Chilly Day = Comfort Food

I meant to post lunch earlier today but I left my computer at home all afternoon. I knew that if I brought it along to the coffee shop, I'd be tempted to check blogs, facebook, email, etc. instead of studying. My original plan was to pack a lunch and eat it while I studied. However, I lost track of time catching up on blogs this morning and I started to get hungry around noon due to a smaller breakfast than normal. 

Since I was hungry, I ate lunch before leaving. I was in the mood for soup due to the chilly weather so I had a can (1.5 servings) of Trader Joe's Vegan Split Pea soup. The soup's sickly green color does not do it justice. It is quite tasty and very, very filling. On the side I had a serving of Kashi crackers. 

Excuse the ugly plastic container, I had already packed the soup up and didn't want to dirty another dish. Lunch total: 280 cals, 3g fat, 7g fiber, 14g protein

I had a productive afternoon reading about lipids and cardiovascular disease. While studying I had a coffee and a huge apple. I weighed this apple on my food scale and it came in at a whopping 130 cals! Snack: 130 cals, 9g fiber, 1g protein

After studying, I went across the street to the gym. I ran for about 5 minutes and realized I should do more cross-training so I hopped on a stationary bike. I was reminded again how much I dislike stationary bikes. The reason I don't cross-train more often is that I just don't like the other machines. I get bored too easily and nothing gives me as great a workout as running. At least, I was able to watch a rather entertaining Dr. Phil. I did 25 minutes of biking and then I went to a strength training class. It's been awhile since I've done any strength training so I'm sure I will be sore tomorrow. My post workout snack was a Clif Nectar bar, 160 cals, 6g fat, 6g fiber, 3g protein. 

It was a chilly, rainy afternoon/evening so I decided to make something warm and comforting, ED&BV's Cocoa-Coconut Chili. Another delicious, winning recipe. I'm so excited for the leftovers!

Chili + French roll totals: 490 cals, 7g fat, 13g fiber, 21g protein

Daily total: 1388 cals, 27g fat, 46g fiber, 50g protein

Thanks for lunch, Trader Joe's

I have been busy working all morning long meal planning and various things. My breakfast did NOT hold me over very long this morning thanks to a lack of protein from hemp milk. Hm, guess I have to pick some up this afternoon. I ended up eating lunch at 12:30 and now I feel quite satisfied. I had a lot of fiber in this lunch so I need to let it digest before my run.

I heated up the last of my Butternut Squash soup leftover from last week. There was only about half of a cup of soup left but I added the Carrot Ginger soup from Trader Joe's that I used as a base for the soup. I topped it with a dollop of greek yogurt. The yogurt adds a really nice flavor to the soup because it balances the sweetness from the apples and honey in the soup base. With the soup, I had a TexMex veggie burger on a french roll. I picked up Dr. Praeger's Tex Mex Veggie burgers from Trader Joe's a couple of weeks ago. The ingredients are all natural and on the website it says "Where you recognize all the ingredients". The burgers have big chunks of vegetables so they tend to fall apart. Not really a "burger" taste though if that's what you are going for. Overall, I like them as a healthy, filling vegan option.

This isn't the most appealing picture but it tasted good! Oh, and as the title suggests, I am thanking Trader Joe's for this meal because I realized that my entire lunch came from Trader Joe's, including the greek yogurt and french rolls!