WIAW: Fresh & Local Summer Staples

What up peeps?

So glad you all enjoyed my MIMM post yesterday! I can see it being the first of many more to come…gotta show my favorite diva some “luv” you know! 😉

But don’t pack away the streamers, balloons, and noise makers just yet…

Yesterday we MIMM-ed, but today…today we WIAW! 
In my mind, that’s pronounced “wi-awww”…you know, kinda like ye-haw! 😉

Be sure to check in over at Peas & Crayons to see everyone’s drool-worthy link ups and don’t forget to thank our hostess with the mostest, Jenn for rocking our midweeks like no other!

So I thought it’d be fun to show you guys how I’m making my way through my farmer’s market haul because if there is one thing that I consider a staple in the summer, it is definitely supporting our local farmers!

 But first, I have a confession.

You know the old adage “If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?”

CANNON BALLLLLL! 

Calee did it, Amanda did it, heck, Jenn even did it…seems like everyone is on the apple cider vinegar shot train!

But truth be told…I’ve never been a huge fan of shots…of anything…so when I saw Laura add some to her Fitmixer aminos, I knew I just HAD to try it!

I am now officially HOOKED! You can barely even taste it thanks to the fruity flavor of the aminos! I have it first thing when I wake up and it definitely helps jump start my morning afternoon…and I don’t even need coffee! 😉

For breakfast, I decided to make something new! After drooling over Megan’s microwave cake for DAYS, I had to try it for myself…with a few personal touches of course!

Fresh outta the oven microwave!

I didn’t have any pumpkin, so I subbed applesauce instead, and while I knew I wouldn’t be able to taste the apple, I just couldn’t get the thought out of my head…

Remember those Capella drops?

Well, stirred into a bowl of yogurt, topped with crumbled cake and some steamed cinnamon apples annnnnnnnnd…

Apple pie for BREAKFAST!

 Like the bowl? It’s new! 😀

Lunch was put together in a hurry since I was running a bit late for work, but that doesn’t mean it was anything short of delicious…

Especially after a drizzle of this mustard sauce!

Omg, HEAVVVVVVEN!

Trust me on this one…blueberries and mustard…give them a chance!

A few hours later (getting into the 2am range just to explain), I got hungry for a snack and well, things got a little crazy!

Jalapeno cuke chip sandwiches…just as good as their BBQ brothers! 😉

C’mon, I have to do SOMETHING to entertain myself!

My next snack was a little…ok, a LOT more normal…

One of the last few of my Coconut Cranberry Protein Bars…it’s been over a week and they’re STILL just as tasty as the first day!

And just enough to fuel me through the last few hours of my night shift and then a bit of errand running.

Once I got home, I was starving, but I knew EXACTLY what I wanted!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have spied my Mexican inspired breakfast pizza the other day….

Well, for the second edition, I wanted to change things up a bit…

Thai Breakfast Pizza anyone?

Notice anything different about the crust?

I followed my Egg White Breakfast Pizza recipe only instead of sauteing my veggies, I just let them steam on top of the egg whites. But here’s the kicker: instead of using a tortilla, I swapped in my favorite puffed wheat cakes!

Brings a whole new meaning to “crispy crust” but the best part? It snaps, crackles, and pops once you put the warm egg whites on!

Takes me back to my Rice Krispie days!

Not too shabby for one day, huh? I used everything from my haul except the eggplant…which I have plans for, but more on that later! 😉

Do you have a farmer’s market in your area? 

What is your favorite international cuisine to prepare at home?

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Snacks, What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged | 52 Comments

My First MIMM!

Hola amigos!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

I’m so excited today because I’m finally getting around to posting my very first
Marvelous  in My Monday!

I’ve been wanting to join in on Katie’s Monday celebration for WEEKS now but have never gotten around to it, but this week I just had to jump on the blogging bandwagon!
 

Besides Sunday morning’s MARVELOUS pancake breakfast, there were a few other things that topped off my weekend!

Like I mentioned on Friday’s post, BB wasn’t able to return home this past weekend. Although I would have loved to have him home, I’m actually thankful for the time I had to myself.

Sound odd? Well, since I started the night shift, I feel like all my days run together…with trying to figure out how to cram in workouts, meals, and blogging into the few hours I have each day outside of work, it’s always go-go-go during the week.

So this weekend, I took a mental MARVELOUS break!

After tending to the boring stuff that HAD to be done (cleaning, yard work, CLEANING!), I had the rest of the weekend to do what I wanted. I still got in my workouts, but I also laid around the house watching Gossip Girl (guilty pleasure), caught up on some blog reading, and oh yeah…I went shopping!

Because, you know, that’s what I do when BB’s away! 😉

I got a heck of a haul at the farmer’s market on Saturday morning which also included a little something special…

Grain-free, gluten-free, all natural cupcake anyone?

I’m not a huge chocolate fan, but after the first bite, I thought…

Eh, it’s ok I guess…

I could take it or leave it…

I might get it again. 😉

I’ve got a FULL review coming soon on all the latest Nerdy Birdy flavors and word has it, there are only a few more hoops to jump through before they will be able to ship out of STATE!!

Wouldn’t that just be MARVELOUS?!

On my way home from the market, I stopped by Big Lots and scored a MAJOR bargain!

Puffed Kamut for $1.50?! Heck yes!

This should last me…oh, about a month! 😉

But of course the shopping didn’t end there… oh no, I was JUST getting started!

Pretty makeup…

Mascara (LOVE it) and all natural lip balm (LOVE that too!)…

GORGEOUS nail polish colors…
The OPI is called “Mer-MAID for each other” and it was MADE to be mine!

You know, because I don’t have enough already! 😉

A new snazzy phone case…
to replace the one that decided to break after it’s 50th tumble to the floor!

Grains and sauces…
I think you can tell which one I like the most! 😉

Can’t wait to try this!

And finally, some peanuts!
The pesto ones were just alright, the BBQ ones were better, but the tomato ranch? Well, let’s just say, I drove BACK to TJ Maxx today and bought six more! Lol

And throughout ALL of that…

Can you believe all weekend, I only had ONE cup of coffee?

Who am I?!

What made your weekend marvelous?

 

 

Posted in MIMM, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Orange Creamsicle Protein Pancakes

Well, I did it!

After not one, not two, but THREE solid kitchen fails, I finally have it!

What do ya think…fourth time’s a charm?

I’d…

Say…

So! 😉

First there were muffins:

And then…

There were PANCAKES!!

Doughy stacks pancakes layered with a cool pillow of “orange creamsicle” filling and warm sweet grilled orange slices…

How’s that for tantalizing your tastebuds? 

You guys have GOT to try these!

Orange Creamsicle Protein Pancakes

By: Heather Powers

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients (Serves 1)

For the Pancakes:

  • 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (mine was approx. 1/3 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut flour (or a bit more protein powder)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 5-7 drops NuNaturals Orange Stevia (or orange extract or more orange zest)

For the Creamsicle Topping:

  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (can use low-fat or fat-free)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut flour
  • 3-5 drops NuNaturals Orange Stevia (or orange extract or more orange zest)
  • 1/2 orange cut into 1/2 inch rounds (optional)
  • Orange marmalade, thinned with water (optional)

Instructions

For the Pancakes:

  • Preheat a non-stick skillet or griddle to medium heat.
  • Add egg white to blender and allow to blend for 2-3 minutes or until white and foamy.
  • Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine flours, protein powder, and baking powder.
  • In a separate bowl, combine milk, orange zest, stevia, and egg white.
  • Transfer wet ingredients to dry ingredients and carefully stir until all the flour is incorporated (careful not to overstir).
  • Pour batter onto skillet/griddle (mine made three medium-sized cakes) and allow to cook 5-7 minutes per side or until golden brown (batter will not bubble).

For the Orange Creamsicle Topping:

  • Whisk together Greek yogurt, coconut flour, and stevia in a bowl.
  • Slice rinds off of orange rounds, add to skillet, and cook about 30 seconds on each side.
  • Layer yogurt and orange slices on top of each pancake and drizzle with thinned marmalade.
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Pre-topping stats:

Over 30 grams of protein? What?!

You could always use your favorite pancake syrup and forego the “orange creamsicle” topping, but c’mon, would you really wanna miss out on this?

Yeah, I didn’t think so!

HAPPY PANCAKE SUNDAY!

Posted in Breakfast, Pancake Sunday, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments