Yeah, I overdid it with the peanut brittle. But I had a super-healthy week and weekend, so consider tonight my Saturday night splurge even though it’s Sunday 🙂 This week should be pretty healthy, but next weekend we are traveling to my husband’s grandmother’s for Christmas dinner (yes, a few weeks early!) so that should be a little challenging since it’ll be holiday food. A true test of my healthy eating ability = grandmother food.
Snack
Because of yet another late lunch, I didn’t really snack today. I had some spaghetti squash for a snack this afternoon – mostly nibbling out of the skin! See my video post for the recap.
Dinner
Dinner tonight was at my mother-in-laws. She’s a healthy eater too and we had beef stroganauf with salad with hummus and baked mini squash. And the infamous peanut brittle for dessert!! I should have picked between the brittle and the wine, but I had both. Oh well!
We opened a bottle of wine from our honeymoon in Sonoma, so I felt obligated to have more than a splash! Glass #1.
Salad with cucs, tomatoes, homemade hummus and slivered almonds:
The stroganauf was made with stew meat, mushrooms, stock, and Fage 0%, so there wasn’t any butter or large amounts of anything bad. But it was still probably high in calorie. I tried to keep my portion small. And I’m not full at all! Honestly, we could have had mushroom stroganauf and I would have been happy! I’m not really a big meat eater.
Roasted baby squash:
Wine #2 – I couldn’t resist!
All together:
It really wasn’t that much food! Perhaps I overestimated, but I calculated about 600-700 calories for this dinner
PLUS……..
Dessert
Peanut brittle. I’m not sure how much I had. Maybe three times as much as my first serving in this photo? It was homemade and delicious!! And too easy to nibble on!
I’m guessing 300 kcal for the brittle and calling it a night. That’s close to 1,000 kcal for dinner, bringing me up to around 2,000 for the day. Not a problem as long as I get back on track tomorrow! But can you see how easily calories add up? If I weren’t counting, I would say I ate pretty healthy, but this meal was way higher than it felt like, mostly from the wine and dessert. You’ve got to choose – a drink or dessert. Both just won’t cut it!
Off to bed….and I still haven’t gotten that Epsom Salt bath!
Christie says
Hey Kath I love your blog, I am in school right now getting my BS/MS in Nutrition. WOndering with the holidays coming up if you have any successful healthy cookie recipes?
Kath says
Hi Christie,
I haven't done any baking yet this season (I haven't had the time and don't bake much because I LOVE dough and batter and I'm better off just not making anything than trying to resist), but I've read a bunch of recipes in Cooking Light magazine that look great. Try http://www.cookinglight.com? Lots of cookies under 100 calories.
Kath
Amy says
Kath,
Your blog is INCREDIBLE, it's so encouraging to find someone like you who loves food & maintaining a healthy lifestyle as much as I do! I'm nearly your age and had a similar weight gain (due to a swimming injury in high school) and then loss of about 40 pounds that I'm maintaining and your blog has kept me inspired to keep it going and to challenge myself and has introduced me to many more healthy options!
Have you ever tried Jell-o sugar free fat free cook & serve chocolatepudding? It is AMAZING. ..they make a vanilla flavor too.
One more question: what is the nutritional difference between yellow and orange sweet potatoes? I love both of them and wondered whether they offer different nutrients (due to their different color). WOW this comment was wordy! Sorry about that, thanks for all that you do, you are so inspirational!!!!
Amy
Nicole says
Hi, Kath! I just found you blog and wanted to say I love it! I like how honest you are about what you eat, admitting when something just doesn't fill you up like you'd hoped/planned or when you treat yourself and don't feel guilty – you simply hold yourself accountable and do what you have to do to make up for a little indulging. You're really inspiring and I plan to keep following your posts!
Anonymous says
Hi Kath,
I really admire your body confidence! You seem so happy. I was just wondering if you ever struggled with body image and how you dealt with it. Thanks!
Patricia says
the roasted mini squash look amazing!!yummm
stephanie says
thanks for the recipe tip. 🙂
it is really nice how you show everything you've eaten and point out- calories add up super fast! the squash looks awesome .
someone should give you a column or something. seriously.
thanks for posting!
Cate says
Kath,
Your "glasses" of wine look more like a sip or two each. What are you basing the amount on to call it a glass? Ounces?
Kath says
Hi Guys!! Thanks for all the great comments 🙂 I really appreciate your kind words.
Amy,
I haven't tried that kind of Jell-o but I do occasionally eat the 60-calorie cups. I'm all out though! I've moved on to Edy's Slow Churned for a little treat, but I'll probably get back into jello at some point. I'm not sure about the sweet potatoes. I've had a yellow sweet potato recently, but in a quick Google search, everyone is calling yellow sweet potatoes yams. Here's a website comparing SP and yams, but I'm not sure if a yellow SP is something else? Anyone else know?
http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/index.php?option=c…
Anon,
I've struggled with body image in the past – when I was overweight. I hated how I looked and felt. My skin was always breaking out. I hated shopping, clothes and taking photos. But now that I am living my best life, most of that is gone. Sure, I get a little self-conscious in a bathing suit, but in terms of everyday living, I don't think I have any concerns about how others perceive my body. I believe that you can accept your body image when you are putting 99% effort into treating your body well. Negative body image is probably correlated with the guilt you have when you know you aren't making the best choices such as too much alcohol, or one too many dips in the chocolate bowl. (I do realize that eating disorders related to body image are diseases and those who struggle with negative body image with an eating disorder should seek professional help.) But since I make good choices most of the time, I don't worry about how my body looks to others. It is what it is!
Steph,
I'd LOVE to have a column somewhere. If only I knew who to call!
Cate,
My "glasses" of wine were about 4 oz each. They were big red wine glasses, so it may have looked more like 1 oz. I counted 8 oz for the evening. Hope that helps!
Kath