I love it when my lunches naturally take a while to eat (meaning I don’t have to consciously put down my fork). I think I always end up more satisfied by physically and emotionally (which makes sense of course). So for some reason this lunch took me a while to work through (and it helps that I wasn’t in a rush to get somewhere!) so I really enjoyed it!
Pork tenderloin + half a slice of muenster cheese on a homemade potato bun with jalapenos and spinach leaves. Jalapeno really adds a lot to a sandwich. I’ve read before that meals with spicy foods leave you more satisfied than those without. Perhaps this secret ingredient was the key to my lunch happiness!?
The inside. I actually really enjoyed the big spinach leaves to my normal baby spinach. It was more like lettuce and didn’t pull out as easily.
Pommelo – I LOVE this fruit. Look for it in your grocery store (or just ask someone in the fruit dept.) It’s like a cross between grapefruit, lime and lemon. Kinda like a margarita! They look just like grapefruit and are very lightweight because the peel is like an inch thick. But SO tasty!
Carrots –
Fage with a bit of sliced almonds – but I forgot an individual photo of this so here’s one from last week!!
Plus hot green tea from the union!
All together –
This lunch was about 500 kcal, 6 grams of fiber and 35 grams protein.
I’m off to take a Physio lab quiz and do today’s lab. I’m making a fun soup for dinner – I’m excited!
I hope the sun is shining wherever you are 8)
Emma says
I heard spicy foods bump up your metabolism a little bit too!
Oh and you have definitely made FAGE one my new favorite foods!! It’s creamy and filling and delicious with a couple fun toppings!
smilesara says
hi kath —
i’ve been reading the blog for quite a while and really enjoy your consciencious and creative approach to healthy eating —
a quick question: approx. how many calories are in a pomello? they are huge but delicious!
thanks in advance —
jt says
suprisingly Kath, the sun IS shining today!
hope you have a great day! =)
Christiane says
I’ve heard about spicy foods raising your mebaolism, but never about the satisfaction thing. But as a lover of all things spicy, I can definitely believe it.
Great blog!
Cara says
that makes a lot of sense about spicy food. Good thing I am having some spicy food for lunch 🙂 Mmmm.
Serena says
rhodeygirl, I posted this in response to your question earlier about tracking pace/mileage without the ipod nano and nike plus, but I’m not sure if people read the comments once the next meal is posted, so I’ll put it here too.
you should check out gps watches. garmin makes a great one – the advanced model (more expensive) has a heart rate monitor, but i think the base model is $99 on Amazon and it tells you how far/how fast you’re going. there are other brands, but i’m only familiar with the garmin and think it’s great! you can also store your runs and get mile by mile breakdowns of your speed.
Christin says
Haha! How aprepo that you would have a pork sandwich for lunch today! It looks DELICIOUS! Thanks again to Serena and Kath for clearing the urban legend i heard (in case you didn’t read my response on the breakfast post). 🙂 And yes, it is very intersting that she picked up on pork but not chicken or beef?? She’s not Jewish or anything so i am not sure what the deal is with that…
Betsy says
I always try to make my meals last as long as possible, they always taste better and are so much more satisfying.
And I totally agree about spicy foods. I always hated spicy foods but recenty started putting more spice in my cooking, and I finish feeling nice and full, in a good way, not a nasty stuffed way. (the WORST!)
Christin says
I heard that even adding crushed red pepper to foods aids in digestion…I like to use it on pastas especially to give it extra “flare” 🙂
Katie says
I eat way too fast and have to really try not to. This is why I really love meals that inherently take a little more time to eat, as well. This lunch looks so good, too! 🙂
BethT says
Kath, I’m curious – you tend to eat many of the same things for breakfast & lunch, but I don’t think I’ve seen you repeat a dinner since I’ve started reading the blog. Have you always cooked this way? I am always looking for new recipes but find I have to fall back on staples much of the time. Just curious about your cooking philosophy.
Laida says
Yummy!!
And, wow, the sun IS shining here – after a very dreary rainy weekend. Yay!!!
Hope you have a great rest of the day and Matt has a good first day at his new job =]
VeggieGirl says
I’ve never had a pommelo before, but I’ve always been intrigued to try one – too bad I just came back from Whole Foods!! I could have purchased one to try! Maybe next time :0)
The sun IS shining where I am!! Whoo hoo!! :0D
Best of luck with your quiz and lab!
Kiala says
Our Whole Food doesn’t have the nice circle kind of jalapenos.
It makes me sad.
Melissa says
Kath – I was finally able to watch some of the videos you posted and it was so much fun to watch! Plus it really does help to see how you are preparing things instead of just a recipe. Two thumbs up! I have a couple of questions for you – I have about 15 pounds or so to lose and am trying to do it as healthfully as possible. When you were in weight loss mode, did you eat the same types of foods as now? Also, what was your normal calorie intake when you were trying to lose weight? (just trying to see if it’s a lot lower than now or about the same…) Also, when you say you eat NET calories, what does that mean? Thank you! LOVE the blog!
LT says
I just posted this on Jenna’s blog but I figure the more advice I get the better!
I got hooked on this BBC show “You are what you eat” over Christmas and the nutritionist/host Jillian McKeith said once that you should eat fruit first and THEN your meat and veggies because the fruit moves through your system quickly while it takes longer for the veggies and meat to digest. She said to do this because if you eat in the reverse order it can cause gas b/c the fast-moving fruit will be rammin’ up behind the slow-moving veggies causing gas and such. I personally prefer to eat my fruit last so as to end on something sweet, but I hate to admit it, I do tend to be a bit gassy with all the whole grains, beans, and veggies in my diet! So, basically I would just like to know if you or anyone else has anything to say about this topic b/c I will surely change my ways if it means I will toot less! Thanks!
Amy C. says
The fruit looks great! I’ll be sure to look for it. 🙂
I think I’ll try the hot peppers on my subway veggie sub tonight. That might give it a nice kick!
Kristin says
Hi Kath!
I say how much I enjoy your blog. I read it daily and it helps me stay on track. I’m an aspiring RD as well!
Anyway, I wanted to ask re: the heart monitors; when you were trying to lose weight, did you stay within the fat-burning zone? I just bought one and read in Jillian Michaels’s (the biggest loser trainer) book that you do NOT need to stay within the FB zone in order to shed pounds. In fact, if you go over the FB zone, you will burn MORE calories even if you’re in the cardio-training zone.
Reading that only left me feeling more confused! What do you recommend and what worked for you? I want to lose ~15 pounds.
Keep up the great work! By the way, I eat oatmeal every morning ever since I read your blog. Yum!!
Kristin says
oops, i meant to add “i wanted to say….” sorry!
ana says
hey! i’m planning soup tonight, too! i’m making potato, broccoli, and cheese (one of my favorite comfort foods) yum! ^_^ yes! the sun finally has broken through-i thought it never would.
Katherine Sloan says
The spicy food idea makes sense because it keeps your taste buds active long after you have eaten it! That bun looks so delicious and soft!
B_Healthy says
Hi all.. I just wanted to say that I started taking a multi-vitamin after thinking about it for awhile now. I eat a very healthy balanced diet and workout all the time- I thought: Why would I need one? Well, about two weeks ago my mom suggested it because she found out she has some thyroid problems and her energy levels have been quite low. I noticed Kath also takes one.. I take the walmart/sams club generic One a Day for women. My energy levels in comparison have SKY rocketed.. I feel so much better, more productive, more alert ( and not like too much coffee alert… just alert)… AND I have slept so much better also! I would strongly suggest a multivitamin for everyone…especially if you may be lacking in certain areas!
Girl says
B healthy, thanks so much for the tip! I just got some blood work done last week and it looks like my thyroid levels are a little low “inconclusive”…… I have to go back for more test. I too have been experiencing low energy levels, I’m going to pick up a multi-vitamin today when I grocery shop!
Melissa says
Nevermind about most of my questions, I actually just found the answers in the FAQ section! SORRY 😉 I do still have one question though….how many calories were you eating to lose weight? And how many calories did you normally burn through exercise? I know that everyone is different and you can’t speak for me, but I am also 5′ 2″ and I have a very sedentary desk job but am trying to lose 15 pounds. I have looked at online resources as well but am just curious from you, since you’ve actually been through it!! Thanks!!
Kiala says
B Healthy –
I take a multi every day too AND fish oil AND Vitamin D AND cal/mag. It’s exhausting. 🙂
But it does make me feel better, definitely.
LT _
I’m watching You Are What You Eat as we speak!
Anyway, you know what helps my digestion?
Yogurt. Plain lowfat yogurt – even just half a cup will do it – with some cinammon and almonds and a little sweetener of some kind (not Splenda, this would totally negate what you’re trying to accomplish). It seriously helps me digest all the fiber without um, embarrassing problems. Hope this helps!
Heather K says
I have the Polar F6, and today when I did the ET my calories burned reading was almost the same as the reading on the ET. It has always been almost 100 calories higher on the ET though. My fitness level has improved to Elite (55), and I used to be at a moderate level (41). Could this make that much of a difference in calories burned??
Christin says
I used to take vitamins everyday and stopped…I drink more coffee now than i did then (okay, so blonde moment) I think i should start taking them again…
goalie30 says
Question for Kath and readers,
Does anyone out there add protein (soy or whey) powders to their oatmeal at all, or even to their breakfast cereal? I would like to, because I could use the extra protein since I’ve very physically active and weight lift pretty heavily. However, I got some basic soy protein powder from the store, it’s from the health foods section, and I tried mixing it into my milk and then adding my cereal this morning…it made the milk rather clumpy and thick, which wasn’t at all pleasing to my palate….I had to choke it down basically and tried not to gag although the taste wasn’t too bad. It was only 3 tablespoons full. Any suggestions would be appreciated…
Romina says
I feel the same way about eating. When something takes a while to eat, my body naturally realizes it’s full without me having to say “okay, you’ve had enough”. Plus, getting to savour something for longer feels sooo much better.
Heather K says
i was looking for something to eat when I noticed my yogurt was full fat. I usually buy Dannon Plain nonfat, which is in a white container with aqua writing. THe full fat is in blue, so I accidentally picked up the wrong one. I guess I was in a hurry or something, but now I don’t want to eat it yet hate to throw it (all but 1/4 that’d I’d eaten before I noticed this) away :-/ What would anybody else do?…1 cup has 25% daily value of saturated fat!
arimcg says
Goalie – I add protein to my smoothies – have you tried a smoothie instead? I use whey protein, not soy, because it combines with the milk and makes the smoothie super thick and good. At least that’s my theory as to why it gets so thick. Maybe that’s your problem, the soy versus whey?
I think these powders would be much better added to oatmeal than plain cold cereal, but if you really want to put it in your cereal, you should try shaking it with the milk first in a separate container (they sell special containers for this at like GNC, etc, but you don’t need one – I’m sure a jar would work). That may combine it better.
Hope that helps at least a little…
Girl says
Kiala, Do you find that the fish oil makes you burp a lot? btw whats the pronounciation of your name? 🙂
Christin says
Goalie, I just add protein powder, or Carnation Instant Breakfast (thanks Cristin Dillon) to my milk…it works better in liquids I find…Trader Joes has some good protein mixes in different flavors.
FISH OIL Kiala??? Right on…any negative side effects or tastes? I know it must help with Omega’s when you don’t eat much fish…I’m definitely one of those types…
Serena says
heather k, what a bummer! full fat yogurt – well, it can’t be as bad as full-fat ice cream, but my suggestion would be maybe to use it as a marinade for chicken or salmon, if you eat those things (like in an indian recipe with spicy seasonings). this way you get flavor but then wipe some of it off before cooking? or maybe make a dip and bring it to a party or work or school or something?
Kiala says
No fishy burps! I get the Whole Foods brand, molecularly distilled (that’s very important, I can’t remember why, but it is) and I don’t eat much fish either or at least not lately. It aids in digestion too. And the kind of omegas you get from fish are wholly different than the kind you get from walnuts or flax or olive oil, so that’s why I take it.
My name is pronounced Ki like “pie” and La like “duh”
Kiala=Pieduh.
Which pretty much describes me exactly.
goalie30 says
Thanks christin and arimcg…the package says to “sprinkle over cereal, oatmeal..”etc but ya maybe i need to use more milk and shake it in a separate container first. I’d like to mix it into oatmeal and try it that way as well (I’ll try that tomorrow AM)…I have a great blender, but I dont like making more than one serving for the smoothie, and I rather eat my food than drink it (drinking does not fill me up like eating does it seems), but I might try out the smoothies this weekend and see what I can come up w/. Thanks again 🙂
LT says
Thanks for the tip Kiala…I’ll try it tonight. I miss that show!! I love how they talk and all their words & phrases. I can only watch it when I’m at home, but I don’t get the BBC channel when I’m at school, which is prob. a good thing b/c watching more TV is the last thing I should be doing with my time!
Mel says
Kath,
I was also wondering in response to Melissa, how did you change your lifetyle to maintain rather than lose. Because your net calories are at the basis for eating, did you just only eat 1226 and excerise the same amount? How many calories did you eat? Thanks
steph says
Hi Kath and others….I am having a dilemma about how many calories I am burning while running.
When I wear my HR monitor (I have the Polar F4) it pretty much calculates that I burn around 100 calories for every 10 minutes I am running/working out. However, when I put my running time into Mapmyrun.com for the distance/route that I ran I am burning around 100 calories for every mile that I run (changing a bit depending on speed). Since, I run around a 7:15-7:45 mile the calorie count can be quite different depending on my distance (ie: 8 miles takes me around 1 hour to run, which my HR monitor would calculate as 600 calories and mapmyrun would say 800+). Does anyone else have this issue? If so, how do you calculate your calorie burn when running? Sorry for the long post, but this is really bugging me!!!!
pinklilly says
Heather K,
I too would’ve thrown the yogurt away – I know, I know, it’s horrible!
Does anyone have any spaghetti squash recipe or usage suggestions? I just made my first one yesterday! I’ve seen all of Kath’s yummy creations and am just curious to know of any others lurking out there!
Kath says
Smilesara,
You can find pommelo in any of the calorie databases like CalorieKing and Calorie-Count.com, although the spellings change sometimes (“pummelo”). I’ll save you the trouble since I know off my head that today’s was about 9 oz for my whole bag at around 100 kcal.
BethT,
We only repeat a dinner if it’s REALLY, really good or we just have all the ingredients on hand to re-make it. Lunches are harder because I have to pack them so I’m much more limited in what I can pack – and of course don’t have time to pre-pack them from scratch. I do have a new lunch planned for tomorrow though! Breakfast….well…I just love oatmeal! I do branch out more in the summertime when it’s warm – I have more smoothies, yogurt, pancakes and some cold cereals thrown in the mix. I just get in a rut in the winter.
LT,
Based on what I’ve learned on digestion/absorption and digestive tract physiology, the body can handle all kinds of food combos. I wouldn’t worry. Eat your fruit last if you like it. If there’s an effect from eating it any time other than first, it’s probably negligible.
Kristen,
I definitely think the more intensely you can workout the more calories you will burn. I try to keep my HR above 150 during cardio, but I’m often in the 160’s when running and the Stairmaster and periods of spinning class. I think the important thing is to work hard and challenge your body. And of course the longer you go the more calories you burn – weather you’re at 120 bpm or 160.
B_healthy,
Funny you should mention this today, as I had a discussion with my physiology prof this afternoon about hypothyroidism and B vitamins. She said she had hypothyroidism and that she was told to take a B-complex vitamin and get some iodized salt in her diet. Very interesting. I’m surprised that you can feel a difference in energy – makes me wonder if I stopped taking my vitamin if I would feel different.
Melissa,
Glad you found the FAQs 🙂 I personally had a very sedentary desk job and was netting about 1226 throughout my weight loss. I burned between 400-450 at the gym and went walking at lunch for 30-40 minutes (mostly for a fresh break from the office!) and would burn another 120-150 kcal. So gross I averaged about 1750 per day and I never felt hungry. Hope that helps give you an example. Now I’m netting about 1350 (an increase for more walking during my day) and burning the same 350-450 at the gym with occasional walks for recreation that I do add to my net (to ensure I’m eating enough!).
HeatherK,
I’m not an exercise expert, so I’m not really sure. I do know as you get used to an exercise you may have to increase the resistance to make it more challenging or switch up your workouts. Perhaps your heart rate is just less over time so you’re burning less?
Goalie,
I don’t use protein powder because I get enough from my diet (I only need about 45 grams for my weight and get lots more than that – almost 75 grams today). But for your powder clumping, could you mix it with a liquid first and then add it? Seems like it would behave similar to cornstarch, flour and hot chocolate.
HealtherK again,
Eat the yogurt – just in small portions and use it like a dessert. I wouldn’t throw it out just because it has more fat. Just don’t eat the whole thing at once. Or you could use it to make yogurt cheese (put in colander and strain through paper towels overnight – Google this for more info). Then you’d have a healthy cheese spread!
Steph,
I would go with your HRM because it’s a reflection of your actual pace and body stats. My HRM always say I burn 80 kcal per mile – whether I’m walking or sprinting – so I always go by that. Online calculators are much more general.
Pinklilly,
Spaghetti squash is definitely best eat just like spaghetti under a delicious homemade chunky tomato sauce. You can do other things with it, but spaghetti is my favorite way to eat it!
Kath
Heather K says
Thanks for the suggestion Kath! I was googling what to do with it and found this too! I think that’s what I’ll do 🙂 As for the HRM…my heart rate zones have all gone up to challenge me more. The ET reading is the same as I would always get when doing the same thing, it’s my HRM reading that has gone up. I just don’t get it. Maybe it thinks since I’m fitter (but still at the same weight) I have more muscle and since muscle burns more calories I am burning more. I was just worried it’s inaccurate because I always thought the ET readings were high. I’d hate to overestimate! The strange thing is…I went from moderate level (41) to elite (55) in just two weeks. I have always done the same amount of exercise..nothing has changed. The only thing i can think of is this weekend I ate healthy and didn’t overeat, which is harder on your body, so maybe that’s why my fitness level was lower before? Oh, I’m rambling on..Sorry for the long post!!! Thanks again!
Heather
kim says
To Girl: Here’s a link to a really good book on thyroid issues you might find interesting. It lists all the substances that promote/suppress thyroid function. There’s lots of online support for this issue. Good luck!
http://www.thyroid-info.com/book.htm