12 Pieces Of Wisdom From My Grandmother And Others
Who in their life hasn’t picked up tips and nuggets of wisdom from the people in their lives here and there? Today, I found myself using and acknowledging those little pieces of gold. Read on and you might even learn something new, if not at least see some good eats 😉
The Heat Is On Tofu Salad, Scrambled Eggs, Steamed Broccoli, Kombucha
1. A splash of milk makes scrambled eggs 10 times better. My grandmother was sooo right on this one! Of course, she probably didn’t use almond milk like I did here 😉 But the results were the same: perfectly moist eggs. I feel like there’s no way I couldn’t take advice on eggs from the woman who made them for me almost every day during the Summer. On the side, I had simply steamed broccoli, and some “tofu salad” made with 3oz soft tofu and a tablespoon The Heat Is On.
The Heat Is On Peanut Butter
2. Do what you know and love, and 3. follow your dreams. I’d like to think all our parents weren’t blowing hot air here telling us this when we were growing up. For Lee Zalben, it certainly worked out. If you weren’t aware, he started off pretty much knowing one thing: he loved peanut butter. Now he runs a successful NY sandwich shop and produces the beloved and famous PB&Co. Peanut Butters. What I love about this way of thinking is that things “just work out”. I have no clue what I’m going to do with my major or where I’ll be after college but I truly believe that something will “work out”.
Botanic No 9 Kombucha
4. Don’t eat it if it’s still alive. Well, grams can’t be right on everything, right? This flavor was my 4th of Synergy Kombucha and my 3rd for review. It tasted very “blue”(definitely a welcomed change of pace from “green”) and wasn’t nearly as harsh on the vinegar flavor of kombucha as I’ve come to know. Unfortunately, I love that strong vinegar taste! But I’m guessing this would be friendlier to the new palate. Did anybody else not realize that those things floating in the kombucha often is cultures? That was some words of wisdom I didn’t need to read.
Zevia Cola And Kombucha Collection
5. Everything in moderation. These timeless words also sum up nicely all the comments on this post from this morning. What did I end up doing? Grabbing a diet Zevia. While it avoids the aspartame of Coke zero(oh, how I miss thee), it’s also important to remember that 0-cal sweetners, natural or not, should be taken in moderation, and other occasions just call for the sweet white stuff. For reference, I use stevia in coffee, tea, yogurt, and pudding, and will occasionally enjoy an erythritol sweetened soda. But Chicken Cacciatore over pasta with Splenda? No thank you. Also, this gave me a chance to highlight my kombucha bottle collection; isn’t it purdy 😀
6. If it makes you happy it can’t be that bad. You sing it, Sheryl.
Forming Beef Patties
7. Always have a clean work station laid out and 8. Don’t sh*t where you live. Mom always told me the first one; she’s where I get the “neat-freak” gene. Would she approve of my forming burger patties in the dorm? Good question. If it’s any consolation, I used 1 hand to make the patties and didn’t touch anything else without washing them. And number 8… my dog, Montana, could tell you that. Not like he follows his own advice.
Chocolate Avocado Pudding With Hemp Seeds And Sea Salt
9. Salt makes everything better. Another treasure trove from mom. The sea salt on this made the sweetness of the chocolate and the savory-tone of Bob’s Red Mill‘s hulled hemp seeds explode! We can do this loud and proud, too, because we have low blood pressure(sorry, dad!).
Red Delicious Apple
10. To properly pick an apple, turn it upside down and twist. I didn’t pick this apple, but that’s one piece of knowledge that I learned on a field trip in 1st grade and never forgot. On the contrary, this was from the dining hall. But, amazingly, it was delicious, firm, and ripe!
11.You weren’t the first. You won’t be the last. I don’t know who said that but–damn–were they a downer and spot on! This actually occurred to me when I started thinking “I wonder what blogger started up sweet potato fries” and realized that sweet potato fries predate blogs by a lot. No one “started” them up; they just remembered to do them. I was also reminded of this when I came upon a dirty joke in Petronius’ Satyricon I would have never thought was that old, but there it was! I can’t say it on the blog because… I just can’t.
Grass-Fed Beef 1/4 Pounder, Sweet Potato Oven Fries
12. Let your meat rest 5-10 minutes, knowing it will continue cooking. Another gem from mom, not like she ever follows it herself! Whenever I cook my burgers, chicken, eggs, or really any protein, I keep in mind not to overdo it, and to let it sit. Since I have to photograph it and then clean the dishes, it’s not too much of a problem not diving in immediately. But once I got started at this meal, I couldn’t stop; it was that good! It definitely makes up for last nights pancake disaster.
There you have them. 12 sage pieces of advice. Got any more? I’d love to hear them in the comments, as random as they could be! I’ll add a 13th: Don’t eat yellow snow.
And, while you’re at it, you can check out a Zevia giveaway, a Chobani giveaway, and a Lightlife giveaway!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 25 so far )Bacon And Soy
33% of the work week: Done. That feels good. Now it’s just the other 66% to get through, and that last bit of Latin translation :-\ For the 2nd semester in a row, I chanced into the class which is translating one of the raunchiest texts possible. This semester it’s Petronius’ Satyricon. I’ll let you in on any of the gems of entertainment that come up in class; so far I’ve heard my professor say the word “grind” well more than I ever wanted to hear. Enough said!
Steamed Broccoli, The Heat Is On Tofu Salad, Scrambled Eggs
Lunch was a lot of protein, fats, and broccoli–a perfect makeup for a meal in my opinion. First, I simply scrambled 2 eggs. I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve enjoyed these on a regular basis; eating them reminds me of meals at my grandmother’s house. I’m determined to become “the perfect egg-cooker” even if I have to go through a few dozen–hens beware! I also used up the last of a block of tofu(about 1.5 servings) by simply shredding it with a fork and adding 1 tablespoon The Heat Is On pb & co. peanut butter; if you like pad thai, this could well be up your alley. And it’s so simple, you can make it in seconds!
Multi-Green Kombucha
On the side I had more greens, via Kombucha! The multi-green was the first flavor I tried for review for the company(the gingerades I’ve drunk have been with my own money). Again, wow! I 1/2 expected not to like this, but was pleasantly surprised that I did. The bitterness of the greens actually complimented the vinegar of the kombucha. And, yes! Kombucha should absolutely taste vinegary! I got a commenter that sounded concerned that hers did at first taste, but that’s actually the natural fermented flavor. And it’s completely understandable that for some people it wouldn’t be seen as “pleasant”, haha 😉 And if you thought a green, fermented beverage would be the oddest thing I’d eat…
Sir Francis Bacon's Bacon Peanut Brittle
…think again. I first heard about the Sir Francis Bacon company through The National Peanut Board. Really, how could I not be intrigued. I’ve actually made yogurt and oatmeal messes with peanut butter and tempeh bacon in the past, so the flavor combo wasn’t all too random for me. This was, though:
Agave Soy Yogurt With Bacon Peanut Brittle
That would be certified vegan soy yogurt topped with bacon peanut brittle. And you know what? Holy yum! The brittle had a great hickory smoked aroma to it, which made the bacon and peanuts only that much more appetizing. And it was choc-full of them, too! With the sweet soy yogurt, it all just “worked” even though it sounds like I’ve just made the founder of PETA roll over in his/her grave(or bed if they’re still alive). If you’re not a fan of savory peanuts, this probably won’t convert you. But if you are(or just a bit wacky in life), this should definitely be a something-to-try 🙂
Compared to that, my afternoon has been a) unexciting and b) busy. If it were one or the other, that might be nice. But nope. Both. Among heavy blogreading, I came across this map of interest. I live in a light green area; what about you? I would have thought Florida would be darker. I remember getting sooo many McFlurries on vacation there as a kid. Anyway, for dinner I had planned to have a burger. Something about the bacon in the peanut brittle–as much as I enjoyed it–turned me off meat for the night. If you’re an occassional meat eater, you probably know what I mean. That left dinner wide open.
Baked And Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Maple Baked Tofu With Sea Salt
Here comes the sun, doo do do doo. Of course, I went for instant comfort foods of mine: maple baked tofu and sweet potato fries. Well, sort of. The sweet potatoes under my bed grew mold over the weekend, so these were baked at the dining hall, and then I tried roasting them in EVOO for a bit to crisp up but they didn’t take. And because I was pressed on time figuratively, the tofu was never literally pressed, which would have helped them roast better and lose moisture while retaining maple-flavor. I just added a spike of maple syrup at the end and voila!
For some reason, I’ve been thinking it’s Thursday all day. Wishful thinking, right? That means no Survivor 😦 But there should be American Idol and The Olympics! Gotta look at the bright side(or the sun! ^)
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 23 so far )3 Down, 2 Nut Butter, And 1 To Go
*Update* I’ve gotten a hold of some more deals for my HoliDEALS page! Check them out if you plain on doing any online foodie shopping.
Woohoo! I’ve officially completed 3 classes. I definitely didn’t rock out my final this morning, but I also didn’t tank it, so I’m fine with that. But best of all, it’s over! Now I have 2 1/2 days to write my Greek History paper, study dates and people, read for passage ID’s, and brainstorm 3 in class essays. That all sounds scary, but I’m just telling myself in my head that in 72 hours it’ll all be over for good or for bad and I’ll be heading home for the holidays 🙂
Last night, I started off my desserts with what else but chocolate.
Q.Bel Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Wafer Bars
After some of the other Q.bel products, this was a bit of a let down. It totally just didn’t pull together 
But it was so perfect in theory! Don’t you hate products like that? Oh well. What was awesome was finishing my Latin paper. It wasn’t due until Friday but I wanted to hand it in with my final so that I could be done with that class. My in-bed snack was very typical of this week and last.
Oatmeal With Smart Balance, Advent Chocolate, And A Milk Chocolate Newman Cup, Chocolate Vitatop
A bowl of milk chocolate and peanut butter goodness and a vitatop, because it’s “nutritious” 🙂 I tried going to bed early but I don’t think that really worked out. At least it wasn’t an awful nights sleep so that I was well rested when I got up at 7:30. No run planned for the a.m. Instead I needed to get dressed, make breakfast, and prep for my final. I decided to give another new chocolate a try.
Endangered Species Dark Chocolate
I’m 95% convinced in a few years chocolate will be proven as a brain food. How could it not be?
Pumpkin Oatmeal With Honey Maple Peanut Butter
Pomegranate Greek Yogurt With Dark Chocolate
This chocolate was definitely the tastiest thing going here. It was just a crisp, clean dark chocolate. And it was so nice and thick that it made the chocolate shavings come out perfectly(can you tell that’s a big deal with me ;-)). Does anybody else actually enjoy runny peanut butter? I get a little disappointed when my PB doesn’t melt and just sits like a rock o my yogurt. Oh well.
Like I said, the test went just like I thought it would. I had planned to run afterwards but it took a little longer than I planned. I also decided that, if I end up not running at all today, I’d feel perfectly fine with that. Some days I feel “lazy” not running but today is not one of those days. Instead I decided to go out and pick myself up a “treat”, obeying that 11th commandment we all know and love. So I grabbed a snack and walked to Whole Foods.
Almond And Cashew KIND Bar
Oh my how I love this bar. I picked it up a few days at the cafe where I can use my school card 😉 All it is is dates, honey, almond and cashews–fine by me! Anyway, I called ahead to Whole Foods to make sure they had the “treat” I was thinking of, and once I grabbed some coupons I was good to go. The walk there and back(2.5 miles) was so perfect and let it sink in that all of what I was stressing is 3/4 of the way done. I’m definitely a fan of stepping back and breathing. Lookie what I picked myself up:
Artisana Walnut Butter
Only a blogger would reward himself with nut butter… It’s so true, but this was perfect. I was thinking walnut butter sounded interesting for the past few months, and after I sampled and reviewed Artisana’s here, I knew I wanted to get myself a big jar. If I had a food processor, I’d be tempted to make my own. But what I love about this is the touch of cashew Artisana adds that I would not know how to replicate. I also got “standard” groceries.
Groceries
And by “standard” I mean copious amounts of yogurt and a Q.bel near the checkout 🙂 Last day of So Delicious soy yogurt being 33% off in New England fyi! While I was out, I checked my email near the mail room, and it told me I had a package! I wasn’t expecting anything(or so I thought), until I saw what it was.
NuttZo
Another nut butter! 2 weeks ago, Kath had a deal where the first 1000 people on OpenSky got a free $25 towards their purchase with free shipping. Since NuttZo was less than $25, I jumped at the chance to get this for free. Wouldn’t you? Thanks soo much, Kath, for hosting that! I also stopped by the dining hall where they had steamed veggies. I think I got odd looks from the woman behind the counter for taking A LOT of steamed vegetables and avoiding the broccoli, but it was so worth it for this lunch.
Chickpeas And Steamed Veggies In Tikka Massala Sauce
For a Polish/Italian, I’m not so bad at making myself an Indian delicacy 🙂 I tossed the vegetables(which I weighed on my kitchen scale out of curiosity and they were literally a pound. Thank God this wasn’t from the Whole Foods salad bar!) with the rest of my Tikka Massala sauce and some salt and curry powder. I also took a serving of chickpeas from the dining hall and had that along side. I think all the cream in that sauce might have upset my stomach a bit but it was soooo worth it. Now I’m sipping Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride to make things better, and it’s definitely working 🙂
Time flies because I walked in the door 2 hours ago and just now am finishing posting 2 hours later! I can’t complain because I just found a ghost story on the Discovery channel 🙂
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 23 so far )Going About Things The Wrong Way
Today I feel like there’s been a lot of going about things the wrong way. But I’m OK with that! In fact, I’m better than OK because realizing you’re doing something wrong is how you do it right the next time.
Leftover Wild Atlantic Salmon, Trader Joe's Instant Mac And Cheese
As tasty as my lunch was(and it was tasty), I realized that my view on food this week was wrong, wrong, wrong. I was going on with a mentality of eating basically to empty out things and have less to deal with Friday. Well, I tried to convince myself that I’d be “OK” if I was living off unpumpkined oatmeal and peanut butter for the second half of the week but that’s just not how I’d feel. New plan: Take it low and slow and eat what I want, when. If stuff’s leftover, it’ll just follow me back home.
I realized I was approaching this week’s finals and papers with the wrong mindset. This one’s harder to explain, especially pertaining to the Latin paper, without boring the crap out of all of us. New plan: Have a plan. Take things as they come. But most importantly, know you’re still a very accomplished person no matter what and 1 bad final or paper could never change that.
After lunch I was craving an apple(weird, right?), and staring down the apples on my microwave from the dining hall. However, clearly they were overripened and would have upset me more than feed any craving. New plan: Go buy an apple from the mail room convenience store.
Red Delicious Apple
Apple Crispness Close Up
I’m not into buying things I can get for free, but oh my God was this worth it. It was ripe, and crisp, and juicy, and 120% hit the spot like no other apple has since we went and picked our own. While I was there, I also got a really awesome package.
Beads For Life Bracelet
Cranberry Orange Nut Bread Clif Bar, Mint Carob Bar, Chocolate Whole Food Energy Bar
I won a giveaway from Errign’s blog for a Beads For Life bracelet and she could not have thrown in more perfect secondary prizes. I can not count how many times I’ve picked up carob chips and wondered how’d they taste only to tell myself “Finish the 2 types of chocolate chips, the white chocolate chips, and the peanut butter chips first, and then you can buy some carob”. I can’t wait to make some minty yogurt, and that bracelet is going to be the perfect gift for someone. Thanks Errign!
I realized that I was not doing a favor by letting myself run low on yogurt to clean out the fridge.
2% Yogurt With Cherry Butter And Goji Cherry Cacao Cookies
New plan: Stock up on Greek yogurt when you find it. Because I go through it like wildfire and this was my last plain. And it was incredibly tasty, too. I thought I’d use my last 2 goji cherry cacao Goji Gourmet cookies after perusing their new site. 9.5/10? You bet these are one of my favorite products. This was a nice protein snack, but then I needed fatty fats.
Pumpkin Oatmeal With Pepita Sun Butter And White Chocolate Chips
I thought I was reading myself right when I wanted vanilla and decided to add white chocolate chips to my oatmeal. Unfortunately, they just weren’t hitting the spot.
Pumpkin Oatmeal With Pepita Sun Butter And Vanilla Almond Butter
New plan: Scrape off the white chocolate chips and replace them with vanilla almond butter. This was a really Nutty bowl with the pepita sun butter and vanilla almond butter, and it was much better than the original. Sometimes you need to undo a little of what you’ve done to get it just right, but isn’t it so worth it when you do get it right?
Lastly, I’ve been cheating myself and you all a little(though mostly myself) by never tapping in to the communal kitchen. Yes, we have one. And there’s pots and pans to use so long as you clean up after yourself. I was inspired by Caroline to make scrambled tofu. Of course, in her case there’s no egg involved and I was also craving egg, so I mixed 3oz soft tofu with 1 scrambled egg
Cooking The Tofu And An Egg
The pan was odd and took some getting used to but I got the hang of it once it heated up.
Broccoli, Grilled Portabella Mushroom Caps, Roasted Red Peppers, Scrambled Egg And Tofu
New plan: Make use of the kitchen here more next year. This was delicious. The tofu and egg had the perfect meld of runnyness and chewiness which went perfect with some vinegary ketchup. I’ve also come to the realization that soy doesn’t sit so well with me. New plan: Nothing. It may not sit with me but I still like it and that’s not going to stop me from enjoying it so long as it isn’t a health hazard. The whole meal was nice, as I wasn’t feeling like something too heavy but wanted to really get my veggies in.
And now to finish off the night I’ll be potentially finishing up my paper, studying a bit, and then getting a good night sleep. I have a Latin final at 9 tomorrow. The timing is not good for me at all but c’est la vie. I’ll sleep in, have some rushed oatmeal, and hopefully rely on talent to get through it(because I don’t plan on studying for it with the other, more threatening final on the horizon). Have a good night!
Here’s a truly holiday giveaway for you all to enjoy
Go check out the new Actors’ Diet website for a giveaway
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 12 so far )Latin Carol Celebration
The First Baptist Church
What is this celebration, you may ask? Well, for 62 years, the Brown Classics department has hosted a Christmastime event where only ancient languages are spoken: Latin, Greek, and this year Sanskrit. There’s readers who read passages from famous texts as well as a full song book of latin Christmas carols and a choir. And it’s held in The First Baptist Church. Not “of Rhode Island”. Just The First Baptist Church.
Professor DeBrohun
It was put on by Professor DeBrohun, who you might know as my Latin teacher, or academic advisor 🙂 Clearly a woman of many hats. It was so much fun belting out carols in Latin and I couldn’t believe that I understood probably 95% of it. During the ceremony I was feeling snacky so I pulled out a bar.
Kardea Cranberry Almond Bar
This was the last of the flavors I had to try. I think I got the most nut out of this bar out of all of them, but I’m still not a fan of the crisp rice in there. Oh, and if this were a real church sermon, I’m pretty sure photographing a snack would not be OK, but needless to say the night was a little bit more relaxed. I was pretty bad about taking pictures of the actual performers but I did snag one of The Chattertocks singing the 12 Days Of Christmas(in latin).
The Chattertocks
What a fun escape from paper writing. I was surprised by how many people were there: easily a couple hundred. And they weren’t just from Brown but rather a large part of the Providence community came to this(and rightly so). It got over later than expected and I was in a mad rush to tie up some loose ends when I got back to my dorm so that I could hit the hay. I made an antioxidant boosting snack:
Pomegranate Chobani With Newman's Own Organic 70% Dark Chocolate
I was so excited to find the ever-elusive pomegranate flavor in one of the dining halls yesterday. The little arils don’t freak me out too much but really why I love this one is because it’s tart like raspberry. And it goes perfect with some dark chocolate, of course. I thing shaving a bar makes it look so much fancier than using chips, don’t you? And because I’m such a creature of habit I needed to down this bowl of oatmeal before I fell asleep:
Oatmeal With Smart Balance, A Double Chocolate Pillow Cookie, And Advent Milk Chocolate
I’m running out of ways to eat those advent chocolates. See the 3 broken heart pieces? Good thing they’re tasty and I’ll never get bored of them. I got a much better night sleep, mostly because I was so tired, but woke up an hour earlier this morning–6:20 as usual. I headed off to the gym with all the necessities in hand.
1/2 An Amazing Grass Bar
This was left over from a run last week. I hate having 1/2 a bar lying around and I was glad to finish it off this morning. The gym was slightly busier than I expected for Reading Week but still empty most of the time. I planned on 10, but as always happens with an Amazing Grass bar I went a little more, 2 miles to be exact. I’m wondering at this point if it’s the bar or just the mentality now? Either way, it worked. Let’s just say I was in a HUGE peanut butter mood when I got back.
Pumpkin Oatmeal With Mighty Maple And Peanut Butter Chips
Peanut Butter 2% Yogurt With Raspberry Jam
I love raspberry jam with peanut butter; I think it just works the best. And the peanut flour really took to the fattier yogurt than the non-fat. Overall a winning breakfast(when do peanut butter chips not win ;-)). My final this morning was… not. It was our final required test, but it was 10 minutes of site translation and that was all. Haha, glad I didn’t invest time there. When I got out I took a walk to the mailroom.
Christmas Cards
It never ceases to amuse me that people I see over the weekends send me cards. With money. My mom’s card was a singing one and surely attracted some attention when I opened it up right there in the middle of the building. Thanks mom. I swung by The Ratty for cooking materials because I had the perfect lunch planned.
Vegetarian Philly Cheesesteak Bowl With Broccoli And Sunflower Cheddar Dr. Kracker Flatbread
Yuuuuuuum. I was daydreaming–let’s call it that–about really fatty beef on the treadmill this morning and how my grandmother made the best(but worst for me) tacos as a kid. My mind jumped from taco’s to philly cheesesteak, which was easier to recreate with what I had. I microwave boiled onions for 5 minutes, then mixed together 4oz Lightlife sausage style meat, red and green peppers, the onions, and a slice of American cheddar–sooo delicious and yet healthy enough to enjoy whenever! How is that possible? On the side I had this flatbread. Dr. Kracker sent me products to try and I took a couple from home to my dorm room. I’m glad I grabbed this one because it was astounding–read my review for more deets.
Now that things are winding down, emails have been acknowledged, and google reading has lessened, all there is to do is go pick up a package and then start back up on the essay!
And check back later on for a product review recap post featuring a blog exclusive online coupon code.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 19 so far )Popcorn Flavored Cod
I’m very stubborn. I insist to eat oatmeal when I know I won’t have time to finish it all. Boy am I a crazy person 😉 Jk, but I was still working on my bowl yesterday morning when my parents arrived around noon. They didn’t mind sitting around while I finished, and look what they brought me!
Archer Farm's Vanilla Cranberry Peanut Butter
A new peanut butter? A new Target product? A food present I didn’t have to physically pick off the shelf? This was like everything I like all in one ❤ Big thanks to Naomi at One Fit Foodie for giving me the heads up on this one. After putting that and some other groceries they brought, my parents, grandmother and I headed of to Foxwoods! We’ve been going there every few months or so since I was 2 or 3. Don’t judge my family because we bond over institutions of gambling; there are sooooo many other reasons to judge us. Anyway, I can’t gamble until I’m 21, and the arcade room has lost its luster to me, so when we go my dad and I usually eat at one of their great restaurants. This time it was Junior’s.
Junior's
Junior’s started in Brooklyn, and is much more well-known for their cheesecake. Bobby Flay even threw down(and beat) them! They also built a restaurant at the MGM part of Foxwoods. When you arrive, they give you pickles, beets, and relish.
Appertif
I thought that was really cute. And it was all so vinegary! It was perfect. For entrees, Juniors has a lot of heavy items; would you really expect anything less from a place whose main appeal is cheesecake? I was in a white-fish mood, so I went with the broiled cod.
Broiled Cod With Broccoli
The dish came with florentince rice, but I asked to substitute that with the vegetable of the day, which was apparently broccoli. I also didn’t realize that at 2pm I’d be getting the dinner portion. It was very delicious, but I wasn’t expecting the pool of butter it came in. In fact, when I first tasted it I though “Why does my cod taste like popcorn?” That’s how divorced I am from butter; I only know the flavor through popcorn. I’m not even sure what the sauce on the side was but it tasted like mayo and was pretty bland so I didn’t bother with it. One thing that was great about Junior’s was their mustard.
Junior's Mustard
They make their own, and my dad(who got a steak burger) and I both agreed it was incredible. Luckily, they also sold it, and mustard was on my shopping list, so I got one for 4 dollars. I love buying sauces and jams from places I visit because I think the flavor of their product says a lot about the institution and bring back good memories. We didn’t get any cheesecake, but I snapped a picture on the way out for you to drool at 😉
Junior's Cheesecakes
Can I move one now? 🙂 We walked around a bit more while my mom and grandmother had fun gambling. I had a huge coffee to flush out the butter from my system. Foxwoods has some fun stores that sell Stonewall Kitchen and other jams. Some of them had me drooling, but I wasn’t in the business of buying new and expensive jams. Once people had had their full(and lost their money), we made the long trip back to Providence. I say long because we stopped at 3 places. For energy I snacked on a new bar.
NuGo Carrot Cake Bar
It had an interesting flavor. It was definitely sweet, though I’m not sure it was “carrot cake”. Then again, what is carrot cake, anyway? It’s one of my favorites ever, so I’ve had a ton, and I know no two have ever tasted the same because people change up the ingredients so often. Anyway, the first stop was probably the one I was most excited for.
Rhode Island Trader Joe's
Trader Joe’s is always exciting; add in the facts that 1) I haven’t been to one in over a month 2) this was a new one to me and 3) this is their only location in Rhode Island and you’ve got a happy foodie. It felt like reuniting with an old friend. At the same time, so much has changed! They have great looking new profucts like chocolate covered peppermint Joe-Joe’s. And have they always had those vanilla fudge cranberry dunkers? If so, why did I never buy them?
Well, it was dark when we got out of their. After that we went to Stop And Shop for Libby’s pumpkin and Vitatops, but as luck would have it Cascadian Farm’s granola bars were $3 a box and I had coupons! Score. Lastly was Whole Foods, where I restocked on a lot of jam that my yogurt-loving ways have taken, and picked up a dinner. I even slipped my dad $10 my grandmother had slipped me earlier because I felt the groceries had gotten a little out of hand. Here’s the proof:
Groceries
Like I said, quite a bit. On the bright side, only 3 of the groceries were neither on sale, a coupon item, or store brand. And there was at least $6 saved with sales and coupons, so that counts for something. I rushed to put these away because time had completely gotten by me and was more than ready for dinner.
Whole Foods Chicken Dumplings And Tuna And Salmon Brown Rice Sushi
Did I mention my parents also bought me a dinner? 😀 This was sooooo good. I haven’t had sushi or Chinese dumplings in what feels like ages; I know of some great sushi places but honestly I’m content with Whole Foods. I like brown rice and most real Japanese places don’t offer that. I’d definitely get it more if it weren’t expensive(though, to be fair, it’s a way better deal than loading up on veggies from the salad bar).
This dinner made me very happy for the ridiculous amount of email responding/blog reading/internet bemusement I had to do. The rest of the night felt like hectic catching up but I’d much rather have a fun day and a stressful night than anything else. For a bit I ran around putting things away, cleaning plates, jumping into PJ’s, and making a snack.
Pumpkin Spice Yogurt With Harvest Spcie Granola
I was still hungry immediately after dinner, which I think was either from my low snackage of that the sushi had enough protein. Regardless, pumpkin pie greek yogurt was by far the best answer. I added 1/4 cup pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla stevia, and used 1 Harvest Spice bar as granola. This tasted just like pumpkin pie. It definitely hit the spot. I don’t know that I’d like that bar on its own, but as an on-the-go granola I could see it being handy. Amazing Race and Family Guy were decent, but nothing to gush about. This snack was though:
Peanut Butter Chip Granola Bar, Chocolate Vitatop With Butter Toffee Peanut Butter
Why people pay an arm and a leg for supplements when they could buy tasty, fortified food I will never understand; I swear I always feel better the day after I have a vitatop for dessert. Even if it’s all in my mind, it’s damn tasty 🙂 The granola bar was good, too. Nothing fortified or particularly nutritious, but definitely delicious. I think this one would make good on-the-go granola, too.
Nerd rant: The Aeneid is just awful to read in translation. At least when you read it in Latin you feel like you’re testing out your knowledge and can enjoy the poetry side of it. As a book, though, it pretty much sucks. In fact, the author, Virgil, wanted it burned after he died because he never finished it and didn’t like it himself. Some people are very glad those orders were not carried out. I, on the other hand, am not.
Soy Yogurt With Smart Balance, Newman's Own Organic Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, And Vanilla Sugar
Speaking of fortified, this was fortified with goodness. I actually used to worry about not getting enough calcium, but with 3 cups of yogurt or milk a day and green vegetables that’s not really a concern. And I think a sprinkling of vanilla sugar is totally justified when you buy plain and unsweetened yogurt 🙂
I’m finding the better I stay hydrated, the more often I need to get up and go in the middle of the night. A bit unfortunate, but if that’s the price for proper health I’ll pay. I grabbed a fruity bar and hit the gym.
Clif Fruit And Nut Mojo Dipped
This one’s not my favorite, but it had me at “and nut”. I think Monday’s are the best for long runs because usually I lower mileage over the weekend, and I’m excited to see The Today Show gang and 7am cartoons. Today pretty much fit that bill. I decided on 12 miles and finished in 99 minutes flat. None of my gym friends were there this morning 😦 But I know where they work so I can give them hell for being lazy and make sure they kick their own butts tomorrow 😉 Breakfast was decided long before it got made.
Oikos With Strawberry Jam And Fluff, Pumpkin Oatmeal With Vanilla Cranberry Peanut Butter And TJ's White Chocolate Chips
Yum! I love getting new “toys” to play with. The vanilla cranberry butter was surprisingly thin, and the cranberries weren’t whole but rather finely ground. Still, it had GREAT flavor. I think it’d be good in some yogurt. And the white chocolate chips were perfect. I think you can tell they’re made with cocoa butter. I don’t know why, but I was craving a little sticky fluff, so I threw that on the yogurt. Perfect 🙂
Xagave Giveaway! I’d love to be baking with this stuff!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 15 so far )Mister Antebellum
After yesterday’s run I was so dehydrated. I didn’t even realize how bad it was until I took a trip to the bathroom and remembered when my mouth felt dry back at mile 2… I will definitely 100% be bringing a water bottle with me whenever I go to the gym from now on. I did this morning and, though it was a bit fumbly drinking on the tread, I’m glad I did. Yesterday, after about 2 full water bottles at breakfast, I grabbed this on my way to class:
Zevia Cola
Some people like their caffeine from coffee, I prefer Zevia cola 🙂 I must admit, I was considering not going to class at all yesterday; if I didn’t I could just dedicate a large chunk of time to essay writing and I’m much better at doing projects all at once than split up. Nevertheless, I was a good student and went to them all. That was good for Latin because we got our old essays back.
Catullus Essay
See that little thing that looks like a teepee? Yeah, that’s an A 🙂 This was definitely needed to give me a boost of spirits. By the way, this professor has the tiniest, neatest hand writing ever. Times New Roman’s got nothing on her; I can hardly read half her comments. After that I swung by the dining hall and went to my dorm to finish up computer stuff and lunch.
Broccoli, The Heat Is On Tofu Salad, Brussel Sprouts And Carrots
Lemon Bar Larabar
Lunch was magnifico. I also bought some Chobani and baby carrots but decided not to go with them. I love that The Heat Is On tofu salad though so I’m sure those carrots will get used yet. And this Lemon Bar was the first of the Larabars I was sent. Loved it! It was so pure and lemony, but also sweet. The only thing I thought was weird was cashews and almonds; why not one or the other instead of mixing flavors? Also, I got a whole almond among the mostly chopped nuts, which threw the texture off a tad. But overall this was not a lemon 😉 Oh, and we got more graded back in class.
History In Class Midterm
Double wahoo! Ok, this was a little expected after the teacher called me out in class, but it was so nice to hold it and see it was real. I still have 1 midterm essay to write but since I did so well on this and feel pretty good about the other two, I’m not going to sweat or rush this last one. Epic, on the other hand, would have been a great choice to skip to get work done. Oh well, but the good thing about that was I got to check my mail and find this.
One Lucky Duck Samples
The people at One Lucky Duck sent me these 4 samples of raw, organic, and vegan snacks! How exciting; of course all my eats are all-natural and a good portion organic, but raw and vegan is something I haven’t tapped in to much. Thanks, One Lucky Duck! I’ll have to think of a special time and place to enjoy these delightful cookies 🙂
When I got back to my dorm I had a coconut craving. I think I need to explain something here about coconut: I hate it in anything that is not coconut flavored(i.e. when granola randomly has it as an ingredient). But as a distinct flavor, if I’m in the mood, I don’t mind it at all. This was all I could find, though, that had coconut that I had:
Tropical Fruit Tart Larabar
2 in 1 day? I’m burning through these babies. The tropical fruit tart was good, but nothing like the lemon bar. The only flavor that I really got was pineapple. Still, it was better than I thought it’d be. From the stories I’ve heard I expected to be spitting this out on the floor. I watched the newest SNL in the afternoon. I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan so that was great to see; she wasn’t hysterical, but she was decent, and for someone who’s only 19 and not an actress or comedian it was a job well done. I don’t get why her musical performances weren’t online, though. Anyone know where I can watch those? I also got a bit of inspiration for some oatmeal.
Frosting Ingredients
Pumpkin Oats With Eggnog Frosting
This was inspired by Sunday’s breakfast and snack, and it was sooo good. For the frosting I did 2 ounces Greek yogurt(full fat) and 2 tablespoons eggnog with vanilla stevia to taste. Seriously, that was some of the noggiest, best frosting I could have hoped for. I think I should have let the oats cool just a bit, though, because the yogurt did not like the hot oatmeal. After some working I ended up at The Ratty with a friend for dinner.
Sweet Potato With Black Bean Taco Filling, Beets, Broccoli Spears
I was having a moment where I couldn’t decide if I was hungry or full; I think the heated up yogurt wasn’t sitting well in my stomach(still make the frosting for a cool dish if you get the chance!). After seeing what was available, I realized I was hungry. There was huge broccoli spears, whole beets, and roasted sweet potatoes. To eat a little something other than just plain veggies I took some taco filling and mushed it on the potato–yum! I love the sweat heat it added. Catching up was equally exciting because we hadn’t been both available for dinner in a while.
When I got back to my dorm I blasted a bit of Lady Antebellum(hence the title ;-)). By 8 I couldn’t quite understand why I wanted to go to bed. I mean, I know I’m practically a grandpa, but 8? That’s way before Leno. Then I remembered the <5 hours of sleep I got and it started making sense. I decided it’s worth staying awake if only for the emails I get from my parents. One was from my mom, complaining my dad takes forever to get home from work and about how much she loves pineapple Chobani(and I don’t think I ever saw her even eat a yogurt in the 18 years I lived at home). Then 1 and a half hours later I get an email from my dad(I guess he does take a while getting home) telling me about blog contests for gas relief products. Thanks.
So Delicious Soy Yogurt With Chocolate Chips And Vanilla Sugar
Naturally there was yogurt and chocolate chips. I t’s definitely a full blown addiction now, which is sad because Agave Sweetened So Delicious Soy Yogurt is no longer a sale item 😦 I do love that this is a completely vegan snack though, not to mention one with a hefty dose of fiber 🙂 Heroes really didn’t grab me last night. As in, I was too busy working/staring at my yogurt to even notice what the plot was.
TJ Carrot Ginger Muffin With Smart Balance Peanut Butter And Ginger Cream Cheese
This was gingerlicious as well; I don’t remember the last time I had this flavor muffin in my fridge. I forgot how good it is! The ginger preserves suggested pairing it with cream cheese, and they were sooo right. Then again, I pair everything with cream cheese, so they had a good shot with me. Naturally, I needed to dehead the muffin like I was Henry VII to eat it.
Chocolate Brownie Z-bar With Butter Toffe Peanut Butter
I discovered I’m out of chocolate vitatops 😦 But fortunately a Z-bar was there to lift me up. I’m honestly thinking I should buy the 5lb tub of butter toffee peanut butter next time from Naturally Nutty because I am going through this like wildfire. I decided to go to bed early because I was so exhausted, but Kathy Griffin was on Leno so I knew I needed to stay up at least until 10:30. Did anybody else see her new stand up special? Hysterical. Even my mom laughed at most of it. Anyway, 10:30 and I was out like a light. I heard my roommate come home some time but wasn’t awake for more than 2 minutes, and slept in until 7.
This morning I wanted something lighter and simpler at the gym so I decided on 7 miles in 58:26. I must be a very influential person because this morning while I was watching the Today show the 50 year old weight lifters turned another TV onto the Cartoon Network! There is something very amusing watching a 300 pound man stationary bike to Pokemon.
Pumpkin Patch Oatmeal
Eggnog Yogurt
Tis definitely the season 🙂 I used only oat bran today instead of an oatmeal/oatbran mix(because I overpoured). It’s so nice and creamy with pumpkin but I think I prefer the oats for a little bulk and texture. Of course, what makes pumpkin oatmeal if not pepita sun butter and pumpkin seeds mixed with a little bit of honey> So sweet and delicious! And I need to buy about 5 more cartons of the Silk nog at the rate I’m going through. Just 6oz Greek yogurt and 1/4 cup makes the perfect, noggy protein.
Today I have just Greek which will be a guest lecturer(aka a waste of time), and then the whole afternoon to do work(aka go to University Plaza Whole Foods). I completely forgot to get nutmeg for my nog while I was home so I’ll definitely be on the lookout for that, and I think coconut is still on sale, too! Enjoy your day!
PS. Holly has a giveaway for some amazing sounding protein powders. These are seriously gourmet.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 22 so far )Lemony Fresh
Yesterday morning, the morning I ran the farthest, had the most to do in terms of classes, that was the morning I had ample time to grab a coffee before class. I do not understand life sometimes. My teacher, who never calls on me, did for Horace’s 11th Ode, aka the “carpe diem” poem. How fitting, I thought, and thankfully I was well prepared(lucky me it’s probably one of his easiest to understand). I decided to make lunch when I got back.
Exploded Eggs
I knew things got a little pressurized in the microwave, but I didn’t realize how much so. Don’t poke an egg yolk if you hear sizzling to check if it’s done, or else you get albumen everywhere. They were still decent enough to eat, though, so I went ahead and finished up the meal.
Eggs With Strawberry Marmalade And Broccoli
Tempeh Steak With Broccoli
This has been the week of repeat meals; first the tofu salad and now this. But when you find something good, why stop eating it! I wanted something acidic for the eggs so I added strawberry marmalade with orange liquer. And the “tempeh steak” was just 3oz leftover tempeh with mushrooms in 2 tablespoons 365 steak sauce and microwaved at half power for 5 minutes. This would be sooo good properly baked.
I took this to class and ate it there. My Greek history professor is such a character. First he said he didn’t have our midterms because the TA lost 3, one of which he “named” as mine. This was him being funny, but I’m so gullible I think my heart skipped a beat. Then he said he just was too lazy to finish them so far, but that one was very creative and stood out to him(he might have even said genius?). Anyway, it was mine! I was mortified to be singled out in the class like that, especially since it’s a large crowd of upperclassmen, but I also felt like I needed a recognition of good work like that lately because work has felt a little thankless.
Charity Bake Sale
Between class I found an awesome opportunity to be charitable. This table was set up with The Cupcakerie cupcakes, aka the kind of been buying myself for the past few Cookie Fridays, and all the proceeds were being donated to their charity. How could I say no? I grabbed my treat for later and headed off to class. The cupcake was for dessert at night, but I did grab this.
Vitaminwater 10 Lemonade
I forgot how fresh and sweet these are. But they’re 2.75 dollars at the campus convenience store! I could have had another cupcake for that money(although this was bought with my dining points whereas the cupcake was out of pocket). I hope the money for the vitamins was worth it; gotta keep that immune system up when it feels like everyone around me is getting sick.
Class was completely unhelpful in helping me choose an essay topic to write on. Now I feel like I’m going into the weekend practically blind of ideas. I’d like to have something to grab onto just so I feel like I’m heading in the right direction. I’d be glad to grab a B like on my last essay. Later on, around 4, I worked my way back to my dorm for a snack where I took a tip from the tipping point.
Pumpkin Oats With Mighty Maple And Maple Cinnamon Frosting
Did you all see on Caitlin’s blog yesterday morning her waffles with amazing greek yogurt “frosting”? I did. And it was stuck in my brain all day until I tried it on these oats. I did a little less than 1/4 cup Oikos, 2/3 tablespoon maple syrup, 3 drops vanilla stevia, and cinnamon. Wow! This was such a sweet winner. I love the way it flavored the oats drizzled on top, but never overpowered anything. Caitlin used some great spices I wish I had at my disposal in my dorm; I’ll have to try this over he Holidays when I’m home and making Christmas Oats. Later on, I grabbed this bar and stepped out of the dorm.
Kardea Lemon Ginger Bar
One thing I love about these bars is I feel entirely healthy and like I don’t need another veggie or fruit for the rest of the day 🙂 Just kidding. This flavor was pretty good. It reminded me of a lightly sweetened lemon bar. I think if I was in Paula Deen’s kitchen I would have busted out the powdered sugar on it. After going up Thayer street, the night(and 5:20 is totally night) took me to Blue State.
Blue State Decaf
If you’re ever around Providence, skip the Starbucks down the road and stop at Blue State. I’m not going to say the coffee tastes entirely different, but it is quite good and they have such a friendly staff always. This was definitely one of those times where my own productiveness impresses me. I grabbed dinner to-go on the way back, watched The Office, 30 Rock, and How I Met Your Mother, assembled the pile of work I need to do over the weekend, took care of general hygiene(as in cut nails, shaved, but sadly no floss, sorry Ms. Everythingtarian), wrote 2 reviews, microwave roasted a squash, and changed my clothes. Whew. Dinner was a relaxing time to sit down.
Cajun Baked Pollock, Asparagus Tips With Lemon, Mashed Acorn Squash
Excitingly, fish was on the menu tonight. This actually had surprisingly good flavor; spices are a great way to turn the heat up in a dish without making it too heavy. The aspargus was a little… mutilated, but it counts as greens right? I also liked that it was cooked with lemon 😉 And I needed to use that other 1/2 of an acorn squash. Normally I eat it whole with the skin but I felt like something different tonight and mashed it. It was nice and light with a slightly buttery flavor; mashed acorn squash would be a great light dish at the Thanksgiving table(though I think I’d pass and opt for more sweet potato :-)).
The internet basically stopped working last night around 7. Not everything, but everything that mattered(email, google reader, runner’s world forum, etc.). I guess it was a good motivator to study and read *Sigh* Ghost Whisperer helped entertain me. I love this season so far; it actually has a plot and that’s so rare in television shows these days. This also helped with the boredom:
Luscious Lemon Cupcakerie Cupcake
Yesterday for Cookie Cupcake Friday , the one that seemed best to me was the lemon flavor. The base cake had a great, light lemon note to it, while the buttercream frosting had a much heavier, richer flavor. I loved the candied zest on top, which made the whole thing smell so perfumey. This was easily my favorite lemon treat of the day. We need to petition for something better to be on at 9 on Fridays. This is prime viewing time and I was watching Masterpiece Theater. Has anybody else seen that? Don’t. It’s nothing terribly exciting unless you need a good English accent fix. I kind of wanted pumpkin oatmeal with peanut butter at 10. What I didn’t want was a bowl to clean up at 11. Instead, I had a yogurt mess with the same flavors.
Peanut Yogurt With Vegan Pumpkin Molasses Cookie, Pumpkin Butter, Chocolate Chips, And Maple Syrup
My messes are too organized, but I just hate to make them not look so good 🙂 This had perfect flavor in it. I need to make another batch of these cookies ASAP. I just can’t wait for Thanksgiving. The maple syrup was an after thought after the picture. Since when did maple syrup ever become an afterthought? It’s just too good to deny. I also snacked on this to Leno and hit the hay.
Deep Chocolate Vitatop With Butter Toffee Peanut Butter
9 hours of sleep. Need I say more? I suppose it is a “treat” that the gym doesn’t open until 9 and this morning was supposed to be below freezing. I woke up at 8:30 to good news; I emailed the professor of the class I want to be in and it seems like I’ll get in yet! This will make my schedule very awesome for next year, but I’ll disclose more when it’s official. I got to the gym only to find the usual shows I’d watch on Saturday weren’t on, so instead I let my ipod entertain me for an hour, and ran 7.2 miles in that time. There were only 3 machines and a lot of people so I was worried I’d get kicked off before I was done but I didn’t; the benefit of running at 7 is no one fights for machines. When I got back I put in a load of laundry, showered, and made two glorious messes.
Pumpkin Oatmeal With Mighty Maple And Goji Ginger Walnut Cookies
Yogurt With Dried Cherries, Cherry Butter, And Crumbled Cherry Dark Chocolate Squares
See? I can get messy after all. I used a little less oatmeal this time because of the cookies(which are whole grain after all so that’s not heinous). I just love the maple and whole chunks of ginger! Talk about some sweet heat. The yogurt mess was equally good but also a bit of a let down. I put the cherries in the yogurt when I woke up hoping they’d rehydrate a little like the raisins did but apparently it doesn’t work the same. Still it’s quite delicious.
Today’s a bit in the air but there’s about a 90% chair of baking and sitting with Montana on the couch; I got word over the week he’s always looking for me to sit with when I’m not there and no one else sits with him! I also have high hopes of doing 2 history midterm essays, some Horacian odes, and picking a thesis for Epic Poetry. Hmmm, we’ll see about that *rolls eyes*…
Giveaways
Join me in celebrating An Apple A Day’s 1 year anniversary with her huge celebratory giveaway!
How about an Amazing (Grass) givaway at Fit And Fabulous?
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 9 so far )Ridiculous And Amazing: Ridiculous
Because this post would be ridiculously long if I tried to cover my whole day(and because I’m going to be kicked out in T-40 minutes), I’ll talk about the ridiculous part of my day now and the amazing part in the afternoon.
As I briefly mentioned at the end of my post, I had just found out I won a contest. The contest was to attend a dinner hosted by Green Mountain Fair Trade Coffee that featured local Boston chef’s making dishes with local products and coffee to be judged Top Chef style. Amazing, right? Well, after working out that my dad would pick me up from Providence, that became a reality and we had a plan.
What was ridiculous was how much my feet killed after that run. The last 2 miles took a toll on my toes(say that 5 times fast) and walking to class was unbearable. Fortunately, I made it where I got to listen to my teacher talk to us for 50 minutes about a paper she’s writing on a 400 line poem we had to translate, but never actually translated in class–crap, I mean, ridiculous. On the way back to my dorm I picked up some of these:
Farmers' Market Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes, because they’re ridiculously good. I did a mad rush of email answering/microwaving/google reading right up until I had to run off to Greek History with this in my hand:
1/2 Turkey, Cranberry, And Cream Cheese Sandwich, 1/2 Sweet Potato With maple Syrup, Sesame Seed Savory Spinach, Steamed Broccoli
Yum! I think I actually love microwaved sweet potatoes better than oven roasted because the skin is firm and crispy and it reminds me of French fries. The sandwhich was perfect with the turkey/cranberry apple butter/cream cheese combo. The greens were meh but I had zilch all of yesterday so I felt I needed to add them back into my system. But the real ridiculous thing about this was that Thanksgiving is just a month away! Can you believe it? I am sooo psyched to get my pie-baking on(secret family crustless pumpkin pie recipe to be published? We’ll see…)
Class was ugh. My professor would just mention a historical fact and ramble on and on about his take on it and often completely wrong theory. The only ridiculous thing here was how much he’s like his wife, my Latin teacher. I’d be very disturbed–but sadly not surprised–if they were blood related.
When I got back to my dorm I knew I just had to work work work if I wanted to enjoy my evening. I had a really nutritious study snack:
Cola Zevia
We’re going to pretend this is healthy because it’s all natural and not just a diet soda. K? good. I was furiously reading Ancient Greek, flipping back and forth between Heroditus and my dictionary, until I received an email that my class tomorrow was cancelled again. Ridiculous. I was slightly annoyed, but this made my evening much easier. Despite the fact that I would be leaving my dorm in 30 minutes, my oat craving kicked in and did not care:
Pumpkin Oats With Crunchy Maple Sunrise And Almond Butter
Need I remind how soon Thanksgiving is? Pumpkin oats with almond butter never fail to disappoint, but the addition of this new cereal made it perfect. This is Nature’s Path Organic’s Crunch Maple Sunrise and, though I’m generally not a cereal person, I must say this stood out. I don’t want to review it yet since I’m sure being on pumpkin oats might have affected the flavor, but I could literally smell maple syrup as I opened the bag. Ridiculous, right? And it’s gluten free if that’s a care to anyone. At 4:45 I got a message that a package was waiting for me in the mailroom that closed at 5. Ridiculous. I hustled my way over there and was overjoyed to make it and find these waiting for me:
Kardea Nutrition Bars
The kind people at Kardea contacted me about trying their energy bars. Kardea’s product are all natural with cholesterol lowering ingredients, a hefty supply of protein and fiber, and all low and naturally sweetened. Not to mention, the flavors sound ridiculous. Ex: Banana nut and chai spice. I could not wait to try them, but I also needed to hop in my car and go go go.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 7 so far )Talkin’ Turkey
Wowza(as my aunt would say), am I blessed to have so many great products to review, such as the honey vanilla bean Voskos I ate yesterday for breakfast. I’ll be sure to repost all of them when I’m finished reviewing the line for the company to the front page. But if you want a sneak peak at their goodness, just click on the links to the pages as I set them up.
Good morning, good morning. Yesterday in Latin class after handing in my essay on Catullus 8 I was painfully reminded of a midterm in that class Friday. Uhmmm shit crap. Countdown 4 days to memorize the Latin vocab for many many dirty poetry words. Besides that the class was tolerable. My hunger was a bit raging after my half marathon run so I had to eat a loud, crunchy apple during class; I felt really awkward making so much noise but c’est la vie. Afterwards I decided for lunch I would not be wasteful and instead eat the other 1/2 can of tuna in my fridge. Problem? It kind of froze over the weekend. Yuck. Also my other apples had gone bad. Double yuck. Instead I salvaged some other left overs and made some more space:
TJ Multigrain Pilaf, Steamed Broccoli
Pineapple Chobani With Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax Granola
I found the other half of my Trader Joe’s pilaf, which was still good and not-frozen(does anybody else remember when I heated the bag for this because I sure don’t). Along with some steamed broccoli it was a nice veggie entree. And to add a bit of protein, by which I mean I could marry this beloved combination, I had a pineapple Chobani with some Nature’s Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola. Holy shiz is that the bomb. I think I picked it up from Tina on Carrots N’ Cake; that’s one blogger who knows her food. Classes were a delightful snooze. My Greek History professor, who’s always quick to give his opinion, apparently considers The Simpsons as one of the best form of art in culture of any time. I can’t wait to see what that midterm’s like(jk, I totally can wait and would rather it weren’t next Friday). When I got out of Epic Poetry I had a great big box waiting for me:
Clif Bars And Mojo Bars
The kind people at Clif sent me a box full of goodies. I contacted them after being in love with their Z-Bars for so long and realizing just what an extensive product line they have. Not only is their the original Clif Bars and Luna for woman(which, if you’re looking for reviews of, you’re looking at the wrong blog), but others including new MoJo bars and MoJo dipped. They sent me a medley of those and some of their new flavors, all of which I can’t wait to give a taste. If they’re anything like the Z-Bars, I’m going to be a very happy man.
The only other time I ran a half marathon was last Tuesday. If you remember from Wednesday’s post, I could hardly walk after that. Amazingly, I felt great yesterday all day long. So great in fact that I could walk the mile to Whole Foods to pick up two things I was absolutely craving:
Deli Sliced Turkey, Cola Zevia
I was seriously considering chugging a Zevia this morning with breakfast; unfortunately, I didn’t have this particular flavor which I wanted so bad. Thankfully I crave things that are on sale, so this 6-pack was only $4. The deli meat, as you will see, was for dinner. I love that at Whole Foods I don’t need to ask if the deli meat was treated with nitrates or what diet the turkeys were fed but can just eat it and feel good. For an Oprah worthy snack, I made oats:
Oatmeal With Semisweet Chocolate And Smart Balance
When was the last time I had this combo? If I have to ask, I’m guessing the answer is far, far too long. This is another jar I’m almost out of; yippee for picking up $1 off coupons at home! Here’s to hoping it goes on sale somewhere so I can be really savvy. My work load has really picked up this week. I thought I had somehow dodged the Midterm bullet but apparently not. And since I consider blogging my “part-time job”, it’s not like I’ll be letting myself slack on that either. *Sigh* I think my perfect bubble of 7-8 hours of sleep a night, 1-2 hours running, and 1-2 hours walking/grocery shopping might take a hit this week. But I digress with this rant(isn’t that what blogging’s all about?). While I was catching up on reading, I came up with the perfect study snack:
Pumpkin Ginger Whoopie Pie
The hamster in my mind was really running on his wheel for this one. I took a pack of gingerlicious cookies, mixed plain canned pumpkin with cinnamon and stevia, and mushed it between the two. This was just like a whoopie pie, except rung in at about 115 calories(aka, if I kept more gingerlicious cookies in my freezer than 1 pack, I would have ate a hell of a lot more of these). I didn’t need a big snack anyway because it was almost dinner. Despite the fact that I had pretty much the bulk of my meal I wanted to meet up with Adam at The Ratty to catch up:
Turkey And Cranberry Apple Butter Sandwich, Broccoli, Carrots, Vegan Garden Veggie Chili, Cola Zevia
The turkey was destined to be with the Trader Joe’s Cranberry Apple Butter. It’s almost identical in flavor to cranberry sauce and I’ll be sure to put a can on my Thanksgiving table. The broccoli I doused with tobasco sauce for something a little different. I honestly didn’t touch the carrots because they seemed over processed and oily. And the vegan chili was amazing. I almost regretted bringing my own main meal on a night when the vegetarian option was so good.
I read a bit of Hesiod’s Works And Days for my Epic Poetry Class. After learning a language, I feel like such a slacker reading anything in translation; that being said, the professor definitely didn’t assign this 800something line book in the original Greek and I was in no way, shape, or form prepared to read it like that. Apparently, Hesiod was the iron age where men toiled in labor for Zeus. I think that makes us the… Selenium age? What do they even use to make computers these days anyway? Midway through, while also “watching” Heroes, I answered to my name being called:
Peanut Butter And Jelly Clif Mojo Dipped
In all truthfulness, I did not want to eat this last night because eating it meant photoing it, thinking about it, and writing up this review. But it was definitely calling out to me for obvious reasons(I mean, just look at the flavor). So I totally gave in and it was definitely worth it. I suggest you read my full review which I’ll repost once I’ve had a chance to sample this all, but this bar has a lot going for it: salty/sweet, 70% organic, 1st ingredient being peanut, 9g protein, etc. Now I’m jazzed to try the rest. The rest of my night was lame, in a good way:
Cinnamon Raisin Toast With Cream Cheese, Deep Chocolate Vitatop With Raspberry Jam, Toast With Peanut Butter Cookie Spread
I made plenty of toast to eat up the bread in my fridge. I haven’t had the peanut butter cookie spread in too long. I can’t believe how many of you had never had cream cheese on a muffin; I’m not a bagel fan(that’s a whole other story) so I’ve made my peace with cream cheese on toast and muffins. Also, I love the combo of these vitatops and berry jams just as much as with peanut butters(yes, you read that right), especially when they aren’t too hot. Television for the night was decent comedy, but nothing spectacular. I’m now aware that I’ve moved on in my life from “Mom, do we have to watch the news?” to “Ooo, the 11 o’clock news is on, great now I can fall asleep to the headlines”. Life is a mysterious thing.
At 6:30 my roommate came home and went into his bed. I don’t know what’s worse: that he’s getting home at 6:30 or that I’m sometimes up by 6:30. Let’s call it a draw. It was definitely a drag-myself-out-of-bed morning, which I haven’t had in a while. Nonetheless I went to the gym and rocked out 8 miles in 65:52. It was most definitely an ipod assisted run. My gym friend, the 50+ year old woman who rocks it out on the treadmill with me, is back after being gone a few weeks–so exciting. I had the “I have early class but I want oatmeal” dilemma for breakfast. Oatmeal won out:
French Toast Oatmeal, Organic Voskos Plain With Peanut Flour And Chocolate Sunflower Butter
Isn’t it always the case that oatmeal wins out? This bowl was especially good with a heaping dose of vanilla powder and cinnamon. I also gave another Voskos yogurt a try, the Organic Plain Non Fat. I was sure to taste a little for review before adding peanut flour, vanilla stevia, and chocolate sunflower butter. This butter is so thick, it actually makes a really great addition to yogurt, almost like a granola. I love finding new ways to eat nut butter.
Despite it not being 10am, I can tell today will be an amazing day. First I walked next to a security card singing “it’s going to be a bright sunshiny day”. Then I found not 1 but 2 pennies heads up outside my dorm. And when I glanced at my emails I came across this:
Aka, I have no class today. Too perfect. After reading that I’ve crawled back into bed(literally) and plan on blog reading to the tine of The Amazing Race. Should be a swell time.
Here’s a very Candid giveaway with tons of healthy goodies
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