I Was Like Zola Budd…er, with socks.

You all know I love savory breakfasts over sweet ones.  And while a McDonald’s sausage McMuffin is a nice taste treat, I decided I had time yesterday to make a better breakfast.

Here’s a tip – I like baking half a dozen potatoes over the weekend and sticking them in the fridge.  Or in my case, microwaving them and then turning them off and leaving them in there for a couple days.

This is a simple breakfast to put together for one – mix it up, throw it in the oven and let it cook while you are getting ready.

Breakfast Casserole for One

317 calories, 15 fat, 12 carbs, 2.1 fiber and 30 protein

• 2 ounces chopped cooked potato
• 2 ounces deli ham, chopped
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• 1/4 cup fat free half and half
• 3/4 ounce cheese of choice (mine was jalapeno!)

Heat oven to 350.  Put the potato, ham, spinach in a 4 inch ramekin or oven safe bowl.  Mix together the egg, egg whites and half and half.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  I added a few dashes of my Buffalo Tabasco sauce.  Push the spinach down so that the egg/milk mixture covers it, then top with the cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes.

I just threw it in the toaster oven at work to warm it up – just took a couple minutes because it was still pretty warm by the time I got to work.  On the side were some sliced apples – breakfast comes in at 388 calories, 15 fat, 31 carbs, 5.4 fiber and 31 protein.

I always repack my gym bag every night.  On Tuesday I brought my gym bag straight from my eye doctor appointment, then just drove home in my gym clothes.  I repacked my bag yesterday morning – making my checklist – pants, socks, sports bra, underwear, etc.

I got to the gym, got all my workout clothes on and realized . . . shit.  I never put my running shoes in my bag!  Before this 21 day challenge, I would have used that as an excuse to just leave and eat lunch.  But I have a goal – to run six 5ks a week for 3 weeks. 

I actually walked to the treadmill with my work shoes, then slid them off and got on the treadmill.  I walked the first minute just to get a feel for it.  My thought was, if it hurts, just stop and do some strength training.  You know what?  It wasn’t bad!  I did get a few cursory glances like “why the f_ck isn’t she wearing shoes?!” but I didn’t care.

I am dating myself here, but there used to be a runner in the 80’s named Zola Budd who ran barefoot.  So I was kind of like her, except with socks!

The only reason I remember her was because American runner Mary Decker got “tripped” in the Olympics in 1984.  While Mary won every event leading up to the Olympics, she’s never won an Olympic medal – this is kind of long – you can go to about minute 5:00 to see it unfold.

So my time?

Not too bad! 

But I have my shoes packed today.

I brought leftover taco meat and black beans and rice, and accessorized my lunch by getting a Subway salad.  I have to say, that salad is a rip off – I got the “chicken” salad – it was a preformed “chicken” breast, lettuce, baby spinach, cucumbers, green peppers and jalapenos and banana peppers – with tax was $5.84!  But I added 3 ounces of the taco meat, 1/2 cup of the black beans and rice, and my dressing was 1 tablespoon taco sauce mixed with 2 tablespoons fat free ranch.

Lunch comes in at 497 calories, 13 fat, 45 carbs, 8.5 fiber and 48 protein.

Before work I checked the menu to see what I had planned for dinner last night.  Stuffed peppers!  Only one problem, I didn’t make them.  I decided to hit up my 50% off meat bin on the way home and spin the meat wheel.  Only problem – slim pickings.  Some super thin pork chops, but we already had chops earlier in the week.

I picked up something I never would have bought if I hadn’t had a $2 off coupon.  Normally these sell for $7.99, they were on sale for $5.99 and with my coupon, I figured $3.99 was worth a shot.

The package said that this was 3.5 servings at 5 ounces each.  I weighed the bag in the plastic and it came just under 11 ounces total, so basically this was two servings.

I cooked up some egg noodles and steamed some broccoli.  All together my plate is 432 calories, 8 fat, 58 carbs, 4.3 fiber and 29 protein.

The verdict?  The sauce was very sweet – like pineapple sweet, which neither of us were expecting, because it just looks like a brown gravy.  I added some Buffalo Tabasco to my sauce to balance out the sweet, but we both declared that this wouldn’t be worth a repeat purchase.

Here is the recipe for the banana bread I promised yesterday.  Although, I have to admit, my bananas were so ripe – bought off the dollar rack over a week ago, I skipped the step of reducing the banana juice – after I nuked the bananas I just mashed them with the sugars.

Ultimate Banana Bread

(courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen)

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe. This recipe can be made using 5 thawed frozen bananas; since they release a lot of liquid naturally, they can bypass the microwaving in step 2 and go directly into the fine-mesh strainer. Do not use a thawed frozen banana in step 4; it will be too soft to slice. Instead, simply sprinkle the top of the loaf with sugar. The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan measures 8½ by 4½ inches; if you use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness five minutes earlier than advised in the recipe. The texture is best when the loaf is eaten fresh, but it can be stored (cool completely first), covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4cups (8 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2teaspoon table salt
• 6large very ripe bananas (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled (see note)
• 8tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2large eggs
• 3/4cup (5 1/4 ounces) packed light brown sugar
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
• 2teaspoons granulated sugar

Instructions

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.
• 2. Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer placed over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes (you should have ½ to ¾ cup liquid).
• 3. Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.
• 4. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in walnuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving 1½-inch-wide space down center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.
• 5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Stats for the Day:

• 1317 calories, 38 fat, 135 carbs, 18 fiber and 108 protein
• 5k at lunch, 45 minutes total on the treadmill
• average blood sugar 139
• no alcohol

Today is Souper Friday at work.  Today I am bringing a vegetarian chili made with soy chorizo (Tony just threw up in his mouth reading that) with homemade tortilla chips.  Come back tomorrow for the recipe.

Make it a great day!