Parmesan Shrimp + Vegetables over Whole Wheat Spaghetti
You can’t go wrong with shrimp stir-fry! We found 2 lb bags of shrimp very cheap a few weeks ago and haven’t remember to use it! Tonight was a simple mixture of 2 oz whole wheat spaghetti, sliced red pepper, broccoli, sugar snap peas, shrimp, and a quick chicken broth and Parmesan cheese sauce (nothing special or fancy there). All topped with a bit more Parmesan and red pepper flakes.
It’s FREEZING here and I had to have hot tea with dinner to try to warm up. Total dinner calories were about 430.
Dessert
It’s WAY too cold for ice cream, although that’s what I wanted. So I settled for room temperature chocolates – one solid dark and one vanilla creme.
Kitchen Table or Library?
I left campus right after lab – about 3:30 with the intention of working here. I like the mentality of working on campus and coming home to a peaceful house, but the truth is that my house
1) Has clean, nice bathrooms
2) Has a fridge and microwave
3) Has no reason to pack up my computer and haul it into the bathroom because I’m afraid someone will steal it.
I do have the distractions of the husband and my computer, but I have the internet on campus too so it’s really not a huge deal. Plus I was much more relaxed knowing I didn’t have to drive home after dark and rush to make dinner (because we could start on it while I was still working at the kitchen table). I probably get a little less done here, but at least I’m happier in general! If my labs end early I can be home by 4 or 4:30 on M and W and by 3:45 on TTH. And 12:30 on Friday!
So I should probably work at home in the afternoons and at Winthrop in the mornings, which makes more sense.
Afternoon Snack
Here’s my afternoon snack when I got home – the remainder of my trail mix I packed this morning and hot chocolate made with about 9 oz of skim milk and 1 heaping tbsp of Nesquik.
Weather
They’re calling for some icy weather here tonight and tomorrow, but I think it’s just going to be freezing cold rain. I’m hoping no ice because I have my first Intro to Dietetics class tomorrow! Snow would be welcome, but not ice. Bleh.
Off to bed!
Karen Downing says
That looks fabulous! Love the look of all the veggies.
Erica says
That dinner looks fabulous, i'm definitely going to try it out!
I was just wondering, is there any reason you don't post your daily calorie intake anymore? Just curious. 🙂
Kath says
Erica,
I knew someone would ask soon 😉 The NET caloric recaps were more for the readers than for me. As you probably have seen, I was/am being accused of being calorie-obsessed, and I have a feeling the recaps were a big contributor to the drama. I don't spend any time counting up my daily calories – my food diary does it for me – but I can see how reporting "I had 1758 calories today!" can seem very specific and obsessive.
While calorie counting is my portion-control method of choice, this blog is intended to be about food, recipes and healthy living, not calorie counting. My reasoning for stopping the recaps is that I feel the emphasis should be more on the calories per meal – what that amount looks like and the recipe information – rather than my caloric intake each day. And I figured if anyone really wanted to know they could just add up the meals and subtract the exercise! Hope you all understand 🙂
Kath
Sam says
Kath, I understand where your coming from but I liked knowing the calorie count of specific meal not necessarily the total calorie count for the whole day. It was helpful because for instance I wanted to know how many calories your snack was etc. but it's up to you and I love your blog either way!
kathleen says
Hi Kath!
I was wondering now that you are walking around campus all day instead of sitting at a desk if you have changed your activity level in your food diary. I'm a student who spends all day trekking back and forth on campus and can never quite decide where to set my activity level. Hopefully you can offer some insight. Good luck in your first Dietetics class tomorrow!
Kath says
Sam,
I will try to post the calories for the snacks – always forget them since they're not a big entree or huge lunch kind of meal. Remind me if I keep forgetting!
Kathleen,
Good question! Yes, I've been adding in at least 30-45 minutes of campus walking to my activity diary because my NET calories are still set for my sedentary desk job. Since I'll be walking at least 30 minutes M-F I might just up my NET by 100-150 instead since I'm on my feet more now. I just haven't had time to think about it!
Kath
Anonymous says
I can totally emphathize with packing everything up JUST to go to the bathroom. Yeah.
That dinner looks delish! Freshly grated parmesan?
Jennifer says
Hi Kath, I just had a quick question about avocados I thought you or another reader could answer. I like to make black beans and rice for a quick, filling dinner and sometimes I like to spice it up with a little guacamole. I know avocados are high in fat (the good kind) but how much should I eat?
Kath says
Anon,
Yup, freshly grated. We have this spinning grater that works like a charm so there's no "washboard" scrubbing involved.
Jennifer,
Avocados are soooo delicious and equally healthy! Here's a link to the World's Healthiest Foods for all the reasons you should eat them: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspic…
I usually have about an ounce at a time – which visually might be about 1/4 a cup or a little less? That's just my preference. I think the portion just depends on what else you're having at the meal, but there's nothing wrong with having a larger serving every now and then.
Kath
Amanda says
Hi Kath: can you recommend a healthy stir fry sauce recipe for chicken? I want to make a veggie and chicken stir fry this weekend, but every recipe I come across seems to include a lot of oil and starches. I just want something simple. Any info would be great. Thanks!
kathryn says
hey wow, you go to Winthrop? I am from the Baltimore area and my sister went to Winthrop for her undergrad degree in History and Political Science.
I am sure many people from your area think of winthrop as a staple school, but up here, it is rare that you hear of anyone that goes there.
It is a beatufiul school and i hope you enjoy your time there.
Mariposa says
Hi Kath,
I really like your blog and the way it is set up, but how do you find the time to do all this stuff for it?
Is it easier than what it looks like?
I work 8-5 everyday, and have a little on at home. I don't cook much because I feel like I have no time too- plus I have bunches of food allergies so instead of cooking some eleborate meal- I would totally settle for tuna on a gluten-free roll and carrots and call that dinner! 🙂
Just wondering if you find that it really is easier to get up so early in the morning, and what time you go to bed at night. I find even when I go to bed at 9 I still sleep until 7 even setting my alarm! How did you "train" yourself to get up earlier?
Sorry this is so long, i just feel like I would have more time to organize my own blog if I got my lazy bum out of bed earlier! And wondering if you felt like this was how you are able to get so much in during the day…
Rummie says
Haha well I can't do your homework for you, but you can email me or call me if you have questions! Taking everything with you to the bathroom was the thing I hated most about grad school. Well that and not being able to self-schedule my exams. Honor codes should be mandatory everywhere 🙂
Becky says
Amanda, usually when I make a stir fry, I make a really easy sauce- I use a can of low sodium chicken or beef broth(depending on the meat in the stir fry) and pour that in when the veggies and meat are almost cooked. I disolve about a tbsp of corn starch(to thicken the mix-I know you didn't want any starches, but a tbsp for a whole pot isn't a lot) in a little soy sauce and water combo, then add that to the mix. I also mix in a little ground giner and viola! a tasty stir fry sauce!
Liz says
For stir frys I use a non-stick skillet, and heat some garlic, ginger and chili flakes. Add your favorite veggies to soften a bit, add soy sauce and broth as needed. You could also use a little bit of hoisen, a little goes a long way. I recently bought some black bean sauce, and I think that'll taste great as a sub for soy sauce. I am going to add crushed peanuts tonight as well. It's hard to mess stir fry up…just add what you like!
texasfoodie says
Kath,
Do you have a lap top lock?
http://www.amazon.com/Notebook-Computer-Keyless-C…
I finished grad school last year and this was great! Especially when the library gets busy and you don't want to lose your spot to go to the bathroom. I would say they are very secure, and it would be pretty obvious if someone was trying to mess with it while you are gone. Just a thought- I always found being at school was much more productive. At home I would try and multi-task (do laundry, wash dishes) during study time, and my study/work time suffered. And, MY "the husband" was very distracting… those boys and the attention they require!
Kath says
Amanda,
When I say "stir-fry" I really just mean cook things in a pan with cooking spray, so it's probably an inaccurate description! If I were to do it the real way, I'd search Cooking Light's site for a recipe. But it sounds like you have two already to try – thanks Becky and Liz for the great recipes!
Kathryn,
It's a small world!
Mariposa,
The blog itself is not a big time consumer – it's the questions and comments that take hours each week to reply to! I can get my posts up in about 20-30 minutes each day, so it's easier than it looks once you get the blog set up. I do love getting up at 5 because I do feel like I accomplish so much – for example on my "snowed in" post I did SO much homework between 5 and 8 that I could have easily slept through, but I'd already gotten 8 hours and didn't need more. Training yourself is just how you would imagine – just set your alarm and get up. I find that it's a lot easier to get out of bed when you have something to look forward to – a cup of hot tea, new blog comments, a fun workout – than the things that you dread doing (going to work!) so I consider 5-8 a.m. "me time" because I enjoy the time much more at the beginning of the day than the end. Hope that makes sense! Oh, and I go to bed around 9 each night to get up at 5. Works for me!
TF,
Thanks for the recommendation! I know what you mean about being more productive at home, but I think overall I'd rather it take me 2 hours to study in a nice, comfortable environment than 1.5 in a cold student union – that is if I have 30 minutes to spare!
Kath
texasfoodie says
kATH-
Don't respond to this, just wanted to say "I getcha", and if I had a house during grad school, I'd probably do the same. Instead, I had a tiny apartment and the architecture library at UT Austin is an amazing old building with wood everywhere and beautiful windows and light- it was quite a peaceful study/work place. The only problem was that since it's such an historic building, you couldn't even have water with you. A definite problem for me – and I always snuck it. And of course my other problem is that I am very distractable (clearly, as I am typing this at work) and the library environment was necessary.
Glad your first week seems to be going so well!