Choosing Healthy

Health.

One choice at a time.

Eating Out

 

 Lemon pepper broiled trout, baked sweet potato (is that a hint of cinnamon I detect?) and house salad with bleu cheese dressing.  And biscuits, of course!

Just sayin'...

Oh!  Have I said this before?

Fish

Fish.  I don't catch 'em.  I don't like to "fix" 'em.  

But I like to eat 'em.

Especially grilled or broiled or baked.

We've eaten out a lot lately.

Two times this week, I've enjoyed Cracker Barrel's 

grilled lemon pepper trout.

With a baked sweet potato.

And a house salad.

And a biscuit with real butter.

I think their tartar sauce is tops, too.

Maybe that's why I've lost another pound this week...

Do YOU eat a lot of fish?

Just Because....

 Breakfast is included in the price of rooms at Heritage Inn

this weekend.

 Just look at all the things we don't have to eat just because they're available!

 (I STILL have a hard time remembering it's not necessary to eat things

 just because they're offered, are part of the package price, 

 or even because they are healthier than other choices!

Plain and simply, my "window" for eating is not open.

Seeds of discipline produce a harvest of strength. Keep planting them daily.

(from Motivation to Live Well in my sidebar).

Vacation Choices

The Fast-5 Lifestyle was ideal for our week's vacation!  I even lost a pound!  When the mealtimes of others were outside my "eating window",  I enjoyed a glass of water or cup of coffee along with the table company and conversation.   At restaurants, I chose salmon or fish.  On the train, I snacked on a Braeburn apple and some almonds.  Food just was not the focus - which meant more time and attention to spend on people and experiences.

Fast-5 = No food off limits.  How weird is that?
Fast-5 = Eating only during a 5-hour "window".

Live Well

From Today's Motivation to Live Well (in my sidebar) today:

Live not in what has happened, or fear of what may come tomorrow. 

Live Well in the here and now, and treat this as your defining moment.

That's pretty much my goal today.

I'll "open my Fast-5 window" at 11:30

when I meet a friend for lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

It's a little earlier than I usually eat, 

but I'm thankful for the flexibility of this lifestyle

that lets me enjoy an endless variety of food 

without calorie counting or measuring, etc. 

Yesterday I had a craving for something sweet.

Unfortunately it "hit" after my window had closed.

I resisted the temptation and enjoyed a cup of

hazelnut cream decaf coffee instead.

I'm REALLY glad I didn't give in to the urge.

I feel stronger and healthier for having made that decision.

 

 

Maintenance Strategy

Monday - a grilled pear salad.  With goat cheese, bacon and currant vinaigrette dressing!

It was the major part of my eating for the day.

An hour of thrift store shopping with a friend preceded it;

lovely conversation accompanied it.

It was SO good that I'm thinking of repeating the salad

when we go out for a mid-afternoon dinner today!

Hovering around my 135# goal and planning my

Maintenance Strategy are the focus of my healthy lifestyle efforts these days.

Me Yesterday

Me, yesterday.
Dressed and ready to go to our
no-longer-Red-Hat-Club dinner.
It was at a Chinese buffet.
I ate what I wanted - not as much as I might have
six months ago.
I topped it off with two small scoops of ice cream.
I'm currently at the weight goal I set for the end of August.
At this rate, I'll definitely be at my goal weight
by the end of September (or sooner).
I've gotta work on my smile.
I'm really much happier than I appear,
but too busy concentrating on running to pose
within 10 seconds of setting my cell phone camera up!  
It's NOT easy!

Eating Out

 Such interesting and healthy choices!

 I had the salmon salad - spinach, avocado and ruby red grapefruit slices 

 with a vinaigrette dressing!
I passed on the breads and desserts--but don't these breads look yummy!

Honey on the Table was a new spot for me...

had a European flair.

There was outdoor seating, but it was full yesterday.

I expect to return here soon.

The Fast-5 eating plan let me enjoy so many pleasurable foods

and still lose weight.

It's 4 me!

Eating Out

 While visiting my infant grandson who is hospitalized in Chicago,

 I took our daughter and my sister who had driven with me

 out to lunch.  One of them wanted Chinese.

 So this is where we went.

It served both Chinese and Japanese cuisine.
I didn't officially find out what "maki" and "uni" were.
My dauighter thought a kind of tuna???

I had steamed white rice with a chicken/vegetable combination

and could only eat about half of it.

So I successfully ate within my "window".

This plan is so flexible.

It served me well on Mother's Day also when I 

carried in meatloaf,  refrigerated mash potatoes, and hummingbird cake

to my parents' home.

My sister brought the rolls and a wonderful spinach/strawberry salad.

What I Ate Sunday

Strange as it may sound, here it is:

Small dinner salad with blue cheese dressing (at Harlan Cafe in the company of friends)
About 1 cup of leftover mac/cheese (at home)
A small spoonful of peanut butter (at home)
About 8 ounces of an orange juice slush (also at home)

I went to bed satisfied. 

Today I walk!

What I did right: Let the record speak...

Dine Well

I "dined well" last night. Two friends and I went to see Julia and Julia. We were charmed by the story line that connected the great and late chef, Julia Child, with a blogger (!) also named Julia who prepared a recipe from Child's cookbook every night for 365 days.

After the movie, we went out to eat at Chappell's. The Virginia Wolf quote on the blackboard greeted us as we entered. Chappell's is known for their seafood, so although it was quite expensive, I ordered the salmon - black and bleu. I dined well and brought home 1/2 of my food to enjoy today.

"Dining well" HAS increased my capacity to think, love, and sleep better, I believe. For me, a healthy diet means dining well.

It CAN Be Done!

Just a brief post to say, "It can be done." Eating a 38th wedding anniversary meal out without breaking the healthy eating barrier, that is. While all the (caloric) numbers are not in, I CAN say that the salmon was delicious. I should not have eaten the breadstick and cut the tossed salad portion back a little, but I enjoyed the place, the time spent with my husband, and the thought that I had said "no" to dessert, buttery baked potatoes, and the extra breadstick, etc.

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.
Titus 2:11-12

One of my Favorite Filling and Healthy Fast Foods

SMALL CHILI Serving Size: 227 g (one pkg); Calories: 190, Total Fat: 6g, Carbs: 19g, Protein: 14g

While traveling on our vacation in North Carolina and Tennessee late in April (see Life and Godliness, April 22), I frequently enjoyed Wendy's small chili. It is filling and VERY tasty in my opinion. Today on our way home from Chicago this evening, we stopped at Wendy's again. I filled up before seeing the bottom of the serving container!

When I got home, I looked up the nutritional facts on this satisfying soup to see if it really was "low in fat, high in fiber" as advertised. This is what I found. I WILL have more chili this week, I'm sure. We're going to be attending our church convention near Sandusky, OH. Our meals will be eaten out, so I'll be on the lookout for economy and good nutrition.