Kara
3-5-14
I first started off my morning with fat-free
vanilla greek yogurt topped with banana, kiwi, whole wheat flaked cereal
(includes flax seeds as well), and ground cinnamon for flavor. For an early
afternoon snack, I ate a handful of sugar snap peas as well as a rice cake
spread with all natural “Better’n Peanut Butter”, which essentially is a low
calorie, GMO free peanut butter that is fresh. For lunch I ate a cup of low-fat
cottage cheese mixed in with dry edamame and salted almonds, also added
multigrain crackers to dip in the mixture. During dinner time, I cooked Wegman’s
Super Pasta (which has omega-fatty 3 acids and high protein per serving) mixed
with cooked organic spinach, sautéed mushrooms, cooked garlic cherry tomatoes,
baked pine nuts, all drizzled with Wegman’s basting oil that contains garlic
and herbs. I usually eat a mini snack afterwards which consisted of a smoothie
with blended frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries (both Wegman’s organic
handpicked fruit), and almond milk.
The most affected meal was probably my
dinner only because of the amount of ingredients and prepping it required. It
consumed a lot of time boiling pasta, chopping up the vegetables and making
sure they’re cooked just right without destroying the nutrients.
Going meatless on Monday did not affect the
rest of my week. Honestly, I like starting off “fresh” on Mondays so enduring
this experience on the first day of the week is a good feeling. Also, planning
ahead made it more efficient to assemble all the ingredients that I needed for
the day. I’m not a picky eater and I absolutely love to eat fruits and
vegetables so I thought it was enjoyable to create meals with lots of color,
but still with high protein and hitting the macronutrients. It did take a lot
of time out of my day prepping and putting everything together, however, I know
it’s worth it cutting out the sodium and saturated fat from the meat.
I spent a little more money than usual on my
weekly groceries. This is only because I purchased a few products that were
organic (spinach and fruit) as well as the all natural peanut butter because it
was also located in the organic aisle.
Going meatless on Monday didn’t really
affect the people around me. My roommates and I don’t eat together as a whole
group, and when we do we usually eat our own food that we make. The only thing
that kind of got in the way was the fact that I was taking up a lot of the
kitchen and counter space since I was utilizing a lot of the appliances.
I
only required a few resources in order to execute this project effectively. My
breakfast, snack, and lunch only required me to chop and cut the food. When it
came to dinner and my snack, I used a normal stove to cook/sauté the vegetables
as well as a handheld blender to create the smoothie. This experience made me
think how difficult it is to not incorporate any type of meat throughout the
day. I don’t think people realize it’s a daily product that humans consume, and
even by going meatless one day can not only savor your health, but save the
environment.
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ReplyDeleteKara,
ReplyDeleteYour breakfast sounds awesome! It is pretty much similar to what I eat every morning on a normal basis. I never thought of adding flax seeds or a spice for more flavoring so I will have to try that. Now, I was just wondering where you do most of your shopping. I love Wegman’s and most of their own products are cheap for the most part, aside from their organic fruits which cost a few bucks extra. Did you find it that the extra money on a nice dinner was worth it? My biggest issue is buying food that I never end up eating again. I feel like my weeks are spent running around so I never really even eat real meals. My roommate has the “Better N Peanut Butter” and she loves it. There are a lot of similar products at Trader Joe’s that I want to try out for the future. Their products can be a bit pricey but are generally awesome tasting and healthy for you. One thing I liked that you said was that eating no meat on Monday seemed to start you off to the week on the right foot and feeling refreshed. I never thought to look at the project that way but it makes me more optimistic about trying harder next Monday. I feel as if I eat well on Monday I will then be more inclined to do the same the rest of the week to stay on track. Your dinner sounds very delicious as well, I will have to try to keep up with creating such diverse meals, thanks for the ideas.
-Cass
Kara- great job!
ReplyDeleteCass- I agree with Kara that starting off your week with specific goals/intentions really sets the tone for the rest of the week. Whether it is about going meatless or about incorporating more fruits and vegetables into our diet, Monday is always a good day to start on a plan.
Great job both of you!
Sowmya