Plenty of colorful food on a healthy weekday
Hello there, folks. I’m sending you a little Wednesday love, so take it if you need it. As usual, because it’s the middle-of-the-week, we’re going to keep it short and look at some food pictures. But first, I wanted to share my performance summary from yesterday’s Orangetheory Fitness workout.
As you know, I’m a coach at an Orangetheory Fitness in downtown Walnut Creek, and I try to participate in the class once-a-week as well. The best thing about Orangetheory? The workout is different every single day, so it keeps your body guessing. Yesterday’s workout included a mixture of endurance, strength and power exercises, utilizing the treadmill, indoor water-rower, TRX straps and weights. Because all participants wear a heart-rate monitor, you not only get live monitoring of your training zones, but you also get an email with your personal performance results shortly after finishing the class. Here’s what mine looked like …
I spent just the right amount of time in the Orange and Red heart-rate training zones combined. Those zones are what you reach during the intense moments, such as sprint rows and running sprints, and those bouts of activity give your body the “after-burn effect,” so that you continue burning calories at a higher rate after class. Pretty cool stuff. While this was not my highest calorie-burning workout ever at Orangetheory, I did reach my personal best in a sprint on the treadmill. Of course, everyone burns more or less calories depending on your age, weight, and a few other factors, so no two readings will be the same. But it’s sometimes fun to see your graph once the work is complete. Now, from calories out to calories in, let’s get to the food …
This week’s “What I Ate Wednesday” recap
Each week on Wednesdays, I recap a full day of my eating. These posts are nothing more than a chance to look at some real meals. What I eat works for me, and it’s far from perfect. But I sure do love food, so these posts continue to be a regular feature.
Today, I’m sharing everything I ate yesterday. I taught some classes, I worked, I worked out and I ate good food, all of which I prepared at home.
Breakfast at 6 a.m.
What’s that green stuff on my overnight oats you ask? That’s just some veggie powder, which I’ve been throwing into the mix lately for extra greens at breakfast. I added a banana to my oats after taking them out of the fridge in the morning, and I had a mug of hot green tea, sweetened with stevia and soy milk on the side. Never made overnight oats? It’s so easy, and you do not have to cook them at all.
Mid-morning snack at 10:30 a.m.
Because I like to try new products, I picked up some of this dairy-free yogurt from Silk on my most recent grocery shopping trip. While the peach and mango flavor was good, the texture wasn’t as thick as some of the better Greek yogurts out there. I would say it was pretty tasty, but not great. I had the yogurt alongside my second mug of hot green tea of the day, also sweetened with stevia and soy milk.
Lunch at 1:30 p.m.
When I had to pack my lunch every weekday while working as a personal trainer at Equinox, I got into the habit of throwing together a salad. It was an ideal meal, because it didn’t need to be heated up and was easy to transport. However, my salad consumption has gone down quite a bit since I left that role. Well this week, I’m back on the salads. This bowl has baby spinach, purple cabbage, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, tuna and a runny egg, all topped with light balsamic dressing. Quite healthy and yummy.
Afternoon snack at 4 p.m.
What’s that dark red beverage you ask? Oh it’s just some amazing deliciousness, that I plan to tell you about later this week. I had this before my workout, along with a tasty organic trail mix bar by CLIF. Perfect combination of food and drink to pep me up to sprint on the treadmill and go hard on the rower to get my heart-rate into the Orange Zone at Orangetheory Fitness that afternoon.
Post-workout protein at 5:30 p.m.
After I got home from taking a one-hour Orangetheory Fitness class, I quickly pulled out my slightly frozen Vega vanilla protein shake for some recovery. I’m still working my way through a little care package sent by the company, and I love trying their plant-based products. Fun fact: If you hold a protein shake down near Rudy’s face, he runs away. It’s really quite entertaining. He was not pictured in this shot, because he was taking a nap.
Dinner at 8:15 p.m.
I would like the record to show that Dave and I ate dinner just after 8 p.m. this night, which is a big win for us. We had teriyaki-marinated grilled chicken, roasted veggies and some rosemary sage-flavored freekeh. The freekeh by Freekeh Foods, is a new-to-me ancient wheat grain, which I received in my IDEA BlogFest with Sweat Pink gift bag. It has more protein and fiber than brown rice and less calories than quinoa. With a little extra salt to pump it up, I really enjoyed it!
Once dinner was over, I took a few swigs of vanilla soy milk straight from the carton and plopped on the couch with Rudy and Dave. I’ve found myself going to bed much later recently and am hoping that last night was a step in the right direction to hit the hay no later than 10:15 p.m.
By the way, congratulations to Kayla S., the winner of my Grokker streaming service giveaway. Thank you to everyone who entered, and if you didn’t win, you can still sign up for a free month of Grokker premium access to workouts and videos using the code LOVEGROKKER until August 9.
I’ve got another giveaway coming at you in this week’s “Friday Favorites,” so don’t miss out! Go off and have a great day, my friends!
Read more daily eating recaps
Each week, “What I Ate Wednesday” is hosted by Peas and Crayons for bloggers to showcase their eats to the world. If you want to see more food recaps, check out some of my posts from the past here:
- 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
- A day of eating and some commentary
- Do you want to know what I ate yesterday?
- Healthy challenges and foods from my day
- Eating, napping and eating again
- Filling up on healthy food before the holiday
- A perfect birthday at home and my eats
- Top blog posts, reader stats and my food
- A different kind of training and my food
- Joining a healthy green movement and my eats
- Must-try veggie pasta tip and my eats
- Are you eating this sweet and satisfying fruit?
- What a difference a week makes and my eats
- On Wednesdays we look at pictures of food
- Food, drinks and a very hydrating giveaway
- Front-loading all the healthy this week
- MealEnders giveaway and back to healthy food
- Eating, drinking and sharing the pictures
- I don’t like bad people, I do like good food
- Smart training nutrition tips and my meals
- “What I Ate Wednesday” and a Phenoh 7.4 review
- What my daily meals look like in pictures
- Food pictures from a light and healthy day
- Life lately and a look at all of my meals
- What’s normal to you? (And my daily eats)
- A bit of chatter and “What I Ate Wednesday”
- How you eat beets and a look at a day of food
- What I ate yesterday in the Sunshine State
- A full day of lazy eating from the weekend
- Every thing I ate yesterday in pictures
- BlogFest 2015 and “What I Ate Wednesday”
- Why I refuel after a workout and my daily eats
- Random life updates and a look at my food
- Travel plans and everything I ate yesterday
- My daily eats and heading off on an adventure
- All of my meals from a healthy weekday
- Just a little chatting and some food pictures
Questions of the day
What time do you go to bed each night?
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten lately?
Do you have a favorite salad topper?
Embarrassing confession: I have a blender bottle, but the top doesn’t fit right. So every time I shake it, I end up wearing whatever is in there. And yet I keep doing so because I can’t bring myself to throw it away!
I am pathetic.
Hi Susie! hahah Hilarious! My Nutribullet is broken, but somewhat usable and I do the same thing with it. I don’t want to get a new one either! 🙂
I’m having chicken teriyaki tonight!! It’s my favourite marinade by a long long way.. Good work on eating and getting to bed earlier.. I might even try that myself tonight 🙂
Hi James! It sure felt good to be in bed earlier! And yes for teriyaki! It’s one of my favorite flavors. Happy Wednesday to you! 🙂
Your salad looks delicious! I am a grandma and am usually asleep by 9:30 during the week or try to be at least because we wake up at 4:45 or 5.
Hi Julia! Back when I had to get up before 5 a.m., I was ALWAYS in bed before 10 a.m. But now that my wake-up time most days is closer to 5:15 a.m., I’ve let my bedtime slip. Keep your good habits up, lady! 🙂
I love that you put eggs on your salads. It just makes the salad a thousand times better and not the same as a hard boiled egg.
A runny egg makes ALL the difference, Megan! 🙂 Happy Wednesday!
You ate dinner before 9pm, good job! Ha! I’m on the lookout for some new protein for my shakes, do you like the Vega brand? I liked their protein bars but haven’t tried the powder!
Hi Marielle! I was so proud of us! Had the veggies been quicker to cook, we may have even eaten at 8 p.m. ahahha! I don’t love the Vega protein powder alone as a shake, but it’s okay. I LOVE it mixed in a smoothie though. I haven’t tried the Vega bars and I want to.
I’ve just started hearing about freekeh and I really want to give it a try! All your food looks great!
Hi Lisa! You should! It cooks up like quinoa and can be used in any recipe just like brown rice. Give it a shot! 🙂
Yay quinoa at dinner! Love the complete protein it adds to any meal 🙂 I’ve tried those Silk yogurts before and had the same thoughts you did…pretty good flavor, but not crazy about the texture. Also, yolk on salads is the best and reminds me I need to get back to doing that for a boost in flavor and protein. All of your meals look delicious, colorful, and nutritious! Happy Wednesday, A!
Thanks, M! 🙂 heheh! I could put a runny egg on just about anything! I didn’t have eggs for a couple weeks and missed them. Happy Wednesday to you, lady!
I love looking at my Orange Theory result e-mails after each class. It’s always so interesting to me!
Ditto, Stacie! It takes me a while to get out of the blue and grey, especially during floor-work, so I don’t ever have enough time in the green zone. But I know I work hard! 🙂
I recommended Orangetheory to a friend who moved to Madison and couldn’t find a gym she liked- she LOVES it!! And I think you just made up my mind as to what we should have for dinner tonight- that looks delicious!
Hi Katie! Nice work! Way to spread the OTF love! 🙂 Happy Wednesday!!
I try to be in bed by 10pm every night. I need 8 hours of sleep. My favorite thing to put on salad (or anything!) is avocado. I’m usually eating one a day. Love them! The best thing I’ve eaten lately is all the fresh eggs right from my parent’s chickens. I love sending my kids out there to collect the eggs and eating fresh eggs every morning.
Fresh eggs? No way! I think I’ve only ever had super fresh eggs at restaurants, but that sounds yummy. And I like avocado on salads too, but I never seem to have enough of them around the house, or am saving them for dinner. Nice work on the 8 hours each night, Melissa. I need to be better about that! 🙂
I’m obsessed with your leggings… Best salad topper are cranberries and dried apple slices. My absolute favorite. Not the most calorie friendly but delicious nonetheless. I’m usually in bed by 10PM every night even though I always tell myself I’ll be asleep before that.
Hi Jamie! Good for you! Hop in bed as early as you can, and I need to get back to that, because I used to be good about going to sleep by 10 p.m. And I love adding dried fruit to salads too! 🙂
We have a problem with eating way too late too. We managed an 8p dinner last night and I was so impressed with us. There’s just so much to do throughout the day and I never want to go inside!
I think an 8pm dinner is a total win, Laura. I feel ya! 🙂
Yay for another strange sounding grain- and I thought quinoa sounded funky. I really want to try freekeh!
Yes, freekeh is the new-kid-on-the-block, even though it’s not new at all! hahah! 🙂 Give it a try, Niki!
I feel the same way re: Silk yogurt. Okay, but rather thin. And we’ve been going to bed kind of late during the summer, like 11:30. I hope to break that habit once the school semester starts!
Hi Kate, Yes, 11:30 p.m. is quite late! But all in the same of summer, I guess. 🙂 Hope you have a great Wednesday!
Yummy! That Clif bar looks great!
It tasted great too, Liz! 🙂 Happy Wednesday and happy eating to you!
Can’t wait to give that salad a try – it sounds incredible!
With my kids on summer vacation, I have been staying up until midnight. One more month and it’s back to 10pm bedtime.
I still need to try your trick of freezing your protein shake for a bit. I keep forgetting about it but every time you mention it, it sounds so good! I’ve been in a little bit of a breakfast rut lately, so I’m going to try your overnight oats combo tomorrow to switch things up a bit!
Hi Ash! I get in breakfast ruts sometimes too. But I always go back to my oats when I need them. And YES to freezing protein shakes – it’s such a nice treat. Have a great night! 🙂
What brand of veggie powder do you use? Where do you get it? I’ve seen it on a lot of blogs recently and am interested in trying it!
Hi Kayla, I actually wrote about this veggie powder as a Friday Favorite recently, it’s from PINES International, and I put it in everything. You can buy it online and possibly find it in health-food stores. Get some!! 🙂
I have honestly never thought to put a runny egg on top of a salad. That is genius! And, as a bonus you get instant “dressing”. I always want to go to bed by 10, but usually end up going to bed closer to 11 or 11:30. I need to work on that.
Hi Heather, Yes, you get to dip it all into the egg, which is the best. You should try it! Hope you get some sleep tonight! 🙂
Everything looks so yummy! I like putting fruit on my salads for a touch of sweetness, usually grapes or strawberries. I go to bed between 11 and 12:30, I don’t know what it is but I’ve been having the hardest time falling asleep lately.
Hi Sarah! You are up late too! Get some sleep, lady heheh! And I love fruit on my salads but never seem to do that at home. Sweet flavors are a good addition.
I’ve never tried freekeh! Thanks for sharing – those are some fun nutritional facts!
You’re welcome, Dani! Get yourself some freekeh!! It’s all the rage. 🙂
That Rosemary Sage Freekeh sounds freeeeking awesome! Sorry I couldn’t help myself 🙂
I didn’t get that in my gift bag though! Need to run to Whole Foods and pick some up and see what all the fuss is about – I love ancient grains!
Hi Whitney! I got the freekeh in my speaker’s gift bag, so that’s probably why. And as you would too, I LOVE trying new healthy items. Get some! 🙂 Have a great night!
Such a healthy day! Im a huge fan of salads too. My throw-together salads look a lot like yours.
Good to know, Krissy! We have very similar food tastes it seems. 🙂
I need to get my butt to Orangetheory pronto! It sounds like such an amazing workout!
I have Mondays and Tuesdays off now but my second job has been asking me to work so much that I’ve been working 5 days a week still. I’m hoping it calms down after summer travel is over. Then I will definitely make my way up there!
Perfect, I always teach on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we will find a time to get you in! 🙂 Hope your work slows down soon!
Mmm! What a great bunch of eats. I will have to try adding veggie powder to my overnight oats. Great idea!
Orange Theory just made it to Austin and I’ve been dying to try it. I didn’t realize they provide your stats after your session. SO cool!
Hi Jessica, Oh yes, you always get a full email after each class with your results, which is a fun aspect. I hope you try it out! 🙂 Have a great day!