What I Ate Wednesday #109: Fueling for Opening Day

Friends, today is a big day. It’s not just Wednesday. It’s opening day for Truve! It has certainly been a long process [and I wasn’t even around for much of it!] but that’s part of what makes opening so exciting. I can’t wait to work with my clients at a brand new facility with lots of new equipment that I haven’t had much of a chance to play with.. like kettlebells! Oooh my clients are going to hate me 😉

Anywho, clearly yesterday I had to properly fuel myself for the occasion. You know, all that excitement really drains me. Ha!

[Breakfast]

Tired of seeing this yet? Well, I’m certainly not tired of eating it! My new favorite thing, however, is to prep it the night before. Toss in a little extra almond milk in the morning and throw in the microwave for a few minutes and I’m good to go. I’m also loving sprinkling a little salt on top. Try it. Trust me.

[Mid-Morning Snack]

All I wanted was peanut butter and chocolate. And thank goodness for my ThinkThin bars! So good.

[Lunch]

Sunny day lunch outside is the best. A 20 lb [ok, that’s an exaggeration..] kale salad with Monday night’s turkey burger, sweet potato, snow peas, cucumber, and persimmon. A wonderful combo. Topped it off with a dark chocolate pretzel. I only bring 1 with me to work because I know if I bring more, I’ll eat ’em all!

[Afternoon Snack]
Unpictured: homemade ginger kombucha and peanut butter. Right outta the jar. Give me a spoon and I’m a dangerous gal!

Still feeling snacky though, I went for some popcorn drizzled with buffalo sauce. Dang, that was a good choice.

[Dinner]

Pomegranate chicken, bacon pom brussels, and roasted red kuri squash. Use your imagination to double the brussels and squash and that’s probably closer to what I actually ate 😉 This was my first time having red kuri squash and it’s fabulous! So creamy and sweet. My last kabocha was dryer than dry so this definitely more than made up for that.

[Evening Snack]
Apple and 2 dark chocolate salted cashews. Again, if I don’t close the bag after 1 or 2 cashews, I’ll eat ’em all. Kind of like my spoon and PB jar issue.. or non-issue, depending on who you ask.

I think I’m properly fueled for tonight’s opening.. but just in case, you can expect more oatmeal, nut butters, and salad on the menu today 😉

Food for Thought

What food is your weakness?
Have you ever salted your oatmeal?

What I Ate Wednesday #105: Nut Butter All Day!

It should come as no surprise that we currently have 5 open jars of nut butters in the house. That said, they’re all dwindling because I can never decide which one I want and I never want to finish a jar. Such problems, right? Most days I usually have 4 of the 5 nut butters; I’d say that’s a good day!

The health benefits of nuts, including peanuts [technically a legume], are undeniable. Aside from just being known for healthy fats, they also contain a number of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

[Pre-Workout]

I wasn’t even counting my Skoop blueberry bite, but this does have some PB&Co. Bees Knees in it. Peanuts are higher in protein than most nuts and are a heart-healthy food due to the mono-unsaturated fatty acids that can help to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.

[Breakfast]

You all know how much I love my melty nut butters on my oatmeal. This bowl has a mixture of peanut butter, coconut cashew butter, and protein almond butter. Almonds are a fiber-rich nut which, along with the healthy fats, helps you stay full. And a recent study funded by the Almond Board of California has shown that these nuts can even raise the levels of good bacteria in your system for a healthy gut!

[Lunch]

I swapped out my healthy fats at lunch for a little avocado on my snack plate. As for the tuna, I mix in some ketchup and relish.. is that strange? I’ve put ketchup in tuna my whole life so I don’t even know. Ha!

[Afternoon Snack]

Soon after my lunch, I had a few slices of freshly roasted sweet potato with more coconut cashew butter. This was pretty much the best combo all day! Cashews are a great source of iron—helps to prevent anemia—, zinc—for immune health and vision—, and magnesium—to help improve memory. Crunch on some cashews so you can remember all of this 😉

[Dinner]

Skipped the nut butter in dinner again, but there’s a sprinkling of peanuts on top! I filled my bowl up with tons of broccoli and it hit the spot. Nice and light but super filling.

[Evening Snack]
Sliced up an apple with some more peanut butter. I just can’t get enough!

Nut butters are something I always have to use measuring spoons for, otherwise I’d go crazy! So while it may look and sound like I’m eating a ton of nut butter, I’m actually limiting it to about 2-3 tablespoons per day. You bet your butt I could eat more [like a jar per day!] but there is such a thing as going overboard on healthy food too 😉

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite nut?
Do you measure out your nut butter or just go for it?

Sources: 29 Amazing Benefits Of Peanuts For Skin, Hair And Health & Why You Should Go Nuts for Nuts

What I Ate Wednesday #102: Bubbly

I cannot believe the my Orioles clinched the AL East last night and we weren’t there for it.

Top of the 9th, 2 outs. I stopped cooking dinner so I could watch the final out. As soon as the O’s got that out, Nathan and I popped the bubbly. Hey, they were doing it at the stadium so we needed to participate too, right?!

I also sent a text to my dad. He’s been my Orioles partner-in-crime my whole life and with all of the terrible games we’ve been to over the years, I was so freaking bummed to not be able to celebrate with him. We so would have been there [Nathan was cursing California the rest of the night because of it!] and quite possibly would have gone into work late today. Like we say though, you should always have a bottle of bubbly in the fridge.. you never know when you’ll need it! Also, don’t be jealous of our extra large champagne flutes 😉

Now back to the rest of the food.. which is actually from Monday. I’m still in the “eat all the food” mindset, possibly because I most likely need more sleep. Do you get super hungry when you’re lacking rest? I know I definitely do!

[Pre-Workout]
I’ve been really rationing my coconut vanilla latte bites. I don’t want them to end [even though I can always make more..] but sadly my stash is just about depleted. I’m thinking I’ll need to create a new bite recipe soon though!

[Breakfast]

Because clearly we can never get enough oatmeal and nut butters. And repping the Orioles every morning..

[Morning Snack]

You know when it’s just about lunch time but you’re not hungry enough for lunch? Boom! Greek yogurt saves the day. And this stuff fo realz tastes like Pina Colada! That said, I’m not usually one for the flavored yogurts anymore, but darn their fun limited edition packaging.. gets me every time!

[Lunch]

By the time I got home from work, I was ravenous! I’m surprised I actually made myself a full salad instead of just eating a head of lettuce with veggies on the side. Ha! I had just enough time to shove this beauty in my face before heading to another meeting.

[Dinner]

Speaking of saving the day, that Costco rotisserie chicken was definitely the right plan for a day that I was running around. I just popped it in the oven, chopped my brussels, and with a tiny amount of effort, dinner was ready! I tossed the brussels with maple syrup, sriracha, and a little smoked paprika. They were pretty delicious but I have to admit, I’m definitely one for regular old EVOO + S&P brussels. Some ketchup made it’s way onto my plate too.. still going strong!

[Dessert]

I recently got a jar of Peanut Butter & Co’s Old Fashioned Crunchy and I just. can’t. stop. It’s so good! This plate was topped off with a carrot cake energy bite. I like to sandwich my day’s eats with some bites 😉

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite condiment or spread at the moment? [Nut butters are always at the top of my list!]
What’s your most convenient go-to dinner?

Foodie Friday: Carrot Cake Energy Bites {Recipe Redux}

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes yesterday! It was a great [an delicious] day and I’m excited to continue the celebrations this weekend! To kick it off, I have a tasty treat for you. I’m sure by now you all know how I feel about my protein bites. I’ve made peanut butter powerballs, dark chocolate powerballs, blueberry lemon cookie dough bites, apple pie protein bites, dark chocolate berry protein bites.. I think you catch my drift. So I was really excited when I saw this month’s Recipe ReDux topic:

Bars & Bites for Brown Bags

Whether you pack your lunch in a bento box, a brown bag or a retro cartoon character lunch box, don’t forget the bars and bites. Small squares or round bites can pack nutrition into a sweet or savory taste. Show us your favorite way to jazz up any type of lunch box.

A reason to make another flavor of bites? Done!

Carrot Cake Energy Bites

Makes 48 bites

 

Ingredients
– 2 cups shredded carrots
– 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
– 3 tbsp almond meal [I used Bob’s Red Mill]
– 3 tbsp coconut flour
– 1 scoop protein powder [I used Vega Sport Vanilla]
– 1/3 cup nut butter [I used Peanut Butter & Co. Old-Fashioned Crunchy]
– 1/4 cup maple syrup
– 2 tsp cinnamon
– 1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Place carrots and coconut flakes in a food processor and pulse until chunky. Add the pulsed carrots, coconut, and the rest of the ingredients into a medium bowl. Mix everything until combined thoroughly. Using a 1/2 tbsp measuring spoon, measure out and roll your bites. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Nutritional Information
Per 1/2 tbsp bite

27 Calories  /  1g Fat  /  3g Carbs  /  2g Sugar  /  1g Fiber  /  1g Protein

I love using the chunky peanut butter in these.. it’s like a 2-for-1 rather than adding the nuts separately. Plus, the Old-Fashioned Crunchy is one of my favorites from PB & Co. because the only ingredients are peanuts and salt. These bites are not only great for a little pre-workout treat, they’re great to pack up and take with you on the go or in a lunch bag. They’re slightly sweet and the almond flour gives them an extra nuttiness. All this to say you should definitely make these bad boys!

If you really want to kick them up a notch, add some raisins and roll the bites in shredded coconut. Yum!

An InLinkz Link-up

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite dessert?

What I Ate Wednesday #98: It’s In the Bowl!

I’m afraid to say this “out loud” but I feel like I’ve gotten into a good swing with foods that are consistently keeping me satisfied and satiated. It seems every time I say I’ve figured it out, my mind plays tricks on me and I suddenly seem to be changing it up. Change is good though. One of the best and most important things I’ve learned as of late, though still working on it daily, is how to listen to my body and its cravings. Some days I very clearly need more food than others, but these main meals and snacks have really worked for me lately.

[Pre-Workout]

I like to pretend the coffee beans in these bites are giving me extra energy at the gym 😉 Really though, they’re just freaking delicious!

[Breakfast]

Egg white oats are still going strong! Clearly running low on nut butters though [what a disaster!].. I only have coconut cashew peanut butter and macadamia cashew butter right now. I just bought a ton of almonds and am trying to figure out what to make next!

[Lunch]

Packed up my usual “throw it all into a bowl” salad for lunch at work and topped it with Monday night’s leftover panko oat chicken. It was a delicious shake-n-bake kinda recipe that I’ll be sharing soon. It’s Nathan-approved and he’s a picky chicken eater 😉

[Afternoon Snack]
Unpictured creamy peanut butter ThinkThin bar.. sometimes you’re just too hungry for pictures!

[Dinner]

This sloppy joe bowl ended up being a hit on Instagram! I love when people ask for a recipe that’s just basically the contents of my fridge ha! I did actually plan this out, but it would work with whatever veggies you have. Mind included carrots, bell pepper, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms. I also added lots of garlic, 1 lb ground turkey, and a combo of apricot bbq sauce and Trader Joe’s all natural bbq sauce.

Underneath all of that goodness is was grilled corn salad with more bell pepper, tomato, and jalapeno. Topped it off with avocado and spicy gouda cheese and I was good to go! This isn’t exactly what you think of for a summer dinner but let’s be real here, the bay area isn’t exactly known for its hot summers.

[Evening Snack]

Love ending my nights with a nice crispy, crunchy apple and a super chocolatey bite!

Food for Thought

What’s your favorite snack? Healthy or otherwise 😉

What I Ate Wednesday #97: 100 Meals

About that Barry’s Bootcamp class last night.. if you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I missed the class. And it was totally Beyonce’s fault! I left my place around 5:15 for a 6:30 class, drove into the city, looked for parking, and at 7 p.m. decided to head back home. Damnit, Beyonce! You ruined my burn! I’m definitely going to have to try to go back another time, preferably when there’s no concert or Giants’ game.

Anywho, maybe 100 meals is an exaggeration, but working a 5 a.m. shift always ends up with at least 3 breakfasts. I, of course, want to sleep as late as possible so my real breakfast was prepped Sunday night and I decided to pack a couple snacks too to hold me over until my “lunch” break.. at 9:30 a.m. haha.

[Breakfast #1]
A Detour Cranberry Flax SMART Bar with a little macadamia cashew butter. I have to say, I’m not a fan of this bar. I was hoping that warming it up in the microwave for a few seconds and putting some nut butter on top would help it out, but it really just ended up being.. well, weird. People rave about the Apple Cinnamon and Blueberry so I have high hopes that those are truly delicious.

[Breakfast #2]

Recycling a picture but this was essentially what I ate. Just swap the bloobs for figs.

[Breakfast #3]

Here we go. This was the real deal! A sweet scramble with egg whites, spaghetti squash, banana, cinnamon, and coconut peanut butter. That hit the spot!

[Lunch]

I was seriously craving a hot lunch so I whipped up some spaghetti squash [best idea to roast one on Sunday!], a little southwestern black bean salad, Trader Joe’s jalapeno chicken sausage, buffalo sauce, and nutritional yeast. And it was so good!

[Afternoon Snack]

The peanut butter mug cake made a reappearance! Always a delicious option.

[Dinner]

I knew Nathan was going to want something nice and light for dinner after 4 days in Vegas so I was happy to make the California chicken, veggies, avocado, and cauli rice bowl. Chicken for him, salmon for me. The avocado was like a fake-out guac and it was really good.. so easy too! Another Half Baked Harvest win!

[Evening Snack]
I ended the night with the usual apple and a dark chocolate berry protein bite. Those bites are super chocolate and definitely hit the spot for my chocolate cravings.

Food for Thought

Have you ever been to Barry’s Bootcamp?
What’s your favorite breakfast?

What I Ate Wednesday #94: Can’t Stop Me Now

Because if you’re hungry, eat! Ironically enough, I wasn’t all that hungry throughout the day but when the sun set, it was all I could do to keep my hands off of more food!

Breakfast

A normal start to the day. The best protein-packed oatmeal and nut butters. Also, homemade cold-brewed coffee is too easy. Do it.

Lunch

Use your imagination.. this was really my salad from yesterday but Monday’s salad was pretty close. Tuna has been my bff lately, it’s just so easy to throw on a salad when I’m running around like a nut. Which is most days right now! I also had a few Rosemary Black Pepper almonds. Because they’re amazing.

Afternoon Snack

I’m usually starving by the time I get off of work, but Monday I was just feeling something light. I just bought some kefir to try out and while I’m not a huge fan of it on its own, I do like going half and half with some greek yogurt. Of course I added some peanut flour to make a little PB&J parfait.

Dinner

Love love love this feta chicken recipe! I’d highly recommend it but definitely go for the fresh rosemary over dried; I’ve done both and fresh really makes it pop.

Evening Snack[s]
Let the games begin! I started with a couple little pieces of pineapple and an apple. And then…..

..a cinnamon toast rice cake with peanut butter. Eaten just like this.. standing in the kitchen, broken into pieces. Because that’s normal.

And because 2 snacks just didn’t suffice..

..this stuff is delicious! And it finally filled me up. Success!

I always try to practice what I preach. Even though I wasn’t very hungry throughout the day, my body was clearly telling me I didn’t eat enough and it caught up to me by the end of the night. So just because it was after 10 pm [GASP!], I continued to eat healthy snacks until I was comfortably full. Going to bed hungry is the worst!

Don’t forget to enter my Bob’s Red Mill giveaway?

Food for Thought

Do you have a cut-off time for when you stop eating each night?

Foodie Friday: Buffalo Bourbon Peanut Butter

A stressful week calls for a Friday cocktail, yes? How about combining that cocktail with a little peanut butter? Now we’re talking! I might have gone back for seconds, thirds, fourths.. you get the idea. That jar was definitely my friend yesterday. It was even broken out with dinner!

Nathan and I have really come to love bourbon recently. The oaky flavor is something that we both really enjoy and the caramel and vanilla notes really play well in desserts [remember my Bourbon Banana Cheesecake?]. My favorite dessert lately? Anything with peanut butter. So why not combine the two?

Buffalo Bourbon Peanut Butter

Makes eleven 2 tablespoon servings

Ingredients
– 2 1/4 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
– 1 tbsp bourbon [I used Buffalo Trace]
– 2 tsp honey
– 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 tbsp sea salt

Directions
Place the peanuts in a high-power blender or food processor and give it a whirl until the peanuts really break down to almost a crunchy peanut butter consistency. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until totally smooth.

I found that because of the liquid added to the peanut butter, it didn’t come out quite as creamy as when I do plain nuts, but it is so good! I have a feeling this jar isn’t going to last too long at all.

Nutritional Information
Per 2 tbsp serving

140 Calories  /  11g Fat  /  5g Carbs  /  2g Sugar  /  2g Fiber  /  6g Protein

Cheers and happy Friday!

Food for Thought

Have you ever made your own nut butter?
Is there another liquor you’d add to a nut butter?

Five Things Friday

Friday! Long weekend! I have to work tomorrow and Monday, but such is the life of a retail store employee, right? Oh well, we’re still going to have fun this weekend.

1. Yesterday was quite the exciting day! I had some errands to run so I dropped Nathan off at work and on my way back, maybe 1/4 mile from my apartment, I almost got into a huge accident [not my fault at all]. It was one of those times where as I slammed on my brakes and horn, the thoughts going through my mind were along the lines of “I wonder how bad this accident is going to be.” Thankfully my brakes are [maybe were, now] amazing and I stopped about 1 foot away from t-boning the the guy that decided to swerve and do a u-turn right in front of me. All is well, but I was definitely shaken up! If that didn’t wake me up, I don’t know what would.
2. Once I did get around to my errands, I went to the store to stock up on ingredients for a homemade porchetta. Nathan’s been talking about making one at home since we had it in Italy. We currently have 10 lbs of pork in the fridge. No, we’re definitely not vegetarians!

   
   Oooooh this is gonna be good!

3. With my crazy morning I decided I needed a nice treat for lunch. I’d been eyeing the freshly-made sushi at Berkeley Bowl since the first day we went and I finally got some. Salmon with avocado in brown rice and edamame. I also made my own spicy sriracha “mayo” [aka greek yogurt] for dipping. I’m not a soy sauce-dipper.. never have been!
   
4. I mentioned the other day that my peanut butter was dwindling. Nothing a little Vitamix action can’t fix! And because I can’t leave well enough alone, there’s a little chia seed in the mix this time. That also means licking the Vitamix was my afternoon snack haha!
   
5. Tomorrow we’re heading into the city for dinner, drinks, and live music. When Nathan came out to SF last year, he went to The Saloon with a friend of his. He said it was basically SF’s equivalent to our favorite live music bar in Baltimore, Cat’s Eye. We used to head over for some music after a little bit of this..
   

   Max’s special Big Ass Draft.. every Friday $5 for 32 oz!

   

   We’ve been meaning to go to The Saloon since we moved out here and I’m psyched to finally head over!

Well, I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend.. enjoy all of the cookouts, sunshine, and time with friends and family!

Food for Thought

What are your big plans for the weekend?

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?