SCBR Week 8/ Day 5 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am – Coffee – Content (5)

So, I’ve done a really bad job at photographing my morning cuppa this week…I forgot it again! But just so you know, hubby and I enjoyed a nice pot of Fresh Market Spring Blend…yum! The caramel + butterscotch blend is sooo tasty. Hubby said he liked it 3 times as much as the TJ’s stuff. I guess that’s a good thing since ithe FM stuff is about 30% more expensive!

9:30 am – Hot 4-Grain Cereal + Cranberries + Mas Coffee – Content (5)

Today’s breakfast eats was a repeat of earlier this week. Since hubby said we’re over budget for food for the month already, I’ve been holding back on buying new mix-ins, which is fine because this concoction is pretty darn tasty!

I also got invited with my new work-group’s coffee crew this AM, so although I’m trying to watch my budget and not buy lots of coffee throughout the week, I wanted to be social, too. I also really like the coffee at the place they frequent. Today, I had a small cup of their Chocolate-something coffee…yum!

12:30 pm – Turkey Sammy + Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream Chips – First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I took a sun-break today to hit up the local pharmacy and get some Cheddar + Sour Cream chips to go with today’s sammy. Not the healthiest choice, but they sure taste good! This tiny bag was a mere 33 cents, too. The price was good and the portion was nice, too!

Another repeat on lunch (sorry for all the repeats…I’m trying to use what I have on hand as much as possible) – a turkey sammy – same as yesterday’s. Again, delicious!

4:30 pm – Plum – Content (5)

Thanks to my unhealthy lunch side choice of chips, I decided to enjoy a naturally sweet organic plum for an afternoon snack. So good and so pretty, too!

9:15 pm – Shrimp Quinoa – First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I got stuck late at work and didn’t end up getting home till almost 7PM. By the time I finally got home, I was feeling pretty exhausted and wanted to make something simple for dinner. Luckily, I’d already planned on re-creating a similar dish to the Shrimp + Asparagus Quinoa dish I made a few weeks back (click).

I made the dish almost exactly like I did last time, except I subbed organic, baby spinach for the asparagus, more chicken broth for the white wine, and toasted pine nuts for sliced almonds.

I’m really love quinoa as a new grain for my food repertoire. I think I read somewhere you can eat quinoa for breakfast, so I’d really like to try that out some time soon!

Just like last time, I cooked the shrimp by sauteing them separately rather than cooking in the same pot as the quinoa. I used the same pan I toasted the pine nuts in to save on the clean-up time (for hubby). I cooked the quinoa for an extra 3 minutes from the first 20 the original recipe recommends to make up for the extra 3 minutes it was supposed to have with the shrimp added. Then, it was time to start layering!

After cooking the quinoa for a total of 23 minutes, I started layering the rest of the ingredients. First, I topped the quinoa with a couple handfuls of that organic, baby spinach.

I topped the spinach with the hot, sauteed shrimp to help wilt the spinach…

…then, I added a handful of frozen peas. I covered and cooked for 3 minutes.

Then, I mixed everything together.

I spooned a serving into a low-bowl and then topped the dish with some of those toasted pine nuts…yum!

Here’s another look…yum!

I enjoyed dinner with a simple glass of water. Dinner was light and tasty and the best part – a cinch to throw together! This meal is a great idea for those days when you’re exhausted from work and want to eat something healthy but low-maintenance to cook.

Thanks to everyone for your sweet comments regarding my halfway-through-SCBR post! I responded to everyone via email. 🙂