"Eat Up, Slim Down" Experiment: Day 4

I hope this breakfast will sustain DH better than last night's dinner. He woke up at 4:30 this morning with a vast, grumbling hunger.

Breakfast

Tex-Mex Tofu Scramble (7ppv): Mash 3 oz drained firm tofu with a fork. Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and saute tofu and 1/8 tsp. turmeric 3 mins. Add 1/4 c salsa and 1/4 c canned black beans, rinsed and drained; saute 5 mins. Top with 2 T chopped cilantro and serve with 1/2 grapefruit and 1 slice toasted whole grain bread topped with 1 tsp. butter.

Tofu! Who knew?!! Okay, you might be thinking, "Tofu? There's no way!" And I was right there with you a few days ago. Until this morning, I had never had tofu in my life. It was just ... a little too vegan for me. I was happy with some chicken, some beef, some pork, some fish or crustaceans. There was no need in my life for tofu. And besides, I thought, how good could it actually be?

DH was the first to try this morning's breakfast. I didn't tell him his "egg scramble" was actually tofu until after he took his first bite and said, "Hey! This is pretty good!" I actually clapped and squealed, "Yay! It's TOFU!!" It tasted like really light, fluffy eggs. I did add some hot sauce because, even when it's tofu, eggs require hot sauce.

And once again, the toast! I again went with the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter - Light instead of real butter. But I saved my toast for last and savored every crunchy bite. Ah, bread. Interestingly, the remaining loaf has been much quieter in the last couple days...


Lunch

Greek Pita Pockets with Tzatziki Sauce (10ppv): Combine 1/2 c canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained; 1/4 c chopped cucumber, 1/4 c chopped red bell pepper; and 1/4 c chopped black olives. Whisk together 1/4 c low-fat Greek yogurt, 1/4 c shredded cucumber, 1/4 tsp. dill and S&P. Cut a whole-grain pita in half and fill both halves with bean mixture; top with yogurt sauce.

I packed my lunch for a picnic in the park with some old friends and assembled it when I got there. That's when I discovered that the pita I thought I had bought was actually just flatbread with no pocket. So, I had to improvise it into a sandwich, which worked fine. This sandwich, and the remaining generous amount that did not fit between the two halves of flatbread, was quite good. I will definitely make this again. It was filling and, along with an apple, kept me satisfied enough to get to dinner with only a late-afternoon orange.

Dinner

Peanut Noodle Bowl with Edamame (12ppv): Cook 1 1/2 oz. whole grain angel hair pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, to a medium skillet over medium heat, add 2 T chunky pb, 1 T water, 1 T lime juice, 2 tsp. brown sugar and a pinch of salt; heat 1 minute, stirring until smooth. Add 1 1/2 c packaged shredded rainbow slaw and 1/2 c frozen edamame; thawed and shelled; cook, stirring, 4 mins. Mix in pasta and cook 4 mins more.

Okay, I know I said on Day 1 that I was going to trust this plan...and then, as the meals wore on, I started to substitute things...basically because I wasn't trusting the plan. I substituted the "Better 'n' Peanut Butter" for the almond butter in the "Pear/almond butter/English muffin" snack on Day 2 because I didn't want to use that many ppv's on a snack... and I didn't trust myself to not eat the entire rest of the jar.

Tonight, I had planned to used "Better 'n' Peanut Butter" instead of the real, full-fat chunky peanut butter for the Peanut Noodle Bowl. And then last night it hit me - I wasn't trusting the plan. Fat, in moderation, is a necessary element in any healthy diet. AND, since we were having some issues with hunger (DH trolling the kitchen in the wee hours of the morning), I decided to trust the plan...and trust the fat (which is not at all like Ross drinking the fat, for all you "Friends" fans out there).

So, back to Harris Teeter today for a jar of regular, full-fat, crunchy peanut butter which increased the ppv's from 8 to 12! But guess what? At the end of this very tasty meal, it occurred to me that I actually felt full. Not just satisfied, but full. Now, any Weight Watchers member will tell you that full is one step too far. A meal should satisfy, but one should stop eating before the point of fullness. I wasn't uncomfortably stuffed, but I could have definitely left the last few fork fulls of Peanut Noodle Bowl on my plate without feeling hungry. But here's the thing...it tasted too good...and it was just a couple fork fulls, and I had already counted the ppv's, so what's the harm, right?

While DH enjoyed the Peanut Noodle Bowl, he would have definitely preferred it with some chicken in it. Squiddy basically choked down about 1/3 of the very generous portion, the whole time trying to reconcile how this could possibly be dinner if it contained no meat. She said next time, I should add chicken and replace the whole peanut butter experience with cheese. (This kid likes her cheese!)

For me, this dish is definitely a keeper...with full-fat peanut butter!