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Keeping It Short & Sweet

Posted on February 8, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Hello my favorite blog readers! Looks like the favorite Superbowl commercial is hands down “The Force” by Volkswagen. If you haven’t seen it, check it out here:

That little boy is SO super cute!

I had a great time at the Predators game last night, even though they totally punked out and lost to the Edmonton Oilers (the lowest standing team in the entire division)! I have officially declared myself the team jinx. I have NEVER been to a game where the Preds have actually one…so sad! 🙁

I’ve been in a bit of a haze today due to staying out too late and having to get up early for work this morning. It’s 8:00pm and I can barely keep my eyes open! Needless to say, this post will be “short and SWEET“!

I wasn’t sure what to expect out of my first day after Sugar-Free Week. I half expected to go on an all out sugar binge, but surprisingly I haven’t really had any cravings. I woke up this morning and was excited to try my Silk Soy Eggnog that I’ve hoarded for months with a bowl of eggnog oats. After my first taste, that idea went out the window! Is it just me or is that stuff like THIS sweet?! Holy cow! Guess my taste buds have changed a bit over the last week?

I finally decided on a warm bowl of strawberry & banana oats topped with some 18 Rabbits Granola. It was maaaaaaaarvelous! AND totally decked out for V-Day! 😉

I so wish I could take the creative credit for these oh-so-cute banana hearts, but I totally stole it off a newly discovered blog, Ten Things That. If you haven’t seen it, go check it out! Serena has some beeeee-utiful pics!

In the bowl:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup water
splash of vanilla and a dash of cinnamon
1/2 “whipped” banana

Throughout the day, I found myself reaching for the same naturally sweetened snacks that I’ve munched on for the last week. I didn’t even crave chocolate! Hmm…

And then came dinner…all I wanted was a TJ’s Masala Veggie burger and the Masala Lentil Dip I was drooling over today (both contain added sugar) so I whipped up A Huge Heather Salad and savored every (minimally sweetened) bite!

Masala Veggie Salad:

HUGE handful of spinach
TJ’s Masala Veggie Burger
1/4 cup garbanzo beans
shredded carrots
zucchini
peas
tomato
1 hard-boiled egg white (to make up for the protein-lacking veggie burg)

Drizzled with balsamic vinegar and served alongside whole wheat naan “bread sticks”, TJ’s Lentil Dip and sweet mini peppers. Mmm, this salad had it ALL going on in the flavor department!

Not a bad transition back into the world of the sugared, huh?

One last thing before ~~my head falls onto the keyboard~~ I sign off for the night. I was going to wait until I got the hang of it, but it’s been a bit of a slow process so I figured I’d go ahead and tell you guys…I got a Twitter account!

My very first tweet:

Now…somebody tell me how to use the darn thing!! Follow me! Help me! Love me! 😉

zzzzzz….

Posted in Breakfast, Entree | Tagged banana, burger, eggs, oats, salad, spinach, veggies | 32 Comments

Celebrations!

Posted on February 7, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Hello and happy Monday my peoples! Hope everyone has had a good start to the new week!

Seems like today, there has been much for me to celebrate! I awoke this morning to discover that my cheese-loving football team ended the night last night with an incredible win against the Pittsburgh, Steelers! I’d like to think it had something to do with my Green & Gold lunch from yesterday…just saying! 😉

So in official celebration for my team, I whipped up a breakfast this morning of spinach oatbran using my new voluminous oatbran method (1/2 cup soaked in 2 cups of water overnight) topped with a perfectly fried egg & a drizzle of Packers Cheeze Sauce!

Ahhh, the ~~sweet~~ savory taste of victory!
I love getting my greens in in the morning! Yummy in my tummy! 😉

So tonight’s dinner (whatever I end up eating) will officially conclude my Sugar-Free Week! For any newbies out there, I decided to follow Kayla’s lead and go completely sugar-free for the first week of February. I excluded any and all added sugars from my diets (i.e.: granulated, powdered, and brown sugars, honey, molasses, evaporated can juice, brown rice syrup, agave, and maple syrup) as well as any artificial or natural sugar substitutes like stevia and sugar alcohols (except chewing gum). I thought I’d share with you guys a few thoughts and what I’ve learned living this past seven days without sugar.

Honestly, when I signed up for this challenge, I figured it would be a piece of cake (no pun intended)! I never considered myself to be someone who consumes a lot of sugar anyway. This week wasn’t exactly hard and I think I could do it again. The only thing that was sort of weird was the intense sweet cravings that I got around day four which just goes to show you how much of a role our minds have in our diets. My cravings were easily subsided with fresh berries, bananas, and Katie’s lovely raw chocolate cake!

The biggest shocker of all was discovering just how many sauces, spreads, and dips I have that contain added sugar! Of course I knew ketchup would be at the top of that list, but a few really surprised me:

salsa
mayo
worcestershire sauce
soy sauce
sriaracha
TJ’s Lentil Dip 🙁

I bought this last weekend and almost dug into it the other day…until I checked the label!
DENIED!

Even though I felt like I was a pretty clean cooking home chef, I realized that I do rely heavily on some of these sauces/spreads (well, except for mayo…I only use that once in a blue moon!) when preparing my meals. This past week, I’ve had to shift my focus more to spices and cooking oils that to create flavor, rather than just grab a bottle out of the fridge or pantry.

Needless to say this week has been a huge eye-opening experience and I’m really glad that I committed to something, saw it through to the end (keeping up my willpower at times), and was able to learn so much more about the foods I regularly consume. It’s been fun challenging myself to come up with fresh recipes without turning to ready-made “convenience” food items. I do have a feeling though that tomorrow’s breakfast will be including some maple syrup!! 😉

For my last bit of celebration, I was invited to go to a hockey game tonight in Nashville (hence the early post)! I don’t know much about hockey, but I’ve been to a handful of Predators games and have really liked it. I love the energy! Now, lets just hope we make it there in this:

Ugh…MORE snow!

Did Puxatony Phil lie to us??

Wish me luck! Dang, I really should’ve made those snow shoes…

So, I still need to catch up on my Superbowl commercials. Tell me, which ones were your favorites?

Posted in Breakfast | Tagged cheese, eggs, spinach | 26 Comments

Green & Gold

Posted on February 6, 2011 by kissmybroccoli

Happy Sunday my lovelies! Hope everyone is having a great evening and to all my football fans out there, Go Packers!!

Let me just say that I am in no way a football fan, I don’t know a thing about football. I’m not even watching the game this year, but I figured come Superbowl time you have to root for somebody, right?

Here are my girlie-girl reasons for siding with the Green & Gold:

[source]

1. Green is my favorite color!

2. I love cheese!

3. I think the cheese heads are totally awesome and I really, really want one! Janetha, tell Marshall he better watch out! 😉

[source]

To show my “spirit”, I made something a little special for lunch this afternoon in honor of “my” team and Pancake Sunday:

Green Cakes with Packers Cheeze Sauce: (serves 1)
Gluten free and dairy free, vegan option (just sub a flax egg for the real one)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour (can use whole wheat or regular all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg
1 good-sized handful of fresh spinach

1. Stir vinegar into milk to create “buttermilk” and set aside.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to break up any lumps.
3. Place “buttermilk, egg, and spinach in a blender (I used my Magic Bullet) and process until smooth.
4. Stir green goo into the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.
5. Pour batter into skillet over low-medium heat (makes 3 medium-sized cakes)
6. Cook cakes until batter starts to bubble (about 5-6 minutes), then flip and cook for about 2-3 minutes on the other side.

Cheezy Packers Sauce:

1/2 cup unsalted cashews
2-3 yellow sweet mini peppers (about 1/4 cup, diced)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Feel free to add additional spices according to taste.

The cakes came out springy and fluffy with a nice earthy taste (due to the buckwheat flour) that paired excellently with the cashew cheese sauce and the smooth buttery avocado. Topped with a little Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipotle (not pictured) and it was a definite tailgate party at my kitchen table!

Hope everyone that is watching the game tonight has a great time! I don’t have cable so I’ll be chillaxing with the Netflix tonight, but you better believe I’ll be hitting up the net for commercial replays first thing tomorrow. I swear, that’s the BEST thing about the Superbowl…oh, AND the food! 😉

Are you a football fan? Who are you rooting for to win tonight?