Breakfast for dinner

Around 5pm I snacked on some baby carrots while doing some Algebra II homework.

UGH I hate math!

Tonight I was feelin' a good old fashion breakfast for dinner night!! I was on my own because the parents had a christmas party. French toast sounded good- so french toast it was!!

I made my french toast with 2 slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal bread and a batter of egg whites, Torani Sugar Free Vanilla syrup, and lots of cinnamon. I poured on generous amounts of sugar-free syrup on my french toast. Alongside I had some cottage cheese with blueberries and a Butterfly Bakery Double Chocolate Chip muffin. To drink was water and Numi Jasmine Green Tea with some stevia to sweeten it up!

 This was the perrrrfect dinner and really hit the spot while covering (most) of the nutritional bases.

By the way, I want to focus in on the Butterfly Bakery muffin. I discovered these in Shaw's over the summer and fell in love. They are made of really healthy ingredients with no sugar added. I am a muffin girl (seriously, I love muffins) so these were a huge find for me.

I hate to tell you, but I am still stuck on banana babies. I seriously LOVE them. I can't explain how much so. I enjoyed one for dessert tonight. 

My no-calorie counting intuitive eating is going really well. Although sometimes I find that I can't fully trust myself and my body yet. It's scary, but I am slowly but surely getting there. I am trying my best to incorporate healthy meals into my diet, as well as a treat here and there. The only thing I have been noticing that I still do is use low-fat and sugar-free foods. I think I am okay with this for now, because as long as I am not using them to obsessively count calories/restrict my intake, it can't do too much harm. Otherwise, I have been able to eat out in restaurants and such and it is NO BIG DEAL! Yesterday I did some studying at Barnes and Noble. I was there through lunchtime (we get out at 11 on Wednesdays), so I figured I needed to grab a bite to eat. I practiced being flexible and got the exact lunch special in the Barnes and Noble Cafe with no alterations! The special of the day was a half of a Turkey and Cheese Chipotle Panini (turkey, cheddar, mozzarella, and a chipotle mayonnaise grilled to perfection) with a cup of the Chicken Tortilla soup. To drink I had a half of an IBC Diet Root Beer and a glass of water. This was literally the best lunch I have had in a long time. It was seriously SO good. If you haven't hit the Barnes and Noble Cafe for a panini yet I suggest you get on that. One more triumph I had this week was on Monday night. My sister and I were on our own for dinner because my parents went to go visit my grandmother who is in a nursing home right now. My dad slipped us a twenty on his way out the door so we could order in for delivery. We decided to try this new place called West Avon Pizza. OH MY GOD this is soooo my new favorite delivery place. Their menu is sooo much more than pizza. It ranges from chicken tenders, wings, and mozzarella sticks to pizza to calzones to grinders to wraps to spaghetti dishes galore to gyros to salads to burgers. The list goes on. I tried the turkey gyro. It was literally amazing. I got the tzatzki sauce on the side because I hate when things come drowning in a yucky sauce and I didn't want to take the chance. I put some of the sauce on though, and it was soooo amazingly good! My gyro came with a greek salad with huge chunks of feta (my favorite cheese ever). My sister got spaghetti and meatballs and it came with bread, butter, and a side salad. This dinner was so good. This place is a new favorite. 

Okay I am done ranting, I just wanted to give a quick update on my eats and accomplishments!

I really have to finish my homework, I will be back to edit my post later.

I still have to have a night snack, but since I will be up late studying I am sure I will get hungry for it. I am thinking popcorn/trail mix and a yogurt. I just bought a new Berry Chocolate Trail Mix that's calling my name!!

Edit:

I ended up having what I said I would. I popped a mini bag of popcorn and threw in a handful of this yummy mix-

I was inspired by Care to Eat to have trail mix. I needed to see what the hype was about. I LOVE IT NOW! It's totally yummy, and nutritious!

With my night snack I also had a Yoplait yogurt and a water bottle mixed with Totally Light 2 Go Lemonade.

Now I really have to go finish studying for my huge AP U.S. History test tomorrow. I can't wait for christmas break!!

Damn Technology

I finally figured out why my pictures are not working. My phone can't figure out how to send the email! I have a blackberry, and I just email my pictures to myself so I then have them on the computer. This worked in the beginning, however now the email is very delayed. I just got all my pictures from the past few days this morning! Don't be surprised if I am posting pictures a few days later than the post until I get this figured out. I got so frustrated last night, I didn't even post! I will give you a recap, with pictures later.

Breakfast was, of course, my oats bowl with PB. 

I got out of class at 11:15AM yesterday, but I had tutoring from 11:15-12:15PM. When my mom came to pick me up, she brought a surprise. Her phone came! Now we're Blackberry Curve twins! She wanted to go to Verizon to switch over her phone and the contacts. When she was there, I went to Borders to buy a few SAT/ACT Prep books that I needed for tutoring. After I got the books I still had time to spare so I headed to Walgreens because I wanted to grab some more of the Russell Stover Sugar Free Chocolate Marshmallows. I got 6 more! I also picked up some Carmex for my fall chapped lips =), as well as these cute little Disney Chocolate Bites. There is 16 in the pack and they are cute and little. They are in the shapes of characters from Pooh! After my purchases, my mom was finally ready to hit the road.

When I got home I quickly threw together something easy for lunch that I could eat while doing AP U.S. History reading. I had my usual veggie sandwich on a Joseph's pita with spicy brown mustard, a pack of Nature Valley Apple Crisps, a Cocovia bar, a Diet Coke, and a So Delicious Raspberry Cream bar for dessert (bar will be pictured separately). A perfect lunch for yesterday!

Here is my So Delicious Bar pictured next to Lincoln! 

After lunch I continued to do work, then I did the dishes and fed the dogs, and finally helped my mom learn how to use her new Blackberry. My mom made Cream of Wheat for her to have for dinner, I told her she was weird, and proceeded into the fridge to get one of the sandwiches I bought in Boston. I settled on the Eggplant Parmesan sandwich. OH MY GOD this was delicious!! I wish I could get these around us...

I warmed up half of it, and ate the other half cold in order to try it both ways and better enjoy the meal. I loved it both ways. This was soooo yummmy! It was really hard for me to eat this without knowing the nutrition facts. It was hard- but I did it and man it was good! I enjoyed it alongside a Boston's Light Popcorn. 

YUM YUM YUM.

Next I took a shower, and passed out on my living room floor. Literally. Well, kinda. I fell asleep there studying!! I woke up around 9:30, made my sisters lunch for today, grabbed a banana baby for dessert, and headed to my room. I did some more work and later on had my night snack. Last night that consisted of a Laughing Cow spread on 2 slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal Bread, and Yoplait Thick & Creamy, a Cliff Kid Z-Bar, and a Russell Stover Marshmallow for a treat!

 After this I was so tired- I hit the hay!!

This morning I didn't take a picture of my oats because I was too frustrated with the whole picture ordeal. I finally calmed down when I saw the pictures in my inbox this morning. Lunch was what I am going to call a classic "Westy on-the-run lunch". A lot of the kids will grab a chocolate Nesquik or Naked drink along with some Pretzel Flipz and call that lunch when their really busy. I had to do a DBQ (in class history essay using documents for support) during my lunch block today. It was a make-up that I missed while in Boston. Because I didn't have time for lunch, I took what I could get. I ran to the dining hall for an apple, and then proceeded to the store to buy a Diet Coke, some Chocolate Pretzel Flips, and a 100 calorie Balance Bar. 

I ate all of the apple and bar, and about 1/2 the bag (1 serving) of Flipz.

I have to run- time to get some work done before I get picked up!!

Boston!

Boston is one of my favorite cities. I really want to go to college there. Boston College has been my dream since I knew what college was. We actually took a drive-by today on our way home. 

We woke up at 5:30, and left by 6:30. We got into the city in just under 2 hours (much quicker than normal!) We stopped to get coffee, granola bars, and gas on the way. I had a small black coffee with 1/2 splenda, a Cliff Kid Z-Bar (love these), and an apple.

 My mom also got a speeding ticket on route 84. I swear to god, she was NOT speeding. As the police put his lights on we both looked of the speed-o-meter and looked at eachother and said "he can't be pulling us over, is he?". For a $300 ticket, she's going to fight it!!

Once we got into Boston we waiting for my uncle to arrive, as this meeting was for him. (My mom does work for her brother). Copley Mall opened at 10AM, so when the clock struck Kelly and I headed down that way. We shopped for a while, and then got VERY hungry. We knew that we would probably be having lunch with our mom and uncle around in about a half an hour to an hour (it was 11 at the time), so we didn't know what to do. We went to the Shaw's grocery store in the Prudential Center. Kelly got a hard-boiled egg (?). I got two sandwiches...even funnier. Don't worry- I wasn't planning on eating both right there and then. I couldn't choose between these two amazing looking sandwiches (all natural, vegan). I got an Eggplant Parm Sandwich and a Tempeh Ruben. I figured if my mom took too long- I would be eating! Turns out, I ended up taking both home. That's fine, I have them for later!!

Lunch ended up being sans mom and uncle...long story. Kelly and I first did take-out at Legal Seafood where Kelly and I both got soup. I got a cup of the Lite Clam Chowder (broth based, filled with clams and veggies). It was soo good! We ended up taking our soup down to Au Bon Pain to round out our meal. Plus, we had stopped in earlier and it looked amazing! I ate at that particular Au Bon Pain with a friend once, and it really beats every other one I've ever been to. At Au Bon Pain I did a "make-your-own" wrap. I got a wrap with romaine lettuce, onion, cucumbers, sprouts, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, and dijon mustard.

Here's a closer look inside my wrap...

 I ate 1/2 of this, with some of the watermelon that Kelly and I got to share, and a Diet Pepsi. The soup, wrap, and fruit filled me up nicely and made me feel MUCH better.

After lunch, we set off to find our mother- whom took forever to track down because she has some aversion to answering her cell phone. Finally we found her, and started to head home. Like I said, on the way we stopped to see the BC campus- which I loved! My mom even made me do some highway driving (my first time ever on the highway). I have never been so scared driving! I'm sure I will get used to it.

When we got home, I was SO tired. So was Kelly and my mom. We vegged out for a little, and then got up and went to F.Y.E. because Kelly wanted to get the new David Archuleta album that came out today. She is in love! P.S. I snacked on an unphotographed Banana Baby (of course) during this down time.

After our F.Y.E. stop, we hit up the chinese place for dinner. We went to Rice Fields, which is a homey little restaurant literally right down the street from our house. Our order consisted of the following:

*Steamed Pork Dumplings

*Steamed Vegetable Dumplings

*Pint of White Rice and Brown Rice

*Steamed Mixed Vegetables

*Wonton Soup

*Egg Roll (for my mom)

I don't think I have mentioned on the blog yet that I do not eat beef or pork (only poultry and fish). The veggie dumpling idea was mine. I haven't had dumpling since I stopped eating red meat years ago, they were so good! For dinner I portioned myself out a plate of 2 veggie dumplings, a large serving of mixed vegetables, and some brown rice. This was yummy, but I wasn't that hungry.

After homework time and a shower (brought me to about 9PM) I had dessert. Tonight was a small square of vanilla cake from Shaw's along with a Lofthouse Pumpkin Iced Cookie! SOOO amazing!

There is not really anything else exciting to report about my night, except for possible night snack. I had 2 slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal bread spread with a wedge of Light Laughing Cow Swiss cheese. I also had a Yoplait Light Thick & Creamy and a Fiber 1 bar.

NIGHT TIME! I can't explain my exhaustion. 

I need sleep!

So I woke up this morning at 7:15and I had to leave by 7:35. I am just so tired from not getting enough sleep. I have never been so stressed in the morning!  I threw on a dress that I think is my moms, made my oatmeal, and left. I didn't have time to take a picture, so I will substitute with yesterdays pic.

I was a few minutes late to Algebra- but whatever what can you do?

My school day was pretty low key, except i've been so tired. I am going to aim for a normal amount of sleep tonight, but we'll see how that goes. For lunch I really didn't go into the dining hall because 1. I was busy and 2. I knew I was going to be having pizza at Community Service. So I simply went to the school store and bought a Diet Coke and some Sabra Pretzel Crisps and enjoyed them in the computer lab with a Cliff Kid Z-Bar that I brought from home. 

The Sabra Pretzels Crisps were really good, I had never had them before but I was impressed! Except for the high sodium, they're great! The container at the top holds the crisps, and below is a container with zesty salsa for dipping. There is a serious amount of salsa (the packaging said 1/2 c.) I tried to use as much of it as I could, but it was just too much for the amount of chips. Really yummy though. The Cliff Bar was good as always.

After class I just talked with a friend for a while, and then headed off to Community Service. Today was the last day of it for the fall term (most people will change afternoon programs). But because I cannot do a sport because of my "condition" I am going to do Community Service again. It definitely wasn't as sad for me as it was for the others. Anyways, we brought Little City Pizza for the kids to have for a treat. Little City is a favorite of Westminster kids, its the best pizza place in town. By the way, Westminster is the name of my boarding school.  The pies were cut into squares, and I had a small square.

I ate in the dining hall for dinner, but I was too embarrassed to whip out my camera so I didn't take any pictures. I wasn't a fan of the hot food they were serving today (some nasty chicken dish) so dinner was a small bowl of plain pasta, a side salad with a hard-boiled egg, and an ice cream sandwich for dessert.

This is the brand that I had above.

After dinner I went to the Stud (student center) with one of my best friends, Lily. We played a game of pool, and then a lot of my other friend came over too and we all hung out for a while. Now I am in the Library for study hall (7:30-9:15). I think I am going home now though because I am tired and I want to actually get some sleep tonight. Remember- I am a weirdo who goes to school on Saturday mornings!

I will update later with my night time snack and fill you in on my sleep progress or not progress!

Update: I came home and took a shower (fit a treat in there) and fell asleep for a half hour. Then I convinced myself to get up, did my Spanish homework, and watched Numb3rs with my parents.

When I got home I somehow convinced myself that I needed one of these babies!

Bed is a priority tonight- meaning right after this post. Hey, 1AM is better than 3:30AM! I don't have to get up until 7:45AM tomorrow. Night snack was an old favorite- Shaw's brand light raisin english muffin with tsp Brummel and Brown along with a Yoplait Thick & Creamy. I also tried something new that I bought at the school store. Honey Nut Cherrios Milk and Cereal Bar.

 Verdict? Not bad, but I would much rather have a sweet and salty or advantage bar.

All together:

Adios!

Go, go, go

I've been going nonstop all day!
I went straight from class to pic up my grandmother with my mom so we could bring her to the foot doctors. We dropped her off there and headed to Dunkin Donuts to grab some food. I didn't eat lunch at school today because I was just way too overwhelmed. I had a Dunkin Donuts Egg White Turkey Sausage Flatbread and a small black coffee with 1 splenda. I loveee these flatbreads!!

I literally am obsessed with those things! 

Afternoon snack was in the car. My mom brought it to me, and I had one of the new bars I recently fell in love, and a Frigo Light Cheese Stick on the side! Definitely kept me going through the evening!

This evening we went to the doctors for both me and my mom. My parents and I got to a concierge specialty doctor (my sister is too young for the practice), so luckily I could sneak in a weigh in/vitals during my mom's appointment. My weight was down- and now I am just 3 pounds from my inpatient admission weight. I am really concerned and I am really not trying to loose any weight- I think it's just stress. So I really have to work on upping my intake now. Don't be surprised if you see lots of food! I need to GAIN BABY!

After the doctors I had a therapist appointment in the building next door. The appointment went really well and was very helpful towards getting me back on track. I didn't tell her that I started a food blog, but I did tell her I was photographing and tracking my food in order to keep myself accountable. She said it was a good idea, and I could even email her some pictures of my triumphs if I was up to it.

In the downstairs of the therapists office is a favorite place of my mom, sister, and I. Cosi. We grabbed some Cosi Sandwiches to-go for dinner. I had a Fire-Roasted Veggie on Etruscan Whole Grain with baby carrots. This is one of my favorite sandwiches from here. It is warm with roasted veggies and a creamy feta cheese spread (feta is one of my all time favorite cheeses). It hit the spot tonight!

Up closer-

Dessert was the same as last night (I am obsessed what can I say?!?). A Diana's Milk Chocolate Banana Baby- YOU MUST TRY THESE THEY ARE BEYOND AMAZING!!

(How awful is that pic with my laptop and blanket in the background?)

I had a really good chat with my best friend Ariel tonight. By the way- her grandmother is out of the hospital and doing much much better. She was really helping to both motivate me regarding my health and eating right now, as well as help calm me down (I was in hysterics) about my boy issues right now =(. I miss her so much (she moves to Arizona 2 years ago) and can't wait until we see each other over winter break. Although we talk several times a day, it's not the same as having her here!

My evening snack/meal (we should call it a meal at this point!) was yummy! I had 2 slices of Country Kitchen Light Oatmeal bread spread with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese and sprouts. I also had the infamous Thick & Creamy Yogurt. To finish, I had one of my favorite treats, a Chex Mix Turtle Bar! 

I LOVE THESE! I will do a review sometime when I am not exhausted. 

All from above-

Speaking of being tired, I am off to bed. 'Night everyone!

We're all in this together

Yeah so, I ended up going to HSM3 again and staying awake through the whole thing. I took my sister to the 7PM showing. I was sitting in the movie and I looked at my sister and said OH MY GOD I FORGOT TO EAT DINNER. Weird cause that rarely happens. So when I got home- dinner was #1 on my priority list. This also means that I will have to have another midnight snack tonight! It's okay, god knows I will be up!! Anyways, the movie was cute and the ended was good but very cliche. 

Before we went into the theater, we stopped in Rite Aid to get cheap drinks for the movie, and to get Pepcid AC for Lucy the dog (who we got to pick up finally!) While were were there, I picked up 2 more Snicker's Low Carb Marathon Bars but in the chocolate flavor. I also bought a box of the Atkins Advantage Bar that I tried yesterday and loved, as well as a single of the Peanut Butter Nougat flavor. The picture is minus the one Snickers Bar that I ate with dinner. 

I was so famished when I got home I threw together something quick. I made a Boca Vegan Veggie Burger that we bought today during our stop at Shaw's. I had this on a Country Kitchen Light Wheat Roll, and topped it with alfalfa sprouts and yellow mustard. On the side I had a serving of baby carrots, about 10 Light Fat Free Sour Cream & Onion Pringles, and one of the Peanut Butter flavored Snickers Marathon Bars (review below). I felt much much better after eating my dinner!

Components from dinner-

Boca Vegan Veggie Burger

Snickers Marathon Low Carb Lifestyle Bar

Serving Size: 1 bar (50 g)

Calories: 170

Total Fat: 7g

Sat. Fat: 2g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 310mg

Potassium: 180mg

Total Carb.: 18g

Dietary Fiber: 8g

Sugars: 1g

Sugar Alcohols: 7g

Protein: 18g

I was really impressed with the stats on this bar. No HFCS, plenty of Potassium, 100% DV Vitamin C, E, and B, 50% DV Calcium, 8 grams of Fiber (which surprised me!), and 18 grams of Protein! This bar did I great job making me feel better after not eating dinner at a normal time. Overall, the taste was decent. I liked the bar I had last night better, however this one was pretty good too. I can imagine this bar would make a great afternoon snack to hold me over before dinner, or a good snack to bring with me to school for when I need something. It has excellent staying power. Plus, it was a nice sized bar. I will definitely be eating these again.

Dessert tonight was one of my favorites- a Diana's Banana Baby. Found in the health food section is my only excuse for these chocolate covered frozen bananas. I will do a review later.

Time to finish homework!!

Edit: Guess what time it is? Late. I'm updating and then hitting the hay. Night snack/meal was fun today!! I started with a Eggo Nutri-Grain Low Fat Waffle topped with a little tiny bit of strawberry jam and a drizzle of Howard's Sugar Free Syrup. Next I had my classic Yoplait Thick & Creamy! To conclude, I treated myself to something I used to love but haven't had in forever, but remembered thanks to a talk I had with an online friend today. NUTELLA!

I had 1 tablespoon worth out of this jar-

On my spoon-

And all together from above-

I'm off to bed! Finally right? See you tomorrow.