i'm going to Write About What I eat!

"Tell me what you ate yesterday..."

That's the phrase I often pose to patients when meeting with them the first time. While their answers don't provide a complete view of their diet - one day truly is just a quick snapshot - it does give me some clues into their eating styles and patterns so that I can better help them set goals for the future.

Then I ask my patients, "what keeps you from eating a healthier diet?"

And most often, they reply "time."

These conversations are what's inspired this new series of blog posts called "What I Ate Wednesday." If you're a frequent blog reader, you may have seen other bloggers do the same. On Wednesdays, you'll begin to see me blog about the foods I ate the day before.

Honestly, I've never felt inspired to blog about what I eat though - until now.

because you don't always have time to cook, and neither do i.

You see, I'm not the typical Registered Dietitian or food blogger. I spend maybe 2 hours in the kitchen prepping each week...and that is more than enough for me! I don't regularly cook dinner for an hour before sitting down to eat it (OMG, when I'm hungry, I'm hungry...I can't wait for soup to cook or 30 minutes for veggies to roast!).

I want to show you that that's okay. I want to show you that you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen in order to eat healthy. I want to show you that when you're rushed for time, take out or fast food isn't the only option.

Sure, spending time cooking with whole ingredients in the kitchen is great. But, when time is what's keeping you from eating healthier, it's not another long recipe with 8+ ingredients and 40 minutes in the oven that you need...it's simple, quick meals. These simple, quick meals just so happen to be the majority of meals that I eat.

I hope this post - and the What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW) posts to come in the future - inspire you. Not because what I eat is perfect (it's not!). And certainly not because what I eat is exactly what you should eat too (you have your own nutrition needs, and my needs are likely WAY different from yours!). I just hope that my photos and words can help you with creative and delicious ideas for what to eat when you're pressed for time.

So - without further ado - here is what I ate yesterday!

What I Ate - April 18, 2017

The day started off with a simple bowl of Barbara's Peanut Butter Puffins, a couple of sliced strawberries, and a handful of whole almonds drenched in unsweetened almond milk.

After this bowl, I cozied up to my computer with a mug of Tazo green tea with ginger. I just love this blend! While sipping, I finished up writing a quiz and made the final edits to a PowerPoint on food safety for a nutrition class I teach at a local community college.

I checked emails, checked voicemails, then trekked my way to Piqua to teach! I left my house a little after 11 and wasn't hungry at the time, but knew I wouldn't have the chance to eat again until after class ended at 3pm. So, I brought some Stonyfield yogurt with me and crumbled an Almond Butter Perfect Bar overtop for lunch in my car in the parking lot at the school. I scored this organic yogurt on sale at Kroger for around $0.75 a carton - DEAL! The great part about yogurt this way is that because of the fruit/jelly on the side you can choose how much sweetness you want. Sometimes I don't use it at all, sometimes I'll add just a bit!

After class ended, I stopped in at my parent's house to work there for about an hour. I was hungry, so I noshed on this cabbage salad with cheese (no label, not sure what kind!, cut fresh), and Annie's salad dressing. It was pretty simple. I also had a couple of crackers on the side (not pictured).

Then, I went to the bank and on a walk with one of my best friends - she's my cousin, used to be my neighbor, and she's going to have her first baby in about 2 weeks! I'm so excited for her! We walked around town for 45 minutes, then I headed home and went to my 45 minute barre class. I started taking this class about three months ago, and I love it!

By the time I got home at 7:30, I was ready for some dinner. But sometimes after exercising hard - and especially when it's warm out - my body just doesn't want whole foods. So, I whipped up this liquid Blueberry Vanilla Smoothie using similar ingredients as this recipe.

I also enjoyed a big-'ol-bowl of fruit. Pineapple, strawberries, and grapes. Nature's candy!

Throughout the day I drank water and took 2 MegaFood multis for women.

I finished off the day with this piece of leftover Easter candy. In the cutest little Easter baskets, my mother-in-law gifted my husband and I with some of these dark chocolate caramels with sea salt and...OMG...no words. SO DELICIOUS!

So there you have it...what I ate! Total time in the kitchen: maybe 20 minutes...? It's not perfect, it's probably not all for you, but it's what worked for me today -- and if it gives you some ideas for how you can eat well with limited time, AWESOME!

What was the best thing you ate yesterday? Share it with me in the comments below! :)