Remember way back last year (2015 seems so long ago now, don’t you think?!) when my husband graciously tracked what he ate for a day and took pictures of everything for my series of “What I Ate Today?” And remember how I said I’d be doing it next? Well, thankfully I never said when I’d be doing it next, because it’s been…awhile. I finally remembered to set my camera out on the kitchen table as a reminder, and committed to track what I ate last Monday. So here’s what my Monday looked like: 

Breakfast

Mondays are our oatmeal day. Philip and I get our oatmeal all prepped the night before so all we have to do is add milk and heat it up. My oatmeal is a concoction of quick oats, a spoonful of Bob’s Red Mill Muesli (containing more oats, seeds, slivered almonds, and dried dates and raisins), another spoonful of chia seeds and cocoa nibs from Chia Goodness (which adds a little bit of chocolate flavor without adding any sugar), and a generous shake of ground cinnamon. This particular Monday I had unsweetened vanilla almond milk that I used for the oatmeal, but I also use conventional milk. I just like to switch back and forth once in awhile.

You’ll probably see a trend in my day, but I love peanut butter and pretty much have it at almost every meal, so I add a spoonful of natural peanut butter to my oatmeal once it’s warmed up.

Last thing: I had a little bit of orange juice with my breakfast along with water and we had grapefruit on hand, so I had half of a grapefruit, but that’s not typical of most mornings.

To me, this breakfast is comforting, simple, and the perfect way to start my Monday.

Morning Snack

We eat breakfast at 6:00am and then I go to the gym to either run or swim. Therefore, I am always hungry by the time I get to work at 9:00. My standard morning snack is a banana with a small container (about ¼ cup) of trail mix — a trail mix fortified with additional almonds since they always short you on the good stuff. I can honestly say, I usually look forward to going to work, if not for any other reason than to have my morning snack. I eat this while I check my work email and get organized for the day.

Oh, and I also had some unsweetened hot tea this morning, too. (Good Earth’s Sweet & Spicy, to be exact. So good! You don’t even miss the sweetener because it’s so full of flavor).

Lunch

Lunch was my next meal. Hey look! A sweet surprise when I opened my lunch bag today.

Today I packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with strawberry jam and natural peanut butter on sprouted whole grain bread (Angelic Bakehouse, for all you locals – the best bread brand in my opinion! I never thought I’d have such a strong love for a brand of bread, but if I ever move away from Wisconsin, I’ve already thought about what I’d do without this bread in my life…sad, I know). I also packed an apple and plain yogurt with frozen cherries.

For a “dessert,” I packed a small square of my homemade Larabars. It may not look that appetizing, but believe me, it is deliciously chewy and like a brownie without the added sugar. I have one almost every day.

Afternoon Snack

In the afternoon, I was pretty hungry throughout the day, so I pulled out my stash of snacks. Throughout the afternoon, I ate an actual Larabar (I still think mine are better ;)), a baggie of snap peas I had packed, and about 6 crackers I had in my desk drawer.

Dinner

After work I went for a quick, relaxing swim that helps me transition from work to home and decompress a little bit. Since I swam and was meeting with a friend at a coffee shop in the evening, I didn’t have much time for dinner. I had leftover Maple Dijon Chicken Quinoa Skillet (remember that meal?!), some carrots with roasted red pepper hummus, and pineapple. I had a few more carrots and pineapple than what is shown on my plate. As I was walking out the door, I also grabbed a small square of a Rice Krispie treat that I had made on the weekend.

Evening Snack

I had a ginger tangerine herbal tea with my friend in the evening. After I got back, I was hungry again and had a small snack/treat. Life cereal is a special treat that I only have in the evenings as a snack (as opposed to having it for breakfast). I added almond milk and, surprise, surprise, added another small spoonful of peanut butter.

And that’s my day! If you read all of that, I’m impressed. I don’t know what it is, but people are fascinated about learning what dietitians eat. It may not be a model-dietitian food day (whatever that is), but it’s me being real and it all goes to show, I’m a normal person, too. The stereotype that a dietitian always eats nutritious foods is almost always inaccurate. I don’t always get all the servings of vegetables I need in a day and I like having something sweet after my meals. But I enjoy the food I eat, I savor it, and I’m mindful about trying to have a balance in my life. I’m constantly trying to improve, to modify, and it’s those small changes that makes all the difference.