What I Ate Wednesday #5

 

Can you believe another week has passed?  Happily this week has brought an extra hour of light and warmer temperatures!

These great improvements in weather had me tweaking my diet and fitness program.  A week closer toward shorts and tank tops, and, dare I say bathing suits. That means stepping up the effort in the kitchen and the gym.

To get the day started right, a spinach, mushroom, onion, garlic, and field roast sausage tofu scramble.  Oh my gosh, does this dish top anything you can get in restaurant.  It has so much flavor and keeps you full and energized through your workout.

Stats: 250 calories, 9g fat, 20g protein, 5g fiber, 24% calcium. 19% daily iron.

 Mid-morning Post Workout Snack:

 

Lunch was another one of my favorites that I do not make often enough.  Raw-ish taco boats.  These are made with nut-meat and are a cold taco served in a romaine leaf “shell”.  They are not completely raw because I served them with a little vegan cheese and some Tofutti sour cream.  It is amazing how great a nut meat can stand in for animal meat or even meat analogs.  It is a healthy alternative. 

To keep the fat down, I used a mix of half cup raw walnuts and half cup chopped mushrooms.  Just put the two in the food processor with a clove of garlic, some chopped onion, and taco seasoning.  Pulse until you have a meaty spreadable texture. A tsp. of olive oil can be added for a “greasy” effect. Now you can use it in a taco shell or on a lettuce leaf.  You can really impress some omni’s with this.  Just top the nut meat with all you favorite taco fixin’s and serve.

Stats for the four taco boats I ate: 398 calories, 33g fat, 10g protein, 5g fiber. note, the fat is high due to the walnuts and avocado.

 

 

Dinner: Summertime Favorite…

Can you say carbs?  Okay, I don’t really like eating all these sweet foods together, but it was 75 degrees and I wanted a reminder of summer.  I made sure I worked out extra hard to account for this plate lickin’ good dinner. 

Morning Star Riblets are one of my favorite meat substitutes.  They are not the healthiest, so I limit them to once in a while.  But they are amazingly delicious.  I love sweet potatoes with their creamy orange flesh.  You just know by their bright color that they must be good for you!  A little frozen sweet corn adorned our plates as well as a small helping of maple vegetarian baked beans.

I ate this meal slowly and savored every bite.  And, if I closed my eyes I could imagine it was summer.  So many great summer meals to look forward to.  Out with the acorn squash, in with the zucchini. 

Nutritional Stats: 420 calories, 8g fat, 21g protein, 12g fiber

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday. We are expecting another 75 degree sunny day here in the Philly burbs!  I can’t wait to get the outside of our house ready for summer! What are you going to do today?