Sunday, May 20, 2018

Engine 2 Food Journal, Days 5-7

Still doing this Engine 2 thing! But I'm definitely not being super strict about it. I'd like to make this oil-free, low-salt diet my normal way of eating day to day, and I think allowing myself non-Engine 2 treats will make the whole way of eating more sustainable going forward.

Thursday morning started with a little walk-run through my neighborhood. Yes, that's right! Run! Only for a minute like five times, but still, it's progress. I've had a stress fracture in my left foot since April 7, when I sustained the injury on a 20-mile training run. It hasn't given me any issues in a couple weeks, so I thought I'd try a little running. And it's okay! I'm gonna get back into running slowly though. I do have a 5K next weekend, and I'm hoping to at least be able to walk-run that.

Anyway, after my run, I had some Oatmeal with Walnuts, Blueberries, Strawberries, and Flax Seeds.


Morning snack was more Carrots with Roots Oil-Free Hummus (it's much tastier than the Engine 2 hummus!).


I went to yoga at Y in my building over the lunch hour, and then popped into Mama Gaia for some takeout to bring back to my desk. This Cena Bowl (quinoa, mushrooms, asparagus) and Side Salad was not oil-free, and that's okay. I don't expect to be able to eat oil-free when dining out. 


I never visit Mama Gaia without grabbing a Raw Vegan Brownie. Pretty sure this is made with dates, coconut oil, cocoa, and walnuts. They're really good! Again, not Engine 2-approved since there's oil in it, but that's okay. I halved this and shared with my co-worker Madelyn, who is also doing Engine 2.


Dinner Thursday night was another Engine 2 Pinto Habanero Burger on Sprouted Grain with Air-fried French Fries. The "fries" were oil-free and lightly salted. I even made my own sugar-free ketchup by thinning out some salt-free tomato paste.


Friday morning started with another bowl of Rip's Big Bowl Cereal with fresh fruit and oat milk. No picture because I've shown y'all plenty of cereal pics.

Morning snack was popcorn! This is 365 brand low-sodium, low-fat popcorn. It does have some oil but less than most bagged popcorn.


I had more leftover Split Pea Potato Soup over Brown Rice and Salad with Cashew Ranch for lunch. I froze a bunch of this soup a couple weeks ago when I was doing the Engine 2 7-day Rescue. No pics of that either because I've taken so many of that soup.

Dinner on Friday night was Chick & Salad from The Engine 2 Cookbook. This is a chickpea chicken salad with a base of oil-free hummus instead of mayo. Very good! It's loaded with veggies and fruit too — cabbage, onion, celery, carrots, dried apricots, and raisins. I had it on sprouted grain bread with steamed kale on the side.


Saturday morning started with more Green Hornet Toast — avocado toast with mashed black beans, salsa, and sriracha. Very good! I had that before yoga.

And then after yoga, I met my friend Susan at Green Goddess Popcorn & Tea Lounge — a new all-vegan shop at 3078 Summer Avenue. I'll do a full post about Green Goddess tomorrow (and I'll save my pics from there for that), but just know that I had a cinnamon roll and a bowl of vegan rosemary parm popcorn. No shame.

Dinner was more Chick & Salad but over salad greens dressed with cashew ranch this time.


Saturday night, my friend Andy hosted a birthday party for our friend Mike. I knew there would be non-Engine 2 snacks there, so I brought an appetizer from The Engine 2 Cookbook to encourage healthy snacking for me. These are the Texas Armadillo Tater Tots, which look weird but are actually really tasty. They're baby red potatoes coated in oil-free hummus and baked. The hummus gets all crispy on the outside. Very good with ketchup!


I did snack on those, but I also had a couple more decadent things — like Mike's homemade Chex Mix and Andy's French Onion Dip (made with onions, Just Mayo, and Tofutti Cream Cheese). I probably ate more dip than I should have, but it was DELICIOUS! I also drank a couple vodka-La Criox cocktails (my new fave).


Fun weekend! I'll be back tomorrow with a Green Goddess popcorn post, and then we'll resume this food diary thing. 

1 comment:

Hillary said...

As long as I can have tahini in my hummus I'm a okay with no oil!!
The Armadillo tater tots look amazing. They look like something I should have thought of by now! I think you're fining a great balance and all your food looks incredible!