This Week's Protein Favorites & Chobani Giveaway Winner!

I recently rediscovered my love for egg white omelets... They bring back so many college memories. While I was there, my university had already begun to make great efforts toward conscientious and sustainable eating by offering farm-fresh & cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, and local organic produce. By the time senior year rolled around, there was an entire vegan salad bar resembling that of Whole Foods! Roasted beet salad with clementines... Merinated mushrooms... Roasted tofu... And even seitan!

In the mornings, I would often let the chef get creative with my omelets. Each time, I would find a different combination of veggies in my omelet and the absolutely best was when there was ooey gooey cheesy goodness. When I gave up meat and then dairy, the chef embraced the new challenge - he would add tofu or smokey tempeh (amazing!). On some mornings, I would bring my own container of Daiya or nutritional yeast, and he would recreate the cheesy goodness. Of course, this was truly special... and happened only because I was one of theee first students to come to the dining hall as soon as it opened at 7am (I was always an early bird, with early lectures, and looked forward to waking up early to start my productive day!)

I recently shifted my focus from cardio (mainly in the form of running) to strength-training (all done at home with resistance bands! I'm dreaming of a gym membership because I'm getting bored of working out at home), and have been trying to make some appropriate changes in my diet, too.

I have always loved eggs, and you know I'm especially obsessed with runny yolks! (Check out all of my Happyolks posts!). The yolk unfortunately has a bad rep because of its cholesterol content, but I surely hope ya'll don't think that it's bad for you! The egg as a whole is the perfect source of complete protein, folate, B vitamins, and lecithin (one of my fave bloggers, Sarah, just wrote a wonderful post on the incredible, edible egg yolk), and the cholesterol is actually good for for blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels! So, don't fear the happyolk! Embrace it :)

Because I always do, it's important that I don't over-do on my happyolks, and on some days I do choose to go with the egg white only. However, I don't believe in letting the beautiful egg yolk go to waste. Instead, I've invested in liquid egg whites!

Today's egg white omelet was filled with fresh veggies - my fave combo from the college days: broccoli, cauliflower, and red pepper.

A side of ketchup is a must.

My other recent protein-licious creation, as you may have noticed, is the protein muffin, inspired by the very awesome Chelsey. I've been making one nearly every day, and now that I've got the hang of it and know the recipe by heart, I decided to get creative with the flavors...

Today's protien muffin: {Chocolate - Almond Butter Swirl Lava Protein Muffin}... okay, that's too long...

Swirl? Because it has two layers - bottom is the regular vanilla, top is chocolate, but it came out swirled!

Lava? Because it has an almond butter center!

Yup, I'm proud of this one :)

Ingredients: (Serves 1)

• 1 scoop Sunwarrior Vanilla protein powder


• 1/8 tsp. salt (helps to balance the "chalkiness" of protein powders! works like magic!)


• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon


• 1/8 tsp. baking soda


• 1/4 tsp. vanilla


• 1/4 cup fruit puree (i.e. banana, pumpkin, apple, pear, carrot - in fact, you can use baby food!)


• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp. ground flax + 3 tbsp. warm water, left to sit for ~3 minutes)


• cooking spray


• 1 tsp. cocoa powder


• 1 tbsp nut butter

Directions:

1. First combine the dry (except the cocoa powder), and then add the wet ingredients.


2. Stir until you have a "batter" - it will be sticky and thick!


3. Spray the baking dish with cooking spray.


4. Scoop 1/2 of the batter and spread to cover the bottom of the baking dish.


5. Make an indent in the middle and scoop the spoonful of nut butter.


6. Stir in the cocoa powder to the remaining 1/2 of the batter, and add to the baking dish to completelyy cover the nut butter.


7. Microwave for 3min and allow to stand for a minute or so.


8. Use a butter knife to loosen the muffin away from the edges.


9. Enjoy! I love to top my protein muffin with more nut butter or fruit preserves, or to crumble it on top of Greek yogurt for even more protein!

Last but definitely not least, the Chobani Champions has also made it to the Top 3 Protein Favorites of the Week! Indeed, Chobani Champions is the first Greek yogurt for kids, but who says an adult can't enjoy this delicious and healthy goodness? I'm a total fan!

These are smaller than the "adult" Chobani - 3.5oz instead of 6oz, and contains 8g (16% DV) of protein, about 100 calories. Creamy, smooth, and sweet (but not too sweet), they are a perfect afternoon snack. I've only tried the Vanilla Chocolate Chunk and the Orange Vanilla flavors. You can actually see the chocolate and the orange zest. Yup - that's what I call real food with real ingredients! Looks like there are also 2 other flavors! Honey Nanna and Verry Berry. YUM!

...Speaking of Chobani... Thanks to everyone for entering the Chobani Giveaway! The lucky winner will be getting an assortment case of Chobani Greek Yogurt!

...AND THE WINNER IS...

PARISA!

Congrats, girl! With just one comment entry, you're one lucky duck! Please check your email!

TGIF! Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

xoxo. Veronica

P.S. Please share your favorite sources of protein! Would love to hear from you! 

#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! ;)

A Day of Love {Chobani GIVEAWAY}

Click here to jump to Chobani Review & Giveaway details or just keep reading!

...I know I'm sort of late with this one, but... HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! I hope it was filled with love, laughter, and joy, and spent with your loved one(s)!

[Mine was spent mostly eating, napping, and studying but that's because M and I are celebrating this weekend! We are going skiing! Woo-hoo!]

Let's recap today's eats & treats, shall we? This morning's Happyolks were perfect! Did you know that if you cover the eggs with a lid while they are frying, they will become like over-easy eggs?! Why did I just make this discovery? So much less fuss tan having to flip the eggs! The longer the lid stays on, the more cooked the yolk becomes. Mine was a perfect 50/50! I looooove runny yolks, but not too runny, or else it's just too gooey for me.

I adorned my Happyolks with a dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast. Cup of joe and toasted pita, and I was ready to take on the day!

Lunch featured a ginormous salad with salmon. A gorgeous orange for the sweet tooth... and...

N made me a CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKE! And brought a pear just for me! (she knows how much I love pears!) What a sweetheart that girl is. Always so thoughtful and caring. BFFs! haha.

 OMG. Look. at. the. peanut butter. filling.

I napped for 2 hours once I got home... I am still so exhausted from my weekend travels! Thanks to my mom, I woke up refreshed to the smell of freshly brewed decaf coffee (...somehow, it magically wakes me up! Decaf coffee is such a trickster!) ...Had peach Chobani with granola to hold me over til dinner.

Dinner featured salad adorned with sweet corn and horseradish "salad dressing" and spinach raviolis on the side! [and yes, that's yet another new member of our dish family!] I love big bowls & plates.

Of course I had to pay tribute to today being Valentine's Day and the fact that the Chocolate Espresso Cookie from Firehook Bakery was an arms distance away... With a cup of vanilla chai, I left the dinner table oh so pleased!

But this day of LOVE doesn't have to and isn't going to end just yet! How do you feel about gettin' some CHO LOVE? [...what kind of question is that, right?!] I am a huge fan of Chobani Greek Yogurt - you'll find it in my oatmeal, baked goods, in soups and salads in place of sour cream, and most importantly, in my post-workout snacks! It's such a healthy and nutritious way to nourish and refuel the body.

Chobani recently treated me to an assortment case of 12 different CHO flavors - now that's what I call being in Chobani Heaven! Can't get much better than that! Since I've always bought my Chobani from Costco, where the case includes blueberry, strawberry, and peach flavors, I was was excited to finally try the other flavors! There is not a single one I don't love.

The reasons to love CHO are endless...

• Tastes DIVINE
• Zero grams of fat (0% flavors)
• Up to 15g protein (which is 32% DV!)
• An average of 120-160 calories
• All natural ingredients
• 17 different and all delicious flavors

Chobani wins over my heart time and time again... Just when I think I have a favorite flavor, I discover a new one I love just as much... So, thanks to the very generous and kind folks at Chobani, here are the flavors I tried (and LOVED) and the ones one lucky winner will get!

Raspberry 0%

Blueberry 0%

Strawberry 0%

Cherry 0%

Strawberry 0%

Lemon 0%

Pomegranate 0%

Peach 0%

Vanilla 0%

Plain 0%

Strawberry Banana 2%

Pinapple 2%

I actually highly recommend that you try the 2% CHO - it's creamier and the flavors are so rich! Don't fear the 2% - just remember, a healthy diet with everything in moderation (including healthy fats and occasional treats) will keep you happy, healthy, and satisfied! :)

So... would you like an assortment case of Chobani Love, too? Show some love by entering this giveaway! Here is how to enter (leave a separate comment for each step that you complete):

• What's you favorite Chobani flavor, favorite way to eat it, or favorite Chobani recipe?
• Like {my eats & treats} on Facebook
• Follow {my eats & treats} on Twitter
• Like Chobani on Facebook
• Follow Chobani on Twitter
• Like this post
• Subscribe to this blog via email or WordPress follow!

You have until February 29th @ midnight EST to enter! That's two whole weeks! What are you waiting for?!

The Wheatberry & Friends {Breakfast}

Thank you for joining me on my morning date with my new friend, Wheat Berries!!! These are awesome chewy little guys! Very chewy, actually. So if you like chewy + grainy, these are for you!

I followed the instructions on the package and prepared a batch last night to be used throughout the week.

Basic Cooking Instructions: In a saucepan, combine 1-3/4 cups water, 1/2 cup rinsed Soft White Wheat Berries, 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool or serve immediately. Keeps best refrigerated or frozen.

Final product? CHEWY HEAVEN!

The breakfast details (a.k.a. the deets):

Overnight: 1/4 cup Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt + 1 tsp chia seeds + 1/4 cup water + dash of salt

In da mornin': Adorned with 1/4 cup wheat berries, 1/2 banana, dash of cinnamon, and sprinkled with Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola

Eaten with joy.

And here is a warm welcome to yet another new & adorable member of the bowl family!

I'm off to a study date with my bff, N! Have a wonderful day!

Roasted & Toasted {snack & dinner}

I had a speedy date with sunshine today!!! To my luck, or lack thereof, our wireless was malfunctioning. So while my dad was trying to resolve the issue, I took advantage of this time away from the computer to get some Vitamin D! Good decision. :)

Since I ran a long-ish distance yesterday, I decided to make this one shorter but slighter faster. Still worried about my foot (I'm recovering from metatarsalgia), I stayed on the grass the entire time. If you didn't read yesterday's lunch post, I'm looking for sneaker recommendations! Something with lots of cushioning in the mid- and forefoot. I don't heel strike. :)

A delicious snack loaded with healthy fats, fiber, and alotta protein followed shortly. Gotta love CHO! The granola is actually a mixture of some of the leftover "crumbs" I've accumulated - Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola, KIND Healthy Grains Honey Almond Clusters, and my very own toasted buckwheat from Friday night dinner! This was the perfect crunch to adorn my Blueberry Chobani!

And later, I treated myself to the last remaining Food Should Taste Good Salt + Vinegar Sweet Potato Chips. They are all gone now :'(

A fabulous and healthy dinner came soon enough!

Roasted salmon "Greek style" (coated with a marinade made of miracle whip, tomatoes, dill, and parmesan) and potato slices. With a side salad, of course. Num-num-num!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Here's to a great week ahead!

Alive and well {Banana Kefir Overnight Oats}

...that's a phrase we tend to use when asking about a patient's family history- is so and so alive and well?

Well, I'm alive! But yesterday was surely hectic and I barely had time to eat legit meals, let alone document them!To recap. Post my wonderful breakfast (about which I am still so proud), I had to get ready for a clinical skills test, which entails doing a history and physical exam on a standardized patient... In 8 minutes! One patient had something that sounded a whole lot like appendicitis, and the second one presented with angina (chest pain due to poor circulation of blood in the heart). I was so nervous the entire morning, but it went okay!

Lunch was a great concoction of various stuff... Sour kraut soup, buckwheat, a crumbled up veggie patty, some more sour kraut, and aaamazing marinated mushrooms.

For the rest of the day I ended up having little snacks here and there, like my fave KIND bar with coffee! N also treated me to cheese and crackers. And I munched on fruit to hold me over through the night at the clinic.

I had a very late meeting after the clinic, so we go food with friends. Thank goodness everyone was as hungry as I was! Nachos (with gourmet cheese?!), pizza, stuff like that!...and so I got home a little before midnight! That's what I call a very long day!

*****

And now it's a new day and a new breakfast!!! :) which was wonderful yet again!

I combined 1/2 Chobani strawberry Greek Yogurt, 1/2 cup kefir, 1/4 cup water, 1 tsp chia, 1 tbsp instant oats --> stand overnight and topped with banana and sprinkled with cinnamon love in the mornin'! Voila!

Omg! Happy Friday! The week flew by for me!

A leisurely breakfast {overnight yogurt oats}

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

Doesn't this breakfast look beautiful? I was looking forward to it since last night! 

[That's usually the case with me and breakfast]

Last night, I combined Chobani Peach Greek Yogurt with 1 tbsp. instant oats and 1 tsp. chia seeds. I also added about 2 tbsp. water because the chia and oats would absorb the moisture overnight.

Because class didn't start til 10am today, I took my time to enjoy this leisurely breakfast.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Today is the last day to enter the FSTG giveaway!