WWTC?

I don't eat out very much. Anyone who tracks their calories knows that it can be challenging to find something that fits in your daily allotment as well as being a quick meal during lunchtime. Fast food reigns because it is indeed quick and easy. No hassle, until you eat it constantly and you have an issue with your pants fitting.

Recently, I checked out the nutritional information available for Panera. The turkey sandwich I usually eat is pretty high in calories, even without the mayo. I opted for a Classic salad with the French Baguette side. The entire meal was a little over 300 calories. I must say, it was delicious. I have been thinking about that salad since I had it last week. It was that good. Well, at least I thought it was that good. I will definitely eat it again. I have also had their black bean soup. It is tasty and filling, but it is NOT appetizing to look at. If you are someone that needs your food to smile at you before you eat it, do not get this soup. Their French Onion soup is really good, too.

I encourage anyone to plan ahead when it comes to eating out. You would be shocked and unpleasantly surprised with the amount of calories in some of your favorite foods. I typically know when and where I am eating out and can take a gander at the menu and the nutritional information, if it is available. This is easy for the times when you go to a franchised restaurant and some local restaurants are nice enough to provide this information as well, but most of the smaller, local restaurants are not. What do I do in these situations? I take a look at the menu ahead of time and find something that I can alter or pick apart. Examples are a grilled chicken sandwich and choose a side salad with the dressing on the side. You can estimate the amount of calories in that depending on the size of the chicken, salad and type of dressing. Make sense? Good!

I just finished off my strawberry whey protein powder. I got vanilla whey protein instead and I am LOVING the vanilla way more than I liked the strawberry. It doesn't taste nearly as artificial in the flavoring. It tastes more like powdered vanilla ice cream with vitamins. How's that for appetizing?! Ha!

I am going to keep on scoping out options available at restaurants and try to find more healthy choices. Until I find choices that are good enough for my likings, I am going to continue to bring my own lunch. I try to shake it up and plan ahead using leftovers or components of my leftovers. For example, if we make chicken fajitas for supper one night, the next day for lunch, I may have a chicken fajita salad or make a quesadilla out of the chicken fajita fixins.

When I am cooking during the week, I utilize the crock pot whenever possible. A favorite around here came from a rendition of a Kraft recipe for BBQ chicken. You put bone-in chicken breasts in the crock pot, season with garlic salt and black pepper (season liberally), add in 12-20 ounces of water and cook on low for 10-12 hours. Pull apart, serve on toasted tea rolls and use BBQ sauce or buffalo chicken sauce, make regular coleslaw or ranch coleslaw. Delicious. What I do is FILL the crock pot with bone-in chicken breasts. Overkill? Nah, I'm just planning ahead! I only have to pull the chicken off the one time and have enough to last quite a few meals. The next two nights, we will have homemade chicken noodle soup, chicken quesadillas, casseroles, chicken and noodles, chicken salad sandwiches or chicken enchiladas. Whatever we cannot eat in the next two days, I freeze and am able to pull it out and make something homemade in less time. I do the same bulk cooking concept with pot roast. Only having to cook the main component one time is a lot quicker than having to remake meat for stew, beef and noodles, vegetable beef soup, beef burritos, beef quesadillas, etc. etc. It is great. I am fortunate that Brett and Ty don't mind eating the "same" meat for a few days. Works out well in my favor. I spend less time in the kitchen and we still get the same meals with less time than I would if I had more time. Did you get that? Good!

I have also discovered the ease in making taco pizza at home. Since I eat WAY less than I used to, we now always have enough taco meat to make an entire taco pizza. The taco pizza turns out really good and Brett actually LOVES it. This is a surprise because there isn't a whole lot that I make that Brett REALLY really likes. Not that I am a bad cook, he's just kind of difficult in that department especially since he really likes the heavier meals: chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes and pot roast with roasted potatoes and gravy. I like to eat quite a bit lighter most of the time. Impasse? Yespasse.

I got a cookbook on quick supper ideas for Christmas. Why do I find new recipes so daunting? I have no idea! Probably because when I am thinking about making a grocery list, the book is at home and I have no idea what is in it and then by the time get home and think about the cookbook again, I'm not in the mood to look at recipes? I don't know. Just a guess. I will add it to my to-do list.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you that have more easy cooking ideas for me, until next time...