Coasting Through the Freezer Challenge
After getting Scarlet off to preschool by myself two days in a row, I’d like to offer my utmost respect and props to all the parents out there who perform this feat daily. Typically Steve gets ready for work while I dress and feed Scarlet, and then he whisks her away to her destination. But when all of the responsibilities fall on my shoulders, I end up getting her there an hour later than usual.
To streamline things, I ate what Scarlet had for breakfast, which was a multi-grain waffle topped with a bit of buttery spread, raspberries, strawberries, maple syrup, and a dollop of low-fat cottage cheese. Today I ate my breakfast standing up and multi-tasking in the kitchen. Not very mindful, but oh well!
Midmorning, I sprinkled full fat strawberry Greek yogurt with a raisin, walnut, and almond mixture leftover from a granola bar cooking demo. It never made it to the baking stage, so I kept it on hand for this very purpose.
For lunch, I wrapped up some leftover pieces of roasted chicken with a couple of slices natural deli turkey, mixed herbs and greens, cilantro lemon hummus, and tomatoes. Cherries were on the side. A container of rice pudding fell out of the fridge causing the seal to break, so I felt obligated (but glad) to eat it.
Late afternoon, the thought of a nap sounded nice. Instead I sipped a Diet Coke and headed to the gym.
After weight-training, I snacked on a KIND Blueberry Pecan bar that I had taken with me.
Later when Scarlet and I got home, I munched on toasted whole-wheat pita, and a cracker dipped into lemon cilantro hummus, along with raspberries. Scarlet ate the Greek-style flavored hummus from a spoon, she loves it so much!
For dinner, Steve made baked tortilla-crusted tilapia (Freezer Challenge), asparagus and his famous skinny mashed potatoes. Serena, a Facebook friend, already requested the potato recipe. Be on the look out for it next week!
For dessert, I dutifully pulled out the last sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mints (Freezer Challenge) and enjoyed them with a small glass of milk.
Estimated calories 2372 (355 Breakfast, 539 Lunch, 530 Dinner, 948 Snacks)
We are one week into the 40-Day Freezer Challenge and I feel great. How is it going for you?
Disclosure: The KIND bar was a free sample.
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I'm a chef nutritionist, not the food police. I eat cookies but make sure to eat my broccoli too.
How does one determine their daily caloric needs? I always have a hard time determining the amount of calories I need in a day – online calculators typically base this number by slightly/moderately/very active, and those numbers can vary by site. Can you recommend a particularly good online resource? Thanks 🙂
Becca,
This is my favorite one: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate/index.aspx
It’s from the USDA and also offers you a print out of how much you should be getting from each food group. As far as accuracy, I just entered my numbers and it said I only needed 1800 calories. Which, from judging my calorie counts seems a little low since I don’t think we’ve seen any of my counts that low, and I don’t need to lose any weight (don’t mean to sound – you know – but, lately my busy lifestyle has been helping me manage it.) Most of my calorie counts on the blog have been between 1,900 and 2,300 calories. So use the results (especially food group amounts) only as a guide, not the end all and track your progress from there. Keep in mind everyone has a different metabolism, bone and muscle mass, and genetics. I hope that helps!
Michelle
Thanks, Michelle! That is an excellent multi-faceted resource. I am in the same boat w/ regards to not needing to lose anymore weight. I am very tall & slender w/ an active life and quick metabolism — addition to hitting the gym 3X a week! I aim for a similar caloric range, as well. It is all about balance :).
I’m able to see into my freezer again! Thanks for the idea. Glad to see you found the Thin Mints…for the sake of the challenge and all!
Oh good, Kim! Glad to hear it! I’m afraid I have a little way to go before I can see into my freezer. Hey, somebody had to eat the Thin Mints!
Michelle