So. The cake is ok but nowhere near as good as I was hoping for. :) It's a box of chocolate cake mix, 10 oz plain Greek yogurt, and a cup of water. If you've ever had a fiber one 90 calorie brownie, that's sort of the consistency but the cake is more moist. DH says it's pretty good with ice cream and chocolate syrup. :)

traci - I saw hungry girl on oz the other day, she took a brownie mix, tossed in a can of plain pumpkin and water, supposedly its really good. Haven't tried it, I'm holding it in reserve for TOM, especially since it'll probably contain gluten.

Today is a cycle down day, so low calories

B: Red juice - 2 apples, 4 carrots, 1 lemon in the juicer

S: Green juice - pear, cuke, lime, kale

L: Purple juice - blueberries, strawberries, red cabbage, ginger

D: honey dijon chicken, salad

Loads of water and hot tea.

Angi - What do you do with the pulp when you juice? Is there a lot of waste? Just curious. Never used a juicer before.

Breakfast today was a piece of wheat toast with peanut butter before the treadmill and sliced strawberries with vanilla yogurt after. Man I'm ready for warm weather and local produce! The berries have decent flavor but they're hard and not juicy at all.

Lunch will be a piece of leftover pizza and a salad.

It's supposed to be upper forties here today so I think we will grill something for supper. Maybe a burger. I have a big head of cauliflower to roast and maybe I'll make Phillip some potato salad and baked beans. He will be in heaven. ;)

Today has been busy

Breakfast was coffee

Lunch was pollock fish sticks, celery sticks and baby carrots

Dinner will be pork roast, potatoes, celery and carrots "yummy crock pot meal"

Might throw in after dinner snack depending on calories possibly greek yogurt and fruit

Traci - often, I'll send it through again if it still seems pretty moist, but I toss about 85% back in the juice, sorry, but I want the fiber! I use it in pancakes/muffins for the kids, toss it in yogurt with some juice I just made, blend it all up and put it in ice cube trays for an ice cream like treat, or like last night, I had an empty 12 ounce container of greek yogurt, so I blended it with yogurt, juice, flax oil and fish oil, popped it back in the container, covered with saran wrap then lidded and it's in the freezer. I taste tested it this morning, its YUMMY without that hardening ice cream can get. I also use it in soups and stir fry's as a fiber boost. Especially if it's alot of veggie and orange/lemon, thats great in stir fry, but visually, a little goes a long way. I just can't comprehend NOT using all that beneficial innards of fruits and veggies.

I love these days when my food is super yummy and I'm still able to totally hit my target numbers. :)

Breakfast
Chicken Fajita Breakfast Taco (seasoned chicken breast + peppers + onions + scrambled eggs + cheese stuffed into a homemade crunchy taco shell and topped with salsa, guacamole, and spinach) :T
1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1/4 cup pureed blueberries and 1 T. slivered almonds

Lunch
4 oz. burger with dill relish and brown mustard (no bun)
1/2 cup raw broccoli florets with 1 T. blue cheese dressing

Pre-workout snack
1/3 of a medium banana

Dinner
Alice Springs Chicken (boneless chicken breast tossed with honey mustard and baked, then topped with bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and cheese)
1/2 sliced carrots and 1/4 cup peas
1/2 cup sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup diced kiwi

Calories: 1,428
Carbs: 65
Protein: 97

Oh gosh, I made the most delicious dinner just now.
sauteed shrimp in lime juice, teaspoon EVOO, cayenne, s&p
corn tortillas, home made pico de gallo, fat free refried beans, and a salad.

So fresh, so yummy. It would be a great meal for a hot summer evening!

Jumping In (hope you ladies don't mind)

B: 1/2 cup Fiber One 80 Cal Chocolate (yummy) and 1/2 cup Horizon Milk
L: 6 Pieces of Sushi (Dragon Roll) and 1/2 Diet Coke
Snack: 100 Calorie Chobani Bite Fig w/ Orange Zest
D: 1/2 Cup Homemade Taco Soup, Half whole wheat pita pocket w/ 2oz roasted chicken, 1.5 oz avocado, 0.5oz Spring mix, 2oz of broccoli/carrot mix steamed and 1/2 cup of Strawberries

Food
 

I really like this thread! I get 'stuck' with my meals and never know what to make. Breakfast for me always has to be fast and easy, because my work day starts at 5am and I'm waking up at 330am. I usually drink a cappucino or chai latte from my Keurig on the way to work, then have a bowl of cereal (Rice Krispies or Special K) with skim milk at my desk. By 8 or 9am I'm ready for lunch, so I pack myself a deli turkey sandwich (light bread, light mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomator, salt & pepper) and either a cheese stick or a cottage cheese cup. Exceptions to this are days that the office goes in on lunch, which usually doesn't happen until 11 or 12. I'm out of work by 1, usually starving. When I get home I might snack on another bowl of cereal if anything. I usually try to wait until hubby and daughter get home from work and school and eat dinner with them. Hubby always cooks dinner, so I'm slightly at his mercy. He cooks the same meals each week, and he hates vegetables other than starchy ones. If I eat a salad, I have to make it myself and I'm the only one eating it. When I'm dieting, my meals always add expense to the grocery bill since no one else in the family eats "healthy food". I've tried time and time again to get my hubby or daughter to eat more veggies but they both refuse. My daughter loves fruit, so I go with that, but wish she would try new foods more often.

So anyway, I love this post because it's nice to see what others are eating. It seems like a lot of people are 'juicing' or eating smoothies, which just isn't my cup of tea. I like to eat my food, not drink it. I think running the blender at 4am would irritate my family as well :)

B: 1/2c Fiber 1, 1/2 Kashi, 1 c skim milk, 1/2 c strawberries, 1 clementine
L: 1 slice 12 grain bread, 2 oz grilled chicken, 1 grilled tomato, 2 c kale
D: 4 oz Tilapia, 2 c skillet sauteed spinach with olive oil, fresh garlic, roasted bell peppers
S: celery with laughing cow

kittyfat : I juice a few times a week, it's just easier for me. Especially since I'm constantly chasing my 10 mos old. But I like real food, no doubt! You could try laughing cow cheeses with veggie chips, which is just roasted veggies in the oven with a light spray of olive oil or real butter, whatever you and your plan agree on. My kids are great veggie eaters, but their dad is too, so that helps. I've always kept veggies/fruit/cheese/lean cuts of meat cut up and portioned out for them. The entire bottom shelf in my fridge is the kid zone. I use the Gerber plastic food containers, I think they're 4 ounce sizes. They know they can go in and grab any of those at any time, and nobody will say anything, unless we're making dinner. It's washed and cut up grapes, apples, carrots, celery, even kale for my daughter. I have a 9 yr old, 8 yr old and 10 mos old, but it truly works out well for everyone. And it keeps me from constantly running the, "Who ate what today" program in my head when I hear, "Mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I'm starvinggggggggg to deathhhhhhhhhhh" at 3 pm.

You could also try that with you, though maybe use bigger containers, we have a bunch from lunch meats, Hillshire Farms, their containers wash and reuse really well, I keep stuff cut up and washed for me, it really aids in making the good choices. Instead of going and grabbing a bag of single serving chips from the cabinet, I know fresh stuff is washed and ready to go, so if it doesn't get eaten, it'll go to waste.

I think it all requires tweaking too, what works for your schedule and family life and what doesn't. It's definitely a process, finding what works for everyone, that's for sure! I don't know how old your daughter is, but maybe let her help prep veggies, kids love to eat what they cook/prepare, maybe make home made dressings, or pick up some healthy nut butters she can dip veggies in. Or experiement and do regional styled foods, we've done Greek night, I made grilled lamb, we stuffed pitas and had home made yogurt cucumber sauce, but they tried hummus and artichokes too. We've also done Japanese night (the oldest kids bio dad is 1/2 Japanese), we sat on the floor, ate sushi and raw veggies soaked in various vinegars and spices and used chopsticks. They tried ALOT of food they always "ewww"'d before. Now, they love the concept. Good luck mama!

Today was insane!!

B: 1 c greek vanilla yogurt, 1 c mixed fruit, 2 tbsp flax
L: HALF AN ENTIRE CANTELOPE!!! no kidding, it was so freaking yummy
S: not gonna lie, but not proud...chips. BBQ baked lays
D: serving of mashed potatoes, seasoned cabbage, 1/4 grilled chicken breast.

So..normally I try not to make normal, from scratch mashed potatoes. Tonight, the entire family begged for them. The last time I made them was Thanksgiving, so it's not a common occurance. Whole boiled potatoes, blended with honest to god butter, cheddar, bacon bits and crab pieces. Amazingness. Totally indulged and I'm ok with it. The kicker was, I seriously ate like...half my weight in seasoned cabbage. I love that stuff. And for 50 calories per serving....I'm ok with it. I realized I hadn't even put meat on my plate, so to keep the male type cooking I had the smallest piece of chicken I could, eyeballed it and cut a 1/4. A bit more calories than normal, and a LOT more fat and sodium than normal, and I'll probably suffer on the scale a pound or so, I'm ok with it. The mashed potatoes were amazing, the chicken was amazing and the cabbage was outstanding!

Angihas2- how do you make the seasoned cabbage? Sounds good!

I was kinda bad today...
B: 1/4 Quick Oats, 1/4cup almond milk, 1/2tablespoon chia seeds and 4 diced strawberries (my standard breakfast)
L: 1 cup homemade taco soup, 100 cal peach cottage cheese, 1 cup herb spring mix, 1 tablespoon strawberry lite dressing, cucumbers/cherry tomatoes, 1/4 avocado (well a little less).
S: Skinny Cow Wafer Candy Bar
D: 3/8ths of Amy's Soy Cheese Pizza 6 Slices of Turkey Pep on top and sprinkle of added WW Mexican style cheese. 1/3 cup mandarin oranges, 1 tablespoon FF cottage cheese, 2 Pieces of sushi from the fridge (dragon roll) and Jamba Juice Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream Bar (Yummy and only 90 Cal).

teacher1 - ashamed to say...I opened a can ;/. Here in the south we can get seasoned greens, cabbage etc, canned and ready to go. If you're particular about brand's you can find pretty decent ones. Basically, its chopped cabbages, place in a pot to steam them, cover with water and apple cider vinegar, a small amount of sea salt, brown sugar and peppercorns or freshly ground pepper. Basically just steam/boil long enough for cabbage to soften to a texture you enjoy. Some people do it until it's mush, which is nasty, when I do it from scratch I do it so there's a clear form of cabbage, but soft enough that it's easily chewed.

ichoosetobelieve : how do you do the home made taco soup? I love chicken enchilada soup, but it's a bit high in fat and calories, so open to new recipes!!

Breakfast~ Coffee with skim milk, then with two tbsp of White Chocolate Mocha Creamer, stick of pepperjack cheese
Lunch~ Spinach salad with carrots, green onions, onion powder and a little bit of cheese. Also with one medium zucchini on the side, sliced and cooked on the skillet with canola cooking spray
Dinner~ Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls with a serving of Doritos Nacho Picoso
Snacks~ Orange, Yoplait Strawberry Greek Yogurt, small handful of peanuts