Saturday

Breakfast:
granola, yogourt & mixed fruit (melon, 1/2 banana)
glass of V8 Fusion

Snack:
grapes

Lunch:
spinach salad
yogourt
melon

Snack:
"All Bran" bar

Supper:
2 slices of "Balance" Roasted Veggie Pizza
spinach salad
glass of milk
2 "Simple Pleasures" oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies (I had milk left over)

Snack:
It was a bit of an indulgent evening - with the "Mid Winter Blahs" party put on by the MacAuslands! I enjoyed a shooter, a glass of rum punch, and 2 glasses of wine, a small portion of walkin' nachos, 1 cracker and cheese, a few pretzels, and 2 bites of the most delicious dessert pizza I've ever, ever tasted!)

Friday

Breakfast:

granola, yogourt & fruit (melon, blueberries)

glass of milk

Snack:

"All Bran" bar

1/2 banana

Lunch:

tomato soup

whole wheat pita sandwich with hummus & veggies (*tip: works better if made just prior to consumption. I made mine this morning, and it fell apart)

1/2 c. cottage cheese

Snack:

melba rounds with light veggie cream cheese

Supper:
whole wheat pita sandwich with hummus & veggies
carrots dipped in hummus
glass of V8 Fusion

Snack:
Bowl of Oatmeal Crisp

Thursday

Breakfast:
granola, yogourt & mixed fruit (melon & blueberries)
glass of milk

Snack:
"All Bran" Bar
coffee

Lunch:
rice, shrimp & pea dish
salad
grapes

Snack:
hummus with flatbread crackers

Supper:
'Garden Burger' platter from Gahan House with spinach salad
2 nacho chips (I couldn't avoid a small taste)

Wednesday

Breakfast:

yogourt, granola, mixed fruit (melon & blueberries)

glass of milk

Break:

apple slices with peanut butter

handful of grapes

Lunch:

leftover shrimp/rice/pea dish

small salad

Break:

"All Bran" bar

grapes

1/2 banana (a few hours after my break snack because I knew I'd be eating supper late)

Supper:

chicken shawarma from Pita Express (small)

salad with baby spinach, greens, mushrooms, peppers, carrot & red onion

Tuesday

Breakfast:

Yogourt, granola, mixed fruit (blueberries, melon)

glass of chocolate milk

Snack:

"All Bran" bar

grapes

Lunch:

2 slices of chicken/veggie pizza

small salad with baby spinach, greens, peppers, muchroom, cucumber & red onion

Snack:

mini pitas and hummus

Supper:
baked salmon fillet
salad with baby spinach, greens, peppers, red onion & mushrooms
mixed veggies - cauliflower, broccoli, carrot
mashed potatoes
vanilla nut creme tea for dessert

Monday

Breakfast:
yogourt & granola with 1/2 banana
coffee

Snack:
"All Bran" bar

Lunch:
2 slices of toasted 12 grain bread and peanut butter
1 small banana
glass of 1% milk

Snack:
grapes

Supper:
rice, peas & shrimp
2 eggrolls
small glass of milk

Snowshoeing is fun!

It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s relatively inexpensive and it burns up to 750 calories an hour. That’s about the same as an hour of jumping rope, and more than twice as much as walking. “Snowshoeing is an absolutely fantastic cardio workout,” agrees Catherine D’Aoust, a Vancouver personal trainer who leads women’s snowshoeing classes as well as hikes. “This puts good stress on your heart. It’s also a low-impact activity, and your muscles and joints are stressed in different ways so you don’t get the overuse injuries that you might get running or playing tennis.” As well, snowshoeing is a killer lower-body workout. Walking in snow is tough, so it works the muscles in the legs and butt.

Full article: http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/article/snowshoeing-for-fun-and-fitness

Chris took me out snowshoeing today - it was my first time on a pair, and I'm happy to report that there were no wipe-outs or injuries to report! I'm also delighted to hear that it's good exercise, because it really isn't that hard. The hills were a bit challenging, and my left foot is really, really sore ever since, but I would do it again. One advantage of living in the Maritimes in the winter months, right?

I guess this is the first official report of 'exercise' since my whole 'healthier me' journey began last month. Shameful, I know...let's hope this excursion is the precursor to a lot more outings. I'm all for working out my ginormous badonkadonk... :) We estimate our hike was about 4kms (with the original intended course to be 2kms, but we got off course). It was nearly a 2hr hike, and it wasn't a flat terrain, being that we went along one of the groomed snowshoe trails at Brookvale Ski Park!

Sunday

Breakfast:
2 slices of toasted 12 grain bread with peanut butter
bowl of fruit (melon, 1/2 banana, blueberries)
coffee

Lunch**:
1/2 thai chicken wrap
"salad"
chai tea

Supper:
salad with baby spinach, greens, peppers, mushrooms, cucumber, red onion
2 small slices of a chicken/vegetable pizza (the 'healthy blue' frozen kind)
2 "Simple Pleasures" oatmeal & dark chocolate chip cookies
small glass of chocolate milk

Snack:
melba rounds with light veggie cream cheese

**Chris took me to Boston Pizza for a verrrrrrrry late lunch. We'd been out snowshoeing at Brookvale on the groomed trails. We were out for two hours and then went for a drive to New Glasgow. I was famished...not sure why we did it in the order we did, but the drive took us to 3:00 before we got back into town to eat lunch. Lunch was disgusting. The wrap had thai noodles along with the chicken and vegetables, and a lot of sauce. It did come off the "Delicious Alternative" menu...but when ordering the wrap and finding out it was just a wrap with no side I figured I should have a salad, so ordered a 'garden green' salad as well. I could only get 1/2 the wrap down, and I stuffed in about half the salad just to try to get full. The salad was a huge plate of iceburg lettuce (blech), a few stray strands of carrot...a few thin stray shavings of green pepper, and minute chopped tomato. FAIL!!

Saturday

Breakfast:
granola, yogourt, melon 1/2 banana

Snack:
grapes

Lunch:
baked potato
small chili

Supper:
spinach salad
Highliner shrimp & wild rice frozen dinner

Snack:
granola, yogourt & chocolate chips. I think this is my very favorite thing to eat lately. It's so delicious...which also means it's likely terrible for me...but I'd like to think that the yogourt offers some sort of nutritional plus?

Friday

Breakfast:
yogourt & granola with melon and a 1/2 banana
small glass of fruit/veggie juice
coffee

Morning snack:
"All-Bran" chewy cereal bar
grapes

Lunch:
my leftovers from Wednesday night's supper - whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and a few stray garlic shrimp
small spinach salad

Afternoon snack:
hummus with 6 mini pitas
grapes

Supper:
black forest ham sandwich from Timothys* on multi-grain bread (all they had), with greens, cucumber & Swiss cheese
vanilla tea

Night snack:
bowl of Oatmeal Crisp

*Chris & I had a date to attend the Vinyl Cafe at the Confed Centre, so we went out for supper. Unfortunately, poor planning on our end and time constraints due to work times prevented us from sitting down at a restaurant to 'eat out'. However, I'd like to think that our choice to get a sandwich was 'healthier' than the alternative fast food restaurant options.

Thursday

Breakfast:
granola, yogourt, melon & 1/2 banana
coffee

Lunch:
pita sandwich with hummus, baby spinach, carrot, onion and cheese (this was SO good!)

Supper:
spinach salad
BBQ glazed chicken
mashed potatoes
peas

Wednesday

Breakfast:
granola, yogourt & 1/2 banana
small glass of fruit/veggie juice

Snack:
grapes
"Balance" granola bar

Lunch:
Highliner shrimp/wild rice frozen dinner
spinach salad with mushrooms, cucumber, peppers, red onion and grated cheese

Supper:
Another 'treat' night as I joined Tanya at BP for supper. I did have an intent to try something else off the 'Delicious Alternative' part of the menu, but instead, in a split second mind change decided to 'make my own pasta'...which was whole wheat fettucini, pomodoro sauce (tomato based, not creamy) with a side garlic shrimp skewer. I did eat the side piece of garlic toast, and it was sooo good. I was very reserved with my pasta intake...saving at least half to take home.

Tuesday

Breakfast:

granola with 1/2 banana & yogourt

small glass of fruit/veggie juice

Snack:

"Balance" granola bar

grapes

Lunch:

remaining leftover shrimp/peas & rice dish

small spinach salad

Snack:

apple slices with peanut butter

Supper:
bowl of Oatmeal Crisp ~ I was preparing for junk at the movies!

Snack:
Kid's pack at the theatre, including popcorn with real butter, diet Coke (blech, should have had a water), and a box of Smarties. The popcorn was soooooooo freakin' good.

Monday

Breakfast:

granola, yogourt, 1/2 banana
small glass of fruit/veggie juice

Morning snack:
"Balance" granola bar
grapes

Lunch:

leftover rice/shrimp & peas
small spinach salad

Afternoon snack:
apple slices & peanut butter

Supper:
Spaghetti - I should have had a salad with it, but I was on the phone with my sister (it's her birthday), and it was ready before I got off the phone, and well, I was lazy and hungry, and lazy.

Snack:
peppermint tea
1 homemade chocolate chip cookie (there were two left, and Chris and I shared. I just couldn't see both going to him when I love them so much ~ Thanks Rosie....xo)

Sunday

Breakfast:
granola, yogourt, banana & blueberries with a few chocolate chips (I had to...I tried, once again, using 'plain yogourt' instead of my regular vanilla option. Plain yogourt is akin to wallpaper paste. Or white glue. Or disgusting)
coffee

Lunch:
2 slices of French toast (make with 12 grain bread)
glass of 1% milk
1/2 banana

Supper:
2 eggrolls
rice, shrimp & pea dish

Snack:
peppermint tea

Saturday

Breakfast:
2 slices of 12 grain toast
2 hard boiled eggs
small glass of fruit/veggie juice

Lunch:
2 slices of 12 grain toast with light peanut butter
bowl of yogourt & banana slices

Supper:
mashed potatoes
shrimp
spinach salad

Night snack:
granola, yogourt & chocolate chips

Friday the 13th

Breakfast:

bowl of yogourt, granola and melon

small glass of fruit/veggie juice

Break:

coffee

plate of 'crap' ~ It's "Food Day" at work, and I couldn't bear to sit through 8 hours smelling the different aromas and watching people eat plateful after plateful of deliciousness...so I joined in on the madness. I tried to restrain as best I could. I plated up a small bit of: broccoli salad, Bobbi's hashbrown casserole (I'd NEVER refuse that), a bit of caesar salad, 3 chips with walkin' nacho dip, and 2 pinwheel roll-ups. Currently staring at me is a miniature chocolate chip cheesecake that again, I couldn't pass up. I'm not sure when that will be consumed. I feel a bit icky...but it all tasted so good when it was going down...

Lunch:
egg salad sandwich on 12 grain bread
grapes
miniature chocolate chip cheesecake (it was beyond delicious)

Snack:
grapes

Supper:
carrots and mini pitas with hummus

Back on the wagon tomorrow!

Thursday

Breakfast:
granola, yogourt & fruit (melon/strawberry)
coffee

Break:
coffee
apple with peanut butter
'Balance' granola bar

Lunch:
spinach salad with peppers, mushroom, red onion, & cucumber
2 hard-boiled eggs

Break:
hummus & flatbread crackers

"Supper":
bowl of Oatmeal Crisp cereal
2 homemade chocolate chip cookies*

*I gave in; I caved. Chris visited his Mom today and she loaded him up with a bag of her homemade chocolate chip cookies. They're sooooooo good..........and I've had a crap week, and have had an excessive craving for them, so no I don't feel the least bit guilty.

Wednesday

Breakast:
bowl of granola, fruit and yogourt
coffee

Break:
apple slices with peanut butter
granola bar
coffee

Lunch:
mashed potatoes
shrimp
spinach salad

Break:
grapes

Supper:
bowl of Oatmeal Crisp cereal

Tuesday

Ok so I'm into another week of 'late' shifts, which totally messes up my food 'schedule'. Yesterday I was famished by the time I got home from work (off at 7:30pm), and I ate my supper so fast I'm surprised I tasted anything...and I felt hungry all evening despite having just consumed a big supper. Today I'm going to try to snack more I guess...and hope that it helps...

Breakfast:
granola and yogourt with fresh fruit (cantaloupe, honeydew melon, strawberries)
small glass of fruit/veggie juice
coffee

Snack:
grapes
coffee

Lunch:
frozen Highliner shrimp & wild rice dinner
banana

Snack:
grapes

Supper:
egg salad sandwich on 12 grain bread
mixed fruit (honeydew melon, cantaloupe, strawberries)

Oh.my.god. I want a chocolate chip cookie...

After work:

Snack:
bowl of Special K Vanilla Almond - and I'm still craving a cookie. Thankfully there are none in the house.

Monday

Breakfast:
yogourt, granola and fresh fruit (strawberries, banana, honeydew melon, cantaloupe)
small glass of fruit/veggie juice

Snack:
apple
coffee

Lunch:
spinach salad with peppers, boiled egg, almond, grated cheese & cucumber
hummus and 3 flatbread crackers
1/2 banana

Snack:
grapes

Supper:
mashed potatoes
salsa-baked chicken breast
spinach salad

Sunday

Breakfast:
yogourt with fresh fruit (banana, strawberry, honeydew melon & cantaloupe)
1 slice of 12 grain french toast (very light drizzle of syrup)
coffee

Lunch:
1 toasted "everything" bagel

Supper:
baked salmon
mashed potatoes
peas
spinach salad with peppers, cucumber & carrot

Saturday

Breakfast:
granola & yogourt

Lunch:
2 slices of 12 grain toast with light peanut butter
glass of milk
1/2 banana

Afternoon snacks (two different intervals):
coffee
trail mix cookie from Tim Hortons (likely terrible for me, but it felt like a healthier alternative to the chocolate chip or peanut butter that I really wanted; plus, it had raisins & cranberries and oats in it :P)

peanut butter and apple slices
melba rounds with light veggie cream cheese

Supper:
I joined the girls at Mavors for supper so it was a bit of a 'treat' night:
small multigrain roll
Chinese noodles with prawns & vegetables (just fair. I didn't eat the deep-fried sweet potato shavings on the top either)
glass of wine
1/4? (does that sound about right, Lana?) of a turtle cheesecake. It just wasn't good enough, to me, to consume a lot of it.

Friday

Breakfast:

2 slices of 12 grain toast with light peanut butter

glass of milk (1% - just can't do skim)

1/2 banana

Break snack:

melba rounds and light veggie cream cheese

coffee

Lunch:

Spinach salad, with yellow, red, orange, and green peppers, mushroom, carrot, cucumber, boiled egg, havarti and almonds

flatbread crackers & hummus

a few grapes

Afternoon snack:

grapes

Supper:
mashed potatoes
corn
shrimp
spinach salad with peppers & cucumbers

Thursday

Breakfast:
yogourt & granola
small glass of fruit/veggie juice

Mid-morning snack:
melba rounds and light veggie cream cheese (helllooo! Just like chips 'n dip!)

Lunch:
shish taouk from Mosaic; just the wrap, no side
1 "Nib" licorice (I looove me some Nibs, and it's been a while, and there's 0 fat - ok, ok yeah, I had a weak moment. Thanks Craig!)

Supper:
baked salmon
mashed potatoes
corn
spinach salad with peppers, mushrooms, & cucumber ~ And it all was SO good!

Wednesday

Breakfast:
granola, yogourt, 1/2 banana
small glass of fruit/veggie juice
coffee

Morning snack:
grapes
coffee

Lunch:
spinach salad, with green, orange, red, & yellow peppers, mushrooms, cucumber, carrot, and a boiled egg
hummus and a pita
1/2 banana

Afternoon snack (different intervals):
Trail Mix granola bar
....
1 "Light" Babybel cheese

Supper:
Parmesan Lime Shrimp Skewers and garden greens from Boston Pizza*
peppermint tea & a trail mix cookie for dessert

*I watched Mom eat a delicious helping of baked shrimp/feta penne, and it didn't kill me too much. I left the restaurant hungry though :S.

Research...

So Mom and I are going out tonight after I'm finished work. She has a few things to pick up, and as is customary when Mummy and I go out together, she's treating me to supper. More often than not, we land at Boston Pizza, and we always have the same meal - both of us - the baked shrimp and feta penne. To be proactive, I thought I'd bring up the BP menu to try to find a 'healthier' alternative. So I looked up the nutritional value of the coveted dish - 1150 calories, and 55 grams of fat! No wonder it's so g.d. delicious... So off I go to examine some other choices. I first check the salads. The first I look at is the specs on the crispy chicken and pecan salad (which I've had before, and is really good). It's a rainbow of lettuce, boiled egg, chicken, carrot, cheese. Sounds pretty healthy, right?...1140 calories, and a whopping 93g of fat! Yes, that would be 38 grams more fat in the salad than a heavy, cheesy pasta dish. And these calculations of content do not include the piece of garlic bread that would also be in my belly by the end of the meal.

Awesome.

Healthy eating sucks.

It's yet to be determined what meal I'll be consuming...but I can tell you one thing, it will not be the crispy chicken and pecan salad. If I'm going to indulge in that many calories, I'll have my pasta.

*sigh*

Stormy Tuesday

Breakfast:
bowl of granola, yogourt 1/2 banana
small glass of fruit/veggie juice

Morning snack:
grapes

Lunch:
spinach salad & spaghetti (yay for leftovers!)

Afternoon snack:
I worked through my afternoon break so I didn't eat a snack. Lunch was fairly big so I really wasn't hungry. I was starving when I got home, so thankfully there were yet more leftovers for supper so it was a quick supper prep.

Supper:
more leftovers....spinach salad, and spaghetti

Evening snack:
hummus with flatbread crackers & carrots

Monday

Breakfast:

yogourt, granola & 1/2 banana

small glass of fruit/veggie juice

coffee

Morning snack:

coffee

grapes

3 itty bitty pieces of havarti cheese

Lunch*:

enchilada

salad (lettuce, red, yellow & green peppers, red onion, and feta)

Afternoon snack:
Snackwell crackers and havarti cheese

Supper:
spinach salad
spaghetti - we made whole wheat pasta, and I used the one plate for both the salad and spaghetti, thus a smaller serving of pasta. It was tough for me, as spaghetti is my favourite meal. I likely had more than a traditional 'serving', but I had about half of a normal "Amber spaghetti serving". Lots of leftovers :)

Night 'snack':
peppermint tea

*Courtesy of the lovely April. Thank you so much for treating me to lunch. It was DELICOUS :)

Sunday

Brunch:
2 slices of 12 grain toast
2 eggs
2 slices of facon (chicken bacon)
coffee

Supper:
shrimp
mashed potatoes
peas
spinach salad (baby spinach, red onion, egg)