What I Ate: Work Day Edition

Eating delicious and nutritious can get a little challenging when it comes to the work week. But is it possible? Yes indeed! It does take a little extra thought and planning, but with a little prep the night before, you can be successful! Now for your reading and viewing pleasure, I will share my work day food picks and pics.

Breakfast: Peanut butter banana smoothie

-8 oz soymilk

-1 giant ripe banana (leave it to Coscto to harvest produce from Jumbo Mario World)

-1 T peanut butter (unsweetened)

-ice

Sorry the picture is a little blurry- I was driving. Yes, I know that's a no-no!

Mid-morning snack: Homemade granola bar

All credit goes to Minimalist Baker. These only contain agave, roasted unsalted almonds (I roasted my own), almond butter, rolled oats, and dates. My husband said, "You really hyped these up over the phone so I had my doubts, but oh my gosh!". Score! They are the best granola bars I have ever eaten in my life, and no sugar, just agave! 

Here's the recipe: minimalistbaker.com/healthy-5-ingredient-granola-bars/

 

*Disclaimer: This was my first attempt at making them, and I didn't press and freeze them long enough so they were falling apart. Whatever- I ate it up with a spoon in my office like a dang bowl of ice cream.

Lunch: Black bean burger with a mixed salad and chips

-Morningstar black bean burger patty (oven baked the night before)

-1 cup mixed greens

-1/4 yellow bell pepper, sliced

-1/4 orange bell pepper, sliced

-1/4 avocado, cubed

-1/2 tomato, sliced

- 1 T olive oil

-splash of balsamic vinegar

-a heaping handful of tortilla chips (whole foods 365 brand)

I normally would have brought a peice of whole wheat bread instead of the chips, but we were out and didn't have time to bake more last night. Oh well. It was still yummy. And I turned out to be too full for the chips, so I saved them for a pick-me-up around 2 in the afternoon! 

Afternoon treat: A handful of chocolate chips

-about 2 T chocolate chips

Afternoon snack: Mango and blueberries with roasted sea salt and rosemary almonds 

-probably 3/4 a whole mango, cut into pieces 

-1/2 cup blueberries

-a handful of roasted almonds (roasted them myself with a little olive oil, a dash of sea salt, and fresh rosemary from my amateur garden)

Dinner: Leftover Chipotle rice bowl with added Brussels sprouts 

-1/2 the rice bowl I ate for dinner last night, which included brown rice, black beans, chicken, roasted vegetables, a couple different salsas, some sour cream, an extra dose or two of lettuce, some fresh squeezed lime and some green Tabasco sauce 

-leftover Brussels sprouts (probably 1 cup) from dinner two nights ago (roasted and tossed with salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic, and a little honey)

As you can see, there's plenty of fruits and vegetables, some whole grains, lean proteins (and beans!), a good dose of calcium from non-dairy milk (since I don't have much if any dairy due to my sensitivity), and of course some treats.

So are any of these magic diet foods? Nope. But altogether they provide a balanced, reasonable daily intake that is bursting with colors and flavors.

Until next time! 

Jessica