…lunch on campus. Nothing exciting here! But I did realize we only have THREE weeks of class left. WOO HOO!! This semester has been tough with 6 courses and 2 labs. While my courses will get harder as I progress into upper level nutrition classes, I should never have this many at once, so I’m looking forward to the Fall! And I don’t think I’ll ever have 2 labs again. That has been the worst part!
But first I have to get through summer school. I have 2 months of evening chemistry (no dinners at home!), and 5 weeks of that is 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. class with only a 3 hour break that has to include an hour of driving and dinner! I’m going to go nuts during those 5 weeks. One thing’s for sure – I have to be SUPER organized on the weekends with my meals since I’ll need packed lunches and dinners 4 days a week. That will be a good time to read the blog for on-the-go suggestions!
So on to today’s lunch…
I picked up some more of the Food For Life Sprouted Wheat Buns that I liked so much last week. Today’s was packed with turkey breast, cheddar cheese, spinach, jalapeño and mustard. I actually tasted the cheese today!
Mango!
PB + Celery (c’mon – you know you miss the zucchini!)
Baby Pickles for more crunch –
And Fage <3
All together (with hot tea), this was about 520 kcal, 9 grams fiber and 34 grams protein.
I’m off to study for lab, then go to lab, then home to study Chem and make a Mexican dinner!
BethT says
I feel your pain. When I was in grad school I went to campus 3 days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 🙁 Gets hard sometimes – not only for the stress, but also having to CARRY all of that! I am sure you will get creative with it.
Leng says
I’m contemplating on loading up on summer classes that require me to not have dinner at home as well. The thought of having dinner 5 days a week away from home doesn’t sound too pleasant. argh!
I like it how you’re super organized, so I’m sure you’ll do great regardless if dinner is at home or in the car. I hope some of your “organized-ness” rubs off on me. hehe 😀
See you at dinner!
Cara says
Oh man you remind me of myself when I was in college. Right now I pack 2 meals for work though, breakfast and lunch. I have to say I will love the posts for the on the go suggestions!
polly says
Hi Kath! I love the zucchini idea for almond butter! You are so creative, I love it. I tried the butternut squash fries today for lunch with hubby. They rocked! You can see pics on my blog. You get the credit for that one. I had never eated butternut squash before today! Thanks.
Susan says
Anyone know how to do you all search on eat like me’s blog?
NC (need to change my name) says
I think it’s incredible you manage to get in all your food groups in ONE meal.
wow that summer schedule sounds killer… but I’ve taken o-chem during summer school, and I have to say I thought it was a lot easier than it would have been during the academic semester (in some ways) because having class every day made me have to stay on top of the work, and because you aren’t taking 5 million other courses, you can really buckle down and focus. also, often times labs are run a lot more efficiently, which means getting out early!
Ashley says
Hey Kathy!! I hope you and the hubby had a great weekend. Bo and I have LOVED all your suggestions and dinner ideas. He is even buying a digital food scale this afternoon on his way home! Speaking of scales, how many oz. of meat do you have at lunch and dinner normally? Today I made a salad and topped it with leftover boneless skinless chicken thigh meat that we grilled last night. How many oz. should I have at lunch and at dinner? Thanks!!
melissa says
how completely weird–we’re having almost the same lunch! sprouted wheat bun with turkey, mustard, spinach and tomatoes with cantalope and yogurt over here. We’re lunch sisters.
my partner and i work opposite hours (me day, him night) and he has a daytime substitute teaching job, too, so we have to be super organized with our food ALL THE TIME. If you need any tips, please don’t hesitate to email.
BethEllis says
Hi Kath,
After seeing wheat berry on your blog, I decided to try some off of the Whole Foods prepared foods bar. I really enjoyed it a lot, but am just wondering what the nutritional nalue of it is. It’s a food that I rarely hear about.
Suzanne says
Don’t worry, Kath –
us readers will all be here to support you during those 5 difficult weeks. And we will definitely appreciate all of the on-the-go ideas you will have created. 😉
I just had one of your sandwich ideas for lunch today: cucumber+spinach+laughing cow cheese+mustard on a wheat bun. I didn’t put the avocado, because I wasn’t really sure how to store the leftovers.
After I cut and use avocado, how do I store the leftover? In the fridge wrapped in saran wrap? I heard it tends to turn brown. And how long will it last for?
And the wheat bun I used was from my local grocery store and was hard as a rock. My jaws got a good workout. 🙂
Your Food for Life ones seem yummy – where did you get them?
Thanks!
rhodeygirl says
I never realized until today that I officially eat 75% of my food at the office!
breakfast at 7:30 (I start work at 7)
lunch at noon
snack at 3 pm
then leave around 5/6/630 and eat a light dinner at home.
weird to think about it that way!
Jennifer says
Kath do you mean you won’t be home for any dinners M-F during your summer school?
Wow now that will take some creativity not to get bored. 🙂
Your sandwich looks so delicious today!
Another Kelly says
I noticed you went to Sonoma for your honeymoon. Any recommendations? My BF and I are going in early September for 9 days (part of the time will most likely be spent in San Fransisco) and trying to get suggestions. 🙂
Hannah says
I love frozen mango, but anytime I buy a fresh one it just doesn’t seem to taste right.
I feel you pain regarding the summer classes. I have to take 4 over the summer, which means driving half an hour away in my car (with no AC) while its 120 degrees out…And then I only have a couple weeks off before starting my fall semester, taking 21 credits and interning….
stress……
Betsy says
wow-i guess i’m really bad at addition and didn’t realize you’re taking 6 classes w/ 2 labs!!! i once had a semester w/ 3 labs and i was ready to shoot myself. sooo awful. hopefully it will ease up next fall!
ChocolateCoveredVegan says
Did you know your meal matches? Even the spoon is green :o)
tiedtogetherwithasmile says
I did not realize that your schedule was so full this semester, I hope things start to slow down for you soon. It will also help as you get into classes that are closely related to what you want to do in the end instead of pre-requisites. I’m excited to see how you keep your summer meals fun and exciting!
Ally says
Three weeks? Thats so soon! I’m not done until late May but I’ve already started a countdown!
Those buns are looking really great, did you get them at Earth Fare?
Lauren says
any of you out there that have overcome an addiction to diet sodas or sodas in general?? if so i could really use some suggestions…every time i try to break the habit i get right back to them after not much time!
i would at least like to cut back on quantity at first haha it’s not the caffiene addiction that’s my problem…i think i just love that fizzy soda taste 🙁
Susan says
Kath,
I would love to learn more about wines. How do you learn about wine tastings? I tried googling it in, but I have no idea which ones are good and legit (They is so much weird stuff on line these days!)
Susan says
And congrats on almost being done with this semester! I didn’t realize you were taking so many classes- super woman!
Amandamoo says
You are a rockstar.
period.
Stacy says
Lauren, I used to be the person who drank a Pepsi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (this was in college), and sometimes additional Pepsi’s throughout the day. I went cold turkey to quit and went straight to only water. It was very difficult at first, but the 4 pounds I lost in the first week of being pop free was motivation. Now it’s been almost 6 years since I quit and I can have an occasional soft drink with dinner if I’m out, but I drink 95% water and don’t miss it. I did however go completely cold turkey for about 6 months until that urge was gone.
Patricia says
I’m looking forward to seeing all of the on-the-go meal options. Next semester I’ll have night classes three nights a week, so I have to become a master at packing dinners!!
Have a good week. 🙂
NCCarter says
NYC girls – my husband and I are going to be in the city the first weekend of May and pretty much have an unlimited budget for food and entertainment (thanks to this being an award trip from his company). What’s everyone’s fave NYC eatery when cost isn’t an issue (and it doesn’t have to be super-healthy). We’re going to Mesa Grill one night. Need 2 other nights to fill. Also, going to lunch at Norma’s on Sunday. I was thinking about trying to get into Babbo one night, but can’t decide for certain. We like most all cuisines.
Also, we’re seeing Wicked that Thursday night at 8pm. Any ideas for a good pre-show meal?
BethT says
AnotherKelly re: Sonoma and SF:
I live in SF and Kath suggested some great wineries to me (which I’m sure she’ll share with you too!). Some of the ones we liked best were Mayo Family, Ledson, Cline and Rodney Strong. When you get in to the area you can get a free map and see all there is to offer – Sonoma is a compact area so you can definitely get around to TONS of wineries. I also recommend hanging out in downtown Sonoma – totally charming, a nice small town with a town square.
If you also want ideas for hanging out in SF let me know where you will be staying!
BethT says
NCCarter: My all time favorite NYC restaurants are Rosa Mexicano (upscale Mexican – the location at Lincoln Center is BEAUTIFUL) and Alice’s Tea Cup (better for lunch or brunch, but it is an ADORABLE little place with tea and fun foods you would find at tea time). I ALWAYS try to go to these places when I am in the city.
Kiala says
Oh crap. I just realized I forgot to get yogurt at Whole Foods.
Meh.
Cat says
Lauren,
I used to be VERY addicted to diet sodas, but soon started to dislike the taste of artificial sweeteners. Drinking diet sodas actually made me want to eat more, even after I had eaten a well-balanced, filling meal. One day I decided I would just quit to see if I could do it, and I replaced the soda with water. The water actually made me feel so much better, and diet sodas have such a weird taste to me now.
Just try cutting back as an experiement at first and replace it with carbonated water or something natural, and see what happens… You might find you actually like the way you feel so much better without the soda. But if you want a diet soda every now and then, just have one. It’s no biggie :o)
Nick says
Nice packed little lunch, although I still don’t know where you find the time to post all this! By the way, honey mustard > regular mustard, but jalapenos are a nice touch.
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Kate(the teenager) says
is that frozen and thawed mango?? If so, does your mango always have really bad freezer burn?? Mine does!! and I get Europe’s Best!!
Hannah says
NCCarter-
I was in NYC about 5 years ago and went to a place called OLA (of Latin America?) It was amazing.
rhodeygirl says
Lauren-
I drink Polar seltzer water in the cans all the time- i have one every single day at lunchtime… and I haven’t had a diet soda since I started that…
the one thing that irks me is that when i go out to eat the sparkling water is always so much more $$ than soda!
Also, like Cat, I noticed that once I stopped drinking soda I started eating less. coincidence, I think not!
also P.S. Kath I feel so bad that you won’t be able to eat your dinners at home… you have such a beautiful patio and table settings and candles and just general ambiance, never mind your cooking! luckily it will fly by since you’ll be soooo busy!
Nadia says
Well it completely depends on what you are in the mood for…my ex loved going out to expensive high-end restaurants in Manhattan (ofcourse was a plus for me lol). For steak he swore by Sparks Steakhouse and Smith and Wollensky both of which were pretty expensive but had superb vegetarian options also (oh and really good wine). One of my favorite restaurants hands down is “Nobu”. Def. recommend that place if you like seafood and it actually surpassed my expectations. You would need to make reservations well in advance though. My top picks for best brunch places (I go out to brunch every Sunday): “202”; 212 at Nicole Farhi and Balthazar. I’ve been to Mesa Grill and thought it def. lived up to the hype. Oh and Brasserie 44 is another really good one lol…
Kim says
Hi,
I’ve never commented before (I guess I’m a lurker- I have been reading this and Jeanna’s blog for a couple of months after hearing about them from Cristin’s blog) and I have to add a recommendation for a winery in Sonoma–Viansa is amazing! It’s definitely my favorite of the wineries in Sonoma, and they have a great deli where you can customize a fresh and healthy lunch. I was just in Sonoma this past Saturday and went to 5 wineries, Viansa, Glorria Ferrer (mostly champagne and rather than tastings you have to buy by the glass-not my fav.), Ravens Wood (another one I recommend, it’s a little more pricey at $10 per person but you get to keep the glass and they don’t keep track of the number of wines you taste), Barthalomew Park (kind of boring but 6 tastings for $5) and another that I can’t remember so it must not have been that great. Buena Vista is also a good one to visit if you like Chardonnays but not so great if you prefer sweeter wines like me. Sonoma is cute but if you really want some serious wine tasting I’d head to Napa, there are more to chose from.
I’m from northern CA and I lived in SF for 4 years during my first undergrad. I can’t say I have a lot to recommend as far as SF is concerned because it’s not my favorite place in the world (which is why I moved up near Sacramento after graduating) but Golden Gate park is a great place to walk around and visit museums and Fisherman’s Warf is a must for tourists. Alcatraz may be interesting if you want to tour an old prison but I have never done that so I can’t really recommend it. Also, the Haight-Ashbury district may be fun to walk around in, but be careful and hold on to your purse! Hope this helps.
Anyway, hi everyone! I’m actually finishing my last semester of dietetics (second bachelor’s) and am anxiously waiting to hear where I’ll be doing my dietetic internship next year (less than 2 weeks to go). Good luck for anyone else who’s waiting!
christine says
kath
I love reading your blog and seeing your yummy foods. You are so creative and have cool dishes to use. Is that green spoon ceramic? Ilove that one.
Susan says
Sorry, forget to ask, how much do wine tastings usually cost- i have no idea what to expect.
Lucy says
Hey Kim, I saw that you finished 4 years of undergrad in the bay area. Which school did you go to? =) I’m asking because I spent 4 undergrad years in the area myself.
Romina says
Ouch, summer school, you poor thing!!
becks says
NCCarter:
I live in Manhattan. Nobu is a definite must. Also Porterhouse in the Time Warner Center is great, and so is Landmarc. Mesa Grill I didn’t love at all, actually. Overrated. Not as pricey but Citrus on the upper west side is GREAT. Blue Water grill in Union Square is a great place for fish. If you want to try pricey but all raw/vegan (and GOOD) try Pure Food and Wine also by Union Square. Tao is great. Let’s see what else…for sushi besides Nobu I SWEAR by Amber, also on the upper west (where I live). A GREAT wine/tapas bar is Kashkaval, little hole in the wall in midtown west.
Depends what you’re looking for!
Suzanne says
Lauren –
I used to drink Diet Coke almost everyday. I loved soda my whole life but when I wanted to lose a few pounds in college, I switched to Diet because it had no calories. Every time I ate out, I’d a Diet Coke.
I just ‘quit’ a few weeks ago. Well, I’m weening myself off. There’s still usually one small bottle of Diet Coke in my fridge.
It’s weird though…when I drink a Diet Coke, I feel relief like people do when they drink a cold beer. haha…..I must really be addicted.
So, I am trying to switch over to sparkling water/seltzer. I have always hated it, because to me it tastes ‘salty.’ But, I want to be healthy so I am giving it a try. I found some really cool flavors at Whole Foods by the brand 365. I think I have the lemon grapefruit strawberry flavor.
But I’m sure you can find a whole bunch in any grocery store. Poland Springs makes some: lemon, lime, and mandarin orange.
I’m still not 100% switched over yet though. I still reach for the Diet Coke in the fridge sometimes instead of the sparkling water. Sometimes the sparkling water just doesn’t hit the spot. But that’s the hard part of changing bad habits: you have to CHANGE the bad habits. 😉
Good luck! 🙂
BethT says
Susan – wine tastings can run anywhere from free, to $5 per person, to $15 or $20 per person. It all depends on the amount they serve you and the “quality” (perceived or otherwise!) of the wine.
kay says
That sounds like a tough schedule!! Did you ever consider moving closer to school?
Nadia says
Oh oops…forgot to say the above comment was for NCCarter
Kim says
Lucy, I went to USF (University of San Francisco) from 2000-2004. I majored in biology/minored in chemistry so I basically didn’t see much of SF during that time–I lived in the lab and library, yuck! (So Kath, I feel your pain about labs, they suck! Things get much more interesting once you get further along in food science and nutrition though). I grew up in the east bay though and also took some classes at Chabot Community College and SF State… and UC Davis and Sacramento State…. can you tell I’ve practically become a professional student? haha… so glad to see an end in sight! What school did you do your undergrad at Lucy?
melissa says
NCCarter: you have to go to La Dolce Vita. It’s South of Houston (SoHo) on Spring Street between Sullivan St & Thompson St, right near the C and E lines. It’s not a “we have tons of money to spare” type of place … it’s just hands down the best Italian food I’ve had outside of Italy. It’s a short walk from Chinatown, and there are lots of open air markets down that way. It’s a nice place to spend an evening/afternoon.
Lucy says
Kim, wow, that’s a lot of schooling for you! Glad you are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I spent 4 years at Berkeley, graduated in 2002, and now I am in the South Bay. I used to go to the city on the weekends a lot when I was an undergrad, but now I love the calmness of suburbia! I was curious because I am always looking for fellow Cal Bears!
emily says
NCCarter – Serendipity is amazing, it has a great history (it was an Andy Warhall hangout) is known for it’s huge sundaes, but also has fantastic meals.
Kath says
Polly,
So glad you liked the fries!! That reminds me to make them again soon!
NC ,
Thanks for the good news on chemistry lab in the summer – I hope mine isn’t too painful 🙁 I totally agree about devoting your time to just one, but I’m going to have THREE classes at once. I don’t know how I’ll do it…
Ashley ,
When I have a sandwich with meat it’s usually 2 oz, but if I have salmon/tuna it’s often 3-4 or chicken on a salad maybe 3?
melissa ,
What’s your favorite non-traditional meal on the go??!
BethEllis ,
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/wheat_berries.html
Suzanne ,
Glad to know you guys will be behind me this summer – I’m not sure if I’ll be able to answer questions except on the weekends! There are avocado tips in the Cooking section of the FAQ.
Jennifer ,
Thankfully it’s just M-Thurs nights!
Another Kelly,
SO JEALOUS you’re going to Sonoma!!! Here’s something I typed up a while ago – hope it’s helpful:
We just loved the town of Sonoma. When we were there, there was jasmine blooming everywhere and we went running in the morning and it was gorgeous! They don’t have a ton of nice restaurants but The Girl and the Fig was very good. I had a great rubarb tart there!!
You HAVE to go to Ledson Winery, which is in Kenwood, just north of Sonoma. It’s this huge castle and we liked so many of their wines – we ended up buying a case there! They have a great deli too where you can get lunch. We got smoked salmon and cheese and bread.
We stayed at this great Inn called The Farmhouse Inn that is KNOWN for its fabulous restaurant. It’s on the edge of the Russian River Valley. The restaurant is only open Wed.-Sat. so it was closed the Tuesday we were there, but if you can make it, it’s the restaurant every one talks about.
Healdsburg is really the place to have dinner in Sonoma. It’s the most “hoppin'” with people and a very, very cool town. The grocery store there is even great for meals! There’s a nice square with music in the summertime. Restaurants book up fast on the weekends, so make reservations or be prepared to wait a bit (wine anyone!?).
You also should go to St. Francis, also in Kenwood. Their grounds are beautiful and they have a wonderful Chardonnay.
Ferrari Carrano was one of the highlights of our trip – their barrel room was quite the experience and worth the extra to taste there – the Tre Terre Chardonnay was amazing!
Our last night we did an 8-course wine dinner at Cyrus, Sonoma’s “French Laundry.” It was FABULOUS!! It was obviously quite expensive, but worth every single bite. The food was phenomenal and the wine pairings were the best I’ve ever had. And we got about 4 complementary courses in the mix – so it was really more like 12 courses!
Sonoma is full of surprises around every corner. There are tons of good websites out there for more info on restaurants. We just had to pick wineries by their logos there were so many! But you’re not likely to find a bad one 😉
Ally,
Yup, buns from EarthFare.
Lauren ,
I would really recommend Perrier, Pellegrino, and all kinds of flavored seltzers. I love the fizz of soft drinks more than the flavor, so these all satisfy my palate. Try a few kinds – they are all different.
Susan ,
Check out the wine stores and bars in your area – all of ours have tastings. World Market has one every Saturday too. So do many of our grocery stores. Just call them to see when they are. Most tastings are free around here, but in wine country you can expect to pay $5-20 per flight.
NCCarter,
In NYC you must go to Rice to Riches for rice pudding: http://www.ricetoriches.com. I ate flavors until I was stuffed with rice. It has…ummm…zero calories! SO GOOD!
Kate,
This was a fresh one. I do have trouble with freezer burn – make sure your freezer is set to a cold enough temp (since they are adjustable).
Kim ,
Welcome to the KERF comments – thanks for your post 🙂
christine ,
Yes the spoon is ceramic – go check out the dinner post 😥
kay ,
The commute is tolerable – 30 minutes on traffic-free highway, so it’s not enough to sell our house. Plus we love Charlotte and the husband works uptown so a move wouldn’t be good for him.
Kath
KarenR says
I drink a ton of seltzer, so I bought a Soda Club soda maker and I love it. You can also add your own soda flavorings to it, but I just add lime or lemon (slices, juice or powder.) It’s not cheap, but more than pays for itself if you drink seltzer all the time like I do. Plus you use your own water and you spare all the cans or plastic bottles.
I second the vote for Viansa in Sonoma and Sonoma Plaza which has great shops and Sonoma Cheese Co. Also, Sebastiani is right off the Plaza and has a nice tour. And in SF I love the SFMOMA art museum. I am headed out there in 2 weeks! I let you know if I come across anything new and fancy!
Kelsey says
NCCarter,
I was just in the city a couple weeks ago and ate at a place called Camaje (www.camaje.com) and it was wonderful. It’s in Greenwhich Village, which is fun to go explore anyways. The prices were pretty reasonable for the city and it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had (I had pumpkin soup!!! and roasted artic char with roasted veggies).
Also, Lombardi’s on Spring Street is supposed to be the first pizza place in America and I think the pizza was excellent…very light and fresh.
Have fun!
jessica says
i just wanna say that i am so excited to see your on the go meal ideas for dinner. i work 12-8:30 five days a week and i was bringing all my food everyday for awhile but always felt like i was eating 2 lunches and it wasn’t very satisfying. now i am eating dinner when i get home at night. i try to do most of the prep before work but i am still eating really late and i don’t like that either. i am trying to figure out what works for me. i am sure you will have some great ideas and i look forward to seeing them!!!
arimcg says
Melissa – pretty sure La Dolce Vita closed a little while ago…sorry for the bad news!!
I love love love Asia de Cuba in midtown, east side. Amazing. Also amazingly expensive, but if it’s on the boss, I say go for it.