WIAW #4 - Lots & Lots of Photos!

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for another WIAW. What I Ate Wednesday is a fun weekly post/blog social event started over at Peas and Crayons. Since I’m always looking for new, healthy meal ideas, I thought I’d participate. The hardest part of the whole thing for me has been remembering to take photos of my food, so I really put some effort into it this week.

I am really excited to post all of the great photos of food that I ate this week. As it turned out, I had some really fun food experiences. That’s one of the things that I love about these posts – it helps me be a bit more mindful and present with the food I’m eating.

Breakfasts:

I didn’t take photos of most of my breakfasts this week, because they weren’t any different from last week. Most of them were Chobani yogurt or Luna bars.

Saturday’s breakfast: Lundberg brown rice cakes, Justin’s peanut butter, strawberries.

Lunch:

Lately I’ve been eating salads for lunch day in and day out, but this week I tried to change things up a bit. I still had some salads, but a couple of them were ones that I got from a rare trip to Whole Foods.

Whole Foods’ Kale salad with walnuts, feta, and purple onions; cherries.

Whole Foods’ cabbage crunch salad – raw cabbage with nuts, green onions, sesame seeds, & light Asian dressing.

This week I also enjoyed another old favorite of mine – Trader Joe’s egg white and chive salad. I don’t know what it is about this stuff, but I absolutely love it, and I no matter how much I’ve tried to recreate it, I haven’t been able to.

TJ’s multigrain pita crackers, egg white salad w/ chives, and the last of the cherries I bought late last week.

Snacks:

Since my breakfasts and lunches are so similar, I try to spice up my afternoon snacks as much as possible. Lately I’ve been trying to eat the things that I love in moderation. It’s not always something I can do well, but this past week it’s been working.

I tried Simply Sprouted Way Better sweet potato tortilla chips (from Whole Foods) with cherries.

Dates and Machon cheese (from Spain)

When I went on the hike in Muir Woods, I had to bring along food that didn’t need refrigeration. The nuts were a given, but the turkey jerky was something new. I can’t recommend the Krave jerky highly enough. It was expensive at $5.99 for a 3oz pouch, but it was something that I would buy again and again. Most jerky is really dry and tough to eat, but this one was tender/moist/soft (that sounds strange, but I mean it in the best possible way). The Basil Citrus was one of the best combinations I could have chosen. Delicious. I also like that it’s made in Sonoma, CA which is only two hours away (driving time).

Mixed nuts with Krave turkey jerky. I love the basil citrus flavor. I’ll buy this again.

Dinners:

My sister and I live next door to each other, and whenever my nieces are with their dad for the weekend, LC and I get together for dinner on Friday or Saturday night.  Usually I cook for her, since I get home so much earlier than she does.  Plus, she’s always cooking really nutritious meals for her girls, and I like giving her the night off.  But this past Friday, she cooked for me.  I hadn’t been feeling well from the time I’d eaten lunch – really nauseous and sick – I don’t know if it was something I ate, or sitting in the sun too long reading a book, or what, but it was bad.  Until she made me this posole that knocked my socks off.  It’s a traditional Mexican spicy soup, usually made with pork, but LC used chicken because she prefers it that way.  You how everyone brings chicken soup when people are ill?  Well, bring me a piping hot bowl of this posole any time!!  I felt good as new as soon as I had a few spoonfuls.  And the numbers on it were excellent!  Only 262 calories for a large bowl.  It’s really easy to make, so it’s going to be in regular rotation.  Once I make it, I’ll be sure to post the recipe.

Chicken Posole. A spicy, broth-based soup with chicken, hominy, cabbage, radishes, and lime.

Saturday night I was in the mood for more spice, so I made my lowfat chicken curry.  This time I used boneless, skinless thighs because they were cheaper than breasts, but I have to say, I didn’t like it as well.  I think thighs are probably better for grilling or baking, because they stay moist and juicy, but for something like this that simmers in a nice sauce, they tasted almost gamey.  Not great, but not inedible.  The recipe is usually a favorite, though, so if you like curry, I’d definitely give the recipe a try.

Lowfat curry chicken on rice with cucumbers (to help cool my mouth after all that spice).

Last but not least is a meal that I really enjoyed on Monday night.  It’s a nod to my heritage, but it was also really quick & easy, as well as nutritious.  The color in the plate was beautiful; I’m not sure if the photo is doing it justice, but it gives you an idea.

Polenta, lightly sauteed with butter and rosemary under peppers, onions, and chicken sausage. Two types of sausage – garlic herb and sweet Italian.

All in all, a really delicious week.  It was so nice having lots of photos to comment on, so I’m going to make a huge effort again this week to slow down, take a picture, and then enjoy my meals.

I highly recommend joining in on the WIAW posts! Not only do you get a TON of great ideas for healthy, interesting meals, but you can make some new blogging buddies, too.

What was the best thing you ate today? This week?

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