A Few Things
Posted: April 11, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: beans, cabbage, CSN Stores, eggs, Energy Bars, salad, salsa, sweet potato, tofu 26 Comments »I am super excited about a product I was just contacted to review from a home décor/kitchen supply website called CSN Stores. They have all sorts of goodies, from blenders to barstools – there were tons of gadgets and knickknacks to browse through. I ultimately decided on a stovetop skillet, because I don’t have a pan big enough for pancakes – and I’m really looking forward to rolling out my breakfasts in mass amounts now. Stay tuned for a review in the near future.
Speaking of breakfast, I really love having multiple. I get up early, and usually work out in the AM, and I’m always most ravenous in la mañana, so I think it’s an okay thing. Correction, I think it’s a fabulous thing.
Breakfast #1
Coffee and one of the Vegan Energy Bars that I made yesterday. After an hour walk, and some house cleaning, I was ready for Breakfast #2.
Tofu, 2 eggs, roasted red cabbage and peas
Then it was off to church for the rest of the morning. Surprisingly, I was famished when we returned home, and I was craving more of that roasted red cabbage.
Cabbage, avocado, shredded carrot, salsa, olives
I went for another walk after lunch while on the phone with my best friend. Then I meal planned for the week, and ate some dinner so as to avoid going to the grocery store on an empty stomach.
½ sweet potato, ¼ cup refried beans, garlic powder, chili powder
Yum, yum, yum.
Okay, switching gears a bit, I wanted to tell you guys about something cool that my school district is doing.
Mrs. Unger, what’s that black thing on your shoe?
Well, that black thing on my shoe is called a Ped. My school district is having a contest see which school is the healthiest. While I think that is a relatively vague term, I’m all for the concept. All teachers who want to participate are given a ped to wear on his or her shoe that counts all the steps that are taken in a day. Each time we walk by a computer in our school’s office, our data is exported to a website where we can track out movement for the day. The website also encourages us to try new exercises, provides fun food challenges, and graphs trends in our “healthy” behavior. The district encourages us to walk at least 5,000 steps a day, but as a teacher – that’s a cinch. I have usually walked 5,000 by 3 o’clock. Therefore, I have made it my personal goal to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. Sometimes I am way over (my long run days), but generally, 10,000 is a challenge. If I take an extra walk at lunchtime, or after dinner (in combination with my daily workouts) – I usually hit that number. I just wanted to let you guys know because I think it’s a really cool thing that our school district is doing to promote exercise. The kids also think it’s really exciting…they encourage me to walk around the classroom and play hopscotch with them at recess so I can get more steps (their words). Pretty cool, right?
Alrighty, time to prepare for another week…30 days left!!
Yes, I want to run.
Posted: April 10, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast | Tags: banana, beans, black beans, coffee, NuNaturals, nutritional yeast, running, salsa, sweet potato 14 Comments »Whooooo! I feel like a billion dollars. Butt kicking runs on Saturday mornings are THE highlight of my life. Say what you will about that, but I swear, nothing makes me happier. In hopes of reaching my goal of a sub 14:00/2 miler, my buddy Deane (the Running Machine) wrote me a personalize speed work plan. This was my first morning trying it out and holy cow it was tough – but in an excellent way. In total, it was about 7 miles, but it was broken up as I alternated between quick bursts and jogging. My body felt phenomenal. The highlight of the whole thing might have been the weather. A sunny 45 degrees, only a slight breeze…perfect running conditions.
I usually don’t eat before runs (I tend to throw it up anyway), but I didn’t have much dinner last night, and I woke up hungry. So before I headed out the door, I had two mondo glasses of water and these guys.
I piddled around the house for about an hour trying to let my food settle, and then headed out. The verdict on this pre-run breakfast? Perfect. No up-chuck, no crams, just energy.
Upon returning, I made some baby food – which is my favorite post-run meal. In this bowl: 1 sweet potato, ½ cup cooked pinto beans, salt, 2 tbs. spicy mustard, 2 tbs. salsa, nutritional yeast on top
Now I have the rest of my glorious Saturday in front of me. This is the first weekend that I have been in town in over a month. I am so excited to clean the house, and do some experimental baking. Last week, Ron at NuNaturals offered to send me some samples.
Seeing as I have an enormous sweet tooth (and butt) – I agreed! I am so excited to try some of these zero calorie sweeteners in my recipes. Thank you, Ron! I’m really looking forward to trying all of these products! I will be back with some sweet goodies…
Happy Saturday!!
What was I thinking?
Posted: February 23, 2010 Filed under: Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: carrots, coffee, kombucha, peanut butter, pita, salsa, trail mix, yogurt mess 34 Comments »Love that morning sunlight!
My breakfast was disgusting – so I’m not even dignifying it with a picture. For some reason, my sleepy tastebuds thought it would be a good idea to put eggs and salsa on top of a pancake. Yeah, what was I thinking? It was gross – as I’m sure anyone of you could have told me it would be. I had to eat a square of dark chocolate afterwards just to erase the taste.
However, I had breakfast redemption when I got to school and remembered a mom had sent in some walnut banana bread yesterday. So glad I saved it for this morning.
Absolutely delicious. Thank you Tona!
Then at lunchtime, I realized that I really hadn’t been thinking this morning. Here is what I packed for lunch:
Carrots (x5) +salsa
ww pita with peanut butter, cinnamon and cayenne pepper
Really? I thought this was going to keep me full for the 11 hours I’m at work??
It didn’t even keep me full until noon. So, when my kids went to music at 1:30, I went to the grocery store and picked up some goodies for my rumbly tummy.
Fantastic trail mix – cashews, almonds walnuts, raisins, pistachios – on sale at Sprouts! Plus, a kombucha – also on sale!
I had only tried this drink before – and I actually really liked it – very vinegar-like and tangy. This plus the trial mix kept me full right through dinnertime.
Dinner was anti-climatic, but yummy nonetheless. I was so stinkin’ tired when I got home, all I could muster up was a yogurt mess.
- Plain yogurt
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- Cinnamon squares
- More sprouts trial mix from earlier
- Walnut butter
The walnut butter was from a very exciting package I got when I came home from work…
I bought the big walnut butter, and got some free samples (more walnut butter, tahini, cashew butter) for free with my purchase! Walnuts are my favorite, so I’m super excited about it. Be prepared to see this lot in the near future.
In the 3rd grade world…
This made me laugh.
The student was writing a report about Teddy Roosevelt. Not only did the spelling mistake make me chuckle, but this student wrote a whole paper about how Theodore Roosevelt (or Rosabelt) was a famous American solely because he invented teddy bears.
Flush the Ice
Posted: February 17, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, leftover lunches | Tags: carrots, eggs, hummus, orange, pasta, salsa, slaw, spinach, yogurt mess 20 Comments »Breakfast(s)
Egg whites, spinach, salsa
Hot water and banana bread
Lunch(s)
Baby Carrots and hummus
Leftover pasta
Cabbage/broccoli slaw
Snack(s)
Dinner (just one, so far)
Yogurt Mess – plain yogurt, applesauce, walnuts, an Oatie, cinnamon squares, almond butter
I woke up with no patience today – and my students pushed me beyond my limits. Teaching 8 year olds to be kind and compassionate to each other is a tough job – especially when one goes to work feeling neither kind nor compassionate. I’m a good faker – but I came home drained. After a long phone conversation with my Daddy and a prayerful 30 minutes in a hot bath, I flushed 4 lbs. of ice down the toilet in hopes of a snow day tomorrow.
Taco and Tea
Posted: February 13, 2010 Filed under: Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: black beans, cheese, chips, ground beef, salsa, taco salad 18 Comments »Happy Saturday! I’m feeling much more vibrant than I was while writing my last post.
For lunch, I made a taco salad
I started with a handful of tortilla chips (on the bottom) and then piled the lettuce high. On top of that went lean ground beef, black bans, salsa, and a little cheddar.
Halfway through, I remembered an avocado we had that was begging to be included in this bowl.
Ah, that’s better.
I’ve also been sipping on this throughout the morning
This is hands down, the best tea I’ve ever had.
Hope you are all enjoying the heck out of your Saturdays! Yay for long weekends!
Simple Pleasures
Posted: February 10, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: eggs, fruit salad, leftovers, pencils, pizza, salad, salsa 29 Comments »
Breakfast was simple and kept me full for 4.5 hours. Yum-diddy.
I actually wasn’t even too hungry for lunch, so I only had half of what I packed. A salad and trail mix.
Lettuce, celery, carrots, black beans, hummus
I always love trail mix. Always.
Then around 4:30, I got hungry for the rest of my lunch (or should I call it dinner?)
Leftover Pizza de Parma – I actually picked off the prosciutto and just had the crust and arugula. Leftovers don’t really get better than this.
For my second dinner, I had another kind of salad…
Fruit!
½ banana, 2 cuties, 1 apple, handful of grapes, 2 tbs. plain yogurt, flax seeds
I could have done without the ‘naner, but otherwise, this was a delicious dinner.
In the 3rd grade world…
Tomorrow is our second round of standardized testing, and my kiddos are prepared to rock the test with their magic CSAP pencils.
Aside from recess, birthday parties, and candy, nothing makes 8 year olds happier than freshly sharpened pencils adorned with colorful cap-erasers and grippies. It’s the simple pleasures in life.
Coloring Major
Posted: February 8, 2010 Filed under: Delish Dinners, Mid-Day Yummies | Tags: coloring, fajitas, grilled cheese, Mix 1, salad, salsa 34 Comments »It’s still snowing. Just wanted to let you know. Driving was a little scary, but I made it (white knuckled the whole time).
Because of indoor recess, my lunchtime was cut in half. I ate this quickly…
- 3 ribs of celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 cup black beans
- Salsa
- Hummus
- Garlic Salt
With some cottage cheese on the side
I was still pretty hungry after inhaling this, so when my kiddos were at la clase de espanol, I snagged a bagel from the lounge to squelch my hunger.
Cinnamon + raisin + bagel = love
Sometime during the afternoon, I also drank a Mix 1. It was a hungry day.
Y-u-m. I know I said this with the mango flavor, but I LOVED it. I don’t even really love blueberries, but in this drink I did. So far, so good great Mix 1.
For din-din..something that I made up on the spot: Fajita Inspired Grilled Cheese
Start with onions and peppers
And sauté them in evoo, and season with salt and pepper.
Then put them between two slices of bread, throw some cheddar cheese in, and Panini press the heck out of it.
Add a salad, and you’ve got a nice little meal!
The cheese kind of slid out the backside, but I didn’t mind.
In the 3rd grade world…
When I was in college, I used to get highly offended when people asked me my major (English and Education), and they responded with “Oh, so you’re majoring in coloring” – yeah, not so much. I actually got this response more than a couple of times. Kind of stupid.
With that being said, I do love art. I am in the midst of making a FEBRUARY BULLITEN BOARD, and I actually did get to color today, and it made me so smiley.
My kiddos are writing book reviews on paper hearts to add to this banner. I got completely LOST in my work as I laid on the floor coloring to my heart’s content. Before I knew it, it was 6:00pm!
Let’s not even talk about how ridiculously happy these sharpies make me…
Finally, some cake.
Posted: January 28, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, dessert | Tags: applesauce, cake, cheese, egg, hummus, salsa, savory oats, siracha 26 Comments »Let’s hear it for Thursday. It’s my favorite day of the week because the weekend is just around the corner. Everyone is anticipating Friday, and the day just seems so manageable.
Especially when you start it off with a breakfast like this.
Savory Oats – ½ cup oats, cheddar cheese, salsa, hummus, siracha, an egg.
This filled my belly almost all day, which is highly unusual for me. I snacked on some applesauce and cottage cheese around lunchtime, but otherwise…that heck-of-a-breakfast really held me over.
Dinner, my friends, was cake. Because I do what I want.
Meeker is fond of pointing out that I have a blog dedicated to
cake, but rarely make it. (I don’t know why he cares, he doesn’t even like sweets) Well, tonight I decided that there would be cake. And after two pieces of this messy applesauce cake – I decided that I couldn’t be bothered to fix a real dinner. What better way to celebrate a Thursday?
The cake didn’t come out of the pan as easily as I had anticipated. In fact, I pretty much had to rip it out of the pan – in two pieces. Next time I will be sure to line the bottom with parchment paper – but until next time, I’m enjoying this delicious mess topped with a powdered sugar glaze.
Did I eat any vegetables today? Not one. Could I have made the cake healthier? Yup. Did I love it just the way it was? You betcha. There are plenty of days when I all I want to eat is broccoli, so I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty for wanting cake for a meal. It’s all about balance in my book.
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?
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!
