Wet Wednesday

We woke up to rain today. No surprise, as I'd been checking the weather all week, but still kind of a bummer with a wiggly nearly-2-year-old to entertain all day.

Breakfast was steel-cut oats mixed with half of a sliced banana, pumpkin pie spice, some apple butter, almond butter, and raw almonds, with half of a chocolate protein shake and my precious coffee. The oats weren't all that tasty to me today--maybe I oversalted the water?--so I picked through to find all the almonds and banana pieces, then pitched the rest. Then I smeared half of a whole wheat wrap with almond butter and apple butter, rolled it up and microwaved for 10 seconds, then enjoyed my ghetto ABJ roll-up with my coffee.

Despite the rain, the little guy and I ventured out. I wanted to hit up the Jake's ("Life is Good") store on King Street after seeing a shirt I loved in Katie's blog, Health for the Whole Self. I ended up with the same saying, "Gotta Run," but on a pink running shirt. The little guy got a red shirt that says "Monkey" on it. Oh, so fitting.

We paused for a snack at La Madeline, where I swigged a Cafe Americano with skim milk and we (sort of) shared a mini fruit tart and two lemon cream cheese mini muffins.

The little guy ate the fruit off the top of the tart, and a handful of pretzels from my purse, but was more than content to just color on his kids' menu while I nommed the rest.

Lunch was--surprise--mac 'n' cheese. I had the leftover "hummus mac" from yesterday, with grapes, melon, a peach Activia yogurt, and a hardboiled egg.

The little guy ate melon, an egg white, and some grapes. He threw fistfuls of his macaroni around the room. Naptime!

My afternoon snack, in anticipation of my pre-dinner run, was a green monster smoothie: low-fat milk, almond butter, spinach, and half of a banana I'd frozen this morning.

The little guy drank the few sips that didn't fit into my oh-so-fancy goblet. Anybody else get that gob of peanut butter (almond butter, in this case) stuck to the side of the blender? I never gets blended with the rest.

Little guy and The H went swimming while I pounded out a fast (for me--9:14 pace) and sweaty 5 miles on the treadmill. I refueled with a hardboiled egg white and a shower (yep, simultaneously--that one's for you, H&F).

For dinner we ended up at an old favorite--Ted's Montana Grill. It was a quick Metro ride (one stop). We have never yet been disappointed by the food or service at a Ted's, and we have been to locations in Denver, Atlanta, and now Alexandria. Our server tonight was the most friendly, interactive person--restaurant workers, salespeople, hotel personnel, and passersby included--that we've met on our trip to DC. He helped make our evening truly enjoyable. The little guy loved him.

The camera got left behind and The H's cell battery died, so no pics of this fabulous meal. But it was a good one! We all shared a tomato-onion salad (three fat slices of fresh, red tomato topped with sliced red onion rings and a vinaigrette) and two dishes of half sours. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich topped with avocado, jalapenos, pepperjack cheese, tomato, pickle, and lettuce (I ate about half). I substituted delicious peppery roasted asparagus for my fries, and ended up also eating the squash casserole we'd ordered for the little guy. He made short work of his cottage cheese, and between the snacks he had before we left (an egg and some chips, hummus, and fruit snacks) and the tomatoes/cucumber/pretzels he munched before the main meal, his little belly was full and happy. The H had a bunless burger of some sort.

We're now sharing our nightly decaf and hoping the little guy settles down soon. We are hoping to go for a run around the National Mall and monuments tomorrow... if anyone reading this has a great recommendation for dinner (casual, since we'll be in running duds) around there, please let me know!

Tuesday in Old Town

Breakfast: Whole wheat English muffin with butter, scrambled eggs, coffee with half and half, berry crumble muffin for me; banana, scrambled eggs, and sausage patty for the little guy.

Snack: Raw almonds, dried apricots, and a banana for me; fruit snacks, an apricot, and some of my banana for the little guy.

Lunch: Simply Organic shells and cheese pasta (which I mixed with whole milk and hummus due to my lack of butter--YUM), cantaloupe, apple + almond butter, chips + roasted red pepper hummus for me (first pic); black beans, melon, hardboiled egg, and vanilla whole-milk yogurt for the little guy (second pic). He wouldn't even touch the pasta I was so proud of. :(

Snack: Half of a giant chocolate peanut butter cookie and low-fat milk for me; grapes and pretzels for the little guy.

Dinner: Grilled chicken tacos (two flour tortillas, chicken, pico de gallo, lettuce) with a few bites of rice and beans at Austin Grill.

The chicken was very flavorful. You can see that it came with three tortillas, but the portions of meat in each one were so small that I combined the last two. I smeared some sour cream on the first one, before the little guy ate the rest on his rice and beans. We all had water to drink, and munched some chips and salsa, but not much at all. The basket was still basically full when we left.

Dessert: The H wanted ice cream, so we wandered down King Street until we got to Pop's. The H had peanut butter/espresso coffee in a dish, and the little guy and I shared my dish of cheesecake/chocolate.

It was a late night for him, and a splurge for us, but it was good. Well, the cheesecake flavor was good. The chocolate was really rather sub-par so I didn't finish it. My 4 miles of walking today means I'm not doing my usual 3-5mi run. Tomorrow calls for rain, so I will aim to do a treadmill run when The H is back from work.

Monday, Monday... so good to me!

Short version: I ate reasonably. I took a nap. I went for a run. I drank lots of coffee.

Long version:

The little guy is getting the hang of this "sleeping away from home" gig again. He conked out from 7:45pm to 5:45am, when The H was able to get him back to sleep until 7:30. Great start to the day! The sun was shining, it was not as cold or windy as it was yesterday, and we had a jogging stroller, toys, and booster seat delivered from the rental company.

For breakfast, I mixed up a bowl of steel-cut oats and cup of coffee with half and half while I boiled a half-dozen eggs for the week. Old baby formula dispensers are great for toting single-servings of oats and protein powder! I brought one 4-compartment container with oats, and one 4-part container with protein.

Apparently, I am a better gas-stove cook. Oops.

The end result was good, though. I stirred in a scoop of apple butter, more almond butter than I intended, a shake of pumpkin pie spice (what, you don't travel with that?), and a handful of raw almonds for a change of texture. I also had half of a gigantic banana.

The little guy munched a blueberry muffin, a whole banana, and a few cocoa-vanilla bunnies. He wasn't really a fan of the bunnies.

After breakfast the two of us set out to explore a bit of the shopping area, with the intent of making it down to the water for a snack break. Alas, the Gap outlet sucked us in, so his mid-morning munch was a package of fruit snacks while I tried on some skirts. I had a Kashi honey almond flax granola bar when we were done shopping. By this time the little guy was starting to look a bit sleepy, so we saved the water for another day and headed back to our room for lunch.

His lunch was turkey and black beans, cheddar cheese, egg white, hummus/chips, and grapes. He had milk to drink.

Yes, he is dipping his black beans into the hummus. This kid is all about the musical fruit...

My lunch was half of a whole-wheat wrap with turkey, black beans, salsa, cheese, and spinach, along with a hardboiled egg white, hummus/chips, grapes, dried apple rings, and lots of water. Very filling!

After naptime, which was a vast improvement over yesterday's lack of one, I downed a bowl of cocoa bunnies and low-fat milk while the little guy cried for more fruit snacks. I'm a sucker.

He also had the second half of my banana from breakfast.

Dinner came from Whole Foods, after our attempt to find the gluten-free-crust-making pizza place less than 2 miles away ended when we couldn't figure out a way to get across the highway on foot, about a mile into the journey. A stash of pretzels in my purse kept the little guy from losing his marbles; The H and I each had about 6 M&Ms.

I love the hot food/salad options at Whole Foods! Everything is clearly labeled with ingredients (so I can pick the shortest/cleanest ingredients lists) and allergens (so The H doesn't croak at dinner). We were each able to get what we wanted without hemming and hawing over a menu, annoying other diners with the little guy's operatic tendencies, and we could take our food out wherever we wanted.

We ended up in a little plaza across from the Metro station. It was nice and quiet, and we had a view of trains, a fountain, and a few dogs. Custom-made dining for the little guy!

Since I wanted to go for a run afterwards, I opted for a lighter dinner--Mediterranean salad with chicken, red onion, roasted red peppers, and spinach (I put some fresh spinach underneath) with a side of tomatoes topped with an olive-caper tapenade and too much feta. Super salty! The little guy ate my hardboiled egg.

The H had roast turkey breast--like he did on Saturday--with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes.

The little guy nibbled half of his slice of pizza (topped with ham, artichoke hearts, and kalamatas) and his sample of mac & cheese before going to wander with The H.

I did get a 4-mile run in--half outside and half on the treadmill, because it got too dark for me to feel safe.

Afterwards, The H and I shared a pot of decaf, and now I'm about to down a 4oz peach Activia yogurt (from the hotel breakfast buffet) before bed.

A two-burger kind of day

Today is our first full day in the Washington, DC area--specifically, Old Town Alexandria, VA. We woke up early (thanks, little guy!) and got a jump on the day by hitting up the super-busy hotel breakfast buffet. No wonder there weren't any bigger rooms available... this place is *packed* and with tons of kids, too.

I toasted a wheat English muffin and smeared it with peanut butter and honey, then had some scrambled eggs, cantaloupe, and coffee with creamer. The little guy packed away 1/2 cup scrambled eggs, a sausage patty, a whole banana, diluted apple juice, and Froot Loops (and we suffered with him on a sugar-high the rest of the afternoon...).

We spent the morning hoofing around near the Capital(ish), trying to stay warm and not blow away. Who invited the Michigan weather to follow us?!

I almost bought a hoodie sweatshirt from a street vendor and put it over my long-sleeved shirt and denim jacket. We stopped for coffee at a little cafe:

Here we paused to let our fingers thaw enough to check a map, and then walked to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

I munched a Trader Joe's blueberry cereal bar on the way, and The H had a PowerBar energy bar.

With free admission, the museum was a perfect choice for us. The little guy was in awe of everything!

He kept asking for more rocket ships and airplanes for the rest of the day.

Lunch was at the museum cafe, which is a fancy name for "two-story McDonalds with an elevator that reeks of bowling shoes." I threw clean to the wind here and devoured a quarter-pounder with cheese (I removed one of the two plastic cheese slices; it just wasn't doing it for me), a few fries, four of the little guy's apple slices, and about 1/2 cup of watery Coke. The little guy polished off half of a hamburger, apples/yogurt/grapes from a fruit & walnut salad (he didn't care for the walnuts), The H's yogurt, and some water. The H put me to shame and got a grilled chicken salad, no dressing. I traded drinks with him so he had the big Coke that came with my meal, and I took his small cup.

Afternoon snack was a chocolate protein shake before I spent our life savings at Whole Foods while The H and the little guy tried to nap. We shared a giant chocolate chip cookie when I got back, with some fresh coffee with half-and-half from my grocery-getting adventure. Naptime was a big fat fail today, except for the half-hour snooze he snuck in on the way back to our room from the museum...

so we left for an early dinner and a quick stop for diapers.

This is what my dinner looked like:

A veggie burger and peppery grilled asparagus from BGR The Burger Joint, in Old Town Alexandria.

Holy yum. I got my burger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and "mojo sauce" which I'm quite certain was neither clean nor "good" for me, but man alive was it tasty! The burger was made from black beans, brown rice, oats, and molasses, and had an overall BBQ-saucy flavor that was simply delicious.

The H opted for a Southwestern burger (no bun, of course) and by the time he got back to the table after picking up his fries, the little guy had eaten half of the black-bean-mango salsa from the top.

We had ordered him his own grilled cheese...

but he only ate about half of one mini "burger" and some of mine (it was HUGE) in addition to his fries.

My meals for the rest of the week should be a bit cleaner now that I have some groceries to use. My Whole Foods haul includes whole-wheat lavash wraps, unsweetened apple butter, black beans, cheddar, salsa, red corn tortilla chips, fresh spinach, organic apples, gluten free pasta and marinara sauce, Nature's Path agave granola, eggs to hard-boil or microwave-scramble, yogurt, low-fat milk, and half-and-half. In my suitcase I'd stashed some almond butter, an endless supply of granola bars, homemade taco seasoning, steel-cut oats, chipotle peppers, some more chocolate protein powder, raw almonds, dried apricots, and my bullet blender. I intend to snag a banana or two from breakfast every day -- the older ones will get made into smoothies.

While I intended for us to "eat in" every other day thanks to our in-room kitchenette, my plans have changed. My goal now is to make the cleanest choices for breakfast and lunches for me and the little guy, and do my best with restaurant options at dinner. Tomorrow the baby-equipment rental company will be delivering the jogging stroller we reserved, so perhaps we will suit up for a run to work off some of the experience. :) Looking forward to it! As long as it's not as windy as it was today, that is. I left my winter gear at home!

Travel day!

The clean eating machines have made it to their travel destination, where we'll be hanging out (ok, The H is working) for the next week and a half. We had a great travel day--weather-wise and otherwise--and are now settled into our hotel. The little guy is such a rockstar when we fly. I'm putting that in writing, because even though we know it's true and he continues to blow us away by his awesomeness and flexibility, we still have rough moments here and there and need to remember that, overall, he does *so* well. What follows is a long-winded description of our day--focusing, of course, on what we ate.

The morning started with a wheat-toast-and-chocolate-peanut-butter breakfast (the regular pb was gone, in my quest to eat through the pantry before we left, and I didn't want to open another jar) before my 4 mile run. The H and little guy ran some errands (in the car) while I was out. After my run I refueled with a chocolate protein-powder shake and finished up our packing. Lunch was leftover gluten free veggie pizza (The H was a master chef last night!) with some odds and ends from the fridge--cottage cheese for The H, strawberry Chobani for the little guy, a small chunk of smoked gouda for me, and edamame all around. With our bags packed to near bursting, we were ready to set out for the airport. The little guy fell asleep on the 10 minute drive! Serves us right for choosing a flight that required us to be at the airport at naptime.

While we waited for our first flight, the little guy and I munched on (not clean) Snyder's honey mustard and onion pretzel pieces and made sure our water bottles were filled up. The three of us also shared a Nature's Path choco-peanut granola bar. I recently read in Clean Eating Magazine that they are one of the most recommended/CE approved premade granola bars and was excited to see them on sale at our health food store this week. On board, the little guy had some airline pretzels and fruit snacks while The H and I had Coke and water respectively.

Our first flight landed with an hour between connections, so we grabbed two chefs salads and a fruit salad from one of the few snack stands available (why are the good restaurants never where you want them in an airport?) and shared those amongst ourselves. The little guy ate most of my cheese, turkey, ham, and one of my tomato wedges, as well as some goodies from The H's salad. I ate a lot of lettuce. :) My dressing was a creamy garlic Caesar, which I chose over the honey mustard due to its lack of high fructose corn syrup. The H suffered with HFCS because the Caesar had anchovies in it, and that's no good for someone with a fish allergy. Our fruit salad had pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon in it. I was starving after finishing my lettuce and fruit, so I devoured a PowerBar brand chewy energy bar--toffee crunch flavor--from my carry-on bag.

This time The H and I opted for coffee on board (why does airline java always smell SO much better than it tastes?) and the little guy swigged some orange juice before settling down to read a new story and the SkyMall magazine with me. We were fortunate enough to have short flights both times, and each time we touched down in less than an hour. We were even early to our final destination! Rock on, Continental.

By this time, it was dangerously close to the little guy's bedtime, and while he was still holding up remarkably well considering the day's activity, we knew he was on the verge of crumbling. We got to our hotel 45ish minutes later and I quickly pawed through our bags to find an envelope of EasyMac (Trader Joe's brand) I'd stashed in there for just this moment. While I fed him and started getting him ready for bed, The H went out to hunt and gather for the two of us. Our first plan--Jimmy John's sandwiches--was a bust since the place was closed so he ended up at Whole Foods practically next door to the hotel and brought home a delicious spread.

My dinner was a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast with sauteed Japanese zucchini and onions, and a side of mashed potatoes. I did not eat the skin. The H chose turkey breast, mashed potatoes, and fresh green beans for himself, and bought a large bottled water for us to share. I feel like we'd been munching all day, but for some reason we were ravenous for dinner, and felt like refugees huddled on the floor (that's another story... one that requires photos), stuffing our faces with food, glorious food! We ended the evening with a few Reese's peanut butter cups and lots of water.

Tomorrow I'm going to get lost in Whole Foods during naptime. Cheap thrill? Maybe... but not for someone who doesn't have one at home! I'm a sucker for grocery shopping. It's probably a good thing we don't have a car this week. Walking everywhere--pushing a jogging stroller, no less--will help even things out at the end of the day. :)

Time to RECHARGE!

"You are tired of being sick, fat, grumpy, depressed, overlooked, drained of energy..."

Tosca Reno, The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged, p. 10

Sound familiar? This exactly describes how I felt five years ago. I saved the letter I wrote to myself the day I hit my all-time low (mentally and schlumpily, not weight-wise!), and let me tell you, it's depressing. That is when I got serious about running. When I felt those old feelings of self-contempt and worthlessness sneak into my mind after the little guy was born, I knew it was time for another change. Enter clean eating!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again--eating clean has been good for me physically AND mentally. When I eat well, my body looks and feels good and my outlook in general is optimistic. Eating clean helps me feel energetic and content. Still, nobody is perfect, and I recently I felt myself losing my mojo, so to speak. I didn't blog for a while; it was hard for me to rave about the clean eating lifestyle when I wasn't doing my best at living it. It was time to recharge!

For my birthday, The H got me Tosca Reno's The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged! This is the 7th or 8th relative in the Eat-Clean Diet book family. It couldn't have come at a better time! The weather was depressing. I was feeling sick and "blah." It was all too easy to revert to junk-laden snacking simply because those foods were around (happy Easter...) and I was too lethargic to work any harder or plan ahead. Of course, eating the processed, sugary junk contributed to my slump. What a vicious cycle! I'm finally ready to refocus.

Starting with the first page, I feel like this book is a breath of fresh air. It's just what I need to read right now--the words of someone who knows what this lifestyle is about, telling me why it's great and why it works, and most importantly, HOW TO DO IT RIGHT. When I started reading it I decided to put the kibosh on my sugary-snack habit for three days and see how I felt. I had a "reward" built in for the end of that third day. I'm pleased to report that not only did I hold up my end of my self-made bargain, I had lost a pound and wasn't craving chocolate like I thought I would be. As a bonus, my water intake had increased since I started having a glass of water before diving head-first into the snack cupboard without thinking about what I was after.

This book is way more than a cookbook; I'd consider it more of a handbook. The first 280+ pages focus on the principles of clean eating, the why behind it, and really digs into how to implement and maintain a clean lifestyle. The original Eat-Clean Diet does this as well, but I feel like this update is a bit heftier. It's certainly longer (415 pages from intro to index) than the first book, which is 272 pages start to finish. The section on strength training is much more extensive than the blurbs in the first book.

The recipe portion of Recharged! contains over 50 recipes, and just at first glance they seem fairly simple, not too involved, and naturally fresh and colorful. I am looking forward to making several already--sesame noodles, chicken explosion (it looks good, promise), and beet& arugula salad, to name a few. There are sample meal plans for families, gluten-free eaters, and those following a clean vegan diet. I'm really looking forward to the farmers' market opening next month!

I've never been a scientifically-minded person (I majored in English, avoiding math and science as much as possible) but learning about the science behind clean eating just fascinates me. I want to learn more so I can share more. For example, there is a chapter regarding "superfoods," flax being one in particular. We've all heard about it; heard it's good for us. But whole or ground? Oil or seeds? And most of all, how do we use it? There are three pages explaining all this. Three pages! You can fit a lot of info on three pages. Other chapters discuss eating out or with other people (work potluck, anyone?), grocery shopping, and exercise.

This sounds like a paid advertisement, but I assure you it's not. Tosca Reno doesn't even know I exist ;) but I do enjoy sharing tips and recipes with those who follow my blog, and I think this book will be a great addition to my clean eating arsenal. I fully intend to bring it with us on the road when we travel next week. I've already read some great tips for clean eating on-the-go that I plan to implement for myself.

When people come up to me and say "Wow, you're looking so great!" I want to be able to explain why I'm at my all-time healthiest instead of just saying" Thanks, I've been running a lot." It's so much more than running. I started eating clean because running alone wasn't changing what I needed to change. Now, even when I take a week off running, I'm able to maintain my weight and get back into my exercise routine much easier than I used to. And 22 months after the little guy was born, I'm packing up my 2-piece swimsuit for our trip. I'll be in touch!

Eating out: Panera Bread

Since we seem to eat out at least once a week--usually at our beloved Cheetah--I thought I'd start posting a summary (and pics, if I remembered the camera) of what I'm eating on those days. It isn't fair for you to think that I'm *not* eating out, so why not show you how I try to keep it clean? I've added an "eating out" tag to the list on the right for easy reference.

Today the little guy and I had lunch with one of my college profs/mentors at Panera. We have a standing monthly lunch date with "Grandma Judy" here, and I try not to order the same thing twice. Am I the only one who does that? Even at our usual place, I hesitate to try something I've already had. There's just so much I want to taste! I'm a big fan of soup-salad-sandwich combinations for this reason. If you'll recall, I did the same thing at my birthday lunch on Monday.

Looking at the menu ahead of time is key if you're trying to stay on any kind of healthy-eating track, whether that track is clean, Weight Watchers, vegan/vegetarian, gluten-free, etc. It's good to know what you're up against. It's also good to have a backup plan in case they tell you your planned meal is unavailable. This morning I took a peek at the menu and took advantage of the handy nutrition calculator tool. Very helpful, and eye-opening, if you weren't aware of just HOW much sodium Panera packs into those "healthy" meals!

I decided on a "You Pick Two" combination of vegetable soup (no pesto, to avoid unnecessary sodium) and half of a Fuji apple chicken salad (no onions--personal preference) with dressing on the side. My side item was an apple, which I bought home for an afternoon snack. I left there feeling satisfied, pleased with my choices and sticking to my plan, and not sodium-laden. My meal (not including the apple) came to 340 calories with 1260mg of sodium, 19g of protein, 16g of total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, and 40mg of cholesterol. I had the camera with me, but forgot to take a pic until we were leaving!

The little guy had an organic strawberry yogurt tube, the ham and cheese from his sandwich, and half of a shortbread cookie that Grandma Judy shared with him. That's their tradition. :) He also ate the tomatoes from my salad and would've eaten my soup if I'd let him. Hungry little monkey!

We ended up at *gasp* The Cheetah tonight since The H was late getting home and the little guy and I were playing outside instead of making dinner. Oops. Eating out twice in a day is not ideal, and I don't like doing it, but whatever. I had a warm black rice salad that came with a small (actually, probably a proper, non-super-sized American portion) fillet of seared salmon on top. The little guy loved the rice.

When you eat out, do you stick with "the usual" or try to mix it up?