Thursday, April 22, 2010

Health vs. Wealth (Greek Yogurt)

I have a problem with getting myself to buy Greek yogurt. There are so many pros to eating Greek yogurt though that I'm fighting an internal battle with myself! The top benefit is the protein Greek yogurt contains. It can contain up to 15 grams of protein for a 6 oz. container. It's also lower in sugar.

The con I'm finding with buying Greek yogurt is that it costs so much more money than regular yogurt. A 6 oz. container of regular yogurt will cost me around 50 cents. A 6 oz. container of Greek yogurt will cost a minimum of $1 and usually more! How do I justify spending the extra money? Sometimes I will buy 1 or 2 containers of Greek yogurt just to buy it. People may say to buy a larger container of the Greek yogurt. True, that may save you a few cents versus buying the 6 oz. container but it's still hugely more expensive than regular (at least in the Chicago area). I'm not a huge fan of plain yogurt either but maybe Greek plain would be better tasting.

So that's the battle I'm fighting, health vs. wealth. What's a person trying to live a healthier life to do? I eat yogurt every day. Spending twice the amount of something every single day is a lot.
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What do you guys do about this?
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Moving on to yesterday. I didn't do too bad (at first). Had half of a muffin (I'm sure that's not good) but I can deal with it.

We were getting lunch from Portillo's (delicious hamburger, hot dog, beef sandwich place). I looked online and, even though they don't provide nutritionals (not even when I emailed them!), I did get some info from other sites. My best best was the Chopped Chicken Salad, no cheese. It was delicious and filling!

I actually didn't count my points for the day either (bad bad girl!). But I was keeping things in check (mostly). Then I made dinner, measured out my portion and was good to go. Until an hour later when I grabbed the container and just dug into more! Why do I do these things? But that was the only major slip-up.

I also mowed the lawn. The first time I mowed my lawn, I did it two different days. The front half and side, I burned 300+ and the back the next day, I burned 200 calories. This time? Only 326 for all of it, front, side and back! But it took the same amount of time. Maybe I was conserving more energy? Maybe it was because it was hotter (80 degrees) last time and this time it was only about 50 degrees. Would that make a difference? Maybe. **Note to self - only mow the lawn when it's hot outside!

The Pasta dish I made yesterday was pretty good! I got a few different ideas from several different places and then just made it up (I NEVER make things up in the kitchen, I'm not that creative).

Ingredients:
garlic
olive oil
bow tie pasta
tomatoes
baby spinach
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

-Cook bow tie pasta according to directions.
-In a separate pan, saute garlic in olive oil.
-When garlic is softened, add chopped tomatoes. I used grape tomatoes and quartered them (although next time, I might just half them). Cook until softened (about 4 mins).
-Add about 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped. Cook about 1 additional minute or until spinach is wilted.
-When pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain the rest.
-Add the tomato/spinach mixture to pasta and toss.
-Add 2 TBSP of pasta water (more if needed) to pasta if you think it is too dry and needs more liquid. (I added a little more olive oil too).
-Add salt and pepper to taste (then I added more s&p)
-Add Parmesan cheese and toss.

My picture of my bowl (the first one):



It was good. I liked it although I would try it a little differently next time.

Total pts used: ??

Exercise pts earned: 4
30 mins walking
1 hr 10 mins yard work

3 comments:

  1. Do you have Trader Joes where you live? Their Greek yogurt is cheaper than any other I have seen.

    Good job on your pasta dish!

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  2. You know I'm a big greek yogurt fan! Chobani is almost always on sale. Just bought some yesterday - 5 for $4.97. Not too bad, right? It's well worth it!

    Your pasta looks delicious and very creative :)

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  3. Tami, yes I have a Trader Joes. But still it's 2x as expensive as regular. Hm...I guess I just will buy both and alternate. So I have a little health and a little wealth.

    Marisa - Chobani. I know you talk about it all the time. I bought it once. It's also expensive but very good. Some are very high in calories though. I guess I just have to watch which ones I buy! Thanks guys!

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