Monday is the toughest day of the week, right? Luckily mine flew by pretty quick. I started off the work week with the usual coffee (yeah, about that cutting out caffeine thing…) and a peanut butter, pumpkin butter, and banana sandwich on Nature’s Pride whole wheat. LOVE the pumkin butter! Thank you Trader Joe’s.

I was planted in my desk chair all morning (boo…), so was very happy to get up and stretch my legs during my lunch break.

I packed a spinach-sliced pear-blue cheese-pecan-and cranberry salad for lunch.

But the office is freezing, so I also picked up some hot broccoli soup in the cafeteria.

And rounded everything out with some Dr. Kracker apple crackers. These crackers are a little bit sweet – they have dried apple in them!

I was STARVING throughout the afternoon, so I snacked on a KIND fruit & nut bar and a mini luna bar (I don’t usually have two energy bars at once, but my snack drawer needs re-stocking!)

I was feeling kind of blah when I left work (it was cold and dark by 6pm!), but I knew going to the gym would make me feel better. I read US Weekly and People while be-bopping on the elliptical for 60 minutes. Reading about the latest Jon & Kate Plus 8 drama made the time fly by….

Dinner was leftover Coconut Cauliflower Curry. Yay for leftovers and saving money!

And dessert was the remainder of the pumpkin swirl bread topped with greek yogurt and pumpkin butter. Mmm, carbs.

This morning I woke up bright early for a 7:15am spinning class. Well, actually it was still dark when I left the apartment…I was rushing and only had time for coffee beforehand. MISTAKE. After 45 minutes of hill intervals I wanted to eat my arm. I immediately grabbed my breakfast from the locker room and chowed down on a vanilla oikos yogurt with a crumbled pb&j lara bar. I can eat a lara bar in about 4 bites (this girl is NOT a nibbler), so crumbling the bar over yogurt seems to make it last a little longer.

My early morning called for a cappuccino at my desk and an apple around 10am.

An hour later I was STARVING again. I don’t know what is going on with me, but I’m a bottomless pit. I grabbed a tub of low-fat cottage cheese and a box of raisins as a snack.

Early afternoon was full of errands and meetings, but by 2pm I was hungry again. Time for some more leftovers! I added a lot of hot sauce to my coconut cauliflower curry, just the way I like it.

Hmm, leftover curry doesn’t exactly photograph well.

I’m sure I’ll probably need a snack before dinner time….

In the News

Check out this yummy vegan chocolate-peanut butter cup recipe from Alicia Silverstone’s new book.

Another point for the Mediterranean Diet – a new study purports that it can prevent depression.

Finally, from the NY Times – Will cutting calories (drastically) help you live longer?

Question: If cutting your daily calorie count by 25% meant that you could live much longer, would you do it?