WIAW: Veggin’ Out

Posted on September 27, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Hey guys!

So I’m guessing you all know what time it is, right?

Time to party!

Please, please, PLEASE don’t forget to drop by Jenn’s blog over at Peas & Crayons to show some love for her dedication to get this party going week after week even with all the struggles she’s been having getting internet installed at her new house…plus I’m sure there will be tons of link ups to get your mouths watering! 😉

So last Wednesday, I did a little protein tally with each of my meals and surprised myself with a pretty high number at the end of the day. So for this WIAW, I thought I’d take note of my veggie count for the day:

My morning started off with some of my new pumpkin spice coffee (LOVE) and a new vitamin…I’ve decided to go back to my roots…GNC women’s vitamins for the win!

I’ve noticed I have a bit more energy with these compared to my beloved gummies and you can’t beat the time released delivery!

Veggie Count = 1
(pumpkin spice coffee totally counts as a veggie, right?)

Then I dove into a mountain of leftover Pumpkin Bread Pudding Pancakes smothered, layered, and covered in Katie’s Pumpkin Protein Frosting!

Mmm!

Veggie Count = 2

The pancakes actually kept me full for about 4 hours, but I was still a couple of hours out from my lunch break, so I enjoyed two plum-cots that I picked up from Sam’s last week.

Plum + Apricot = Plum-cot
(Although, I thought that’s what a pluot was…hmm)

So juicy I almost needed a bib!

Lunch today was a surprise reappearance of the infamous “salad beast”

Spinach topped with edamame, carrots, green bell pepper, orange heirloom tomatoes, black olives, portobello mushrooms, and feta cheese topped with this dressing that I “borrowed” out of the fridge at work since I accidentally left mine at home.

Loved the dressing…couldn’t believe I found it hidden among the other bottles sporting HFCS’s, hydrogenated oils, and other scary unpronounceable ingredients.

Veggie Count = a bajillion 

A couple hours after lunch and it was tea time…aka warm Heather up in the sub-arctic temperatures that come standard with working in a hospital.

Yogi teas are the best…and the lemon ginger is one of my favorites!

I guess I didn’t get enough pizza after my Mellow Mushroom experience on Sunday, because all I thought about today was baking up a big ol’ pie of my own!

Instead of a tomato based sauce, I used Trader Joe’s cilantro jalapeno hummus for one side and (thanks to a tip from Jenn) pureed pumpkin for the other.

Halfway through cooking, a friend of mine stopped by with a bottle of my latest obsession.

And I may have indulged in a glass…or two 😉

Along with a few nibbles of the pizza toppings that just wouldn’t fit on the pizza…darn, I hate it when that happens!

20 minutes later and it was time to feast!

Roasted veggie pizza on whole wheat crust with sharp cheddar cheese, roasted tomatoes, yellow squash, onions, bell pepper, asparagus, and portobello mushrooms topped with smoked paprika, garlic, and chili pepper flakes.

2 slices (one with hummus and one with pumpkin puree) minus a couple of bites that my friend who was “too stuffed from dinner to eat” just had to steal!

Yeah, it smelled THAT good! 😉

Veggie Count = 2

 And finally, a little dessert for the pizza making champion 😉

Honey-nana Chobani topped with peanut flour and Crunchy Nuggets!

Oh yeah, and there was also water…lots and lots of water!

Still doing good with my pink camelback…I downed about 96 ounces today!

So, if I’m doing my math correctly, (which we all know is not my best subject)

I’d say I had about

98263 servings of veggies today…oh wait, forgot to carry the one…

98264!

Whew! I was worried for a second there that I wouldn’t have enough! 😉

Ok, so I know I wasn’t exactly serious with this one, but on average, how many servings of vegetables do you normally eat a day?

What’s was/is your favorite subject in school?
I always loved English class…except for when it came to writing…go figure!

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Snacks, Vegetarian, What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Pumpkin Bread Pudding Pancakes

Posted on September 26, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

How’s that title for an attention grabber? 😉

And I don’t exaggerate in the slightest…tonight’s dinner was a stack of super fluffy pancakes that were perfectly crisp on the outside yet soft and smooth on the inside JUST like bread pudding!

Which by the way, if you’re ever in the Nashville area and have a hankering for bread pudding you have got to call me and I’ll come meet you try South Street’s New Orleans Bread Pudding with Jack Daniels Sauce…seriously, to.die.for!

But before we get on to the recipe and pictures, a little aside:

I take a lot of pride in the pictures that I post here on the blog…possibly more so than I feel for the recipes I come up with, because let’s face it, you eat with your eyes first! That being said, you’ll imagine my upset when I realized the sun’s cruelty as it stretched it’s final light-filled streak across the sky about 10 minutes BEFORE I plated my pancakes.

*Insert grumbling and fumbling around with camera settings*

Playing around with a custom white balance works wonders, but it’s still no substitute for natural light…if it weren’t so darn cold, I’d actually consider moving to Alaska!

*Insert more grumbling once I upload the pictures to the computer and see the odd greenish tint they all seem to have* 

Zucchini pancakes can be green, spinach pancakes can be green, pumpkin pancakes can NOT be green!

*Insert the “lightbulb-over-the-head eureka moment” when I realize there may still a chance*

Thank you iPhoto for the “antique effect”!

Because, you know, these pancakes aren’t just delicious…but they’re also vintage! 😉

Pumpkin Bread Pudding Pancakes

By: Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Prep Time: 3-5 minutes

Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Keywords: breakfast pancakes pumpkin puree fall winter

Ingredients (Serves 2)

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
  • 1 medium ripe banana, mashed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
  • 1 Tablespoon melted butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat a non-stick skillet to medium heat and coat with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium-sized bowl and whisk together to break up any lumps.
3. In a separate bowl, mix pumpkin with the mashed banana.
4. Add vanilla extract and milk to pumpkin mixture and stir to incorporate.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Mix in the dried cranberries and pecans (batter will be thick).
7. Spoon batter into skillet, forming 6 small to medium-sized pancakes, and cook approximately 4-5 minutes before flipping.
8. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes before transferring to a plate.
9. Top with butter and syrup.

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Warm and inviting with the spicy smells of pumpkin spice!

And look at that bite…chocked full of goodies!

Mmmm!

Yep, my full tummy would agree…this was definitely a dinner worthy of national celebration!

Happy National Pancake Day!!

What’s your favorite kind of pancakes?

Do you prefer to “stuff ’em” or “top ’em”?

 

Posted in Breakfast, Food Holidays, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Pumpkin, Paparazzi, & A Photo Montage

Posted on September 25, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Hey peeps!

I have some sad news…

For the first time ever, since my little broccoli blog found itself into this world 10 months ago, there was no celebration for Pancake Sunday.

Butttt, it DOES have it’s very first piece of memorabilia! 😉

To say this weekend has been busy would be an understatement. Allow me to play it back for ya!

Prepare yourself for a photo montage…

Wait? What’s that?

Oh, just FIFTEEN cans of pumpkin…that’s all! 😉

Oh and speaking of pumpkin,

I finally made it into Starbucks for some pumpkin spice crack ala an Americano with steamed soy milk.

Hmm, who could that be in the hiding behind my cup??

I kid (shameless pun) you not, Nicole Kidman was right next to me in line at Starbucks this morning…and I now realize that I have some mad paparazzi skills…I really should think about taking up a second job! 😉

After my celebrity spotting, more excitement awaited…

True story: I’m on the interstate and I just happen to look over as I pass an exit with a Super Target. I pulled off at the next exit and turned around JUST so I could finally say that I’ve been in a SUPER Target!

And of course I managed to find some goodies!

I had to get my hands on some of the Dunkin Donuts pumpkin spice coffee since I’m squash junkie I saw it on Katie’s blog last week and well, the other items just “magically appeared” in my basket 😉

Christmas decorations in September I have a problem with…Celestial Seasonings sugar cookie sleigh ride, I do not!

Though I’m still kicking myself for not grabbing up that cranberry horsey mustard…

“Great with turkey or ham”…Ha! If it’s as good as it sounds, you can put it on a stick for all I care!

Ahem, WHY did they not have this stuff when I was a kid?!?

Then, after I finished frolicking up and down the aisles like a kid in a Goober factory, I continued on to meet my good friend Christine and her husband Donny for pizza and pottery painting. Whew, say that three times fast!

Nevermind, I just tried it and it’s not that hard;)

Mmm, gotta love Mellow Mushroom!

Even though I totally suck at math! :-/

 Though this was my first painting experience, Christine and Donny are frequenters to Brushfire and are starting a little collection. He does Broadway themed pieces for her and she makes retro comic book/cartoon characters for him.

Anyone out there remember Earthworm Jim?
(yeah, really telling my age on that one!)

And the best part about Brushfire studio? It’s right across the street from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s!

Hmm, just how many things CAN I buy with pumpkin in them?

Reminds me of this post!

Two new flavors of Power Crunch to try!
Hopefully they’re both better than the peanut butter one.

Bulk bin loving: Quick oats, whole wheat pastry flour, oat bran, and rolled oats

And I found Biscoff!! Is it sad that I’m kind of scared to try it?

Actually, I was a little worried I would be pulled over and get caught with it on the way home.

“Officer, I swear, I didn’t know when they said it was ‘like crack’ that they meant it literally!”

Oh, and not all my shopping, frolicking, and obscene amount of picture taking was foodie based…

This is what happens when you go to exchange a pair of flip flops at Old Navy and they send you out unexpectedly into a den of hungry wolves storewide weekend sale.

Both tanks were under 10 bucks and the cropped cardigan was $14.50!

Am I the only one who gets an adrenaline rush when something says 50% off? 😉

And last but not least, after intense scrutiny, the New Balances have been benched and there’s a new all-star player on the scene…

The same Asics that I had before only in black and a new pair of compression socks…hopefully I’ll be running again before too long!

Whew! I think I just made myself tired from recapping all of that! Good thing I had leftovers to fuel me through this post!

Oh and by the way this epic pizza goodness would be the “Magical Mystery Tour” from Mellow Mushroom: pesto sauce, mozzarella, portobello mushrooms, spinach, feta, and jalapenos! Mmm! Spi-saaaay!

Well, I’m off to bed (probably to have some weird jalapeno-induced dreams)! Be sure to stop by tomorrow as I make up for missing Pancake Sunday with an even bigger celebration:

NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY!!

Are you going to celebrate with me tomorrow?

Have you ever spotted a celebrity in public? What did you do?

Posted in Pancake Sunday, Photography, Running, Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , | 30 Comments