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You Guys!

Posted on June 15, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Ok, so I just finished reading all the AMAZING comments you guys left on last Friday’s post…

My heart is truly warmed through and through!

I cannot thank you enough for the commiseration, suggestions, and new perspectives.

THIS really is what blogging is all about.

Community.

Love.

Support.

I love you guys SO much!

And guess what!

Over the last week, there HAVE been a few changes and I can definitely feel the impact they’ve made even in such a short time.

Like “checking out” for a few hours and walking around downtown with BB glued to my camera…

FINALLY finding my groove at the gym…

I’ve mixed it up a LOT…different times, different workouts, different music…and it’s all helping! In fact, yesterday, as I left from work, I was actually excited to get to the gym.

You like that stank face, don’t you?

Just do me a favor and in your best Austin Powers voice say…”Grr baby!” 😉

And last but CERTAINLY not least, just enjoying life!

A life full of “skinny cocktail” tasting, nail painting, dollar store alphabet magnets, cookie topped yogurts, delicious meals out with BB, loving on kiddie foods (you’ve GOT to try these Buddy Fruits…so good!), stress-relieveing Crayola sessions, crisp morning juices, foodie pen pal shopping, book reading, and tv watching….

You know, just to name a few! 😉

Oh, but there’s still one more thing…

I’ve realized that a lot of my stress lately has been work related. When I found out that one of our night shift techs was looking to retire, I started doing some thinking and I think I’ve decided to take the shift.

Sunday – Wednesday 8pm-6:30AM!

I know, right?!

Luckily, since the position is not officially posted, but we still need someone to cover, I will be able to take over and “try on” the shift until a final decision is made.

I’ve worked graveyard shifts before and I know that there WILL most definitely be times where I feel like an extra from Night of the Living Dead, but I think that the decreased stress of the evening shift along with having more days off (advantage of working four 10 hour shifts) will be good for me.

But ask me how I feel after Wednesday of next week to know for sure! 😉

When’s the last time you “checked out” and what did you do?

Any big plans for the weekend? Do tell!

Posted in Photography, Workouts | Tagged hospital, night shift, Photography, stress | 15 Comments

Shakespeare & Oats

Posted on June 14, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

As promised in yesterday’s post, I have a delicious recipe for you guys today!

But first, allow me a brief soliloquy…

“To oat, or not to oat…that IS this morning’s question.
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to hear
The early grumblings and pains of indulgent oatmeal
Or to take eggs to the carbohydrates
And by whisking, create them.”

Shakespeare botchification brought to you by the endorphin rush after diving head first into this delicious bowl of oats.

If you’ve ever been leery of the whole egg white oats, let me tell you right now that I was once a skeptic myself. After a very, VERY bad judgement call involving egg whites, oats, and a microwave, I thought I was scarred for life.

Alas, mighty microwave…you do not serve me well. But thou art not the only appliance capable of preparing my breakfast.

“A stove! A stove! My kitchen for a stove!”

Super Simple Egg White Oatmeal

by Heather Powers

Prep Time: N/A

Cook Time: 6-7 minutes

Ingredients (1 serving)

1/3-1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup water
3 egg whites, whisked
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional)
1 teaspoon flavored extract (vanilla, almond, maple, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Combine oats and water in a small pot and heat to medium-high heat.
2. Once it comes to a boil (about 3-4 minutes), add the egg whites and whisk quickly until the egg starts to set.
3. Allow to cook another 3-4 minutes, whisking a couple of times to break up the egg whites.
4. Stir in cocoa (if using), extract, and spices.
5. Serve with fresh fruit and a good drizzle of your favorite nut butter!

Now, don’t let the cooking method steer away all you instant gratification breakfast eaters out there.

“Oh swear not by the box, the fickle box, the inconstant box that is guaranteed to give you lumpy bits and interesting (but not in a good way) air pockets in your bowl.”

You can have an ALL NATURAL, protein packed bowl of oats in just a few more minutes than it takes to microwave. The egg whites blend right in and create the lightest and fluffiest texture…no lumps, no bumps, no “what the heck?!” moments in this bowl.

No, in this case, the course of true love has never run smoother…

A midsummer ~~night’s~~ morning’s dream! 😉

Posted in Breakfast | Tagged fruit, funny, nut butter, oats, recipe | 21 Comments

Snackably Late

Posted on June 13, 2012 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

Have you missed me? I can’t help but feeling a little guilty for my recent MIA status,
bah-UT, that’s not why I’m here…

Nope, today I’m here to parrrrrrrrty!

I just COULDN’T be left out of Jenn’s weekly shindig…especially when the theme is one of the things I’m the best at!So, we’ll just say I’m a bit ~~fashionably~~ snackably late to this one 😉

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

This morning started out just like the last few mornings…I’ve recently rediscovered my love for egg white oats (post coming soon!) and have been playing around with different toppings all week! I’ve also been holding strong to having only ONE cup of coffee in the morning. I’ve found that I sip slower and actually savor it knowing it’s my only cup.

The color coordinating manicure is merely for added visual entertainment! 😉

My first “sensible snack” for the day was every bit of delicious.

I’ve been playing around a bit with the balance of my meals and snacks. I realized that I’ve developed a habit of only grabbing fruit when it comes to snacktimes. While it IS a healthier option than say reaching for a bag of Doritos, I like the fact that I can replace an apple with TWO CUPS of veggies and only have eaten a fraction of the calories and sugar I’d get from the fruit!

And let us take a minute to appreciate the thirst-quenching/sweet ‘n salty combo of cucumbers, baby carrots, and pistachios…so good!

For lunch I amped up some packaged butternut squash soup with crumbled tempeh and some smoked paprika (dust of the gods) and enjoyed it with some leftover roasted brussel sprouts that I made over the weekend.

Delicious…nutritious…and oh so filling (yay for protein and healthy fats!)

On my way to the gym after work, I tried a new-to-me Pure bar flavor, the cranberry orange. I liked the combo, but my heart still belongs to the blueberry!

After the gym, I wasn’t feeling very hungry, but I knew I needed to refuel my muscles after a great chest and triceps workout. I had the last of my Nectar protein sample packs…the Apple Ecstasy. I like the fruity protein flavors for after a workout, because honestly, the thought of drinking anything remotely resembling milk when I’m all hot an sweaty makes me want to gag. I have to say this one was pretty tasty…nice and tart with a little sweetness….definitely reminded me of SweeTarts!

For dinner, I REALLY wanted to make a cauliflower crust pizza (I actually thought about it during my workout) but after reading through the instructions, I realized I was going to run out of daylight/chew my arm off before it was finished cooking.

Instead, I decided to grill up a portobello mushroom and make one KILLER sandwich.

Toasted bread

Crisp Spinach

Grilled Portobello

Farmer’s Market Tomatoes

Smooth Avocado

Toasted Bread

The perfect combo of textures and flavors…the perfect celebratory end to this kind of party! Now, I just have to decide if I’m going to actually make that pizza tomorrow or have another one of these! 😉

What “sensible snacks” did you have today?

What is your favorite savory spice? sweet?
I could live the rest of my life with a bottle of smoked paprika and a bottle of cinnamon and never have a single regret!