What a Week

This past weekend, I threw my diet completely out of the window. I ended up going on an out of state trip for the first time in three years. This time, my daughter and I went to Alabama with a couple of my friends to visit some haunts for Halloween. We laughed a lot, slept too little, and ate way too much. I knew I'd have a gain, but honestly, I didn't care. It was a fantastic weekend!

If you don't come out of a haunted house looking like this, you didn't do it right.

 Anyway, I came home without a whole lot of time to recuperate or stock up on healthy dishes before I had to go back to work. Therefore, I ended up eating way too much take-out at work and eating unhealthy for a couple of days after. Last night, I finally went to the store and got good groceries and then cooked today. My fridge is now stocked for the weekend, so I can just grab my meals out, pack them up, and run.



I made Taco and Avgolemono Soup, low carb Veggie Lasagna, and my favorite quinoa salad. I also made a treat in the form of sugar-free Greek yogurt jello, and bought grapes, fresh pineapple, and mandarin oranges. I was truly shocked and dismayed at how much food I ended up throwing out prior to shopping. I really wish I could buy only what I needed for a recipe rather than too much. For example, scallions. They were starting to wilt, and I had far more than I needed. Also most of a head of butter lettuce that had gone over, celery, fresh mint and parsley, some fruit that went bad over the weekend, and soup I'd forgotten to freeze. So depressing! Soon, I am going to try to find ways to use up most ingredients without so much waste.

It's certainly soup season, and I plan to make a lot of it. I am also planning to try making more casseroles for one dish ease and multiple servings. While I still intend to try foods from around the world from time to time, it's a great time to make more comfort food, as well as trying to lighten up some of my family favorites. I'm still gauging favorite recipes and hoping to find others that will make a regular appearance on my menu each week. It's all a learning curve.

I did learn that although I like chicken on the side when I am eating my quinoa salad, it's too much if added in. I'm going to try eating it without the chicken on the side. The quinoa is already a protein powerhouse, so the chicken is just a little overkill anyway. Also, I am minding how much fruit I am eating. I was eating cut fruit by the bowlful, but it's time for me to eat servings and not as much as I want. That should help me cut back on fruit when shopping.

Anyway, time for a cup of coffee and a good movie on Netflix!