PB Banana Cloud Smoothie

Return of the Peanut Butter/Banana Cloud smoothie!  Like I have said before, frozen bananas are the secret ingredient to making any smoothie super creamy.  I loved sipping this on the way to work–and it snowed today!  I can drink these all year around no problem.  I had a piece of raisin toast with my [homemade] tea latte once I got to my desk as well.

Not-so-healthy-but-carb-o-licious-mid-morning-snack

I was lured in by free break room candy! Although I must say I was disappointed that the red one wasn’t a PB cup, but a caramel-filled chocolate of sorts.  Still gave me a little boost before lunch.

I love using the greens container for my salad holder.  Nice and big so you can fit a whole bunch of toppings!  I see carrots, pummelo chunks, hummus and almonds.

Dinner

I was ravenous when I got home so I threw this pasta dish together in a hurry–and it was quite good!  Just plain old whole wheat tubes (rigatoni?), jarred pesto, sauteed spinach and mushrooms, and shredded parm cheese. This hit the spot!

Dark chocolate for dessert while I watched the newest episode of The Bachelor on DVR.  I don’t know what it is, but I get so hooked on this show every. single. season.  Even so, I always seem shocked when he falls for the mean hot girl. Maybe I’m just naive.

Anyway, here is what’s tentatively planned for the kitchen tomorrow:

• Elvis Granola
• Blackberry Scones (both via Eat, Live, Run)
• Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna via Runner’s World

I have the itch to cook so an early-morning grocery run is in my future.  Training schedule says 7 miles so I better figure out my route!

Good night

Orange Crush

You have to believe me when I say I did NOT plan this pattern that is about to take place…

Breakfast

With my gigantic tub of leftover pumpkin from yesterday’s cooking demo extravaganza, I decided pumpkin yogurt was a good breakfast choice and yes, I was right! Never tried it?  Just mix greek yogurt with pumpkin puree, cinnamon and some sweetener (I used a drizzle of pure maple syrup).  Vegetables at breakfast?  Yes, please.  I also made an iced coffee with vanilla soy milk when I got to work because there is no such thing as too much free coffee, right?

AM Snack

Minneola?  I grabbed this from my school lunch open house last night after being told by numerous people how yummy they were.  My verdict=the hardest orange to peel ever.  But tasty!

Post-run Lunch (3 mile ~26:30)

+ Grains

This was another freebie from yesterday.  I like these OK, but not enough to buy them.  I would have much rather had a piece of warm fresh grainy bread dipped in olive oil.  And now I’m craving bread…

Dinner

Not as much color here, but remember my all-time favorite veggie burger?  It is back in the rotation this week and delicious as always.  This is the garden herb variety–so flavorful and so MOIST!  Tough to do with these vegan items. The creamy topping is a mix of garlicky hummus and jarred pesto and it was a great addition.

If you haven’t figured out the “pattern” yet, here’s one more hint.

I swear I was channeling Halloween today with all of the orange that was randomly popping up…  Unplanned, I swear!

TGIF (almost)!

 

The beginning and the end

My day started with Starbucks…

 

 

And ended with Middle School Lunch (long story).

Lot’s of snacks in between that included:

• PB toast
• homemade granola bar
• green smoothie sips
• pumpkin oatmeal bites
• mary’s gone crackers + hummus
• black beans + spaghetti squash
• Apple
• M&Ms

Chair yoga at lunch

Cooking Demo x7

Time for bed

 

 

A Test-Run

That orange mess would be pumpkin oats! Since I’m making them tomorrow for 80-100 people (cooking demo at work), I figured I should do a test run, and by test I mean eat them for breakfast .  This is “pre” giant scoop of peanut butter of course… Because what’s oatmeal without PB?  Early Grey Tea with soy milk on the side aka a Starbucks Tea Latte for a fraction of the price.

I so wish I could show you my lunch because the salad pot luck was a huge success.  My plate reminded me a Whole Foods kind of salad… maybe something like this, minus the natural light.

Not exactly, but you get the idea. (Recycled photo!)

Anyways, I may have had some undocumented chocolate at a very important meeting this afternoon.  I didn’t take a picture because, well, it was a very important meeting!

Dinner was consumed in two parts thanks to an evening conference call.

Post-Run Recovery (speedy 5k): Blueberries/Vega Shake & Go/1% Milk

Post-Conference Call Recovery (1.5 hours later, much needed):

In my family, we affectionately refer to this creation as “egg-in-the-hole”.  Creative, I know.  So delicious and reminds me of childhood when my mom used to make it.  You have to cook it just right so the outside is crispy, but the yolk is still runny.  Takes talent.

Tomorrow should be fun–but now I’m starting to get a little bit nervous?? Hopefully I can get some nice pictures of the finished product!

 

 

Thoughts on nutrition bars

Another Monday in the books!

Another Greek Yogurt delight served in ever-so-classy gladware and eaten at my desk.  To me, eating at home is time that could be spent sleeping.  I know you can’t really see what else is in there because I got a little too excited and went to town with mixing before I could take a picture–but there is blueberries, granola and chia seeds. So good!

AM Snack:

I needed something pre-run and this did the trick.  Today I finally finished off the never-ending bag of cuties that I have been plowing through working on.

Lunch was a veggie/hummus wrap and apple which was delicious but left me hungry about an hour later… so I broke into snack #2 to hold me over through internship and work at the gym.

Thus, the title of the post.  I usually try to avoid these processed bars but this was a free sample from yoga last night, so of course–being the unpaid intern that I am–I threw it in my purse without a second thought.

I have to say, it really was pretty good.  Almost too good… kind of like a chocolate bar but fortified I suppose!  Which was perfect timing because I then realized my multi-vitamin was sitting on the kitchen table at home. Whoops!  That being said, I think this is a better choice than a real chocolate bar or other notoriously bad afternoon snacks (pastry, bag of chips, etc).

apple + pb > luna bar protein > vending machine mystery food

thoughts?

My leftover curry dinner sure was convenient to heat up after a long day.  And much more satisfying than a lazy dinner!

Tomorrow is salad pot luck day at work.  Everyone brings 1-2 fixings and the entire office gets a fabulous and veggie-filled lunch.  A great idea for a special occasion that doesn’t involve cake!

Good night!

 

 

One week down, fifteen to go

Hey there!

Today was a great day.  Lot’s of running around, but all-in-all a solid end to the weekend.  I started bright and early with a fresh and filling breakfast:

I love Chobani greek yogurt!  This is the 2% plain variety so it has just the right amount richness.  Sometimes the fat-free ones just don’t do it for me.  I mixed it together with some berries (frozen) and yummy granola from the bulk bins at Sprouts.  Those dark-colored specks are chia seeds–a newer to me purchase.  I’m working on getting more Omega-3s into my day, so I figured these would be easy to add to oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt, etc. 

Lunch was split into two per usual on weekends… I’m too indecisive to commit to one meal when I’m at home so I usually do snacks instead. 

Meal #1

A lovely assortment of colorful fiber with hummus for dipping.  Those Mary’s Gone Crackers are my latest obsession.  I don’t remember them being THIS good!

Meal #2

Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie aka the easiest/tastiest smoothie there is! No, for real… 1 cup milk, 1 frozen banana (cut in chunks), 1 spoonful PB.  The frozen banana is the key to any great smoothie, let the froth prove it!

I also made it to a wonderful Core Power Yoga class tonight for the second Sunday in a row.  I feel like it’s a great supplement to my race training and it’s just great mentally for me.  I’m not talking one of those 100 degree crazy person classes (although those can be fun too…), just pure and simple yoga that ends with a cold face towel.  Sold!

Pre-Yoga Dinner was a homemade fried-rice of sorts.

I basically threw some mushrooms and carrot shreds in a pan with sesame oil, then added leftover wild rice and an egg and mixed the heck out of it.  Topped with sliced almonds for some crunch! 

I am hoping for a productive week at the office since Food Service starts on February 6th already!  Holy cow does time fly.

One week of marathon training down, fifteen to go.

• Monday–4 mile run
• Tuesday–3 mile run
• Wednesday–Yoga Sculpt (holy shiz this was hard)
• Thursday–3 mile run
• Friday–OFF
• Saturday–6 mile run
• Sunday–Power Yoga

 

 

 

Thai Food Made Easy

Well hello veggies!

My roommates ordered out for Thai food tonight, but I opted for a homemade version since I just happened to buy a bottle of curry sauce at the store yesterday.  I am really making an effort to cook more, because for the past few months I have been majorly slacking in this department.  Let’s just say a busy schedule got the best of me and I was eating scrambled eggs and toast for dinner numerous nights of the week.  Who am I???

Last night I stocked up on some more interesting items so I have no excuse not to make some fun meals this week.  I get too excited about having good food in the house sometimes…

Here’s the sauce I used for tonight’s meal:

Not the best curry ever, but tasty nonetheless. It’s amazing what a good sauce can do for a dish.  I need to learn how to make sauces like this from scratch!

Step 1–Saute veggies of choice in some olive oil

Step 2–Add sauce and simmer while you cook a starch (I used couscous)

Step 3–Serve veggie mixture on top of starch and dig in!

Easy enough, right?

Tomorrow will be my “food prep day” for the week.  I try to help myself out as much as possible when I have the time so there are no excuses for an unhealthy meal.  My weeks get busy, but I love what I do!

Good night!

 

 

 

The meal I know all too well

Ahh the Saturday pre-run breakfast–a meal I know all too well.  This is Ezekial Cinnamon Raisin toast with some Smart Balance Peanut Butter and a couple of cuties (eating these by the truckload lately).

I LOVE being back to running consistently again.  As geeky as it sounds, there is nothing I would rather do on a Saturday morning.  Denver weather has been insanely “spring-ish” lately too, so of course that doesn’t hurt.

Why the return to blogging after almost a year?  Because I’m training for this.  And I miss blabbing on F&F of course! I figured there was no better time than now to be logging food and workouts so I can run the healthiest race possible.  I’m only on week 1 of my plan, but I’m feeling good about this one.  If I can figure out how to put my training schedule on here, I will!

So happy Saturday! Looking forward to being back.

My year in review.

So I’ll just start by saying I can’t believe how fast time flies…

It’s been almost ONE YEAR since I have blogged!  It’s not that I didn’t miss it, because I most surely did.  The combination of it being my senior year of school, more responsibility at work, and my baby (aka my beloved blue canon point and shoot) suffering a devastating fall, taking pictures of all things food just wasn’t happening for awhile as I struggled through a period of depression (kidding of course).

BUT… I want to come back!  I miss the creative outlet for all of my recipe ideas and restaurant endeavors.  Cooking and eating are still two of my favorite things in the world, so don’t think for a minute I have lost interest.  It is so nice to know that whatever gets posted will be enjoyed by someone, somewhere.

Just to catch you up with what I have been up to for the last year… I’ll start from right where we left off.

Summer 2010

We had a FULL HOUSE when Jessica’s brother and his friend Kevin lived with us while they were job-searching for nearly two weeks! The two eventually surrendered and moved back to Michigan, but for the short time they were here, we did everything from white water rafting to sun bathing.

(rough life, huh?)

In addition to those two, we also had our buddy Eric and BFF Nichole hanging out as well.  Nichole ended up staying the entire summer and let’s just say it was a BLAST!

I worked at a Starbucks in addition to my job at the Rec Center for the summer to make some extra spending money… which, of course, I needed to go to Rockies games…

Run epic races…

And go to concerts with friends (O.A.R. @ Red Rocks if you’re wondering!)

Oh yeah… and my brother got married in November!

I traveled back to Wisconsin for a long weekend of celebration!  Eric and Julie had a perfectly planned ceremony and reception which included a fantastic meal, great music, and a photo booth where shenanigans ensued.

HOBO salute!

Doesn’t Mom look beautiful?

What a great time…I really enjoyed spending time with friends and family during such a memorable few days.  Oh, and being a bridesmaid rules.

November 2010

BOSTON!

I had the privilege of attending the American Dietetic Association’s Annual Food and Nutrition Exposition (aka FNCE).  If you remember waaaaay back when I first moved to Colorado, I attended the 2009 FNCE in Denver and was absolutely in love with the event!

I rarely pass up chances to see a new city… so to the east coast we went! Jess  came along for the ride too. Why not, right?

December/January

I decided to go home for most of winter break this year so I could hang out with the family for a bit longer.  Jacob even made a long journey to the U.P. to spend NYE with us!  Remember him?

Yes I realize it looks like the Arctic.  Rest assured, we visited Lake Superior.  Ironically just two weeks before we took this photo, we were visiting with his family in Colorado and stomped around the Garden of the Gods in 60 degree temps…

Love Colorado.

March 2011

Spring break was spent visiting the boy in his new neck of woods in the great state of Kentucky!  What a fabulous week of fun including a Lady GaGa concert in Louisville, BBQ‘ing (is that a verb?), watching movies, cooking each other dinner and St. Pattie’s Day in Nashville!

Which takes us to NOW!

What’s coming up?

• Baseball season which started TODAY!
• New Orleans!!!!!! for the 2011 National Intramural-Recreation Sports Conference.
• Boulder Bolder 10k on Memorial Day
• Weddings galore!
• A visit from Eric and Julie
• And oh yes, internship notification day is this Sunday–probably the most stressful thing I have ever experienced.

Regardless of the outcome, I’ll probably need one of these…

Food posts coming your way soon…

 

 

 

 

 

Tristan’s first birthday

My nephew/Godson Tristan turned 1 year old on May 13th! Since my brother and his wife had a party for him on Saturday, my Step-dad John had the fabulous idea to fly me home and surprise my entire family for the occasion.  I couldn’t have been happier to partake… we had been planning this for about a month!

Friday-Sunday was a quick, but incredible weekend.  There was lot’s of wedding talk (Eric and Julie will be getting married in October!), birthday celebrating, and tons of laughing involved.  Of course, good food was consumed.  Here’s a brief overview:

Heirloom tomato and asparagus salad

Cajun crab cakes + baby red potatoes

Fresh lemon poppyseed muffin

Party plate of cookout goodies

A very good beer.

Veggie Omelet, raisin toast

I didn’t have much control over the food I ate because as you can see pretty much everything was eaten outside of the house.  It was all delicious though!  For the most part, fairly healthy minus the alcohol-induced tortilla chips and salsa on Saturday night…whoops!

I was so happy to be able to go home and see everyone! What a fabulous and jam-packed couple of days.  When I landed in Denver on Sunday, I was sad to leave but excited to come home because I had visitors waiting for me! Yes, we are currently sleeping 6 in our 2-bedroom apartment.  But it’s pretty fun to always have someone around and we’ve been doing lot’s of fun things in our quest to show them around the state.

Friday I may be going White-water rafting!!!! Never done this before, but I have always wanted to.  What a great way to spend an afternoon.

Anyone have awesome summer plans? I’m looking forward to camping, hiking, baseball games, races and concerts.  Lot’s of special things planned!