Yesterday’s bowl of pumpkin trail mix oats was so good I had to have it again
I left off the brown sugar today due to using 2 bananas in the base and kind of missed it though. A little really does go a long way.
With coffee. And yes, we’re guilty of enjoying a little Food Network with breakfast in the living room this morning 😳
Today’s breakfast was 475 kcal, 13 grams fiber (!!), and 20 grams protein.
I’m off to do stuff, then hit the gym in a bit! I wish it would get hot out already – I’m in a sweatshirt! Where’s my 80*!?
VeggieGirl says
As a creature-of-habit, I’m glad to see that you decided to have your pumpkin-trail-mix oats, two days in a row – it’s too delicious not to! :0)
I watch Food Network all the time – definitely a guilty pleasure of mine ;0)
Have a lovely Thursday!! Hope it reaches that 80°F you’re expecting!!
bikergurl says
mmmm, food network. I can’t get that channel, but it’s probably for the best – I would want to eat all the time! Hope it warms up for you. Here I am getting all excited to see 55F (right now it’s 33) and you’re talking about 80? I live in the wrong place
Have great day!
Janine says
I know you made tofu as your entree last night. I love cooking with tofu, but I have yet to perfect “pressing” it. How do you do it (and for how long)?
Thanks!
Ally says
I used to be addicted to Food Network! I would watch every single day after school last year. If I had time I would watch it more!
I love the looks of that oatmeal, I think I might try a version of trail mix oatmeal tomorrow morning.
Oh, I wore bermuda shorts to school this morning and the walk into school was freezing!
Suzanne says
yum, Kath – I am going to try your pumpkin oatmeal recipe this weekend along with the Danish pancakes. can’t wait!
Don’t worry – it’ll reach 80 degrees shortly. I’m in NJ – and I threw on a sweater this morning, but I just got to work and I took it right off. I love it. Tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer!
And, the local farm near us opens today! woohoo! Fresh organic fruits and veggies now until November. My husband is picking me up from the train station today and we’re going straight there. Can’t wait!
Happy Thursday everyone!
Kath says
Janine,
I’m new to tofu too – I’ve only made it a handful of times. When I press it I just put it between paper towels once it’s cut into strips, put a plate on top and a heavy skillet on top of that and press for 10-20 minutes. Anyone else might have better advice!
K
Katie says
Oh, jealous. I have no more ripe bananas left and they werea ll green at the store. I was missing banan flavor in my breakfast this morning. 🙂
rachel k says
follow up from yesterday….
NC Carter–
I am in NC–in Greenville (not the best place in the state…)–just for a few more years until graduate school is over. I grew up in Raleigh. Probably will end up in Asheville. We’ll see.
Have a great day;)
Becky A. says
We’re getting mid 70’s today and 80 tomorrow! I’m so excited! I’m also really jealous that you don’t have class tomorrow! I was gonna play hookie from work (80 degrees and sunny-c’mon!?!?) but unfortunatly we have a consultant coming in and I need to be here…..and the rain will be here just in time for the weekend. Oh, well, some other day I guess.
Kris10 says
That oatmeal does look tasty, but I agree that a little brown sugar on the top of your oats really does make a big difference. You live, you learn!
Quick question for anyone here: I am always great about sticking to a healthy eating routine during the morning and afternoons, but around dinnertime, my cravings kick into overdrive and I eat dinner quickly, followed by dessert, and then graze all night long! I can’t stop! I’m eating sufficiently during the day, so it’s not like I’m starving, I just get so snack-happy at night and don’t stop munching until almost bedtime. Then I have to go to bed with a full tummy and a sour mood since I “messed up” all of the healthy eating I did during the day. Any advice on how to quell my night cravings?
Megan says
Kris10-
You and me both!!
Isn’t that SO frustrating???
If you figure out a solution I’d love if you’d share it with me!
Meg says
Hi Kath,
What would you recommend as the best way to figure out/estimate what your calorie needs are? I have used different online tools and input the same info and come out with vastly different answers (anywhere from less than 1200 to more than 1800). Any thoughts? I don’t exercise everyday (more like 3 times a week) so I’d like to know my calorie needs for a day I don’t exercise and then adjust up if I am burning more. Does that make sense? I’d really appreciate any recommendations you have.
Thanks!!!
Becca says
Kath, I made the cottage cheese and oat pancakes this morning…wow…sooo good. I actually just finished them so I’m hoping they keep me full for a bit.
Kris10 and Megan: I’ll sip on flavored tea when those cravings hit but I know I’m actually full. It happens more for me after lunch though. I think its because I’m avoiding doing homework 🙂 I also try to stay out of the kitchen then, or find something else to keep myself occupied (like catching up on blogs!) good luck
Another Kelly says
RE Tofu: I think freezing it before pressing makes a HUGE difference. I seem to get so much more water out that way.
Kris10 – I think it’s a matter of breaking the habit. At first it’ll feel a bit forced, but after it will feel like normal. I would also say making sure that the meals you are eating all day long are both healthy AND satisfying helps. If you don’t feel fulfilled with what you’re eating, of course grazing will look more appealing. When I plan my meals for the week I pick things that aren’t just healthy, but that I get excited about!!! Additionally, there is really nothing worth grazing on in my house. If I have a lot of leftovers of something (like cookies) I often vaccuum pack them and freeze them so if I “think” I want them I have to go through a bit of an effort. I don’t really have any snack food out and open on the counter so it’s not easy for me to be impulsive. I also think keeping a food journal (at least in the beginning) can help. It helped me to identify some of the reasons why I was eating (bordeom, habit, etc.) not to mention I would often NOT eat something because I didn’t want to write it down. I don’t do this anymore because it became borderline obsessive, but just doing it for a while helped me become more conscious of my habits so I could change them.
Meg says
Re Evening Grazing: Sometimes when I do this I look back at my day and realize even though I ate healthy foods through out the day the number of calories I consumed was tiny (thus my question above about determining my actual calorie needs). I think if you haven’t taken in enough calories your body craves sugar or any kind of quick-fix through snacking.
Another Kelly says
Meg- I think a lot of it comes down to trial and error. No online calculator is going to be PERFECTLY accurate because how much you burn is also determined by how your body is composed because muscle burns more than fat. People also seem to have different base metabolisms. Why not use the calculators online as a guide and listen to your own body? Keep track of calories and what you’re eating for a few weeks and see how you’re feeling (hungry? satisfied? stuffed?) and what the scale is doing. It also obviously depends on what your goals are (maintenance vs. weight loss). When I was losing weight I found more disciplined tracking to be effective, but now that I’m maintaining I actually practice intuitive eating (based on the book with the same name) so while I have a rough idea of how much I’m consuming it’s really more based on how I’m feeling and my hunger levels. I’ve been able to do this for a little over 6 months now and have stayed within a 3 pound range. You definitely have to do what works for you though. I know lots of people have great success with counting calories long term, however I have realized I have extreme perfectionist tendencies so calorie counting for me became obsessive and got in the way of the pleasure of eating. However, others are able to do it without it dominating their thoughts. Hope this helps. It’s all trial and error.
Cara says
I ran out of a banana today and used applesauce like I saw you use the other day in your oatmeal. It is marvelous. Thanks!
Kelly L. says
Book Lovers!
Okay, I just finished up my book last night. I usually have two in line waiting to be read but now I have NOTHING. I’m going to B&N today to get something new and I need help!
I am a self-proclaimed chick lit fan (sorry to the chic lit haters) but i also love a book that has a good story line and can keep me captivated. I loved Water for Elephants so much that I immediatly read Sara Gruen’s other two novels and liked them as well. They are horse books but I’m a horse person so….
Okay, anyways, a little help would be great! What are your favorites? What could you not put down? I go through a book a week so I have read a lot. I’m always looking for something new. Thanks!
Betsy says
i kinda wish is was going to be 80 degrees here today-although I’m enjoying our 65 degree weather. with lots of sunshine!!
re: nighttime grazing
that used to be my ultimate weakness-and it was my habit! I couldn’t lose weight cause of it and it was so frusturating. I knew I had to change my habit so I focused more on intuitive eating and whether I was eating cause I wanted to eat or because I was hungry-and I was eating at night because I just wanted to eat. I ultimately just told myself that it isn’t an option. There is no maybe for me-eating after dinner is not even a possibility. Once I’m done with dinner, I’m done. I’m not hungry, so I don’t need it. And so I just get excited for my oatmeal in the morning!! Good luck!
Kris10 says
Megan–it is SO frustrating! Glad I’m not alone in this. :-/
Thanks for all the tips you all have posted so far. I think I eat more out of boredom than a true need to eat. I track my calories and they are sufficient during the day, so I don’t think it’s a matter of a lack of sugars or nutrients. I just nibble mindlessly, and I have a major sweet tooth, so that doesn’t help matters. I’ve tried to sip tea and that works sometimes, but often I just want to CHEW on something! Sigh.
Mary Ellen says
Kelly L – I love Jodi Picoult’s books – not chick lit, but they’re page turners, and very well written. I’m reading “The Tenth Circle” right now, and read “Nineteen Minutes” a few weeks ago. I think I liked “Nineteen Minutes” better, but I haven’t gotten through too much of this one.
I also just read Anita Shreve’s “Body Surfing” which I enjoyed. Her other books are good as well (I’ve read Pilot’s Wife and Weight of Water).
I’ll try and think of others as well – I’m a big reader 🙂
mel h says
kris and Megan, I totally have this bad habit too and I munched alot last night even after i had a great dinner and was really full! I had a bag of popcorn and an apple and pb- both very healthy but I ate it bc I could, not bc I was hungry and I woke up in the middle of the night with a tummy ache…I think my body was trying to tell me something! haha! any more tips for breaking this bad habit would be great!! thanks y’all
Kelly L. says
Mary Ellen- I read Body Surfing right after Water for Elephants. It was good but not great.
Has anyone read the sequel to Jennifer Weiner’s book Good in Bed? The new one is Certain Girls. I read Good in Bed so long ago I can’t remember if I liked it or not. 🙁
BethT says
Re – Nighttime Grazing:
BRUSH YOUR TEETH! and/or use MOUTHWASH!
Seriously, once I have that medicinal taste in my mouth I have NO desire to eat.
CourtneyS says
I love Jennifer Weiner. It’s definitely chick lit, but smart and witty chick lit. Little Earthquakes was a great read.
On evening grazing – I would second what everyone has already said. Another tactic might be to eat dinner a little later and take your time with it. My boyfriend tends to work late and often we don’t sit down to dinner until 8:00ish, so I have a snack around 5:00 to tide me over. By the time we’ve eaten and cleaned up, there’s only an hour or so before bedtime. Also, my mom used to tell us the kitchen was closed after dinner. She didn’t want us making a mess, but it helped evening picking, too.
Betsy in Pittsburgh says
I once heard someone say that they stopped eating at night by “walking and praying.”
Well I definitely like to take long walks to get my mind off it – and drink herbal tea (peppermint is a good digestion helper, and it gets you ready for brushing teeth!)… brushing is always the end of my hunger. I also recently took up knitting, which keeps your hands busy, you just have to trick your mind to stop focusing on food!
Betsy in Pittsburgh says
ONE MORE THING – eat dinner at the table! My beau and I used to watch an episode of The Office every night while we ate dinner, and since it’s gotten warmer we eat at the table and play Scrabble. You’ll be amazed how much more attention you pay to what you eat… and how much longer it takes!
Kate says
About tofu–
I eat mostly vegan so a lot of tofu finds its way into my diet! I used to freeze and press tofu, but now I just by Trader Joe’s extra firm super high protein tofu. It’s organic and only $2 per pound. It’s comes more or less already pressed, so it makes tofu prep much easier and faster. I love the stuff! I’ll eat other tofus, but this is my all-time favorite and the only kind I use when cooking.
JLynn says
rachel k-I live in Greenville, NC too. I’m so with you that’s it’s not the greatest place in the state to be. My husband has one more year of grad school and then we’re out of here. We talk about moving to Asheville eventually. It’s just so pretty there and in Asheville there are so many fun things to do outdoors.
Allison K. says
My husband and I are SUPER guilty of eating in front of the tv.
Betsy-I like the idea of Scrabble….I’ll have to look into that.
Nick says
Good stuff, I just polished my oats off as well. Speaking of trail mix, if you have a Costco nearby, go there! They have this granola (not quite trail mix I suppose) in the bakery section that is absolutely deadly. Its made from oats, honey, almonds, cashews, raisins, cranberries and sunflower seeds. I didn’t find it here in a west coast Costco, but I did find it on the east cost. Delicious stuff, it’s terribly addicting and would go great crumbled on top of oatmeal!
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Clara says
To join in on the book recommendations, I love Sophie Kinsella’s and Meg Cabot’s books, along with Helen Fielding’s “Bridget Jones’ Diary.”
I’m with ya, chick lit is the best 😀
Kelly T says
I totally made the pancakes with applesauce, too. They were delicious.
i also put applesauce in my oatmeal this morning. Just as good as the real thing, but WAY less time and clean up.
Tracy says
Kath, I have a question about your cheese danish pancakes: Do you puree the batter in a blender like PB boy’s recipe?
Ashlie says
Just a warning about Jodi Picoult’s books! I’ve read two or three and they are great but they WILL make you cry (or at least they made me cry – i mean like sob). SO if you’re into that they’re great but if you don’t want a sad page turner…maybe try another author!
Kelly L. says
Kelly T- Did you make the cottage cheese pancakes with applesauce insstead of cheese? How was the consistency?
sexywife17 says
for the book discussion, I’ve got to say that the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyers is a real page turner! Meyers does a really good job at drawing you in (after the first chapter, which can seem a little- just work past it and you WON’T be sorry) and holding your attention until the very last page (and then some)! There are three books already out and the last one in the series is coming out next month. I think they qualify as chick lit :oD
As for the night time snacking, air-popped popcorn or those bags of 94% fat free popcorn are very low in calories, contain fiber, are whole grains and taste like you’re eating something bad. After its popped, eat it in one cup servings to help spread it out. yum! Also, going for a walk helps to get your mind off of food and on to more important things- I use it for meditation and to help refocus on my goals.
Kris10 says
Thanks for all the tips and tricks everyone. Once the weather warms up here, I’d love to start taking walks after dinner. That would likely help distract me from my nightime cravings and allow me to sneak in some extra exercise as well! And I typically eat dinner in front of the TV, which probably contributes to my lightning-quick consumption of that meal. Perhaps I’ll try Betsy’s trick and eat at the dinner table tonight and then play a game with the fiance. Thanks again! 🙂
Kris10 says
Nick–I was hooked on that stuff a while back, then looked up the nutritional stats. Yikes! Still, it’s good for the occassional treat, for sure. 🙂 The trick is to keep the portions small, which is difficult since it is SO addicting!
Mariposa says
My daughter loves watching the Food Network with my grandmother… Rescue Chef is her favorite show! She is always telling me what new recipes she “learned how to cook” are…
Here in Boston its getting warmer! about 65 today and sunny! went for a run at lunch yesterday and i was sweating like crazy!
i cant wait until its in the 80s!
Kiala says
Watching reality tv and eating dinner is my favoritest thing to do. No one can take that away from me.
No one.
Kath says
Kris10,
All these comment are spot on! My best advice is to eat a later dinner. By the time I finish eating, cleaning, posting and getting things set up, it’s time for bed. Sometimes I want to eat one but I look at the clock and don’t want to eat when I’m brushing my teeth in 10 minutes. I realize I do go to bed early, but timing is my best advice (and brushing your teeth, and hot tea, and walking!)
Meg,
Another Kelly’s advice is spot on – use the calculators to make a good guess and see if it works. I think Caloriesperhour.com’s calculators are one of the best out there. You might find since you don’t exercise everyday that you like the NET calories approach – eating one amount on days you don’t exercise and more on the days you do.
Tracy,
Yes, I use my stick blender to puree it.
Kath
Ryane says
Books!
I just finished “Certain Girls” and I really liked it. I started to wish I had reread “Good in Bed” but she went over it a little bit, well actually a lot so it did start to come back to me. Probably wasn’t as good as the first book but it wasn’t bad either!
I also def. recommend Sophie Kinsella – not many books make me laugh out lout but hers do! (Is that sad?)
Oh and another funny chick-litish author is Laurie Notaro, those also make me laugh… she’s not quite so… wholesome as some others.
And to make this convo about books also about food, the book by julie powell “julie and julia: my year of cooking dangerously” was also very cute.
I love recommendations!
Tara says
Why do we need to feel “bad” about eating in front of the TV? For my husband and I, who work full time and are full time graduate students, that is our little treat where we can watch TV guilt free. We still can savor every bite while doing it!
Kelly L. says
Tara- Don’t feel bad. We can see the TV from our kitchen table so we sorta watch it when we eat. Some people are just so darn uptight about eating in front of the TV. True, if you are one that just mindlessly eats in front of the TV that is one thing but to watch the TV while eating a plated planned meal is another. No worries! 🙂
Korin says
I love eating in front of the TV. I work all day and have a DVR for a reason. Best part of the day/night and I would never feel guilty about it.
I know the studies all say you eat more in front of the tube, but I eat even more when I set a whole plate in front of me with no TV on. I’d just eat more, and faster, in order to get over to the TV, lol!
Nothing like the veggie burger, sweet potato fries and fudge bar I’ll enjoy with some recorded Law and Order tonight. Can’t wait.
Kath says
While I do try to eat at the table for most of my meals mostly as an effort to converse with my husband, I do think eating in front of the TV is FUN!! Have your TV and eat it too, right?!
K
Jennachica says
I always eat my dinner in front of the tv, Im sorry but after a hards day at work all I want to do is make dinner and relax in front of my favorite shows! I think some of the little ‘diet tricks’ are a bit silly, but thats just my opinion. Works for some, a grain of salt for others!
Kath- my gym doesnt open until 9am on the weekends, so I usually try and just and eat some oatmeal with a simple, not high in fiber topping topping. Also, try and reduce the fat intake in the breakfast pre-workout, your body is working to digest the fats when instead it can be simply utilizing the carbs for the instant energy. I usually make a medium bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins, for me thats optimal. Just a suggestion!