Day 13 - At Least One Thousand Nuts

I realized today that I have a bunch of nuts. Almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts, and walnuts. All of my favorites are now represented in a glass bowl sitting on my kitchen counter because I don't have enough room in my cabinets. I've got to make room for other things after I finish my grocery shopping tomorrow.



Yesterday was good. I didn't go off my diet too much. I had the Grateful Dave sub, which had turkey and avocado on the sandwich, and my co-workers bought me a chocolate cupcake. But today, I've had a difficult day, and it's been hard to stay focused. My uncle is living his last days in Indiana (5+ years of living with Alzheimer's), and I cannot be there for my family. I've been crying a lot today, and I have felt like "snacking" off & on. I know this is the emotional eating side that Cynthia talks about in the book, so I'm not going to beat myself up about how I diverted from my plan. I had a handful of my Just Tomatoes Etc. dried veggies and 2 small Dr. Kracker Cherry whole grain crackers that arrived from Amazon.com today. I was so excited that of course I had to try them. Then, as I made my lunch, I found myself snacking on pieces of the chicken and broccoli before measuring out my exact portions. Then again after I got home from the grocery store, I couldn't resist the 2 mini choc chip oatmeal cookies from Trader Joe's. I WILL stay focused tomorrow. The crying has been often today, and I'm just thankful that I didn't go crazy eating (which I have been known to do in the past.)

Onward to the day:

BREAKFAST (8:30 am)

Almond Berry Cottage Cheese: (I made this one up -- we were running low on groceries.)

1 cup frozen Trader Joe's Very Berry Cherry Blend (cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries), thawed
1/4 cup whole oats
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 TBSP slivered almonds
Dash cloves

This was super delicious!

LUNCH (1:30 pm)

Mediterranean Broccoli Couscous Platter:

1 1/4 cups steamed broccoli, 1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
3 oz+ cooked chicken
1 TBSP olive oil
Minced garlic and 1 TBSP lemon juice

This was yummy! And then I had my dark chocolate right after lunch. Here it is:



SNACK (4:30 pm)

Cookie Dough Lara Bar (fruit serving and plant-based fat serving)
8 oz skim milk

I loved this bar! I said a few days ago that I didn't like Lara Bars in the past, but this one was good.

DINNER (8:00 pm)

Mozzarella Tomato Basil "Pizzalad":

1 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 whole grain pita
1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
1 TBSP olive oil
Minced garlic



I could eat this one all the time. My husband loves this one too. Below is my portion next to the "man-sized" portion. I have to say that after I ate my half, I wished there was more of it. I still am not sure why we only get a 1/2 pita in this plan. All of the other whole grain servings are around 100 calories, but my 1/2 pitas are about 50 calories. What gives?

Well, tomorrow I get to finish my grocery shopping after Step Aerobics class (yay!) I will probably have the same breakfast I made today, but as for the rest of the day, I will have a kitchen full of fresh ingredients to try and make new meals for 2 more weeks. :-)