What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!

How is the mid week treating everyone?  Things are bueno over here, just getting some last minute things ready before vacay.  In 3 days I'll be laying on a lounge chair on RCL Anthem of the Seas.

Thank God the heat wave has broken...I was melting and sweltering all last week.

So today's post is coming as a request!  Love them and keep them coming!  The question I get asked a lot is what do I eat?  Every day I keep it pretty simple.  I mostly live by the motto if I can't pronounce it, I can't eat it.  For example, if I can't pronounce the ingredients (and I teach syllabication for a living lol) I won't eat it.  This falls into my #1 and #2 food shopping rules:

1.)  Shop the outside of the supermarket and avoid the aisles.  All of the good-for-you-foods are on the exterior of the supermarket.  The protein, veggies, fruit, and nut milks are on the outside of the supermarket.  The only things I buy from the inside aisles are: chocolate chips (I'm only human lol), vanilla, cinnamon, and apple sauce (organic and unsweetened).

2.)  Read Your Labels!  There should be no added sugar in anything you buy!  Sugar has lots of secret names such as fructose, sucrose, glucose, corn syrup, syrup, etc.  If you're buying tomato sauce it should have tomatoes as the ingredients.  If there are a bunch of other ingredients put it back and walk away!  Glen Muir makes a great tomato sauce with no added junk.

Ok so back to what I eat every day.

I also follow the food rule of breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.  That means have your biggest meal when you wake up, a moderate meal (calorie-wise) for lunch and your smallest meal for dinner.  I eat every 3 hours and have about 5-6 small meals a day.  I'm not a dietitian, but I'll share what has worked for me.

Breakfast-

If I'm running (Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday) I'll have a baked breakfast cookie as a pre-workout.  Then when I return I'll have 1 cup unsweetened organic almond milk, 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not packets...those have wayyyyyy too much sugar), a tsp of vanilla, and a tbsp of cinnamon.  I'll add in 1.5 cups of blueberries.  Then I'll add in a spoonful of organic natural peanut butter (make sure the only ingredient is peanuts!).

I'll also drink 32 ounces of water every day to help me feel full.

Mid-morning snack-

14 baby carrots and a tbsp of harissa.

Lunch-

Grilled chicken with veggies (peppers, broccoli, cucumber, tomato) and then I'll add in a cup of low sugar fruit like blackberries or raspberries.  I'm also loving plumcots.

Afternoon Snack-

Homemade green juice.  Nature's Red Bull!  I juice super greens, a green apple, 3 sticks of celery, 2 big carrots, a thumb sized piece of ginger, 2 lemons, and half a cucumber.  So so so good!

Dinner-

Stir Fry is my favorite dinner!  I'll sauté shrimp, zucchini, cauli-rice, and yellow squash in coconut oil.  I'll then make some quinoa and add it all together.  I'll also add a little red pepper flakes, garlic, and Italian seasoning.  Once I've drained the excess oil from the finished product I'll mix in a tbsp of harissa.  Delish!

If I don't stir fry, I'll do steamed veggies and chicken or salmon.  I usually grill all the meat on Sunday nights and then freeze it so I can easily access it during the week.

Greek Salad is another fave in my dinner rotation.  I add in cuke, Jersey tomatoes, kalamata olives, goat cheese, and a red onion over romaine and spinach mixture.  I drizzle a little tzatziki over top and it's done!  Easy peasy!

Zuke boats are another favorite!  Halve a zucchini and scrape out the middle.  Add the middle mixture to a bowl of cooked ground chicken or turkey, chopped spinach, goat cheese, chopped onion, chopped tomato, and then stuff the zuke with the mixture.  Drizzle a little balsamic on top and boom you're done!

Cheats and Desserts-


Cheat meals or as I like to call them rewards meals are usually enjoyed after one of my exercise heavy days such as Sunday (long runs) or Tuesdays/Thursdays when I've done a run, lifted weights, Pilates, and Barre.  More calories exerted=More calories needed!  Ice cream has a lot of calories so I think that makes logical sense right?  Maybe?  ;)


Ok, I'm a huge believer that you get a cheat day (or 2...a week)!  Once a week I let myself have an ice-cream.  I get the large swirl custard with cookie dough pieces in it.  I regret nothing because I've worked hard the whole week.  This also keeps me accountable and makes it easier to turn down the donuts or M&Ms in the office at work.

Also, a lot of recipes can be made healthier by substituting coconut oil for butter, maple syrup or honey for sugar, whole grain flour or almond meal for white flour.  Substituting dark chocolate for milk chocolate also helps a wee bit, but hey, every little bit counts!

Alcohol-

My signature drink when out is a shot of tequila with seltzer and a slice or lime.  So good and at 90 cals it won't mess up your whole clean eating week.

Another drink I love is to order a shot of vodka, seltzer, and then bring your own Crystal Light lemonade/pink lemonade packet.  100 calories and it tastes just like the vodka lemonades that can easily clock in at 200+ cals and an insane amount of sugar.

I hope you enjoyed this post!  Remember, what we eat is a personal choice and fuel your body with nutritious foods that make you feel good.  If fries make you feel good, have a few not the whole thing!  This is the hardest thing for me.  If a bowl of M&Ms are in front of me, you can bet that I'm going to eat that whole bowl.  I never buy M&Ms because I know they'll be gone.  I'm not good at moderation, so I need to just not have them in the house!

Enjoy the rest of the day!  What are some of the things you are loving to eat now?  I'm loving healthy fresh produce!  Grilled peaches are my new fave!  They're sweet and full of nutrients.  Plus they're only around for a few months so they're like a little treat that won't ruin your hard work.

xoxo,

e

What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!

I hope you are all having a happy mid-week.  Life has been crazy today because I leave for NOLA tomorrow and I still haven't packed a thing…does it count that I mentally packed?  I know what I'm wearing and I have most things washed and ready, but nothing is physically in the pink suitcase.  Let the packstravaganza begin!

I haven't been cooking as much lately because it's a short week at home for me.  Eats have been pretty typical this week:

Monday:

Breakfast-fave oats

Lunch: salmon, brown rice, and steamed broccoli

Dinner:  Fitnessista's Mexican Pizza.  Holy foodgasm!  It was super delicious, cheesy, and the perfect variety of textures.  AAAAAAAMAZING!

I made it for the whole family and for Bachelor Monday (#mexicanfoodmonday is now a regular thing in the casa) and it was a huge hit!  Even the unhealthy eaters in the family loved it.

Hulllloooooo Pizza!

Tuesday:

Breakfast was a two-parter because Tuesday is a run day so I started it with a breakfast cookie, then it was fave oats after the run.

Lunch:

The pizza is so big and full of deliciousness that I had to cut it like a wimp

Dinner was a bowl of Panera's Lemon Chicken Orzo soup with a sprouted grain roll.  I'm going to miss LCO soup when summer comes to an end.  We also ended up splitting a bottle of Barefoot Summer Red garnished with blueberries.  

Gym Girls' Day was held last night because I will be in NOLA on our usual hang day.  I love, crave, need these girls' days because they renew you.  It's always nice to be with a group of girls who don't judge you, but simply listen and bring you up.  They are just great people and I'm lucky to have them in my life.  I always leave these parties feeling better and smiling.  We all love and support each other, listen to each other's problems, and tell funny stories.  

Wednesday:

Breakfast-breakfast cookie pre-weights and run.  Next, was fave oats

Lunch-Last of the Mexican pizza

Dinner-Seasons 52 BBQ Chicken Salad

On a side note, this week I began making these anchor charts for school.  I'm really excited for work to start in 2 weeks.  

Ain't No Party Like An Anchor Chart Party, Cuz An Anchor Chart Party Don't Stop!

I'm off to tutor, babysit, and then go to a Phillies game to see Ben Revere play for the Blue Jays :(  I'm going to make  sign because our seats are within player view!  I want Ben back!  I love him--he had the most hits in the NL last year and was batting a steady .300 this season before they traded him,  yet we keep guys flirting with the Mendoza line???  I'll never get it.

Have a wonderful day!

E

What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!


How is everyone's morning going?  Mine is crazy, full of running around, and working--just the way I like it!

Today's post is going to be a brief one--I'm a wordy girl so this should be a welcomed break for you all :)


Today I'm going to Philly Restaurant Week with my friend from work.  We're going to Amada and I'm super excited.  I've never been before, but it looks great!  Restaurant Week is one of my favorite celebrations in the city because it lets you try different restaurants and their specialities for $35/person for 3 courses.  Most places offer more than 3 courses or give you little bites but let you select 2-3 per course.  As a huge food nerd, you can bet that I'm pumped.

Lately, I've been trying to mix it up in the food department.  I'm trying to suck every last bit out of fresh summer fruits and veggies that I can.  That means weekly trips to the Farmer's Markets to see what's fresh and new.  This past weekend, Deb and I went to a Farmer's Market in Philly and we bought Fairy Tale Eggplants.  Their name caught our eye and we decided they needed to come home with us.

I made eggplant boats after the farmer gave me the idea.

Soooo good and easy!

Here's the recipe:

1 Fairy Tale eggplant 

as many cherry tomatoes as your little heart desires (I think I used 6)

2 TBS crumbled goat cheese

1 TBS whole grain bread crumbs

pinch of gahhhhhlick

drizzle of balsamic 

Grease skillet with coconut oil (use medium heat setting)

Shell the eggplant and put all the "meat" aside into a small skillet

Bake the eggplant shells at 350 while you finish prepping

Slice tomatoes in quarters and place in skillet 

Add goat cheese, garlic, and bread crumbs

Mix thoroughly

Continue to combine until the cheese starts to get melty and gooey and the eggplant begins to brown.

Take off heat

Take eggplant shells out of the oven

Stuff eggplant shells with the mixture.

Try not to foodgasm

Lately, I've been sticking to the old faithfuls:

Greek salads

grilled chicken

orange glazed salmon

eggplant boats

oats for breakfast

Tonight I'm excited to spice it up at Amada. I'll give you a full recap tomorrow along with the tricks I use to keep a healthy lifestyle while dining out.  

I hope you enjoy your Wednesday!

XOXO,

E

What I Ate Wednesday

Hi All!!

Happy Wednesday!

I'm finally back on the blogging train after a super awesome weekend and busy Monday. (Maybe I'll post my Bachelor in Paradise recap tomorrow?  Why not? Who says you should blog about life when it happens?) 

I'm really loving these WIAW posts. I love reading what everyone is eating. Does anyone else love that or am I the only weirdo?

Lately I've been all about the Farmer's Market finds. I usually start my Mondaylenong off with a quick trip to the local farm (reason #14434 why NJ is the best-we have real farms about 4 mins from your house!) and I picked up some cucumbers for juicing, peaches for grilling, and blueberries for oatmeal/eating every time I open the fridge. All were tres delicious! 

Pre-run fuel is the oatmeal cookie. This cookie is life changing because it gives me all the nutrients I need for my run without bogging me down or giving me any sort of tummy ache while I run my 5 amers. 

Post run b-fast is the usual oatmeal foodgasm. 

Lunch has been delightful!   

Salmon with an Orange vinegarette drizzle over a Greek salad.   Yummmmm

Dinner was leftover Bachelor in Paradise dinner!

Crock pot chicken salsa with avocado on top over brown rice. Daddy was also kind enough to grill some fruit for us to enjoy. 

Grilled fruit is one of my favorite summer treats!  The grilling really brings out the flavor and sweetness of the produce. I highly recommend giving it a whirl. 

I've also been snacking on the last remaining piece of Fudge Kitchen's chocolate fudge. This is reason 174737 why NJ is the best state-we have fudge and farms and beaches and blueberries all within 40 miles of each other. Winner winner fresh food dinner. 

I've also been taking some spoon dips into Phillies Graham Slam ice cream. I'm actually allergic to milk, but 1 little spoonful a day doesn't hurt. 

That's what I've been eating lately. 

Today was a fun day:

5 am 5 mylah 

6 am b-fast while watching RHONY and a DVR'd Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Making The Team 8. 

8 am weights session 

9:30 am barre 

10 am Pilates

11 am shower and get ready to babysit 

12 pm lunch of chicken salsa

1-4 babysit

Capping off this fun night with a Phillies game!  We're excited because we can see J-Roll play!  Unfortunately, Jimmy was traded to the Dodgers and we don't get to see him light up short stop anymore. I'm excited to see him back. I'll give him a cheer when he makes a good play. I'm a nice fan like that 😜

Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying your hump day!

Eat up buttercup,

E

What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!

How is everyone's week going?  Mine is pretty good-low key which is a nice change of pace from my busy weekend.


P.S. I'm still drooling over Amanda's cake :)


Monday was Bachelorette viewing party!

The A-Team

Deb made Mango Margaritas with spicy rim salt :)

Peach sangria!

Today is a busy one my friends.  I have a 5 am 5 miler scheduled.  Then it's b-fast part 2 (hello heavenly oats) and then tutoring from 9:30-10:30.  Then I have a weights date.  Then it's shower and snacky time before tutoring take two.  Then it's lunch and green juice.  Finally, it's happy hour followed by dinner and an early night.

So anyway, here's what I've been eating lately.

Breakfast is still the same oatmeal that I lurve.

Snackage has been pretty simple:

pineapple:) My favorite summer fruit

Carrots and garlic hummus



Green juice



Paleo chocolate chip banana bread.

I don't know what happened to it…no one seemed to like it ;)

Plutos or plumcots depending on the store.  These are delicious and super sweet yet tangy.

Lunches and dinners have been either this peach gorgonzola (goat cheese) pizza

So good and so simple!  

Recipe found her -------> best healthy pizza ever




or this big daddy.



Garlic lime Sriracha chicken with Southwestern Quinoa salad.

Freaking delicious! 

Today I also had a vodka with Crystal Light at happy hour.  Is it weird that I bring my own Crystal Light?


I hope everyone is enjoying their day!  I'll be back tomorrow with all the feels about Phillies fans and their *habits*.

XOXO,

E

PS!  Teacher friends-Target had these bad johnnies for just $1!  I used these last year and they were awesome!  I'm thinking of revamping my writing station so these will play into that :)

Awwww yeah!

What I Ate Wednesday #2

Happy Hump Day!

How is everyone's week going?  Mine is pretty bueno.  I've been doing a lot of cooking lately.  I'm excited to catch you up on some of my new recipes!

I'm excited to continue this new series on the blog.  As I said in my first WIAW post, I love reading what other people are eating/cooking/making, etc!

I'll cut right to the chase and let you all in on my recent eats.  I've been eating A LOT lately and I feel like I need to reel it in a little bit.

I've been eating these oatmeal breakfast cookies from The Fitnessista every Sunday, Tuesdsay, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before my 5 mile run.  They're the perfect amount of food to give you energy without weighing you down.

Oatmeal has been the staple breakfast, but I'm getting CARRIED away with the peanut butter.  I need to cut back on that.  A jar every week is not the healthiest thing ever.

My breakfast foodgasm<3

Lunches have been grilled chicken and veggies.  I've also added a dollop of Wholly Chipotle Bean Dip. It's a great organic, pronounce everything in the label product.  At 35 calories a serving, I'm sold.  Plus it's deceivingly spicy!  

All of the watermelon.  GET IN MY BELLY!  

Deb made banana chocolate chip bread.  I had a slice today.  Twas fab! 

Dinner the past few days has been pita pizzas.  Don't hate me, but I'm not a *HUGE* pizza girl.  I think I ate too much as a child (every Friday holla!) and now I'm just meh about it.  BUT on Monday nights the girls come over for Bachelorette and we make a healthy dinner.  I had dreams of artichokes and Jersey tomatoes dancing in my head and I decided to make a pizza!

Not the BEST pic...

Recipe:

Whole grain pita from Wegman's

One sliced Jersey tomato

1 oz goat gouda

1/4 of Cento artichoke hearts

sprinkle of garlic

sprinkle of Italian seasonings

sprinkle of oregano 

What I'm most excited about is THE RETURN OF JUICE!  

Recipe Here

I've also been visiting the Farmer's Market recently for my blueberries, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  All about that Jersey produce!

I've also been loving purple grapes.  

Happy Wednesday!  I have a morning run, a tutoring session, a visit to the bank, Staples for ink, and Pilates/barre/weights, and tentative dinner plans with Cara.

Enjoy your day!

-E

What I Ate Wednesday/Yoga Revelations/Wine

Happy Hump Day!

Welcome to my first What I Ate Wednesday!  I'm such a fan of sharing and reading what others are eating for a few reasons:  A) I'm nosy lol B) I like to get new ideas for healthy meals C) I like to share what I'm eating to give new ideas to others.

Yesterday was a weird day.  As you can tell from my blog's name Serindipity I'm a huge believer in everything happens for a reason.  (FYI For Good and Unanswered Prayers have been playing on repeat)  I woke up feeling kinda wonky (a boy missing a sensitivity chip but what are you going to do?)  and I was just kinda sad.  I went on a 5 mile run to try to ease the wonk/funk I've been in.  Kinda worked.  I ate my favorite breakfast (totally worked) then I went to tutor one of my favorite kids.  I don't know what it is, but whenever I teach, life just gets better.  I forget everything.

Also I found these at Target (Target heals all)…I think Amanda and I need them :)

Cait and I went to celebrate my birthday at Auburn Road Vineyards.  (Full disclosure my birthday is in December, but who wants to go wine tasting in the winter?)  This was my first official wine tasting and I think I'm hooked!  What a cool place!  We had the whole place to ourselves and we enjoyed tasting some Jersey wines and eating copious amounts of bread and cheese.

On our way we saw some bales of hay…Jersey is the Garden State!  We're not all Snooki...

Beautiful display and tasting set up

We got a souvenir glass!

The menu

Auburn Road Vineyards is an amazing place!  Some of the wine is named after the winemaker's love of music and it was cool to try and decipher the musical references.

Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day :)

Beautiful vines

Some outdoor shots

This place hosts a happy hour on Thursdays and an ordered in brick-oven pizza dinner on Fridays with a live band.  I think that we will be returning :)  The vibe of the place is down-home sophistication.  They have an outdoor seating area where we enjoyed a glass of wine and caught up on life.

The gorgeous trellis  

Cheers!

We sampled reds, whites, roses, and fruity wines.  We each left with 2 bottles of wine, Give Peach a Chance (a Jersey peach based wine) and Blessington (a sweet fruity red).   The price point is about $12-$20 a bottle.

Before...

After...

In the barrel room…yes I wore a wine colored dress because I love a theme!  #dorkstatus

Anyway, after the tasting we headed home and got ready for Pilates.  Our usual Pilates teacher was absent and we had a sub.  Our sub is a yoga teacher and started our class with an intention--figure out what kind of person you are in relationships and make yourself better.  Another intention was not to be passive aggressive.  It was like the yoga spirits knew my exact thoughts and tailored this practice to me.  I love when that happens to me.  Has that ever happened to you?  You get smacked in the face with the answer to your problem…or at least a resolution?


The class was exactly what I needed.  I left the class with a more centered approach to life.  Yoga does that to me.  I don't practice as much as I should considering how amazing I feel afterwards.  Yoga juju>funk

Therapy 

Anyway…WHAT I ATE WEDNESDAY!


Pre-run breakfast cookie:

Breakfast was the usual:

1/2 C Oats

1 C almond milk

sprinkle of cinnamon

spoonful of Farmer's Market PB

blueberries

splash of vanilla

Lunch is a salmon salad with a side of broccoli.



Late snack:  plumcot (new fave summer fruit) and Mexican corn on the cob:

source

source

Dinner:  Season's 52 Barbecue Chicken Salad with my gym friends:

source

Plus a life's supply of water.  Probably 12 glasses of water.

Today I'm linking up with Jenn at Peas and Crayons for a little WIAW inspiration.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!  Say some ohms and take a deep breath and enjoy your day!

XOXO,

E