Let’s Look

Hello! It’s already the second Wednesday of the month which means Shay and Erika are hosting Let’s Look.

In January we looked at:

• How you organize for the new year

This month’s topic is: What you eat in a week.

A few things:

I typically incorporate Intermittent Fasting into my routine. That means, I just drink my coffee (with a splash of creamer or a Mini Moo) and then don’t break my fast until lunchtime. I’ve done this pretty consistently for about four years.

I always pack my lunch for school. Always. In twenty years of teaching, I’ve only purchased school lunch when they are serving the Thanksgiving meal. That’s it. To be honest, sometimes I hate packing my lunch, but I know it’s the healthier option and the quickest considering how short lunch is for teachers! I try to make a lunch on Sunday that I can get a couple days out of during the week as well.

I also typically have an afternoon snack whether it’s a protein shake, popcorn, or something else pretty simple. Sometimes, I will have another quick snack (like a smoothie, a few pretzels, etc.) when I get home if I know dinner will be late.

I make dinner at home Sunday-Thursday. I try really hard to make at least two dinners that will provide leftovers. I almost always make something Sunday that can roll into Monday because Mondays are our busiest nights and Mondays are just Mondays sometimes too!

Lastly, I usually do have some kind of sweet treat after dinner. Typically, that will be a cookie, or 70 calorie brownie, or a Built bar.

What I Eat in a Week:

I planned ahead and tried to track what I ate last week. I will say the beginning of the week seems like light eating for me. haha. Monday-Wednesday last week was when I worked late at school and was very busy during the school day. On Monday, I didn’t eat lunch until 3:00, so I feel like the first few days of the week weren’t super typical. Also, we ended up more leftovers than normal (even from takeout), so I ended up repeating some meals for lunch and other dinners.

Also, I didn’t track breakfast because that’s always just coffee with some creamer.

Monday:

Lunch: I made Amy’s Greek bowls and some strawberries.

Snack: Protein shake…this is one of my faves.

Dinner: I had Shay’s Turkey Tortilla Soup waiting for us in the slow cooker when I got home at 7:00.

Dessert: a Fiber One brownie.

Tuesday:

Lunch: same as Monday (Greek bowls) + green grapes

Snack: Skinny Pop

Dinner: leftover soup from Monday

Dessert: about 10 hershey kisses! 😑

Wednesday:

Lunch: Turkey Tortilla Soup (not sure why we had so much left!) and green grapes

Snack: PB & J smoothie

Dinner: Baked chicken, bagged Caesar salad, fruit

Dessert: a Mint Brownie Built Bar Bite (try saying that ten times fast!). I’m new to trying these, but I like them.

Thursday:

Lunch: We were home due to weather, so I had time to make chicken quesadillas for myself and the kids. I also had an apple.

Snack: mini peppers and TJ Buffalo chicken dip (one of my faves!) and then pretzels later.

Dinner: Since it was a cold rainy / snow day, we had brinner which hit the spot! I had strawberries and turkey sausage with my pancakes.

Dessert: I had a glass of red wine while watching Ozark with Travis.

Friday:

Lunch: Again, we were home due to the weather (Travis too), so I made a “Valentine’s Day” lunch.

Snack: veggie, pretzels and hummus

Dinner:

Travis and I had reservations at Bella Cafe for an early Valentine’s Day dinner. I ordered the chicken which came with Brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. I took home half of the whole meal.

Dessert: We stopped at a favorite place for a glass of wine before heading home.

Saturday:

Breakfast: Proud of myself for saying no to the donuts Travis picked up.

Lunch: I had leftover baked chicken from Wednesday night, an apple, and some Lays potato chips.

Dinner: We had dinner out again with some of Trav’s co-workers and clients. I got the steak medallions, roasted potatoes, and broccoli.

Dessert: two Girl Scout cookies (ugh! but yum!)

Sunday:

Lunch: tortilla wrap with turkey, cheese, veggies, & mustard, an apple, and some pretzels. (I also went ahead and made a couple of wraps to take to school Monday and Tuesday.)

Dinner:

I actually didn’t cook because we were busy and everyone wanted random things. I ended up finishing up my chicken from Friday night, making a quick salad of arugula, feta, salt/pepper, and a squeeze of lemon, and some strawberries.

Dessert: I had made Shay‘s Valentine’s Chex Treats, so I enjoyed one of those for dessert.

So, that’s what I eat in a week! While we usually get take out or go out on Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s unusual that I went to two nice restaurants in one week. I think I made good meal choices, but I also had a bit more wine than usual given the eating out, Valentine’s Day celebration, and I love a snowy evening with a glass of red wine.

What’s one of your favorite “go to” recipes for lunch or dinner? I’d love to add to my rotation!

Thanks so much for reading,