We had dinner at 4:58 tonight – the husband had to leave for class at 5:30 and so we had to eat at 5! We went to my mother in laws and she made the most delicious ratatouille with cheese, almonds and olives.
Here’s a link to the inspiration recipe.
Ratatouille with Feta, Olives, and Almonds
She used much less oil, traded the feta for a sheep’s milk cheese, toasted slivered almonds instead of whole ones, used black olives instead of green, and added sun-dried tomatoes = the secret ingredient that made it fabulous!
There was 1/4 cup of brown rice under my portion!
I also had a piece of the husband’s freshly baked bread (he’s working on new recipes, etc.) with a tsp of Smart Balance
And a generous bite of Pecan Pie for dessert!
I am guessing dinner totaled around 500 kcal.
Afternoon Snack
My lunch held me over well!!! I wasn’t hungry at all during class and didn’t really get hungry until about 3:45. Guess I need to just be more diligent about packing more filling foods (which is hard to do while being transportable) and having time to eat my whole lunch!!
Christy and I got in our 30 minutes of walking, which is always enjoyable 🙂
After class, I stopped at Bi-Lo on my way home (a big Super one in Rock Hill I’d been wanting to check out!) and traded my planned trail mix for a Think Organic bar. I LOVE these because they are so chewy and I take teeny-tiny bites and make it last a long time.
Evening Snack
Since we had a super-early dinner, I had a snack around 8:00 – half a whole wheat pita that I found at Bi-Lo (I’ve never seen this brand, but it’s whole wheat with 140 kcal per pita) with a Light Swiss Laughing Cow cheese and some jam. This snack was so. good. for only about 115 kcal.
And hot tea!
Off to study!!
jenna says
I LOVE this brand of pitas…they are perfect if you heat them for a quick second in the microwave then top them with PB and some jam….they get all hot and chewy and wonderful! I will have to try your laughing cow idea…just bought some and love it!
ps-dinner looked FABULOUS tonight……Might have to make some for myself soon! I’m tired of my own breads though–can I have some of the husband’s?! 😉
Kath says
Hi Jenna,
I liked the pita a lot too!! I’m sorry my regular grocery store doesn’t carry them 🙁 You should try baking one of the husband’s breads – his ciabatta turned out great!
K
bev says
Nice dinner with your family….I love ito cook but really enjoy a great dinner out. Your little snack looked good. We bought the same laughing cows at cosco. So cheap for them and that is the only one they had is light swiss. I haven’t tried the pita, but will look for it.
jessica says
hey kath-
i know yuu hear it alot but i really just want you to know how much i appreciate your blog- i have always loved healthy food and your meals have inspired many new ideas for my own. today i made a quesadilla w/ ww tortilla, yam, black beans, sauteed spinach and asiago cheese- so good and something i never would have thought of before seeing some of your ideas. you are really inspiring to people trying to lose weight or even just be healthy. i love your positive attitude and healthy outlook. everything about the blog is great! please keep up the good work!
Kath says
Jessica,
Thank you so much for your comment! I really, really enjoy hearing positive feedback on the blog. You just reminded me I need to make that quesadilla again soon!
Kath
Heather says
Hi Kath!
I really enjoy reading your blog. I have taken your advice and recently purchased a food scale and a year on Calorie King. Is it possible to enter recipes on calorie king and have it tell you the calories, fat, etc.? I have been searching but cannot find something similar.
Thanks!
Justyna says
Hey Kath!
Love the blog! Ive been wanting to try making Ratatouille ever since I saw the movie! hehe
Just curious- did you actually measure your rice portion at your mother-in-laws? I would feel so weird doing that, so I’m just wondering what her reaction is with it and finding out the ingredients/amounts she used in her meals. Does anyone ever react with suspicion or concern?
Jill says
Kath how do you find all these new products, such as the think organic. Do you spend hours at the grocery? Since your in bed already…….have a good day at school!
B_healthy says
STATS is done!!!!!!! ***aaaahhhh ** sigh of relief…i thought id tell you because i decided to buck up and get to it only after i ate my frittata inspired by yours * i used 1 egg, 2 egg whites, 2 oz ground turkey, 1 oz ground lite sausage, bell peppers and onions.. and threw some black beans on top! Yum!
Emily G. says
It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again:
Thanks for doing this blog and keeping up with your readers comments.. it’s very nice of you and know that it is appreciated!
Keep up the awesome work!
Quick Question: What kind of jam/jelly do you normally by? Do you ever buy those that are reduced sugar or sugar free?
What do you think about sugar-free products by the way?
Thanks
melissa says
Im not sure if you’ve ever tried them before but my favorite pita is hosephs soy protien pita thats only 60 calories for the whole pita! and it tastes really good. You should give it a try sometime and see if you like it
http://www26.netrition.com/josephs_bakery_pita_bread.html
Karen Downing says
Thanks for the Ratatouille link!
Sam says
I have a couple of questions. First, I have been eating the same breakfast everyday for awhile (all bran with skim milk and a banana) is it bad to eat the same breakfast everyday? should I have a variety? My second question is that I am a college student and dinner is all you can eat and I always eat twice as much as I should because I go get more food and also have a big dessert. Do you have any ideas to satisfy myself for wanting something sweet after dinner and not getting more food for my meal as well? I already eat plenty of fruit throughout the day so I don’t really need more after dinner.
katherine says
Sam,
I am sure Kath will have some tips as well, but my plan when i go to a buffet is to make sure the first plate is full of a healthy salad – then scan the rest of the dishes and think about which one you would like to have while you eat your salad and go up and have just what you have decided and nothing more. Then try to have a small amount of dessert – don’t deprive yourself because you’ll just end up eating way more the next time – but start slowly cutting back the portion of dessert until you get to an amount that you still feel satisfied with. Even though you eat plenty of fruit during the day – try to pair fruit with a smaller amount of dessert than you currently have and perhaps that will satisfy your sweet tooth! I hope this helps a little – let me know how it works out – if at all :S
heather says
Hi Kath! I know you’re maintaining your weight now, but I am wondering what your NET was when you were losing and how many kcals you usually burned through exercise. Thanks!!
btw – i made both the pumpkin oatmeal pancakes and the regular oatmeal pancake, and also your oatmeal recipes are sooo good!! I can’t wait to try the tuna/salmon salad. Looks great! Thank you for everything you put into your blog. It is wonderful 🙂
Anonymous says
hi Kath, I was just wondering what time you had had lunch to be able to get hungry for a snack and still eat dinner so early. In general, how soon after a meal do you get hungry again?
Do you think satiety and hunger has anything to do with metabolic rate? (Like if I rarely get hungry, does that mean I have a slow metabolism?)
I’ve also tried the “eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full” thing but that usually means all I’ll eat in a day, esp if I’m busy or stressed, is breakfast and then maybe a snack 7 or 8 hours later which just doesn’t work because my calories are way too low. I have been scheduling my meals and snacks (setting alarms for them even) but it seems like such a non-intuitive way to eat…
Liza says
Hey Kath,
Thanks for the blog! Very informative. I am trying to lose weight but am having a hard time figuring out what my calorie intake should be. I’ve used countless calorie calculators based on body weight, how much weight you want to lose, etc. but somehow the number is always either too high or too low (making me apt to binge on junk). I live a very active college lifestyle, but would like to lose around 50 pounds. You’ve been successful at losing and maintaining your weight so I was hoping you could help me figure out how much to eat! What did you NET when you were trying to lose weight. My stats are 5’4” and 173 pounds (goal weight: 125) Thank you!
Andrea says
Hey Kath and all readers! I have a question on HFCS, (High Fructose Corn Syrup). I know that they are not the heatlhiest for us, but just how bad are they?? I consider myself health concious and a healthy eater but last night I looked on some of the ingredeints in some of the following products and they all have HFCS! I was so upset. Can I continue to eat them in moderation or should I throw it all out? (i hope not!)
– Thomas’s mini whole wheat bagels
– whole wheat flat bread (by the same exact brand as your pits bread Kath!)
– Honey Mustard
– Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain Cinnamon Raisin bread (i eat this only once in a while as a treat in the am…I freeze it)
Any feedback would be great! HFCS is in soooo much!
krissie says
I am so happy I found you!
I look forward to trying the ratatouille and so many other things I know I’ll see here!
I love your pics! So pretty!
Mariposa says
Andrea-
here are a link to an article about HFCS.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fructose-corn-syrup/AN01588
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL
(and for a biased “opinion”) http://www.hfcsfacts.com/
I personally don’t touch the stuff, same thing with MSG (or any form of it…)
When I eat things with HFCS and/or MSG I get headaches, muscle pains… the list goes on, but I know it when i eat it. Some people are less sensitive to these affects but i think it’s better to eat whole fresh foods and avoid all the junk in the system. I’d rather have a tablespoon of brown sugar on my oatmeal than HFCS in my instant oatmeal! 🙂 hope it helps!
Dori says
I believe its your blog where I read about honey crisp apples- are they better than most? I just remember some blog being all excited over them, and I’m guessing it was you ?
Also, you typically eat romaine salads. Do you cut and clean it or buy it pre-washed. How do you store the lettuce- it takes so long to prepare, but I like the taste of fresh better.
Have a good day at school 🙂
Allison says
In this months “Nutrition Action Health Letter” from CSPI, they talk about HFCS and basically say that it isn’t really different than ordinary sugar. “It’s difficult to see how HFCS- which is roughly half fructose and half glucose-coudl be much differnt from oridary table sugar (sucrose), which is quickly broken down in the body into half fructose and half glucose.”..also “And in recent studies, HFCS had the same impact as sugar on blood sugar, insulin, ghrelin (a hormone that stimulated appetite), and leptin (a hormone that curbs appetite). “That’s not to say that HFCS is harmless. Like sugar, it undermines our diets because it supplies empty calories.” Hope that helps.
Kelly L. says
Happy Friday Kath! You are doing a great job keeping up with the blog comments but I anticipate it is going to get increasingly more difficult as more people find your blog and school progresses (both good things).
Anywho, just a suggestion that might be helpful to all readers and to you. Perhaps you could start a FAQ page like you have already but with questions. Lately, you seem to be getting the same ones over and over. Then you can just refer people to that page or not answer the question (assuming that most people look at your whole site). Just a thought! Perhaps you can even add a search function. That would be neat. Have a great day!
Kristin Point says
I have a questions for any readers who have food blogs. I lost the links to all the blogs I usually check because my computer broke 🙁
I was checking out the one with the girl from florida who used to be a personal trainer and the girl who goes to umass. Sorry I’m SO bad with names and I usually identify people by where they’re from haha.
If anyone knows the links to any of these or any new ones I would really appreciate it!
Cara says
What is Bi-lo? A special grocery store?
Anyone have any idea why I do not receive notification of follow-up comments? I have the box checked for it…
Sarah says
Sam,
My freshman year of college I had a meal plan too and it was all you can eat. I don’t know if they do this at your school, but where I go they had a to-go option where you could get a to-go box and fill it then leave. See if they offer that at your school. It’s an easy way to practice portion control, if your not there anymore, you can go back for seconds or thirds….
Kath says
Heather,
You just need to enter the ingredients into a blank day of your journal and then “save as recipe” and record the number of servings. It should be saved in your meals section where you can then drag and drop into your food diary.
Justyna,
Normally I would just eyeball it, but she asked me how much I wanted on my plate and I said “about a quarter cup or so” and she said “I’ll just get out a measuring cup to be safe!” I totally could have eyeballed it, but it was still nice of her to go out of her way 🙂 But when I’m eating with other people or at restaurants I just guess portions. I might be off by tons, but it’s the best one can do!
B_healthy,
Yay for homework being done and a delicious meal!
Emily G,
Thanks!! Right now I have a homemade kind from a farm stand (it’s 25 kcal per tbsp) but I REALLY like Trader Joe’s Raspberry and Polnar All Fruit Raspberry. Low sugar is fine, but I think the “all fruit” kinds taste better.
Melissa,
I haven’t seen those but I’ll look for them. I don’t think any of my grocery stores carry them though.
Sam,
My great aunt ate the same breakfast AND lunch her whole life and lived to be over 100. Thankfully it was a healthy one! While I think you should be sure you are eating a well-balanced breakfast, I don’t see harm in it. I sure eat oatmeal enough! Dr. Oz says he eats steel cut oats every morning too. There are some foods that are just that healthy that eating them every day (namely the superfoods) is probably better than not. Re. dessert, could you try drinking hot tea or brushing your teeth? I used to crave sweets after meals, but once you work on breaking the habit it becomes less necessary. At least try to have a small dessert instead of a big one 🙂 Katherine’s advice is great (thanks Kath II)!
Heather,
Glad you liked the pancakes!! Here’s my response re. NET from yesterday’s comments: I was eating a NET of 1226 during my weight loss. I am not sure if during the past few months of maintenance I have lost, gained or maintained because I do not weigh myself. I think I’ve probably lost a little more but gained a little over the holidays, so I’m even? I continued to eat 1226 into maintenance but am more lenient with portions than before. Now I’ve moved my net up due to my lifestyle changes. The healthier I eat on a regular basis (no slip ups), the more it moves up because I don’t need to “lose” to balance out a gain if there are no gains. But when it all comes down to it, I eat when I’m hungry. HTH.
Re. Early Dinner,
This was a very unusual time for me to eat dinner and I was not really as hungry as normal, but I didn’t have much choice. I ate lunch at noon, snack at 4, dinner at 5-5:30 and a snack at 8.
If the “eat when you’re hungry” thing doesn’t work well for you, then don’t do it. Perhaps you could see an R.D. about ways to keep your body healthy if your hunger cues aren’t the best method? I would guess small meals spread out throughout the day would be the best solution, but that’s just my opinion.
Liza,
Glad you find the blog helpful! If the number is too high or too low, could you try one right smack in the middle? Perhaps you should see an R.D. about the right number for your stats and lifestyle? Unfortunately it’s very difficult to give an opinion without a full evaluation and unfortunately I’m not an R.D. yet!
Andrea,
It is surprising how many foods and brands have HFCS. I avoid it when I can, but I don’t think it’s nearly as detrimental as trans-fats and eat it on occasion. Thanks to Mariposa and Allison for the helpful info! I love the comparison to ordinary sugar (since it’s really just a concentrated syrup version) and that both should be consumed in moderation.
Dori,
Honey crisps are sweet and crunchy – one of my favorite apples. Pink ladies are great too. I usually buy pre-washed bags of lettuce but also clean and chop my own on occasion depending on what’s at the grocery store.
Kelly,
Thanks for the suggestion – I’m working on a solution!
Cara,
Bi-lo is a grocery store. I’m not sure why you’re not being notified. Is it working for anyone else??
Kath