Happy National Hug an Asian Day! (Have you hugged an Asian today?)

It is cold and beautiful once again in Tallahassee! As soon as we woke up this morning we opened the windows and let the fresh air blow through. It finally feels like Fall again.

So this morning as I was cooking breakfast I was thinking about Cracker Barrel and how awesome it is (don’t ask me why. I think we all day dream about Cracker Barrel every once in a while.) I was thinking about how awesome it would be to go there for breakfast tomorrow morning before the FSU/BC game so I decided to do some nutritional investigation. I was disappointed, not because of what I found, rather what I didn’t find. This is what the Cracker Barrel’s Question section says in response to nutritional information:

“Is nutritional information available for your menu items? Here at Cracker Barrel, we pride ourselves on using recipes and ingredients that are authentic, genuine, and of the highest quality available.  We strive to prepare and present these food items to you in a way that upholds those authentic traditions of days gone by. Cracker Barrel certainly understands the health-conscious concerns that some of our guests have. While we are unable to give you any exact calorie or fat content information, the following choices may help you in your selection:”

Through all the clever PR wording of this paragraph, all I read is: “If you knew how many calories you were eating when you were here, you would be hacked.” Why are they not able to disseminate this information? As consumers, I think we have a right to know what we are paying to put in our bodies. I understand that smaller Mom and Pop, single location establishments don’t have that information available on hand; but Cracker Barrel has 588 locations in 41 states! They really don’t have an excuse. To be fair, they do have alternatives, but I fell like that’s not enough because the healthier options still aren’t always the best. I also know that sites like The Daily Plate and Diet and Health have some of their nutritional information, but I still don’t think that’s enough. This is something that I hope will change nation wide soon because I think when people see the calorie and fat content on the menu, it might make them think twice and thus slowly open people’s eyes to the overall problem with obesity in America.

Anywho…

Breakfast: I made eggs (4 points) and bacon (2 points) for this crisp fall morning. Like I’ve said before, we use to never eat breakfast but it’s really nice because a lot of the time Megan and I don’t see each other at all during the day so it’s just nice to sit and talk about the upcoming day (and to compare bizarre dreams.) So even if you aren’t dieting or whatever, I would still sit down for breakfast (even if it is at 6:00 am) and mentally prepare yourself for the day and enjoy the peace and quiet. Just don’t fall asleep in your bowl of Cheerios.

Lunch: I went to Publix to pick up a few things around lunch time and I was starving. Our pantry was running thin so I went to the freezer aisle to find a meal. I was about to buy a box of Boca Burgers (not because I’m vegetarian, I just like Boca Burgers) and then I saw my dream diet food: Pot Stickers. I love pot stickers and dumplings so much and I haven’t had them in 6 months (I like them that much I actually remember) and since I have started WW I figured I would never taste them again :'( then I found this. I dropped everything, sped home, threw it in the microwave, and then savored these amazing little bits of Heaven wrapped in wonton. I was really impressed with this dish and for only 5 points I’m definitely getting this again.

Snack Fail: I wanted to eat something to hold me over until our epic steak dinner (more to come on that) so I popped some waffles in the toaster (3 points.) Then I forgot how high in points peanut butter was so I put a serving on there and it was 5 points. Ouch. On the upside, the peanut butter is a lot better than the day I stirred it so it was worth it.

Steak Dinner Awesomeness: In keeping with trying new meals week, we concluded our testing meal week with the London Broil out of the WW cookbook (yes: what you’re seeing is considered a diet food.) The marinade was 1/2 cup of wine, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic. It marinaded overnight in the fridge and then we broiled them 4 minutes on each side. We then cut up some asparagus and sauteed it with butter. It. Was. Epic. We were really impressed with how the steak turned out, and really impressed with the price: folks, this meal was $3.75 a person. So all of you people who think it is worth it just to eat out all the time, this is what $3.75 can get you. What can you get for $3.75 at McDonald’s? The answer: not much. Just saying. So the 8 oz sirloin was 6 points and the asparagus was 1.5 points. This meal would great with boiled potatoes too or even a mashed potato. Definitely check out this recipe.

So today I’ve totaled out at 26.5 points so not too shabby of a day. I’ll find something to snack on during the Rangers game. Last game I had a bigger bag of sunflower seeds which was only 4 points so I might do that again.

Announcement! So my folks and sis are coming to Tallahassee for Thanksgiving (I’m super stoked!) and my mom was talking about them joining the Anytime Fitness that is about to open in their neck of the woods. We were talking about the challenges that the Holidays are going to bring. Then I jokingly mentioned that there is a Turkey Trot 5k Thanksgiving morning and she was pretty psyched about it. So our family is going to do the 5k! I’m super stoked about it but we have a lot of running to do between now and then. Megan and I ran one in April and my time was 39:32 so I want to try to break that time. So we have 5 weeks (yes… Thanksgiving is 5 weeks away) to get back in to it so we are pretty stoked. If you have read this whole blog, you are awesome and thank you. See ya tomorrow.