Day 29

Its been a couple weeks since I kept a food journal - updating throughout the day the foods and beverages that I have consumed and calculating the calorie content. I find food journaling helpful because: 1. It helps me keep track of how many calories I am consuming; and 2. It helps me make sure that I am eating enough fruits, vegetables and dairy.

Breakfast (9:00 a.m.)
1 slice wheat toast
1 teaspoon honey
2/3 tablespoon peanut butter
1 pear
2 c. coffee with 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Lunch (12:30 p.m.)
2 Weight Watchers chicken ranchero smart mini wraps
1 grilled cheese sandwich
1 1/2 c. skim milk

The comfort food craving continues. Last week, I made a chicken-noodle-veggie casserole. Tonight, I made broccoli cheddar soup. I've had a bag of frozen broccoli hanging out in my freezer for several months, and it was starting to show signs of freezer burn. Soups, stews and casseroles are good ways to use up less-than-perfect produce.

Dinner (6:15 p.m.)
2 c. broccoli cheddar soup

About the soup:
It started with a roux made from about 3/4 stick butter and 1/2 c. flour. To that, I added about 1 1/2 cups lowfat, low sodium chicken broth and 2 1/2 cups skim milk. That mixture was brought to a simmer, then 2 cups frozen broccoli pieces were added. Once the soup reached a low simmer, I added salt and pepper to taste, then added about 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar. This resulted in a soup with a medium-thin "creamy" base. It wasn't as thick (or as high in calories) as most of the broccoli cheddar soups I've had in restaurants.

Snack (8:30 p.m.)
1/2 (4"x7") of "Thing"

So, I was kind of hungry, wanted a granola bar but didn't have any. I set out to make my own. But I didn't have any oatmeal. But I did have whole wheat flour. What resulted was a "Thing." The "Thing" consists of 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup rasins (briefly reconstituted in water), 1/3 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 egg and 1/3 cup skim milk. I wanted to make an 8"x8" pan of "granola" bars. The mix I made up didn't quite fill the pan, so it wound up being 8"x7". The "Thing" was about 1/4 inch thick. It was okay. I was hungry. I ate half.