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| What's in my lunch bag on a normal day? |
Some of the questions I get asked pretty often is what do you usually eat? What does a typical [meal] look like for you? Do you only/mostly eat fruit and veggies?
I thought I'd walk you guys through a typical day of eating for me. BUT FIRST, this won't work for everyone. I'm pretty far along in my journey so my caloric needs won't be the same as someone a bit heavier who is first starting off. When I started Weight Watchers my daily points were in the 40s (this was before Freestyle changed things a little) and now my daily points allowance is 23 and I get 35 weeklies. That's a huge difference in calories. Thank goodness for zero point foods. So if you are following Weight Watchers and get more points then add in some extras! I typically eat all of my dailies and most of my weeklies. I rarely have roll overs. (If you are not on Weight Watchers and this all sounds like gobbledy gook I will explain that in a different post.)
Onward to the noms!
☕BREAKFAST☕
I tend to eat a lot of the same things but I don't like to get bored so I have a few different breakfasts that I rotate depending on my mood or what is in the fridge/cupboard that day.
Every day I have a cold brew coffee which consists of 1-2 cups of Stok Cold Brew or cold brew made at home mixed with 1-2 cups of almond/cashew milk. To sweeten I use Splenda or Stevia and usually some sugar free flavored coffee syrup.This is 1 Smart Point. Yep even with 2 cups. If you're using the unsweetened almond/cashew milk it comes out to 1 point for 2 cups. A few times a week, usually after I run I mix this with protein powder for another couple of points. Its my reward for running and helps with muscle recovery.
I also almost always pair these breakfasts with some sort of fruit. Typically a banana if we have one but I've been addicted to peaches, plums and plumcots lately.
Breakfast 1:
Breakfast Sandwich
2-3 eggs seasoned and microwaved (I spray the dish with nonstick spray to help with clean up) I usually add hot sauce and a little salt/pepper
And then I put that on either a bagel thin (I prefer the Everything flavor) for 3 points, a low fat English muffin 2-3 points, or toast 2 points (I use 40-45 calorie bread)
For extra flavor I will put a little fat free shredded cheddar(0 points) on it and then wrap it in foil. I can eat it in the car or with my kiddos and the cheese melts from the heat.
Breakfast 2:
Overnight Oats
Before bed I put 1/2 cup of rolled oats and 1/2 cup of almond/cashew milk (4 points) in a container then I add one or more of the following:
- fruit and cinnamon (I will bake apples and peaches that are getting too ripe and then cut them up and refrigerate them for this purpose or I will use the little lunch packs of sugar free or packed in juice fruit that has been well drained) -0 points
- powdered peanut butter and splenda/stevia-1 or 2 points depending on the amount of PB I believe)
- protein powder -1-2 points depending on the powder
- banana (cut up the morning of instead of the night before to avoid mushy brown ickiness)
Breakfast 3:
Eggo Nutrigrain Lowfat waffles (Or their Aldi brand equivalent) -4 points for 2 waffles
Sugar free syrup or No Sugar added jelly-0-1 point
Breakfast 4:
Instant Oatmeal
I really like Better Oats brand 100 calorie packs. They have flax seed in them and are usually about 3 points per pouch ( I won't lie. I usually eat 2 pouches for 5-6 points)
Breakfast 5:
If I am running really late, have my weight watchers meeting or something else where I don't have the time for any of the above then I usually rely on a good old protein bar. I really like Quest Bars because they are pretty high in protein, tasty and relatively low in points. My favorites are 4-5 points a piece.
🍏SNACKS🍏
I'm a preschool teacher so I'm lucky that I usually get to eat when my kiddos eat. That means I can schedule my snacks. And I love a good snack. Snacking helps me not want to over eat at meals and is a good way for me to get extra servings of fruits, veggies and protein into my day. Here are just some of my go to snacks to throw in my lunch bag. (I have a pretty good sized insulated lunch bag that I bring with me every day with at least one cold pack in it.) For my my snacks I usually pair one of the protein options with a fruit or veggie but I'm also including a couple of my salty snack favorites because sometimes you want that.
- Light & Fit Greek Yogurt - its 80 calories(2 points) per container and has about 12 grams of protein. My favorite flavors (some of these are seasonal and not year round. It's a tragedy really.): vanilla, pumpkin pie, toasted marshmallow, toasted coconut, strawberry cheesecake, apple pie and key lime.
- low fat string cheese- usually about 50 calories (1 point)
- Sugar snap peas- I love the "green" taste to them and the crunch. Bonus that some of my kiddos in my former classroom LOVED these so I would bring enough to share
- grape/cherry tomatoes- I throw 8-12 of them in a snack sized baggie. They go well with the string cheese.
- apple
- cherries- (if I can find them in season at a reasonable price)
- grapes
- peaches
- sliced cucumbers-I either eat them plain or I will marinate them in red wine vinegar and a little splenda if I'm feeling fancy (0 points)
- carrot chips- I don't like baby carrots but I will eat the carrots cut into chip shapes and dip them in plain greek yogurt (see below)
- Pirate's Booty cheese puffs- I found the 1/2 oz. bags and they are 2 points per bag
- Lays Poppables potato snacks- my grocery store carries 1/2 oz. bags and they are 2 points per bag
- plain nonfat greek yogurt- 0 points (I either pair it with strawberries and a little splenda or mix some ranch seasoning in before I leave for work and dip veggies in it.)
- Around Halloween you can sometimes find other snack items in small "treat size" bags for low point amounts. A lot of people in Weight Watchers will stock up on those and take them. I did that with ghost shaped veggie chips last year.
🍔LUNCHES🍔
If you couldn't tell from my post about snacks. I pack my lunch and snacks for work every day. I eat when my kids eat because teachers don't typically get breaks until nap time (1 PM or later).
My lunch usually consists of one or a combination of these:
- a sandwich-turkey or chicken lunch meat (I get the kind that is 0 points) on either 45 calorie bread(2 points), a light hamburger bun(2 points) or a Tumaro wrap (1-2 points) . I dress this with one or two of these honey mustard (0-1 points depending on the amount type), Dijon mustard (0 points), light cheese (1 point per slice) or fat free shredded cheese (0points
- Leftovers from a previous dinner (I will post some of those below in Dinners)
- Canned white chicken chili and cauliflower rice (3-4 points)
- unsweetened apple sauce (0 points)
- Tuna salad- water packed tuna with plain yogurt and/or some kind of mustard/relish/pickle concoction (0 points) typically with bread (2 points) or some sort of crackers (2-3 points)
- Leftover cooked chicken breast (I like to make a big batch on Sunday) with salad greens/veggies and a lowfat dressing (2-3 points for the dressing)
- I usually have some sort of fruit and/or veggie and sometimes a salty snack. Typically whatever I don't want to eat for my AM/PM snack that day
🍝DINNERS🍝
I am not fancy. I am not a great cook but I have a few recipes I have added to the rotation that the family doesn't hate and fit into my points. If Josh and the girls want something that I don't want to spend the points on (take out, pizza, mac and cheese, full fat hamburgers) I have some go to easy things that I make just for me as well. This by far not everything I eat but just a sampling. I'm not perfect. At least a couple of times a month I come home, think about dinner and decide "Fuck it! I'm having a pint of Halo Top" because I can. It used to be that Josh cooked 99% of the meals in our house. Now it depends I cook a lot more often now that I am more aware of what I am eating, also because some of these are my recipes or things that Josh isn't as familiar with so it makes sense that I'm the one that cooks them.
We usually pair our dinners with one of these sides: Frozen veggies (0 points), instant mashed potatoes (5 points for 1/2 cup), boiled potatoes (points varies based on amount I usually eat about 4 points for a serving).
- Salsa chicken/chicken chili-This started out as a recipe I saw on a website and then I just kind of went "Hmmmm" and added and mixed and adjusted until its not anything like what it started out as. Here's the basic info though: I throw 3-4 chopped up chicken breasts in the crock pot and add 1 can of corn (drained), a can of black beans (rinsed and drained), a can of kidney beans (rinsed and drained), a can of diced tomatoes (preferably with jalapenos and cilantro but it depends), about 1/3 to 1/2 a jar of jalapenos, a can of salsa (we like Newman's Own Pineapple salsa), hot sauce of your choosing (be as liberal as you want), chili powder, salt and pepper. This makes a LOT of food. Usually Josh and I are eating leftovers of this for lunches for most of the week. The recipe always varies. You can add the chicken last so you can stir and taste BEFORE you cook. (The points value varies depending on the salsa. Its anywhere from 0-2 points for a 1-2 cup serving.)
- Turkey Cutlets I have adapted this recipe a little In the recipe she pan fries them with oil which adds points to the recipe. I usually bake them at around 375 for 15-20ish minutes. I check the temp frequently. Turkey cutlets are really thin and can dry out fast. If you bake them then these are 2 points per cutlet. Keep in mind the cutlets I get at the store are 0 points before the breading process. These are so good that EVERYONE in our house eats them. That's an accomplishment!
- Baked BBQ chicken breasts- I bake two separate pans. One with regular full sugar BBQ sauce for the family and one with Low Sugar/No Sugar Added BBQ sauce (there are 2 or 3 different brands at my grocery store). Depending on how much sauce I use it's 1-2 points per chicken breast.
- Turkey Cheddar Meatloaf -another butchered Skinny Taste recipe. I use a combo of 99% and 97% turkey. I am also not skilled/patient enough to actually roll or stuff the meat loaf so I usually mix it all together. We are also big fans of baking it in muffin pans because then it cooks faster and divides up more evenly for portions/points. I usually also use just regular BBQ sauce on the top instead of whatever she calls for in the recipe. I make approx. 18 muffins. for 2 points per muffin.
- Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches- I am the only one in my family who will really eat these so I end up with a lot of leftovers to get creative with for lunches/dinners all week. I throw about a 3 or 4 chicken breasts in the crock pot with anywhere from 1/2 to a whole bottle of Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce. It's 0 points. Seriously. I eat it on a light burger bun for 2 points total. For leftovers during the week I either eat it the same weigh or I'll throw in some canned jalapenos and eat it over cauliflower rice.
- Frontera brand frozen meals. (Chicken taco, fajitas, etc.) These are around 4-5 points for half the bag. And once cooked I either eat them as tacos with Tumaro wraps for 1-2 points per tortilla or over cauliflower rice. Josh and I have tried most of the different types I scan them when I am shopping so I don't remember exactly which ones are how many points but they are REALLY good. They also make frozen bowl individual meals that are yummy and pretty low in points.
- Bird's Eye Voila! Garlic Chicken- 7 points for 1 2/3 cups. You can make it go farther by adding more frozen vegetables with it. I usually eat 2 cups for 9 points. Then if I'm feeling hungrier I add in frozen corn or mixed veggies and its a huge meal. This is a great easy quick meal to have in the freezer for nights without a lot of time.
🍨SWEETS🍨
I have a HUGE sweet tooth. If I didn't allow myself to have dessert or sweets most evenings I would feel deprived and be more likely to cheat or binge on junk. Here are some of my go to sweets.
- Halo Top Ice Cream- 280-360 calories per pint. You can have half a cup for 2-4 points or a whole pint for 9-13 points. It depends on my night, points, mood. They have so many different flavors and I've only really found one that I didn't like (green tea mochi because of the jellies)
- Quest Bars- See breakfasts for details. I will say this about Quest Bars. Don't eat them too often or more than one in a day. There is something in the combo of fiber/protein that they use that is delicious but will set like cement in your guts. (TMI- I have a friend who is never constipated. but when they were eating them daily even they got backed up.)
- Protein One Bars- They are a new treat from Fiber One. I really like the strawberry flavor and they are about 2 points apiece.
- Baked peaches/apples- I will slice a peach or apple in half, sprinkle with cinnamon and Splenda and bake it at 400 until its soft. I sometimes top it with a smidge of almond milk whipped cream. It's a 0 point dessert as long as I don't over do the whipped cream.
- Fruit and yogurt. There's always the old stand by, one of my Light & Fit yogurts and a handful of strawberries or a banana. 2 points.
That's pretty much it y'all. My points vary by the day but typically I eat 22-28 points a day. I eat a LOT of fruits and veggies, especially right now(summer) because so many of my favorite fruits are in season. About once per week I let myself go "over points" and eat up to 35 points in a day. I think I eat between 1,300 and 1,600 calories in a day. Probably closer to the lower end of that scale. I haven't tracked in My Fitness Pal in a little bit so I'm not 100% sure.
