I don’t know about any of you, but I secretly love that we have bid adieu to the holiday season and life is back to reality… back to a routine. I am the type of person that really thrives on routine so I feel like I lost myself a little bit over the holidays.
I, along with most others ate way too many cookies, chocolates, chips (alot of chips), candy and turkey dinners. I even packed on a few lbs… all in festive spirit, of course! 
Shit! Not to worry, once I get back on schedule my body will snap right back!
Yesterday morning, I woke up extra early to try to beat the Sunday craziness that is the Superstore, but in reality I just met everyone there… it was nuts. I loaded my cart with clean and lean foods in preparation for the week ahead. This was the first time I had done a legitimate grocery shop since the beginning of December! I also treated myself to the 50% off jewellery aisle in the Joe Fresh section – they have some pretty nice stuff (don’t tell Scott!)
I awoke this morning ready to go, ready for routine and ready for some healthy eats!
Breakfast
As always, my day started with a cup of coffee. I added a splash of milk and admittedly, two packages of Splenda. I had Stevia out to bring to work and I completely forgot it!
About an hour later I felt like something small to eat so I had about a cup of 1% cottage cheese and a granny smith apple. I had a fairly long meeting that took me straight to lunch so I couldn’t have had a snack even if I wanted to although I did have a boiled egg that was calling my name.
Lunch
(sorry, this picture kind of looks disgusting, I know!)
Last night, my soon to be mother in law made my favourite meal for dinner (without even knowing how much I adored it). This has been my favourite since I was a kid so when there were leftovers, I couldn’t pass them up. Ham, peas and scalloped potatoes. I can hear both of my sisters gagging already! 
At about 3pm I started to feel a little hungry and I knew I had to go to the grocery store after work so for safety purposes I snacked on an Almond & Coconut Kind bar – so good! I ate half and put the other half in my bag for later… and then I ate that too!
Dinner
While perusing my Pinterest boards for a good soup recipe, I came across this Spinach Tomoato Orzo recipe that looked too good to pass up. While shopping yesterday, I couldn’t find Orzo anywhere so after a call for help on my Facebook page today, I found some, just in the nick of time!
This soup turned out really good, receiving rave reviews from Scott, however I made a number of modifications to make it just right.
We paired it with a mini grilled cheese made with real cheese and rye bread.
Spinach Tomato Orzo Soup
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1lb ground italian sausage*
3 garlic gloves, chopped*
1lb spinach, fresh
1 15oz can diced tomatoes (with oregano and basil, often called Italian)
1lb package orzo pasta
2 quarts chicken stock
2 quarts water
olive oil
1 tbsp ground black pepper*
3 tbsp salt*
1 tbsp Italian seasoning*
Method
1. In a large soup pot, drizzle olive oil. Add onions and ground turkey and sauté until sausage is cooked. Add garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, spinach, chicken stock, water and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium heat.
2. Add orzo and cook according to package directions (about 10-12 minutes).
At this point you can either serve, or simmer (note the orzo will continue to expand).
* modification from original recipe
Next time I make this I would let the soup simmer for a couple of hours and add the orzo prior to serving. I would also the orzo portion in half.
I also drank water steady throughout the day, about 100oz.
In other news, The Biggest Loser is back! It started last night and apparently there is another episode on tonight which is exactly how I plan to spend the rest of my night.
I hope you all had a great first day back in the real world.
2013 is here, so set your goals, look ahead and dream big! You have the whole year ahead to achieve anything you set your eyes on!
Its good to be back!
I am going to miss the holidays because I got to sleep more! Also, all of your food looks delish
And the almond coconut kind bars are my favorite!
Mine too! Although there is a dark chocolate one that is really good as well. They were sadly sold out of those at the store today. Happy new year girl!