Pictures of food, because you like them
It’s time for everybody’s favorite post of the week. “What I Ate Wednesday” is a chance for me to showcase every single thing I eat and drink in a day. Why should you care? Because sometimes it’s good to get an idea of what other people eat. Maybe your portion sizes are out of whack, or maybe you are stuck in a food rut and need some inspiration. Or maybe you just like to look at pictures of food. For any of the above reasons, these posts have become some of my most popular each week, so they will continue into the near future.
A full day of my eats on Monday
While most of the time my weekdays consist of similar healthy foods, the weekends tend to include at least a couple desserts, adult beverages and maybe even some white bread, which I will recap every once in a while. But today’s post is all about this Monday, which was a day I worked from home and then taught a sweaty BODYATTACK class at a nearby gym. There’s also a couple of random food tips in here too, so don’t miss ’em.
Breakfast at 8 a.m.
Overnight oats topped with a banana, served with a mug of green tea.
This week, I’ve been back to my standard breakfast of overnight oats, which you can learn how to make here: My go-to easy healthy breakfast. I usually make about three or four batches at a time in single-serve Tupperware containers and throw them in the fridge. I change up the topping from time-to-time and have recently been adding pumpkin, almond butter and honey. With the chia seeds and Greek yogurt, this mixture is pretty filling and full of protein.
Food tip: If you enjoy overnight oats, take them out of the fridge a few minutes before you’re going to eat them so they aren’t ice cold. And if they need a little fluffing, pour a tad more milk into the mixture before consuming.
Mid-morning snack at 11 a.m.
Cottage cheese, straight up.
I eat a lot of cottage cheese, and while I usually add almonds or blueberries or even apples slices to it, sometimes I just eat it on its own. Once again, tons of protein in this little helping of chunky deliciousness.
Lunch at 12:30 p.m.
Salad consisting of spinach leaves, grape tomatoes, chickpeas, carrots, red cabbage, tuna and an egg, topped with sesame ginger dressing.
My weekday lunch is usually a big salad, and I use this as a place to eat leftover meat from dinner the night before, or any of the produce I have in the fridge. Lately, my favorite thing to do is microwave an egg in a mug and throw it on the salad for a little extra protein. Now, if you choose to try this: Beware, you can’t cook the egg very long, or it will explode. I’ve now cleaned out my microwave three times in the past week alone. I just can’t seem to learn.
Food tip: Salads are great vehicles for the extras in your fridge. Yesterday, I threw a rice mixture onto the top of my salad and emptied out a couple of Tupperwares onto the bed of spinach. As long as you put some dressing on it, anything goes. Get creative.
Afternoon tea at 2 p.m.
Green tea, sweetened with stevia and almond milk.
The only caffeine I ever consume is from my one mug of green tea in the morning. But I’ve been reading a ton about the benefits of drinking more green tea throughout the day. Well, you don’t have to tell me twice. The past few days, I’ve enjoyed an afternoon mug of tea, and it’s a nice treat. I can see why tea time is a thing in other countries. All I need is some cookies and a fancy set-up to turn this into a more refined occasion.
Mid-afternoon snack at 4:30 p.m.
Organic gala apple and a Kashi Pumpkin Spice Flax bar.
True story: This Kashi bar was an impulse purchase at Target over the weekend, and it was quite disappointing. I try not to rely on protein or snack bars, but sometimes I buy boxes of them, and this one just wasn’t good. I’m not one to let anything go to waste though, therefore I’ve been crunching up the bars and using them as breakfast and snack toppings. This particular snack was consumed before I left to teach BODYATTACK, and it provided plenty of energy to teach the class, it just wasn’t thrilling in the taste department.
Beverages during class at 5:30 p.m.
Coconut water and regular water.
I usually mix coconut water into my regular water bottle for teaching BODYATTACK, because I need that extra jolt of electrolytes during the few seconds I get to take a swig while teaching the one-hour cardio class. My favorite brand is definitely Vita Coco, but I’m always sampling other kinds.
Food tip: Did you know you can use coconut water in your smoothies for a little extra flavor? Now you do.
Post-class recovery at 6:40 p.m.
Whey protein shake mixed with water.
I freeze my protein shake for about an hour before I leave for class, so it melts just in time for me to dig in as soon as I’m done teaching. My current tub of 100% whey vanilla protein powder is not my favorite, but it does the trick. I chugged this as I exited the gym for my walk home. I really need a new bottle, because you guys must be sick of looking at that one.
Dinner at 8 p.m.
Leftover insides from stuffed peppers including rice, beans, corn, onions and ground turkey served with fresh spinach.
After foam rolling, stretching and showering, it was time for dinner. What exactly is on that plate? Well, the night before, I made Dave and I stuffed peppers in the crockpot, and although we ate all the peppers, there was a lot of stuffing left. I reheated it, added some extra hot salsa and ate it alongside some spinach for a little extra crunch.
Food tip: Making stuffed peppers in the crockpot is super easy. All you need to do is mix these ingredients: ground turkey, brown rice, black beans, chopped onions, corn, garlic powder and hot salsa as the insides — all raw and uncooked. Then, you put those insides into some hollowed-out green peppers and cook them on low heat in a crockpot or slow-cooker for about eight hours. Healthy, quick and spicy!
Dessert at 8:30 p.m.
Warm almond milk in a Cars mug.
I just can’t end a night without some milk, especially when I’m also having dessert. But tonight was a non-dessert night. Speaking of desserts: Have you ever wanted to order milk at a restaurant alongside your dessert? If that were an option, I totally would. This mug sat on my lap as Dave and I watched some Million Dollar Listing on TV, which you can definitely see the reflection of in this sub-par photo. Sorry!
That’s a wrap. A full day of eats and drinks, including everything I put in my mouth except water, mints and vitamins. I hope you enjoyed. Now before you go …
Athleta gift card giveaway
Do you want to win a $25 gift card to pick out whatever you want from Athleta? If so, check out my post yesterday about fitmob featuring the giveaway. You have a few more days to enter, so be sure to share with your friends.
Let’s keep in touch!
As always, thanks for stopping by to read this “What I Ate Wednesday,” and let’s stay in touch. Be sure to follow me on Bloglovin’, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more fun throughout the week. And if you want to scroll though other recaps of daily eating, check out my previous posts:
- 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
Questions of the day
What’s your go-to snack? Has anything exciting happened in your week so far? Do you have a nightly ritual?
My favorite snacks include fruit & nuts, celery with almond butter, Greek yogurt or a bar if I am on the go. I usually always end the day with a few pieces of dark chocolate and in the cooler months some herb tea as well. So I guess that’s my nightly ritual!
Sounds yummy, Lauren! Thanks!
Mmm, now I want a salad for lunch. I’ve never been too impressed with Kashi bars, but the dark chocolate coconut one is pretty much candy.
Hi Emily, and that’s why I usually stay away from them. Some bars are nothing more than candy bars with a healthy-sounding title.
Looks like a great day of eats! I love plain cottage cheese too! One of my favorite foods 😀
Hi Carrie! Well me too of course! 🙂
Lately one of my favorite snacks is plain greek yogurt mixed with peanut butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon
Hi Catherine! Yummy, that sounds a lot like my breakfast without the oats. 🙂
Yummy day of eats! Sad to hear that pumpkin flax bar is disappointing. Those stuffed peppers sounds like a great and easy dinner idea!
Hi Heather, yes, totally easy. I don’t make a lot of food with ground turkey, but that was a good protein source I may start using more often. Happy Wednesday! 🙂
Yummy filling salads are sometimes just perfect!! Yours looks beaut.
I love almonds for snacks! And mixed with greek yogurt it makes this mama happy 🙂
Oh yesss … love Greek yogurt. Do you have a favorite brand? I eat them all!
I DO love me some pictures of FOOD so thank you for making my eyes full… 😉 Now I need to fill my stomach!
Ahhaha Hi Gigi! Thanks:) Hope you find something delicious to eat.
We grew up with dessert as a kid, so it’s so hard for me not to have SOMETHING after dinner, whether it’s tea, chocolate, ice cream, or even yogurt! I love fruit, Kind bars and yogurt as my fav snack choices!!
Hi Fiona! I grew up with dessert too and have to tame my sweet-tooth these days. Your snacks sound yummy and healthy.
I love food pictures! Bananas and oatmeal is such a good combo!
Hi Erin! I agree. Thanks for stopping by:)
Glad to know I’m not the only one that like eating cottage cheese on its own! People either usually really dislike it, or always have to combine it with fruit or something. I gotta say that I actually really do enjoy it on its own!
Hi Nicole! Glad you like it too. And I want to hear more about your Graze experience!
After reading your WIAW posts the last few weeks, I finally remembered to pick up a container of cottage cheese at the grocery store last week! Hunter and I have both been loving it for a protein packed snack or with our lunches.
Hi Ashley! That’s great. I’m glad it’s kid-friendly. 🙂
I love salads as a way to use up extras/leftovers in the fridge!! Great tip. 🙂
Thanks, Katie. That way nothing goes to waste!
Overnight oats are the best – they’re just always good!
Hi Danica! I agree – you really can’t go wrong with overnight oats, that’s why I always go back to them as a standard breakfast. Happy Thursday to you:)
I really enjoy this series! 1. I like pictures of food (how original). 2. I’m glad I’m not the only person who likes to know what other people eat all day. Plus this comment in particular made me laugh out loud: As long as you put some dressing on it, anything goes.
I am going to make a point of trying overnight oats!
Hi Catherine, Glad you enjoy these posts. And yes, you’ve got to try overnight oats — you can even make it in a mason jar so it seems fancy. And I’ve been known to throw some weird stuff in salads … 🙂
Dude! I just saw those Kashi pumpkin bars and thought “those sound awesome!” So glad you told me that they aren’t as awesome as they sound – I would have been so disappointed. I’ve just discovered how to roast chickpeas, so that’s my newest go-to snack.
Yes, I was quite sad. My husband thinks they are tasty, but not me. I believe my palate is more refined … 🙂
I would absolutely drink milk with dessert if offered at a restaurant! I’m going to ask for that next time. I love a cup of almond milk at night too…lately I’ve been sprinkling some pumpkin spice over it and I don’t think I’ll ever go back! So good.
You know I haven’t been able to find pumpkin spice in my last two trips to the store. I need some! Great idea:)
The pumpkin, almond butter and honey oat combo sounds delicious!
I’m also pretty sure that I would have given up on the microwave egg thing after cleaning the microwave 3 times! Sheesh. That doesn’t sound like fun!
Hi Sarah. Yes, you would think someone would give up. But not this someone. After cleaning the microwave up, it’s actually probably faster just to pull out a pan and do it on the stove. But that would be too easy. Now I like the challenge of timing the egg perfectly in the microwave hahaha!
What a yummy food day! 🙂 Plenty of fuel for Body Attack! My go-to snack is Greek yogurt with fruit and cinnamon. So easy and feels like a treat.
What a yummy food day! 🙂 Plenty of fuel for Body Attack! My go-to snack is Greek yogurt with fruit and cinnamon. So easy and feels like a treat.
Hi Emily! I feel the same about Greek yogurt. How could it be so healthy when it tastes so darn good?
You actually inspired me to start drinking a mug of warm milk before bed- my mum swears by it but I never really caught on..until now haha. Cottage cheese is damn delicious on its own. Need to pick some up!
Hi Arman! That’s great. Your Mum is right:) Have an awesome day!
i literally eat the same as you! love my oats and cottage cheese all the way! 🙂
Great (healthy) minds think alike!