November Rules!

.... chooo choooooooo.

Since operating a blender at 7am may be considered inconsiderate by some, breakfast has now been shifted to the 7:30 - 8:00am time slot. This has meant that a snack is consumed by 7 since going two hours without food makes me very cranky in the mornings. Cantaloupe and Cottage Cheese (100cal) is usually a good combo, but this particular cantaloupe isn't very sweet and made for a disappointing meal.



Good thing this guy is worth waiting for. Adding spinach in the blend gives the smoothie so much volume that milk isn't necessary! (190cal)



The pre-afternoon smoothie snack today was a huge honeycrisp apple dipped in 2 TBSP of hummus. (180cal)



Unpictured was the aforementioned smoothie, today I tried the chocolate truffle flavor and it tasted like a creamy, milder version of the original. (180cal)

I don't know what it is about these smoothies, but they make me crave Onions more than anything else. I was inspired by last night's homemade nachos and decided to create a sort of mexican-inspired mish-mash of leftovers. In a pot went lots of onions, half a cup of kidney beans, 3/4 cup of mixed veggies, 1/2 of cottage cheese, and a big glob of salsa. Enjoyed with a side of tortilla chips. (450cal)



It tasted much better than I expected and I think I hit all the food groups.



Super filling.



After dinner chocolate. (x2 pictured here = 140cal)



Followed by some unphotographed grapes. (90cal)

Total Calories: (1350)

It's interesting not counting calories before I eat but retracing my steps. Something I need to learn is to trust when my body is full, regardless of whether it takes 200 or 600 calories. I don't think I'll do this daily but it's nice to do a mental tally once in a while.

Many bloggers like to post a list of goals at the beginning of each month followed by a check-up at the end of the month. I think this is a great way to keep myself motivated and will post some of my own.

Food & Health Related

1. Drink less coffee! (after a continuous two week stint of 4 cup days, I'm trying to cut back to one cup a day)
2. Stick to liquid smoothies for two meals a day for at least five days a week. (I really want to be committed to this MRP to see if it will actually yield results .. currently 46 servings remain, so 23 days will carry just into December)
3. Sleep at least 7 - 8 hours a night.
4. Limit weighing to once a week. (On Wednesdays!)
5. Be more flexible with my schedule. (When I get into a groove that works, I hate anything that deviates from it. I would like to not get cranky after midnight just because it's past my bedtime or get mad at myself for sleeping past 7am. These things happen.)
6. Waste less food and spend less money on food.

School & Work Related
7. Stay on top of readings and assignments and study for the majority of my finals before November is over.
8. Be more productive after dinner. (This is the time when my brain tends to wander and I have trouble concentrating)

That's all for now. I better get working on number 8 right away.