Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday! This week is going by way too fast. 4 days and a (early) wake up until the MARATHON!!!! All this waiting and anticipation and build up is just killing me. Every morning I wake up and just want to go run the marathon without all this hoopla! Oh well, it will come soon enough, let’s just hope I can do it and not let myself and everyone down! Sometimes I wish I just ran my first marathon in secret…
Okay, okay, no more worrying. Time to move on because today is Wednesday and that means another What I Ate Wednesday! If you are new to WIAW, head over to Peas and Crayons to see what it’s all about and check out the other blogs that are participating!
I love the theme for this month: WIAW goes pink for breast cancer awareness month! Plus, who doesn’t love pink? Sadly my eats are from September so they don’t match the theme too well… I’ll have to find some pink or spooky food for next week!
This week instead of showing you my meals all from one day, I’m going to show you a bunch of new meals I’ve been eating. As I mentioned last week, I’ve been following a nutrition plan that Annette set up for me. So far it’s been going well, but I have to say I completely fell off the bandwagon over the weekend. I had a really hard time keeping up with it with things like book club, getting foods from Whole Foods, and my long run thrown in there. Back on track this week, but I did have a rough weekend with it.
I have, however, been enjoying a lot of these meals. Most are WAY more food that I’m used to eating for breakfast or lunch, but that’s the point. I used to eat most of my calories at night, I’d eat less earlier in the day to “save” calories. No wonder I ate so much at night!
Let’s start with some breakfasts. Of course she included some of my delicious Apple Pie Oats, but told me to up the 1/3 cup oats to 1/2 cup oats and to be sure I include Almond Butter (like I would ever skimp on nut butter…).
Another breakfast was a berry/spinach protein smoothie with 2 pieces of Udi’s bread and 2 T of nut butter. It seemed so decadent to use so much nut butter, I used a packet of Justin’s Maple Almond Butter! Delicious.
One of my favorite breakfasts was an omelet! I never make myself omelets so this was fun! It was supposed to have eggplant, but the one I got had gone bad so I included carrots. It also had 3 eggs, spinach and feta cheese. I had it with some salsa and an orange on the side.
It was so good. Like so good.
Another part of my plan is to have 3 snacks, one mid-morning, one in the afternoon and one at night. One of my favorites was a banana/spinach smoothie, with some PB2 sauce! I added extra ice to amp up the volume.
Other snacks included a Kind bar and 1oz cheese, popcorn and a handful of almonds, protein muffins with nut butter, protein ice cream and toast, Kind bar and carrots, toast with hardboiled egg and tomato slices… the list goes on and on!
One of my favorite lunches has been bean soup! This time I had it with a piece of bread with cheese and tomato. I found this black bean soup by Annie’s and it is AMAZING. Seriously, go buy it.
I also had a grilled cheese sandwich that was to die for. I cannot remember the last time I had a grilled cheese sandwich! I highly recommend making one for yourself asap.
This lunch below was a turkey sandwich with an apple and a hardboiled egg with salt. Classic and delicious.
Dinners have also been pretty good, one of my favorites being chicken and veggie pizza on a rice tortilla (with a side salad). Similar to what I’ve done before, but with the chicken added for more protein and more cheese!
Last night dinner was chicken fajitas! I had some leftover green and red pepper so it turned out perfectly. This is one of those meals I’d never think to make for myself, but I’m so glad I did, it tasted good and it was fun! (and took about 10 minutes to make since I’d bought pre-roasted chicken from Trader Joes…)
Another delicious one was a bean burrito! It included plenty of beans, cheese and salsa and I wrapped it in a rice tortilla, and then wrapped that in foil to keep it together while I ate. That one also had a side salads. These side salads are great ways to get in your extra veggies!
I usually end up having protein ice cream for dessert.
It’s usually listed somewhere as a snack for the day but it’s hard to make in the middle of the day and definitely not transportable, so I often switch it with whatever the evening snack was. The key, as Annette told me, is to just make sure I have some carbs before bed to help fuel my morning run/workout!
This plan definitely has a huge increase in my carbs! I used to only get carbs from sweet potatoes, or whenever I’d have oats for breakfast. Now I have them in every meal and many snacks, and I don’t think I’ve ever gone through loaves of bread so quickly!
And as I said on my last WIAW post, this nutrition plan is geared towards me, my lifestyle, my dietary restrictions, and my marathon training! If you want a personalized plan, be sure to consult a nutritionist, or Annette!
What is your favorite sandwich to make?
Do you eat a lot of carbs?
Your meals truly look fantastic Katie! Very balanced (ya for that being the goal 😉 ) and quite frankly delicious! So much variety too and that is what I am working on for myself. I get in ruts too easily, aka stick to foods I feel “safe” around. Have you noticed any change in your energy or a lack of “snacky” feeling at night? <– not sure if you have experienced the latter, I know I do though when I don't eat enough earlier in the day! Yet another thing that has been burdening me lately
I definitely find that when I really follow the meal plan and eat more earlier in the day then I’m waaaaaay less snacky at night!
Protein ice cream sounds right up my alley for a nighttime snack! I also got the ingredients for fajitas, but I haven’t made them yet. I definitely need to!
You should, the fajitas were so quick and easy!
I think I need to come hang out with you awhile. Your eats look amazing!
Haha I always think that about other bloggers!
I am a carb girl! lol. I’m also working on eating more in the mornings. It’s hard to change!
What kind of bread do you use?
I eat Udi’s bread! It’s my favorite gluten free bread, the most like regular sandwich bread.
Great job on getting back on track from the weekend! I also tend to eat smaller meals in the morning/during the day and a bigger meals at night. Is that a bad thing? Probably now that I’m feeling the need to ask… But I’m curious 🙂
From what I understand it’s better to eat more in the morning because that’s when your metabolism is working the hardest, and for me it keeps me from over-eating at night. But I am not a nutritionist, that’s just what I’ve learned is best for me!
*sigh* I think I’ve heard about that before. How more eating in the morning is better for digestion than eating more at night. I was just “hoping” that you would say it was something specific to your training regimen. Lol. I will research it more in depth and see if it’s right for me. Thanks!
haha no I think it’s a general thing, but everyone is different!
I used to be ALLLL about the protein, but when I took up my mileage, I quickly realized that carbs were going to be the way to go. It kinda freaked me out to start with, not gonna lie, but I’m loving it now! 🙂
I love how much variety you get with your meals — I tend to eat the same things day after day … I just find it easier with a slightly hectic schedule to know what needs to be done when I get home. After reading this though, it doesn’t seem impossible to be making great food every night.
As for sandwiches, I’m all about the spinach and cheese omelet sandwich (at work) and toasted PB and banana (for home). Yum! 🙂
I usually eat the same thing over and over, but the meal plan has forced me to get out of my box!
Sounds like the new nutrition plan is working out well! I totally understand your marathon excitement. I’m running my half marathon the same day! I’ll be rooting for you from Boston as I run half of what you’ll run. You’ll rock it!
Haha I’ll think of you when I hit the halfway point, good luck!
i love that tj’s salsa. your meals look incredible, i love the variety.
It sounds like Annette has you on an awesome plan. Definitely more calories at the beginning of the day and carbs are crucial when you’re running a lot! When I started not skimping on nut butter earlier this year, it was the best thing ever. Now I would never think twice about having at least 2 T!
Haha nut butter is the best!
I love grilled cheese sandwiches! So good, but ketchup is always 100% necessary. 🙂
I don’t actually eat a lot of carbs right now – I’m focusing on heavy lifting so I’m more focused on getting lots of protein in. Still love my oats and sweet potatoes though!
I’m going to be switching things up after the marathon and going for more protein too!
my whole diet is carbs.
i love it.
lol carbs and cheese. Gotta put something on that baguette.
I’m glad everything is working out for you and you’re feeling better eating more in the morning and less at night. I find when my meals/snacks are more planned and I eat larger meals with a few small snacks (if needed), I feel soo much better. Less snacky, less bloated. It’s a win-win!
Lol I always have my snacks though – I can’t go more than a few hours without eating!
i eat so many carbs, but that’s what keeps me satisfied so i roll with it. i think i would eat oatmeal for every meal if i could that’s how much i’ve been loving carbs lately. i love seeing this plan! it looks like an awesome way to help you spread out your calories and definitely is giving me some pointers as well. i know that it’s catered specifically to you but since you and i are essentially the same person i think i can take some hints from it 🙂
i’ve been eating tons of sandwiches lately. i’m not sure why but my body has been craving them. maybe it’s the carb craving? my faves are pretty basic turkey sandwiches with mustard, spinach, cheese and tomatoes and the other sandwich i’ve been loving lately is tomatoes, cucumber, feta, spinach and red pepper hummus. yummmm.
OH MY GOSH also i cannot believe i forgot to say this – i feel you on the nerves about this weekend and kind of wish i had kept it a secret too BUT you will do amazingly well and there’s no chance you’ll let anyone down 🙂
Haha we basically are the same person. And I bet it is a carb craving, and probably a salt craving as well! Another thing that Annette said is that it’s important to eat plenty of salt when you’re running because we lose it when we sweat!
My favourite sandwich is sharp cheddar and avocado pressed in the panini. So good!
I try not to eat too many carbs (in the form of pastas, bread, etc).. but usually I eat them during the day and dinner is more focused on protein and veggies. Either way, I mostly eat good carbs, so it’s ok!
Carbs are definitely good for you! Just not processed ones made from white flour – they don’t have as much fiber and aren’t as filling!
I’m pretty sure I would eat exclusively carbs if I could get away with it haha. Carb loading the week of my half marathon was the best week of my LIFE. Pasta with a side of naan? Don’t mind if I do. Hahaha.
I’m super impressed that you made an omelet. Are they hard to make? I make scrambled eggs with a pinch of cheese about once a week, and last week I reaaaaalllly wanted an omelet instead, but they totally intimidate me!
I eat carbs with almost every meal! If I try to cut them out I feel sick and weak. They are an important part of a balanced diet. Especially if you exercise a lot!
They are very important! I just tended to get mine in more of a paleo manner, like from sweet potatoes or bananas. But with running so much it was really important to get so many more than I was before!
I LOVE the pictures of the food! Sounds like you’re eating so balanced-WAY to go! Weekends will always be hard–no matter what. They’re different from ‘normal’ life, so it’s tough to eat at the ‘right’ time & way. But kudos to you for just jumping right back on track!
Carbs are NEEDED for runners, so it’s a-okay to eat the bread 🙂 When you have different goals, then the needs switch again. Crazy, eh?!
Thanks for the encouragement, Annette! I was feeling a little down about getting off track on the weekend, but there’s no point on dwelling on the past!
I’m glad your nutrition plan is working out for you. Everything looks awesome! Especially those chicken fajitas. That’s one of my favourite meals!
I eat a ton of carbs! Oats, bread, pasta, or some kind of grain makes an appearance in almost every meal of mine. I find I just don’t feel satisfied without them.
And oh gosh, my favourite sandwich… that’s hard because I am seriously sandwich crazy. I could them every day! My favourite is a panini with turkey, apple, brie cheese, and fig jam. So good!
That sounds like an amazing sandwich, I want one!
That sandwich and the pizza look so good!
I am getting so excited for your marathon! It has been so fun following along with your training!
Ahhhh I’m so excited to!
Well, now I want protein ice cream and an omelet. 🙂 Everything looks great!
Haha well I want everything you make!
Loving all the variety in this post – you’ve inspired me to get back on the omelet bandwagon. Miss my egg-filled breakfasts! I hope the bigger meals + more carbs are helping you feel fueled for the marathon. You will do great – just think a week from now, you’ll have run a 26.2 mile race. Pretty amazing if you ask me. 🙂
Good luck Katie!
Thank you so much Heather!! And omelet’s are amazing, I need to make them for myself more often!
So excited for your Marathon! I have to say that last pic looks amazing, even though its getting colder I still need my smoothie fix! I personally try and go easy on the carbs just just ones like bread and pasta – wholegrains are great! I just find my body works better that way 🙂
haha I’m wondering how cold it has to get before I stop making smoothies!
I love sandwiches and I eat a lot of carbs. I am pretty active, so I can get away with it.