Extreme link love

Fantastic dinner tonight!  More on that near the bottom…

I love days when I eat lot’s of small meals as opposed to 3 bigger ones because I hate the feeling of being stuffed.  Usually it’s not that convenient for me though because I’m always on-the-go.  Today was a different story and here’s what I snacked on:

A whole bunch of my faves!  Oh and by the way, I think you know you and your roommate have a hummus problem when you finish 2 containers of Sabra in less than a week.  Yikes!

Did everyone get their Starbucks today??  They did some kind of environmental promotion so that if you brought in a reusable mug, you could get a free coffee—very cool in my opinion.  I definitely cashed in and it was extra delicious because the weather was gorgeous today!  Those kind people even gave me free soy because they’re classy like that.  Yes, I did indeed have the bux twice today.  So sue me!

Dinner

We had originally planned on grilling out, but it seemed a little silly to fire up the grill for two sausages so we cooked inside instead.

These were fantastic!  They were Saag’s brand and you can find the flavor I had here.  I could really taste the maple flavor and it was a nice switch from the traditional style.  Ingredients list is acceptable as well:

Chicken, Apple Juice From Concentrate, Dried Apple, Parsley, Sea Salt, Lemon Concentrate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Vinegar, Spices, Brown Sugar In Natural Pork Casing

I like to see all whole foods.  Those sweet potato fries are Alexia Organic. They’re a new chipotle seasoned kind and have the perfect amount of heat. Holy linkage in this post!

I think I might try to take it easy tonight and get some studying done so I can workout in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.  Another fun and busy weekend ahead.  I’m volunteering at a 5K race on Saturday morning for Student Dietetics Association and playing intramural softball and dodgeball on Sunday.  Plus I have a ridiculous amount of school work to get going on because finals are creeping up quick.  Oh school.

Let’s hope the weather is warm so I can get some vitamin D this weekend too.  See you in the morning…breakfast will be something fun!

happy hour + rock concert = good Thursday

I saw Hinder in concert last night!!!!

Theory of a Deadman, Black Stone Cherry, and the Veer Union opened for them and everyone was SO good!  My throat is feeling a little bit sore today from screaming, but it’s worth it.  I love the lead singer’s voice so much!

Another reason why yesterday was fun? My friend Amanda came to town for the day to visit and we had a really fun happy hour at my favorite local pub.  I probably drank one more pint than I should have, but I was in the moment and you know how that goes…

I caved and went grocery shopping on Wednesday night.  I love having fresh fruit and veggies again!! Here’s some food highlights from the past few days:

Raspberry/Blueberry Smoothie

HUGE crunchy and colorful salad w/the last of my Goddess:

PASTA!

Chicken breast/Aioli sandwich with fruits and veggies

(This picture was taken after I had eaten half of my lunch, so all of this x2… I’m so happy to have grapes, it’s been too long!!!)

I’ve been loving this oat combo the last 2 mornings:

I mix oats, water, flax, 2 chopped dates (they were on sale!!!!), and cinnamon before microwaving for 2 minutes.  Then I top with:

• 1 chopped up banana
• sliced almonds
• scoop of crunchy PB
• vanilla soy milk to get the consistency just right

I pulled out lentil soup from the freezer for Wednesday’s lunch and it tasted even better than it did when I first made it!  I love how easy frozen leftovers can make a meal.

WCMN Clif Bar was also consumed… I liked it, but I didn’t think it was incredible.  Besides the little bit of white chocolate drizzled on top, I didn’t think the bar itself had that much flavor to it.  I kind of liked it that way since some of those clifs are so darn sweet! Overall, I’ll rank it top 5 but I’m still all about Maple Nut.

My BFF Jessica is coming to town today (I love visitors!!!), and we’ll probably lay low tonight because tomorrow we’re going to visit her brother in CANADA!  It’s only a few hours from where I live, so  we’re going to go cause some shenanigans across the border for the night…

I better start getting ready for class.  I need to have a productive day so I can enjoy most of the weekend.

My NSCA exam is 1 week from tomorrow!!!! Happy Friday!

Walnut and Flax encrusted French Toast: Edited

Easter breakfast!!! I had so much fun making this… A great way to start my Sunday morning.  It was really simple too.  Here’s what I did:

1.) Dip a slice of whole wheat bread into batter (vanilla soy milk, 1 egg, cinnamon).

2.) Press the bread into a mix of crushed walnuts and flax (some falls off, but do the best you can!).

3.) Butter a pan, and “fry” each side until crispy.

4.) Carmelize berries/bananas by adding them to a separate pan with some brown sugar and cinnamon.  Keep the heat on medium or lower to avoid scorching.  Slow and low on these!

5.) Plate the french toast and layer the fruit mixture on top.  Enjoy!

ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND…. Yesterday I had the sudden urge to stop at the food co-op after my workout and looky what I found:

You have no idea how excited I was… I’m such a geek, I know! LOL Although I said no more bars for awhile, I think this qualifies as an exception since I haven’t been able to find this guy anywhere.  Come on, you know you would do the same!  I’ll eat it this week sometime before a workout.  Hope it lives up to all the hype!

Sorry this posted funny this morning, I tried using a gallery for the first time and it messed everything up. Is there a way to post a gallery without using all of the pictures you downloaded for your post?  I can’t figure it out so there’s no recap of yesterday’s food… Help me out people!!

Queen of the house!

Did you all survive the week?? I think I just made it… Friday couldn’t come at a better time though because I was seriously not movtivated for school today.  I usually don’t have a problem getting to class, but for some reason I did NOT want to go to chemistry today.  I decided to just stick it out though and I’m really glad I did because it was a good lecture.

My day started bright and early with chocolate-covered strawberries/bananas… in the the form of oats!

I used the same method as I did a couple of weeks ago… mocha hot cocoa powder, flax, soy milk, water oats, deliciousness.

Lunch was a really tasty veggie and hummus wrap.  I have finally figured out the secret of these Ezekial tortillas! I let it thaw by just leaving it out for a few minutes while I got ready for school INSTEAD of microwaving it.  The microwave makes it rubbery and hard to wrap up, but I just set this on a clean dish towel on the stove top and it was perfect!

Finished off my hummus:-(

I also had an apple with lunch and snacked on a cheerio/raisin/walnut mix mid-morning during class.

After surviving the chem lecture I mentioned earlier, I headed to the video store to rent Marley and Me (!!!), the mall for some freebies from Bath and Body Works, and Target where I ended up buying a Peanut Butter Pretzal MOJO. I’ve come to the realization that I’ve been eating way too many bars lately!  I need to start being more prepared when it comes to snacks so I don’t have to resort to whatever is near by.  No more bars for awhile!! Hold me to this!

When I finally started to get hungry for dinner I decided on a salmon patty, baked sweet potato chunks and an arugula salad. Really hit the spot!

For the potatoes I used cinnamon and cayenne pepper.  The  patty was just 1 packet of flaked salmon, egg white, bread crumbs, dill weed, and dijon mustard.  I topped both the patty and the salad with goddess and it tasted really good all together!

So I’m excited to have a relaxing weekend because I have the apartment all to myself!! I love you roomies, but it’s nice to just sprawl out and do my own thing for a couple of days. My weekend plans include some of my favorite things… Running, baking, cleaning, reading, movies plus whatever else I can come up with.  Most of my friends are home for Easter weekend but my rents are in FLORIDA livin’ it up for spring break! LOL… So yeah, I won’t be going home.  I plan on doing my own take on Easter brunch Sunday morning:-)

Hopefully I’ll have a baked good to share with you tomorrow. Enjoy your Friday!

Plate presentation is everything!

So one of my favorite things about blogging is that I have started to make a special effort to make my meals look better on the plate.  This really makes a huge difference as to how satisfying your food is.  Unfortunately, tonight when I was making dinner I had a major flop in presentation and there was no saving it!!

This, my friends, was supposed to be a Mexican-inspired frittata.  I was so excited about it too!  I sauteed onion, garlic and red bell pepper in a skillet with EVOO, threw in some leftover broccoli and black beans then added a whipped egg.  I seasoned it up with cumin, chili powder, extra hot sauce and topped with pepperjack before covering to let the top cook.

I could NOT get this thing out of the pan for the life of me.  It’s funny because as soon as it just kind of broke apart and fell on my plate, the first thing I thought was “my picture is ruined!” LOL Oh well, I’m OVER it!

Still tasted wonderful, by the way!  I had some avocado on top and it just put the dish on a whole new level.

Taking things back to the early morning, I started my day with a refreshing bowl of cheerios.

Sometimes I’m so intrigued by new and exciting cereals, I forget about the classics!  Cheerios are so good… I can definitely put them in my top 5 at least.  This is probably about 2 servings with strawberries and vanilla soy milk and it held me over to lunch just fine.

I also had some of my new Twig Tea and it was really good!  I don’t have a picture and my camera is charging, but click here for the website if you’re interested.  The taste is hard to explain, but I liked it a lot.

Lunch was packed, and included a PB and J on Oatmeal bread + fuji apple and a few cut up carrots.

I didn’t end up eating the banana because the sandwich was SO filling!  I swear it took me 20 minutes to eat because the bread is so dense and chewy. I did, however, end up eating banana in the form of a Clif bar later in the afternoon after my workout.

I liked this flavor a lot!  I could really taste the chunks of banana and nuts and was surprised to bite into some chocolate as well.  I’m now out of the Clif’s I bought with my coupons and I can officially say that Maple Nut reigns supreme!  I havne’t tasted all of the flavors, but here’s my ranking of the ones I have:

1. Maple Nut
2. Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
3. Banana Nut Bread
4. Oatmeal Raisin Walnut
5. Blueberry Crisp
6. Black Cherry Almond

I didn’t really not like any of them.  Can’t wait to try some more!

I just finished off some chocolate, and I think it’s time for me to start getting ready because I’m meeting a friend for a drink tonight.  Thirsty Thursday anyone??? See you tomorrow!

Raisin Walnut Chai Oats

Friday!!! I can’t believe I’m posting this late, but I just got done watching 7 Pounds (Will Smith) and by the time I got all of my stuff packed for the weekend… I’m just now getting settled down!

My oat experiment turned out well!

I’m running low on oat toppings/mix-ins and I’m OUT of soy milk, so I needed to get creative today… I used 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 of a packet of instant chai, walnuts, and raisins + water and microwaved for 2 minutes.YUM! This combo was so so good!  I love the flavors of chai tea and it added a nice creaminess too.

I’ve come to the following conclusion about my likes and dislikes when it comes to oats:

• I prefer less liquid than the recipe calls for (I eyeball it, but probably about a 1:1 ratio of oats:liquid
• I don’t like stove top oats as much as microwaved ones… I know, this is weird but I would rather have hearty texture than creaminess
• I like sliced banana mixed in, but NOT cooked in.  I feel like when I cook it right in, the taste is just off…
• Nut butters can’t stay on the spoon because I use a heaping spoonful and there’s no way I can get a bite!
• My all-time favorite topping is granola.  The crunch is spectacular!

ANYWAYS… I had a pink lady with my breakfast as well because I wasn’t sure how well this would hold me over… Worked like a charm!

Lunch was sporadic today because my planned 1/2 Clif bar pre-workout snack turned into a full Clif bar + banana mini lunch:-) This flavor was just too good and plus I was hungry so I thought, what the heck!

This flavor was GREAT! I haven’t really met a Clif bar I didn’t like, but as soon as I bit into this, I remembered why it was one of my favorites.  Plus it was super filling and I felt great for my workout an hour later… Seriously, I could have stayed on the elliptical forever!

After I got home from the gym and showered, I still wasn’t really hungry but I knew I should eat something to refuel so I grabbed this snack on my way out the door for a group meeting:

Have I mentioned how much I love hummus?  This batch is super creamy and delicious!

Dinner was an extra-cheesy grilled cheese sandwich with the LAST of my Lentil Soup… Promise!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm pepper jack!

Annnnnnd I wanted something sweet with my movie so I had some wine and some dove dark chocolate and it was delish!  7 Pounds was really different… I’m not quite sure what I thought of it actually.  Super intense and thought-provoking, but not what I was expecting.  Has anyone seen this movie yet?

Tomorrow I’ll be up nice and early to get some exercise in before class because I’m leaving to go home at 3:00!!!! The timing couldn’t be any better for me because I just need a couple of days to regroup right now.  I’ll be going out to eat at my FAVORITE restaurant back home for pizza and caesar salad… splurge meal for sure, but so yummy!  I crave this meal when I’m away at school.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Boring Lunch, Exciting Dinner!

Annnnnnnd Breakfast wasn’t too shabby either:

Leah and I were laughing earlier because we had an extremely similar breakfast this morning.  I swear I’m not a copycat! lol These are my leftover banana walnut pancakes from Sunday morning, this time topped with AB and berries.  This was exactly what I needed to get me going this morning! With my tea from above:

I’ve been eating breakfast super early lately (around 6:00) so mid-morning snacks have been a must!  Today I had a pink lady apple and this bar that I tried for the first time:

I LOOVEEEEEEEED this thing!!! Here’s what it looks like on the inside:

This baby was loaded!  It had peanuts, almonds, choco chips, pretzel pieces, sunflower seeds, oats, dried fruit (I think?)… Anyways, the important thing is that it was good.  A little high in sugar, yes, but on days where I’m moving around a lot I don’t really mind.  I love the sweet/salty combo!

As stated in the title of this post, my lunch was a predictable bowl of  leftover lentil soup and fresh pineapple.  Still so good! haha I think tomorrow will be my last day of eating this soup for awhile… the rest is chillin’ in the freezer.

Dinner was this RAINBOW of a salad that I threw together and ate before I went to lab:

I was surprised at all of the wonderful fixins I had in my fridge to make this beauty!  This may have been the best-tasting salad I have ever created… Here’s what went in:

• Earthbound Farms Herb Salad Mix (the best base ever!)
• Red pepper
• Avocado
• Carrot peels (I chomped on the rest while I put it together)
• Walnuts and Raisins (my favorite way to make any salad better)
• TJ’s Goddess dressing

You can’t really see how big this thing was, but it took up a large dinner-sized plate… I finished it in about 5 minutes flat!

I’m just getting ready to watch the Biggest Loser and take it easy for the rest of the night.  Tomorrow is another long day which includes early morning NSCA studying, internship office hours, Chem studying (lot’s!), Lecture, Body Step, and a “Biggest Loser Debate” group meeting.

I had a mini-emotional breakdown today, so let’s hope I can keep things together for the rest of the week.  Nothing serious, just one of those days, you know?  Nothing a chat with Mom and a swift run couldn’t cure though… I went for 35 minutes and felt super fast.  Without music or a buddy, I completely zoned out and just took in all of the fresh air.  Much better now!

What are your favorite ways to relieve stress?

Early start

Goooooood Monday morning all!

I’m up earlier than normal today because my practical final (submax test) is in a couple of hours and I want to get there nice and early to set up.  AHHH I can’t wait to get this over with!  I’m fueling up with with this delicious breakfast cookie as we speak:

I figured that these were pretty darn close to homemade clif bars, no?  I’m going to do some experimenting to try replicating the flavors for before workouts… This one had 1/2 cup oats, blackberries, applesauce, AB, mini choco chips, and walnuts.  “Nutty Chocolate Blackberry”

Yesterday before my run (about 4 hours after breakfast) I actually had 1/2 of a real Clif bar because I was starting to get slightly hungry and I wanted to move fast!  This flavor was AMAZING!

It was exactly what I needed and despite the crappy weather, I felt like I had tons of energy.  You’ll be seeing a couple more of these as well because I got some coupons to try out new flavors.

When I got home from my run I wasn’t really super hungry, so I stretched and showered, had a big glass of water and made this late lunch of an open face tuna melt, salad and pineapple.

This was perfect! I ended up studying chemistry for most of the afternoon and had a group meeting to go to at 5:00, so I ate an apple with almond butter beforehand and made this Lentil Soup when I got home.  There’s almost an Indian-like flavor to it, which I love!  It turned out really good, but warning, the recipe makes a TON!  I’ll be eating this stuff for a few days even though I already froze some…

One more thing… I have set a goal for myself to step it up a notch in Chemistry for the rest of the semester. I didn’t do as well as I had hoped on my last exam and I REALLY want to get an A in the class because I know how competitive Dietetics is.  From now on, I’m studying after every lecture, and spending extra time on quiz days.  Don’t let me slack! LOL

Have a great Monday!