I mean CONDIMENTS!! ๐
Happy What I Ate Wednesday! Be sure to head on over to Peas & Crayons and thank our ever gracious host, Jenn! And if you’d like a chance to showcase your delicious meals during our weekly party, click here for the info!
Now, back to my Freudian slip…I’ve got a little story to share with you guys…and I promise that at this exact moment, I am not under the influence of mind altering drugs ๐
……..
In December of 1984, there was born a child who would grow up to be the best dipper, sprinkler, slatherer who ever lived. Her name was Heather, and little did she know as she was growing up in diapers, eating bland oatmeal and simplistic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, that she would have a destiny set before her…a very delicious destiny…all involving the correct ratio of shakes, squirts and spoonfuls of everyday condiments found at the local supermarket.
Of course that destiny was long awaited…
It took many years of dabbling in ketchup and mustard until the day she discovered more…I’m speaking of the enlightenment gained upon finding blogworld…where her eyes were opened to new possibilities and the hope of tastier (albeit sometimes odd) meals.
In the past, she would settle for a boring bowl of cereal for breakfast…or on occasion she might whip up a couple of scrambled eggs (perfect yolks were never her forte).
But plain ol’ bowls of cereal are now a thing of the past:
Especially lately with the 30+ containers of Chobani yogurt in her fridge!
So what transformed this breakfast into a bowl of deliciousness?
{Avocado} + Cinnamon + Apple Butter
Don’t fight the curiosity people…avocado is like butter and mixed with the right things can most assuredly tickle your sweet taste buds! ๐
But believe me, the experimentation of flavors does not stop there…
Why have just a steak and some steamed vegetables?
Boring steak and veggies are no more…how aboutย a juicy, mouthwatering steak and some cheezy vegetables that make you want to lick your plate clean?
Steak Sauce + Nutritional Yeast + Red Wine
The sirloin was simply marinated in a red wine and a bit of salt and pepper, then grilled in a skillet and topped with mushrooms and onions that were sauteed in some of the leftover wine and then topped with steak sauce. The veggies wereย sprinkled withย buried inย nutritional yeast after the picture (because let’s face it, nooch is not the most photogenic).
Now meal time isn’t the only time to showcase a love of condiments.
Take this plate of raw mushrooms for instance:
Not too appealing, is it?
Looks like it needs a bit of zip…something that will make you forget that you are all out of pretzel sticks…
Pretzels? What pretzels?
For the record, TJ’s hot & sweet is no longer a contender in the spicy mustard world…the jalapeno one takes the cake…or the pepper…you know what I mean!
Of course, dinner is where the most fun usually happens:
Salad….burger, meet
Ranch dressing, yogurt, salsa, and the most flavorful combination of spices you’ll ever get in one bottle…I am the self-proclaimed president of the Mrs. Dash fan club…if there was one ๐
The thing I love most about condiments is versatility. Don’t let the title of topping, spread, or dip stop you…sometimes the best way to use them is IN the dish!
But you’ll just have to wait for that recipe until tomorrow! ๐
What is your favorite condiment/favorite way to use condiments?
What’s the best thing you ate today?
Oh my gosh so much deliciousness! (and I burst out laughing at your title ๐ haha)
I LOVE adding sauces and condiments to dress up my veggies. There are so many options! My brother loves hot sauce and I’ve gotten him eating way more veggies now that he’s realized he can just dump hot sauce on everything ๐
Hey, whatever works right? And according to a lot of studies, having that spice can not only help digest/absorb the nutrients from the veggies better, but also keep his metabolism in check! Win/win! ๐
Hahaha! Everything looks so good omgggg
I have been trying to use more condiments and spices to change up boring/bland foods and crazy combos are the best!!! My favorite are anything that is sweet and spicy.
Have you checked out the Mrs. Dash line of spicy flavors? The southwest chipotle and the fiesta lime are my favorites…just the right amount of spice and FULL of flavor!
All looks so good! YUM! I love TJ’s hot and sweet mustard…..
So the title definitely sparked my interest…but then it was only about condiments! That’s okay, it all looks delicious! And I’m still jealous of all the Chobanis you got.
Mustard and hot sauce are on equal status in my book and they are both way up there. Then comes ketchup, but that only really goes with veggie burgers and baked potatoes. Mustard and hot sauce go on everything else!
Haha I was so confused about the title until I clicked on the post and read it! ๐
My favourite condiments are hummus, fig jam, honey mustard and sweet Thai chili sauce!
FIG JAM FTW!!! Can you believe I only grew up knowing grape and strawberry? I know…I lived in a box…a very tiny, flavor-deprived box!
I.LOVE.Condiments. so so SO good ๐
CONDIMENTS!!!!!!
Just had to capitalize that.
Everyone gasbags about bread and pasta and oatmeal but, without toppings, they would all be completely bland. Plain oatmeal has been tried. Plain oatmeal will not be tried again. There must be a 5/1 topping-oatmeal ratio from now on. Your avocado cereal looks interesting =3 can I ask what on earth inspired you to put this…oh wait it is apparently a fruit so it’s not that big of a deal. Well, yes it is. I want to try it.
My favorite condiment is roasted garlic hummus which doesn’t really count because it’s a dip but we have to make an exception.
Hummus is most certainly a condiment…as is avocado…now if only we could convince the restaurants to stop charging us extra for it!! It is NOT a side item!
Honestly, the inspiration for the avocado came from the lack of nut butter in my life…damn Lent (oh dear, I’m probably going to hell for saying that! Haha!) Since I swore off of all nut butters and similar spreads (no cookie butter either), I’ve been adding avocado to EVERYTHING! I have to say it makes for a darn good substitution! Definitely worth a try!
And I totally agree with the plain oatmeal (ick!) and the 5:1 ratio…how anyone can eat a plain bowl of oats is beyond me! And those that have never tried it with nut butter don’t know what they’re missing!
I absolutely love the condiment call out – there are soooo many ways to add flavor and make healthy foods delicious without dumping on tons of fat, salt, etc. And all your food was making my mouth water – I love different food combos like what you showed here!
If you are the prez of the Mrs. Dash fan club, I nominate myself as VP – just gave a shout out to Mrs. D on my WIAW post too! I put Mrs. Dash in all varieties on so many things. Love.
My favorite condiment is horseradish mustard. I mean, I’ll take any mustard but horseradish is the best! I haven’t eaten anything worth mentioning yet today ๐
“There are soooo many ways to add flavor and make healthy foods delicious without dumping on tons of fat, salt, etc” <- SO TRUE!! I swear, it KILLS me to watch people pouring gobs of dressing on their salads or oversalting their food in general...you can get so much flavor out of spices and HEALTHY oils/fats! And as for the Mrs. Dash fan club, you can totally be my right hand man...er, woman! ๐ I just can't believe I lived before my discovery of the salt-free world of flayyyyy-vah! Have you ever tried Trader Joe's horseradish hummus? Omg, it is SO good! I actually bought a jar of horseradish a few weeks ago so that I can try making it myself! Happy WIAW!
i seriously thought you put ketchup on the cereal in that first pic. hahaha. thats too weird even for you. maybe. maybe not.
heart healthy mrs dash love!
ps does apple butter count as a spread??
Haha! Yeah, I think ketchup on cereal is where I would have to draw the line! And if you are asking if the apple butter goes against my Lent, I’m deciding…no. I know it’s a “butter” but it’s really not…there is little to no fat…it doesn’t get stuck to the roof of your mouth…and I don’t fantasize about it whenever I’m out…oh wait, did I just say that…I mean… ๐
That breakfast and dinner look DELICIOUS. But avocado in a sweet breakfast? Too weird. Must be amazing!
Ever tried putting avocado in a smoothie instead of nut butter? Or avocado and jam on toast? Don’t knock it till you try it…it so creamy…think of it like a butter substitute! ๐