What I Ate Wednesday #101: Eat All the Food!

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The last couple of days for me have been some serious hungry days. You know the days when you haven’t even finished eating a meal and you’re already thinking about what you’re going to eat next? I just couldn’t get enough! In regards to getting better at the whole intuitive eating idea, I figured I should probably listen to my constant growling stomach and feed it. Makes sense, right? Good.

Pre-Workout

I love my morning bites and I like to think the coffee beans in these bites give me an extra kick 😉

Breakfast

Pretty much the same old protein oats, but I’ve decided to start stirring in the egg whites after the oats have cooked as opposed to cooking the eggs first, separately. The oats end up being creamier and fluffier.. it’s really hitting the spot these days.

Lunch #1

On the rare days that I get to sit on my butt during the day, I tend to go for a snack-style lunch. I sauteed up a jalapeno chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s, loaded up on some veggies, and my new favorite eggplant hummus. The way I’ve been going through that stuff, I’m thinking it’s time I whip up my own version at home.

Lunch #2

I gave it a good 30 minutes or so before deciding I was still hungry for real. Cajun chicken and ketchup? Why not?! I’ve also been having a love affair with ketchup lately. Don’t ask.. ha!

Afternoon Snacks

I truly believe having healthy food in the house is key and when I need a little sweet treat, having a few flavors of bites in the freezer helps. Carrot cake after lunch it is!

And some homemade kombucha! I came back from Baltimore to a gallon of kombucha ready to drink and I’ve been loving it. It’s not so bubbly this time around, but hey, it’s only my first try! I bought some ginger to add to it but I’ve really been enjoying the plain flavor.

A couple hours later, the monster was back and growling again. I mixed a little Vega vanilla protein powder and cinnamon into some Greek yogurt, added a dollop of almond butter, and dug into some granola on the side. That should hold me over for another 20 minutes..

Dinner

The plan was for buffalo tenders but seeing as how I couldn’t find any good buffalo sauce, I made the quinoa crusted chicken strips and Tieghan’s new hot wing sauce. As Nathan said, if we can’t do buffalo, a good spicy Asian sauce hits the spot! I also made some spiralized baked “curly fries” for Nathan. It was a darn good dinner!

Evening Snack
The SweeTangos are out! This apple is a hybrid of Honeycrisp and Zestar; it’s always crisp and not too sweet [I find Honeycrisp to be too sweet for me]. I’m usually not a fan of anything other than Fuji but these hit the spot!

Hopefully I’ve taken care of my bottomless pit of a stomach for at least a few days!

Food for Thought

How do you deal with your bottomless pit days?

What I Ate Wednesday #93: Feels So Good

I used to be in the school of thought that a cleanse of sorts, maybe a 5- or 7-day slim down, was the way to go after an extended period of over-indulgence. It worked out for me for a while but eventually it felt like I was forcing myself to eat things I didn’t want for faster results. Not to mention, I’d often end up hungry at the end of the day. That 5-day slim down quickly turned into 2 days and me feeling frustrated with myself.

These days, things are a little different. I’ve realized that because I do eat healthy 80-90% of the time, just going back to my regular eats is more than enough to get me feeling back to normal. Not to mention I’m actually feeling satisfied by eating what I want. Go figure..

[Breakfast]

I typically go back and forth between my favorite protein oats with nut butters and some variation on protein pancakes. I’m currently on an oatmeal kick and I’m loving it.

[Morning Snack]
I used to be pretty routine with my snacks and almost never missed an extra bite to eat in the morning. Over the past few months, I’ve noticed I haven’t been as hungry for a morning snack. I’m not sure if it’s because I tend to eat breakfast a little bit later now or my decrease in cardio. Yesterday, however, I needed more food!

My PB&J yogurt parfait hit the spot. The blueberries here have been absolutely outrageous lately so I couldn’t pass em up. And the Blue Diamond blueberry almonds went surprisingly well with this too!

[Lunch]
I must have had a serious lack of vegetables over the past week or 2 because I’ve been craving salads like nobody’s business! People preach the importance of trusting and listening to your body; my veggie cravings really show the truth in that. I’m not forcing myself to eat a salad but it’s just so satisfying. Your body knows best!

The stars of this BAS [big ass salad] were definitely the roasted sweet potato and baked almond tofu. Again, the nut butters in every meal. No surprise here!

[Afternoon Snack]
When I was working a 9-5, my afternoon snacks would always be a bar of some sort; Think Thin, KIND, etc. Now that I have some afternoons at home, I like to take advantage of the opportunity to whip something up and leave the more processed foods for when I need the convenience.

My very favorite peanut butter mug cake was calling but we have the perfect number of eggs left for tomorrow’s breakfast [seriously, 18 eggs in 3 days over here!] so I made it vegan with a flax egg. The texture was a little different but just as wonderful! A little extra peanut butter and a crumbled [stale] dark chocolate pretzel never hurt anyone.

[Dinner]
Dinners this week are veggie- and lean protein chicken-heavy. I told Nathan to expect light meals all week so we can get ourselves back to normal. He’s been a good sport and we’ve both been happy to reap the benefits of light, healthy, home-cooked meals.

His request: dry-braised green beans. Lots of chicken for both of us and sauteed bok choy for me too. Quite possibly the healthiest Chinese dish ever ha!

[Evening Snack]
Often I go for an apple at night. I like the crunch, the little bit of sweetness, and if I haven’t quite had enough nut butter throughout the day, I’ll slice up my apple for dipping. Sometimes, however, I’m craving something a little bit more indulgent. The best desserts are those that taste indulgent but aren’t, right? Enter Forte Gelato..

This protein gelato has only 160 calories and 2.5g fat, is packed with 15g protein, and most importantly is SO delicious! Of the 4 flavors—vanilla, chocolate, ginger, and espresso—I’d have to say my top 2 are ginger and espresso. The ginger is similar to the vanilla but which a little extra spiciness and the espresso is similar to the chocolate but with an espresso punch.

Aside from the creamy texture and simple, clean flavors, I really appreciate the short ingredient list. It’s not something you’d expect from a product like this! If you’re an gelato/froyo/ice cream fan like I am, I’d definitely recommend getting yourself a delivery soon!

After just 3 days of getting my eating back to normal, I’m already feeling so much better [you know, despite the stomach bug..] It just goes to show how much food truly is fuel and can effect they way you feel. Besides, how many cleanses let you eat gelato? 😉

Food for Thought

Are you a cleanser or do you prefer to go back to your regular eats to feel normal again?
Have you or would you try a protein gelato?

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary shipment of Forte Gelato. All thoughts and opinions of the product are my own.

What I Ate Wednesday #92: Breaking the Plan

We’re usually pretty good about sticking to our weekly meal plan even if we do swap a few days every now and then. I’m kind of a stickler for eating at home during the week, but when Nathan walked in after work yesterday asking if I wanted to grab a cocktail, I couldn’t say no. It had already been a long week and it was only Tuesday! It was an impromptu date night and it was just so nice.

[Breakfast]

I’ve been loving a new protein pancake recipe this week—I’m calling them coco-peanut butter pancakes. I’m still adjusting ratios a bit for the perfect texture but I will definitely be sharing the recipe soon.

[Morning Snack]

And because I haven’t had enough peanut butter, this PB&J yogurt “parfait” is hitting the spot!

Ingredients
– 1/2 cup greek yogurt [I use 2% Fage]
– 2 tbsp peanut flour
– 1 squeeze Pure Via [the vanilla is my favorite!]
– Splash of coconut almond milk
– A couple of your favorite berries [strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are my fave!]
– A few Toasted Coconut and Blueberry Almond Breeze almonds
– 1 tbsp granola [I use Bob’s Red Mill Honey Almond]

Directions
Mix your greek yogurt, peanut flour, stevia, and coconut almond milk together until smooth. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

[Lunch]

I was loving the smoothies at work for lunch but recently I’ve been in more of a salad mood. Especially with the delicious leftover brussels and sweet potato we’ve had!

[Afternoon Snack]

I pretty much could have eaten a horse yesterday. This was snack #2 after a lemon vanilla Luna protein bar. The gelato is pretty amazing and I’ll be posting a real review soon!

[Happy Hour]

Prizefighter is known for their cocktails. I’ve only been there once before but Nathan never had before and it was such a gorgeous night; perfect for a drink outside! My drink was the Tennessee Rye – rye, orange bitters, lemon, and soda. His was the Reconquista – mezcal, punt e mes, and aperol. They were both perfectly balanced and hit the spot. We’ll be back for sure!

[Dinner]

Dinner was an early one at Jasmine Blossom. They have an awesome happy hour—$3 drinks and $5-7 appetizers.

I got the fresh roll filled with beets, carrots, vermicelli noodles, mint, and lettuce and served with the most delicious peanut sauce I’ve ever tasted! Because clearly there’s never enough peanut butter in my life. I might have been nice enough to share the roll with Nathan too. I also got the ginger chicken salad which I love—it’s light and super flavorful. Nathan ordered the chicken pad kee mao which is essentially drunken noodles and again, delicious.

[Midnight Snack]
Dinner actually kept me full longer than I expected but my stomach was grumbling before bed so I grabbed a spoon, a jar of PB, and a little granola. Mmmmmmm.

And now it’s just a few more days till we’re headed home 🙂

Food for Thought

Do you stick to eating at home during the week or do you go out?

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary shipment of Toasted Coconut and Blueberry Almonds from BlueDiamondTasteMakers.com. All thoughts and opinions of the product are my own.

What I Ate Wednesday #91: Berrylicious

I love this time of year. The kitchen is almost always stocked with fresh fruits and veggies but right now everything is at its peak. We’ve been seriously stocking the fridge with lots of fruit; it’s hard not to when everything is so good!

It’s usually not until I sit down and look at my meals for the day as a whole that I see some sort of theme going on. Yesterday’s theme was berries. I wouldn’t mind having that theme happen more often either.

Breakfast

Quite possibly the ugliest oatmeal ever, right? Blueberries really have a way.. I just swapped my usual 1/2 banana in my oatmeal for 1/2 cup blueberries. It was pretty wonderful if you can get past they bowl of gray.

Lunch

I have a thing for hot lunches these days and zucchini noodles are such a fast fix. I also have a serious cheese craving going on so I got Laughing Cow White Cheddar wedges the other day. I threw one of those into the mix with chipotle cherry sauce, ground turkey, shredded carrots, and zucchini noodles. I topped it off with avocado and BAM! Delicious lunch.

Snack

It’s been a while since I’ve had a Balance bar, but honestly, I was running out the door hungry and it was the first one I saw. The caramel nut blast is pretty darn tasty!

And since I felt the need for something sweet and berrylicious when I got home, I grabbed some almonds I just got from Blue Diamond—toasted coconut and blueberry—and threw them in a bowl with some raspberries and dark chocolate pretzels. I swear, Nathan was trying to hide those pretzels from me! Also, the blueberry almonds are not something I would typically buy myself, but they were much better than I expected!

Dinner

You guys. This chicken. I’m in love with the marinade! I ended up making extra to go on the side because it’s so good. I used this feta chicken kabob recipe and toasted pecan and blueberry couscous salad on the side. I ended up cutting the amount of couscous in half and adding some leftover quinoa that I had. The whole dinner was so good and I’m glad I made a bunch for leftovers!

Snack

An apple and a little more homemade sourdough. We’re still riding the struggle bus when it comes to making bread but we’re getting closer. Maybe one day soon we’ll be successful.. here’s to hoping!

Food for Thought

What’s the best recipe you’ve tried lately?
What’s your favorite berry?

Foodie Friday: Peanut Butter Banana Protein Souffle Pancake

The other day, Nathan was looking for restaurants to try for breakfast during his mom’s visit and came across this amazing creation. Holy cannoli! I’m not usually one for ordering pancakes when we go out, but I seriously had to consider at least getting one for the table to try. Of course, then I couldn’t stop thinking about this amazing-looking souffle pancake. So much so that I was laying in bed that night thinking about ways to make a healthier version for breakfast the next day.

I mentally put a list of ingredients together and decided I needed to give it a whirl. I was so excited when it turned out so well and had to remind myself to slow down a few times because it was so good! Because of the whipped egg whites, this souffle pancake has a much lighter, fluffier texture than a typical pancake. And by using peanut flour over all-purpose flour, it adds an extra protein punch and a ton of extra flavor.

Peanut Butter Banana Protein Souffle Pancake

Serves 1

Ingredients
– 3 egg whites
– 1 egg
– 1/4 cup peanut flour [I use Protein Plus Peanut Flour]*
– 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1/4 cup almond milk [I use Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla]
– 8 drops liquid stevia [if using unsweetened peanut flour – I use NuNaturals Vanilla]*
– 1/2 banana; sliced

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F and place a 10″ pan over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the 3 egg whites until thick and white with stiff peaks.

In a separate bowl, add the rest of the ingredients except banana. Mix those ingredients together until well incorporated, then gently fold in the whipped egg whites. Be careful not to mix too much as it could deflate the whites. Spray the pan with cooking spray and pour your mixture in. Let the mixture set about 2 minutes before placing the banana slices on top.

Once the slices are placed on top, turn the burner off and place the pan in the oven. Let bake about 7-10 minutes until it is completely set. Remove from the oven and set aside for 1-2 minutes. Carefully slide the souffle pancake onto a plate and top with your favorite toppings. I just so happened to have a fresh batch of coconut cashew butter just waiting to be drizzled on top!

*These ingredients can be found on iHerb.com. Use code ZAF482 to receive $5 off of your first order.

Nutritional Information
Per pancake, without toppings

302 Calories  /  10g Fat  /  25g Carbs  /  7g Fiber  /  10g Sugar  /  34g Protein

Food for Thought

Have you tried peanut flour before? Are you a fan?
How would you top your souffle pancake?

Choco-cado Peanut Butter Pudding

Chocolate is a girl’s best friend. Or wait, that’s diamonds. I vote both.. and wine. Just so happens, this pudding would go great with a glass of red wine. Diamonds just go with everything.

But honestly, I’ve seen tons of recipes floating around the interwebs using avocado in desserts for the extra creaminess that you can often get from, well, cream or butter. Plus the health benefits of avocados are undeniable. I figured I’d give it a spin <– get it? Because I made it in the Vitamix… I’m on a roll today!

Makes four 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients
– 1 medium avocado
– 1/4 cup Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams
– 1/2 cup almond milk [I use Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla]
– 3 pitted dates [if they’re tough, soak them in warm water for an hour first]
– 2 tbsp maple syrup
– 3 tbsp cocoa powder [I use Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate]
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– Pinch of salt

Directions
Put all ingredients into a high-powered blender or food processor and blend away until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Nutritional Information
Per 1/2 cup serving

243 Calories  /  13g Fat  /  33g Carbs  /  5g Fiber  /  22g Sugar  /  4g Protein

Food for Thought

Have you ever made a dessert with avocado?

What I Ate Wednesday #54: Recipe Adaptations

Monday’s meals were all about recipe adaptations. Whether I adapt because of what I have on hand at the time or because I’m in the mood for a different flavor, I love swapping a few ingredients to change it up sometimes.

Breakfast

Zucchini Bread Protein TVP Oats

Zucchini bread protein TVP oats. Can’t stop! Won’t stop! This bowl is topped with Buffalo Dirt Coffee Chia Peanut Butter, Nut-Tricious Foods Pistachio Butter, Artisana Coconut Butter, and Michele’s Maple Blueberry granola. It’s all about the toppings!

Lunch

Tuna Bean Garlic Hummus Salad

I loved my chick pea tuna salad but wanted something a little different so this week I decided to swap the chick peas for kidney beans and the greek yogurt for garlic hummus. It’s been great on my salads this week! I’ve also been topping my salad with a sheet of roasted nori. Yum!

Dinner

Miso Tofu Pistachio Kale Stuffed Carnival Squash

At the farmers’ market on Sunday, I picked up a carnival squash that I had to try.. stuffed squash sounds like a good idea, right? I took Brittany’s Tofu Walnut Stuffing recipe, added some mushroom and kale, and swapped the walnuts for pistachios and the dressing for my new favorite miso tahini dressing and I had a winner winner tofu dinner! Plus leftovers 🙂

Dessert

Sliced fuji apple with chocolate banana peanut butter fudge dip

I almost always have an apple at night, sometimes plain and sometimes with a little dip on the side. I still have a couple pieces of chocolate banana peanut butter fudge in the freezer so I microwaved a piece with a little bit of almond milk and made the perfect dip!

Food for Thought

Do you often swap ingredients in recipes to create new flavors?

Foodie Friday: Toasted Coconut Vanilla Overnight Oats

Recently I discovered a new favorite Greek yogurt from my favorite Greek yogurt brand. Have you ever seen Oikos Toasted Coconut Vanilla? If you’ve seen it, try it immediately. If you haven’t seen it yet, find it immediately!

I don’t typically go for the full-fat flavors, but sometimes it’s necessary. This is one of those times. This flavor is incredible and I knew I would have to try an overnight oats recipe as soon as possible. And the results? This breakfast kept me full for hours and I’ll definitely be incorporating this into my routine more often!

P.S. did you know that January is National Oatmeal Month? It couldn’t be more perfect!

Toasted Coconut Vanilla Overnight Oats

Serves 1

Ingredients
– 1 container Oikos Toasted Coconut Vanilla Greek Yogurt
– 1/2 cup rolled oats
– 1 tbsp chia seeds
– 1/3 cup almond milk [I use Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Coconut]
– 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Optional Toppings
– Unsweetened shredded coconut
– Nut butter [Earth Balance Crunchy Coconut Peanut Spread is highly recommended!]
– Ground cinnamon

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a tupperware container and mix well. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with your preferred toppings and enjoy!

I prefer my oats hot so I pop em in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. If you do this, you may need to add another splash of milk to get it to the right consistency.

Nutritional Information
Per serving, without toppings

286 Calories  /  11g Fat  /  34g Carbs  /  7g Fiber  /  17g Sugar  /  15g Protein

Food for Thought

What is your favorite flavor of Greek yogurt? Have you ever tried making overnight oats with that flavor?

What I Ate Wednesday #29 – Back in the Swing of Things

You know how every year the holidays sneak up on you and you say “I’m going to be good. I’m not going to overindulge!”? And you know how every year you overindulge? Yea.

Alright, so I didn’t go crazy this year, but I’ve definitely stepped up my game since New Years! More specifically, since Monday. Last week was pretty much a wash with NYE on Monday and New Years day Tuesday. That only left 3 days to get back into my routine and then the weekend hit.

Monday started Tina‘s Best Body Bootcamp; that along with Tone It Up‘s new Love Your Body challenge (you can still sign up!) has really gotten back into the swing of things! Especially since TIU is giving away prizes for checking in! If you follow me on Instagram, you may be getting tired of all of my meals and workouts, but I’m in it to win it, baby!

[Pre-Breakfast / Post-Workout]
Fitmixer Amino. This was part of my Fitbloggin’ swag that I just recently started taking advantage of after my morning workouts. I have to admit, I don’t love the fruit punch, but it’s not bad. And it certainly helps me get 2 extra glasses of water down a day!

[Breakfast]
I whipped up a lightened version of my favorite sweet breakfast scramble. Check it out..

– 1 egg
– 2 egg whites
– 1/2 banana, mashed
– 1/4 cup squash [I’ve been using pumpkin]
– 1 tbsp ground flax seed
– Cinnamon
– Ginger
– Nutmeg

I just recently started adding the ginger and nutmeg.. it makes it taste like gingerbread!

Scramble it up like eggs and top it with your favorite oatmeal toppings! Aka lots and lots of peanut butter 😉

[Lunch]
Getting back on my salad kick, I topped a bunch of spinach with tons of veggies, chicken, and some healthy spinach basil walnut pesto aioli for my dressing! This dressing was a bit of an accident, but it came out so well!

[Dinner]
Warm kale salad. Sounds a little weird, right? But it’s not. It’s amazing! And it’s an idea I stole from Kasey.

I absolutely love roasted veggies, so while roasting sweet potato, parsnip, tomato, and broccoli, I chopped up some kale, tossed it in a big bowl and threw it in the microwave for about a minute. This softens it and also makes it a little less bitter. For my dressing, I made a tahini nooch sauce, similar to Brittany’s dressing here [I love the little bit of sweetness from the maple syrup!] Then I toss half of the dressing into the kale and massage it in, again, making it a little less bitter. Finally, I throw all of my roasted goodies on top, the rest of the dressing, and some crunchy bits, like sunflower seeds.

Have I convinced you to try it? Because you really should!

[Snacks]
Coffee with unsweetened vanilla almond coconut milk <– a new favorite find!
1/2 grapefruit with stevia.
Madagascar vanilla almond KIND bar.
Apple with peanut fluff.. the only picture I missed!

It definitely feels good to clean up my eating again and get rid of the extra sugar I was eating. And it definitely helps to be getting my butt kicked by TIU and Tina (more details on Tina’s butt-kickings later)!

Food for Thought

Did you overindulge over the holidays? How have you cleaned up your eating recently?

Foodie Friday: Pumpkin Spice Latte Proatmeal

Lately I’ve been noticing one or two pumpkin recipes popping up on Pinterest. And by one or two, I mean approximately 500. I guess that means fall is here so I’ll just on the bandwagon and embrace the delicious pumpkin-ness that is happening all around me.

Of course, one of my favorite pumpkin treats is the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, though I have yet to get one this season as this is the first week out of the 90° temps yet! But when I saw a recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte oatmeal, I knew I had to try it because, as clearly stated in my last post, I’m oatmeal obsessed.

I put my own spin on the recipe and made it into a protein oatmeal, known, from here on out, as proatmeal. Learn it. Love it. Eat it.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Proatmeal

Serves 1
Adapted from The Oatmeal Artist

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Almond Breeze)
1/2 banana, mashed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup oatmeal (I use Coach’s Oats)
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Optional Toppings
Sliced almonds
Walnuts
Nut butter (Earth Balance Chunky Coconut Peanut Spread is my favorite!)
Cinnamon
Pumpkin pie spice

Directions
Scramble your 3 egg whites over medium-high heat and put into a bowl off to the side. Add your coffee, almond milk, mashed banana, cinnamon, and oatmeal to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the oats have absorbed almost all of the liquid.

Once your oats are at that point, add the egg whites back in, along with the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix everything to combine and let the oats finish cooking to your desired thickness.

Top with your favorite add-ins and enjoy!

Nutritional Stats
Per serving

316 Calories  /  5g Fat  /  50g Carbs  /  11g Fiber  /  10g Sugar  /  20g Protein

Foodie Friday Fun!

Foodie Friday is my way of sharing some of my favorite recipes from the week for those of you that want to try them out over the weekend and I want you to share yours too! Post your favorite recipe that you made this week and share it with me! Click the link below to add yours.