I am in love with this sandwich shop!!! My meal was the freshest, most delicious combination of flavors!!! I will be eating here LOTS more Wednesdays. It certainly does make them much more fun with the looming Chem Lab at 2pm.
Creamy Tomato Soup. I ate every drop – heavy cream and all. This place is known for its soups. Definitely a “worth it” scenario.
And a spinach salad with goat’s cheese, cucs, almonds, carrots with a scoop of homemade black bean hummus. The DRESSING – oh my gosh. Homemade herb vinaigrette. Made with LOTS of rosemary (and lots of EVOO!). It was almost like a rosemary pesto and was by far the best salad dressing I have EVER had!
And CUPPS is 2 for 2 on the best. hummus. ever. This was black bean with a lemon twist. Nice and beany and not too olive oily. I ate half of my portion and am bringing the other half home. I’m guessing I ate about 1/3 a cup and have 1/4 leftover.
All together with a cup of hot jasmine tea and an apple that I brought but didn’t need to eat. The soup came with a bit of toasted tortilla that I dipped in the hummus. I ate about 25% of one of the salad dressings, all of the salad, all of the soup, and half the hummus.
I am estimating this meal at about 550 kcal. ~250 for the creamy soup cup, 130 for 1/3 cup homemade hummus, 60 for the dressing (1.5 tsp olive oil), and about 100 for the rest of the salad (cheese, almonds, veggies) and tortilla bite. Give or take 100 a suppose.
Here’s my atmosphere!
Cozy and sunny –
This lunch was SO satisfying to the palate AND the brain. I am perfectly full too. I can’t wait for next Wednesday already!
I am off to catch up on some work and then to lab. We are not dealing with any chemicals today!!! I think it’s all on lab report writing and getting into groups for the next few lab meetings. Hopefully I’ll get to leave earlier than 4:30 today!
See you guys for dinner 8)
Stacey Derbinshire says
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Stacey Derbinshire
ashley says
hey kath, on situations like these where you are estimating the cal.’s because you ate out do you still try to enter each individual item into calorie king or do you enter it as a customized meal and just put in 550 and your estimations? hope that q? made sense…
Emma says
wow that hummus really does looks spectacular!
i have chem lab tonight too : ( …hopefully it’s short/quick one!
Betsy in Pittsburgh says
I love that mug and soup bowl! My boyfriend and I have been taking pottery classes for about 4 months now, and I love the bowl with the handle! I started using a bowl that I made for oatmeal, and when I take it out of the microwave it is soooo hot! I think a handle would be great.. maybe I’ll try that in class tonight! Someday I plan to have a whole cupboard full of pottery that we’ve made… it’s such a great hobby, I encourage you all to try it! There’s nothing like eating/drinking out of something that started as a lump of dirt in your hands.
Barb says
Hello there Kath (and everyone),
I don’t understand what I am doing wrong…here’s the scoop. I am 5’2 and 25 years old. I weigh 105lbs. You might be thinking that I am underweight with these stats, but I have a big portruding belly that I CAN’T get to flatten!!! I don’t understand what could be going on. I eat healthy portions, stick to mainly protein vs. carbs and workout on the treadmill or elliptical trainer for 45 mins. 5 days per week. I also lift weights for 20 mins. twice per week. Most of the other areas of my body are fairly toned, but the stomach is just not cooperating with everything else. I can’t realistically lose any more weight! At 100 I start to get the light-headed feeling when I workout and obviously that’s not healthy. I am open to any and ALL thoughts/tips/advice. At my witts end!!!
Rose says
Hi! I am a first time poster here and want to say how much I love this blog! I have been getting so many creative ideas for meals, definitely keeping me from getting in a food rut.
I do have a question…Is it possible to drink too much water? I drink a LOT of water. I would guess that I average over 12-8 ounce glasses a day=96 ounces! (including de-caff tea but not including my 1 caff tea a day). I am just always so thirsty! This obviously isn’t a major problem but I would love to know if anyone has any answers. Thanks in advance!
Cara says
Wow I wish I lived closer so i could try!
jenna says
oh my goodness!!! Someday when I come visit I need to eat there! That place has my name all over it. I LOVE tomato soups like that!!! Making my mouth water just looking at the photo!! 🙂
Lindsay says
I love all things involving black beans and black bean hummus just sounds SO good!!!!! I need to find that in the store or try it to make it 🙂 Hope you enjoyed your lunch!
Lesli says
Hello everyone! I posted about a week ago with a question about maintaining my weight loss (thanks for the answer Kath!) but now I have another! It seems this may be harder than losing! I had already planned on the eating less strategy that you already follow Kath, but I guess I have no idea what my calorie needs actually are. But I’m slowly adding more in to see how my body reacts. But todays question is about exercise. Do you add in your exercise calories into your eating calories? For example, today I did the treadmill for 30 mins and the elliptical for 45, and burned, according to the machines minus 100 for error (tomorrow is pay day and I’m buying a heart rate monitor yay!) about 600 calories. My eating plan for today however was only going to total at 1,600 calories today. So technically that puts me below 1,200, but adding in calories is extremely difficult for me. 1,600 is my highest yet actually although I hope to get to 1,800 a day. Ok this is getting long and I think you get my drift. Any suggestions?? By the way your lunch looked amazing!! Thanks for all that you do! It’s so refreshing to have found this community!
Leah says
I made this black bean hummus a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. It makes a HUGE amount, but if you store it in a tightly covered container it lasts a while. Great spread on sandwiches, or as a dip for veggies for a party. I also made some great spinach salads with sweet potatoes and feta cheese, with a big dollop of the hummus in the middle. Super easy and very versatile.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/5237
Lindsey says
Kath,
I think you missed my question (totally understandable considering the 100s of post you get everyday)
When you cook and prep the night before how do you not munch on the stuff you are making. Even if its healthy stuff, such as cutting up veggies. For example, when I cut up fruit, I literally find myself eating half the big bag of grapes. I realize fruit is low cal, but this is after I have eaten dessert and all my cals for the day.
Kiki says
Hi Barb,
Are you sure you are getting enough calories and vitamins? It may seem like a silly question, but malnutrition can cause a protruding belly, refered to as a ‘pot belly’. You could just need to tone the abdominals underneath, or it could be genetics! Make sure when you are doing situps that you are pulling your stomach in and not letting it protrude out because you will “condition” your stomach to be in that form.
Amandamoo says
Rose –
Excessive thirst is a sign of diabetes. If you’re drinking that much water and you still feel thirsty, go get your fasting blood sugar checked as soon as you can to rule that out.
If your levels are normal, have the doc also check your thyroid.
If that’s normal and no other medical problems can be found, perhaps you are just thirsty? Do you lose a lot of water in sweat with long workouts in the heat?
Just a few thoughts…
Ana says
about the “protruding belly”-when i was anorexic, i thought my belly was HUGE! i was obsessed with flattening it and thought it was very unporportional with the rest of my body. When i mentioned it to everyone around me, they said it was all in my mind and that i was too skinny. I refused to believe them however. Now, after several years of recovery, i look back at those pictures and see a practically concave stomach. I’m not saying that you’re anorexic, but diets mess with the chemical compounds in the brain, causing the dieter to have miconceptions about their body. what do your friends and family say when you ask them about your protruding tummy? are you sure it really is or are you just focusing on it too much?
Heather K says
Barb-
Have you lost weight before? Is your stomach on the flabby side? I am the same way all though I am currently losing weight. I lost twenty pounds a few years ago that I never even needed to lose, then gained 40 and am left with a flabby stomach. Everything else on me is pretty toned? I’m thinking the weight gain/loss has something to do with my situation. It is frustrating!
KC says
Rose – it is possible to drink too much water if the water you are drinking is displacing food and therefore displacing nutrients that food provides. As well, if I were you, I would be curious as to WHY I was so thirsty all the time (so as to need so much water) and want to investigate that further. It could be that you are very active, in which case it is understandable, but there are also health conditions that cause increased thirst. As well, just to note, there is no reason NOT to count caffeinated beverages as part of your total fluid intake. You still obtain plenty of fluid from caffeinated beverages (including tea, coffee and cola). They are weak diuretics (very weak if you regularly consume them) and evidence shows that they indeed contribute to overall fluid intake. “Not counting” caffeinated beverages as fluid is one of those urban myths that just won’t die. Another urban myth is that we all NEED 8 glasses of water per day.
Heather K says
Lesli-
Wow! That’s like 1,000 calories NET. This confuses me too how they say you shouldn’t eat less than 1200, but I never know if that means all together or NET. How many calories did you eat during weight loss and how much did you burn through exercise? I am currently trying to figure out a good amount of both for me to lose. So far I have been eating 1800 a day and burning an average 550 five times a week through exercise, which puts me at a net of 1250. The other two days I would net 1800, which I assume is 200 calories below maintenance for me. I have been steadily losing a little more than a pound per week for three weeks, but I’m still confused about what the minimum should be.
Anyone??
Tina says
The weather is beautiful there! I’m so jealous! We’ve talked about moving to warmer climates, but perhaps we will actually move out of Boston. Do you guys get much snow there?
Katherine Sloan says
Kath – just wondering if you have jumped on the scale since you reached your goal weight? I’m sure it is easy to tell by seeing that you fit your jeans properly that you have maintained your weight – but i always have the urge to jump on the scale when there is one around. I don’t own one for this reason – and luckily the yoga studio I go to doesnt have one as i realize it can become obsessive.
Lindsay says
Leah ~ That hummus looks so good, I’m definitely trying that recipe!!!!
JennS says
can someone help? what is the type of spoon called that Kath uses to eat yogurt or ice cream? I have also seen the same spoon on today’s eatlikeme lunch post. anyone?
rhodeygirl says
jennS… it is from Crate & Barrel
I think this might be the exact one, in a different color…
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=752&f=23593&q=spoon&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
Lesli says
Heather K-
I understand! I find all the calorie stuff so confusing! To be honest I just try and listen to my body and eat when I get hungry, but now my body is used to less calories so it’s really difficult to try and add them in. I try adding an extra piece of fruit to each meal and stuff like that but it still doesn’t get me close to the 1900 the calculators all say I should eat!
I don’t think I am very educated to give advice, although I have learned a lot during my weight loss journey, but when I started I ate 1600 in the beginning and probably burned 200 or so through exercise. I lived on DVDs for a few months. But as I lost I had to keep cutting down/upping exercise because I have lost a total of 68lbs. So in these last few months I cycled 1200-1400 calories and exercise off around 300-400, 6 days a week. Todays 600 burn was just me being overzealous because I was out of the gym for a week for a knee injury yuck, no weight gain though! Ah I don’t know how my posts always get so long! But it sounds like what you are doing is working so I would stick with it and if your weight loss slows then you may have to gradually decrease intake/increase exercise? But knowing those exact numbers is so hard and confusing! I guess we just have to listen to our bodies, they know best, right?
Aimee H. says
Kath – just fyi – Ellie Krieger has a recipe for a black bean dip in her new cookbook and it’s really awesome! Not to mention low in calories (97 for 1/4 cup). Even though it’s not “hummus” in the traditional sense, it’s a lovely substitution.
Laura says
I made Ellie Krieger’s sloppy joes last night, from her book “The Food You Crave. They were great! I have practically the whole book marked with sticky notes on recipes I want to try.
Rose says
Thanks everyone Amandamoo and KC! I’ve always been a big water drinker but I have been drinking even more since I started my current job. I am on the phone for hours each day-all that talking leaves my throat dry! I don’t think it is real thirst but I wanted to make sure that the excessive water wasn’t somehow bad for me. I do worry that it displaces food in my diet. Now that I am aware of that I will be more diligent about making sure I get enough to eat throughout the day, especially since that is a concern of mine already.
Thanks again!!
caitlin (in FL) says
rose – i agree with the post about diabetes. i would get your blood test by your doctor!
barb – some people just have a “softer” stomach naturally. i’m 5 ft 4 and 115 and i have a soft stomach that won’t go away no matter what i do… just learn to love it! also, i did think that maybe you are doing your situps in poor form? ive read that poor form can cause your stomach muscles to look convex, not flat.
Ashliqua says
Black bean hummus–wow! I’ve made red pepper hummus and olive hummus at home, but this I have to try! Thanks Leah for posting that recipe 🙂
ashley says
Speaking of “hungry all day” days , I’m having one of those today grrrr…. It’s like 1:30 and i’ve had bkfast,snack,lunch & part of my afternoon snack cuz I was hungry, about 1100 cal total and still im hungry!
goalie30 says
Rose/ Re: drinking too much water
yes, you can indeed drink too much water and this can actually be quite dangerous and even deadly if it causes “hyponatremia”…basically if you drink too much water that it displaces the electrolytes in your blood stream, your sodium levels can go so low that you could cause your heart to have an arrhythmia which could be fatal! I’ve seen runners pass out from it in the middle of a race (they drank way too much water in the 24 hours leading up to the race). Usually beginning symptoms would be fatigue, muscle weakness, and even confusion. It doesn’t sound like you’re drinking so much that you’re causing this condition, but as some of the readers mentioned above, if you’re excessively thirsty to the point that it can’t be quenched all of the time, you should be checked for diabetes and thyroid conditions.
goalie30 says
Barb and Lesli,
Your questions are good, but you both might benefit from the plans and advice of an RD or your Primary Care Provider. 30 minutes of running and 45 minutes of elliptical is verging on the edges of a little extreme while eating low calories. and 5’2″ and 110 pounds is the appropriate weight for someone of that height, in fact Kath is the same height and claims to weigh 10 pounds MORE than this, yet she definitely is toned and lean, so I find it hard to believe that your belly is as bloated as you feel it is. It might be a dysmorphic body disorder that some of the other ladies mentioned, where you see something as distorted but others don’t see it that way.
Aimee H. says
Laura, when I was reading the book and marking recipes, I swear I marked almost all of them.. it’s a great cookbook. =)
Kiala says
I want that soup please.
Gimme.
ashley says
RE: Drinking too much water
I drink like 100 oz a day through tea, water, etc. Is this more than everyone else drinks? I can’t imagine drinking much less…
Ashley H says
I have chem lab tonight too! wow its must be the official chem lab night!!
Laura- I love ellie kreiger’s cookbook she rocks!
Mel says
Kath that looks so good!
I know you love the food channel (me too), this is random, but when do you watch it? Since you and your husband usually eat together and you go to school, clean, etc. when do you have time? Unfortunately, I find the only time I have to watch tv is during meals 🙁
arimcg says
I drink a lot of water too. Probably about 10 pint glasses a day, plus what I drink at the gym. But I think I drink more out of habit than true thirst, if that makes sense. If you’re really feeling abnormally thirsty, see a doctor, but if you just like water, you can’t drink too much.
Also, I know that I’m not abnormally thirsty because there are many times when I don’t have water handy, and I’m not dying over it or anything…
Romina says
Your salad looks like it’s to die for!! Black bean hummus must be amazing, I really must try it.
BethEllis says
Barb,
I’m also 5’2″ and weigh 105lbs. Doctors have always told me that I’m at a good weight, so definitely don’t try to lose. I think you need to clarify if your stomach is just protruding or if you think you have excess fat in that area. That distinction would help determine what you might be able to do in the gym to tone up, etc.
Julia says
Regarding the hungry all day thing- I had one of those yesterday! No matter how much I ate, I was ravenous.
Kath– Is there a way you can create a forum for this blog? The sheer number of comments you get for each post now makes it almost impossible to follow and go through each one.
If we had a forum, questions could be organized by topic and it would be a lot easier on the eyes.
Barb says
Goalie30,
That’s my whole point!!! I saw the picture of what Kath looks like at 120 and 5’2 and she does NOT have a belly at all. It was seeing that picture that prompted me to think about how we can be the same age, height, small frame, etc and my stomach is flabby and hers isn’t. That is why I decided to ask her if she had any clues about what could be some contributors.
Just because I was curious about this does not mean I have a disorder because I do not. Don’t be so quick to place labels on people. I was just curious.
Barb says
BethEllis,
Actually that’s a good point. I definetely have excess fat in the are…portruding was probably the wrong word. I guess what I was trying to figure out how fat can just store itself around the stomach and if there is something other than cardio,weights, healthy eating, etc people do to manage that.
Thanks.
grace says
Barb – I have a soft belly no matter what I weigh, so I can understand your frustration. There has been a lot of recent research that suggests stress leads to the “pot belly.” Maybe try meditation if you are stressed.
Also, I found that yoga and pilates give me a flatter stomach. I’ve also been told that certain tight muscles can pull your body in different directions. Maybe Goalie might know what I’m talking about (either tight hamstrings or tight hip flexors…I can’t remember).
I’ve just come to accept that I’ll never have the athletic abs like Gabby Reece I’ve dreamed of. I think it makes me a look more womanly, though, since I’m not that curvy.
Kristie says
That lunch looks absolutely delicious. Now I really want to try making some black bean hummus. Never heard of that combo before, but what a good and tasty sounding mix!
And I agree with the idea of a forum, I think that would be a great and much more organized way to start a little community of discussion between all of the people who comment here. And it would be a lot of fun! Is anyone tech savvy enough to know how to create one? It’s a really neat idea.
Jessie says
Hey everyone, just wanted to share that there is such a thing as to much water. I live in Lincoln Nebraska and within the last year a local radio show held a contest to see who could drink a gallon of water in a certain amount of time and a middle aged woman with children died from it. Im sure the amount of water needed to die is much higher then what any of you are consuming per day, but it is possible! i have also heard that drinking to much water can dilute the salt in your body, and salt is a necessary mineral. But again, i think these amounts of water would be radical, much higher then what you all are drinking!
P.s. anyone else on here from the midwest?
Julia says
I think its important to keep in mind that two peole of the same weight, height, frame can look TOTALLY different size wise. I have a friend who weighs 10 pounds less than me (same height) and I wear a size 2 or 4 and she wears an 8. I do tons of weights and build muscle so I think that makes a big difference, whereas she doesn’t workout except for just cardio.
Also, some people do tend to have their trouble spots that you just have to learn to deal with…or risk compromising your entire health just to shave a couple pounds off your middle.
Kath says
Ashley,
I estimate each item in CalorieKing. For example, I looked at a number of soup brands and chose a number that seemed to be the average of store-bought and restaurants and the portion I thought I had (about 10-12 oz). For the salad, I entered in goat’s cheese, almonds, etc. Sometimes if I’m having a common dish like eggplant Parmesan that I had a few weeks ago I just entered that in all as one.
Leah,
Thanks for sharing the hummus recipe!
Lindsey ,
I didn’t miss your question – my email alerts are delayed for some reason and it just came through today! I do do some nibbling, but I just try to keep it to one taste (like 2-3 grapes or the core of an apple). And if it’s something calorie-dense like peanut butter I know better than to have generous licks. I always lick my yogurt spoon. But I doubt I’m consuming more than 25-30 kcal extra, which I consider negligible because who can ever be accurate with calories?
Tina,
I think we got 2 days of flurries and 1 of ice?! No snow this year!!
Katherine Sloan
I have weighed myself a few times just our of curiosity. I’m actually quite surprised that I turned out to be a non-weigher because during my weight loss I weighed daily. But one day I just decided I didn’t like being emotionally affected by the number since I was at my goal and put it away. Just because you don’t weigh yourself does NOT mean you’ll gain weight! My scale is quite dusty now!! If you are too tempted, either put it in your attic, a trunk, basement or give it to GoodWill.
Goalie,
Thanks for your response. Barb and Lesli, She said what I would have!
Mel,
Not very often anymore!! We probably watch during breakfast once a week and watch on the weekends sometimes after lunch. Not as much as I’d like!
Re. Forum,
I have no idea is WordPress is capable of having a forum. If someone knows about web design and wants to help me I’m open to it, but I have ZERO web skills on my own 🙁 Sorry guys.
Kath
VeggieGirl says
Oh my goodness Kath, send some of that hummus, please! and some of that great weather you’re having!! :0D
Good luck with chem lab – you know you’ll get through it!! :0)
eliza says
hi Kath,
I was just wondering if you or others had any input on this.
I am in college and try to eat healthy. However, sometimes the cafeteria’s fruit is just gross. The apple’s dont look gross but they have no flavor and then the bananas are always ripe to the point of being nearly completely brown (at what point do those go bad?)…I try to have some canned fruit in my dorm, is that even healthy?? I am too much of a poor college student to afford real stuff, unfortunately. Should I suffer and eat the canned peaches and tasteless apples or what..?? Any suggestions? Should I start drinking juice?
Kath says
Eliza,
Could you buy some fruit to keep in your dorm room? Canned fruit is fine if it’s packed in its own juice. Just be wary of the fruit cups that are in syrups loaded with sugar. But canned is better than none!
Kath
Heather K says
Lesli-
Thanks for the advice. We’ll see how it goes. Congrats on the weight loss though! That’s great! I know what you mean about listening to our bodies. Sometimes I just feel like I need to be in control when losing weight though and am afraid to listen. I hope to be able to some day though and eat intuitively! Good luck!
Christine O'Donnell says
Barb,
my sister had a protruding stomach when she ate foods she wasn’t able to digest. It was because of allergies to wheats, dairy and glutens (all though not celiac). Maybe your sensitive to somethings that are in your diet. Your doctor or specialist should be able to help you. Good luck.
Phoebe says
Hey Rose,
I know a bunch of people answered your question already but I just wanted to say that I also drink A TON of water and some of us just condition ourselves to drink a lot of water. The more water you drink, the more you get thirsty. Like, I probably drink the equivalent of 28 8-oz glasses a day not counting what I drink at the gym (the only downside is having to go to the bathroom all the time, and when I have to go out somewhere on a bus or something I’ll have to deliberately not drink water when I want to). Obviously you’re not drinking like 20 glasses of water at once which is when it can be dangerous. My mom claims it’s “hard on my kidneys” but I asked my doctor about this and she said that kidney problems from drinking too much water only happen to either very elderly or ill people.
Bridget says
Jessie- I’m from the Midwest! I grew up in Bellevue, NE but currently live in St. Louis, MO. Go Huskers 🙂
I was beginning to think I was the only Midwesterner on here…
Amanda M says
Hi Barb,
If you are simply talking about a “softer” stomach as opposed to a really protruding, pregnant-looking belly, I know how you feel! I used to be about 15 lbs thinner (unhealthily) and my stomach still wasn’t “ripped” or “flat” like I had hoped. Now that I am a little heavier/healthier, I am noticing that it is getting better. I also started taking power yoga 2 times a week and find that it has done WONDERS.. not sure if it is all the plank positions, etc. or the stress relief, but I’m feeling great!
Amanda
Sarah C says
Barb (and others with the belly question),
First of all, I want to say that it is definitely Okay to have things that you want to improve upon on your body, and that does not mean there is anything wrong with you!
One thing to keep in mind though, is that as women, we were made to be baby making machines, and that is where fat is needed during pregnancy. So thats why a perfectly healthy woman such as yourself can have toned arms and legs but carry excess fat around your mid section, because thats where your body wants it to go.
With that being said, cardio is what will burn fat, but its all about intensity levels. To burn stored fat you need to exercise in a target heart rate zone of 55-65%, which for a 25 year old woman would be about 107 to 127. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you can do a heart rate check on yourself by counting your pulse for six seconds then multiplying by ten. Try adding/subbing some of these low intensity workouts. Also, core stabilizing exercises will firm up the muscles underneath. Try, in addition to crunches, planks and other isolation exercises.
Kath says
SarahC,
Thanks for your response…
Barb,
My stomach definitely has fat on it, especially when I sit hunched over. I expect it will always be there and it doesn’t bother me much because I think we ALL have some womanly fat there for a good reason. And because I know I’m doing the best I can to be healthy.
Kath
Susa says
Re. stomach fat: Once a woman has visible abs, her bf% is waaay low. I believe you’d need to be below 15% if I am not mistaken-and a healthy % would be around 21%.
Keep moving, stay healthy and enjoy life. If it’s a constant dieting struggle there’s not much fun in life. :O)