Mon. June 18th

Breakfast:  Granola & Toasted Oat Cereal with Blueberries!

Daily Tidbit:  I am always reading about those 8 cups of water we are supposed to drink every day for good hydration, and I think it's daunting.  It just feels like a lot of drinking and trips to the bathroom to me.  I prefer to keep hydrated through drinking and eating foods that have a "high water content" which means 90% or more water, such as: tomatoes, broccoli, watermelon, cucumbers, strawberries, and loads of other veggies and fruits which contain lots of water.  This is especially important this time of year with the increasing heat and activity level.

This is an informative article about hydration for the super athletic or active in the crowd:

www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/Stay-Hydrated-With-High-Water-Content-Foods.htm

And, here is a list from Kentucky University indicating the water content of lots of different fruits & veggies:   www.ca.uky.edu/enri/pubs/enri129.pdf

Incidentally in the July/ August 2012 edition of the Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine says that to figure out how much water you really need each day simply divide your weight in pounds by two.  Depending on your weight you may need more or less water than the standard 8 cups after all!

I have loved this cereal since I was a little girl!

Breakfast:  Cereal & Blueberries

1/2 Cup All Natural Granola (pic above!)

1/2 Cup Toasted Oat Cereal

Handful of Blueberries

5 oz. cup of OJ

Regular Coffee, Black

Tip:  I love granola, but it is high in calories, sugar, and fat so I regulate that by mixing in ½ cup of Toasted Oat Cereal (instead of having a full cup of just granola).  The Oat Cereal has a really nice sweet taste with very little sugar, fat or calories.    This specific granola keeps it real for me:  very few ingredients, which are recognizable, all natural, and super yummy = totally worth the indulgence today!

Subway Oven Roasted Chicken Sandwich for Lunch!

Lunch:  Subway Sandwich

Whole Wheat Foot Long Oven Roasted Chicken Breast with: Yellow Mustard, Avocado, Red Onions,Pickles, Lettuce & Tomato

Regular Coffee, black

Note: The picture isn't great, it was taken in a Mall food court after all.  Meanwhile, I really didn't need the foot long and should have stuck with the 6 inch sub.  Lots of unnecessary carbs from all the extra bread means I need to pay closer attention to what I'm eating for the rest of the day.  If I had stuck with the 6 inch sub it would have been a health slam dunk for a food court lunch.  I'll try to remember this next time!  I could have had a little bag of Baked Potato Chips instead and consumed fewer calories.

Snack:  .825 oz (Half of a whole bar) 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate

Snack:  1 oz of sliced Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Sangria

A little goes a long way in the satisfaction department with a sharp cheese.  I didn't need a lot to keep the hunger at bay while I cooked dinner!

Trader Joe's Curry Simmer Sauce with Veggies & Chicken for Dinner!

Dinner: Red Curry Veggie Blast with Roasted Chicken & Chick Peas

Trader Joe's jarred  Curry Simmer Sauce

Carrots, Onions, Garlic, Sweet Petit Peas & Sweet Potato, Chick Peas & leftover Rotisserie Chicken

Red Sangria

Note:  This is a super easy meal when you are away from home or have little time to cook.  Simply gather a few vegetables and some beans;  saute some onion and garlic in EVOO in a pan, add veggies to brown, throw in the beans and in this case the chicken and the jarred sauce and just bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are at desired doneness.  Homemade sauces are usually more flavorful and lower in sodium, but for the sake of convenience I always make sure to have some easy jarred sauces with me for a quick meal!

Dessert:  No dessert tonight.  Nothing 'worth' the calories in the house and still feeling guilty about that mammoth sandwich at lunch!  And of course, I enjoyed that Dark Chocolate earlier today as a snack :)






After thought:  Forgot there were Apples in the kitchen!  Would have been a good ending to the day.   Taking a mental note for tomorrow.