Day 23

We were out running around much of the day today, but I planned ahead and packed our food for the first half of the day. Today's menu worked well for that sort of thing. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, so I only have pictures of the second half of the day.

The Breakfast Menu:

• 6 oz. yogurt
• 2 T. low-fat granola
• 15 grapes

Pretty basic. Bits and pieces. I like those meals. Lots of variety.

The First Snack:

• 1 oz. roasted turkey breast with 1 T. low-fat cream cheese
• .5 oz raisins

Cream cheese on deli meat has always seemed odd to me, but it's delicious! And a whole tablespoon?! How generous!

The Lunch Menu:

• 5 baby carrots 
• PBJ with whole wheat bread, strawberry jam, and low-fat peanut butter

We were at the playground. I just tossed all the parts into a cooler on the way out the door, so I was making the sandwiches at the playground. I got distracted and absent-mindedly made myself a whole sandwich instead of the half I was supposed to have. Oops.

The Second Snack:

• 10 baby carrots 
• 2 oatmeal cookies 

Not much to say about this. These oatmeal cookies are yummy! I used only wheat flour in them, and they are just delicious.

The Dinner Menu:

•   3.5 oz chicken with soy sauce
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1/2 cup steamed broccoli with butter spray

Ok, this was a first. So far in my life, I have had broccoli a grand total of two times. Both times it was chopped up into miniscule bits in an omelet. This is the first time I've ever just eaten broccoli. And you know, I can honestly say I almost enjoyed it! It's not the first vegetable I would run out and grab, but I will definitely add it into our veggie rotation.

The Third Snack:

• half a baked apple
• 1/2 cup low-fat vanilla ice cream

We were in a hurry with this. My husband had to leave for work, so the apples didn't get to bake the whole time. They were still delicious. Not overly stuffed, not overly sweet. Just right. Really enjoyed this.

I am thoroughly enjoying the ability to swap meals out for things I know we will enjoy, while still keeping our meals balanced over the day.

When I joined the Biggest Loser Club website, I got 3 free Biggest Loser books. They came today. Two of them I'll probably read once and pass on to someone else, but the third one is one that will end up dog-eared and ratty. The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook is FULL of really great recipes! I'm excited to try so many of them I don't know where to start! 

One quick thing that stuck out in my mind is their idea of desserts... the desserts are mostly centered around fresh fruit, but pepping it up with just a little something special. For example, a sliced banana drizzled with just a little sugar-free caramel. Or a bowl of strawberries drizzled with a little sugar-free chocolate syrup. I don't know why I've never thought of that before. I'm anxious to try some of these out and will, of course, post about them when I do :)

Oh ... we also took a family walk today. It was about a mile and a half. It didn't do much for my heart rate, but it's gotta be better than sitting on the couch.