How to have a good Sunday:
Posted: May 16, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: agave, chicken, chocolate, pancake, peanut butter, salad, zucchini 16 Comments »1. Wake up after 8:00am
2. Upon waking, go for a quick run. No more than 3 miles or else you’ll be starving during church.
3. Make a dinner-plate-sized-pancake for breakfast (this also helps with the mid-church hunger)
- ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 scoop protein powder
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 7 vanilla drops
- Pinch of salt
-
Cinnamon
4. Top said pancake with a mixture of mashed banana + peanut butter + agave + chocolate
5. Go to church
6. Go to lunch with in-laws after church
7. Choose a place where you can order a delicious Hugh Jass salad
Greens, pumpkin seeds, roasted beets, goat cheese
8. Have a lunch dessert, preferably chocolate custard
9. Lay on the couch after lunch, contemplating a nap
10. Ultimately decided to go for a walk in the glorious sunshine instead
11. Get some work/grading done – this way you won’t have to worry about it all week
12. Grill something for dinner – it will make you feel summery
Chicken and zucchini
13. Always eat off of your favorite colored plates (my favorite color is red)
14. Relax and remind yourself that summer is near
What was the best thing about your day?
Taco Tuesday
Posted: May 11, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: chicken, cinnamon, guacamole, peanut butter, salad, salsa, sweet, taco 25 Comments »Hola amigos! How was your day? Mine was quick, and that’s never a bad thing. Per usual, I started it early with a walk with the dog, a quick breakfast, and then a walk to school.
I was in the mood for sweet (honestly, when am I not?) and this breakfast hit the spot. A flatout wrap with peanut butter, cinnamon and chocolate chips. I wrapped this up and ate it once I was in my classroom.
Lunch was eaten at home today.
Broccoli slaw, grilled chicken (leftover), chickpeas and hummus
Cottage cheese scooped up with a few crackers
I haven’t had a lunch this good in a looong time. I wish I had time to eat lunch at home every day. It’s so nice to have a fridge of possibilities instead of just eating what I packed more than 12 hours prior to lunch. Two weeks, two weeks, two weeks…
I did my workout way later today, and had a fantastic, speedy run on the treadmill. It’s rainy/snowy outside. Yes, it’s May and snowy. I’m not pleased at all. But looking at the positive side of things, I got to see my handsome husband doin’ his thang at the gym.
I did a quick 7 miles, full of intervals and sweat. I love the after-run feeling so dang much. I could never not run.
Dinner couldn’t come soon enough. It is Taco Tuesday! (We don’t really have a tradition of tacos on Tuesdays, but I’m a sucker for alliterations)
Ground beef (cooked with salsa, onions, and garlic) and then topped with cheddar and cilantro
Unfortunately, these two tacos did very little for my hunger, so I made a big ol’ taco salad after scarfing down these delicious suckers.
Ah, that’s more like it. It’s all about volume.
In the 3rd grade world…
This story was written by one of my students a few weeks ago. She is SUCH a little foodie, and a very talented writer. Enjoy!
The Guacamole And Salsa Fight With Chips!
Once there was a bag of chips. They lived in a kitchen. The chips in the bag were named Billy Bob Joe, Milly, Tom, Jill, Eric, Rebeca, Josoph, Jordyn, Tanner, Meaghan, and Yamus. The bag opened and the chips gleefully ran out. There were two large bowls, one had guacamole and the other had salsa. That’s when the problem started. The chips knew that they could only go in one. The girls liked the salsa but the boys liked guacamole. Rebecca called out “The salsa”. Eric called out “The guacamole”.
All the girls grabbed a chuck of vegetables. The boys balled up some guacamole. Then they all fired! Many cries, yells, and grunts came from the chips. This lasted for about an hour. Then the chips charged! The girls were pushed into the guacamole the boys the salsa. It was terrible! But the boys tasted the salsa and they liked it. Same with the girls! They started playing. There was a cheer of joy from the chips. They were all friends. Rebeca and Eric remembered something. They got out and washed off. The two of them apologized. Eric and Rebeca agreed that Monday, Wednesday, and Friday they would go in the salsa. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday they would go in the guacamole. They did not get out on Sunday.
Everyone was happy. The chips went back into the bag. The chips lived happily ever after.
The End
Happy New Year?
Posted: May 6, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: broccoli, cauliflower, chicken, chickpeas, chocolate, edamame, flatout wrap, greek yogurt, hummus, oats 24 Comments »Happy Thursday! We’ve almost made it through the week! Thursday is my favorite day by FAR. I just love the anticipation of the weekend. I woke up, walked the pup, and then RUSHED to get out the door. I don’t know why I can’t ever make it out the door on time…seriously. I’m awake 3 hours before I need to be at school, but I still can’t manage it. So, I took my breakfast on the road in my cute pink tupperware.
½ cup oats, a couple spoonfuls of greek yogurt, sunflower seeds, a little square of chocolate waaaay in the back.
I ate this sitting at my desk while my kiddos walked in the door. It was yummy, but AS ALWAYS, it left me hungrier than before I started. Dang oatmeal. Lunch was something new.
Flatout wrap, hummus, edamame, garbanzo beans, a few more sunflower seeds.
Unfortunately, that apple in the background ended up going in the trash. It was given to me by a student who picks his nose all day, every day. I just couldn’t get that image out of my head. I’m sure I could have washed it and it would have been fine, but quite frankly, the student who gave it to me just plain grosses me out, so I opted not to eat it. Plus, it was a little mushy and there is nothing worse than a mushy apple.
Later in the afternoon, I had my fave Clif Bar.
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.
After school, I actually went to the gym! An after-school-gym-workout is very unusual for me, but I ended up really enjoying myself. I started with Janetha’s 4×5 HIIT workout, and then finished up with another 3 miles. All in all, it was a little over 5 miles. I love running outside, but for a while, I didn’t think I could stick it out that long on the treadmill, however I kept thinking about Angie’s Treadmill 10 miler and that got me through it. I felt great afterwards. Plus, I saw two of my co-workers at the gym, which was really fun. (Hi Beth and Mandy!)
I came home and prepared my dinner (Meeker has to work late. Boo.)
Grilled chicken on a bowl of mashed cauliflower and broccoli – so, so good.
In the 3rd grade world…
My students had this little “game” they played all day:
Every time I turned my back to write something on the board, the entire class would start counting down: 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It was so weird. I have no idea who started/planned it, but each time it happened, I laughed my head off. Of course, my laughter made it worse and perpetuated the silliness. Working with kids is funny.
If all I had to do was teach…
Posted: May 4, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: chicken, cinnamon, edameme, egg, hummus, mango, nutritional yeast, salsa, sweet potato 33 Comments »Ahh!! I’m up to my eyeballs in end of the year things. Wrapping up the school year means two things: crazy kids and assessments. And those two things don’t really get along. I’ve got RTI and MAPS scores to figure out, ILPs to update, DRAs to grade and enter, IEP kiddos to worry about….all on top of an ENORMOUS project for my induction program and teaching crowd-control for the next 3 weeks. I know I shouldn’t complain…at least I GET a summer, but honestly, I’m about to pull my hair out. Any fellow teachers out there feel my pain??
Also, eight hours of sleep sucks. It is actually stressing me out more because I have less time to do things at night. I am going to continue for this week, BUT, after that, 8 hours is a no-go. Just plain silly.
Yikes, I just complained for 150 words…let’s turn things around, shall we?
I woke up early and had a fantastic 5 mile speed workout. I felt very accomplished afterwards. Then I had breakfast while in the car.
Corn, peas, edamame, salsa, egg, nutritional yeast
Lunch was quick because I had recess duty. I inhaled this wrap.
Flatout wrap, hummus, chicken, cilantro
Cinnamon roll lara bar…delicious!
Snack – a gift from a student.
A mini mango and a poem about how I am as tan as the sand. How cute is that?
Dinner couldn’t come soon enough. I forgot that I had to work late tonight, and I didn’t pack NEAR enough food. But I survived, I always do. When I got home, I microwaved a sweet potato for a few minutes and then threw it on the grill.
Topped with cinnamon and stevia. So yum.
Now I’m catching up on Gossip Girl and waiting for my scuzzband to get home!
In the 3rd grade world…
After that rant on my job, I feel a little guilty saying that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week and my students each brought me a flowers today.
Gorgeous. I have no right complain about my job.
Bright Lights, Big City
Posted: March 25, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: cabbage, chicken, garlic, nutritional yeast, oats, pepitas, sweet potato 36 Comments »Hello lovely friends! I’ve had a busy (but exciting) day, and eaten spectacular things throughout it. Shall we get started? Upon waking, I laid in bed and read this book.
It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think. I highly recommend it. Then I climbed out of bed to refuel with this beauty.
An insanely good bowl of oatmeal. And…I felt FULL afterwards!! My quest to find a filling oatmeal combination may stop here…Or it could have been a fluke. Either way, it tasted darn good. Let me break it down for you:
- ½ cup oats
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tsp. chia seeds
- ½ cup mashed kabocha squash (roasted)
Topped with:
- Raw trail mix
- Pumpkin Flax granola
- Pepitas
- Agave
- Peanut butter
Ahhh yeah.
I spent the morning on a nice sunny (but still snowy) walk with Punky. Then came home to tackle the remainder of my to-do list and run some errands. Why the productivity rush, you ask? Oh, no big deal….I’m just headed to New York City tomorrow morning!!!! My best friend is turning 24 years old, and we’re flying out to the big city to celebrate in style. Of course, some of my packing and planning included food…I get really nervous that I’ll get hungry (and not have any food purchasing options) when I travel.
Dried apples, yogurt covered raisins, 2 trail mix baggies, apples, bars
When I broke for lunch, it looked like this:
Roasted cabbage,roasted sweet potatoes, kabocha squash – topped with pepitas and nutritional yeast.
Then I cooked a whole chicken for Meeker so that he wouldn’t starve while I’m away. My favorite part about this was roasting the garlic which I later mashed and rubbed under the skin of the little chicky.
I roasted this for about 45 minutes at 425* – it reminded me of little flowers! I came downstairs from packing and discovered that the husband had already torn into the bird.
Which is exactly what it’s for – I felt like a good wife.
And with that, I am out of here! I have to leave for the airport at 3:45AM, so I must crawl into bed soon. Have a fabulous weekend – I shall return on Sunday!
Snowy Surprise
Posted: March 23, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: broccoli, chicken, hummus, peanut butter, shreddes wheat, spinach, sweet potato 30 Comments »This morning, I awoke from a dream in which I was stuck. I couldn’t move or talk, and my mouth was FULL of sand. Ick. I popped out of bed, laced up my running shoes, and went for a four mile fun to shake that stuck feeling. I hate that dream. Upon returning, I had some shredded wheat yumminess.
- Handful of shredded wheat
- Peanut Butter Sauce (mix of almond milk + a spoonful of peanut butter)
- Raw trail mix
- Pepitas
- Crumbled yogurt covered pretzel
After tackling a few more chores on my to-do list, I went to lunch with a former mom in my class (Hi Tona!) – and promptly forgot my camera. Whoopsies! I had broccoli and chicken, here’s a stand in.
Then I took Punky for a nice long walk in the sunshine and WIND. After returning home, I cleaned and organized for the rest of the afternoon. As I walked into the kitchen to start prepping dinner, I looked out the window and discovered a surprise blizzard was raging outside!
I had no idea it was supposed to snow today! Yuck! It is still snowing like crazy right now, and schools across the state are already shutting down. Too bad I’m already on break…hah. What a waste of a snow storm.
Dinner was a recipe out of Everyday Food – Ham and Spinach Casserole
Spinach, milk, egg, gruyère cheese, onion, garlic, ham
This was Meeker’s plate. I had a few bites of his – then moved on to my real dinner…
Roasted sweet potato and hummus. Yum city.
I’m off to snuggle under a blanket and try to stay warm as the snow continues on. I hope your first week of spring is feeling more springy! (Send some sunshine my way!)
You’ll have to go to Jubilee
Posted: February 24, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: chicken, crock pot soup, latte, oats, salad, walnut butter, yogurt 32 Comments »My morning was rushed because I was creating breakfast and dinner at the same time – I hardly ever crave things for breakfast, but this morning, my tummy was begging for oatmeal.
½ cup oats (cooked in water), 1 cumbled oatie, pumpkin flax granola, almond butter, 2-3 tbs. vanilla soy milk
So dang good. Exactly what my belly wanted.
Mid morning, I was surprised with a latte from a wonderful mom
It was a good day for a latte. Every day is a good day for a latte, really. Especially when it’s free – thanks Tona!
When lunchtime rolled around, I was ready for my big fat salad.
Look at that vibrant color! I love all things red – it’s such a warm color.
- Broccoli slaw
- Red bell pepper
- Carrots
- Salsa
- Tiny little chicken tender way in the blurry background
Then around 4:30pm – I had the most fantastic snack while grading. I started with coconut yogurt…
Then added granola and walnut butter
Oh.my.word this was delicious. That walnut butter is the best thing around.
Dinner might look familiar…
This is exactly what my lunch was – but with the subtraction of chicken, and the addition of ground turkey. Cooked in the crock pot all the live-long day. This morning, I browned the turkey, then added it to all the yummy veggies and cooked on low while I was at work. I just love coming home to a hot meal. Thank the Lord for crock pots.
In the 3rd grade world…
Today was a pretty somber day because there was a school shooting in our area yesterday. However, I have a student who always manages to lighten the mood – no matter what the situation.
It started when a boy was telling the class that he was going to kill his brother for stealing his after-school snack (kind of funny in its own right…). A classmate who was listening to this exclaimed…
“You can’t kill your brother…you’ll have to go to jubilee!“
“Uh, jubilee…?” I asked questioningly
“Yeah, you know the place that kids under 18 go to jail”
“Oh..you mean ‘juvie’ – juvenile detention. “
I will be calling it jubilee from this point forward.
Switch it Up
Posted: February 22, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, leftover lunches | Tags: acorn squash, applesauce, chicken, chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, green monster, yogurt, Z Bar 20 Comments »Hello and Happy Monday!
I tried something new this morning and didn’t work out before school. Gasp!
This really is a big deal for me, as I’ve been compulsively exercising before school/work for 8 years – it’s just how I wake up. But this morning, I was exhausted, and instead of pushing myself to do a less than stellar workout – I pushed the snooze button. I actually just finished my workout and it’s 8:01pm. It wasn’t as bad as I always imagined, but I still love the morning sweat sessions.
As a result of my less invigorating breakfast – I had a smaller-than-normal breakfast.
½ cup applesauce, a few tablespoons plain yogurt, a few walnuts, cinnamon
I also had a little oatmeal later in the morning – sorry no picture.
When lunchtime rolled around – I had leftover dinner from last night – acorn squash and chicken tenders
Last night I put an acorn squash in the oven at 350* for about 40 minutes. Today I microwave about half, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and garlic salt – and topped with two baked chicken tenders.
My snack revolved around chocolate.
A cup of coffee and a square of chocolate @ 5pm
Plus a z bar –
I was actually a little chocolated out after this – but it fueled me well through my PM workout. After 45 minutes of Your Best Butt – which I surprisingly liked.
I wasn’t too hungry for dinner, so I had a HEAB inspired Green Monster.
- 1 avocado
- 4 stalks celery
- A lot of spinach
- 3 cups water
- Drizzle of agave
- Shredded coconut – for topping
This was exactly what I wanted – not to sweet, tasted like veggies, and filling!
I may or may not eat something else for dinner, but for now I’m full, happy, and watching crazy girls on The Bachelor.
Lesson Learned
Posted: January 22, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: banana, black beans, broccoli, chicken, green monster, peanut butter, spinning, starbucks, sweet potato 20 Comments »I guess all of those early morning spin classes caught up with me today. Not only was I exhausted, but I was the hungriest I have been in a long time.
(By the way, spinning was awesome again this morning – hardest class yet. Plus, we watched a Warren Miller film, which reminded me of my college days when I used stalk and follow Jeremy Bloom around campus.)
Backtrack to before the workout…
Bread with peanut butter and banana slices
Afterwards, I refueled with a green monster.
½ banana, lemon juice, spinach, and milk – easy and yummy. I thought I was full after this…hah, little did I know.
About 9:30, I had a hunger attack. When I say attack – I mean it. I thought I was going to pass out if I didn’t eat something (anything) soon. I hadn’t packed any snacks (lesson learned!!) so I went to the staff lounge in search of something. I ended up stuffing my face with crap – a chocolate muffin (the size of my head), about a pound of pineapple and a heart shaped neon pink cookie (Lord knows what it was made of) – I was still starving afterwards, so I drank a gallon of water, and was still famished. However, I couldn’t really do much more about it – so I just waited it out until lunchtime when I came home and filled up with fiber.
A sweet potato with black beans, yogurt and spicy mustard.
Thankfully, I felt full after inhaling this, and I stayed that way until dinnertime, which was a Rachael Ray recipe – it only took me 30 minutes! (Usually RR’s thirty minute meals take me about an hour – I’m a slow cook, I guess)
Chicken and Broccoli
I really wish that had been brown rice – but white was what we had. The other side is chicken and broccoli with some Asian flair.
All mixed up with siracha…
Now, I am enjoying the night with Meeker, some Starbucks, and The Big Lebowski
Happy Friday.
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.
