviated wrap-up of my food...
Friday, January 2, 2009 at 1:18 PM
| posted by Cristin
Here is the
link to another short piece I wrote for MomLogic.com. This post is titled "
You Can Eat Healthy While on the Go" -- it's all about making your best effort!
Friday, January 2, 2009 at 8:17 AM
| posted by Cristin
We took it slow on this first day of the new year -- a great way to get it started if you ask me! I got a few things done around the house then made one trip out to exchange a Christmas gift and get some food. It was another freezing cold day so not ideal to be toting the baby around. We are in the dead of winter now and thoughts of spring will have to get us through for the next several months. We are planning a trip to California in April so I can think of that when I am loading on the North Face gear head to toe just to take a quick walk with Bruce.
There are many things to look forward to in 2009, some I am already aware of but some will be surprises I am sure. I have always been a big planner but having a baby forces you to slow down a little and take things one day at a time. My New Year's resolution is to enjoy each day as it happens. It's easy to go through life and just get by each day, but I want to take time every day to fully appreciate how lucky I am to have the family, friends and overall life that I do. I know I am very fortunate to have what I do so I also hope that I can help those who are less fortunate in this new year. Times are tough for a lot of people, but there are so many ways you can aid someone in need that I hope to do as much of that as I can.
I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2009. And I encourage you to make a resolution that will improve your life in a positive way. Write down your resolution and put it somewhere you will see it everyday because it's easy to forget what we intend to do when life gets busy. I think the start of a new year is a great time to stop and reevaluate so you can see where you want to improve. Do it for your
SELF! Happy New Year everyone!
Thursday, January 1, 2009 at 12:45 PM
| posted by Cristin
We had a fun New Year's Eve with our friends. All three couples have had babies in the last 4 months so we were all in the same boat -- celebrating the end of one big year and welcoming the start of a new one!
The babies were on their best behavior -- Will slept through most of the night because he was awake all day but he did spend some time getting to know his new buddies. All the moms pitched in to make it a party - I brought meatballs and a baked five cheese pasta and the other two took care of appetizers, drinks and dessert. It was a freezing cold, snowy night but we stayed warm inside and watched the First Night festivities on TV. I don't know how those people stayed in Times Square all night...they must have been frozen through. I hope tomorrow is a nice relaxing day, maybe I can catch up on a little sleep! Being up at midnight is the norm nowadays but there was a lot of activity leading up to New Year's Eve (with the holidays and the traveling) so I am hopeful to rest up before the weekend comes when we'll be on the road again! Happy New Year - thanks for a great 2008 on the Eat Like Me Blog! Looking forward to 2009!
Lunch was lost in the middle of the day due to the very late breakfast and the lack of time to sit down. I ate one of my meatballs (had to make sure they tasted good before I brought them out) and I had some pretzel sticks. For dinner I made up for the skimpy midday meal. I enjoyed snacking on the appetizers (veggies & dip, cheese & crackers) and then had a nice big plate of the meatballs and pasta. I had a glass of wine and a chocolate cookie too (not photo'd).
