In the Mood For Food

It's a bit like "the need for speed" except, well, not so much.

Let me start off by saying I DID manage, for the first time since I started training again, to get all my workouts in last week. Yippeee. Last year this might not have even made mention in a blog, but this year is a new story and a new game. It doesn't happen that often, so let us celebrate small victories. I did cut a pool workout short (see blog entitled "Pool Mayhem"), but I was in there, so it counts.

With that said, my appetite (or the beast as I so affectionately refer to it) has been picking up slowly but surely. We are not quite at Ironman training or say, beast level four. Oh no, that is an endless stream of being hungry and consuming by shoveling everything in sight within arms length. However, we are at the "I just ate dinner at 8pm, but by 10:00 I think I need a snack or something else, more like a snack-meal before bed." Last night it was cereal. I'm pretty sure I have to up my game though, cereal won't be cutting it soon.

All in all, my goal of really working to eat the right type of foods, not just any and all food that comes my way, seems to be working out rather nicely. It still is a struggle at times, I'm not minimizing it! However, I've been doing better due to consistency, having a plan and making sure the right foods are on hand at all times. Baby steps people...baby steps.

Case in point:

Typical Lunch from last year: Lean Cuisine (not because I was trying to loose weight, but because I liked a couple of their meal types and all the girls at my office ate these like they were going out of style), banana, yogurt, triscuits and cheese. Looking back on it, it was probably only around 500 calories which is not nearly enough for what I am doing on a daily basis.

Typical Lunch (or like more standard daily) from this year: two whole wheat tortillas with hummus, cheese, pieces of pre-cooked chicken, and spinach or lettuce, banana with peanut butter (notice the change there), sun chips, almonds and a glass of milk. So in essence, more calories, a bit more protein, a whole wheat component (tortilla & sun chips) and both a fruit (banana) and a vegetable (lettuce or spinach).

13 grams of fiber.. can you say.. REGULARITY!

Spread Sun dried tomato Sabra hummus like so - see below

I always have dessert too around 3pm which is usually a girl scout cookie or two (with milk). Just as a side note, we drink around one half gallon of milk between Kyle and I PER DAY. Seems like a lot doesn't it? It does to me also, but hey, I'm getting my calcium and vitamin D!

The quest for better nutrition and staying with it now needs to be extended to dinner. We are usually on the - Kim makes a huge pasta dish containing some cheese and meat on Sunday and we eat it Sunday through Thursday - plan. I would like to mix it up. Although, it sure is nice to just use the microwave during the week as your primary cooking device! We make a vegetable (usually those steam in microwave kind) and ta-dah!!..dinner is served!

Let me master breakfast and lunch first, then we will work on dinner variety!

Luckily, I've had some good role models for eating MORE, which is something I sometimes don't do because I'm busy, or I'm lazy, or I just don't grasp how much I am really working out (between 300-1500 calories worth per day). They get on me when I don't stay with it, and frankly I need that. I know what to do, now, this year, I'm going to do it. With practice, and consistency, I will prevail. I'll keep you posted. I love food, and this year is the year where I take our relationship to the next level. It's the least I owe my love, considering all it does for me!

I hope my lunch gives you some ideas.. please share if you have some other good ones (that are easy, and do not contain too many ingredients or long amounts of cooking time since when I'm finally ready to eat, it needs to happen in the next 5-7 minutes max!)