Guess what tomorrow is? Friday yes, but it also happens to be the day that Season 3 of Orange is the New Black comes out on Netflix!!! I haven’t had a show lately that I was so addicted to that made me miss it when it wasn’t on. I seriously miss OITNB. The characters are fantastic and they have just the right mix of drama and comedy. Good work Netflix, good work.
The downfall of Season 3 coming out this weekend is that I will be tempted to spend all day Saturday and all day Sunday binge watching it! In theory, I would love to watch 1 episode every night to stretch the season out as long as possible. I’m guessing Donny is not going to allow that. We tend to get to the end of one episode and then think “sure we can watch another!”…..four hours later it is dark outside and we’ve watched 5 episodes. Whoops.
Anyway, I’ll keep you updated on how fantastic the show is, but right now let’s talk about snacks. I generally have 5 small “meals” per day all of which fall between 250-350 calories each. I often get made fun of at work because my “snacks” in the afternoon can sometimes be chicken, steak, or salmon. Yes, I eat a LOT of protein throughout the day and instead of thinking about it as a “snack”, I consider eating at 3:30pm or 4:00pm to be my 4th meal.
Regardless of what I call it, I still have food in the afternoon. I like to prep a ton of meat over the weekend so I can pack it for my meals throughout the day. Sometimes we either run out or I don’t feel like eating meat 3-4 times a day, so I choose a different protein. Hello cottage cheese. So yes, my go-to afternoon “snack” (or “meal”, if you will) is cottage cheese. It is quick to pack and full of protein. I enjoy it plain, with fruit, or my favorite is with tomatoes and avocado.
If you have not tried this combo yet, then you should! I love avocado with basically anything or even plain. It is hard for me to even clasify this a recipe because it is sooooo easy. Take cottage cheese. Top it with diced or halved tomatoes and diced avocado. Sprinkle with black pepper. Enjoy.
Easy peasy! I also like to top it with reduced balsamic vinegar (you could also just top it with regular balsamic vinegar). I had a bunch left over from when I made the Caprese Quinoa Bake so to use it up I would put it on cottage cheese. Also delicious!
What is great about this snack/meal is that it can be easily modified. I try to keep pretty good track of my macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fats) each day so if I need more protein then I will have more cottage cheese, or if I am lacking in healthy fats for the day, then I will have more avocado. It can be a light snack or a bigger snack, depending how much you eat of it!
Cottage cheese can be tricky to buy. In my experience, some brands are wonderful and some are terrible. My preference for cottage cheese is actually 1% using small curds (I hate that word…. curd…it is so weird). Lucerne is my favorite brand that I’ve tried and lately our Safeway has actually been carrying the 1%! For a while they only had fat free, 2%, or full fat. In terms of calories, all of them are pretty close to the same but 1% is my personal preference. If you are in a pinch some day and need a quick snack, give this combo a try!
On a side note, last night we took some family pictures and I’m really excited about them! For my parents 30th anniversary back in November, we gave them a photo session so that we could get photos of both of them, Donny, myself, Lindsey, & Cody. We had not taken family pictures in years. We took them last night and I cannot wait to see them! The photographer said she would send us a link, so hopefully I’ll be able to share some of my favorites!
Now……. to wait for Season 3 of Orange is the New Black. The anticipation is killing me!
Have you tried avocado and cottage cheese? How about with tomatoes?
