What a great day! I feel SO organized right now. My goal this week was to work really hard even though I didn’t have many demanding assignments so that I can enjoy this weekend 100%. Well, I finished everything AND got the house in order today. I even went ahead and put on my PJ’s tonight so I just have to brush my teeth and get in bed to read 🙂
Afternoon Snack
I had some things to do on the computer as soon as I got home this afternoon and by the time I was finished I was starving for my snack! So I had two 🙂 I did some walking around campus between my classes so I probably needed the extra replenishment anyways.
A Banana Muffin Top (I still have three left – I hope they don’t go bad because they are very moist in their tupperware!)
And a small Smoothie Soup with a bit of H2H on top.
I dined al fresco on the patio – where I worked on my computer all afternoon. It was divine.
Dinner
I had planned on doing something with these leftover beans along with a bunch of kale, but I had no idea what. I suddenly remember kale chips and there was no turning back. I sprinkled the kale with 1 tsp EVOO and a generous sprinkle of kosher salt – OH MY. They are really just like chips!! I think I put on too much salt, though, because I’m very thirsty now. I’ve got a small amount left, so I think I’ll make some more for lunch tomorrow! (Here’s a link to the original recipe).
When it comes out of the oven it looks all soggy, but the kale is really crispy! It’s done when the edges start to turn brown:
For the beans, I wanted to do a patty of sorts and decided to try another falafel–type recipe.
I mixed about 1/2 a cup of navy beans with 1 tbsp whole wheat flour, the juice of 1 lemon (remembering how delicious the lemon falafel I had at a restaurant recently was…), thyme, S+P, paprika, ground coriander, a dollop of Fage, and finally a tbsp of polenta that didn’t add much.
I seared them in a skillet with a thin layer of olive oil. They were good, but a bit disappointing. I liked how they were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, but the flavors were just a little off. Not quite the falafel taste I was going for. But still good!
All three together –
Lastly, I re-heated and smashed a leftover butternut squash I cooked for the risotto on Tuesday night. Topped with brown sugar and cinnamon, it was fabulous!
This dinner was about 435 kcal, 18 grams of fiber and 19 grams of protein.
Dessert
A half-cup serving of Stonyfield Farm After Dark Chocolate Fro-Yo. Delish!
Topped with a few Ghirideli Dark Chocolate Chips and a crushed Ginger Snap for crunch
And just for the record, I REALLY REALLY wanted/want more. But I’m saying no because it’s almost the weekend and I have plans for wine tomorrow and dessert + wine on Sat. and should probably not have double dessert right before the weekend starts! Plus it’s past my bedtime and I don’t have time for more!
I’ve got a 5:45 a.m. spinning class to gear up for 🙂
Nick says
Yum! This stuff looks great. I want to make those crazy bean falafel type things. I want to try and perfect the flavor of those things, they sound delicious and healthy.
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Clara says
Sounds like a perfect evening! I love that satisfying feeling of everything going to plan 🙂
Good job feeding your body the fuel it needs, treating yourself but not overdoing it! Good luck spinning tomorrow…
Lauren says
your dessert looks amazing!! I had icecream as well and even tho I have a weekend of eating planned ahead I had a second serving of mine…wish I had better self control like you! hhaa
hk says
yum, i love sprinkling ginger snaps on top for crunch..graham crackers are great too…dinner “al fresco” sounds lovely!! enjoy the weather, it’s fantastic to be outside so much now 🙂
caitlin (in FL) says
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that ice cream looks delish!!!
Ally says
Wow, what a delicious night!
I have steamed kale on my menu tomorrow and now i’m definitely changing it to kale chips.
Enjoy your spin class tomorrow and have a great night!
VeggieGirl says
kale chips + smoothie soup + banana muffin top + fro-yo + squash = you incorporated SO many delicious foods into your snacks/dinner!! yum!!
enjoy your evening, and rest up for your spinning class!! :0)
Steph says
Kale chips! I made them last night for my husband, and we both loved them! My husband is extremely picky about healthy food, so that says a lot. Even I was skeptical, but they turned out really yummy!
Kathryn says
I feel so unskilled/uncreative in the kitchen sometimes when I see what you eat Kath. You not only have ice cream, but sprinkle pretty little chocolate chips and crushed ginger snaps on it. You not only have cooked kale, but kale chips!
My dinner when I’m by myself is usually a bowl of cereal, etc. I think I just don’t have the patience to do all the little “extras” after coming home from work. Oh well, thanks for the inspiration though!
Romina says
That’s an interesting take on falafel, looks good!
becky says
Who really has time for elaborate meals all the time?? I’m with you kathryn… I work full time and am getting a degree all at once..some nights it is toast and soup, but that is life! I am glad I am not alone “+)
Betsy says
those little falafel things sure look good…too bad they didn’t taste wonderful 🙁 i might play around with this though, cause my supermarket had a sale on beans and now I have a huge stockpile. time to experiment!!
brit says
i absolutely love that “SO ORGANIZED” feeling!…although i haven’t felt it for quite some time, as i am SWAMPED trying to get everything done before my graduation that is A MONTH FROM TODAY! enjoy your weekend of relaxation! and thanks for all you do on the blog! you are an inspiration in more ways than one!
Marcy says
Kath,
How did you store the cookie muffins so that they would stay moist and not dry out? did you wrap them in anything first?
Leng says
Hmmm…I never thought of kale chips. That cookie looks so thick and chewy good!
Jill says
Awwwwwwe, I have the exact same fro yo in my freezer, and was going to tell you to run out and get some as I’d never seen you eat it before – but you are ahead of me already!
Twinks says
Does anyone have troubles with good/bad, should/shouldn’t, or sinful/virtuous when it comes to food? How do you get rid of those feelings and just eat because it tastes good, feels good, etc???
Also, I don’t track calories, that kind of behavior is no good for me, crazy making if you will. Just to get an idea of where I was, feeling satisfied, trying to eat what my body wanted, I plugged my food into thedailyplate.com today. It came out just below 1500 calories. Now that may not seem SO low, but it freaked me right out. I should probably be at about 2500 to maintain my weight with my activity level, and this was a VERY typical food day for me. I racked my brain trying to figure out what I possibly forgot, and NOTHING. Yikes. Yikes yikes yikes.
Kath says
Marcy,
I put them in a tupperware container in the cabinet, then moved them to the fridge yesterday. They seem to be doing OK – I think the fridge is a good idea and then just nuke them hot to eat.
Twinks,
I don’t think those kind of feelings are necessarily bad – we have to have “should/shouldn’t” in this world to make healthy choices MOST of the time. The problem is if you never allow yourself treats or dwell on guilt if you do eat something that for the most part is a “bad” or “shouldn’t”. Try to use the 90/10 mindset instead – instead of bad/good, think of food as “most of the time” vs. “special treats” and that might help you find a way to mentally fit them into your diet.
Also, your example is one of the main reasons I DO count calories – to make sure I’m eating the right amount. Because I eat pretty voluminous foods, I think I would end up at 1400-1500 a lot of the time if I didn’t plan in some calorie-dense ones mindfully as well. But all calorie-dense is too easy. If you are maintaining your weight, you’re probably not eating too few though, so maybe that day was a fluke? Perhaps you could track for a week and see if you’re like me and eat more some days and less others?
Kath
rhodeygirl says
Hi Kath!
Everything looks so so delicious.. I’ve only made butternut squash once, as a lasagna, but after seeing it time and time again in your meals I just HAVE to make some this weekend!!
Question: I love your patio table! Who makes it?
Jennachica says
Another HRM question, but does anyone else have problems with the heart rate actually stop working during a workout? This happens everytime! I just bought the new Timex Ironman to monitor my hr and calorie burn during my gym workouts and the sensors always stop working. Im assuming it has something to do with interference, but im just frustrated because they are expensive and its not doing the job I bought it for and I hardly ever get my full stats. Anyone else experiencing this?
Kath says
Jennachica ,
That’s never happened to me with my Polar, although occasionally when I start out if I’m cold and/or not sweaty my sensor doesn’t register right away and I have to wet it. Polar tells you dampen the chest strap to get a good connection. But since yours is happening mid-workout I doubt that’s the problem. Maybe check the Timex FAQ?
K
Roxy says
Kath,
I tried to make your butternut squash “french fries” last night. It was good but the prep was horrible. It was so hard to cut up. 🙁 How do you know when a squash is ready to eat? Do you microwave it, peel it before you cut it up? It was so hard to get the knife through the sqaush. This was my first time eating butternut squash. It was delicious once I finally did get it chopped up and cooked. I’m crafty in the kitchen so I was surprised that this was so hard for me to do. 🙁
Thanks for answering my eggplant question the other day. I think I might have not salted those pieces enough.
Have a great day!
Kath says
Roxy ,
I agree, squash is a bit of a pain. I usually cut it in half with a huge knife. Start in the middle, cut outwards. Take out the knife, put it in the other direction and cut outwards. It usually splits in half nicely that way. Then I scoop out the seeds with a grapefruit spoon (the serration helps a lot) and then peel it with a good veggie peeler. Then I have two clean halves. I usually weigh it then to get an idea of the portion size. THEN I microwave it for 5 minutes or so to soften it before I start cutting. It’s much easier to cut when a little soft. Then I’ll roast for another 20-30 minutes for a good flavor. It’s a bit of a process, but I think it’s worth it because I love squash so much!
Kath
JENNA says
Kath,
Before you switched to a healthy lifestyle and lost all that weight did you have self-esteem issues? You just seems so confident and i’m just curious if you have always been that way? I’m also wondering if when you and your husband started working out together if you ever felf self conscience out it. My boyfriend always wants to work out together but I just feel embarassed like I should beable to do more. just curious i don’t mean to be nosy. Its just causing alot of arguments between us.
Kath says
Jenna,
My weight definitely had an impact on my happiness and self esteem. I think I was one of those “my fat covered up me” types. I was very self conscious and didn’t really like shopping much. Every photo was just a “bad picture.” I think I was raised to have self confidence but when I was overweight I struggled with it.
As for working out, we have always enjoyed going to the gym together, but we don’t always workout together. Most of the time we do our own thing and just meet up for lifting together. My husband can definitely lift more than me, run faster, etc. but he’s naturally so much bigger that it doesn’t bother me. It does become a problem with running together because I’m slower than he is (and almost a foot shorter in the legs!) so he wants to run fast, and I run slow. So we have conflict with that, but I never feel embarrassed – just frustrated that I can’t run as fast as he does!
K
JENNA says
Thanks Kath. I wouldn’t say im over weight (5’2, ~120)so i’m not sure why i feel uncomfortable about working out infront of others especially my boyfriend. I just get competitive and like im not good enough. so frustrating. Anyway i love this blog and the great advice it has to offer. thanks.
Roxy says
Thanks Kath. I’m glad i’m not the only one who had a problem with this. 🙂 I will try your suggesting next time.
Have a great weekend!
Katers says
Kath – those directions to cutting acorn squash were AWESOME. Could you add those to the FAQ? I need to write them down too….
Tracy says
I love the idea of kale chips because I love over-roasted crispy veggies (i.e., the burnt leaves on roasted brussels sprouts). Kale is not my favorite though….do you think it would work with spinach leaves, which I love?
Twinks says
thanks for the response!!
Kath says
Katers ,
Thanks for the suggestion – I’ll get them over to the FAQ page.
Tracy ,
I don’t think it would. Kale is much sturdier than spinach and takes much more time and heat to wilt. You could certainly give it a try though! Do you like mustard greens or any of the others? They might work OK.
Kath
caitlin (in FL) says
hey kath! i wanted to tell you i made the navy bean patties for lunch today and they were yummy and a nice change 🙂