WIAW: The “Clean Out the Pantry” Edition

Posted on November 6, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Over the last week or so, I’ve realized something…

I have TOO MUCH food!
Yeah, I’m shaking my head as I type this…#firstworldproblems

I can’t help it…I blame my self-diagnosed ADD…but whenever I’m out shopping and I spy something new and different, I just HAVE to buy it! And then, months later, I open my pantry and see…

Seven packages of dried fruit.

Eight jars of mustard.

Ten jugs of protein powder.

Twelve containers of different grains and pasta.

And we won’t even talk about how many protein and snack bars there are!

I decided it was time for a change.

Last weekend, I went through each and every shelf and tossed anything that was expired or that I didn’t really like (hello why am I holding onto peanut butter that I’ll never eat!) and tried my best to organize the chaos that remained.

Now I’m making a commitment…

NO MORE PANTRY SHOPPING FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!

And you guys are gonna hold me to it, right?

Please? 😉

So for today’s edition of What I Ate Wednesday, we have…

Be sure to head over to Peas & Crayons and show Jenn a little love for hosting our weekly fun food fest!

I have to say, only one day into it and I already made a good dent in my stash!

BREAKFAST:
Blueberry waffle topped with Greek yogurt, thawed frozen blueberries, and coconut peanut butter

Yeah, don’t get too excited…I STILL haven’t had any success in the waffle making department, but thanks to Kodiak Cakes pancake mix, I now have perfectly fluffy waffles…and a lowered self esteem.

I hear ya Willie…it’s not you…it’s ME! 🙁

And well, we’ll just pretend the mix didn’t expire almost five months ago! 😉

LUNCH:
Peanut flour stir fry (peanut flour mixed with water, sriracha, and Braggs aminos) with Miracle Noodles, spaghetti squash, edamame, and practically every other vegetable I had in my fridge at the time.

Hmm, looks like the pantry cleaning is giving me motivation in other ways too! 😉

DINNER:
Grilled Pork Chops with Thyme-Roasted Grapes & Onions over TJ’s harvest grain blend.

Seriously you guys, IN LOVE with this grain mix…so soft, chewy, and nutty and it only takes 10 minutes to cook! Definitely going to miss it when I have to start making a dent in the brown rice!

And finally, what’s a day without a little…

SNACKAGE:
Tuna straight from the can (with a little mustard), 1/2 Quest Cravings Chocolate Crunch bar with a side of Buddy Fruit, 1/2 a cherry torte Lara bar (WHY did it take me so long to try this bar? DEEEElicious!), a handful of black grapes, cottage cheese with banana and cinnamon, and lastly, a grahamful bar.

And something that I found lurking in the very back of the pantry?

How did I forget that I bought this?! 

Almost finished with the box….one down, EIGHT to go!
Yeah, I have problems!

Do you tend to get a little “over zealous” when it comes to new-to-you foods?

Any suggestions on what I should do with wheat berries?
I have a TON!

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Snacks, What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 78 Comments

Marvelous, Veggie-fied, and Fruit-FULL!

Posted on November 5, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

I’m so glad you all liked yesterday’s panCOOKIES! And if you happened to miss them, click HERE, get your drool on, and then come back so we can celebrate Monday in style!

Time to join Katie in another edition of Marvelous in My Monday!

Friday night, I headed over to my parent’s house for our first family dinner in MONTHS! Since we’d all had a pretty hard week, mom and I made the call and deemed it a pizza night so I stopped by my favorite take-n-bake pizza shop and picked up two large pizzas (pepperoni and cheese) for only $4 each!

As per tradition, I veggie-fied the heck out of the cheese one! 😉

I assure you my dad was happy with the evening’s menu…he just doesn’t know how to smile! 😉

And well, what’s a balanced meal of salad and veggie-packed pizza without a little indulgence?

There was also some apple pie involved, but none for me…I was ALL about the ice cream…with cocoa powder! Please tell me I’m not the only one who knows how delicious this is!

Saturday, I ended up picking up a day shift at the hospital…not so marvelous, but I definitely made up for it in the hours that followed…

I met up with this guy:

And we went out for suuuuuuuuuushi!

We started out with an appetizer of tuna tataki (SO good!) followed by some seaweed salad. Then came our plate-o-deliciousness.

Paradise roll on the left and the Blue something-or-other roll on the right (it was topped with grilled steak…YUM!), and over to the side, two pieces of squid sashimi!

Neither one of us had ever tried the squid before, so it was a bit of an adventure…

An adventure that WON’T be repeated!

It was pretty fishy tasting, but the biggest turn-off? It swelled in your mouth the more you chewed…gah, it was everything we could do to not spit them out! Lol

On Sunday, I woke up bright and early (daylight savings time means nothing when you’re a nightwalker like me!) and ended up having a pretty productive day before heading into work later on.

I finished up some cleaning I started on Friday, got my sweat on at the gym, and then, since I had so much success with it last Sunday, took another stab at meal prepping for the week…

I’d say my efforts proved fruit-FULL!*

*And serve as proof that I can indeed make something besides pancakes! 😉

After drooling over Sarah’s roasted grapes last week, I decided to pick some up when I stopped by the store over the weekend and then they just happened to have a sale on some pork chops…yeah, I’m gonna go ahead and call it destiny.

Pure, delicious destiny!

Grilled Pork Chops with Thyme-Roasted Grapes & Onions

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Keywords: grill roast entree high protein paleo pork fall

Ingredients (Serves 3-4)

For the Thyme-Roasted Grapes & Onions

  • 1 1/2-2 cups red or black grapes
  • 1/2 large red onion, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 Tablespoon dried thyme (or 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

For the Grilled Pork Chops

  • 3-4 4oz. boneless pork loin chops*
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon ground sage
  • salt & pepper to taste
*I think this would be just as amazing on grilled tempeh!

Instructions

For the Thyme-Roasted Grapes & Onions

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. In a bowl, combine grapes and onions and add oil and spices.
3. Stir/Toss to coat.
4. Arrange on in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
5. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until onion pieces start to brown and grape skins start to wilt.

For the Grilled Pork Chops

1. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine mustard, vinegar, syrup, and spices.
3. Brush mixture onto both sides of each pork chop before placing in the skillet.
4. Cook approximately 4-5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the thickest portion of the meat reaches 145F and juices run clear.
5. Serve alongside your favorite grain and top with thyme-roasted grapes and onions.

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My new favorite grain? Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Blend…I could kick myself for allowing the bag to sit in my pantry for over a YEAR!

If you’ve never experienced the delicious flavor of a roasted grape, I’m telling you right now, you haven’t lived! And with the combination of their sweet flavor with the savory thyme…it was simply magical.

As in this plate magically disappeared in a matter of minutes! 😉

What was marvelous about YOUR weekend?

What’s your MOST favorite ice cream topping?

Posted in 100 Foods to Eat Before You Die, MIMM | Tagged , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Oatmeal Raisin Flax Pancakes

Posted on November 4, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Good morning, friends and happy Pancake Sunday!

Or perhaps I should say PanCOOKIE? 😉

In my nearly TWO years of pancake flipping, I’ve made plenty of ‘cakes, but being as the holidays are approaching, I think it’s high time for some COOKIE action!

Who’s with me?

Yes?

No?

Maybe?

Maybe?!

Believe me, once you “ohhh” and “ahhh” your way through a plate of these soft and chewy, raisin-riddled panCOOKIES, you’ll be wondering how you ever lived without them!

Well, unless you don’t like raisins…and in that case,
I may need to reevaluate our friendship! 😉

Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes with Vanilla Yogurt Icing

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 12-14 minutes

Keywords: fry breakfast pancakes high fiber low-sodium oats ground flax raisins Pancake Sunday fall spring summer winter

Ingredients (Serves 1)

For the Pancakes

  • 1 Tablespoon ground flax
  • 3 Tablespoons warm water
  • 1/8 cup raisins
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup oat flour (rolled oats ground in a food processor)
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon sodium-free baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 drops of butter-flavored Capella drops or 1/4 teaspoon butter extract (optional)

For the Vanilla Yogurt Icing

  • 1/8 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3-5 drops liquid stevia or other preferred sweetener

Instructions

For the Pancakes

1. Combine ground flax and water, allow to set 3-5 minutes.
2. Combine almond milk and vinegar, allow to set 3-5 minutes.
3. Rehydrate raisins by placing them in HOT water for 5 minutes.*
4. Preheat skillet to low-medium heat and coat with cooking spray.
5. In a small bowl, combine oat flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
6. Combine flax mixture, milk mixture, and extracts.
7. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until flour is incorporated.
8. Remove raisins from water, pat dry and fold into batter.
9. Spoon batter onto skillet surface, forming 3 small-medium-sized pancakes.
10. Allow to cook 6-7 minutes per side.
11. Top with vanilla yogurt “icing”, chopped nuts, and more raisins.

*This step takes the recipe to a whole other level…a level of warm, gushy, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness! 😉

For the Vanilla Yogurt Icing

1. Combine all ingredients, whisk until smooth.

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Nutrition facts for panCOOKIES only:

Once you add the “icing”, your protein count can increase up to 15g, but if you’d rather have a bit more, fill free to use protein “frosting” instead…simply take your favorite vanilla-flavored protein powder and add enough water/milk to thin to a drizzly consistency!

Make that a plant-based protein powder and you’ve got yourself a plate of…

VEGAN COOKIES!

You know, if you’re into that sort of thing! 😉

What is your favorite cookie?
Almond shortbread till the day I die!

Do you prefer “frosting” or “icing” when it comes to sweet treats?
Although many people will tell you it’s a regional thing, there IS a difference between the two…trust me, I Googled it! 😉

Posted in Breakfast, Pancake Sunday, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , | 43 Comments