life

5 on a Friday: Caught Up (Finally) Edition!

August 18, 2023

1- Barbie!!

I still haven’t seen it, but A and I are going this weekend. But the soundtrack! I LOVE THE SOUNDTRACK. Try not to get Speed Drive in your head constantly . . . I have failed.

2- Orientation day seems to have gone well! I am happy to hear that there is a no cell phone policy at the middle school (and it sounds like it will actually be enforced, though I guess we will have to see). They can have the phone in their backpack but it has to be set to off or do not disturb; they cannot use phones during lunch or free periods. Also apparently they have installed some monitoring software in everyone’s Chromebooks. Happy about all of this, honestly.

orientation day (not the official first day pic, that will be next week!)

3- INBOX ZERO trifecta has been reached. For this moment, anyway. (gmail / outlook work email / EPIC). That will probably not be true by the time I hit “publish” but it is right now and that is good enough 🙂

4- We do not have much planned this weekend but did get an impromptu invite to eat Argentine BBQ and watch Messi (on TV, no we do not have tix!) so that will be fun. AND I have to take a kid to get teeth taken out (I feel lucky to have snagged this Saturday appt, someone must have cancelled).

I guess I’ll have time to switch planners then. Because clearly this is important!

5- PROTEIN. I’m super into it now; I guess I drank the Peter Attia kool-aid but also I feel like it DOES help with satiety and that was something I was struggling with on higher mileage.

Current protein favorites: cottage cheese (I know, some people hate it – I actually really like it — Friendship brand low fat is my fave), Vans waffles / Kodiak products, eggs, and (of course) meat (usually just at dinner most days). I used to be kind of anti-bar, but just ordered RISE bars after hearing about them on Fuel for the Sole — they are basically just whey protein, almond butter, and honey. Other protein-centered recs?

Happy Friday!!

25 Comments

  • Reply Chelsea August 18, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    I definitely struggle with getting in enough protein. I was actually thinking of ordering those Rise bars as well. I also get Momentous protein powder (which is $$$$ but has all the 3rd party testing), which I usually drink with breakfast. I think it tastes pretty good as these things go.

  • Reply Amy August 18, 2023 at 5:58 pm

    Ha, I also was about to order some Rise bars after listening to FFTS podcast!

    And yes — the music in Barbie is so fun. I bet you’ll love the movie. It’s really funny, but the ending is powerful.

  • Reply coco August 18, 2023 at 6:19 pm

    tofu, tempeh, beans, protein powder in oatmeal are my go-to sources.

  • Reply Emily August 18, 2023 at 8:12 pm

    I am a vegetarian who eats a fairly high protein diet, but I really have to be conscious of making sure I prioritize it because I don’t have meat as an option. Other than the things you mention (I love cottage cheese and eggs), I’m a big fan of Greek yogurt. I do a lot of Greek yogurt + fruit, which I find so versatile because I have it sometimes at breakfast, lunch (in combo with something else usually), a snack, or even when I have a taste for something sweet. Sometimes also I’ll add peanut butter or some protein powder. Also smoothies especially when it’s hot are a staple for me, with Greek yogurt, some kind of milk, fruit, greens, and protein powder. I also try to do things like subbing chickpea pasta for regular pasta and things like that to just get a little extra here and there.

  • Reply patricia August 18, 2023 at 8:26 pm

    Perfect bars and macro bars are my favorites – I’ll have to try the Rise ones! I usually have one as breakfast plus a gel before am workouts.

    • Reply Kristie August 19, 2023 at 1:44 pm

      I second Perfect bars! They are my personal favorite. The peanut butter ones have 17g or protein, and the pb choc chip (my favorite!) have 15g. I’m curious to try Rise bars after listening to the same podcast.

  • Reply patricia August 18, 2023 at 8:27 pm

    Oh, and the Oikos pro Greek yogurts!

  • Reply Claudia August 18, 2023 at 9:03 pm

    If you’re into bars, I personally really like Barebells Chocolate Dough bars. I get them at Trader Joe’s. Other good sources are edamame, Greek yogurt (my favorite is fage 2%), and chickpeas. I’ve found that concentrating on getting enough fiber with my protein makes all the difference, just protein alone doesn’t satiate me as much. I thought I was eating a lot of fiber because I eat a lot of veggies but turns out I wasn’t hitting the 25 gram RDA regularly. Beans and complex carbs have way more of an impact on my intake and my diet feels more well-rounded for it.

  • Reply Coree August 19, 2023 at 8:40 am

    Woohoo for clean inboxes. I’ve got my personal email down to 20 yesterday but the remaining things are annoying things I need to actually think about.

    I really like cottage cheese but I’m sadly off dairy. I just cleaned out the downstairs cupboard after finding a pair of UNWORN shoes that my son had outgrown. It makes me ragey so I did a big clearout, got my son to line up all our shoes across the hallway to do the sort out. A friend is picking up the outgrown shoes and some clothes today so that’ll be good.

  • Reply Stephanie August 19, 2023 at 9:08 am

    I like Chobani greek yogurt, and after I go to the gym I make a protein smoothie (frozen fruit, plain greek yogurt, oatmeal, protein powder, and milk/ juice). I really like that at Costco you can buy frozen fruit that is already portioned out into individual servings and also has kale mixed in. I take a portion out of the freezer as I leave for the gym and when I get back it is defrosted just the right amount.

  • Reply Jenny August 19, 2023 at 10:07 am

    I have really been trying to eat more protein too. My goal is at least 100 grams a day. My go to foods to make sure I am hitting that goal is core power, greek yogurt, a turkey sandwich at lunch with a lot of turkey.

  • Reply ahealthyslice August 19, 2023 at 10:19 am

    I’m fully on the protein train and have noticed benefits over the past 6+ months of focusing on getting close to 100ish g per day. If you are liking cottage cheese, try Good Culture. It’s the best! I also rely on boiled eggs, bone broth, canned salmon/tuna, and pumpkin seeds.

  • Reply Melanie August 19, 2023 at 11:29 am

    Legendary Foods poptarts have been my go to for protein snacks lately – quite a treat!

  • Reply Ames August 19, 2023 at 6:12 pm

    I like to keep hard boiled eggs on hand for a quick + easy protein source at any time of day. They’re especially easy to make if you have an instant pot ( 5/5/5 – 5 minutes at pressure, 5 minute NPR, 5 minutes in an ice bath) – the shells slide right off.

    On mornings with more time, I like to make a breakfast of scrambled or over easy eggs along with a greens + balsamic vinegar and a slice of whole wheat toast.

  • Reply Rebecca August 19, 2023 at 6:22 pm

    Some of my fave sources of protein: string cheese, nuts, cottage cheese/yogurt, eggs.

  • Reply Seppie August 20, 2023 at 9:09 am

    Question: how do you eat your cottage cheese?

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger August 20, 2023 at 10:51 am

      usually plain or with fruit on top, or with granola + fruit

  • Reply Ruth August 20, 2023 at 12:59 pm

    I mix chocolate flavour protein powder (I like ProteinWorks brand but not sure if it’s available in the US) and zero fat Greek yoghurt for the most filling snack known to mankind!

  • Reply Jessica August 21, 2023 at 11:15 am

    Hi, I hate complaining about such things but the ads have been awful the past few weeks. There is now a LAZBOY ad (at least what I see) that now butts up against the text. Is there anyway to improve this?

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger August 21, 2023 at 12:16 pm

      I did reduce the ads but sometimes there are still pop ups. I will see what I can do . . .

  • Reply San August 21, 2023 at 1:56 pm

    I know cottage cheese is a great source of protein. I am just getting into it – what are you favorite ways to incorporate it into your diet (so far, I’ve been eating it on bread and in pancakes, but open to more ideas!)

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger August 21, 2023 at 3:31 pm

      With granola and fruit prob my favorite! I prefer it to Greek yogurt …

      • Reply San August 22, 2023 at 12:19 pm

        Oh, I’ll give this a try. Didn’t even occur to me 😉

  • Reply Kerry Camp September 9, 2023 at 1:22 pm

    I know I’m late to the game here, but Healthy Eating on the Go bars are delicious and have 15-18g of protein in them, no added sugars. Owned by a mom entrepreneur. Small company, so they are only sold online, but their bars have really blown me away (and I’m super picky!). As a fellow runner and medical mama, I share your struggle with protein and these have really helped.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger September 9, 2023 at 1:59 pm

      Ooh good to know!!!

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