A Day Off

A day off from work, not from Freshology! I got “attitude of the month” at work and earned a free day of vacation, which worked out really well because the boys’ day care was closed yesterday! We had a fun morning – I took the boys to Target to get new backpacks and lunchboxes (they both picked Cars 2 stuff, surprise surprise), and then we headed over to the mall for them to eat lunch at Chick Fil A, to buy shoes for them, and to give them some time to play in the mall play area. 100+ degree weather day after day makes indoor play very appealing. Later my family came over – they’re in town – so all in all it was a busy, fun day.

Breakfast: Granola with Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt, Fresh Blueberries & Grapes (410 calories)

I waited and ate this right before we left for our errands so that I wouldn’t get hungry while we were out and about. The granola was sweeter than the granola I had last time, and it included two types of raisins. The yogurt mixed with the granola was really good and reminded me of the yogurt parfaits I enjoyed pre-Freshology. It’s amazing to me how filling granola is. I ate some of the fruit and put some in a baggie to save for later, because I was actually getting full just from the granola. I kind of wished I had something salty with this breakfast to balance out all the sweetness, but all-in-all it was a good breakfast.

Lunch: Granny Smith Apple & Walnut Salad with Grilled Chicken over Romaine (405 calories)

Loved this salad! The walnuts were glazed and slightly sweet, the apple was tart and crispy, and it also had peppers & cucumber, with lemon juice squeezed over top. The flavors worked really well together and it was a really satisfying, filling lunch!

Dinner: Peppered Flat Iron Steak with Barley, Roasted Tomato and Asparagus (390 calories)

Instead of microwaving my whole meal, I heated the meat, tomato and asparagus in a skillet. The beef quickly got a little extra caramelization to it, and it didn’t take long at all to heat everything through. I was split on my opinions of this meal. The barley was new to me – it was pretty good but was a little heartier than I am used to. I liked the asparagus ok, but mainly just the tips. I’m not a big tomato fan, but I did have to admit that it’s seasoned really well (and I gave some to my parents to try – they loved it!). My favorite part, though? The steak. AMAZING. Seriously, it was sooooo good and definitely felt like something I’d get in a restaurant. I’m eating more beef than normal while on Freshology and I’m realizing how much I like it! They do a great job of giving it a ton of flavor and keeping it tender. I think it’s really smart of them to send it slightly pink – if someone likes is medium they’re good to go, and it’s really easy for people like me (I’m a well-done kind of girl) to heat the meat to our liking without drying it out.

Dessert: Zucchini Bundt Cake with Mascarpone Cream (140 calories)

Great dessert. We were celebrating several August birthdays in our family (J, my dad, and my brother) and everyone else had ice cream cake, but with this dessert I didn’t feel at all like I was missing out. The mascarpone cream tasted kind of like a cream cheese filling, and the cakes were soft & light, with a nice subtly sweet flavor to them.

I did well today staying on track, even avoiding  having any of the boys’ ICEE and popcorn at Target. While they ate lunch at Chick Fil A I did order a small sweet tea to sip on. Then anytime I felt a little hungry I just took a sip of tea and felt like I was getting a treat, since all I normally drink is water. I didn’t get a refill, so I just added 90 calories to my day!