A Leftover Kind of Day

The air felt GREAT today! It's currently 67!


Breakfast: Today I tried the Voskos plain Greek yogurt topped with my own honey. I tried a little without honey too (for fairness), and have to say their 0% is better than Oikos in my opinion. Not that I would turn away any Oikos. If you think that, you're mistaken.
I also had PB Puffins, and coffee. There was a grapefruit planned, but it looked old and gray so it went back into the fridge. Not quite a complete breakfast, but I scraped by.

Snack: Clif bar - last of the PB crunch. Not my favorite. In case anyone is wondering, I eat a snack about an hour before I work out. Anything helps with energy levels and performance. I used to be really anti-protein bars, but I've changed my opinion a little.

Lunch: Is anyone surprised that I'm still eating lentil soup? I have about 6 servings left. They're going in the freezer.And a sweet potato that I baked last night.I tried something that I remembered reading on the daily plate. I put honey on it. Just honey. It was good, but maybe too sweet? I like my sweet potatoes with pepper, or if I'm not caring about calories with butter and peppery seasonings.
My lunch always consists of a big gulp of water too. One in the morning, one after working out.Ah!

Snack: apricots, dates and(I ate the rest of the bag and then took a picture)

Dinner: This has turned out to be leftover week. There was some chicken leftover from my roasting project (5 days old is still good, right?), so we made an old favorite Pasta Pesto with Chicken.
I had an olive and sliced bell pepper on the side.
Links of Note:
Beautiful Farmers Market Soups
Probiotics in Yogurt
WIC Expands to Cover Fresh Produce

Lentil Soup Redux

Breakfast: I started with the last of the cantaloupe. It was still fresh and firm. I also had Oikos 0% and Peanut Butter Puffins.

The Oikos I'm a little disappointed in. It's not as thick and mousse-like as Fage. Either I need to upgrade to 2% or stick to Fage when it's on sale. I'm going to try all the brands before I settle on one. The peanut butter puffins were addictive.

This might be my favorite breakfast combination: fruit, yogurt, and granola or cereal. Of course, I also love biscuits, grits and eggs, but I find that a lighter breakfast feels better on my stomach.
Snack: banana and clif bar
I worked out at 11:30. My sciatica was killing me today. Oy vey!

Lunch: a hefty serving of homemade lentil soup. It was even better today. It's such a colorful soup with the corn, tomatoes, carrots, and green onions. The andouille sausage I added was super tasty, and if I make this recipe again I will use a whole link. Unless, of course, I make it for vegetarians.The cheese on top was so good. It was a 6 cheese blend of Mozzarella, romano, fontina, provolone, asiago, and parmesan. I am definitely a delayed gratification eater. I save the best bits for last. This is not always the case, but I usually eat what I like in reverse order. I find it more satisfying.
If I get full before I can eat any more I save it for later. This doesn't happen as often as it did when I was a kid, but it does happen.
I was "known" as a child for refusing dessert just because I was full. I think what helped was my mother would save me a slice of pie or cake for the next day to eat, so I never felt like I was going to miss out, and thus shove unwanted cake in my face when I was in reality full. I had a better understanding of my fullness factor when I was a kid.
Afternoon snack: almonds
Dinner: I remembered the leftover rice, gravy, and roasted vegetables from the other day when I roasted chicken.Still very very tasty. I also ate maybe half a cup of lentil soup.Expect to see another appearance (or two) of the lentil soup.

On Another Note:
Earlier this evening, when I was cleaning the kitchen, I reached into a spoon drawer when something jumped at me! It was a baby anole! Anoles are a type of lizard common in Louisiana and the southeastern states. Here he is in my 1/3 measuring cup, being transported outside. He was almost translucent, with big feet and big brown spots for eyes. I'm used to seeing green, brown, and a rare white anole.He's so tiny!Sweet escape (this was a second before he leaped to freedom).I forgot to add - this was the first day of maybe fall weather we've had this year. It was under 80 degrees with very little humidity! The air was crisp and clear, and almost everyone had a spring in their step. It was exciting - I love fall and will take whatever I get.

Lentil Soup

Today's my day off and I didn't have to work overtime. Yay! So I made plans with my mom to go shopping and I was supposed to get my car inspected, but I slept in and had a leisurely breakfast.

Breakfast was Oikos Nutty granola (no milk) and a quarter of a cantaloupe.
After this I went to my mom's house.
Lunch was late. On Saturday night, my boyfriend and I went to our favorite Greek restaurant. I ordered the vegetarian platter and brought nearly everything home. So for lunch I had a falafel dipped in hummus.
and mujadarrah (didn't eat the grape leaves)
and a banana
Dinner:
Lentil soup from Food Network's Giada de Laurentiis

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
• 11 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

My changes: I added a tiny bit of andouille sausage, an ear of fresh corn, and green onion. Also I used fresh tomatoes because we didn't have any canned, and I omitted the celery for the same reason. Served with cornbread. This recipe makes a huge amount!