Salmon Sunday

Salmon was had for Saturday dinner, and with a piece leftover, I knew exactly what to do with it!

Got myself another slice of pumpernickel and shredded the salmon on top, with a side of fresh cantaloupe and a cup of jasmine green :) Nice, balanced lunch on a lazy Sunday!

Tuna on Rye, Big Bear Style

Top o' the weekend to you, blogosphere!

I am fresh off a trip to the Big Bear Natural Foods store, stocked up on all sorts of tasty-but-healthy somethings. First thing I did after getting back was make this:

The tuna is actually Trader Joe's, but the bread is from a newly purchased loaf of pumpernickel rye - got a loaf of just plain rye too, curious to see the difference between em :P But the tomatoes and the tea in the background were also courtesy of Big Bear, so I can thank it for at least 3/4 of my lunch :P And I got some canned chicken and salmon too, so I'll be sure to try those as well :)

I had never been one for canned tuna as a kid, but as I've come to enjoy fish more as I've gotten older, I figured it was time to give it a try! Cause it's packed with protein, comes in a can, and goes great on some hearty bread like this :) Perfect combination of manfuel! Balanced out of course with the flowery-smelling jasmine green tea, but that stuff is freakin tasty :P

Pumpernickel Power Lunch

The lazy guy returns!

This week I was fortunate enough to spend some time hanging out with my good friend from Wolf it Down, and in addition to getting up to some awesome adventures, I also was able to get some excellent advice on the nutrition-exercise balance. I highly recommend reading through this post, as it's been quite helpful for me as well.

I've certainly been through my ups and downs when it comes to a healthy outlook on eating right and exercising, and much of the past year has unfortunately consisted of a bit too much obsession. Counting calories, pushing myself too hard with workouts, and not allowing myself to enjoy foods or indulge occasionally - while it's definitely important to be mindful of what you are putting into your body, and while regular exercise can have a number of positive effects on a person, I am now realizing just how true it is that moderation is key.

I'm resolving now to give up on counting calories, instead aiming to do what feels right - healthy both from a physical and mental standpoint. That means getting enough nutrition through a balanced and varied diet - no more cutting out certain food groups for the sake of limiting calories. This lazy guy lunch is what I hope to be just the first step.

What we have here is a turkey-cheese-and-tomato sandwich on some hearty pumpernickel bread. Previously I would cut out cheese (while also not having an alternate source of dairy, resulting in not enough calcium and Vitamin D), or simply munch on turkey and fruit without the bread (not supplying enough fuel to my body). However, these are all healthy ingredients, and a reasonable portion - supplying fiber, protein, and healthy fats, plus enough energy to keep you going.

I used a slice of havarti dill cheese, which went perfectly with the pumpernickel, and the tomato slices (with some extra on the side) were a refreshing accompaniment. I'll definitely have to hit up the Big Bear Natural Foods store again, as this was my last slice of pumpernickel! And I'll undoubtedly be stocking up on more healthy-and-delicious foods to construct my lazyguysomethings in the near future :)

Working-From-Home Chicken Wrap

Another post!

So it has been snowing like crazy in NJ (and pretty much all of the east coast here), and so I have been doing a lot of working from home this past week or so. Trapped by a blizzard again as we speak! But I figured I'd take a lunchtime break to post up something small I fixed myself while doing the home shift the other day:

Just a simple chicken wrap, but it looked fairly picturesque before I folded it up, so I figured I'd take a photo :P Had leftover chicken from the previous night's dinner, and it was actually just the perfect amount! The tomato slices were a nice touch, as I don't usually add tomato on packed lunch :P And an apple on the side with some green tea hit the spot :)

Turkey & Tomato

So I have probably made clear my love of peanut butter and banana sandwiches by now, particularly the open-faced variety - this snack I whipped up whilst working from home this week is sort of the meat-sandwich equivalent I think :P

Was in the mood for something with a good amount of lean protein, but also a bit of carbs for fuel, and didn't feel like making a wrap, as those tend to be more of the sad-desk-lunches :P Only wanting something small, I didn't want to make a closed sandwich, but the usual spinach and arugula would have been too unwieldy on an open one. And turkey on bread by itself seemed lacking...enter tomato slices!

I realize that was a rather length explanation for such a small thing, but hey, the lazy guy puts forth effort in the most random of places :P

The above photo is the one I made during the week, and then just now I decided to go for it again as a post-workout refueling snack - but the added slice of pickle was just too classy not to take another photo of, hehe.

Lo-Carb Lazy Dogs

This has become a favorite quick dinner option of mine, on nights such as this Monday when I've been feeling particularly lazy. I've discovered these organic chicken hotdogs that are pretty tasty and only 70 calories each - so I feel free to eat several of em without feeling like I'm overdoing it :P Instead of having each of them on a bun, I just accompany them with a bunch of side items and eat with a knife and fork! Takes just a few minutes on combination cook in the microwave - you can put em right on the rack, or boil em in a glassware container with some water. I've found just placing them on the rack works well, and is perhaps the most lazy-guy-friendly method :P

Here I had them with tomatoes, onions, and pickles, along with some Trader Joe's mustard - I like how you can get a bit of everything on a forkful or try different combinations.

Another option is to add a side of lazy eggs, for a sausage-and-egg-type meal. With these, I had them with Trader Joe's peach salsa, which is sweet, but goes well with the tomato and onion. So there's a fair amount of versatility you can get with these :) Sometimes I'll also have them with jalapeno peppers, or pinto beans. The only thing is, it can be a bit of a sodium-heavy meal, so I make sure to have plenty of water with em.

Pineapple Nut Plate

Here I am again!

Put this together for a snack last night, as I had a pineapple on hand - got it as part of a holiday gift basket at work, a super nice present from my boss, and so I decided to dig into that pineapple!

Those are indeed macadamia nuts speckled throughout the nut mixture, would have been more Hawaiian had they been all macadamias, but you know, cashews and almonds are good too, so I'm not complaining :P

Aaand what you see on the side there, topping it all off, is my version of a poor-man's pina colada. It involves equal parts Cruzan white rum and Polar toasted-coconut seltzer. And I tossed in a "pineapple straw" since I had the option :P Not a bad snack on a lazy Saturday after a sorta small dinner, perfect for unwinding :)

I may post something again before Christmas, or I may not - depends how creative my snacking gets :P If not, Happy Holidays, blogosphere!