Good morning! Once again, we’ve reached the middle of the week. Which means:
WIAW. Of course!
Breakfast
Breakfast yesterday was a two-parter.
One part savoury:
(Two eggs + a pour of egg whites)
And one one part sweet:
A mix of All Bran, Leapin’ Lemurs, and blueberries with almond coconut milk.
While I was putting this breakfast together, I couldn’t help but think about my relationship with these little buggers:
The measuring cups. A few months ago, I was counting macros/protein grams again, so I was breaking out the measuring cups. Especially with cereals, oatmeal and dairy. Even though I got off macro counting (it’s ridiculous and there’s no reason for me to do it) I was still habitually using them. A couple of weeks ago, I thought about why I was doing that, and I realized that I didn’t have an answer – because there was absolutely no good reason. I know it’s pretty typical in the HLB community (for some individuals, anyways) to count macros, carbs, all that stuff. But in ‘the real world’…that stuff doesn’t really happen. I mean, I don’t know too many people who break out the measuring cups for their cereal in the morning. I certainly don’t need to either.
So, the last couple of weeks those cups have been staying right in the drawer. And it feels much better that way
Pre/Post Workout
Today felt like a gym day. More specifically, legs day.
So the BCAAs were broken out before and after. Mmm, watermelon.
Lunch
I decided to go the snack plate route.
Shredded chicken, baby carrots, bell pepper strips, hummus, pretzels, and feta. One of those I-don’t-know-what-I-want-so-I’ll-have-everything sort of lunches. Kind of the best ones to have
And as a palate cleanser:
A Kiss, Hawaiian style
A little while after lunch, I made my way to class, where I had a presentation to deliver. So, I wore my presentation shoes:
So, I bought these shoes when I was in the first year of my undergrad. I got them on a fantastic sale – I think they were about $20. Ever since, I have deemed them my lucky presentation shoes. I’ve worn them to 98% of school-related presentations in the last…oh…six years? I guess I consider them to be a good luck charm.
At least they’re a pretty good luck charm
A Cinnamon Pecan Simply Bar was inhaled on my way to class:
Which apparently was not enough food for the afternoon, because I got home from school ready to chew my arm off.
But I settled for a spoonful of almond butter and some baby carrots:
Good enough to tide me over until dinner!
Dinner by the way, was interesting:
I made the squash and perogie stew from the March issue of Food Network magazine. The combination was a little odd so I didn’t know what to expect: the main ingredients were turkey sausage, cremini mushrooms, coleslaw mix, butternut squash and frozen perogies. It actually turned out really good though! I can’t even remember the last time I had perogies – I’m happy there’s leftovers
And after an evening of cuddling with the boy and watching Mad Men (I can’t even. I love that show. But do you know what I’m not loving? All the sideburns) I had a bedtime snack while typing this up:
A deep chocolate vitatop with Bee’s Knees peanut butter. Ending the day on a good note.
And today…I have one more presentation! Gotta love the last week of classes.
Have a good one!
<— Do you use measuring cups/spoons on a regular basis?
<— Are you superstitious? Do you have a lucky charm of some sort?
April 10, 2013 at 7:08 am
I used to be obsessive about measuring appliances. Now? Not in the least. I know what an appropriate portion looks like. And while I haven’t progressed to free pouring cereal just yet, I use the “fist” method of measuring. Who knows exactly how much is in 1.5 fistfuls of Corn Flakes? Or one fistful of Rice Krispies? I don’t. But what I do know is that is what looks good in my bowl and feels good in my belly (as 1/3 of my breakfast). Greek yogurt comes from a big container, as do ice cream and chocolate chip and maple syrup toppings. Frozen berries are free poured. In the end, do the +/- minimal amounts of calories really make a difference? Nope! Glad that you’ve made the decision to move on from the obsession. Isn’t it freeing?! Love it.
April 10, 2013 at 7:16 am
Absolutely freeing 😀
April 10, 2013 at 7:33 am
Your snack plate lunch looks perfect for a day when you don’t really know what you want. I feel like putting it all on a plate like that would help to feel like you have a meal and not continue to snack. I don’t think I have ever measured servings of food. I will measure when I am baking but other than that try to go for what I think a serving is, or what i’m hungry for.
April 10, 2013 at 9:33 am
I think that’s the right way to go about it!
April 10, 2013 at 8:08 am
I’m definitely a measurer but less so than before…a lot of the time I just eyeball! I remember how I used to make sure I ate exactly X amount, not a gram less and definitely not a gram more….ick! I still do think that weighing scales and measuring cups are great tools for learning about suitable portion sizes but they shouldn’t be the “be all, end all”. I’m hoping your lucky shoes proved to be lucky once again yesterday :)!
April 10, 2013 at 9:33 am
I think I have a pretty good idea nowadays what a 1/2 cup serving or whatever looks like, so really just using the cups is overkill.
April 10, 2013 at 8:11 am
Yummy looking dessert! I totally agree about the cup thing, mine are only used for baking.. it would take so much time to measure everything out exactly before eating.
April 10, 2013 at 9:33 am
waste of time, absolutely!
April 10, 2013 at 8:29 am
I love these lunches! Throw together all you crave and the result is heaven 🙂
I don’t measure my stuff, or maybe just a bit by TBSP, but that’s about it. I usually know how much I want to eat (if I ‘need’ it or not – I don’t know), I just want to be satisfied when the meal is ended. I love your shoes, so pretty and great that they are lucky shoes! Hope all your presentations go well!
April 10, 2013 at 9:34 am
Thanks Lucie, I have another one today!
April 10, 2013 at 8:37 am
That Vitatop looks awesome!
April 10, 2013 at 9:34 am
It was 😀
April 10, 2013 at 8:38 am
Everything looks so good as usual! I think measuring is great for people who are trying to reach a goal of some sort, but for everyday life, it’s unnecessary!
April 10, 2013 at 9:34 am
absolutely unnecessary – I see the point if you’re a fitness model or training for a competition, but overkill for day-to-day life.
April 10, 2013 at 9:33 am
I never used to think that I liked coconut, but isn’t that coconut almond milk amazing?? It is my new favorite! 🙂
April 10, 2013 at 9:35 am
mine too!
April 10, 2013 at 9:59 am
I’ve found that I measure things less and less but some things I still have a habit of doing, such as pasta or cereal. Other things, like cheese, I’m able to stop measuring. Progress for sure! I think that’s pretty awesome that you don’t feel the need to as much!
April 10, 2013 at 10:18 am
Absolutely progress – you should feel proud of that!
April 10, 2013 at 10:25 am
Oh the wondrous snack plate lunch – I do love it so. But I love the freedom that comes with not measuring even more. I used to be completely obsessed with measuring cups and food scales, because heaven forbid I didn’t have an exact portion or know exactly how much I was eating – the world would surely fall apart. As much comfort as I thought it was giving me, it was definitely causing me more stress and anxiety than anything else, so I went cold turkey. It was hard as heck at first, but one of the best things I’ve done.
And as for good luck charms, I used to have a “test-taking” pencil when I was in school… I’d always write any MC exam with the same pencil 😀
April 10, 2013 at 11:06 am
my thoughts exactly – you think you’re relieving yourself of the anxiety of ‘not knowing’, but it causes so much more stress than it removes.
And that’s awesome! Hope it worked well :-p
April 10, 2013 at 11:25 am
I always use measuring cups/spoons, but I’m so jealous of people who can say “a dash of this” a “sprinkle of that” and it comes out amazing. I guess I’m more of baker than a cook anyways, so exact measurements are useful! This is my first time at your blog, and I’m so glad I found it!
April 10, 2013 at 12:22 pm
I’ll definitely keep using them for baking! I’m nowhere near that skilled :-p
And I’m glad you found it too, I hope you like it!
April 10, 2013 at 11:26 am
Wow, I’m so proud of you for putting away the measuring cups!!! That’s awesome Sam!
I admit, I’m still using them, mostly out of fear I’ll eat “too much”, but I think I really should be more trusting of my body. It’s so hard since it produces so much anxiety, OCD, and stress for me. Dang those haha.
Snacks for meals are totally what I’ve been feeling most days. It’s like a 3 parter meal. Snack plates are seriously underrated.
Have an amazing day love!
April 10, 2013 at 12:23 pm
I’m glad you realize that you should be more trusting – just keep working on it and I’m an email away if you need to talk!
And snack plates are the cheapest three course meal I know of 😉
April 10, 2013 at 11:37 am
Snack plate = WIN! Yum! I used to be a “measurer” also & am moving away from it quite nicely, it’s awesome to realize “nothing bad will happen” if it’s not a PERFECT amount! Kudo’s to you for ditching the measurements also!
April 10, 2013 at 12:29 pm
Congrats to you as well! So much easier this way.
April 10, 2013 at 11:37 am
Only in recipes or if I’m making oats since those are hard for me to judge at 6:30 in the morning when i’m making breakfast haha…otherwise i really try to stay away from measuring cups and i too am much happier 🙂 i am incredibly superstitious haha…always put my right shoe on before my left and i like the number 7 😛
April 10, 2013 at 12:30 pm
I think that’s the approach I was to start taking!
April 10, 2013 at 11:49 am
I really love that you have lucky shoes. I tend to have lucky things I do or wear the day of big presentation or races. Lucky sports bra anyone? I actually was never a big measuring person. I hated when I had to use measuring things in some day treatment places I went. The place I went inpatient was awesome. They taught us all about eyeballing so nothing was ever exact – but that was what made it ok.
April 10, 2013 at 12:31 pm
That’s awesome with your inpatient – telling people with eating disorders to measure out their portions does not really seem like the best idea to me.
April 10, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Yum all looks delicious!! Great job on stopping using measuring cups and stuff – when I was being treated for an eating disorder I was always told to measure stuff out..I definitely think it makes the whole obsessing over stuff worse!!
Love that flavour of watermelon BCAAs as well; so refreshing!
April 10, 2013 at 2:25 pm
I think that’s terrible advice to give someone in recovery! Does not help the obsessive aspect.
April 10, 2013 at 3:29 pm
I’m not one to measure on a daily basis, more of the eyeball method, but when I bake I do because I am an awful baker and hope that at least I can attempt to make things taste good with the right amounts of this and that 😛 And you know I’m 100% on board for VitaTops + PB… YUM!
April 10, 2013 at 4:17 pm
yea, I’ll definitely keep using them for baking, it’s just in the day-to-day that I don’t think it’s necessary.
April 10, 2013 at 5:03 pm
I used to have a lucky shirt I wore on all my test days in undergrad (even though it was horribly shrunken by about sophomore year). I’ve never been a measuring person, even when I bake (where I know it’s super important) I’m still more likely to just eyeball it. 🙂
I love the little assortment of snacks/small meals you have throughout the day (it’s nice to see someone who eats as often as I do!)
April 10, 2013 at 7:32 pm
I am all about the snackiness 😀
April 10, 2013 at 5:51 pm
First of all, I love snack plates for lunches sometimes… it’s that whole thing with me and feeling the “need” to have several different tests and flavors in one meal. I do that for dinner too sometimes! Actually my dinners lately have either been snack plate style or breakfast for dinner, odd! Not into traditional style dinners at the moment apparently haha
And GOOD FOR YOU for not measuring and living like a slave to those utensils! That is such progress and oh my word… freeing right?! The few times I measure now are of course for recipes, but also if I am trying to get correct ratios into say, a bowl of oatmeal or something like that, but only for flavor purposes. And yes, it’s been nice letting such things go 🙂
So I found a few vita tops I had forgotten about floating around in my freezer just yesterday and woot, they are not expired! lol. I know what my dessert is going to be tonight
April 10, 2013 at 7:33 pm
Definitely so much better -and of course, I’ll still be using them for baking; I’m not that good at guessing :-p
haha I keep a couple stashed in the back of my freezer!
April 10, 2013 at 7:37 pm
That’s awesome you’ve ditched the measuring cups! The only time I measure food is when I need to know an exact amount for cooking grains or for baking. It’s such a big change from a few years ago when I was a slave to measuring! 😛
That stew looks so good. You can’t go wrong with perogies, squash and turkey sausage!
April 10, 2013 at 9:51 pm
That’s what I’m doing now too – much better that way!
I didn’t know what to expect, but it really was delicious!
April 11, 2013 at 3:12 am
Loved kicking the measuring habit! Now I only use my cups for baking. And the scale? There was a time I thought I just had to weigh out chicken, yogurt, and even apples. I was thiiiiis close to losing my mind! The best and scariest decision was made when I threw it out. It was l.i.b.e.r.a.t.i.n.g!
April 11, 2013 at 7:49 am
so glad that you threw it out Shreya!
April 11, 2013 at 4:10 am
Congrats on keeping the measuring cups in the drawer! It is so freeing not weighing your food or measuring out your portions. When I was more heavily into bodybuilding, I weighed everythingggggg to make sure I was getting enough food. For the past year or so I haven’t weighed a thing, and it’s much better that way 🙂
April 11, 2013 at 7:50 am
I’m definitely preferring it as well!
April 11, 2013 at 1:49 pm
Measuring spoons are NOT used by me unless it is to follow a dessert recipe or such, but I never use them to measure portions of my food! I know it helps for some people that are trying to lose weight, but I have never been in that position, so no!
Hope your week is great!
April 11, 2013 at 2:49 pm
that’s the only time I’ve been using them lately too!
Hope yours is awesome too Katie ❤
April 11, 2013 at 4:28 pm
Oh what a wonderful dinner and the Vitatop with PB looks so perf. That Simply Bar looks yummy too! I tried Simply Bars once at an expo and really loved their nutrition stats. Impressive indeed. I do not measure things anymore, I used to be obsessive about it but I tossed them aside awhile back thankfully. Counting carbs vs proteins vs fats in my head is still a battle but at least I’m not counting calories anymore! I love snacky lunches BTW! I can get more diff bites 😉
April 11, 2013 at 5:50 pm
Keep working on it and I know you’ll get there love! Always have my support.
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April 18, 2013 at 1:05 pm
Seriously girl, you KNOW I can relate to this! Omg, I have like 4 different sets of measuring spoons/cups because I used to use them SO much that I got tired of always having to wash them! It feels so good now to just eat and not have to premeasure each and every item that goes on my plate or in my bowl…I’ve finally learned to trust myself around cereal whereas in the past, I just KNEW if I didn’t measure out a perfect portion that I would surely eat the entire box…or half of it…because yeah, I HAVE done that! Not my proudest moment for sure, BUT the point is that that is ALL behind me now! I’ve never felt freer! 😀
April 18, 2013 at 1:06 pm
PS, I love your outlook on food and how carefree you are…definitely an inspiration to me! xoxox
April 18, 2013 at 1:22 pm
Gotta love that freedom!
And thanks so much Heather, that means a lot to me!