I'm starting Wednesday off right by having a nutritious meal that will help fuel my favorite workout, swimming. I've recently rediscovered my love for swimming and have been enjoying regular trips to our community pool. Not only is it fantastic during the hot weather, swimming just makes me feel good all over. There's a certain freedom to jumping in the pool, feeling the water against your skin and having super-human power as you pull your way down the lanes. For that, I need fuel.
Today's breakfast: poached egg (1), whole wheat toast (1 slice), skillet potato (1/2 russet), some cantaloupe and a few strawberries. Whole milk (1 cup) as always. Hearty, but necessary to get me through the next few hours of busy work and pool time.
I really enjoy being up early in the morning, especially when the weather is mild. Being in the kitchen prepping food and cooking in the A.M. makes me feel very homey. I love having the dog under my feet as I shuffle around in pj's toasting, slicing, sipping and savoring the quiet time.
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My morning went as planned but I struggled with the swim, having covered only 800 meters in 45 minutes (which is slow for me). I need to get back into the groove and on a regular schedule again, otherwise my body and metabolism suffers. Before my workout, I drove over to Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek to visit the dog patch, which resulted in a good hour of chasing our four-legged friend around with a frisbee... Somehow I always manage doing all the work as my dog looks on in curiosity. Nonetheless, a nice way to burn some calories and get outside both swimming and at the park.
Upon my return home I was surprised to notice that I wasn't quite as famished as I thought I'd be, so I pushed myself a little harder by getting household chores done and watering our huge garden. This time of year is huge relief for homeowners (in my opinion) because the sun finally relents and the winds pick up, giving a breath of fresh air to a recently parched landscape. With the sprinklers on and my pants rolled up to my knees, I managed to clean up some stubborn wild seagrass and prune our roses back for the fall. It took about an hour, so by the time it was 1:30 I could feel my body getting shaky-- the biggest giveaway that I've waited too long is that I start to smell ammonia through my nose. Think I'm kidding? I'm not. Check this article out to learn more about the strange and wonderful ways are bodies tell us, "Hey! I need sustenance!"
Eat I did. I kept it relatively simple with a whole wheat (1 slice) grilled cheese sandwich using our precious cheddar cheese (1 oz), along with a chopped tomato (1 oz) & white onion (1/2 oz) salsa, a side of cantaloupe (1 serving) and washed it down with whole milk (1/2 cup). I've already drank about 64 fluid ounces of water today in an attempt to stay incredibly hydrated, so that's a positive thing. I know, I know- my bread looks totally burnt. I had to figure out how to do grilled cheese without oil or butter, so I used our broiler and lost track of time. Not wanting to waste, I scraped off the worst bits and ate it anyways. I will say that I rarely eat this much bread, let alone sandwich bread, but I am grateful to have it. I really wished I would've planned better and purchased a head of lettuce, spinach, or some cucumbers, as we are definitely lacking in greens this week. At least I still have a yellow onion and some carrots left to use for supper, along with tomatoes.
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I was trying to go as lean as possible for today, but I quickly realized that our food options are starting to become a little more tricky. We have fruit left, some dry pasta, rice, canned tomatoes, an onion, chicken broth and 1 chicken breast left for tomorrow and Friday. I'm not terribly concerned, but the strange remainder of ingredients is making things slightly interesting-- my creativity will prevail!
For dinner tonight, I wanted a typical triangle meal with meat, starch and vegetables. That's exactly what I got when I pan seared boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 oz per), steamed some of our carrots (1- 7in. per) and then boiled & mashed our russet potatoes (1 potato per). Because we have one extra tomato, I sliced one for us to share before dinner. A basic, filling meal that I was able to give a little more flavor by adding the pan sauce from the chicken to the potatoes, along with a dash of milk for creaminess. Not too bad. Considerably healthy.
I had a MEAN case of the snackies this afternoon that was driving me crazy. I found myself pacing around the house looking for something to do just to distract myself from diving into my candybag. Indeed, I keep a bag of gummy bears, milk duds, skittles, sour patch kids and junior mints stashed in my cupboard for emergencies. All I could do was stare at it. But I didn't give in!
Day Three... Done.
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