Food Labels

Yes, in the midst of being a full time mommy, I still keep connections to food, nutrition, and of course, my buddies in Farmington (hi Kim!!). My DMA membership dues just came due so I can keep my credentials and not have to go through the agony of taking the test again someday, if I choose to return to work. I'm still working on the whole "keep fit" part of wellness, but can't seem to kickstart that part of my daily routine. I feel like throwing Q in the air, playing with her on the ground, going to the park, walking almost everywhere w/in a mile radius, and hiking the 21 stairs between the basement and her bedroom to change diapers and put her down for naps or feed her is enough to wipe me out by the end of the day. Maybe waking up at 5:30am to get in the workout before she's up is the answer...but I really need to convince myself it's worth doing that as sleep is my lifeline after each crazy day with Q. But, my sister Jen certainly is an inspiration and role model...she's found her grove and she's a few years older. That means I get a few years yet, right? :-)

Well, back to my blog reason for the hour. I went shopping hungry yesterday. Bad idea. But I still kept my eye on food labels.

I really wanted this cookie. I said, it's only one cookie how bad could it be. Well, I wish I could remember the specifics of what kind of cookie it was, but I KNOW it was just one, and it was about a 2" diameter, and it was chocolate. I was having a crazy craving for chocolate. It was, if memory serves me correctly, 240 kcals, 18g fat, and 550mg Na. WHAT?! I kept hoping it was wrong, but the closer I looked, the more I realized it really was the nutrition info for the one cookie. Part of me was glad the serving size listed wasn't "1/2 cookie" like so many labels read these days (mostly bottled beverages leading you to believe 16 oz is what the nutrition label facts will correlate with).

Well, I was even more surprised when my dark chocolate Milky Way (usually my first option when it comes to curbing my need for chocolate) was better overall than one cookie. Heck, and I got to eat a whole candy bar! It lasted me most of my walk home from the grocery store. I took the long way home, too, to try to 'make-up' for my need for a treat. In 85 degree sun, that's a real chore to walk an extra 2 blocks with a stroller full of groceries (adds about 30#). Can't tell me I don't work out during the day...I smell like a work-out by the end of the day! :-)

And, yes, the pork chops were great last night! I tried a new product called "oven fry". And although the overall nutrition was decent for a pre-packaged bread crumb, there was still a little more Na that I would have ideally preferred. And I didn't bread it with as much as they stated was a serving size (a box should coat 6 pork chops and I used barely 1/4 of the box for 2 thick-cut ones). But, that means I didn't add salt to the pork chop, spinach, or rice. I still have yet to try the butternut squash mac-n-cheese recipe posted, but am eager to do so.

Something I did not know that I learned today, a two-piece serving of kiwifruit has twice the vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana and as much fiber as a serving of bran flakes - all for about 100 calories. And is usually in season May-September. I think I know what Q's next fruit will be!

That's all for now!