Sweet and Savory: A Breakfast for the Indecisive

Granola or eggs? That is the question. And the answer is both:

Listening to both my sweet tooth and my savory cravings, I made some egg whites with half an Ezekiel english muffin topped with butter, cinnamon, and granola. It was perfectly satisfying. 

What is your breakfast flavor of choice? Sweet, savory, or do you like to mix it up?

On a completely unrelated note, I made some hummus with chili powder. It was fantastic.

I make hummus for Chip about once every one or two weeks. He loves it! My default hummus has lemon, garlic, and parsley in it, but I get bored making the same recipe every time.

I totally licked that spatula

He didn’t want me to do my recipe experiments on his batch of hummus, but as I was throwing ingredients into the food processor, I felt allured by the spice drawer and the possibilities inside. Chili powder caught my eye, so in went the chili powder. The result was slightly smoky, not too spicy, and very delicious! If you wanted to kick it up a notch, you could add red pepper flakes or cayenne to give it some more heat .

Chili Spiced Hummus:

• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1/4 cup tahini
• juice of a whole lemon
• 1/4 water
• 1-2 teaspoons chili powder (or to taste)
• dash of salt
• as much as you dare of red pepper flakes or cayenne (optional) 

I packed it up in an old jelly jar. Recycling is awesome. 

Sand, Sun, and Shrimp and Grits

Three couples + Pawley’s Island= fabulous beach trip. And the eats were pretty incredible, too!

There was an attempt to document the feasts we had –

Boys night cooking: surf and turf with steak filets and white wine shrimp.

Girls night cooking: crab cakes, shrimp and grits, and spinach salad with goat cheese and lemon vinaigrette.

(Yes, we had shrimp both nights. Had to take advantage of the island’s fresh locally caught seafood!)

The pictures were haphazardly taken in the midst of our evening bacchanalian, so they aren’t really clear or centered….I’m calling it abstract art

A couple firsts for me at our beach dinner party:

1. This was my first time making crab cakes, and they were really easy and really tasty! I swear the ones we made were better than any restaurant crab cakes I’ve had. I think it was the sauteed red peppers and onions we added. I don’t feel like posting the whole recipe, but if you want it, tell me in the comments and I will e-mail it to you!
2. I am from the South, but I did not grow up eating grits. I grew up around Atlanta, which is not really southern in the way that Savannah and Charleston are, but still…everyone in the Southeast eats grits. I was almost 20-years-old when I tried them for the first time, and I wasn’t until last weekend that I actually had shrimp and grits. I mean, I have had shrimp, I have had grits, and now I have finally had them together. And they make me this happy:

Or maybe that was the wine. Whatever. 

What is the traditional cuisine where you are from, and do you like it? The problem with most traditional Southern food is that everything is fried or cooked in grease. But I’m all about some sweet potatoes, okra, collard greens, and corn bread prepared my way .

Things I Like

1. My family’s doggies when they are cuddling and not trying to eat my lunch, underwear, shoes, etc.

2. Ezekial english muffins with almond butter and a drizzle of honey for breakfast:

3. The fact that I don’t mind posting a bed-head picture of me on my blog, but I would not venture out in public looking so disheveled.

4. Vino.

5.  My friend Danielle and how she is always so passionate and informed about political issues and keeps me up to date. Check out her awesome blog post about the proposed healthcare bill.

And finally…

6. THE BEACH!! And the fact that I am going tomorrow!!! See ya on Monday!!!!

What do you like?

• Cats vs. Dogs? 
• Almond butter vs. Peanut butter? 
• Wine vs. Beer? (Or coffee vs. tea for under-agers and non-drinkers)
• Beach vs. Mountains?

I think my preferences are obvious from above list .

Broken Legs and the Sandwich Meat That’s Going to Kill Me

My legs aren’t really broken, but since my hamstrings won’t let me run, they might as well be. Read on. 

Very frustrating news: I mentioned before that I had been having some problems with my hamstring. This has been going on since January, and it is finally starting to improve. Since it’s not quite healed enough to run, I’ve been doing some workouts on the elliptical. I really pushed myself the other day on the elliptical and got in a surprisingly satisfying workout. I was cranking up that resistance and going for fast strides. It was fun. But the morning after, I noticed that now MY OTHER HAMSTRING IS F*****D UP!!!! Just as one leg was getting better, I hurt the other one. On the ELLIPTICAL! Whhhyyyyyyy???!!!!!!!

Just needed to vent. Now onto a happier subject: salad!

 

Spinach with balsamic vinaigrette, red bell pepper, feta, and Boar’s Head All Natural Roasted Turkey Breast. I wish that I had an avocado!

A note on deli sandwich meat:

In college, I took a class my junior year called Food and the Consumer. We learned about a study by WHO (World Health Organization) that found an increase in cancer risk through consuming processed meats and red meats. We talked about nitrates added to processed meats being one of the reasons it may be carcinogenic.

When I heard the term “processed meats,” I first thought of hot dogs, canned vienna sausages, beef jerky, “meat” at Taco Bell, spam, and other things (I say things because I don’t think they qualify as real food) that I don’t eat. But then I realized that most meats you get for sandwiches are most likely preserved with nitrates as well.

i have no idea what this is, but i bet it's way worse than sandwich meat!

 

At the time, I was on the university meal plan, and I ate turkey sandwiches all the time since the sandwich line always seemed like one of the healthier options. I would have one for lunch everyday and sometimes one for dinner, too! Turkey on wheat with provolone, honey mustard, tomatoes, and spinach was my sandwich of choice. I was concerned after hearing about the study because I was pretty sure that the dining hall was not investing in organic, nitrate-free deli meats for the sandwich line, and deli turkey meat constituted a major portion of my diet!

OSCAR MAYER TURKEY: Ingredients: WHITE TURKEY, WATER, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, SUGAR, SODIUM PROPIONATE, SODIUM DIACETATE, SODIUM BENZOATE, LEMON JUICE SOLIDS, SODIUM ASCORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE.

After getting off meal plan, I drastically reduced my consumption of turkey sandwiches (mainly b/c I had finally grown tired of them, not really the nitrate issue). And about the post title, I don’t really think I’m going to get cancer and die because of all the possibly nitrate-laden sammies I ate in college. (Mmm…doesn’t that sound appetizing?) I’m 22-years-old, and I strongly believe that I am invincible! Sandwich meat will not be the cause of my demise!

But seriously, I now try to buy the all natural deli turkey meat, like the Boar’s Head turkey on my salad today. It seems to me that any meat you get from the deli counter would be less processed than the kind in a package, but just to be safe, I’ll shell out the extra dollar per pound that specifically says there are no nitrates. And better yet, I’ve stopped eat deli turkey everyday anymore anyway!

Is there anything that you used to eat all the time but decided to stop eating or eat less of? (Whether it be for health reasons, because you got sick of it, or both)

And runners– any hamstring advice or insight? My health insurance does not cover physical therapy, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Smoothie, Soba, and Sweets

One of my goals for my Spring Shape-Up was to drink more smoothies. Today was the perfect day for a light, refreshing, fruity smoothie.

My smoothie had frozen banana slices, cherries, blackberries, and water. I never know what to use for the liquid in smoothies. Milk mutes the fruity flavor, juice adds too much sugar, and I can’t stand the taste of milk substitutes. Plain ol’ water actually works pretty well! I’m thinking about trying kefir for a creamy, tangy smoothie….hmmm. What is your smoothie liquid of choice?

I drank it outside, of course:

i love how it totally matches the flowers in the background! that was actually not planned

The smoothie had about 130 calories and 6 grams of fiber (according to The Daily Plate) and was the perfect appetizer for a light lunch of left over BBQ chicken and roasted green beans. 

For dinner, I tried soba noodles for the very first time and LOVED them. I’m not normally a big pasta fan…pasta is usually just a bland, starchy vehicle for sauce. But soba noodles, which are made from buckwheat, have a complex nutty taste that adds so much flavor to a dish. I hoped that they would also tout a more impressive nutritional profile, but they are really very similar to regular whole wheat pasta as far as nutrition goes. Oh well.

We used this Food and Wine recipe for soba noodles with grilled shrimp and cilantro, but I devoured half of it before remembering to take a picture of it. There is a picture on the recipe link, but I don’t like it because you can’t see how cool the soba noodles look. They are much darker than whole wheat noodles and look more grainy:

Mmmm...hello, new love!

One of my other Spring Shape-Up goals was to only have 2 desserts per week. It’s only Monday, and I have already met my quota. Whoops! Yesterday, I bought a Swiss dark chocolate bar with almonds that is now half gone, and today I went to go check out a new frozen yogurt place after dinner. Both were completely delicious are worth the indulgence, but now I’m done for the week. No more sweets until next Sunday for me!

Spring Shape-Up

Happy Spring, everyone! Or summer, which is what it feel like here in Georgia. After an unseasonably cold winter (it snowed like 3 times?! Unheard of!), I am so happy to have warm weather.

picture courtesy of my photography loving sister

 Anyway, warm weather = its almost bikini season! Ahhhh!!!! And I am actually going to the beach in 2 weeks! And I can’t go unless my abs are completely beach ready. Just kidding. But I think its time for some spring cleaning…with my diet.

So I did what I said I was not going to do…I ate way too much chocolate on Easter. And in the few days after. Bleh! I can feel a drastic change in my energy levels after suddenly adding a bunch of sugar to my diet, and I don’t like it. Plus I need to look good in that bikini!

I have only done one challenge on my blog ever, and it only was for one week! (Click here to see.) I think it’s time for another one. This challenge will be officially until the end of May, but hopefully these rules will become habits that last longer than the challenge.

Here is my Spring Shape-Up Challenge:

1. Limit desserts to twice per week. (The reason I picked twice instead of once is b/c I think this will make me less likely to over indulge when I do have dessert!) The rules of dessert are: 1. Must be worth it. This means good quality! So homemade cookies, not Oreos or anything I don’t LOVE.  2. Must be portioned. Do not eat out of ice cream container. No mindless eating!
2. Bike more. I haven’t mentioned this yet on the blog, but I’ve been having problems with my hamstring, and I have been out of running since January! If you are a runner, you know how depressing this is. In the winter, I don’t like biking b/c it is too cold. No more excuses. I need to take advantage of wonderful biking weather!
3. Smoothies! I have an underused magic bullet. Warm weather = smoothie season. My goal is to make at least 2 smoothie concoctions per week to pack in more fruit in my diet (and maybe some spinach, too!). 
4. Big Fresh Salads. The comfort food of warm weather! There is nothing more refreshing and energizing than a big salad for lunch.
5. Keep up with blogging. So this has nothing to do with health really (besides staying accountable, I guess). For some reason, I haven’t been as excited about blogging lately, and I’m hoping having something like this challenge to talk about will make it more fun for me to write and for you to read! 

In a nutshell, I’m going to limit sweets, exercise outside (bike!), eat more fresh fruits and veggies, and tell you all about it.

What do you do when you feel you need to shape up? Anyone else going to the beach soon?

Hello, Chocolate

As mentioned before, I gave up sweets for Lent. In celebration of being able to indulge in sugary delights again, my sister baked me a Chocolate Cake with Toasted Coconut and Almond Butter Cream! (Recipe found here. You’re welcome.)

Oh yum.

Upon first hearing the name of the cake, I thought that there was going to be almond butter in the icing. But it is actually a butter cream icing with almond extract (topped with toasted almonds, mmmmm…).

And it is GOOD. Dangerously good. The crunchy coconut flakes are addictive, and the cake is super moist. The secret ingredient? Mayo. “Get over it,” says the original recipe, lol. I admit it, I am a mayo hater when it comes to sandwiches, chicken salad, etc. But mayo is allowed in my chocolate cake when it makes it taste this fabulous.

My family agrees:

Damage done in about 1 hour.

Now, one of the main goals of my Lent deprivation was to reduce my cravings for sweets. What I found was that it was surprisingly easy not to think about sweets when I was completely avoiding them, but as soon as I ate that one piece of cake, I wanted the whole thing! Mission to conquer sweet tooth = fail. Oh well. I’m not about to live a chocolate-less life. I will have my cake and eat it, too…. I will just have to leave the kitchen quickly afterward!

Anyway, this cake is an indulgent treat that is totally worth it. I highly recommend making it soon. Or even better, find someone who loves to bake, like my sister, to make it for you!

Happy Easter!

An Ode to Pesto

There once was a sandwich so plain

From flavor and fat it did abstain

Enter olive oil and fragrant herbs

Blended with pine nuts to make a superb

Condiment that is far from mundane!

 

A turkey burger (see recipe for  My Quick and Easy Turkey Burgers) browned on a George Forman on a sandwich thin with spinach and pesto!

Now, my turkey burgers actually are quite delicious by themselves, but pesto makes them so much better! I’m not a big fan of pesto pasta, but I love pesto as a flavorful substitute for mayo or mustard. Pesto is also really good on cold turkey sandwiches with havarti cheese and egg sandwiches with avocado.

Do you like pesto? What is your favorite way to eat it?

P.S. I am aware that my “ode” is really just a first grade level haiku that ignores syllable rules. I apologize for my lack of poetry skills! Pesto deserves better than that