DAY 3 - I KNEW I COULD DO BETTER!

Today I had a really strong day, and it felt GREAT!  After 2 days of struggling to make it through, it was nice to get a day in that didn't feel like it was nothing but an uphill battle.

On my lunch break today, I finally got to the grocery store, which made a big difference in my ability to stay on track.  We haven't had any fresh veggies or fruit in the house since we got back from Lake Powell, and it has made things so much more difficult!  So, when I walked into the produce section of Costco, well, I basically went insane.  I ended up walking out with grapes, oranges, bananas, snap peas, baby bell peppers, grape tomatoes, salad - and tomorrow, I will be going back for a big back of apples.

As strange as this sounds, sometimes I forget how important it is to have healthy, fresh produce readily available!!  It just makes it so much easier to stay on track, because I can supplement entrees with foods that will fill me up, without the big hit to the calorie bottom line.

I also picked up some Nugo bars, which just happen to be my favorite afternoon snack.  I haven't bought them in a long time, and I just don't understand why not!!  They are a little pricey, but seriously, they fill me up, keep my afternoon/evening snacking under control, and have less than 200 calories!  I think that is worth the $$, which, by the way, is far less than a convenience store snack, which is what I would be eating if I got ravenous and fell off the wagon!!

After my shopping spree I headed back to work - and had to haul my entire purchase inside and store it in the office fridge!  Embarrassing, yes, but I honestly didn't care - not even a little!  I was just so happy to have groceries!

When I got home from work, I wasn't feeling much like cooking, but I was determined to get back to eating at home instead of eating out.  A friend at work suggested I try a recipe for Hawaiian Haystacks. I wasn't really wild about the idea. I have only eaten Hawaiian Haystacks one time in my life, and I wasn't a big fan.  I don't love cream of mushroom or chicken soup, and typically the chicken gravy that is used on Hawaiian Haystacks is made with one or the other.  BUT, my friend was insistent that this recipe would change my mind because it didn't use condensed soups of any kind.  She even pitched the fact that I could load them up with lots of fruit and veggies, knowing that would speak to my healthy eating.  I decided to give it a try.

WHY NOT!

It. Was. Delicious!  I was so thrilled with how it turned out!  Once I piled the toppings on:  black olives, green onions, mandarin oranges, cherry tomatoes, a little bit of cheese, crunchy chow mein noodles - well, I was in heaven.   I was even happier when I calculated that calories for the meal - rice, chicken gravy and all my toppings came to 600 calories.  I usually like to stay around 500 - 600 calories for dinner, so this was PERFECT!  I will definitely be making them again.  If you are interested in the recipe, you can find them here!  If you try them, let me know what you think!

So, three days back on track - 2 pretty shaky, and 1 very strong.

I KNEW I COULD DO BETTER!