Snack interesting

Hmm, some of the stress is subsiding. Not because I'm less stressed, but because I'm too exhausted to deal with it. Yup. It'll get all ramped up again tomorrow, but after 5pm, the worst of it will be over. I have class from 2pm until 5pm tomorrow. During the day I need to prepare for the mock interviews. After 5, I can go to the gym and work out some of this damned energy.

Anyhow, I did darned good with eating all day...now, I'm craving carbs and hungry. So what am I doing? I'm having a cup of tea and I've cut up 1/2 an apple and a few pieces of cheddar cheese for a snack. A little fiber and a little protein. A little sweet and a little sharp. A yummy and interesting combination!

I don't know about you, but I find it important that my food is interesting in some way. Granted, I don't always make the most interesting or creative meals. And I do eat the same thing quite often. Well, if you're going to eat the same thing over and over and over and ... well, you get the idea. If you're going to eat a lot of the same thing, you had better find it interesting! I mean, look at my salads, they're generally visually appealing, full of color, full of flavor! They say that a variety of color is good nutritionally too...all those bright natural veggie colors have all kinds of good things in them that our bodies need. Vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, all that good stuff! And, it just tastes good.

I don't vary what I eat all that much because I know what I'm getting. I know I like it and I know what's in it. Whether that means ingredients, calories, fiber, fat, sugar, whatever. I know what I'm getting. It's more scientific than I want to get, but I can target a 1200-1500 calorie day that way. Yeah, the cheese tonight is gonna put me over! Actually, the cheese won't be as bad as I think. I sliced up about 2 oz. Add that to 1/2 an apple...

To make sure that it wasn't so bad, I specifically cut up a few pieces of cheese, put them on a plate and had my snack away from the rest of the cheese brick. Did you know that people tend to eat less when they do things like portion out their snacks? Yeah. And, I used a smaller plate so the plate looked full. Little psychological tricks that actually work!

So, if you're like me and have your 'go to' meals, at least make them interesting. And have some approved snacks for when you're hungry and just can't wait. Apples, berries, plain non-fat yogurt, low fat cheese, veggie sticks, hummus, and popcorn (hold the butter!) all make excellent snacks that are within my acceptable range. Lastly, don't forget to portion out your snacks. Maybe you weigh and measure your food, may be you use the plate method for your meals...well, portion your snacks too!

 My cheddar cheese and 1/2 a Pink Lady apple

 Salad and minestrone soup. They ran out of lids, so there's saran wrap over my soup.

 Salad from the cafeteria...I grabbed a little marinated beef for protein...and minestrone soup. Beans and pasta in the soup with a few potatoes, yum!

Granola and berries with an egg. There's sugar in the granola that puts this morning's breakfast over the calorie count that I'd like to have. I've forgotten cereal each time I've been to the grocery this week. This is the closest I was able to come to a whole grain that wasn't oatmeal.