Day 2

The day actually started with an unpictured 1/2 banana, because I woke up pretty starving at 5:30 and needed something in my stomach before spinning.

On my way back home after spin, I got a little too overwhelmed with the thought of showering/getting ready without eating anything then hoofing down to BeQu for a juice (as was my original plan), so I just went for the homemade green smoothie. Which was perfect: instant spinach energy, instant almond protein, instantly satisfied.

Smoothie:
4 ice cubes
2 handfuls of spinach
1 big tablespoon raw almond butter
1/2 frozen banana
~1/2 c. frozen blueberries
~1 c. almond milk

This being not as hefty as my regular oatmeal + AB/PB breakfast, I was hungry for lunch at 11:30 (actually not stomach growly - just starting to feel my blood sugar dropping).

A nice big, raw salad:


With 1/2 avocado and 1/4 c. Asian dressing. Delicious!

But I did need something more - thankfully I had that rice cake + almond butter I had packed originally for breakfast. This made for a perfect part 2 to my lunch.


Dinner was had around 4:30 (I really was starting to get hungry again, but it was mainly because I had to leave at 5:30 for my mentoring group).

The other 1/2 of the huge sweet potato, 1/2 c. black beans, ~2 c. steamed broccoli + kale, light drizzle of Asian dressing.


I do love this meal. I think it should become one of my go-to's - i.e. I should bake a few potatoes on Sunday to have ready to go for the week (can't wait the 1 1/2 HOURS it takes on a weeknight!!), and throw together the dressing.

These flavors are so good, and yet so simple - a perfectly satisfying meal whose healthfulness doesn't taste like deprivation; it tastes nourishing. As Gena recommended, it's great to have that sweet element (sweet potato) as part of your meal - that way the craving for sweet is satisfied right then and there, instead of requiring a dessert. The key is to almost be very MINDFUL of the fact that Yes, you are enjoying something sweet - very sweet! - during dinner. Just because it's dinner food doesn't mean it's not sweet! That's easy to forget when you're only thinking about what kind of chocolatey goodness is coming once you finish your vegetables.