Thursday, February 23, 2012

Wheat Berries For All

Last night, I realized that (1) I needed an especially filling breakfast because my Thursday mornings leave no room for a morning snack, and (2) I haven't had oats in a while! Not sure how I let the latter happen... Must be my recent pancake craze.


I'm still oh so in love with my SunWarrior Protein Powder (Vanilla), and was happy to experiment with a new protein-packed SIAB recipe (smoothie in a bowl).


Blueberry Vanilla Protein SIAB:


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Overnight: (the classic combo) 1/4 cup old fashioned oats + 1 tsp chia + 1/2 cup water


Morning: Reheated on low heat + 1 scoop protein powder + somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup water (enough for a smoothie consistency) + 1/4 tsp salt (combat's protein powder's sweetness)


Adorned with defrosted wild blueberries! (from Costco) Wild blueberries have nearly 2x the amount of antioxidants!


Dear self: how many times do I have to remind you to not go crazy over blueberries on days when having purple teeth isn't exactly professional...


...And now... welcome to the wheatberry craze...


I can't believe I completely forgot about the wheat berries I bought several weeks ago! Especially since I loved them so much. I surely made up for the deficit with today's meals (and tomorrow's breakfast... hint hint)



Somehow, time was on my side today... I finished my clinical off-site 30 min early, which meant I had time to stop home for lunch on my way back to school. I had prepared this delicious wheat berry salad last night thinking I would be downing it behind the wheel (only at traffic lights, I promise!) or at school. Instead, I got to eat like a normal human being - seated, at a table, with food on a plate instead of a container. So. Much. Better.


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Wheat Berry Salad with Chicken, Chickpeas, Corn, and Fresh Vegetables | Last night I cooked the wheat berries according to instructions on the package. | In the morning, I mixed in 1/3 chicken breast, 1/4 cup canned chickpeas, 1/4 cup canned sweet corn, and raw veggies (cucumber, zucchini, yellow bell pepper, tomato, broccoli, and parlsey). | Drizzled with balsamic vinegar + olive oil + salt + pepper.


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Eaten in entirety with a small loaf of whole grain bread. Delicious.


An afternoon snack in the form of more whole grain bread with cheese (melted in the toaster oven! yum!!) and coffee followed lecture (and a marvelous and much-needed one-hour nap). And then I was off to the clinic to volunteer!


DIAB (dinner in a bowl, haha) awaited me when I got home. This time, I combined my leftover wheat berries with stir fry veggies. For flavor, I stirred in ketchup ad nutritional yeast. For greenery, I sliced up a tomato and zucchini. My family had salmon, and left a piece for me, too!


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A sweet and colorful dessert/ late night snack followed! A sweetie and an orange! A perfect combo!


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Ah! The weekend is almost here at last! Gotta love Fridays! Do you have any exciting plans?


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