Packing It In

Posted on March 11, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Hello my favorite foodies! Can I get a T.G.I.F up in here?!

With my super early work schedule this week and meetings for various things involving the new Casa de Broccoli, I have to say this week has really flown by! Did it go by quickly for you? Any exciting plans for this weekend?

Move Day is officially two weeks away (eek!), so I guess now would be a good time to start packing, huh? I actually don’t mind packing…it can be somewhat therapeutic, if you will, especially with the right tunes to get your booty shaking. C’mon, don’t tell me you’ve never used a tape gun as a microphone!

Though, I will say:

PACKING > UNPACKING!

I don’t know what it is, but I hate unpacking boxes and trying to figure out where everything goes! It seems like it takes me forever! Am I alone on this one?

This morning…or I guess I should say last night…I practiced some packing skills on a waning jar of MaraNatha dark chocolate almond butter for some OOIAJ (overnight oats in a jar)!

Check out that marbley goodness!

What’s in the Jar:

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup non-fat plain yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • about 1 1/2 tablespoons dark chocolate almond butter leftover in jar

This jar was PACKED full! All of the mix didn’t actually fit in the jar, so I had a couple of spoonfuls as a breakfast “appetizer”! 😉

Topped with one chopped TJ’s semi-sweet chocolate disc

Nanner that wouldn’t fit and a Cuppa 1/2 Caff Joe!

After breakfast, my belly was the one that was PACKED full! I didn’t get hungry again for almost 5 hours…I swear overnight oats fill me up more so than cooked ones!

When I got home from work today, I went straight home (first time all week that’s happened). And guess what! The sun was out! There hasn’t been anything but gray skies around here in over a week! Needless to say, I took the opportunity to soak up some good ol’ vitamin D and went for a light jog around the neighborhood which I followed by a leg workout that took me a few minutes to throw together. It actually kicked my butt pretty good…like seriously, my butt is going to be crying tomorrow!

Dinner tonight wasn’t necessary intended to be breakfasty, but for some reason, I cannot resist the urge to grab the cinnamon any time pumpkin is involved!

A Taste of Fall Quinoa Breakfast Bowl: (serves 1)

  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (cook according to package instructions)
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1 small apple, diced
  • 1 oz walnuts, toasted*

1. After the quinoa has cooked, stir in pumpkin puree, almond milk, and cinnamon.
2. Cook over medium heat until thickened a bit and heated through.
3. Stir in raisins, apples, and walnuts.
4. Enjoy!

* To toast walnuts: Place in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring or shaking                    constantly for 5-7 minutes or until fragrant.  Toasting nuts brings out a deeper more          concentrated flavor.

I know, I know, it’s almost Spring and I’m posting a Fall-type recipe, but I just couldn’t help but think of falling leaves and cool breezes while savoring this creamy bowl of goodness! The contrast of the warm pumpkin mixture with the cool crunch of the apples and the toasty walnuts was absolutely perfect!

Well, I’m off here…gotta rest up before my “performance” tomorrow! 😉

Posted in Breakfast, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

The Day My Breakfast Smiled at Me

Posted on March 10, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Hey hey hey! Sounds like you guys had some pretty tasty eats yesterday! But c’mon, when do we food lovers eat anything that’s not yummilicous?

So I’m sitting in my kitchen looking around and wondering how in the world one simple dinner made such a disaster out of this place? I swear I can’t toast bread without pulling out half of the utensils/plates/silverware I own!

But before we get to dinner, let me show you my “start the day out happy” breakfast!

Put a smile on your face and make the world a better place!

How can you look at this and NOT smile??

Eyeball #1: Cinn/raisin toast with cottage cheese, honey, and chias

Eyeball #2: Cinn/raisin toast with TJ’s Valencia peanut butter and chias

After work and after I went to the bank to grab one of my new credit cards for bad credit, I had an appointment with the mortgage lender to go over all the paperwork for my home loan, as I got it using a mortgage schedule online…aka, sign my name until I thought my arm would fall off!

When I got home, I did a 30 minute upper body workout that I made up with inspiration from my Team HEAB days and from good ol’ J Dub! I have to say it was pretty awesome! Even after a long day at work and driving home in dreary weather, I had so much energy both during and after the workout! I even busted out the white girl moves during my “cool down” in between sets! Haha!

I didn’t get around to making dinner until around 7pm, but luckily with the help of some leftovers, my meal came together fast!

Chipolt-nay Rice & Black Bean Burger: (serves 1)

  • 1/2 cup mixture of rice and beans from Chipolt-nay burrito bowl
  • 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax mixed with 2 tablespoons warm water)
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

Combine all ingredients, form into a patty, and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes per side. I topped my burg with chipotle salsa and sliced avocado.

Cheezy Greens: (serves 1)

  • ~2 cups chopped collards (I used two large fistfuls)
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
  • raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Saute collards in olive oil until wilted and then stir in balsamic vinegar and nooch. Top with pepitas.

So…freaking…good!

I love morphing leftovers when I can to make an entirely different meal! I first learned about it years ago from a show on Food Network called Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller. She’s a nutritionist that focusses on quick and healthy dinners using bulk cooking methods and a variety of spices. Unfortunately, you can only catch reruns these days since they have a new (and personality devoid) nutritionist on the block. Ellie Krieger has some really good recipes, but can anybody actually watch her show without falling asleep?

Well, I’m off to go find my kitchen sink…it’s under there SOMEWHERE!

Are you a messy cook or do you clean as you go?
I think you all know my answer to that one!

What’s your favorite Food Network show?
I really like to catch episodes of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. I actually went to one of the diners that was featured from Georgia this past summer and it was ahhhhhhmazing!

If you’re ever in Marietta, Georgia, you HAVE to try this place!

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , | 38 Comments

WIAW: Chipotle Ain’t Got Nuthin On Me!

Posted on March 9, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Hey everybody! I want to just take a minute to say thank you again to all the sweet comments and congratulations regarding my first house purchase! I’m excited to begin this new chapter of my life and so glad that I get to share it with all of you!

Today will mark the official first day of the Clean Out the Fridge/Pantry Challenge and of course with it being Wednesday, you get to see EVERYTHING!

I stopped by the store today on my way home and picked up a few fresh veggies & fruits…challenge or no challenge, I cannot and will not go without my staples!

  • green leaf lettuce
  • tomatoes
  • avocados
  • 1 lime
  • kale
  • bananas
  • 1 bag of baby gala apples (I mean seriously, they are so tiny!)

The first 4 items went in to making dinner…more on that in a bit. I had to get some kale after drooling over seeing Elise’s creamed kale recipe the other day and nanners & apples because let’s face it…life without one or both is frightening! 😕

Alright, without further adieu, I present to you What I Ate Wednesday!

Breakfast (6:15am)
Savory Oat Bran + 1/2 caff coffee

Smoky Cheeze Oat Bran: (serves 1)

  • 1/2 cup oat bran
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons nooch
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • scallions
  • 1 egg, cooked to your liking

1. Combine oat bran, water, nooch, smoked paprika, and garlic and cook over medium           heat for about 3-4 minutes (oat bran cooks SUPER fast!)
2. Transfer to a bowl, top with egg, scallions, and more smoked paprika!

 

When it comes to savory breakfast grains, oat bran is by far my favorite! The addition of the nooch gave it a perfectly salty and cheesy taste that went nicely with the smokiness of the paprika!

Morning Snack (9:30am)
New-to-me Jocalat flavor….SOOOOOO good!

And a new-to-me tea!

Lunch (12:30pm)
BBQ tuna salad + 1 clementine & diced pineapple

What’s in the salad?

  • collard greens
  • button mushrooms
  • sweet mini peppers
  • tomatoes
  • roasted red onion
  • shredded cheese
  • sliced tuna steak
  • Trader Joe’s natural bbq sauce

Afternoon/Pre-workout Snack (4:15pm)
2 medjool dates stuffed with TJ’s Valencia crunchy PB

And now, for dinner! I went to Chipotle for the first time a few weeks ago. I swear I have been dreaming about the burrito bowl I devoured enjoyed there everyday  since then! Tonight, I was on a mission…

Mission complete!

Dinner (7:00pm)
Chipot-nay Burrito Bowl topped with
guacamole, plain Greek yogurt, & chipotle salsa

This was so easy to throw together! And you know what the best part was? I didn’t have to pay $1.75 extra for my guacamole!

Layered Up!

  • green leaf lettuce
  • cilantro lime rice
  • black beans with red onions
  • diced tomatoes
  • guac, sour cream Greek yogurt, salsa, and more cilantro

All I did for the rice was heat up a package of TJ’s fully cooked brown rice (pantry staple) and added the juice of half a lime, and about 1/4 cup of cilantro. For the beans, I sauteed 1/2 cup red onion and then added 1 can of low sodium black beans, and added some kick with 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers), garlic, black pepper, and Mrs. Dash chipotle seasoning.

Everything was spot on except for the rice which seemed like it was missing something. I totally agree with Christin…that stuff is laced with crack!

Over the course of the day, I consumed 40 ounces of water and 32 ounces of tea. I’m currently getting in touch with my narcoleptic self while sipping some lovely chamomile tea!

And now, I’m hungry again! Hang on…

Bedtime snack (now)
Baby gala

Size comparison…I told you they were tiny!

So there ya have it! Today’s meals definitely made a dent on the supply of foodage in my kitch! 16 more days of this and I may be in pretty good shape!

What’s the best thing you ate today?
Hard for me to pick one! They were all delicious!

 

Posted in Breakfast, Entree, What I Ate Wednesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments