I find I do better throughout the day with smaller meals spread out. Especially because with my kids in school and increased activities, I’m out and about more. This means eating part of a lunch now (1/2 sandwich) and then the other half later (other 1/2, or soup, or veggies and dip). This works well for the challenge too, because I don’t let myself get too hungry. However for some reason at dinner I’ve been feeling very full. Is it because I’m making heartier meals for dinner to make sure everyone is full? Or is it because the one dish meal is just heavier? Or is it that I’m really not eating enough during the day and then am overdoing at night? I guess it’s all of the above.
Last night’s pizza was good. Simple wheat pizza dough (Trader Joe’s) with tomato sauce, shredded cheese and fresh basil (from the garden) with a side of roasted broccoli. However it came on the heels of pasta the night before. Also being that there is left-overs of both, there’s more heavy lunch items for me to eat (not wanting to waste). Tonight I planned for Trader Joe’s bean and barley mix. The funny thing was my son had been asking to make this before the challenge, and I hadn’t. He’s not a big soup guy, but liked the colors and look of the variety of beans (black eyed peas, kidney, cannellini, pinto, lima). Being that the price was under $3, and made over 6 cups I thought it would be good. It took some planning to soak the beans overnight and then cook 1 hour. I added some canned tomato sauce and broth and sauteed some onion and garlic and 2 of the left-over sausages (all free pantry items) and salt and pepper. After I soaked the beans I realized my husband would be out of town and not around to eat. So much for planning. More for me…this is both good and bad.
The kids finished the broccoli from the night before (I only cooked half to reserve the rest for a stir fry) along with the last of the pizza and some beans. I had raw carrots and tomatoes (garden) and the beans (like a chili or stew, really). While it was pretty good. Again tonight, I just feel heavy.
Last night I watched Top Chef (as always) and longed for the light sea scallops and salmon. I realized I should’ve cut back on my list (why did I do three cheeses?) and factored in some fish. I did go under budget on my shopping, so I may just have to check out the store for some budget friendly (but eco friendly) fish and see if we can do a lighter meal tomorrow night.
