As you guys know, I don’t normally share recaps of full days of my meals here on the blog. I know that what works for me might not work for someone else – plus, I like to mix up my posts too much and only share some of the most interesting of the eats I’ve had lately. That said, I was tagged by Danielle last week to do a “What I Ate Wednesday” post as part of a special Registered Dietitian edition to the series, so I thought it would be fun to play along!
I’ll pepper my day of meals with some thoughts on why I’m eating what I do, but before I get into my food, just a reminder again that what works for me for and my activity level may or may not be what works for you. Please don’t take this post as a “this is what an RD eats so it’s what I should eat, too.” That’s not my intention here at all – everyone is different and should focus on what makes them feel great. 🙂
So without further ado, here’s a full day of eats! This is what I ate on Monday. Not Wednesday… I know, I’m such a rebel. It’s just the day I remembered to photograph everything. 😉
Breakfast ~8 a.m.
I’m super boring with weekday breakfasts and usually have one of two things – my Flour Free Breakfast Pancake or Perfect Microwave Banana Oatmeal topped with cottage cheese, nuts, and berries. On Monday it was all about the pancake, topped with some blueberries! I love both of these breakfasts because they are chock full of protein and healthy fat so they keep me full for more than two minutes.
Plus a latte, made using our Nespresso espresso machine that we got for our wedding and was among the greatest gifts ever. I use 2% or whole milk in my lattes – whatever we have on hand – and add cinnamon for a little flavor/sweetness without sugar.
Just fyi: I didn’t exercise on Monday morning – on mornings I work out, I eat a piece of Ezekiel cinnamon raisin toast with some nut butter and jelly before heading out the door super early (sometimes I have the whole piece, sometimes just a few bites – I go by how I feel), and then have a later breakfast (~8:30 or 9 a.m.).
Morning Snack ~11 a.m.
I spent the morning putting up a blog post and catching up on emails, then grabbed a snack late morning before hopping on a few AnneTheRD client calls. It’s important to not wait until you get over hungry to eat – I rarely go all the way from breakfast to lunch without a little snack, unless I’m having an early lunch. That said, listen to your body! Some days you might need a snack and others you might not. You won’t always be the same amount of hungry every day, and that’s okay.
My snack was a peanut butter/dried cherry/coconut/oat ball that Matt threw together for us over the weekend. I love these things – don’t bother measuring, just throw the ingredients in a bowl and mush it all together! I’ve made them with all sorts of other variations on the nut butter and fruit, too. So good! And filling, too, thanks to the healthy fat from the PB.
Lunch ~1 p.m.
For lunches, you guys know I’m a huge fan of big veggie/grain/bean salad type creations. I don’t usually like meat for lunch since it feels heavy to me (again: to each their own!), but sometimes I’ll have tuna on top of the salad instead of beans, and I always mix up the veggies/grains/beans/salad greens I’m using too to keep it fun.
On Monday, I had a base of baby spinach and mixed greens, topped with some leftover quinoa salad, chopped green pepper, kidney beans, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette (olive oil + balsamic vinegar + lemon juice + dijon mustard). So good and satisfying from all the flavors! I also threw some salt, pepper, and dried dill on top and snacked on some unpictured carrots while I threw this together!
I have been really working on slowing down and giving myself a real break during lunch time as I got into the bad habit this spring of eating at my computer. So, this lunch was enjoyed outside on our porch! I suggest you guys give yourself a real lunch break, too, even if it’s just 20 minutes like this was. You will notice you’ll feel more satisfied after eating since you’re actually paying attention to the meal, and you will be more likely to stop when you’re full vs. when all the food is gone. I feel like there is such a tendency to just finish off your plate even if you don’t want it (especially if there’s only a little left) – but there’s no need to do that! I made it to this point in the meal and was done and satisfied, so I threw the remaining leftovers into a little baggie since I hate wasting food. They went on Tuesday’s lunch salad!
Mid-Afternoon Snack ~3:30 p.m.
I usually have at least one afternoon snack, sometimes two if we eat a late dinner. I feel best when I don’t have huge meals and graze a fair amount, making sure to have lots of healthy fat all day for satiety. Again, don’t wait until you are starved to eat!
On Monday I broke from my afternoon computer work and client calls to snack on these awesome Blue Diamond crackers and Whole Foods guac, which I’m OBSESSED with. It’s so good. Freshly made in house FTW.
Plus some farmer’s market strawberries and unpictured green tea, which I turned into iced tea by throwing some ice cubes into it. Yummm!
Dinner ~6:45 p.m.
Usually I have another afternoon snack around 5 because Matt and I tend to eat late dinners (most often around 8 at the earliest since we both work late), but I ate earlier this night because I was going with Matt to his soccer game downtown!
Baked chicken + 90 second brown rice + a really good red pepper and pineapple salsa. To make it, just mix about 3 parts diced red pepper to 1 part diced pineapple, then squirt some lime juice over it all and toss in some garlic salt, cracked pepper, and fresh cilantro. It was SO good!
Evening snack ~10:30 p.m.
Matt and I got back late from his soccer game so I was hungry again! I don’t like going to bed super hungry, so I ate an almond coconut KIND bar before heading to bed. Did the trick! If you want other portable snack bar ideas, btw, other ones I like are Larabars (regular and ALT – loving their PB ALT bar lately), Clif Kit’s Organic Fruit & Nut Bars (like Larabars but with more texture – if you think Larabars are too mushy try these!) and Nouri Bars. Why do I like these in particular? Because they are REAL food bars – no super long ingredient lists or weird chemical additives – and because they all contain a nice mix of carbs and healthy fat, plus a little protein. Satiety win!
So there you have it! A full day of eats. If you’re interested to see more, I did actually document 3 full days of meals (including nutritional stats) here on the blog back in 2010 when I had to do it for a school project. My meals haven’t changed TOO much since then, though in general I eat more healthy fat nowadays and a lot less sandwiches ever since I discovered I enjoy my huge salad/grain/bean situation way more at lunchtime. I also eat meat at dinnertime more often than I used to – partly due to living with Matt and partly because I crave it more when my running mileage is high, like it has been the past few years! I’ll close by saying that in case you are worried I only eat healthy food, this was last night’s dinner. Everything in moderation, friends. 🙂 When it’s worth it, don’t be scared to indulge – there is no reason to feel guilty! Just make sure you stay mindful, really enjoy the meal, and stop as you are getting full, not once you are stuffed.
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This blog post is a part of a ‘dietitian tag’ to see what other registered dietitians from around the world really eat! Share your posts using #WIAWRD and if you are an RD and have posted your own What I Ate Wednesday, please share a link to it in the comments below so we can see your eats, too! 🙂
And now, to continue the fun by tagging some fellow dietitians to share their own WIAW posts next week! I’m tagging Lindsay, Heather, and Jackie. 🙂 Can’t wait to see what you ladies are noshing on next week!
