A Great Day

It's not often that a Monday post starts with the words "it was a great day" yet I'm going to go ahead and make that declaration for the day.

What was so great you ask? The sun was shining, there was excitement all around DC with tons of dignitaries in town for the Nuclear Summit (the Swedish and S. Korean groups are staying in the hotel next door to my apartment building!), and I just felt good.

I actually slept through my alarm this morning but decided not to let that determine my day. I had set my alarm last night but then forgot to turn it on!! I had stayed up a bit too late anyways so the extra hour of sleep really worked to my benefit. AND, I made it to work on time!

Packed up some mixed berry hot cereal to eat at my desk (and ate my egg white as I walked to work). This is a "before" picture because the container didn't stay pretty on my commute.

Since I ate breakfast later than usual, I wasn't hungry until after my usual staff meeting. I dug into part 1 (salad with: spinach, romaine, cabbage, 2 strawberries, broccoli, pinch of almond slices, dried cranberries, and feta) while meeting with my boss because I was famished and then enjoyed part 2 after our meeting.

I whipped up this vegetable soup yesterday on a whim as I was prepping vegetables and tofu to eat for the week. I had a ton of random things to use and a soup made the perfect use of them.

Ingredients:
1 c vegetable broth
1.5c water
1/2c chopped baby portobello mushrooms
1.5c chopped cauliflower
1/4c diced onion and celery mix
1/2c diced carrot
1/4c frozen peas
4 chopped asparagus stalks
basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt pepper - to taste

• In a pot, saute onions, celery, and carrots until softened
• Add liquids and remaining veggies
• Season to taste, stir, and bring to a boil
• Allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until soup reaches desired consistency (I like a heartier soup)

The whole pot (2.5 servings) clocked in around 130 calories, 0.5g fat, and over 7grams of fiber. Sprinkled with a touch of parmesan cheese, it tastes like a rich, indulgent French vegetable soup!

I finished up my berries and also had a pear smeared with ~ 1 tsp of almond butter. I learned this technique while working at a summer camp in college. It's great when you can't cut up your fruit or want to add some protein and flavor on-the-go!

I went to Mecca Target after work because I needed to restock some essentials. I also treated myself to a fun dress for the spring. It's the little things, right?

Dinner was a salad and tostadas (kind of like a Mexican crunchy pizza). I toasted 2 corn tortillas and topped each of them with 1/4c of TJ's fat free refried beans. I sprinkled on some 2% Mexican cheese (~1/8c total) and toasted again to melt the cheese. Topped with lettuce and salsa. These were delicious and exactly what I was craving!

Took care of a few more things around the apartment and tried to unwind. For some reason, my afternoon and evening have left my anxious for no good reason :-/  I did rediscover one of my final (and favorite) papers from college tonight. My dad emailed me an this piece on LBJ being an "Upstander" - friend of Israel and defender of Holocaust survivors, even before his time in the White House.  Those who know me know that I have an odd fascination with the 60s and the JFK and LBJ presidencies. I was excited to revisit the paper after reading the article, especially on Holocaust Remembrance Day.  My grandfather (a Holocaust survivor) and cousin are currently on a program in Poland called the March of the Living, which I did in 2002. It teaches high schools students about the Holocaust first-hand and on Holocaust Remembrance Day participants from all over the world march from the gas chambers of Auschwitz to the former site of the crematorium in Birkenau. That experience was one that has truly shaped me as an adult and one which I will never forget. All of these years later, it's interesting for me to realize how the March, historical interests, and college academics are somewhat intertwined and have influenced me so strongly.

My bedtime snack was a mini smoothie of 1/2c frozen berries, 1/4c almond milk, 1/2c water, and a handful of spinach and a piece of toast. Yes, the smoothie totally tastes better in a wine glass ;-)

I picked up this new loaf while I was home and like that is all natural. It's a good whole grain gluten free bread option but I find that the crust toasts much quicker than the rest of the slice. the taste is good but not great. I'm definitely still partial to my Ener-G fiber loaf at this point though.

Here's to a great rest of the week! This post got kind of long - sorry. Hope you enjoyed it though :) G'night!