Gaahhhhh!!! I am so frickin’ frustrated with Ecto! It totally ruined my day today. I spent hours and hours messing with it, and it’s still not working properly! 
So, after publishing my breakfast post, everything seemed fine and dandy with Ecto, so I canceled my appointment with the Genuis Bar and went along with my day. I had lots to do, so I was happy that I didn’t need to take a trip to the Apple store.
Mid-morning, I snacked on a No-Bake Bar, an apple, and a refill of iced coffee.
Then, I headed out to run some errands around town. First, I visited a local consignment shop to see if I could make a little money off some of my old clothing. The shop ended up taking 3 pairs of pants and a cute top, so hopefully, they will sell.
Then, I stopped by the bank, dry cleaners, CVS, Good Health, and finally the gym. I’m so used to taking public transportation or walking to run my errands, but I think this driving thing might work out for me. 
Workout
At the gym, I ran 3.53 miles in 30 minutes (8:29 pace). I really pushed myself and varied my speeds from 6.5 – 7.5 mph, so I felt like I was hauling-ass at times! After my run, I jumped on the elliptical for 30 minutes and caught up with my magazine reading. I’m so behind, especially with my celebrity gossip! (I didn’t know JT and Jessica Biel were back together!?!)
Lunch
Lunch was something special this afternoon! 
Inspired by Rose’s Cheesy Sweet Potato Stew with Kale, I threw together my own creation: Pumpkin-Butternut Squash Soup with Kale. I wanted to add cheese to the recipe like Rose, but we were all out! 
We are never, ever out of cheese!?! I was bummed, but my soup still turned out yummy.
Pumpkin-Butternut Squash Soup with Kale
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup frozen butternut squash
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup non-fat milk
- 1/4 cup low-fat ricotta
- Handful of chopped kale
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- S & P
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan
- Cook over medium-high heat
- Top with raisins and walnuts (optional)
- Enjoy!
This was a good bowl of soup and it was so, so, so filling! I was actually sort of surprised that it satisfied me like it did. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
After lunch, I enjoyed a couple of Date Nut Rolls that I purchased at Good Health.
These things are so delicious! I could have easily eaten a bunch more!
After lunch, I tried to blog, but Ecto blew up again. I made another appointment with the Genius Bar and drove down, but after spending almost 2 hours at Apple, the Geniuses had no luck fixing it. (I might try a different Apple store tomorrow.)
Measuring Cups: Friend or Foe?
When I first lost weight, reducing my portion sizes was key to losing the pounds. I wasn’t eating unhealthy foods; I was just eating too much of them.
Even today, I still use measuring cups and spoons to portion high-calorie foods, like peanut butter, or ones that are easy to overestimate, like cereal or oats. In fact, I leave a 1/2 cup measuring cup in my oats to remind me of a “proper” portion size each morning when I make my oatmeal.
Last week, the folks at OpenSky sent me a food scale to test out, so I did a little experiment to see how accurate I am with my oat measurements. It turns out that I overestimate quite a bit! What can I say, I really like oatmeal!
After zeroing the scale with the measuring cup on top, my usual scoop of oats weighed 53 grams, which was 13 grams more than a 1/2 cup is supposed to be (1/2 cup = 40 grams).
When I leveled off the measuring cup, I was still 4 grams over.
I finally removed enough oats to weigh 40 grams.
If you look closely, the oats are actually below the lip of the 1/2 cup measuring cup. I guess this is why food scales are much more accurate!
So, the reason that I did this little experiment was not to obsess about grams or calories. Instead, I wanted to see how accurate I am with my trusty measurement cups. Apparently, I have a heavy hand with the oats! Even still, I don’t plan to measure my oats every morning, but this food scale was a great reminder of portion size. It’s a really great tool to own, especially if you’re looking to lose weight.
Do you use a food scale? If so, what has your experience been with it?
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I have a food scale, and mostly measure pasta (all the time), cheese, meat, and cereal. I never weigh fruit, but I weigh veggies to give me an idea. I’ve been really surprised at how big my potatoes are. Some are 3 or 4 servings in one potato!
I leave a basket full of measuring cups and spoons on the counter right next to my food scale. I go back and forth about what I measure vs. weigh. I weigh my cereal – but measure my grapes. I weigh my salad dressing, but measure my peanut butter! I’ve found these tools to be KEY for my healthy living habits. The only day I go measure free is Saturday, and that has generally worked for me.
you know, we got a really cheap one at walmart the other day (it’s actually for my husband because he and his friends brew their own beer!), but i think i might see if i have the same results! that could be a really cool experiment, plus i could use it for more accurate baking!
I love having me food scale. I tend to usually use it for pasta or maybe meats and cheeses. I’m sure I overestimate my oats too! They’re just so good
How funny–I am giving away that scale this week! I have the same one and love it. I’ve fond the exact same thing with oats and measuring–measuring cups can me so deceiving!
I used to have an analog food scale and it was always interesting to see what I thought a serving was. I would love to try an electronic one sometime, I know I get heavy handed with oats, pasta, and peanut butter
I use a food scale for the exact same reason demonstrated in your pictures! I have gotten better about eyeballing after using it for a while, but I still use it for most foods – especially things pasta (measured dry), cheese, and peanut butter.
HI!…Where did you get your measuring cups? I love them,
LOVE LOVE the food scale. When I was losing weight I hit a plateau and began weighing my food and voila started losing again. Oats was one thing I was totally eating more of when just using the measuring cup. It is also great for nut butters. 1 TBSP of nut butter should be 16 grams and that is often a lot less than if you scooped it out with a TBSP. It is so calorie dense, that difference really can be significant.
I totally didn’t know JT and JB were back together, either. I guess that’s what happens when you give up TV for Lent.
I shared an apartment with a girl from Scotland and I remember how frustraited she was that we didn’t have a scale in the kitchen. Apparently Europe is a head of us and weights all dry ingredients in grams.
For me, it depends on the food. If I didn’t weigh pasta, my servings would be too big. However, things like peanut butter and cheese always look like a lot more than I would have guessed a serving to be. I like to weigh just to keep my eye “honest”.
I always use measuring cups for dry stuff like cereal or oats. I figure if I’m a few grams over, I’m not going to beat myself up because I used to eat sooo poorly. Things like cheese, the odd cracker, dried apricots and nuts I measure on the food scale because I have a hard time figuring out how packed the measuring cup should be.
In the end though, I figure that I’m eating so much more healthier than I used to and it’s not a huge deal when I’m actually eating foods that are good for me.
K
PS – LOVE the heart shaped measuring cups!
You had a moment like I did when I say this video from Hungry Girl.com. It is what led me to Leigh Peele. So simple but wow can it knock you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
Wow – this is very interesting because I am currently trying to learn proper portions for myself WITHOUT dirtying 10 measuring cups per meal. I’m usually a crazy person and wanted to get away from that, but maybe I need to keep it up!
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