The dietetics meeting was just OK and I actually left a little early. It was possibly one of the top three worst walks of my life – 30*, dark, raining, and LONG – back to my car. But I made it and blasted the heat on my wet feet the whole way home.
I cleaned out the fridge tonight and made a “stir-fry” if you want to call it that with beans, veggies, bulgur and plain yogurt. My college roommate is Middle Eastern and she taught me to eat plain yogurt on rice – it’s quite delicious and makes a thick paste that has a great texture. I did the same tonight with bulgur and the veggies.
Here’s 1 cup of frozen okra, 1/3 of a green bell pepper, 1 stalk of celery and about 3/4 a cup of navy beans cooked in 1/2 a tsp of olive oil –
I heated up a half serving of leftover bulgur along with 3.5 oz of plain yogurt in the microwave and combined it all in a bowl topped with a little fresh avocado and some red pepper flakes!
It ended up being a little bland (I was too lazy to think of seasonings) so I added some Cholula hot sauce!
I totally should have skipped the Kashi crackers because I am now STUFFED but they were just what I was craving tonight. I opened a box of the Honey Sesame (even though we have open 7-Grains that I didn’t know about – grr!!). I’ve had these before but always remembered them being very similar to the 7-Grain, but they were REALLY good. Much more “honeyy” than I remembered.
All together with my thaw-out hot tea –
A little higher than usual because I decided to have a full serving of crackers: ~588 kcal, 27 grams fiber (!!), and 25 grams protein.
I’m off to get ready for early morning spinning class. I’ll get to the questions and comments tomorrow when the weekend begins!
Mel #2 says
When you use a new avocado, do you always use the whole thing? I love avocado, but I generally use only a little bit at a time, and sadly the rest gets all brown and mushy! Is there anything I can do to the leftover avocado to preserve it better?
pita chicka says
How can you tell if you have become too obsessed with food?
pinklilly says
Mel #2: I squirt my unused avocados with lemon or lime juice – depending which one I have on hand. It usually gives them an extra 2 days of shelf life. You should try it!
Question for everyone: does anyone have a healthy recipe or suggestion for fish tacos? I want to make them tomorrow night! I’ve googled some recipes but thought I would ask!
Rachel says
Mel #2,
Avocados last for quite awhile if you store them with the pits. Mine always last at least a week and only get a little brown around the outermost edges.
Betsy says
well, it sure looks amazing! too bad it didn’t taste amazing 🙁
Romina says
I love cleaning out the fridge! It’s so much fun to be inventive with whatever you have.
The idea of yogurt on rice is awesome. Before I stopped eating dairy, I’d do it quite often. I wasn’t even sure why, it just tasted so yummy.
caitlin says
hey kath! i was thinking about you and your hubby this AM and I realized I was truly hapy for you guys since he got that job! i know how hard it is to be in the job market right now… UGH! anyways, congrats!
on to food related things… what kind of food scale do you guys have? or can you recommend any good (not really expensive) ones?
Beth Q says
pita chicka – I’m interested in hearing other people’s opinions on your question. But my answer would be when you find yourself getting upset and anxious about what you’re eating. I mean, if you (not you: pita chicka, but the royal ‘you’) find yourself meticulously eating, and then when you slip, becoming inconsolable, I think that would be a strong indication.
an analogy:
I’d tried and failed quiting smoking several times. I stuck to very stringent quitting plans, some more healthful than others. I really, really kicked myself when I failed. I would get depressed, feel bad and smoke, a lot. If I failed once, I’d just go back to smoking like I did before I started to quit. I decided to take a step back, calm down and realize that my quiting is about a life long commitment to my health. I calmed down, I smoked a cigarette or two when I was stressed or drinking. But as time passed, when those triggers showed up, I eventually stopped all together.
Of course, quitting smoking and dieting are different in a lot of ways (and different for each person!). But I think obsession about something – smoking, dieting, exercising, other things – lead to anxiety. How you (again, the royal ‘you’) eat is part of your lifestyle and your lifestyle shouldn’t make you anxious, you should enjoy it!
Kristen says
How do you keep the yogurt from curdling when heated? I’ve read that you have to heat yogurt very slowly and not too hot, so it seems like the microwave would destroy it. But it tasted (blandly) fine?
Kelly T says
i agree with beth q. i think that it is fine to think about/read about/be really interested in food and eating, as long as it is healthy and in a positive way. when these thoughts turn negative, as in making you anxious, self conscious, or resitrictive, thats when it is a problem. or if it interferes with your life.
Mel #2- cristin has a great fish taco recipe on eatlikeme. it looks amazing, its in the recipes section. very healthy too!
Katy says
Pinklilly,
If you go to www.self.com/health/blogs/eatlikeme (it’s the eatlikeme blog!), Cristin has posted a fish taco recipe in her recipe side bar. It’s the second recipe down. She raves about them. I have never tried the recipe because I am not a huge fan of fish. I hope this helps!
ShaeLiz says
pinklilly,
I just tried a fish taco recipe from Ellie Krieger’s new cookbook the other night, and it was great! Basically you marinate any mild flaky white fish (i used tilapia) in olive oil and lime juice, make a simple sauce out of plain yogurt, light mayo and chilis, then serve it all together in healthy tortilla shells with corn and other veggies. you should give it a try!
Ana says
i tried all that calorie counting business for four years and my weight yo-yoed as a result. at my lowest i was 109 and my highest i was 164 (i’m 5″6 and 1/2). then one day i just got fed up (counting was always so exhausting and i actually eat decently and get a good variety). it’s still a pretty fresh change, but i am so much happier just listening to my body. if i am hungry i eat, if i am not, i find something else to do. there’s just so much more out there in the world to experience, and too little time to be spent measuring, looking up, and documenting calories. my body doesn’t forget and i don’t forget what i have eaten that day. i love to workout for the mere pleasure that it brings me in knowing that my body is growing stronger. each time i run a little longer, stretch a little farther, or move up to a higher resistance, i think “wow! look what my body can do! look at what my body and i achieved together.” it took years, tears, and hard work to get where i am now, but i can honestly say i am finally happy. i love my body.
Lauren T. says
Attawaytogo Ana! I became too obsessed with food/calories/exercise my junior year of high school and I was def. never even slightly fat!…I’m currently a junior in college and I’ve certainly had my ups and downs in how I eat and treat my body. My parents’ divorce and various other big stresses in my life last year led to me going back to my extreme ways of eating really well & exercising one day and then the next day I’d have a cookie or treat and use it as an excuse to just go crazy and eat myself out of house and home!! In fact.. that’s exactly what happened to me tonight (booo) and I’m not even sure why…I think it’s just out of habit when I plop in front of the TV…I eat out of boredom!
Anyway I’m totally blabbing, but it seems like a lot of people on this blog struggle with restrictive eating…whereas I struggle with mindless snacking and an almost compulsive overeating at times….this is a sensitive subject to many people but I’d really appreciate if anyone has advice or tips to break this habit! Thanks!
Lol says
Ana- or should I say lolliegirl237?
pinklilly says
Thank you for the fish taco suggestions! Happy Friday!
Sarah says
Yum…I bet that supper would be great with a tomatoey-sauce on top! Maybe a vegetarian style spaghetti sauce?
Sorry you had an awful walk! 🙁 That was me last week, walking through shin-deep puddles in 7 degree weather. I was *miserable*…BUT it makes those warm sunny days of no rain all the more enjoyable. hehe…:)
Have a great weekend, Kath!! 🙂
BerryBlue says
LaurenT – I’ve been there. The TV makes me do the same thing. Actually, one year for Lent I gave up watching TV after work just to do something for Lent but also b/c I realized it was a trigger for overeating for me. The good news is…you know your trigger. Make sure that when you watch TV you’re also doing something else with your hands…filing or painting your nails, folding laundry, drawing, etc. OR don’t eat in front of the TV. Turn on some music and really be mindful of what you’re eating. There’s lots of research out there that links TV and overeating, so you’re not alone! Just try to change those old habits one step at a time. Good luck.
pita chicka says
I agree Lauren! I overeat and snack a lt to. Thanks all for the advice!!
Katie says
Ahh…the inevitable fridge-cleaning stri-fry. This is an accidental staple in our house. I hate shopping for more food when there is some left. And there the stirfry is born. You are much more creative with yours though! Ahh, yes. Yogurt and rice…my dad has this all the time. He makes his own yogurt. It’s really easy. You should try it if you like yogurt a lot. 🙂
kristin point says
Lauren T.- I’m a recovering bulimic who is dealing with the compulsive overeating now that I have given up purging… Let me say it is very hard! A lot of it has to do with IDing why you are bingeing (emotional) and going out of your way to change the situations where you are most prone to bingeing (behavioral).
Example: switch to a diff TV when you want to watch say one far from where you usually eat. For me, I knew I always was eating in the living room in front of the TV bc it was right next to the kitchen or drink tea when you watch TV or something.
Also think about why your eating and if you are really hungry, if not realize that its OK to say “no” to that voracious hunger. Once you start mindlessly snacking you can stop if you say no to yourself and find something better/healthier to do.
Those are just a few tips, I have a million though!
A book that helped me is “it was the food vs me…and I won”. Its by Nancy goodman (I think that’s her name) and its about overeating and bingeing. Its not particularly that well written but it did help me for some reason haha.
Goodluck!
Ashley says
Wow that is such an interesting blend of vegetables but I am glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I love yogurt mixed with couscous and beans. It makes me feel like I am on the greek coast or something its wondeful!
Elizabeth says
Caitlin,
If you look in the FAQs section, there is an answer about food scales and how to select one. Kath and Matt have a Salter food scale, I believe. I just got a food scale at Target…unfortunately I don’t know the brand offhand, but I know it was pretty reasonably priced and it works great!
Hope that helps! 🙂
Kath says
Mel #2,
I think everyone gave good advice for avocados, but I think the bottom line is it might be a little brown, but it still tastes great! Just use what you need, keep the pit in, keep the skin on, and store in the fridge.
Pita Chicka,
I think others gave you good answers on being obsessed with food, but I would say generally speaking you might want to seek some counseling when it interferes with your daily life to the point that you are unhappy.
PinkLilly,
We made fish tacos a while back. Search for them in the yellow search box!
Caitlin,
Thanks for the kind words!! The food scale info is indeed in the FAQs and in my Amazon store 🙂
Kristen,
Actually my yogurt did curdle. I heated it too hot with the bulgur, but I added more. I think the best thing to do is to make sure your dinner is hot so when you add the yogurt it doesn’t cool the whole dish down too much.
Kath
rachel says
hi kath~
i love your blog! i just wanted to share that yogurt and rice is one of my favorite combos. i use a simple recipe from a south indian cookbook i have: mix plain yogurt, rice, minced ginger (i like a lot), and a pinch of salt. it makes a delicious snack or a good side dish for spicy indian food. it’s also great with green peas or chopped cucumbers tossed in. good luck with your classes–i’m working on my master’s in nutrition and i know how tough it can get! 🙂
~rachel