snack attack
Can you believe this is my 20th WIAW post?! Can you believe MacKenna has been around for 20 weeks?! Seriously… time is flying! Which is good (I’m ready for spring + summer break) and bad (why is my baby girl growing up so fast).
I hope you guys enjoy these posts as much as I enjoy them, ha! I feel like it’s kind of a “day in my life” post, although I don’t go into a lot of details because really, my life is the same pretty much every single day! Wake up, workout, get ready, work, workout, play with MacKenna, go to bed, repeat! But, these have forced me to be a bit more creative with what I eat! Yes, I repeat a lot of things, but I really try hard to keep it interesting for you, my readers.
Apparently, my 10 miler on Sunday left me extra snacky on Monday…
[Please excuse my iPhone/Instagram pictures. I am camera-less for awhile until (1) my fabulous sister-in-law gets hers fix – I’ve been borrowing her old DSLR – or (2) I get a new job and can afford to buy one! So, that’s why the picture quality has gone from OK to poor in a matter of weeks!]
Wake-Up Snack
Homemade peanut butter protein bars. These rock! Matt is enjoying them too with his morning smoothie! I love that I’m getting him to eat so healthy lately!
AM Workout
A quick easy 3-miler on the home treadmill. It took about 25 minutes to complete. Nice + easy after my long run on Sunday.
Breakfast
I had a screening interview on Monday morning, so I went to work late, which meant I got to eat at home! I’ve had an almost-empty jar of peanut butter sitting in my fridge for months now and I finally got around to making some overnight oats in it.
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/2 banana
- 1/3 cup blueberries
- A little more than a pinch of cinnamon
- Topped with Peanut Butter Cheerios for crunch and scraped the sides with peanut butter!
Lunch
I had some coffee to hold me over until lunch. A lovely salad filled with tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, cheese, and croutons (the best part), smothered in Trader Joe’s parmesan ranch dressing.
Plus a bran muffin for dessert and a little bowl of milk + granola because I was still hungry!
Afternoon Snack
Baby carrots and peanut butter. The only thing missing was a bowl of chili! (Did anyone else have chili with peanut butter sandwiches in school growing up with carrot sticks on the side? One of my favorite all-time meals!)
And some honey roasted peanuts, because I can’t got a day without them!
PM Workout
I finally finished the first stage of New Rules of Lifting for Women and am on to the second stage. I’m definitely starting to notice a different in my arms – so much more toned! I did workout 2A quickly before heading off to pick up MacKenna at the babysitter’s.
And because I was STARVING all day, 2 animal crackers with some Monster Cookie Dough Dip (aka crack). The recipe made a TON too, so I might have to have a few nibbles on this before dinner every night.
Dinner
I love creating + making casserole-type dinners. Just a few minutes of prep and I can stick it in the oven and play a little bit more with MacKenna!
Baked Veggie Nachos
- 3 ounces (or a few handfuls) tortilla chips
- 1 can vegetarian refried beans
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 sweet potato, cubed and nuked in the microwave for a few minutes
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded or diced
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread tortilla chips on the bottom so that it is completely covered. I crack them so they lay relatively flat.
In a separate bowl, mix the refried beans together with the salsa. Spread on top of the tortilla chips. Top bean mixture with sweet potatoes and red peppers. Top the entire casserole with cheese.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serves 4.
I didn’t nuke my sweet potatoes enough, so they were a bit crunchy, but otherwise, delicious – with a good helping of veggies! You could really top this with any veggies you want – my family usually just does beans and chicken, but since we’re eat vegetarian at our house, veggie is the way to go!
No-Dessert Dessert
Two weeks in of not eating after dinner and it is HARD! I made these blondies on Saturday night and it was so difficult to NOT eat the batter or lick my fingers. But, I’m proud to say that I was good and avoided it.
I have noticed that I am eating much less sweets than I usually do. Not that I haven’t been craving them! I just don’t have them at work and I can’t eat them at home! Hot chocolate helps the sweet craving, but it does nothing for my hunger. I am definitely going to bed more hungry than usual – hence the extra snacking throughout the day!
[I’m still in shock over the tornado that hit Branson last week, but I’m having trouble putting into words how I’m feeling. We are hopefully going to be visiting Branson in a few weeks, but unfortunately, we’re only going to be helping by boosting the economy instead of helping clean up since we’ll have MacKenna with us. It’s heartbreaking to see a place you know and love so much – our home away from home - be torn to pieces. I know it will be so much harder when we see it in person…]
Thanks Jenn for hosting this fabulous link-up! If you haven’t before, go check out some of the other WIAW posts. I have started reading so many new + fabulous blogs thanks to WIAW. (Mom, maybe you shouldn’t check them out since I think I got you hooked on too many in the first place!)
What have you been snacking on recently? Have you pinned any good recipes lately?