What I Eat In a Day – The Weekend Edition

One of my favorite features in People magazine is “What I Eat In a Day.”  You know the one – where celebrities open their kimonos and show you just what they ingest on any given day.  Usually a Registered Dietitian weighs in (pun intended) to tell you how nutritious this famous person’s diet is – and how (if at all) they can improve.  There is usually a total calorie count too.

So, I thought I would take the plunge.

Of course, the day I chose was not exactly a typical day in that it was a very stormy Saturday in August.  I say this because we made a pretty elaborate dinner, we ate in, we had family movie night – it was more like a winter weekend night than summer.  

Breakfast – Veggie Egg Scramble

This is my After-Saturday-Morning-Barre-Class-With-LeAnna-Breakfast.  To make my veggie egg scramble, I start with 1 Tbsp coconut oil heated in a frying pan and add 2 cups of baby spinach and chopped grape tomatoes.  After these soften, I whisk in 2 beaten eggs and 1 oz. shredded cheddar cheese. Then I just scramble it all together. It’s not as pretty as an omelet.  But I’m all about getting as much spinach in there as I can – so who cares about aesthetics. I enjoy this with a side of fresh blueberries, coffee with almond milk and a big glass of water.  

Lunch – Spinach Strawberry Almond Turmeric Smoothie

After a late breakfast, I’m not typically hungry until early afternoon.  Also, I’m usually on the go with errands, kids’ sports or activities - or on sunny summer days, beach or pool.  So, I literally eat lunch while driving. This is the opposite of during the week when I eat breakfast while driving.  So, it makes sense that I swap my weekday breakfast for weekend lunch. I have been experimenting with my smoothies to find the right mix for my taste and my stomach.  I love this version that I learned from Kate Scarlata’s new cookbook, The Low FODMAP Diet.  I start with one cup frozen strawberries, ½ cup fresh baby spinach and 1 cup almond milk.  After blending that together, I add in 4 ice cubes and crush those. After that, I blend in 1 Tbsp of almond butter.  I finish by blending in 1 Tbsp of turmeric powder.

Snack – Blue Corn Chips and Wine

When we get home from errands, I am ready for happy hour.  I am loving these No Salt Added Blue Corn Chips from Garden of Eatin’

Dinner – Pan Seared Salmon with Kale

Dinner – We typically set aside part of one weekend day to do some “Cooking Ahead” for the upcoming week.  Weekday nights are easy when you open up your fridge and find vegetables already grilled or roasted, chicken already marinating, salad greens already washed.  With the stormy weather, we did these sorts of things on this particular day – and we tried a new recipe. So, on this night, we had Pan-Seared Salmon with Kale (again from Kate Scarlatta’s new cookbook).  For veggie sides, I made a few roasted potatoes (oven roasted with coconut oil and fresh rosemary – my own recipe), grilled eggplant, grilled summer squash and grilled zucchini.

After Dinner Snack – Popcorn!

Movie Night Snack – With rainy weather still, we settled in for a family movie night which meant popcorn for everyone.  We make ours the old-fashioned way – on the stove with a small amount of oil. It’s crunchy and the perfect complement to the 80s retro movies that we’ve been viewing with the kids.  This night’s was My Cousin Vinny (technically early ‘90s, but felt like the ‘80s).  

Water:  I drink regular water throughout the day.

Dietitian’s Verdict:  I haven’t asked a dietitian to weigh in on this specific day but I have been working with two dietitians over the past few months and both have given me an A+ for my daily eating habits.  They feel like I’m getting enough (more than enough) fruits and vegetables and plenty of protein. I’ve been cautioned to keep an eye on sugar (the wine, the chocolate – which I have cut back on).  

Calorie Count:  I use the Lose It app (which I LOVE!)  It helps me to keep track of what and how much I’m eating, and finds patterns in my eating that are useful to me.  According to Lose It, my day was a little over 1500 calories.

Please weigh in!  What do you eat in a day?  Share your comments and let me know.  I’d love to hear!