Friday, August 10, 2012

They say time is the fire in which we burn

The last two days have been busy, really busy, incredibly busy. OK you get the point. Lots to do and no time to get it done.

In the past when I was under a time crunch I'd shut down, go into machine mode and "crunch" until I was done. That normally included eating poorly and mindlessly. Now though, I made time and slowed it down so I could bring focus to what is important. I made the time to fix healthy meals and gave myself time to focus on my body and stop eating when I was full. Wolfing down food and diving back into work typically results in overeating.

What I didn't have time for yesterday, and really not today either, was to blog about the day. Priorities. Setting the important ones means getting healthy :) and gives me back some time.

So I spent the last two days eating left overs for lunch, which works fine, so long as I focus on portion control and what I'm eating.

I made pasta for dinner last night, two separate pots of pasta, my whole wheat pasta from Barilla (higher in fiber) and the family had a pot of Rigatoni (also from Barilla) but not whole wheat. They had a traditional meat sauce while I roasted veggies in the oven with a bit of olive oil. I'm trying to get my family to taste what I make and see if I can win them over. In the meantime, since I am the family cook, I am going to keep finding ways to refine, reduce and make healthier what I make them to eat. Last night that effort involved quite simply not making as much for them, in the past I would dump a whole box of pasta in the water, a whole jar of sauce and Bobs your uncle we had a dinner. Instead I read the serving size on the side of the box/jar reduced it down to the number of people eating (wife, son and daughter = 3) and made only that amount. No going back for seconds, everyone had to portion out an equal amount (divvied into three shares) and they all had three servings of garlic bread as well. I was hoping to encourage them to add some of my roasted veggies :).

Next time I'll cook only my Barilla whole wheat pasta (in my opinion it tastes just as good) I am looking at making a homemade sauce with fresh and roasted tomato's so i can at least deliver a healthier sauce for them. I think if I just don't make the bread (which I partook of) or have some veggie alternative (a salad or side dish) I may eventually get them going down my path, giving me more time :) since I'll only be cooking one meal :)

I wouldn't have done this before, I've always known "how" to read labels I just never did. Now it seems like all I am doing. Hopefully I know this will lead down a path that is better for me and my family.

Menu for the last two days.
Thursday:

Breakfast - Good old Kashi GoLean a banana and half a cup of milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g, Fat 2.5

Snack - Orange Calories 62, Fiber 4g

Lunch - Sesame Noodle Salad with 1/2 cup of broccoli Calories 368, Fiber 13.8g, Fat 9g

Snack - Zesty Bean and Chips Calories 210, Fiber 4g, Fat 8g

Dinner - A combo of Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomato's with a serving of Barilla Whole Grain Penne and yes a single serving of garlic bread. Calories 392, Fiber 12g, Fat 9.8

Total: Calories 1379. Fiber 40.8g, Fat 29.3

Friday:

Breakfast - Good old Kashi GoLean a banana and half a cup of milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g, Fat 2.5

Snack - Orange Calories 62, Fiber 4g

Lunch - Sesame Noodle Salad with 1/2 cup of broccoli and a Cup of Treetop Organic no sugar added Applesauce Calories 468, Fiber 16.8g, Fat 9g

Snack - Zesty Bean and Chips Calories 210, Fiber 4g, Fat 8g

Dinner - Pocket Veggie Sandwich - 1 serving Oroweat Pocket Thin (1/2 a pita bread with 5g fiber and 100 calories so like a slice of bread) with a serving of Cucumber & Black Eye Pea Salad stuffed inside. Calories 261, Fiber 8g, Fat 11.5g

Total: Calories 1348, Fiber 39.8, Fat 31g

Not bad for a day of repeats :)

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