If I’m hungry, I eat, and I don’t think twice about calories.
I do eat for satiety and taste. So, everything I eat fills me up and tastes great.
I'm always "changing up" my menu. So, here's a fourteen day log beginning on April 26, 2014. It will not be as detailed as my 2011 log.
Cholesterol numbers: Do they matter? I believe they are a marker for good health or avoidance of most chronic diseases (heart, diabetes, stroke). By reputable research doctors, I have been advised: If you can get your total cholesterol to 150 or lower, you are "heart attack proof". While this might not be 100% accurate, to get to that number, you have to live a healthy lifestyle. I mention this because:
My last lab results reflected a total cholesterol of 133 (down from 150). I was surprised and the only change in diet that I can attribute to the latest number is: During the Winter months, my breakfast, on most days, was a fruit smoothie and a typical lunch was soup (veggie, lentil, black bean, etc.). Since the weather is warm now, most days my lunch will not be soup.
My last lab results reflected a total cholesterol of 133 (down from 150). I was surprised and the only change in diet that I can attribute to the latest number is: During the Winter months, my breakfast, on most days, was a fruit smoothie and a typical lunch was soup (veggie, lentil, black bean, etc.). Since the weather is warm now, most days my lunch will not be soup.
As I review my fourteen day food log, to stay out of the Circle of Disease, here's what is missing: Fast-food, junk food, candy, processed food, soda, and sugar. In "my book", that is about 50% to 75% of the solution. And, no doubt, exercise is an important part of the equation.
Day One - April 26, 2014
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and Chobani Plain yogurt
Lunch - Stuffed cabbage with brown rice (stuffed with turkey meat) - this was left-overs from dinner
Dinner - Trout with Couscous
Dessert - One scoop Cold Stone Coffee Ice cream (a rare event - don't eat much ice cream anymore)
Snack - Hummus with Cauliflower and Broccoli
Exercise - 30-minutes on elliptical trainer
Drinks - Coffee, hot tea, water, beer (I do not drink any soda. Once in a while, if I want a "hit" of carbonation, I drink seltzer water). I won't mention drinks every day - just assume I drink coffee in the morning, a lot of water during the day, and an occasional beer.
Meds - I'm not on any.
*Approximate Cost for all Meals: $22.00 ($17 was dining out for dinner)
*I am a firm believer that eating healthy foods is not an expensive proposition. So, I am providing an estimate of my food costs. However, since I do eat out frequently, the costs may appear high.
Lunch - Stuffed cabbage with brown rice (stuffed with turkey meat) - this was left-overs from dinner
Dinner - Trout with Couscous
Dessert - One scoop Cold Stone Coffee Ice cream (a rare event - don't eat much ice cream anymore)
Snack - Hummus with Cauliflower and Broccoli
Exercise - 30-minutes on elliptical trainer
Drinks - Coffee, hot tea, water, beer (I do not drink any soda. Once in a while, if I want a "hit" of carbonation, I drink seltzer water). I won't mention drinks every day - just assume I drink coffee in the morning, a lot of water during the day, and an occasional beer.
Meds - I'm not on any.
*Approximate Cost for all Meals: $22.00 ($17 was dining out for dinner)
*I am a firm believer that eating healthy foods is not an expensive proposition. So, I am providing an estimate of my food costs. However, since I do eat out frequently, the costs may appear high.
Day Two - April 27, 2014
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and Chobani Plain yogurt
Lunch - Fish tacos with a side of beans and rice
Dinner - Veggie Pizza
Exercise - None today
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $17.00
Lunch - Fish tacos with a side of beans and rice
Dinner - Veggie Pizza
Exercise - None today
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $17.00
Day Three - April 28, 2014
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and Chobani Plain yogurt
Lunch - Gazpacho (my homemade version called: Ken's Killer Gazpacho)
Dinner - Portbello Mushroom Burger ... veggie ... crispy Brussels Sprouts
Snack - Handful of edamame
Exercise - Elliptical Trainer - 30-minutes on elliptical trainer
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $15.00 ($10.00 of total is restaurant meals)
Lunch - Gazpacho (my homemade version called: Ken's Killer Gazpacho)
Dinner - Portbello Mushroom Burger ... veggie ... crispy Brussels Sprouts
Snack - Handful of edamame
Exercise - Elliptical Trainer - 30-minutes on elliptical trainer
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $15.00 ($10.00 of total is restaurant meals)
Day Four - April 29, 2014
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and Chobani Plain yogurt
Lunch - . Salmon (wild - right out of the can)
Dinner -. Stuffed (turkey) cabbage and brown rice
Exercise - 30 minutes on elliptical
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $10.00
Lunch - . Salmon (wild - right out of the can)
Dinner -. Stuffed (turkey) cabbage and brown rice
Exercise - 30 minutes on elliptical
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $10.00
Day Five - April 30, 2014
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and Chobani Plain yogurt
Lunch - Vegetarian Chili with Brown Rice
Dinner - Wild mushrooms over barley (This is from the website BlueApron.com)
Snack - Chocolate Bananas (Trader Joe's product)
Exercise - 30 minutes on elliptical - I usually do weight training, however, I have take a two month hiatus from weight training.
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $15.00
Lunch - Vegetarian Chili with Brown Rice
Dinner - Wild mushrooms over barley (This is from the website BlueApron.com)
Snack - Chocolate Bananas (Trader Joe's product)
Exercise - 30 minutes on elliptical - I usually do weight training, however, I have take a two month hiatus from weight training.
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $15.00
Day Six - May 1, 2014
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and Chobani Plain yogurt
Lunch - A rare event ... no lunch today. And, I do feel hunger ... another rare event.
Dinner - Pizza with added artichokes and mushrooms
Snack - Popcorn
Exercise - 30 minutes on elliptical
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $6.00
Lunch - A rare event ... no lunch today. And, I do feel hunger ... another rare event.
Dinner - Pizza with added artichokes and mushrooms
Snack - Popcorn
Exercise - 30 minutes on elliptical
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $6.00
Day Seven - May 2, 2014
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and Chobani Plain yogurt
Lunch - Grilled Portobello Mushroom seasoned with minced fresh garlic, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, and topped with goat cheese.
Dinner - Pasta with garlic, tomato, shrimp, in olive oil sauce
Snack - Tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil with balsamic dressing (in the Summer months I grow my own tomatoes and basil - it's my favorite Summertime treat).
Exercise - 30 minutes on elliptical
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $6.00 (when eating at home, healthy eating is very inexpensive)
Lunch - Grilled Portobello Mushroom seasoned with minced fresh garlic, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, and topped with goat cheese.
Dinner - Pasta with garlic, tomato, shrimp, in olive oil sauce
Snack - Tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil with balsamic dressing (in the Summer months I grow my own tomatoes and basil - it's my favorite Summertime treat).
Exercise - 30 minutes on elliptical
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $6.00 (when eating at home, healthy eating is very inexpensive)
Day Eight - June 14, 2012
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and flax-seed
Lunch - Chicken salad wrap (high-fiber wrap)
Dinner - Grilled Salmon, salad, veggie kabob, and grilled cauliflower (trying out a new recipe)
Snack - The Allman Brothers said: Eat a Peach. So, I did.
Snack - Protein bar - I don't eat protein bars very often, but I was testing it out. If I want a quick hit of protein, I usually take a tablespoon or more of peanut butter.
Exercise - Unfortunately, none
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $11.00
Lunch - Chicken salad wrap (high-fiber wrap)
Dinner - Grilled Salmon, salad, veggie kabob, and grilled cauliflower (trying out a new recipe)
Snack - The Allman Brothers said: Eat a Peach. So, I did.
Snack - Protein bar - I don't eat protein bars very often, but I was testing it out. If I want a quick hit of protein, I usually take a tablespoon or more of peanut butter.
Exercise - Unfortunately, none
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $11.00
Day Nine - June 15, 2012
Breakfast - Uncle Sam's high-fiber cereal with a lot of blueberries and raspberries
Lunch - Chicken salad sans the high-fiber wrap
Dinner - Scrambled Eggs with Cheese and Toast
Snack - Raw Almonds
Exercise - Weight Training
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $4.00
Lunch - Chicken salad sans the high-fiber wrap
Dinner - Scrambled Eggs with Cheese and Toast
Snack - Raw Almonds
Exercise - Weight Training
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $4.00
Day Ten - June 16, 2012
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and flax-seed
Lunch - Pesto and veggie omelette
Dinner - No dinner tonight. The snacks were sufficient.
Snack - Tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil with balsamic dressing (in the Summer months I grow my own tomatoes and basil - it's my favorite Summertime treat).
Snack - Quinoa and other "healthy" chips - I do not consider chips to be a healthy snack. But I ate them anyway.
Exercise - 40-minute run in my very hilly neighborhood.
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $15.00 ($10.00 of total is restaurant meals)
Lunch - Pesto and veggie omelette
Dinner - No dinner tonight. The snacks were sufficient.
Snack - Tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil with balsamic dressing (in the Summer months I grow my own tomatoes and basil - it's my favorite Summertime treat).
Snack - Quinoa and other "healthy" chips - I do not consider chips to be a healthy snack. But I ate them anyway.
Exercise - 40-minute run in my very hilly neighborhood.
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $15.00 ($10.00 of total is restaurant meals)
Day Eleven - June 17, 2012
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and flax-seed
Lunch - Turkey wrap
Dinner - Chicken, Mac & Cheese (dinner at a friend's house)
Snack - None today
Exercise - 40-minute run in my very hilly neighborhood
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $5.00
Lunch - Turkey wrap
Dinner - Chicken, Mac & Cheese (dinner at a friend's house)
Snack - None today
Exercise - 40-minute run in my very hilly neighborhood
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $5.00
Day Twelve - June 18, 2012
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and flax-seed
Lunch - Chicken Salad with a side of Quinoa
Dinner - Hamburger with a side of Sweet Potato Fries
Snack - Raw Almonds
Exercise - Unfortunately, none.
Approximate Cost for all Meals: Cost for all Meals: $15.00 ($10.00 of total is restaurant meals)
Lunch - Chicken Salad with a side of Quinoa
Dinner - Hamburger with a side of Sweet Potato Fries
Snack - Raw Almonds
Exercise - Unfortunately, none.
Approximate Cost for all Meals: Cost for all Meals: $15.00 ($10.00 of total is restaurant meals)
Day Thirteen - June 19, 2012
Breakfast - Plain Greek yogurt with fresh raspberries, blueberries, raisins, and topped with my high-fiber cereal (Uncle Sams).
Lunch - Chicken Salad with a side of Quinoa - leftovers from yesterday
Dinner - Shrimp and vegetable Fajitas
Snack - Almonds
Exercise - Weight training
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $21.00 ($15.00 of total is restaurant meals)
Lunch - Chicken Salad with a side of Quinoa - leftovers from yesterday
Dinner - Shrimp and vegetable Fajitas
Snack - Almonds
Exercise - Weight training
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $21.00 ($15.00 of total is restaurant meals)
Day Fourteen - June 20, 2012
Breakfast - Fruit Smoothie (mixed frozen fruit) with peanut butter and flax-seed
Lunch - No lunch today
Dinner - Ginger Salad and Sushi - 2 Spicy Tuna Rolls
Snack - Almonds
Snack - Turkey Jerky (sort of served as my lunch replacement)
Exercise - Travel day ... no time for exercise
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $15.00 ($12.00 of total is restaurant meals)
Lunch - No lunch today
Dinner - Ginger Salad and Sushi - 2 Spicy Tuna Rolls
Snack - Almonds
Snack - Turkey Jerky (sort of served as my lunch replacement)
Exercise - Travel day ... no time for exercise
Approximate Cost for all Meals: $15.00 ($12.00 of total is restaurant meals)
