What the hell do I eat

jgnatca wrote: »

I'm a variety girl. When I get bored I change it up.

To change up breakfast, try a different spread like Quark or light Philadelphia cream cheese. Change the muffin. Do a wrap. There's an overnight steel cut oats that I have at least once a week. Someone here suggested non-breakfast foods at breakfast and on that suggestion I had some home-made soup warmed up in the microwave. That with pumpernickel bread I found most satisfying.

Here's a list of mid-day snacks.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/mid-day-snacks-722504

For lunch I just don't do sandwiches any more. I also went in to a funk for several months where I couldn't stomach another tossed salad. So I made other vegetables. Typically I have leftovers from the night before. Have you thought of wraps?

As for dinner, change up the meat to ALL OF THEM. Well trimmed of fat, the choice of meat can change up your dinner to all sorts of special dishes. I had turkey chili last night. On the weekend, it was a vegetarian eggplant dish, the veggies breaded and baked, then covered in spaghetti sauce and cheese.

qn4bx9pzg8aifd wrote: »

I seem to naturally gravitate toward having(/needing) enough variety such that the word "usually" is rendered inapplicable, when it comes to the specific items eaten in my various meals and snacks, and when considered on a day-to-day basis.

Although the specific items vary, and include some days when I eat a breakfast whose content could be considered non-traditional, what I try to use as a guiding principle is a focus on the protein, fiber, fat, sugar, and whole grain aspects, in addition to overall caloric content -- *especially* when it comes to breakfast, given my start-of-the-day need for (enough, and the right kind of) fuel that must allay hunger for several hours, and support the associated physical and mental energy utilized during such time.

I've definitely found that when I include a viable-for-my-needs combination of protein, complex carbs (with a spotlight on fiber), and fats, and especially when it comes to my breakfast, it makes such a difference in my day -- and I've learned that if I don't have much fiber or fat in whatever breakfast I choose to eat, I'll tend to find myself feeling hunger pangs, and running out of fuel, and falling short of my goal of making it to __ o'clock without the distraction of experiencing hunger, let alone slogging it through any need-more-fuel -based sub-optimal functioning.


One of the things (among various others) that I've come to find is a wonderful inclusion for a lunch or dinner option is black bean pasta (brands = Explore Asia, and Tolerant (a manufacturer of chickpea pasta, as well)). Having it be possible to eat spaghetti, penne, or rotini that is made entirely from black beans -- and tastes good, and has terrific texture -- is a godsend. It's high in protein and fiber, and is remarkably filling and satisfying -- and allows me to indulge in my love of pasta without the otherwise dramatically different carb content. What a great way to ingest black beans, a food with a somewhat powerhouse -like nutrition profile. Additionally, I've found that black bean pasta allows for an interestingly compatible 'taste tango' with all kinds of non-traditional pasta sauces (such as Dave's Gourmet Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce, or some 'spicy' pasta sauces), as well as traditional pasta sauces (and with veggie chunk additions that I sometimes add).


Also, I've come to use FAGE Total 0% Plain Greek Yogurt as a kind of condiment -like 'add-on' or 'add-in', and practically view it as a form of 'protein topping', and 'carb hit mitigation factor/complement', when it comes to various dishes. And I use it in place of sour cream and butter -- and whipped cream, for that matter (I'm suddenly reminded of the only way I'll eat french toast now -- whole grain bread, FAGE 0% yogurt, and raspberries (if/when no (real maple) syrup of any kind is used (real maple syrup is a rare luxury that I partake of once or twice a year))).

Additionally, I add some FAGE 0% yogurt to various concoctions I come up with when utilizing any of the Trader Joe's Indian Fare 'pouch meals'... sometimes I just stir the yogurt in along with some organic brown rice, while other times, I'll use the Indian Fare + FAGE combo as a kind of 'dip' in which to dip baked blue corn tortilla chips.


Also, fwiw, there is a healthy whole grain 'salad' that I purchase from the deli of a nearby international produce market, which is prepared with basic ingredients, and no yuck added to such -- and it's one of several of various items that I purchase now and again from a specialty market deli or a Whole Foods deli, and 'expand on', to enhance the nutritional profile and to increase the overall volume of the enough-for-several-meals end result.

When it comes to the Wheat Berry Salad in question, I slice and cook a good amount of sweet potatoes, apple chunks, and some raisins, before adding the wheat berry salad into the mix, and then stir and cook everything together -- and the outcome not only has a terrific protein, fiber, and carb composition (and is both tasty and remarkably filling), but it also looks so colorful (what with the orange, red, and tannish-brown, and the bright red pepper pieces and herb-based green bits from the original wheat berry salad), and the overall dish has a great variety of textures (with some 'chew' from the wheat berries, a 'falls-apart-in-a-second' aspect from the cooked sweet potatoes, some lightly 'smushy' bites from the cooked apple chunks, and the here-and-there bursting sweet chews of the plumped and glistening raisins).


As for snacks, I mix things up... sometimes it's nuts, or hard boiled eggs, or protein-laden quinoa chips, or some chopped fruit mixed in with non-fat cottage cheese, or a KIND bar, or some tuna with chopped celery, or whole grain and high fiber crackers with some reduced fat cheese, or a glass of milk, or some peanut butter, or a bowl of high fiber cereal, or some yogurt, or a high fiber multigrain wrap with some melted cheese and Hormel real bacon pieces (which feels like eating a boffo bacon dessert ), or some high fiber oatmeal with nuts, or... who knows?

All in all, I try to keep enough of various (predominantly ) healthy options (including a variety of fruits and vegetables, high fiber lentil -based soups, and differing protein sources) rotating in and out of the fridge, freezer, and pantry, to allow for an ever-changing variety of what I eat for a meal on any given day. If I had to eat the same breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner every day, it would drive me a bit batty after a while.