Week 3 - Danny's up to bat

Week 3 is a-go!

My turn to put the schedule together this week. Not a whole lot of changes, but I’ll try to keep it fresh. ;)

I’ll mention here (so that I don’t have to do it over and over again down the post) that, just like the past two weeks, we’re going with the Pick-A-Menu-Item way of doing things for each meal. Ideally, you’ll end up hitting most of the star components each day, leaving you fully supplemented for maximum eye health potential!

Amber mentioned last week that Safeway has special “Omega-3 Eggs” boosted with lutein and Vitamin E (which is pretty hardcore) and that the pricing isn’t half bad. If you’re feelin’ funky fresh next time you’re in the grocery store, see if you can track those suckers down.

Another thing to remember is that the darker the berry, the more antioxidants it carries. Blueberries in particular are a terrific, easy option for topping your yogurt or mixing into your cereal.

Something I’m excited to throw into the mix this week is Chia seeds. Chia seeds are a blast, and my shelf has been devoid of them for far too long. They’re kind of like poppy seeds except they’re not all bitter and gross. Just sprinkle them into whatever you might sprinkle granola or flax into (pancake batter, smoothies, yogurt…). Check out that nutrition label while you partake, too, and you can start feeling better than everyone else right away.

 

Those are gold, right there.

Little bitty seeds of gold.

For the record, my breakfast of choice doesn’t vary much from day to day. ~3/4 cup of Kellogg’s All Bran Original and 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk topped with a few blueberries, ~1/3 cup plain non-fat Greek Yogurt, 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed, and a bit of stevia to sweeten things up. A cup of coffee tends to round things out, too, doctored up with almond milk and your favorite brand of sucralose. All that jazz tends to run about 400 calories for whoever’s counting and a macronutrient breakdown of thus:

 

My breakfast, Courtesy of Livestrong’s Daily Plate

Pretty fatty, right? Omega-3s, baby. We’re packing in the good stuff via the almond milk, flax seed, and All Bran. Don’t fear the fat – just make sure you pick the right kind.

Breakfast

Here’s your menu. Pick a bullet item to go with whatever else you pull together this morning. The key words for breakfast this week are Greek Yogurt and Chia seeds.

-         Greek Yogurt with fruit and granola *

-         Eggs

Make sure you get your eggs in for a few of the days this week. Eggs, kale, spinach, and broccoli are some of the quintessential dietary sources of lutein and zeaxanthine, nutrients which bolster the eye against conditions like Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

-         Fruit Smoothie *

Amber’s Suggested Recipe:
1 banana
handful of blueberries
Greek yogurt
orange juice
milk
ice

-         Breakfast Sandwich a la Healthy & Amazing

o   Whole grain

o   Avocado

o   Egg

o   Spinach, kale, or romaine lettuce

-         Cereal Deluxe *

o   Go for the cereal spa treatment by including:

-  Greek yogurt

-  Almond milk

-  Fruit or berries

* Be a baller and supplement these guys with a tablespoon or so of Chia seeds or ground Flax seed!

Optional Mid-Morning Snack

Elevenses FTW. A small, healthy snack between breakfast and lunch is cool way to keep your motor running and hang onto some metabolic inertia. Feeling peckish during third period? Pop open a Ziploc bag and make your neighbor jealous with:

-         A full piece of fruit (apple, banana, orange, etc.)

Peanut butter could be a great addition…

-         Veggies (chopped celery, sliced bell pepper, snap peas, broccoli/cauliflower, etc.)

Again with the peanut butter, but hummus would be amazing, too. Just go for something low-fat, could ya?

-         Handful of almonds, pistachios, or walnuts

-         Almond milk

Amber was savvy enough to mention juice-box versions available at the grocery store!

Lunch

Alrighty, kids – here’s what’s on tap for lunch. We’re bringing chicken back into the mix 1) because I love me some chicken, and 2) because I still have chicken breasts left over to grill from Week 1.

Also, chicken’s a super great source of lean protein and goes well with just about anything you could make ever. Probably not ice cream, though. Or dessert in general.

Also, speaking of desert… When shopping for canned tuna or canned salmon, I always go for the option that was canned in water rather than oil. Right away, I drop a whole lot of fat that I’m pretty sure I could do without. For a few more details on this particular do-or-don’t, check out this write-up on Livestrong.com. I know – that had nothing to do with dessert; I just think non sequiturs are funny.

-         Tuna salad

Oppan Bachelor Style and go for the in-the-can option. Pick up some canned tuna (again, I go for the ones canned in water, not oil), and add mustard and/or horseradish. Stir in-can with the fork that you will then use to enjoy the fruits of your brief and mild labor!

-         Spinach (actual) salad

Add berries, a hard-boiled egg, walnuts and/or chia seeds for bonus points.

-         Quinoa

…dressed up pretty much any way you’d like it. Can’t go too wrong with quinoa.

-         Sandwich/Wrap

o   Whole wheat bread/wrap

o   Lean protein (turkey, chicken, tofu, hummus, etc.)

o   Spinach leaf for the greens

And craisins if you went with turkey!

Not enough food? Add a veggie side dish!

-         Salad

-         Carrots (baby or grown-up)

-         Brussels sprouts

Steamed in the bag = fantastic

Afternoon Snack

Same menu as the Mid-Morning Snack

Dinner

My recommendation would be to bolster your breakfast and lunch while scaling back dinner portions. To do so, lean towards lots and lots of veggies along with a modest amount of lean protein.

-         Chicken

Make that chicken breast into something incredible. Tofu is certainly a viable alternative here for the veggiesaurus out there.

-         Fish

o   Salmon/Tuna casserole (with whole wheat noodles)

There are some great recipes out there. Whole wheat noodles and cream of mushroom soup mix terrifically with a couple of cans of salmon!

-         Fruit and veggies

Remember your veggie All Stars:

-  Spinach

-  Kale

-  Broccoli

-  Brussels sprouts

-         Stir-Fry

o   Include broccoli and chicken and/or tofu

This was one of Amber’s entries and I’m a big fan, so I’m keeping it.

Dessert

If you need something sweet this week, go for sugar-free options. Yeah, they’re not fat-free as well, but it’s a step in the right direction.

-         Sugar Free Jell-O Pudding

-         Sugar Free cake mix with…

o   Option 1: 1 can of your choice of diet soda

o   Option 2: 1 cup of Greek yogurt + 1 cup of water

o   Option 3: 1 cup of Greek yogurt + 2 tablespoons of flax seed

-  Flax seed makes the mix a little more mealy, kind of like cornbread. Pretty fun!