11.20.2009

Still in Love


Hi kids,

Still in love? With who? My steal cut oats of course (and, well D)! I still can't get over how much better they are to regular oats.
















This was my stand-by recipe. 1/3 cup of oats, times that by 5 in water, 1 banana, a scoop of peanut butter, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Good stuff!

Then comes the morning drink of choice























Coffee with a little eggnog. So yummy!

Today is going to be a little boring. I have to finish two papers. So there will be a lot of sitting and quiet time around the house.

See you all in a bit :)

11.16.2009

Found Em!


Good morning,

A few days ago, D and I went grocery shopping. This is not the exciting part... the exciting part is that I found them! I FOUND THEM! Organic steal cut oats in the BULK BINS! Amazing, I know.























So this morning, I coooked me some oats. They might not look tasty, but trust me, the steal cut oat makes all the difference! This bowl had 1/3 a cup steal cut oats, more than 4 times that amount in water/milk, 1/2 a banana, and a scoop of natural peanut butter.

Now I've been sipping and rewarming this cup of coffee.
















Instead of using milk and sweetner (this is what normally goes into my coffee), I used a splash of eggnog. Oh-my-word. This tasted like the perfect homemade equivalent to the eggnog latte from Starbucks. This may become a new tradition :)

Any ways... time to go to school!

11.15.2009

Don't Judge

















This is what requires your grace. Kraft Dinner... with ketchup.

In my opinion, there's only way way to eat Kraft Dinner, and that's with ketchup! I've been putting ketchup on almost everything since I was a kid. You should try it some time, your gonna love it! Unless your D that is... he hates ketchup on anything. I can hardly get over this fact, but it is a fact.
















Good night too all, and to all, good night!

Two in One


Hi-Ya!

Today has been a semi-unusual day for D and I. We slept in a little too late... well actually a lot too late. We were supposed to be at church for 8:30, but we didn't even get up till 8! So we quickly got ready, skipped breakfast, and made it to church 5 minutes early. The unusual part is that we skipped breakfast. I personally hate doing that. During church we passed notes on what we wanted to do for breakfast/lunch. We decided on scrambled eggs with bacon, hash-browns, and toast. After church, we stopped at the grocery store and picked up some potatoes for hash-browns, oh, and a coffee for me :) (D's not a coffee fiend, like I am).
















This was my plate, but both D's and my favorite part of today's breakfast/lunch was the hash-browns. They had a nice crunch on the outside, and a soft inside.

Well back to homework! Have a lovely Sunday.

11.13.2009

Gotta be Quick


Hey folks,

So this has to be the fastest post yet. I have SO much work to do, and I've been procrastinating!

Here's dinner:
















Greek yogurt, cinnamon apple (just like last night's pancake topping), cinnamon toast crunch, and a few raisins. Not too shabby...

Have a great night everyone!

Insert Title Here


Good morning!

To be honest, I don't have very high expectations for a great day today. I'm so stressed about my papers, and I'm not working as quickly as I liked to be. So I really need to work hard today.

My breakfast this morning was alright. I didn't know what to make, I wasn't in the mood for anything in particular. So I went with old faithful - Pumpkin Oats
















I used my usual pumpkin oat recipe.

Then added cinnamon
















toasted pecans
















and peanut butter
















Good stuff... Hope everyone's day goes well, and I'll talk to you soon!

11.12.2009

Breakfast for Dinner


Since I felt gipped by my breakfast this morning, I decided to have a some for dinner!
















Words can hardly describe how good it was.
















Probably the best pancakes I've ever crafted, and I've made a lot.

Want the recipe? Ok... if you insist.























Whole Wheat Pancakes with Cinammon Apples and a Nutty Topping

For the nutty topping:
  • 1/4 cup of almond slices
  • 1/4 cup of lightly chopped pecans
  • enough maple syrup to coat nuts
At this point, you put all the ingredients in a saucepan and turn it unto medium heat. Stir
occasionally until the mixture has thickened.

For the cinnamon apples:
  • 1 apple
  • a light sprinkle of cinnamon
Coat the apples in the cinnamon, place the apples in a microwave safe bowl, and cover with saran wrap. Cook the apples in the microwave for about 2 minutes, or until they're soft.

For the pancakes:
  • 3/4 cup of whole-wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup of milk
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • cooking spray
In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients until well combined. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, once well combined, add the wet ingredients gradually into the dry ingredients. Stir together until just combined. It's alright if there are lumps in the batter.

Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Spoon 1/4 cup batter per pancake into the pan, cook for a few minutes - until you can see bubbles popping throughout the surface of the pancakes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown - about another minute.

*****
Now for the rest of the night...

There will be a lot of this
















(green tea)

and a lot of this























(water)

and this























(one of the books I'm studying for one of my papers)

and this.
















(some of my notes for one of my papers)

I feel tired just talking about it! Now it's time to get cracking. A wonderful night!

Greetings from the Chilly North


Hi everyone,

It was a CHILLY morning, and my cold breakfast didn't help to stay warm.
















My breakfast was plain non-fat yogurt, a scoop of peanut butter, a little bit of trail mix, half an apple, and reeses pieces cereal (LOVE this). It was OK, but I won't be having another bowl of yogurt until the temperature comes back up. It's minus 4 today, and I know I live in Canada, and should be used to these temperatures, but I don't think anyone ever gets used to cold!

I got home from my 8 a.m. class and was starving! Another disadvantage about yogurt bowls satisfy your hunger as much as a bowl of oatmeal does (at least for me). So I ate two unpictured Christmas oranges.

Now I'm enjoying lunch. A hot meal this time.
















Sweet & Sour Chicken, from last night's supper, served over rice.

I gotta get back to work on some homework. Talk to you in a bit :)

11.11.2009

Happy Remembrance Day!

I really do have an excellent reason for my absence on the blog these past few days. Monday I had a midterm, so I needed to focus on that for a few days, and then yesterday, I couldn't find my camera cord to import my photos over unto my computer. I love my husband! He's so good looking and strong!

So I can bring you all my photos today.

This was my breaky:
















More leftover pumpkin oats. After eating this bowl, I went straight to my 8 o clock class. When I got there, there was a sign on the door - CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED - I was not a happy camper. So I had time to hit the gym.

My work out was incredibly random.
Warm up of 5 minutes on the elliptical
12 squats on the bosu ball (these are trickier than they look)
Skipped for one minute
12 one legged lunges with a 20lb shoulder press
Skipped for one minute
12 squats on the bosu ball
Skipped for one minute
12 one legged lunges with a 20lb shoulder press
Skipped for one minute
12 chest presses on a swiss ball
Skipped for one minute
12 chest presses on a swiss ball

At this point in the work out, I didn't know what to do next, so I ran for 20 minutes. Then I just finished up with a few ab exercises and stretching.

Breakfast was great, but by the time it was time for lunch, I was starved!

Extreme Pita Pizza of the Thai Chicken variety. So tasty. After lunch, it was back to class for Mac Skills for Writers. This class feels pretty long by the end of the three hours. I was definitely ready to go home.














































The pizza was made out of a whole wheat pita, chicken, tomato sauce, red onion, green bell pepper, broccoli, mozzarella cheese, and spicy Thai sauce. Mmmmmm I want another one :)

D wasn't home last night. He was out taking a course he needs for work. So I was on my own for dinner, and decided to go vegetarian.
















Rice and Beans. I like this meal a lot actually. I made the bean mixture. It had a can of black beans (rinsed and drained), onion, red bell pepper, garlic, vinegar, chicken broth (OK, so it wasn't entirely vegetarian, but I didn't have any vegetable broth), and pepper. I served this over rice. Good stuff!

And now, this morning breakfasts! I made Vanilla Spice Oatmeal.
































It had oats, water, a tiny bit of brown sugar, raisins, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, topped with toasted walnuts, a dollop of non-fat yogurt, and a few banana slices.

11.07.2009

A Veggie Feast!


Good evening to you,

I feel pretty healthy after my day of eating today (if I don't include that bag of Smart Pop popcorn... But we don't have to mention that, do we?).

For lunch I made myself a smoothy.























This glass of goodness contained, about a cup of frozen mixed berries, 1/2 a cup of plain non-fat yogurt, 1/2 a cup of skim milk, a scoop of vanilla, whey protein powder, and a frozen banana. Good stuff.

It was during this part of the day that I may or may not have, indulged in a bag of popcorn while watching Center Stage (good movie by the way). No photos to prove it, so you'll never really know ;)

Dinner tonight was simple and easy. Peeled zucchini and a tomato basil sauce.
















Very rarely do I eat "pasta" with no carbs and no protein, but I only wanted something light tonight. This did the trick.

The recipe for the sauce couldn't be simpler.

Tomato Basil Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion (finely chopped)
1 small carrot (finely chopped)
1 small celery stick (finely chopped)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped, grated, or pressed)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon a dried basil
1 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and fresh parsley. Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Once the vegetables are cooked through, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Turn the heat to medium high.
3. Let the garlic and red pepper flakes cook for about 30 seconds (just until you can smell the garlic).
4. Add the can of tomatoes and the dried basil. Break up the tomatoes with your spoon. Cover and let sit for about 10-15 minutes. Season your sauce with salt and pepper.

This is a spicy sauce. If you don't like your food spicy, you could cut the garlic down by half and opt out of the red pepper flakes.

IT'S SATURDAY!


Well good morning!

First off, let me apologize for not posting last night. D and I went over to my parents house for dinner, and we didn't get home till late.

However, dinner was fantastic!

We started off with an amazing French onion soup.
















This was incredible. Honestly, one of the best soups I've ever had. Salty, but still balanced.

Then moved unto a roast organic chicken - this chicken was so juicy. Organic does taste SO much better. I'm thinking of switching... I know, I'm a little behind. I just hate how expensive it is.
















mashed potatoes - fluffy goodness.
















roast beats and carrots.
















The meal was good. I was full for hours afterwards.

Breakfast this morning was great. Pumpkin oats! I made another tub of it.
















I added 2 cups of oats, the other half of my pumpkin puree, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, maple syrup, peanut butter. I topped it all off with pecans and almonds.























I don't think I could ever get sick of this combination.

11.06.2009

Chili and Chocolate

Hey folks,

Lunch was the leftover chili from last night, and nachos for dipping.























It seemed to have lost some of it's spice. I ADORE spicy food, so this was a disappointment. After a few bites, I added a few shots of hot sauce, which helped a little bit.

Am I the only one who thinks dark chocolate is the best thing to have for dessert, after a spicy meal? I just love it.
















I'm at a loss of what else to do today. This morning I sleeped in a bit, and then cleaned up around the house... I guess I should study.

Have a great day!

My Bucket is Gone

Hello!

I'm terribly sorry for not posting last night. I just didn't have the oppertunity. D and I ate dinner and then right after, I went out for coffee with my friend Caitlyn. When I got home, D was using the computer as a study tool. So unfortunately, I could not post. I do have all the pictures from last night to bring to you today though! YAY!

So dinner was delish! I made chili around 4 p.m. so it would have time to sit and stew in all it's delicious glory.
















I love eating chili with whole-wheat nacho chips.
















Yum-O as the lovely Rachel Ray would say.


















Breakfast was a little surprising. I thought that tub of oats would last me at least 5 mornings, boy, was I wrong. D did have some of the oats out of the bucket, so it wasn't just me who burned through that tub in 3(ish) mornings!

There wasn't much left for me when I came down to the kitchen to eat this morning. So I added a whole banana, a scoop of peanut butter, and sprinkling of D's blueberry blast trailmix.























You can't even see the oatmeal!
















There that's better.

Well I have a coffee calling my name. I'll talk to you all after lunch!

11.05.2009

Back from Class


Hello everyone,

Here's how the day started:
















A bowl of leftover oats from yesterday. I added some milk and a scoop of natural peanut bu Remember how I said I made the biggest pot of oats, I had ever made before? Well look at what I had to store the leftovers in:























That's a frozen yogurt tub. All of our other tupperware was too small. Looks like I won't have to make oats for a while ha!

Class was alright today, except towards the end, I got so hungry! I felt my blood sugars just drop in English. It made it so hard for me to concentrate. So as soon as I got home I started on lunch.
















Simple 2 egg burrito with a tiny bit of cheese and salsa, all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla shell. I was too hungry to chop up any vegtables to put in there. I justified it by adding lots of salsa.
















After finishing the burrito, I was still hungry. So I finished up the rest of the granola we had and added a little milk. There really wasn't much granola left (less than 1/2 a cup).

11.04.2009

One of "those" Meals


Hi everyone,

D and I just had the most amazing meal. Honestly, I implore all of you to make it.
















You can find the recipe here.
















I made mashed potatoes to go along with it, but next time I make it, I might forgo the mash and serve french bread instead. The mash was extremely good though... it's a toss up.

This meal takes me to a VERY happy place. I'll be making this again soon.























Have a great evening!

P.S. I'm sorry for the awful lighting... our house is already so dark with sunlight, it makes taking food photos ever more tricky when it's dark.