Recent Eats

I just returned today from a 3-day weekend.  It was incredibly relaxing - in fact, so relaxing that I failed to get to the grocery store to stock up on real food.  For better or for worse, here are some of my latest (and some noticeably store-bought) eats:

Plain yogurt + high fiber cereal + fruit + a drizzle of honey = addicting snack

Since I recently caught spring fever, I guess I decided it was officially time for iced coffee drinks.  I can't get enough of these fraps - mocha as well as my all-time favorite, java chip.

Thai tea.  I tried this drink over the weekend at House of Asian in Forest City and it was delicious.  On a base level, it tasted like sweet tea with cream, but there must have been some other spices in it that gave it that X-factor. 

I bought this meal replacement bar at a local coffee shop.  They're made in Boone (see parrfoods.com) so I thought I'd support some "local" business.  I tried my mocha white chocolate cherry variety this morning and boy was it filling.  They're much softer than other bars of their kind, and this one tasted a little spicy, too. 

I enjoyed it with a mug of Trader Joe's mango black tea.  As you can see, this was an on-the-go type of breakfast. 

Healthi-fry

I'm back!  This week, it seems as though I've been more focused on getting to the gym after work and I've been putting the blog on the back burner.  I am happy to report, however, that my creativity in the kitchen has been going strong because I'm trying to cut down on grocery spending.  Example: Today's lunch included an almond butter and pear sandwich on a wheat sandwich thin, coupled with a container of plain yogurt topped with frozen blueberries, honey, and Fiber One cereal. 

Tonight, I tried to tackle the ever-popular task of making a "healthy" version of a comfort food.  On the menu: grilled cheese and French fries.

The Fries

Last week, I bought a butternut squash without a plan for what to do with it.  Having recently read about other bloggers using various vegetables to make fries, I attempted the same with my squash (after a quick google search of "butternut squash fries recipe" to verify that yes, someone had actually had success with it before). 

The Victim

First, preheat the oven to 425.  Peel a portion of the squash, then cut it into fry-like pieces.  Arranged them on a baking sheet, spray them with cooking spray, and sprinkle some salt and chili powder over them. 

After baking for about 25 minutes, I took them out because they'd started to burn. 

Now, they weren't crunchy for the most part.  I think I may need to cut larger fries so that they can get crispy without burning.  However, they tasted so good dipped in ketchup that I'd almost believe they were French fries (except for that slightly sweet flavor...).  I think the seasoning, as well, helped them masquerade as potatoes.   

The Grilled Cheese

Heat a skillet over medium heat on the stove.  Spread butter on two slices of bread (I used Ezekiel Sprouted 100% Whole Grain) and place the bread, butter side down, in the skillet.  Thinly slice about a quarter of a Granny Smith apple and arrange the slices on one of the pieces of bread.  Layer sliced cheddar cheese over the apple slices, and close the sandwich.  Allow it to cook on each side until the bread gets toasty and the cheese melts. 

No complaints here.  My only problem was that I only had a small piece of cheese left in the fridge so it wasn't quite as gooey as I'd like!  The tart apple added an interesting dynamic to the taste, while upping the nutritional value of the meal.

Sweet Eats & Reads

Happy Valentine's Weekend!  My weekend kicked off with a surprise in my mailbox yesterday - chocolate! 

Every year, my dad makes sure each of his "girls" gets a box of chocolates for Valentine's Day, even though we have spread out across different states over the years.  I love all chocolate, but I always try to guess which one is coconut, my all-time favorite.  It's reliably covered in dark chocolate, but sometimes it's in a circular shape and sometimes in log form.  Well, it took about 4 or 5 tries to find the jackpot this year.

This morning, per my recent inability to sleep in on weekends, I got up before 8 for a run/walk around the neighborhood.  The cheery sunshine outside was deceiving - it was below freezing. 

I came home and whipped up another green monster smoothie.  My almond butter jar was nearly empty, so I used natural peanut butter instead.  It was almost just as tasty.  Now it's time for a relaxing Saturday morning with my other surprise from yesterday - the March issue of Whole Living! 

Life Is Good

Pure Pear-fection

I can't believe half the week has already flown by!  The past few weeks have been pretty busy, which has given me all the more motivation to eat right and stay well.  Naturally, this morning's breakfast feature was another green monster smoothie.

Behind-the-scenes Blender View

This time, I used fresh baby spinach, frozen strawberries, a banana, almond butter, and almond milk.  I also added in a few peach slices and plain yogurt (not pictured). 

By the time I finished my workout at the gym after work today, I was too hungry and impatient to document my dinner.  Once the old blood sugar was stabilized, though, I put some thought into dessert.  I had a large pear that looked about ripe, so I searched Whole Living's website and found a recipe for Poached Pears with Dark Chocolate.  I slightly adapted the recipe for the ingredients that I already had in my kitchen.

1/2-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
1 tbsp honey
4 cups water
1 pear, peeled, halved, and cored
1 handful dark chocolate chips, melted

Heat the ginger, honey, and water in a saucepan until boiling, then let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Place the pear halves in the pan, cover, and let cook for 10-12 minutes.  Remove when soft.  Pour the melted chocolate over the pear halves.  Enjoy warm.

The pear I had was Bosc pear.  Although the recipe called for a Bartlett pear, the Bosc tasted just fine in this recipe.  Then again, don't most fruits taste delicious when drizzled with chocolate?

On a Roll

This morning seems like a distant memory.  Since I get up so early during the week, it can be hard to sleep in on the weekends.  Sure enough, I was wide awake by 7:30 AM, and it wasn't too hard to transition from this mode

 to gym mode. 

 
 I had a quick breakfast of Emergen-C, an orange, and an Odwalla bar.

In case you can't tell, I've been serious about my vitamin C recently for warding off colds and such.

The gym was surprisingly hoppin' for a Saturday morning, but I managed to get my arms/shoulders weight routine in before sweating it out on the arc-trainer for 30 minutes.

 Feeling great, I treated myself to a green monster as a post-workout smoothie (who knew that I'd ever look forward to a spinach shake?).

1 1/2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
2 drops vanilla extract
1 tbsp almond butter
1 banana, sliced
3/4 cup canned, sliced mango

I had to work today too, so I feel like that eases my confession that once again, instead of cooking dinner, I picked up some prepared food tonight in the form of California sushi rolls with brown rice (from Harris Teeter). 

I suppose the setting sun made for some dramatic lighting on these guys.  As always, they were delicious.  I think my favorite part is the ginger, which I never seem to have enough of.

A Memorable Medley

Due to slight sleep deprivation and a busy schedule, I haven't had much time for real cooking this week.  Well, last night, I had to get some dinner on the go, so I went to Chik-fil-A.  Admittedly, I chose this restaurant because I was craving their soft-serve, but I compensated for the treat by ordering one of their healthier menu options for my entree.  I'd never had one of their salads before, but the Chargrilled and Fruit Salad sounded enticing. 

It was scrumptious.

 

I savored the entire thing.  Seriously.  There was so much going on - grilled chicken, lettuce, shredded carrots, cheese, shredded red cabbage, diced apples, red grapes, sliced strawberries, mandarin oranges - and it came with a little packet of granola and a pouch of berry balsamic vinaigrette.  

 

I'd never thought to combine these various fruits and vegetables together, but it worked.  The quality was much better than your typical fast-food salad, too.  All of this, paired with a Diet Dr. Pepper and followed by the obligatory cup of vanilla ice cream, made for quite a delicious meal.