OMG today has been a hot one… and while it’s not the warmest we’ve had, it’s the most uncomfortable I’ve been. I think because we let our house get to 86* before I turned on the AC and I wore black pants. I’ll admit, my choices were suspect, but nonetheless… I was uncomfortable today!
The meal plan for today was waffles, eggs, sausage and watermelon. Truly this meal sounded good to me even this morning…. but the warmer I was, the less I wanted to eat a waffle, make scrambled eggs, etc. It just seemed too hot to make, too hot to consume and too hot to look forward to. Instead I was enjoying iced water or iced coffee and as I was sipping it hit me; do a down day!
So that’s exactly what I did. And for those curious my hubby was quick to suggest he & my son get Little Caesar’s! SCORE – no cooking (my girls were gone… one with Nana & Papa the other at camp).
This was my 500 calorie meal – in a cold, drink form. It was refreshing (about 2.5 of those glasses), filling and delicious!
Meal Details
First, we need to gather ingredients!!
These ingredients are widely available and exact brands don’t matter, just check ingredient labels as calories may vary slightly.
First, I measured the dates to 30 grams. This was important as dates are high in calorie and really varied in size. I used the nutritional label and did simple math. 40 grams = 110 calories on the label. I did 3/4 of that serving, so (3/4)*110 = 83 calories with the dates. I measured and added these right to the blender.
Next, I added a banana (estimated 110 calories), 1/4 cup old fashioned oats (75 calories) and two tbsp of peanut butter powder (45 calories).
The liquid was a carton of Premier Protein in the caramel flavor (160 calories) and 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (30 calories). Finally, a large handful of ice – zero calories of course! To top it off I sprinkled in cinnamon, but didn’t measure nor count calories on that.
Let’s add it up & blend it up
- Dates – 83 calories
- Banana – 110 calories
- Oats – 75 calories
- Peanut Butter Powder – 45 calories
- Premier Protein Shake – 160 calories
- Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk – 30 calories
- Ice & Cinnamon – 0 calories
- Grand Total – 503 calories
This was delicious and VERY filling. I filled that cup 2.5 times. I felt like I had a fish bowl for a belly after I drank this. It would have been great to make and freeze ahead of time then blend again for a thicker shake texture. But I didn’t plan this meal, so it didn’t happen. In the future, I think I would ditch the dates. While they were a delicious addition, I think a cheese stick, chicken sausage or bowl of a low calorie fruit/veggie would have been a better addition when I am considering calories.
This is a 500 calorie meal I would love to take on the road, maybe if we had an out of town sporting event. I could prepare it and drink during the travel time on a busy evening (which personally I believe are the best down days!)
Fasting & Eating Times
As this was an unplanned down day, I ended up having my 500 calorie meal later than normal. Usually if I plan to have a down day I end up eating lunch. This was right about 4 PM so I got in just over 22 hours of a fast in as shown in the photo below. This is from the fasting app Zero, available on apple watch I was delighted to discover!!
It only took me 7 minutes to eat (well drink) this! So my eating window was very short. However, it was delicious and satisfying; so even if low calorie & much more restricted than normal, it didn’t feel like a sacrifice. Plus, the cool drink was a great refreshing option on a hot, sweaty day!
Up Day is Coming!
While I didn’t plan a down day, it does work really well with my schedule. Tomorrow my daughter is coming home from camp after nearly 2 weeks being gone. So we’re having a walking taco bar, ice cream cones, s’mores and more by the pool. It’ll be fun to celebrate out by the pool and see my girl again – especially with a longer eating window!
As a reminder, I love to keep my 500 calorie meals fun, delicious and filled with variety. You can see another here!
[…] Using the data above, you can see my eating windows really varied. July 01, I had over a 6 hour eating window! This was an up-day. You can see it followed a very short eating window the day before – only 7 minutes. This was a down-day and I simply ate a single 500 calorie smoothie/drink (see it here, it was so refreshing and delicious!) […]