week 3 wrap-up

i've been dreading this week's report.  it's been kind of an "off" week.  the busyness of working full time, plus eye doctor and dentist appointments, plus planning and packing for a weekend away, plus all the normal everyday stuff... all of this added up to eating on the run and probably not eating mindfully and intentionally.  i was successful in exercising daily and keeping to my calorie goals, but somehow, this week did not give me the thrilling sense of victory that the previous two weeks had.  i just feel fatigued and sluggish.  my legs have felt like bricks each morning when i've hopped on the treadmill.  i've been sleeping well (much better than normal, actually!), but my body is screaming at me to sleep loooonger.  not sure what's going on.  perhaps i didn't choose my meals wisely.  not enough veggies?  too many carbs?  whatever the case may be, i hope i can figure it out soon!

without further ado, here's my menu for the week!

• sunday: buffalo turkey burgers with coleslaw and green beans
• monday: baked pasta with sausage and spinach
• tuesday: leftover pasta (quick meal because i had a dentist appointment... and that pasta bake is delicious and makes a TON) :-)
• wednesday: slow cooker pepperoni and chicken with roasted broccoli
• thursday: blueberry, avocado, and toasted pecan quinoa salad
• friday: probably leftovers or whatever we can scrounge up in the house before leaving for labor day weekend at the cabin!

i was pretty excited about sunday's buffalo turkey burgers with coleslaw.  i am wildly obsessed with anything containing buffalo sauce.  (this is a new development... not sure what rock i've been hiding under, but this is a brand new ingredient for me!  can't get enough!)  anyway, the meal was met with mixed reviews.  steve LOVED them.  he ate two and happily took the leftovers to work the next day.  i, on the other hand, thought they were a little bland.  could have used a LOT more hot sauce to account for the fact the ground turkey is so bleh.  so, if i make this recipe again, i'll do just that.  also, for what it's worth, i did not prepare the blue cheese slaw that was suggested in the recipe.  i'm not a fan of blue cheese, so i used an alternate slaw recipe with low fat mayo.

steve ate his burger on a roll, while i opted to save a few calories and skip the bun.

regarding monday's baked pasta with sausage and spinach, i know what you're thinking.  how can such a dish be even remotely healthy?  well, the genius mind over at SkinnyTaste (quickly becoming a favorite website) found a way!  using part-skim mozzarella, fat free ricotta, and chicken sausage, this meal comes in at just under 400 calories per serving.  also, it's DELICIOUS!  i never imagined that i would use the adjective delicious for something containing fat free ricotta, but wow.  this was really good.

ok, so it's not exactly beautiful.  most casserole type things aren't...

but yummm.  very filling.  especially with whole wheat pasta, which i just LOVE.

wednesday's slow cooker pepperoni and chicken was.... weird.  i picked this recipe from Skinny Mom because it appealed to my family's love for pepperoni pizza.  and i figured that if we're not going to eat much pizza these days, perhaps this turkey pepperoni would fill the void.  sadly, it did not.  but it was probably my fault.  the chicken was super dried out (likely my fault for leaving it in the crock pot for too long), much too salty (possibly my fault.  i was in a hurry while preparing it, so i wasn't paying attention to how thoroughly i had salted the chicken), and it just felt like it was missing something (again, my fault.  turns out i was supposed to sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the dish -- but i completely forgot about it!)  so the failure of this meal is totally on me.  eh, it happens.

the chicken would have been MUCH better if i'd remembered to sprinkle on the cheese.
(cheese make everything better)  :-)
my favorite part of the meal was the mountain of roasted broccoli.

thursday's blueberry, avocado, and toasted pecan quinoa salad was the hero of the week.  after a few lackluster meals, this one took my palate to a whole new place.  toasted pecans and blueberries?? -- yes please.  a maple, lime, and basil dressing?? -- to die for.  and you guys, after years of claiming that i don't like avocados, i bravely tried one for this salad, and it was amazing!  (while i'm not completely ready to commit to a love for avocados, i will at least keep my mind open to them in the future.)

i kept the avocados on the side at first... 

eventually, i threw caution to the wind and mixed them in.  best decision of the week!

and now, the WEEKLY WEIGH-IN.  i lost 0 pounds this week.  ugh, how disappointing!  i kind of expected this, given how i was feeling all week.  but all of that cake in the office lunch room that i passed up??  man, that's gotta count for something, right?  boo.

possible changes to make for next week:

• perhaps that pasta was a poor choice, delicious as it was.  also, i think it's really easy to overeat pasta. so maybe lay off the pasta for a while.  or at least, don't eat the leftovers for lunch and dinner two days in a row.  :-)
• breakfast.  i eat cereal almost every morning.  it does a great job at keeping me full until lunch! however, i recently took a closer look at the nutrition label on my box of Cheerios Protein Oats & Honey, and it's super-packed with sugar.  ugh, how sad!  so starting next week, i'm shifting to some bland Kashi stuff.  ;-)
• this week, i think i was a little too concerned about calorie count vs. content.  i don't think i ate enough vegetables and "whole" foods and lean proteins.  i'll work on getting back to that next week!

so that's a wrap!  have a great weekend, everyone!  and wish me luck on our weekend away -- i'm aiming to keep my eating in check while still having a good time with my friends.  i'm nervous, but up for the challenge!