Bitter Beer Face
Posted: November 17, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 18 Comments »
Anyone remember these commercials?! Well, ALL DAY LONG, everything I ate tasted bitter! It actually started last night with the pasta, and I kept asking Meeker if he thought it tasted bitter, and he assured me that it didn’t. But I woke up this morning, and from bite one, everything was bitter – blech. It was kind of making me feel gaggy. This has never happened to me before, anyone else out there?! Or am I just a freak?
I did my best to eat strong flavored food to mask the nastiness in my mouth. I started with something I usually don’t like (it just sounded good for some reason).
This breakfast is bananas.
One banana with homemade pumpkin butter and peanut butter.
I also had a green monster.
Ingredients: one handful of thawed spinach (from a frozen box), 1 kiwi (skin and all), 1 tbs. protein powder, 2 cups of water. It tasted really spinach-y and good.
This little breakfast held me over until 11ish – that’s 4 hours, and almost never happens to me in the morning. My breakfasts tend to last about 2.5 hours…max. So, even though bananas aren’t my favorite thing on earth, I may start incorporating them into my breakfast more frequently – this is especially appealing when the ‘naners are dipped in peanut or pumpkin butter. I can do that.
Lunch was leftovers. End of story.
I also got a SURPRISE in my mailbox at school.
I muffin shaped cookie! A fellow teacher at my school has discovered my love of sweets, and he so kindly shared a batch of his favorite (homemade version) of Doubletree Cookies. He said they tend to spread when he bakes them, so he does it in a muffin tin…what a good idea, right?!
I’m saving the cookie for dessert – I can’t wait. I’ll let you know how delicious it was in the morning.
Meeker and I are headed over to his parents house for ‘skettie and meatballs. Yum, yum! Have a happy Tuesday night! Whatever you do, DON’T tell me what happens on Biggest Loser, I am DVRing it, and will hopefully have time to watch it tomorrow.
***
Also, thank you all so, so much for your kind comments about my doggie. To be honest, I was a little embarrassed to be so sad about a dog, but it sounds like a lot of you understood what a sense of loss I felt. Thank you, thank you. I’m lucky to have all of you in my life!!
It’s a good news/bad news kind of situation…
Posted: November 16, 2009 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: cheetahs, coffee, pasta, pumpkin butter, tuna 25 Comments »The Office, anyone? The title comes from one of my favorite episodes when Michael hits the rabies-infected-Meredith with his car. Anyway…on to the eats.
I started my day with some coffee out of my favorite mug. I also had 2 (really tiny…like the size of my fist) pumpkin pancakes and one slice of Ezekiel toast with…
Maria’s Homemade Microwave Pumpkin Butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon clove
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-
1 1/2 cups (15 oz) canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling mix)
- Combine everything except pumpkin in microwave-safe bowl. Mix well, and microwave on high for three minutes.
- Remove from microwave (Carefully!) and stir really well.
- Stir in pumpkin well, and microwave on high 5 minutes.
- Remove from microwave (Even more carefully!), stir, and let cool.
The pumpkin butter totally made this breakfast. That and the Dr. Seuss mug.
I snacked on some Fig Newman’s at 10ish, and then…look how boring my lunch was:
I did get a very nice gift from a mom…
Again, thank you Tona for perking up my less than exciting lunch!!
I also snacked on carrots and peanut butter while grading some math tests after school.
I heart this cookbook. So many of these recipes only require 5-6 ingredients, and they are healthy to boot. It’s produced by the Mennonite community – and I got it as a birthday gift from this girl last year. What a gal…
I also had some discount pasta that had been in the pantry for far too long.
A low-carb variety. It was really good when thrown into this mix…
Topped with walnuts. The whole thing was a winner.
For “dessert” I had cheetahs!!
Eaten out the of the pasta bowl. They got all tomato-y and gooshy. I’m so satisfied.
You will be missed, Hannie Bannie.
And because I don’t want to end on that sad note, and I DID say I had good news…
Yes, I am now a proud Foodbuzz Featured Publisher – it’s about time.
***
Edited to add: Join Chocolate Covered Katie’s giveaway! She is also doing some pretty awesome things with Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness. Aaaand she has a cool name.
A Light Green Mash
Posted: November 15, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 9 Comments »
A lazy day of snacking really made me crave some warm, comforting veggies. The above photo is one head of cauliflower and one head of broccoli – steamed, added to the food processor with some water, evoo, salt, curry powder, and celery seed.
I ended up adding a bit of the best bbq sauce on earth after a few bites.
This is the best news. I loved every bite and licked the bowl. I also had a few bites of Meeker’s beautiful looking (and tasting) pork chop.
Yeah, I totally served the second course in the empty first-course bowl. Anything to save on dishes.
We are on currently watching the millionth third football game of the day, and storing up some quality couch time before the upcoming week. Hope you all are having a lovely Sunday evening!
What is your most comforting food? Mine is – without a doubt – mashed veggies. It’s like warm, grown up baby food.
Buried, again.
Posted: November 15, 2009 Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: 30 day shred, pancakes, pumpkin, snow 14 Comments »I woke up with a plan to workout, make pancakes and go to church. However, I also woke up to over a foot of snow – and I’m a big wimp when it comes to driving on icy roads – so I only got the first 2 completed. I just couldn’t get myself in the car to make that 25 minute drive to church. Sigh – I was really looking forward to it this morning. I’ll be sure to catch the podcast of the sermon later this week.
Since I am halfway through Nat’s 30 Day Shred challenge I thought I would do an updated. Here are some thoughts:
First, I jumped into this challenge after training for a ½ marathon, so I didn’t really expect a 25 minute workout to push me very hard – but it does, and I love it. I started out doing level 1 for two days, but then decided I was more fit than level 1, so I jumped into level 2 on day three, and have been alternating between levels 2 and 3 for 13 days. They are both difficult, but for different reasons. Level 2 is harder for my muscles and level 3 has more intense cardio. I like switching back and forth. The limiting factor for me on both is my upper body strength. My shoulders STILL burn throughout almost all of level 2. However – it is getting easier. Slightly. Some changes I have noticed in myself:
- I can do real push-ups for the first time in my life
- My balance has improved
- My core feels stronger
- I no longer cry when I have to do chair sits/ v-flys.
I can’t say I have seen any difference in the appearance of my body – but I do feel strong, and I’m liking that. I enjoy a lot of the exercises, and I have also discovered some new moves that I LOVE and will definitely work into my workouts after the 30 days are over.
- Plank Jacks: plank position, moving your legs like you are doing jumping jacks. Awesome cardio and core workout.
- Plank Twists: plank position, alternating pulling knees in towards opposite arms. Again, fantastic core burn.
- Jumping Lunges: jump from lunge, alternating the forward leg in the air, and lunging back down. Challenging and wonderful.
(I just realized that it is really difficult to describe these exercises in words – maybe I will have to do some picture/video explanation another day, when I didn’t just finish exercising in my underwear)
After working out, I started experimenting with some vegan pumpkin pancakes with mixed results.
I’m not going to share the recipe because it still needs some tweaking. The texture was a little off, but the tasted was excellent.
The first two batches went to the happy apple dog – and she loved them. On the 3rd batch, I added more baking powder, some sugar and a little more water. The result was the above photo. Each pancake was about the size of my palm (pretty small), and I had 2 more, topped with peanut butter. I’m not disappointed, but rather excited to keep experimenting!
Until then, I’m taking a note from Bagheera as to what I should do for the rest of this snowy day.
Have a fantastic Sunday!
Healthy Comfort
Posted: November 14, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 9 Comments »After sleeping 4 hours on Thursday night, I slept for 12 hours last night. Wowza. I woke up feeling…groggy. Imagine that.
My hunger didn’t wake up until a couple hours after my body did – and I didn’t get around to breakfasting until 11ish. By then, I was feeling fully awake, and I held nothing back with this creation…
Triple chocolate and peanut butter oats.
The amazing thing – before the addition white chocolate chips – this little bowl has no sugar and is packed with protein.
- 1/3 cup steel cut oats
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup soy milk
- ½ scoop chocolate protein powder
- ½ tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbs. crunchy peanut butter
- White chocolate chips
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
I cooked the oats, then stirred in the protein powder and cocoa powder in the last minute of cooking. After transferring to a bowl, I added rest of the ingredients. It was as good as it looks. Not very sweet, but oh so chocolaty and comforting.
I have to go to school to knock out some work for the upcoming week (this will push me over 60 hours of work this week…ahhh!) but I know I will feel better after having organized my classroom and my plans. I hope you are having a happy and comfortable Saturday!
Too busy eating sugar snacks and horsing around…
Posted: November 13, 2009 Filed under: Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: balsamic vinegar, beans, birthday treats, salad 5 Comments »Anyone know where that quote is from? It kind sums up how my class was today. We celebrated two birthdays in class today – complete with cupcakes, apple juice, and krispy kremes. Seriously?! I didn’t eat anything, but that’s a lot of sugar. I was glad to be able to send them home at 3:30…
I kept the happy birthday ring and tossed the donut.
I was too tired to remember to pack a lunch for today, so I came home for a quick (but jam packed) salad.
Lettuce, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, carrots, gardenburger, cucumber, acorn squash, avocado and balsamic vinegar. So much good stuff – I licked the bowl. Dead serious.
I also had a square of dark chocolate before rushing back to work. I started getting sleepy around 5pm, so I ate a juicy pear that dripped all over the reading tests that I was grading. I doubt the kids will notice. I came home to some gorgeous smelling beans in the crock pot. It was a 16 bean mix from the bulk bins at Sprouts. I topped a big bowl with tortilla chip crumbs. D-lish.
It just started snowing, and I’m in my jammies, catching up with my husband and my DVR. Hallelujah.
It doesn’t take much
Posted: November 10, 2009 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, leftover lunches | Tags: avocado, egg white, hot sauce, leftovers, yogurt mess 17 Comments »Happy Tuesday! It’s almost over…but the best is yet to come. More on that later.
This morning, my breakfast was nothing short of inspired.
2 toasted slices of Ezekiel bread, 2 egg whites, ½ avocado, salt and hot sauce.
Sandwichified.
This was the best way to start a day. Balanced, creamy, spicy, perfect. I could have easily eaten two – but (luckily) I don’t have time for 2 breakfasts every morning. Can you imagine…?
I got another treat, from the same mom (thanks again Tona!!) to stash in my snack drawer.
I don’t even know what these are, but I tasted both kinds of “puffs” – and they are the perfect snack. And yes, my snack drawer is also my sticker drawer. Looks like I keep markers there, too.
For my lunch, I had dinner leftovers.
Beans, rice, spinach and pumpkin vinaigrette. Yes, I want arroz y frijoles negros.
I was kind of feeling blah after I got home, and didn’t really want to cook – which is rare. Meeker was incredibly supportive and said “don’t worry about dinner” – and was happy to let me eat yogurt while he fended for himself on the food front.
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- Handful of raspberries (they’re there…buried)
- ½ pear
- 4-5 ABC cookies (can’t get enough of these things)
- Blob of crunchy peanut butter
I mixed it all together and loved every bite. It had been too long since my last yogurt mess. Good dinner.
***
I realized today that TV shows make me waaaay too happy. Some things to look forward to this week…
Tonight: The Biggest Loser!
Wednesday: The CMA Awards (I’m a country music fanatic)
Thursday: Meeker’s family bought us tickets to see WICKED downtown…okay this isn’t TV, but it is entertainment.
…it doesn’t take much to get me jazzed. Fill my belly and entertain me, and you’re sure find a smile on this face.
I like smushy
Posted: November 9, 2009 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners | Tags: acorn squash, apple, black beans, cinnamon, oats, pumpkin 19 Comments »Made it through Monday! There were moments when I wasn’t sure…
I started out with a doozy of a breakfast…cinnamon apple oats.
- 1/3 cup steel cut oats
- 1 cup water
- ½ apple
- Cinnamon
- 1 tbs. brown sugar
- Peanut butter
- 4 Alphabet cookies
I just threw the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan and then got ready for work while it all simmered on low – about 20 minutes. Then I added the alphabet cookies and peanut butter and sprinkled with more cinnamon. The ABC cookies were the best part – they got all gooey and smushy. Loved. It also kept me full until lunchtime – about 4.5 hours. Win, win.
Lunch was so boring that I don’t even feel like talking about it. A turkey wrap and a salad. Whatever.
However, a mom sent this brown bag in for me…
The bag says: Katie, a bit smushed & days old, but still yum!
She was so right. This was a little nub of carrot cake – and it was delicious!! Thank you Tona! You totally perked up my boring mid day eats.
I got through the rest of the day – we are already starting to plan and do paperwork to prepare for CSAP testing…blah. It makes me anxious just thinking about that time of year (March…5 months…gah!) Anywho, I got a few things nailed down and came home to make a wonderous dinner.
First, I used this recipe to make some beans and rice (I also added spinach). Rice and beans are good on their own…but add dark greens and pumpkin vinaigrette, I die.
While the rice was doing its thang, I roasted an acorn squash, cut into chunks – then combined.
Mmmmm. I love you. I ate this bowl in about 10 seconds. The awesome news, there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Now Meek and I are sitting on the couch watching the Broncos and the Steelers. BRONCOS are winning…!!
***
If you want some yum(berry) protein powder…check out Holly’s giveway!
Sweet and Salty Saturday
Posted: November 7, 2009 Filed under: Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: apples, kale, peanut butter, yogurt mess 16 Comments »I woke up and went for a nice, leasurily six mile run this morning. Running sometimes makes me crave salty foods, which leads me to crave sweet foods…and so went the rest of my day.
After my run, I went on a cleaning frenzy, then realized I was starving…so I made a yogurt mess with this guy as the base:
It was so delicious. Especially combined with some chocolate protein powder, peanut butter, and granola.
Sweet and salty…in one bowl. Yum.
This wasn’t quite enough…so I had two slices of bread with pumpkin and cinnamon spread on top.
That did the trick, and I went to school for a few hours to get some planning done for next week. I always feel so organized and relaxed after I work on Saturdays…maybe it’s being there without 24 kids in the room.
When I got home…I wanted salty.
Kale chips have my heart. This is one bunch of kale, washed, ripped into pieces, drizzled with 1 tbs. evoo and sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Baked at 375* for 12 minutes. Crispy, salty, delish. But it inevitably made me want sweet.
I ate a couple of apples. Here is a math problem for you: I started out with 9 apples on Thursday, and now I have 3 left. How many apples have I eaten in 2 days? There are worse things to be addicted to than apples.
My hunger wasn’t quite satiated, so I reached again for the salt.
Seven wafer thin crackers…
All nicely sharing 1 tbs. of crunchy peanut butter.
This marks the end of my sweet and salty Saturday. We spent the afternoon getting a new battery for Meeker’s truck, went to a little league football game, and now we are headed over to a family friend’s house for pizza and salad. (Jealous, Cait?)
Hope you all had remarkable and relaxing Saturdays. Hasta mañana!
Morning Delay
Posted: November 6, 2009 Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: coffee, jam, oats, peanut butter 17 Comments »I don’t have to be at school until 7:45 this morning (in-service day). That is about 45 minutes later than my normal morning starts, but for some reason – I woke up at my normal 5am and did my routine (workout, shower, etc) exactly the same as any other day.
The wonderful result of my delayed morning – I have been sitting at my kitchen table slowly enjoying my coffee, oatmeal and blog reading. Happy Friday to me.
- 1/3 cup steel cut oats
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- Dollop of strawberry jam
- Dollop of crunchy peanut butter
- Cinnamon
- Mini chocolate chips
There isn’t a much better way to enjoy the morning in my opinion…
What’s your favorite way to start the day?
