Variety Is The Spice
Hey everyone! How was your Hump Day? 
It was a low-key day around here. I woke up feeling pretty refreshed and ready to tackle the day. And breakfast!
Before hitting the gym, I grabbed an Orange Date Baked Oatmeal Bar…
These are so tasty and filling! I nuked it for about 10 seconds and munched on the drive.
The gym was a flurry of activity. They are getting some new machines in, so things were in a bit of disarray. I was keeping my fingers crossed for a Stairmill, but it looked like they were just replacing some broken treadmills and bikes 
My hip was feeling a little sore, so I took it easy and did the recumbent bike for 20 minutes and the elliptical for another 10. I planned on doing some arm work, but the machines were too busy, so I headed home and did about 10 minutes of free weights. A spread-out workout, but got the job done.
Lunch was a vegetarian tasting plate. I wanted a little of everything! I made an open-faced hummus, spinach and cucumber sandwich using this bread from Trader Joe’s…
It’s a delicious, hearty bread, but the slices are tiny! Leaving it open-faced gave the illusion of “more”. I topped the slices with 2 tbsp. hummus, a few leaves of baby spinach and sliced cucumber…
and paired it with carrots and a cup of Trader Joe’s organic black bean soup…
I made use of leftovers for dinner. I had a piece of grilled tandoori chicken in the fridge and used it to make an Indian-inspired chopped chicken salad….
- grilled tandoori chicken, chopped
- 1/3 cup diced cucumber
- 1/4 cup chick peas
- 12 grape tomatoes, halved
- dash of cumin
- s + p to taste
The star ingredient was this…
I added 2 tbsp. raita to the mix…
And served it on a bed of romaine…
Very fresh and light! I’m loving the flavors of this raita yogurt dip. It’s so versatile. Tamara also had the great idea of mixing it with black beans. I can’t wait to try that!
****
I get asked quite often if I always make a different meal for the husband and daughters every night. In general, my answer is a resounding “yes”. I fight the good fight sometimes, but overall, they have worn me down and I end up making what I know they like (*read* know they’ll eat) and be done with it. They are okay with eating the same things over and over, but I need variety. I like getting creative in the kitchen and trying new things. It’s an outlet for me and I find it exciting. Them….not so much.
Since I get the meal question so often, I thought it would be fun to do a “What They Ate” segment now and then!
Tonight’s What They Ate : Taco Nachos!
They love tacos! But, tacos can be messy and most often the shell crumbles and the whole thing falls apart (and all over the table…and on the floor…grrrr… 
). I decided to make it easy on myself “the cleanup crew” them and break up the shells first. Then, I added the browned ground beef…
Layer it all with a TON of cheese (I use Cabot’s 75% reduced fat cheddar and they are none the wiser – muwahahaha 
)
and heated in a 350 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes until the cheese gets nice and melty. I topped it with shredded lettuce and tomatoes…
and served it with guacamole and salsa for the haters who like everything “on the side”
And that’s What They Ate ! They are so spoiled. Or I am so stupid. Hmmm…I’m thinking it’s the latter.
Have a great day, everyone!
BTW, thank you all for the nice comments on my new header!! I love it, too!
Do you like to eat the same meals or do you prefer variety?
Questions? Email me! aloserforlife@gmail.com
17 comments
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Loser For Life. Loser For Life said: Variety Is The Spice http://goo.gl/fb/YsKPq [...]
I am trying hard to get more variety in my foods. In fact, just this week I set a goal to eat a different protein source in every meal of the day (and I eat 5-6 meals a day). So far, so good!
It depends. I do repeat a lot of my meals but sometimes it’s just great trying new foods.
I like variety and I keep trying to get it in ! We tend to fall into a same pattern with breakfasts and lunches, and dinners are at the very least a rotation of a current 20 or so favorites. And I am going to have to try cucumber with hummus – it sounds terrific !
That salad looks delicious! I tend to cater to my family as well. If I make something, usually a side dish that one of them won’t eat I try to make something different for that person. I cook the same meal for all of us.
I have recipes that we have over and over but not every week! I like a huge variety, thus the enormous collection of recipes and cookbooks.
I like learning how to make new foods, trying new cooking techniques and experimenting!
I guess I am a creature of habit. I do however throw in a few suprises here and there!
oooh those nachos look amazing!!
I’m a creature of habit… but my husband’s not! So I try to mix it up just enough to keep us both happy!
Cooking 2 meals is tough. If I had a family to feed I might do that- but since it is just Sean and I I try to only cook one meal. He is REALLY picky BUT, he also loves the way we eat right now. SO when he did a guest post for me with his list of meals that he likes the helped me use as my go to list when I need ideas. lol We also pick out stuff out of cookbooks to make- new stuff is needed!
If you buy lean ground beef, you can have the taco nachos too. I guess I understand if you didn’t want it b/c you like to be creative! The nachos sound good! I should make that!
I fall victim to the ’same old same old’ meal trap sometimes but I always like to add new recipes to the mix. What a great idea for picky eaters! I love the idea of taco nachos – my own picky eater (my husband) would love those.
I try to add variety, but I end up eating the same things everyday! I’m also the only one who eats leftovers – the fiancee doesn’t take his lunch to work, so I end up eating the same thing because I don’t want to waste! But sometimes leftovers are SO good!!
Love the new header!
Sorry no stairmill. I love those things. Unfortunately my gym only has 4 and they are always being used.
I wish that all locations of my gym had them, but sadly that is not the case!
I try to mostly cook one meal and adapt it to a healthier version. DS is very picky but getting better cause I don’t give in so easily and DD just goes with the flow, eating her worst thing first so it is over with but they are slowly learning to be healthier. Watching you are what you eat on BBC has helped a lot for them to see what good food choices can do.
Your meals always look great
I love variety and I’ll only cook one meal, so my kids and dh just have to eat what I make. I always tell them that when they’re the ones cooking, they can choose what we’ll eat! I don’t make the kids clean their plates and I do always make sure there are 2 items that everyone will eat (usually fat free milk and fruit). There is also no eating after dinner, so my kids have gotten pretty good at eating what I put in front of them. They’re 8 year old B/G twins and are the opposite of each other, so you can be sure that whatever one likes, the other doesn’t! If I catered to everyone, I’d be making 3 or 4 meals every night and that’s not happening.
i dont know what i’d do if i had to cook two different dinners every night!! we used to eat a dinner similar to that one growing up, except we scooped it up with chips instead of having chips on the bottom
does the rest of the fam only like burgers/fries/pizza/chicken and thats why yyou dont want to eat their meals, or will they eat veggies and all that jazz? hopefully your healthy habits will rub off on the girls as they get older so they can just “maintain” forever
I like the new header too but I miss the cartoon Marisa. She was hawt! I definitely making those oatmeal bars. Lately I’ve had a hate on for purchased granola bars.
I’m guilty of the two meals at night time thing too. I don’t mind. We might as well both eat what we like right? And I like cooking.
I am so bummed we don’t have Trader Joe’s that bread looks awesome, and 40 calories?!
I am going to try that chicken salad, yum.