Day 17

I had a fried egg sammich w/Morningstar patty and no cheese this morning (I'm out of Horizon American slices).

I brought leftover stir-fry for lunch but didn't feel like eating it, so I picked up pizza in the cafeteria. It had spinach and artichoke. Not bad but not good either; certainly not worth the cost or calorie count.

I brought an EAS protein shake for a snack, so that's what I had.

I ate the stir-fry when I came home at 5:00ish, followed by a fudge bar.

...and then a bowl of chili at 8:30.

Day 10

I'm happy to report that I made it through another day having had all homemade meals. I did however have three 100 calorie mini Clif bars and two Healthy Choice fudge bars as well. I mention that because one of the reasons I started this blog was to keep track of what I eat in the interest of weight loss, but since I decided to shoot only meals instead of every chip or piece of candy I eat, a fair amount of calories are getting lost in translation. So... I think I'll start taking snaps of snacks too.

My schedule today went something like:

Eggwich at 9:00 (picture re-used)

Clif bar at 11:30
Tuna w/Lime & Horseradish on best bread in the Universe at 12:00.

My favorite bread is Alvarado St. Sprouted Multigrain but it creates something of an ethical dilemma for me. On the one hand it's all-natural, healthy and delicious, but on the other hand it has to travel all the way from San Francisco (frozen in transit and at the store) so the energy cost is high.

The tuna was a mix: one can Chicken of the Sea, the other can Central Market brand. Both Albacore packed in water. According to Seafood Watch if the tuna was caught in the US or Canadian Pacific by troll or pole and line then it's sustainable. How I'm supposed to know where and how canned tuna was caught is a mystery to me. (If you squint you can read the recipe for the tuna on that little piece of paper next to it. Add mayo too, I forgot to write that on my cheat sheet.)

Clif bar at 1:30
Clif bar at 3:30
Chili (usual recipe, beef from Niman farms) w/ brown rice at 7:00

Fudge bar at 7:30
Handful of raw almonds at 8:00
Fudge bar at 9:00

I think by most counts that was a reasonable menu - but I would rather strive for something like six small, balanced meals a day (as prescribed by Body for Life and other programs). Unfortunately I have a hard enough time deciding on what to eat for three meals a day and I prefer to limit meat intake, so coming up with six small, balanced meals is a bit of a daunting prospect.

Day 4

My first meal back in Austin was a breakfast taco from the cafeteria at work. I chose the one with a whole-grain flour tortilla, egg and ground turkey sausage. I try to avoid turkey since reading (in Foer's Eating Animals) that a majority of the turkeys used for food in the US are so genetically modified that they are no longer capable of sexual reproduction. That just ain't right. However I've tried the taco sans turkey and it just doesn't hold my appetite until lunch. So yes, I avoid eating breakfast at the cafeteria but when I do that's my usual choice.

I had lunch at a restaurant with some co-workers. One of our former colleagues passed away over the holiday break, so a few of us got lunch together on our way to the funeral. I got carnitas on corn tacos and an inordinately huge side of rice and black beans. I also grazed on some chips and salsa (and guac) not pictured. That beverage is horchata, a drink made from sweetened rice milk.  

My dinner was a bowl of chili and rice that I pulled out of the freezer. I made it before the holiday break so I'm not positive what was in it, but my standard chili recipe is natural ground beef, Westbrae Chili Mix beans, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, onion, chili powder and jalapeños. 

I had to pick up my roommate from the airport at about 9:30 and rationalized that the holidays weren't quite over until he was back home so I could stop at Wendy's. There are so many things wrong with eating at Wendy's I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I am who I am.