A day of my eating and some commentary
Another Wednesday, another food post. But before we begin: Did you treat yourself yesterday? I sure hope so. I treated myself to a surprise. What do I mean by that? Well, I set out yesterday evening to attend a little event and then go to a new yoga studio in the Marina neighborhood of San Francisco. Somehow I didn’t read the fine print on the studio’s class description, and it turned out I was attending hot yoga. That meant the room was heated just above 90 degrees, which makes for a true sweat-fest once you get into the poses and moves. I thought I had set myself up for a relaxing mind/body session, but instead I was completely drenched and totally worked during the one-hour power yoga class. I walked out feeling great, but fairly shocked that I hadn’t prepared myself for the experience. You need to talk yourself up for that kind of thing. Oh well. I’m better for it.
And with that, it’s time to get to the food. Here are my eats from yesterday, coupled with some very random commentary, for those of you who actually read what I write rather than just scroll through and look at pictures. But no matter how you enjoy A Lady Goes West, I’m just glad you’re here. So proceed as you please!
Breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
A typical and tasty first meal of coconut protein overnight oats, minus the coconut, topped with a banana. Served alongside a mug of steaming green tea.
Why no coconut, you ask? Even though it’s part of my self-proclaimed best ever overnight oats recipe? Well, when you eat the same meal for breakfast everyday, sometimes you choose to make small changes to mix up the flavor profiles. I didn’t use any coconut this week, but I’ll probably bring it back next week. Funny thing about this breakfast is that I was starving as I took this picture. I had been up for a while and couldn’t find even an inkling of natural light in our tiny apartment until after 7 a.m. to stage a little photography session. #BloggerProblems. Therefore, my stomach grumbled, I became hangry, and I finally took this quick picture in front of the window on a side-table before calling it a day and digging into the meal at the kitchen counter in front of my computer. Life is tough, people. Life is tough.
Mid-morning snack at 11 a.m.
A filling snack of vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt topped with some yummy cinnamon-crunch Somersault seeds and a just-debuted cranberry-extract PACt purified water by Ocean Spray.
My mailbox has been filling up lately with healthy products and treats, and I received a variety four-pack of these new cranberry-extract purified water beverages by Ocean Spray this week. I wasn’t crazy about two of the flavors (they were a little too cranberry for me), but I really enjoyed the Blood Orange one shown above. PACt, the name of the product, is short for proanthocyanidins, which is something found in cranberries that supposedly purifies the body better than water alone. (You know how you’re supposed to drink cranberry juice if you’re having an issue with your insides?) PACt will soon be available in California and Nevada, as well as online, and then will launch nationally in spring 2015. The water is sweetened naturally and has only 10 calories per serving, which is really low for a 16 oz. bottle. I love to have a flavored beverage alongside a meal and reaching for something like this rather than soda or a sugary fruit juice is definitely a smart choice. Anything that gets me drinking more water is a good thing, because I can never get enough.
Lunch at 1 p.m.
A hearty baked sweet potato covered in cinnamon, two fairly runny fried eggs and some fresh mango.
When I get on a lunch kick, I get on a lunch kick. I’ve been tearing into sweet potatoes and eggs for a couple weeks now, and it makes for a very pleasing combination. Plenty of good carbs, complete protein in the eggs and some fruit on the side makes this a balanced plate. I guess this one could even pass as a good breakfast, but I’ve been enjoying it for a warm mid-day meal. I must note that I’ve never bought mangoes until this week. But I was in search of a new-to-me item during a Saturday afternoon stop at Trader Joe’s, and mangoes made the cut. They are harder than I expected, but taste so tropical. I don’t know that I’ll be adding mangoes to my real regular weekly grocery shopping list, but I enjoyed the diversion this week.
Afternoon snack at 4:45 p.m.
A mug of warm holiday David’s Tea and a MyProtein Caramel Peanut Protein Chox bar.
As I said in the intro, I was out-and-about last night at an event and a hot yoga class, so I packed a bar with me to eat on the road. While I don’t really like to rely on super-processed protein bars, I sure do enjoy eating them. This one tastes like a candy bar, and could easily be passed off as one. The folks from MyProtein sent me a box of these bars along with some pre-workout powder, which I haven’t opened yet. (I’ve actually never used a pre-workout mixture before, and if you have, please share your experience below in the comments.) This protein bar has 22 grams of protein and 240 calories. It’s actually much smaller than you’d expect for the calorie count, but that’s likely because it tastes so darn good. It filled me up in a pinch and stayed nicely in my belly as I was dripping sweat from every crevasse in yoga just a wee bit later. I’ve eaten these bars before several workouts lately and find that they sit well and keep me energized, so that’s good.
Dinner at 8:30 p.m.
A plate featuring baked tilapia, covered in peach salsa and sauteed mixed peppers, served over a bed of brown rice.
After I got home and showered up, I tried to force myself to chug water, knowing I would wake up very dehydrated from the whole experience. Yet, I was still feeling good. Dave was home earlier than normal, so we discussed dinner and came up with this little display shown above. Honestly, I could’ve eaten spaghetti squash again, but I don’t want you guys to think that’s all I have for dinner. So these are a few items from our pantry and freezer, which combined make a colorful meal, which was pretty good. I did the cooking (it was more like assembling), and Dave did the cleaning (which was not as bad as the cleaning on our usual taco nights I always have to do). Once the dinner process was complete, I finished up this post for you fine people. Then, we laid on the couch and jumped back into our current Netflix series-of-choice, Weeds.
How’s that for commentary?
Okey doke, people. This morning, I’m getting something super cool delivered to me, and I’m going to fill you in very soon on what that’s all about. Now, it’s time to get to work before I have to teach my regular line-up of BODYATTACK and BODYPUMP classes tonight. I’m switching up my music in both classes this evening, so I have quite a bit to prepare before I teach two hours of choreography. Enjoy your day!
Stay in touch with A Lady Goes West
Do you like food pictures and chatter like what you see here in this “What I Ate Wednesday” post? Then let’s be friends on Bloglovin’, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and I’ll promise to share more. And here’s a look at some previous eating recaps:
- A full day of eating in pictures
- Another full day of my eats and drinks
- Real food isn’t always pretty
- Do you have a balanced dining out strategy?
- What I ate and drank all day
- Three meals, two snacks and a shake
- Food trucks and rest-day eating
- Plenty of protein at every meal
- Colorful fuel for a day of training
- Long days of training require a lot of food
- Making do on “What I Ate Wednesday”
- Healthy foods for a rest day
- Who doesn’t like pictures of food?
- A look at a full day of eating in pictures
- Snapshots from a day of delicious meals
- Pictures of food, because you like them
- Food pictures and the juice cleanse that wasn’t
- A look at what I really eat in a day
- What I ate in the Sunshine State
- My weekend eats and a little narrative
- Stories about food and yesterday’s meals
Questions of the day
What dish are you most looking forward to eating on Thanksgiving? How’s your week going so far? What’s your go-to protein bar these days?
I eat an eggs/sweet potato combo for lunch allll the time – I love it! I use a pre-workout to (attempt to) pump me up for my early morning workouts. I’ve used a few different brands but lately have been using Stronger Faster Healthier’s Push. A lot of pre-workouts seem to be filled with fake sugar and weird chemicals, but SFH’s is one of the cleanest I’ve found.
Hi Christa, good to know. Thanks for sharing. Have you ever used a pre-workout for an evening session (although I know you primarily work out in the early morning)? I’m worried it might keep me up at night!
Yummm everything looks perfect! Quest bars are always my go-to. I also love think thin! I’m looking forward to allllll the food on Thanksgiving, I don’t discriminate 😉
Hi Brittany! Ditto. I’ll do a little run in the morning of Thanksgiving and then slip into my stretchy pants for the day. Hope you have an awesome Wednesday, and thanks for stopping by to say hello. Oh and I really need to try Quest bars.
Per usual, looks like a yummy day of eats!
Week is going well… I’m off to go teach my first RPM class in a little over an hour, so that’s some excitement for the week! I’m also looking forward to doing some fun little crafty/DIY projects with a friend later this week for Christmas.
How often do you switch up your choreo in your classes? And how long do you do the new releases? I love to hear what other instructors do!
Hi Ashley! I think you’ve inspired another post because I’ve had a few people email me those same questions. THANK YOU! I do a new release four times in a class, and I do older releases around three times in a class. However, I teach at different gyms during the week, so if I taught at the same gym with the same people multiple times a week, I’d changed my music every two weeks. Does that make sense? Happy Wednesday!
You lunch looks really good! For some reason, I don’t ever think of sweet potatoes and eggs. I’m back into my Kind bars lately. Have fun teaching!
Well you need to change that and maybe add a sweet potato to your morning egg routine? I like KIND bars too and haven’t had one in a while. Thanks for the reminder. Have a great Wednesday!
I haven’t tried Les Mills yet but have a friend who’s in love with Combat and another in love with Pump!
Well you’ve got to get some Les Mills action. The music and moves go together so perfectly, it’s truly an entertaining workout, no matter which Les Mills program you choose to try. Happy Wednesday:)
oo what a lovely day of eats!! ive never heard of that bar before!
Thanks, Carrie! Color is key, but my eating this time next week may not be quite as good. 🙂 Happy Wednesday to you!
All your eats looks great. I’ve never considered eating eggs + sweet potatoes, but sounds interesting. Quest bars have been my go-to lately. I try not to eat them everyday (bc I’m with you on the processed bar commentary) and usually save them for dessert. The best is baking one in the oven and it comes out like a cookie!
Hi Lizzie! Thanks for stopping by. I must be the only person in the world who has never tried a Quest bar. Thanks for the dessert idea. I need to get my hands on some … 🙂
Your eats look delicious. Way to get that holiday davids tea. I just recently had an eggnog tea latte from there and it was the bomb. I can’t wait to get my holiday tea on in the next month.
Hi Lindsay! I had more than just the holiday tea. I was there for an event and will share about it soon. I had never tried David’s Tea before, and I now I’m a big fan! Happy Wednesday to you:)
I get on lunch kicks too. I’ve been having turkey and avocado roll-ups with a green apple for months now. When something works, it works! I am probably most looking forward to sweet potato casserole. It is my favorite!
Hi Lauren. Well when you know what you like, just eat it! That lunch combo sounds really good, although I may sub out the green apple for a red one. Thanks for the idea. 🙂 Have a lovely Wednesday!
Mangoes are my absolute favorite. Here is a Trader Joes Mango tip: buy the ones from Mexico. The ones from South America are too stringy. Then keep it around at room temp for about 7 days until soft. Peel, cube and eat. Best ever!
Hi Smitha! That’s a great tip. Thank you:) Happy Wednesday to you:)
Yummy eats! I’ve never done a hot yoga class before! I’m kind of terrified but have heard great things!
Hi Erin, Hot yoga is intense. I recommend drinking plenty of water beforehand and having several towels and a change of clothes. It feels great once you’re done though.
Delicious looking eats! I love seeing what other people eat–it’s weird how often I completely “forget” about a food and then I’m like, oh yeah! I should eat that more!
Good luck tonight! 2 hours of choreo, phewww! 🙂
Thanks, Kim! It’s a lot on the brain, that’s for sure. Happy Wednesday:)
I love Somersaults but never thought about putting them in yogurt for a little crunch- genius!
I like to have a little crunch in yogurt, so I always add whatever I can. Happy Wednesday, Katie! 🙂
Mmm..everything looks so good! Especially the fresh mango. I love it and haven’t had it in forever.
I’m glad you were able to make it through the hot yoga class okay! I always have to prepare myself with lots of water/electrolytes beforehand so it wouldn’t be pretty if I went into it unexpected.
Hi Sarah! I’m always so thorough, so am so shocked at myself for not realizing what I was getting into hehehe. I was pretty hydrated already, so that helped.
I love cranberry relish! I may have spontaneously made some the other day when I found fresh cranberries at Target.
Hi Emily! I hope you pop soon! 🙂 Just in time for Thanksgiving.
That lunch looks oddly appealing. Simple, and very delicious! I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve had a sweet potato! Great day of eats 🙂
Ohhh you are missing out. I eat so many sweet potatoes. And my meals tend to be strange, but I enjoy them. Happy Wednesday:)
I love your eats, buddy! And lol at the natural light thing- I guess that’s a perk of it being Summer here?
I wish I had good stuff to say about pre workout supps but the ones I took before (there were 2 brands but not the one you mentioned) made me incredibly jittery (and i LOVE caffeine) and the other gave me red rashes!
That’s why I’m nervous about trying one! And thanks for the love of my food, Arman. From one eater to another:)
Loving the look of that lunch! I’ll have to copy it sometime.
Thanks, Catherine! It’s a good one:)
Ahh I just found your blog and I love it!! Love that you post everything you eat, what a great idea! Definitely love the pics. Keep it up, so glad I found you!
Thanks for stopping by Deepa! 🙂
i love fish and fruit salsa! Its the best combo!
Hi there! It sure is! I love eating fish and have it at one about once a week. Hope you’re having an awesome day!
This looks like a great day of food. Might have to copy your lunch idea!
Lisa
Thanks, Lisa! Hope you enjoy it if you do. 🙂