No Cook Wednesday
Posted: January 20, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: apple, black beans, cashews, cinnamon, cottage cheese, jumbalaya, salad, salsa, sunbutter, tengelo 24 Comments »I started the day with an hour of Dave Farmar yoga, then hustled myself out the door to work. Eleven hours later, I strolled back in the door and crashed.
Here are the highlights, in terms of food at least.
¼ cup cottage cheese, 1 sliced apple, a handful of toasted cashews and cinnamon
I also had a piece of toast to fill me up.
Lunch was a hodge podge
A salad dressed with hummus, leftover jambalaya and half a banana nut muffin that I swiped from the staff lounge.
Then around 4pm, I had a pretty substantial snack.
A tangelo, two fudge babies and a mini packet of sunbutter
After coming home, I really didn’t want to cook, so I threw together a salad…quick and tasty.
A Portobello garden burger, corn, black beans, salsa and a few chips. Perfect flavor combination.
I’m planning on another early morning spin class tomorrow, so I’m thinking a snack and an early bedtime are in order. Additionally, tomorrow is my last day of the week with kiddos! We have a teacher work day on Friday, so tomorrow is pretty much my last day of the week – and there are some fun activities planned in the third grade world.
What do you eat when you don’t feel like cooking?
Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo…
Posted: January 19, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners | Tags: banana, cayanne pepper, cinnamon, jumbalaya, leftovers, spinning, The Biggest Loser, yogurt 18 Comments »My day started off with an incredibly energizing and vigorous spin class at 5:30. I can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed myself. Not only was the gym unbelievably nice, but the spin studio was out of control! While spinning (in a room with about 50 bikes!) the instructor put on a movie (muted with subtitles) to distract us. The spin music was pumping, the instructor was pushing us, I was sweating, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith was playing on an enormous screen.
Talk about motivation. Staring at Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie only made me peddle faster…in hopes of looking as attractive and fit as either of them. I plan to go back to the same class two more times this week. Nothing like knocking out a stellar workout before the sun comes up.
Before the class, I had a lot of water and a piece of toast with peanut butter and banana slices. Good fuel.
My real breakfast was yogurt +banana + the best cereal
I love breakfast.
Lunch was eaten quickly in the lounge before running to pick up my kids from lunch. I had recess duty and I was late. It was a sweet potato with yogurt and a few bites of leftover enchilada.
Snack at 3pm
Tortilla with peanut butter, cinnamon and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper – thanks to Kate for the new spicy addition, I loved it.
Dinner tonight was a new recipe – Jumbalaya
Found inside a mail order spice catalog.
I couldn’t stop singing this song as I was making this.
I ended up adding a handful of lettuce to cool things down and add a little more green.
Aaand it’s Tuesday night which means The Biggest Loser is on! I am off to watch it, but not before…
Highlights from the 3rd grade world…
It was a cursing day in Mrs. Unger’s room. Not me…the 8 year olds. There is something funny about kids cursing (or unintentionally flipping off their teacher) – and I always have to stifle a laugh. The first incident was when a boy mistakenly read the word sharecroppers as sharecrappers about five different times. The second one was much more deliberate. A little girl in my class got a shitzu puppy (yeah, you can probably already see where this is going) and one of my students raised her hand and said “Mrs. Unger, do you know that when you have a shitzu puppy, and you take the zu away…you are just left with shit”
A Relaxing Monday
Posted: January 18, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: bread making, chickpeas, cottage cheese, egg whites, enchiladas, oats, peanut butter, salad, spinach 15 Comments »Ahh, nothing like a day off of work, and a short week to look forward to.
I started my morning with a nice sunny run, followed by yoga for runners.
Then refueled with oats in a jar.
I added two egg whites while cooking to pump up the protein.
And coffee while I puzzled.
After a lot of laundry, cleaning up the backyard, and more puzzle time, I made lunch.
The heel of my homemade bread, scooped out, and filled with cottage cheese, spinach, chickpeas and ranch seasoning.
(That’s Meeker’s hand in the back, dutifully working while I chowed down)
Dessert was a hot cocoa baby
I actually managed to pull myself away from the puzzle (which, by the way, is a winter wonderland scene…a lot of white snow pieces) and ran some errands, cleaned the bathrooms, and then made a new recipe for dinner!
Plus a lovely side salad
Now, I’m gearing up for tomorrow. I’m so excited because I’m using my temporary gym pass and going to a 5:30 spin class in the morning! That means I not only have to pack lunch, but breakfast as well…I wonder how I’ll get my coffee…? I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
Until then, there is a new loaf of bread in the bread maker, Jason Mraz
(who I absolutely l-o-v-e) is on TV, and I have spelling tests to grade.
Happy last few hours of the long weekend!
Puzzles and Toast
Posted: January 17, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: coffee, puzzle, toast 14 Comments »
Good Morning!
Last night, Meeker and I made some French bread while we worked on a puzzle. This morning, the logical thing to do was toast up some of that homemade bread, pour some coffee, and get back to work on the puzzle. We are headed to church in about an hour, so I still have at least 15 good puzzle working minutes left of my morning.
Have a fantastic day.
The Best of Breakfast
Posted: January 16, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: banana, chickpeas, egg, granola, oatmeal, peanut butter, salsa, spinach, yogurt mess 17 Comments »For the last two days, I’ve totally abandoned traditional meals, and pretty much stuck with breakfast. It’s the best meal of the day anyway.
Here are some breakfast gems that have been filling my belly for the last couple of days.
Blended banana oatmeal
Inspired by this recipe – I mixed:
- ½ cup cooked oats
- 1 banana
- ½ cup puffed rice
- ½ cup vanilla soy milk
Into the blender for a minute or so, then I topped it with cashews and blueberry flax granola and cinnamon. Holy yum.
Yogurt Mess
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 banana
- Peanut butter
- Pumpkin butter
- Blueberry flax granola
Mini Pancakes
Again, based off of this recipe (I think Katie is a genius) – I tweaked it (incidentally making it non-vegan because I didn’t have some of the ingredients. Sorry Katie.)
- 3 tbs. rolled oats
- 3 tbs. flour
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
- 1 egg white
- Drizzle of agave
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup vanilla soy milk
Cooked about 2 minutes per side, then dipped in peanut butter and fig spread (side note: I’ve had a few questions about fig spread. I use this kind and its killer –they sell it at Whole Foods.)
Spinach Mess
Chickpeas, spinach, cheese, salsa and an egg.
Hope you all are having fantastic Saturdays!
Vegan Thursday
Posted: January 14, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized 17 Comments »Favorite day of the week + vegan eats…here’s how it went.
One banana + peanut butter + fig spread + puffed rice
Avocado + cabbage + hummus wrap
Cheery tangelo
Soy latte while kids were at art
Two dates while grading
Savory oats
½ cup oats + cooked broccoli + chickpeas + cooked carrots + hummus + salsa + hot sauce
Success!
Tomorrow is Friday and I’m off to revel in the anticipation.
I can’t listen to your story until…
Posted: January 13, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: agave, chicken, chickpeas, gardenburger, granola, oats in a jar, spinach, sunbutter, sweet potato 25 Comments »Started off this morning early with a 60 minute yoga class from Yoga Today – it was for beginners – and I consider myself a complete beginner – but I was a little frustrated because it was too easy. I kept going because I was waiting for the challenging part, but it never came. Boo.
However, a less than challenging workout never stopped me from eating a big breakfast.
On the menu today was Oats in a Jar (OIAJ)
In this jar:
- ½ cup rolled oats (cooked in 1 cup water)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- Drizzle of agave nectar
- Sprinkle of blueberry flax granola
- I’m guessing about a tbs. sun butter left in the jar
And I was still hungry afterwards, so I partially re-filled the jar with a little puffed rice and vanilla soy milk – just to take up room in my stomach
Probably about 4 bites total. And yes, I wear gloves when I eat breakfast – my hands are always popsicles.
However, I discovered that my second breakfast was in vain when I got to school, because two wonderfully thoughtful parents brought me lattes.
Yup, I drank both the lattes and left the coffee from home sitting at my desk all day. I’m such a lucky duck. This fueled me through the morning without my usual snack at 10am. I guess a latte is a snack, really.
Lunch was phenomenal.
Spinach, chickpeas, ½ a sweet potato, a Gardenburger and spicy mustard.
Amazingly enough, I was hungry again at 2pm (I eat my lunch at 11:20)…so I snacked.
Pita Crisps + A Pink Lady
Then at 5pm, I had a big handful of cashews…
I ate these while I browsed the class schedule at Lifetime Fitness. Meeker and I are not really in a financial position to join a gym, but a sweet mom in my class (Tona) brought me a 7 Day Pass with my latte this morning.
(Tona, brings me so much food, she probably thought I needed to go work it off at the gym…haha. Only kidding, Tona…I’m so excited about this, I miss spinning!!)
I thanked myself when I came home for dinner and remembered that I had already made it in the crock pot!
Ooh, it was so yummy. The chicken was so tender it was falling apart. Plus, it had a fantastic tangy, sweet combo going on.
Tomorrow is a Vegan Thursday and I’m excited.
I’ll leave you with…
Highlights from the 3rd grade world
- I had a student get a paper cut on his eyeball today. Well, if that doesn’t make you cringe….
- Another student (you know, the ex-Chinese one…) smashed her middle finger today, and while she was telling me the two-minute story of how it happened, she was flipping me off. I was trying desperately to suppress my laughter (so mature) but I finally told her that I couldn’t listen to her story until she put her middle finger down.
Sprouts Strikes Again
Posted: January 12, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: Amy's soup, carrots, celery, eggs, grilled cheese, hummus, salsa, sunbutter, tuna melt nachos 23 Comments »Punky and I started the day with a brisk early morning run…which killed my breakfast appetite, but made me a hungry bear for the rest of the day.
Breakfast: tortilla with a hardboiled egg, hummus and salsa
Then a bite of a chocolate truffle…mmm dark chocolate with coffee.
Lunch: Amy’s Tomato Bisque with a faux grilled cheese
To make this “grilled” cheese – I took one slice of bread, toasted it, put cheese on one side, folded it in half and stuck it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
I was still hungry afterwards, so I dug into my emergency sunbutter that is always stashed in my desk.
This filled me up temporarily, but then a couple of hours later – I was hungry again (but out of food), so I resorted to a mid-afternoon a cup of coffee to squelch the hunger pangs.
Dinner: Tuna Melt Nachos
Instead of Stacy’s pita chips, I went with the cheaper Pita Bites
A lot lighter than and not quite as crispy as Stacy’s…I liked ‘um.
“Dessert”: Celery + Carrots + Hummus
***
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ve probably heard me rave about my favorite grocery store – Sprouts. Well, I did my grocery shopping there on Sunday, but managed to get home without a bag of produce. I was crushed when I realized it this morning as I was searching for the tangelos I thought I had bought two days ago. I then realized that a few more things were missing (bananas and onions). I must have just left the bag sitting at check-out.
So, this evening after school, I went to Sprouts to ask if I could maybe
have the groceries that I had already paid for at no extra cost for my forgetfulness. As I hesitantly made my way into the store…the check out lady expertly read the situation (me standing apprehensively with a receipt in hand) – and immediately handed me a bag, and told me to get the groceries…no questions asked! She didn’t even bother checking my receipt. (Although, she could have. I really did pay for them on Sunday)
Sprouts, you and your stellar customer service made my day.
Mundane Monday
Posted: January 11, 2010 Filed under: Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: apple, hummus, pasta, salad, spicy mustard, spinach, Yukon Hat, Z Bar 18 Comments »Today was fairly uneventful which, – in the world of 3rd grade teachers – is a pretty good thing. My eats, however, were anything but mundane. They were outstanding…and oh so filling.
Lunch was an enormous salad – that kept me full for 4.5 hours.
Bottom to top: raw cabbage, steamed carrots and broccoli, hummus, and spicy mustard.
I also added a gardenburger before chowing down.
Around 3:00, my class celebrated a birthday with Krispy Kremes – I had one delicious bite.
At around 4:00, my lunch started wearing off, and I snacked a bit.
Chocolate Brownie Z Bar + a pink lady
Then, at 5:00, a co-worker and I chatted about the wonders of The Magic Bullet – and now I’m fully convinced that I need one. (That and spiralizer. FYI for anyone one out there taking notes on what to get me when my birthday/Christmas rolls around next year).
Dinner was a new recipe – Rigattone with Vodka sauce…uh, minus the vodka.
Perfecto!
I’m not much of a drinker, so going to the liquor store for vodka (which I only needed a splash of) seemed like a silly waste of time and money. The sauce was delicious without it.
I’m also not fanatic about pasta, it makes me sleepy. However, I bulked it up with some spinach to try to ward off the drowsy after effects.
Highlight from the 3rd grade world…
This flower, along with a note that said: I promise to be a good Noodle, and never ever get in trouble again.
Highlight from the non-third grade world…
This hat from Kelsey! I won a giveaway a few days ago, and I came home to this incredibly warm, snuggly surprise! I haven’t taken the hat off…too bad I can’t wear it at school.
Check out www.YukonHats.com if you want one of these bad boys for yourself.
With that, me and my blue hat are off to get a little tidbit for dessert…I’m thinking dark chocolate tonight…
What kitchen gadget do you recommend or really want to try out? I have three that I really want: a magic bullet, a spiralizer, and a milk frother.
Great Start
Posted: January 11, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: banana, coffee, granola, overnight oats, pumpkin, sunbutter 16 Comments »I got out of bed 4:30 and eased into my morning with a 60 minute podcast from Yoga to the People – a phenomenal wake up.
Now, I am currently eating the best bowl of overnight oats I’ve ever had.
Thanks to a little inspiration from Sarah…
Last night I combined: ½ cup oats, ½ cup pumpkin, ½ cup vanilla soy milk, 1 sliced banana
This morning I added: ¼ cup plain yogurt, blueberry flax granola on top, and a drizzle of sunbutter
My problem with overnight oats is the cold, so I warmed these up for one minute in the microwave….perfection.
This big bowl of baby food (at its finest) should fuel me wonderfully through the morning. Well, an enormous cup of coffee should help too…it is Monday, after all.
Have a happy day!
