Mmm salads!

First of all, I LOVE salads. Sometimes they are a bit healthier than others, but usually the more salads I eat the more weight I loose. Sounds like a game plan!
This is my salad tonight.



It is full of vegetables. I steamed a bag of mixed vegetables and added them on top of my organic spinach. Why spinach you ask? Well, it is my own preference because spinach is highly treated with pesticides and I'll like to keep those yucky chemicals out of my dinner. I also like using spinach instead of lettuce because spinach has folate which is beneficial against birth defects.

Here is a link to the dirty dozen. When possible (when our budget allows for it) I purchase these food as organic.

Back to the salad-there is also a red bell pepper (also organic), jicama, and some cucumber.

To include some protein in the mix I threw on a boiled egg and some bacon. I don't like bacon normally, but I enjoy it on my salads. One good nutritional tidbit about bacon is that it contains choline which is important for pregnant ladies.

Here lately I've been digging blue cheese dressing, and I found a reduced fat version from Wishbone. Yum yum!

Fruits and vegetables?

Finals are almost over and my waistline is extremely thankful because I'm consuming tons of coffee. Surely coffee can't be bad right? Well, mine is. I'm not a big fan of coffee, but started drinking it to get me through late night chemistry study sessions, and it just kind of stuck around. I doctor it with creamer and a bit of Splenda to up the sweetness factor. The result is a very calorie laden drink.

In addition to the massive amount of coffee in my diet, I'm also lacking in the fruit and vegetable area. I'm working the fruits in, but am horrible with my vegetables. Here's my breakfast the other day...French Toast with yogurt and blueberries.



I also has Cheerios with cottage cheese and a banana, but a different day.




So my goals are to drastically reduce my coffee intake and increase my fruits and vegetables! I'll let you know how it goes :)

Indulging

This has been a huge day of treats for me. Finals are approaching fast and caffeine is calling my name (usually from the coffee pot) very loudly. Today, or tonight rather, I decided to multitask with my coffee and combine it with dessert.



Of course since I indulged, my son wanted to as well, but with pizza instead of dessert.




What a funny looking pizza you might say, and you'd be correct! It isn't as unhealthy as it first appears. Notice the whole wheat crust (shaped like goldfish), which has an abundance of fiber for my little man's regularity. He actually consumes quite a bit of fiber on a regular basis and although I don't focus on increasing his fiber intake I do make sure he eats whole grains. This pizza also contains reduced fat cheese and turkey pepperoni. This proves that you can make any dish a little healthier while still tasting wonderful.

Another one of my dishes that I have altered...nachos!


Chips can add calories quickly, but make sure and add vegetables to help fill you up. I love spinach and will add it to almost anything! (spaghetti, smoothies, omelets, you name it) I've added it here along with black beans, brown rice, and reduced fat cheese. It was delicious and I don't feel deprived because I'm able to enjoy my favorite foods in moderation. After all, moderation is key to a healthy life!