An apple a day

Breakfast:

2 egg whites made in the microwave smushed into a whole wheat tortilla with hot sauce and a bowl of fruit ( blueberries, peaches, pineapple and banana)

Lunch:
I realized I had not gotten a big load of groceries in awhile just as my stomach started growling for lunch! So I made the last serving of tofu that had been cozying up with ranch seasoning in the fridge by browning it in a skillet. I also had a strange desire for peanut butter and jelly. No bread in the house meant that I filled half a wrap with tofu and the other half with pb & j.

I had this Newman’s Own Organic Dried Apples with some goats milk brie- It was a great combination, the apple was chewy and the brie gave it a nice creamy zing!

Plus more apple rings..
NOO Organic Dried Apples

Ingredients:
Dried Organic Apple Rings

Nutritional Facts: Serving Size: 1/4c. (40g)

Apples: Calories 120 (calories from fat 0), Total Fat 0g (saturated fat 0g, trans fat 0g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 0mg, Potassium 240mg, Total Carbohydrates 29g (dietary fiber 2g, sugars 22g), Protein 0g

Isn’t that fantastic that not only are they organic and dried ( free from pesitcides, long lasting and portable-friendly) but the only ingredient is the apples! No sulfites or preservatives or added sugar to prevent oxidation!

My review: I LOVED these! I really never had dried apples except in random tiny pieces from a trail mix every now and then. These were very soft, chewy and sweet. A fantastic product that I will for sure buy in the future. Thanks again to Sally and Nell at NOO!
 

After lunch I ran to the store for some serious “clean eating” foods…

Post Grocery Store Snack 
I was in an apple mood today for some reason. I had half a Golden Delicious Apple with … White Chocolate Wonderful Peanut Butter !! I have seen this brand EVERYWHERE on the blog circuit and when I saw it today for only $3 + at Walmart- I had to try it! Blog advertising at its best, right? I actually purchased quite a few things today that I had not been aware of until surfing blogs.  I debated between the dark chocolate then decided it would be too much like Nutella and I don’t normally enjoy maple flavor things so White Chocolate Wonderful it was, and it was wonderful! 

I had also picked up some organic fresh veggies and Sabra (rather addictive) roasted pine nut hummus.

Dinner:

” And I’m FREE… Free Falling….. “

 

I hardboiled eggs  and made Jeff a healthier egg salad, using 3 eggs, 1 tablspoon of smart balance mayo (made with unsaturated fats) , horseradish and mustard. For myself, I just filled my egg whites with what I really wanted tonight: pine nut hummus, Black bean and Corn Salsa, hot sauce, and mustard.

I had a crazy delicious salad also.  Isn’t it rather funny that we often try to eat foods that have the least amount of ingredients, however, it is the exact opposite for salads?  I put everything I can fit inside the darn bowl!

Mine included: iceberg, romaine, carrots, raddichio, green beans, yellow beans, cauliflower, broccoli, snap peas, grapes and another NOO dried apple ring with a smidge of goat cheese ( that was delicious together by the way).I also had a whole wheat Arnold Sandwhich Thin ( that I found out about through the blog world as well!)

This may or may not look appealing to you but I LOVE this meal, I really enjoy egg whites filled with hot sauce and salsa. This is super filling too with whole grains, lean proteins, fruit and all those VEGGIES!

and this guys just kept trying to sneak in the photos..

 
😀

Body:

I felt really great today, definitely enough to go for another run but my mind told me to take a rest day from running. I think the rest will only help my weekend “long” run be even better!

Instead….The Shred! I was also pumped up for The Shred because I finally bought a set of 2 lb dumbells! My personal hopes for the shred included toning and increasing strength- The 8lb were great for awhile but I think they were helping to build up muscle instead of tone.

I did Level 2 AND Level 3. LEVEL 3 WAS SO MUCH FUN! Oh my goodness it was difficult, especially at first,  but the last circuit was actually fun because a couple of the exercises I haven’t done before.

Mind:
I updated The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle page- Thank You all for your supportive comments. I feel overwhelming lucky to be part of the blog community and part of this fantastic organization!

I made a list of everything I needed before I went to the store- I kept forgetting things like those dumbells, dish soap, aluminum foil etc. so I finally grabbed all the little things.

Studying for exam to begin tomorrow!

Soul:

It’s Friday! KC Mo ( Jeff’s little sister) just got into graduate school, It’s an old friends’ birthday tonight and a classmates’ birthday as well and my brother’s gf’s tomorrow! Geez… lots of March Birthdays!

Grocery shopping makes me happy too- I love being able to stock up on great deals and healthy food. It makes me even more motivated to continue eating healthy and creating wonderful meals to show on the blog too!

Now to finish with the pantry items of my grocery store buys:

• Jay Robb Single Protein Packet ( I found out about this because Itzy just tried this and gave a review of it on her blog- it seemed really great so I was happy to buy some as well.)
• Crushed Tomatoes
• Old Fashioned Oats
• White Chocolate Wonderful PB
• Organic Ketchup( no HFCS! I hope it tastes alright)
• Canned Beans
• Canned Pumpkin
• Dried Beans ( never made them before but hoping to make them well!)
• A Big Spaghetti Squash ( seriously big, it cost almost $7 . Had I known that before checking my receipt, I would have opted to get a smaller one elsewhere)
• Protein Tub: Designer Whey’s Aria . (They say its “Women’s protein”. The only reason they say this is because it is fortified with extra folic acid. Jeff is totally going to eat this as well for the record.)
• Hunt’s Pasta Sauce
• Extra cans of tomatoes for more sauch and lycopene!
• Whole Wheat Pasta
• My red dumbellsI didn’t take a photo of all the fresh and frozen produce, almost all of it was on sale! But it also took me awhile to get home, unpack and put away so I didn’t want it spoiling.. here are some of my great deals..Fresh:

  Snap Peas ( $1.50)
  Sweet Potato Spears ( $1.50)
  Green Beans and Carrot Spears ( $1.50)
  Organic Bananas ($1.50)
  Grapefruit ( $1)
  2 golden delicious apples ( $1)
  2 cameo apples ($1)
  Potatoes ($3)
  Onions ($3)
  Organic Fresh Cut Veggies ($2.90)
  Salad Mix ( $1.80)
  Organic Celery ($2)
  White Grapes ($1/lb)
  Eggs ( 18 for $1.70! )

  Frozen:

  Spinach
  Asparagus Mix
  Okra
  Brussel Sprouts
  a HUGE bag of stir fry mix ( broc, carrots, water chestnuts, peas, peppers) which had 17 servings for under $6
  Blueberries
  Cherries

  HAPPY FRIDAY!!
  I wanted to say a special Hello to all of the newcomers recently! I appreciate every reader that I have and every comment that I receive. I have also found amazing inspirations in all the blogs I read as well so Thank You!

  Who has exciting plans? Restful plans ?