#WIAW New flavors & treats

Hello hello! Long time no blog! I hope you don't think I haven't been eating or exercising in the time I've take off! On the contrary, there have been plenty of culinary experiments in the past few days. That includes both successes and failures :)

For the past week, I've started what hopefully will soon become a habit. Following the advice of a dear blogger friend, Pre, I now start each day with simple sun salutations while I wait for the coffee to brew. These moves awaken my body and get me moving, breathing, and thinking for the day. At the same time, I have noticed I am more focused and calm throughout the rest of the day. Not a bad habit to start, eh? Thanks, Pre! :)

Today's WIAW eats & treats consisted of entirely new concoctions, and all entirely delicious and nutritious!

I am one of those people who goes to the kitchen first thing! I'm always hungry and ready to get creative. It's my favorite meal of the day. But today, I actually started by prepping my lunch because I had no leftovers to bring to class. I recently got a whole case of sweet potatoes from Costco, and was excited to make roasted sweet potatoes and carrots!

And so, I slices up one sweet potato and two carrots, tossed in olive oil, and roasted them at 350F for about 20 min, flipping them over half way through. Once they were in the oven, I did my sun salutations. :)

...And then it was time for breakfast!

{Breakfast - 6:30am} (1) Omelet (with garlic powder, salt, and pepper = so simple!) (2) Whole wheat flat bread with avocado and a dash of salt and peppa (= wow! ).

I have to admit - the avocado on toast is now a new favorite, and one I could have at any time of day. Why did it take me 23 years to realize this?!

While I love to "compartmentalize" my meals when putting everything on a plate, I usually end up combining everything when eating. The mashed avocado on the flatbread topped with the omelet was a magnificent "breakfast sandwich."

By the time I was done savoring every bite, my root veggies had finished roasting. Just look at these beauties!

P.S. As I'm sure most of you know, sweet potatoes and carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A (they are ranked at top #2 and #3!!!). However, being fat-soluble, you must consume it with something containing fatty acids in order for your body to effectively absorb and utilize it. So please don't fear adding healthy fats! In my case, the olive oil will do the trick! [I'm all for consuming healthy fats in the form of nuts, seeds, and oils! I don't believe in nor promote a low-fat diet.]

...Anyway... Got off-track here :)

{Morning Snack - 10am} - Strawberry Banana 2% CHO! OMG. I've never had this flavor before, and this was theee last one from the assortment pack that Chobani generously provided a few weeks ago. It reminded me of a strawberry banana smoothie. I expected to find chunks of banana, but instead if was more like mashed banana on the bottom, and I loved every spoonful. I actually didn't know Chobani made 2% Greek yogurt (I don't think my local supermarket has it), and I found the texture creamier. Oh Chobani, how I love thee.

{Lunch - 12pm} - Consumed with the besties, N & M! Nothing better than great company and great food!

I knew that the lovely roasted veggies would by no means be enough for lunch, so I created this - a product of three leftovers: cooked wheat berries, hard boiled egg white, white beans, and sauteed onion. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Not bad, actually! I also had a salad.

{Run - 5pm} It was 61 degrees when class finished, and though I was feeling tired, I wasn't going to let such a gorgeous day pass by! I drove home, put on my running gear, did a few stretches, and off I went for my fave 2.8-mile loop. In the middle, I stopped to stretch and did 50 lunges (25 on each leg). Tomorrow is supposed to be a high of 66 degrees, but unfortunately I'll be stuck indoors and/or driving from 7am to 10pm... Yup, that's my typical Thursday!

{Dinner - 7pm} Oh my goodness. This is what happens when I leave my grandma home alone... She watched Russian cooking shows and got creative... without me! [tear] Not only was there this gorgeous salad and side of quinoa, she also cooked pork chops in the juices of sauteed onion, garlic, apple, and prunes! Flavored with salt, pepper, and rosemary. The meat was incredibly tender, and the flavors were dancing on my palate. I went for seconds :)

I decided to have a small cup of decaf coffee with a few crackers for "dessert."

Ah, what a great day of great meals and moves!

Hope your week is going well!

Tell me: Have you tried any new recipes recently? Would love to hear about your inspirations and creations!

#WIAW with Ancient Grains

...and I'm back with my WIAW Numero TRES! I miss photographing every single one of my eats... I still find myself trying to make all of my food "look  pretty." I guess that's just a little joy in my life. Oh the love life of a foodie...

So let's recap today's eats & treats!

{Breakfast - 6:30am} Ancient Grains Oats

Stir together:

• 1/2 cup Instant oats


• 1 scoop SunWarrior Vanilla Protein Powder


• 1 tsp Chia seeds


• 1/8 tsp Salt


• 1 cup Hot water

Topped with (& ultimately stirred in):

• 1/4 cup Cooked wheat berries


• 1 tbsp Popped quinoa (yes! popped! here is how - be sure to cover the skillet or else you'll have quinoa everywhere!) >>> LOVED the crunch!

{Morning Snack - 10am} 1 Hard-boiled egg + 1 Egg White, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and garlic powder

How do you hard boil your eggs? Here is how I do it, and it couldn't be easier! Comes out perfect each time. The egg is such a wonderful nutritional source for anythingarians! Don't fear the yolk, please. It's packed with omega-3s and folate, which are not found in the egg white, by the way. And just like the beloved egg white, it's loaded with protein.

{Lunch - 1pm} Mixed green salad with salmon, steamed string beans, and a little bit of more popped quinoa for more crunch!

{Afternoon Snack - 4pm} Borsht and whole wheat flat bread with a slice of Lite Swiss. I love this cheese. All natural and with 50 calories, 7g of protein, and 4% total fat (8% DV saturated) - you can't get much better than that!

...and last but not least... {Dinner - 7pm} Mixed salad, pasta with grass-fed beef, onions, and mushrooms, and Russian Salad "Vinegret" (made of cooked beets, potatoes, dill pickles, and sour kraut)... I admit to helping myself to probably 3x the pictured portion of Vinegret... I never put a limit on my veggie intake :)

And a litt bite to satisfy a sweet craving... I made these chocolate chip cookies the other day for my friend's birthday! I followed Liz's recipe, and yes, I used my CHO, too! These cookies were wonderful. My modification: I added chopped toasted almonds!

P.S. How do you like my new nailpolish? It's actually dark brown, bu turned out burgundy in these photos (and my skin looks red?!?!).

P.P.S... speaking of CHO... There is just a few hours left to enter my Chobani giveaway! Hope you did it already! There is nothing better than a company that makes good quality, good-for-you products... or perhaps there is! A company that does both and is super kind, supportive, and generous! Chobani donates 10% of its profits to charity, and constantly sponsors events. The reasons to love Chobani seem to be endless. :)

P.P.P.S. Today's strength-training featured the following:

• 3 sets of 12 squats


• 50 alternating lunges


• 3 sets of 12 wide-armed pushups (2 sets done on knees... I'm getting there!)


• 3 sets of 25 sec wall squats (these really made my thighs burn!)

And that's a wrap, my dears! Hope your week is going well! And thanks to everyone for your support of some of the changes that I (and my blog!) am going through. You da best! ;)

No more lemons!

[...for some reason this post didn't publish last night, so I apologize for the delay!]

A mah-velous mornin' to you! Last night I prepared a batch of wheat berries, but when I woke up this morning, all I wanted was the original good ole' whipped banana oatmeal that I haven't had in ages.

And so, whipped banana instant oats it was!

• 1/4 cup instant oats


• 1/4 cup boiling water


• 1/2 mashed banana


• 1 tsp chia


• 1 tsp chocolate PB2


• dash of cinnamon and salt


• sprinkled with a few wheat berries for extra chewiness


• and colorful strawberry slices to beautify and brighten!

voila!

...and because my stomach warned me that it wasn't satisfied just yet, I had a teeny tiny piece of whole wheat flat bread with a tsp of MaraNatha Creamy Almond Butter, sprinkled with coconut flakes and chia. And then tummy was pleased.

A few hours later (during class) I snacked on a cutie - gosh darn they are so sweet and juicy! A perfect (and easily portable) snack.

Lunch came on the earlier side because (1) I came home earlier than expected since lecture got out early, (2) my stomach was ready for it, and (3) grandma had it all made already!

Russian Dill Pickle Soup "Rassol'nik" and sauteed vegetables with more wheat berries! (I rarely cook a batch of anything ahead of time. I prefer to make things on the spot. But since my wheat berries were made and ready to be eaten, I rather consume them as soon as possible to keep them fresh!)

They are so cute and round. Love their chewiness! And the nutrition facts are a-mazing | 7g protein, 6g fiber (22% DV!), and 10% DV iron! AWESOME.

Just as I was wrapping up my lunch and ready to leave the table, grandma pulled out roasted sweet potato from the oven. Sweet potatoes. One of my many foodie weakness. So in went a few slices. No regrets. There was still room. Ah, the beauty of leaving a table feeling 90% full :)

But just an hour later, and incredible sweet + chocolate craving kicked in... and for better or for worse, I had one recipe on my mind that clearly I couldn't get rid of... Chocolate-Covered Katie's Cookie Dough.

It looks like cookie dough. It takes like cookie dough... But it's actually chocolate chip hummus! haha. I love Katie's chocolate creations - she always adds a unique and healthy spin to the classic.

Among my mom, grandma, and me, it was devoured in its entirety... Looks like I'll have to make it again ASAP. No problem ;)

The cookie dough was consumed with a cup of tea... I made the mistake of not only infusing my tea with lemon, but also eating the entire lemon slice... Surely you recall that I love lemons and do eat them whole... My poor teeth, however, paid the price... I couldn't chew anything non-soft for the rest of the day... So that gorgeous salad you see right there... only the soft veggies (tomatoes and beets) were consumed... Instead, I had to rely on additional servings of the other dishes, which I didn't mind because they were delicious... Fried potatoes with mushroom, more sauteed veggies, and a teeny tiny pork cutlet (pasture raised!)

Late night snacking featured fresh pineapple - my favorite tropical fruit! Teeth were still sensitive, but I suffered through it. The pineapple was so worth it. :)

Happy Friday Night!

Tell me: Do you have any exciting travels, get-togethers, eats or treats planned for the weekend? Tomorrow night I'm going to a gymnastics meet with my friends from school!