Reflections on Vacation Eating

I'm sure you guys have gathered that my trip to the Cape was pretty amazing.  I'm sure you've also noticed that I haven't really talked about what I ate when I was on the Cape.  

This is definitely favorite pic #6

The cool thing about blogging is that you can put it out there, and it's over and done.  No additional dwelling.  So... here goes!

Disclaimer:  This is vacation eating, not my average days on JC.  No judgment please.  Overall though, I think it did pretty good.  If I look back at what I would have eaten a year ago... it's really quite remarkably good.

Breakfasts on Plan Daily
The closest JC to the Cape was in Hyannis, which is 45 minutes away.  So, I quickly decided that I would eat JC for breakfast (packing my trusty cereal) and then the rest of the day, I would do my best and follow the strategy my JC counselor suggested:  Filling my plate with 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch, and 1/2 vegetables.  Ideally, she and I also discussed avoiding starches as much as possible.






Every morning for breakfast, I had JC Cereal that I had packed in my suitcase.  I had my trusty JC Complete Start Cereal and I also packed a few JC Multi-Grain Hoops!  I hadn't had those in a long time, so they were a lovely surprise.
  


Speaking of breakfast, one thing that I didn't expect to face on vacation and around every corner was the following:

Seriously??

We MAY have 3 or 4 Dunkin Donuts here in Colorado... and they're over an hour away in Colorado Springs.  I can't even imagine having them around every corner.  EEKS!  The day we went to watch the sunrise, the kids were promised Dunkin' Donuts afterwards.  Yes, I walked in, and yes, I walked out without a donut.  Even though my FAVORITE maple frosted donut was crying out to me.

Lunches at the Beach

We spent most days on Nauset Beach around lunchtime.  My sister-in-law Beth being a pro at this, we packed lunches every day for our outing.  We grilled up veggies on the first day, and I ate grilled veggie sandwiches most days.

There was one day where I ate JC's Rotini and Meatballs.  I brought it thinking that there was no way I'd eat it, but I worked it in!

On my last day on Nauset, I participated in a family cookout on the beach!  I've never done that before.  How fun is it to fire up a mini gas grill in the sand.  Well, we did it, and apparently Beth and the kids do this all the time.  Not my best food choice, but this did mean that I consumed (yep) hot dogs.  Not just any hot dog, but the famous Kayem hot dogs that I'd heard about for years.  It was more about the experience rather than the food, and definitely fun!

Lunch Challenge:  CHIPS.  I'm not good at chips at all.  Overall, I'd say I have a chip-session.  Well, the sandwiches we had were paired with Cape Cod Reduced Fat Potato Chips.  But again, it was MUCH less than I would have eaten in days past (and quite yummy.)

On the bright side, we also brought with us cut veggies and delicious water to the beach most days.

Dinner

The first weekend I was there was not my best.  I may have had a burger at a local clam place, but I paired it with a side salad instead of fries, and just ate a FEW of their world-famous onion rings.  Not terrible, and it took care of the burger craving I've had for months!!!


Beth and I also got really creative with dinners once the weekend guests left.  As I mentioned before, we worked our way through a Weight Watchers Cookbook.  I plan to blog about the recipes we tried because they were all SO good and some I think would be great "Meals On My Own"!  Here's a glimpse of what we were noshing on:  Turkey Taco Salad, Hoisin-Lime Pork Lettuce Wraps , Italian Pinwheel Steaks, and BBQ Chicken Baked Potatoes.  Yum, Yum, Yum!  The stats were pretty strong for all of the dishes... so, stay tuned.  I only wish I had pics of everything!



Snacks

While I brought JC snacks with me, I brought the majority of them home.  The chips I had eaten and a few glasses of wine I had took care of my allowance for snacks.  


One thing I couldn't resist trying... Sundae School.  I've heard about this local ice cream shop for YEARS from my sister-in-law.  So, I tried it!  I picked a Frozen Yogurt option that was Coffee Oreo. Considering their decadent ice cream list, I thought this was a pretty good choice.  Again, it's all about making better choices.  Although, that hot fudge sundae Beth had looked sooooooo good.

Overall, I know that I'm up a little bit after this trip, but I would have been shocked if I weren't.  I know exactly why (as listed above.)


AND... I've got no regrets!  I enjoyed every minute (and morsel) of my trip, and now I'm back on track!