Wednesday, March 14, 2012
#WIAW Happy Pi Day!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Barney Butter... What are you doing to me?! {Review... And giveaway?}
It's crunchy (which made me realize how much I love and miss chunky nut butters!). It's slightly sweet (a product of natural sweetness of almonds and the addition of evaporated cane juice). And of course, it has a hint of salty...
The texture is phenomenal... Apart from the chunks of almonds, the butter is soooo smooth. And there is something caramel-like about it, too! I want to say it's a whole lot like peanut butter disguised in the healthier version of almond butter! ...oh dear...
1 scoop of SunWarrior Vanilla Protein Powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Nutiva hemp seeds(!!!)
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water; mix and allow to stand for ~3 min)
Friday, March 2, 2012
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
- First combine the dry (except the cocoa powder), and then add the wet ingredients.
- Stir until you have a "batter" - it will be sticky and thick!
- Spray the baking dish with cooking spray.
- Scoop 1/2 of the batter and spread to cover the bottom of the baking dish.
- Make an indent in the middle and scoop the spoonful of nut butter.
- 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.
- Microwave for 3min and allow to stand for a minute or so.
- Use a butter knife to loosen the muffin away from the edges.
- 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!
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!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
#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
- 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! ;)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Very Berry & Sweet Saturday {Wheat Berry Cereal}
Those leftover wheat berries had to be eaten, and quite promptly (and deliciously) they were! I loved today's creation - totally delicious, totally original, totally healthy!
Blueberry Wheatberry Cereal
- 1/2 cup Wyman's Wild Blueberries (give time to defrost - I did so overnight!)
- 1/2 cup cooked wheatberries
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- Adorned with Honey Nut Cheerios for sweetness and light crunch :)
Lunch was wonderful! Do you notice my usual arrangement - a bowl of soup on on my fave square plate? I like plating all of my food rather than serve as I eat. It's helpful to visualize the portions (and it looks totally pretty!). Of course, this doesn't mean I don't go for seconds...
Lunch included cauliflower potato soup with fresh herbs; sauteed zucchini, eggplant, red bell pepper, onion, and carrot (with a squirt of ketchup - adds amazing sweetness and creaminess to the mix!); and "imitation crab meat" (Alaskan pollock) cooked with onion, celery, and leek.
...Now, what was consumed the rest of the day was (unfortunately) a picture-less but a sweet bliss...
Afternoon snack included my fave CHO, 1/2 of mini whole wheat bagel, and coffee.
We had family friends over for dinner, for which we made mixed salad (with cranberries and walnuts = love), mashed potatoes, and "мясо по французски " (pork chops a la French... though I don't actually think the French make this...). Pork chops are beaten until tender, rubbed with salt + pepper, and then topped with red onion, a small dallop of mayo, and grated cheese. Baked at 350F for ~20min, until done. This is a treat that we only make for special occasions (my family rarely makes pork), and oh my goodness, it was delicious! I haven't had it probably in... 4 years... Oh, and we also had freshly made crepes with tea for dessert.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I had special plans to meet up with my girlfriends to attend a gymnastics competition! It was so fun! I was in awe, and there were so many times when I felt like my heart had stopped as I watched the gymnasts do crazy flips and jumps. I have so much respect for professional athletes... And these were not only full-time athletes, but also full-time students! Incredible.
We then went out for dessert at Old Man Rafferty's to celebrate one of my friend's birthday! Being indecisive and clearly in love with sugar, we ordered FOUR pieces of different cakes... Exact names escape me, but one was topped with salted caramel, another was infused with bailey's espresso, another had apples, and the last but not least was a chocolate blackout cake. To say we were sugar high does not do it justice...
It was so fun to finally spend time with my girlfriends. We are all so busy and stressed out with our studies, that these moments are always truly special!
I hope you all find the time to spend with your friends and loved ones, no matter how busy life is... At the end of the day, it's the moments with the people you care about and those that care about you that truly make life worth it. Stress isn't worth it, however.
More fun get togethers are planned for Sunday! Gosh, I'm such a social butterfly this weekend (for once...)
Friday, February 24, 2012
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!
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:
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.
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.
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!
A sweet and colorful dessert/ late night snack followed! A sweetie and an orange! A perfect combo!
Ah! The weekend is almost here at last! Gotta love Fridays! Do you have any exciting plans?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
#WIAW Numero Dos! Pancakes, Parsley, and Late-Night Walks.
It's officially my What I Ate Wednesday, Numero Dos!
{Breakfast - 7:30 am} - Strawberry Vanilla Protein Crepes
I clearly seem to be recently obsessed with (1) pancakes and (2) my SunWarrior Protein Powder. Today's protein-packed crepes satisfied this new obsession. Inspired by yet another fave blogger of mine, Katie from Dashing Dish. Mine obviously did not come out anywhere close to perfect as did Katie's, but their deliciousness made up for that. Topped with MaraNatha Creamy Almond butter, sprinkled with chia and coconut flakes (CocoChia), and strawberry slices for extra tartness, sweetness, and color.
My crepes came out in all sorts of shapes and sizes...
...and I saved the littlest one for last! So cute!
So here are the details on the slightly altered recipe. (Original can be found here)
Strawberry Vanilla Protein Crepes:
- 1/4 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani Strawberry)
- 1/2 scoop (or 1/8 cup) plain or vanilla protein powder (I used SunWarrior Vanilla)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 flax eggs
- 1/2 cup oats (regular old fashioned oats)
- 1/8 cup water
1. Blend all of the ingredients until smooth.
2. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray (I used coconut oil) over medium heat.
3. Spoon the batter onto pre-heated skillet (however much/little you'd like - depending on the size of desired pancakes!)
4. Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.
5. Remove from the skillet when both sides are cooked, and enjoy! Get creative with the toppings. I am a fruit topping kind of gal, but today was especially in the mood for almond butter.
{Lunch - 12 pm} - Mixed salad (all parsley - no lettuce!) with chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, and grilled chicken. Apple. My little favorite jar of trail mix (almonds, pistachios, peanuts, and raisins. (Raisins courtesy of my dear N, who picked them all out of her granola because she doesn't like raisins and thought I did! Silly girl.)
{Snack - 3 pm} Coffee. Whole grain toast with Lite Swiss cheese. Dark chocolate with sea salt (= heaven! A real treat from Trader Joe's! )
{Dinner - 7 pm} Mixed salad with string beans and grilled chicken breast. A meringue with tea for a sweet treat.
My mom and I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous spring weather and went for a post-dinner walk! It must have been in the upper 50s tonight! So lovely!
{Late Night Snack - 9:30 pm} A cup of Lifeway's Blueberry Kefir (probiotics!!!)
...And a few words of wisdom from my dear Yogi Tea...
And that's a wrap! Tomorrow is Thursday, which means it's a very long day for me - clinical off-site, lecture, clinic = gone from 7am until 10pm. I already have a filling breakfast to look forward to! Any ideas what it could be? :)
P.S. Chobani giveaway still going on! Go enter. Now. Please. :)




