Hey there! How was everybody’s Saturday? I took a day off from “crime fighting” and concentrated more on getting my daily dose of Vitamin D! Can you believe this? It was just snowing last weekend with a high of only 24 degrees!
All day long, I kept going outside expecting the temperature to drop, but it never did and I finally was reunited with my dear friend, Mr. Sunshine! It truly has been TOO long!
Look! You can see my shadow!
I got started this morning with a HUGE bowl of oats…but not just any oats…Green Monster Oats! You had to know it was coming. I couldn’t just stop with the pancakes!
Green Monster Oats: (serves 1)
- 1 handful fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 banana
- 1/2 cup frozen peaches
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- splash of vanilla
1. Start by making your Green Monster (GM) by combining the first four ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Pour GM into a pot along with the water, oats, cinnamon, and vanilla.
3. Cook on medium heat (stirring occasionally) until it reaches your desired thickness (for me it was about 5-6 minutes).
I topped my bowl with what was supposed to be melted coconut butter, but instead ended up being toasted coconut butter and some frozen blueberries.
Note to self: coconut butter should be treated like chocolate when melting-use a double boiler or in the microwave-do not try to melt on top of the stove in a saucepan!
Mmmhmm, good stuff right there!
After breakfast I went for a walk around my neighborhood. It was a little windy so I threw on a hoodie, but after about a mile it had to come off! It was so warm and I was loving it! I swear I had the biggest grin on my face while I was walking. I can’t even begin to tell you guys how much this gray and gloomy weather has gotten to me over the last few weeks! I am a warm weather gal…I can only take so much!
I did 2.5 miles in 30 minutes. When I got back to the house, I did my last workout for the week for Team HEAB! One of the moves was a stability ball pass crunch. Please tell me I’m not a total mushy-muscled dork since I can only do about 3 or 4 of these before I’m spent! Please?
Lunch today was brought to you by a little inspiration from the following ladies: Tina and her roasted eggplant panini, Sarah aka “Mama Pea” and her “nix the pet goose” zucchini hummus (if you haven’t read this post, it is a MUST! Hilarious!), and Jen with her kabocha “sniff test” find.
First of all, let me tell you I will take a hot sandwich over a cold one any day. I don’t care if it 90 degrees outside. There is just something about the melding of flavors when you fire up the panini press (or in my case a grill pan with a heavy pot on top).
Spinach, tomato, and smoky zucchini hummus on whole wheat bread. Oh.my.word! No lie, absolute food-gasmic! I savored every single bite of this. I don’t think it has ever taken me that long to eat a sandwich before! The flavor, spice, and smokiness of the hummus was out of this world, especially when paired with the sweet roasted kabocha! It has been a while since I’ve last had a sandwich but after today I know that is definitely going to change!
So what would a Saturday be without baking? No Saturday in my book! I saw Carrie make some delicious looking brownies today and just knew I had to have them…plus I had a package of tofu in my fridge that was expired about to expire! 😉
Chocolate Hazelnut Tofu Brownies: (12 servings)
Slightly adapted from Carrie’s recipe here. My changes are in red.
- 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used 3/4 tsp ’cause you can never have enough cinnamon!)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 10.5 oz package of silken tofu
- 1/4 cup apple sauce
- 1 tsp groundnut oil (I used coconut oil)
- 3/4 cup sweetener (I used brown rice syrup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pecans (I used 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts)
1. Combine dry ingredients and stir with a wire whisk.
2. Add wet ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined.
4. Stir in hazelnuts
5. Pour batter into a greased 8×8 baking dish and bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 20- 25 minutes.
You know what the best part is about making brownies?
Oh yeah!
The perfect brownie sundae! Coffee flavored Arctic Breeze and Tru-whip!
What? Doesn’t everybody serve the middle slice first?
I also always steal the middle cinnamon roll! 😉
How did you enjoy your Saturday?
Hot or Cold when it comes to sandwiches?
Hahahaha – that’s pretty funny!
I love crusts (that goes for bread, pie, quiche, soufflés and anything you can imagine), so I ALWAYS choose the one from the corner! Oh, and I obviously steal crusts from other people’s plates and portions (what, you don’t do that?).
😉
Oh course, because we all know that the calories don’t count if they come from somebody else’s plate, right? Haha!
I spent my Saturday catching up on blog-reading and baking-up some of my Pumpkin Cranberry Nutty Cookies; and a bonus treat, I slept in!!!
Ohh, I saw those! They look fantastic! Yay for sleeping in! I wish I could, but unfortunately no matter what time I go to bed, I always wake up at 7:30 at the latest!
I’ve never tried a green monster oats…..is the spinach flavor very strong? or is it just fruity?
Nope, you can’t taste the spinach at all! It really just tasted like sweet banana “milk”
1. Middle brownies are the best! There are special brownie pans that make all middle pieces. 🙂 I would love one of those.
2. I miss the sunshine! I’m so OVER super cold temperatures and snow.
3. I love panini sandwiches too! We used to use our grill pan with a heavy skillet, but my grandma bought us a Griddler for Christmas, and I LOVE it. 🙂
ALL middles?? Omg, I need that! I’ve thought about buying a George Foreman but I really can’t justify it since I can make everything in the Pampered Chef grill pan that I broke the bank on!
I want to recreate your entire day tomorrow. Your food looks SO good! I need to get some kabocha ASAP. And some Arctic Zero… I’m obsessed!
Haha! What’s your favorite flavor of the Arctic Zero? Have you tried the cookies ‘n cream? They were all out the last time I was at WF’s so I just got my standard…vanilla maple.
I stood in line to get the cookies and cream today and realized I didn’t have my wallet 🙁 I’ve had it before though and it’s SO good!
Oh no! I hate it when I do that! Good to know it’s tasty…next trip to WF’s, it is MINE!
WOW your brownies look AWESOME!! and i totally agree– you cannot have too much cinnamon 😉
haha i love that you ate the middle first – i’d do that too! i really need to make those brownies, they look so good!
also, toasted coconut butter sounds awesome! you should do a recipe just for that!
Hot or cold sandwiches – depends on the ingredients. Love hot roasted vegetables and hummus/red pesto though! My Saturday = saw The King’s Speech. 🙂
what a great day! full of lots of nourishment. Love that green monster bowl. I just love green. haha.
Hot sandwiches, no question, hands down. My panini press and I are TIGHT, yo.
I am so envious of your sunshine girl – I’m stuck in Toronto right now and its dreary, grey and freezing. I can feel my inner Florida wilting away.
I spent my Saturday redecorating my room because I have been sick all week with the flu, and didn’t have time to unpack my goodies!
Interesting bowl of oats, how was the spinach?
And brownies?? Delishhhh 😀
Just like in a green monster smoothie, you couldn’t even taste the spinach. It just tasted sweet from the banana!
I love that the brownies weren’t too sweet! It paired perfectly with the coffee flavored “ice cream”!
AH, those brownies sound incredible!!! I’m still afraid to bake with tofu though. Baking is hard enough for me so I can’t imagine adding unconventional ingredients and my baked good still coming out good. It’s pretty much a miracle if my boxed brownies turn out. LoL
Glad you are enjoying the sunshine this weekend. 🙂
This was actually my first time baking with tofu. I thought they turned out really well and they taste even BETTER today! Mmm!
Love my hot sammies! If I am eating a sandwich at home it is hot, I only do cold if packing for lunch. My weekend has been pretty uneventful…except for all the sickness 🙁
I love the middle piece! Sometimes I can wait to savor it later… but when it’s gooey and still warm… be still my heart! And yeah, it was 70 degrees here today, and Tuesday the high is in the 40s and the low in the 20s!! O.o
Wow, 70? That’s awesome! They’re calling for lower temps this week for us too…it supposed to snow AGAIN on Tuesday! 🙁
I haven’t had green oats in FOREVER– you just reminded me I need to get back to eating them. Green juice and green smoothies have been on my food kick recently, maybe it’ll be green oats next 🙂 It’s fun to eat your green smoothies warm, especially combined with oats!
Have a good day!
I love my green monsters, but alone they just don’t hold me over for breakfast. It may be a mental thing, but I feel like I have to chew something during my meal to feel full. Green oats is the best way to get both my loves!
yummmmmmmmmm
those brownies look fab
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YAY for warmer weather! 🙂
Oh wow! Those brownies look DELISH! Definitely need to bake some of those bad boys soooon! and some of that green monster oatmeal! I am always looking for new ways to spice up the old bowl of oats!
Me too! I rarely make the same bowl combo twice!
I have to try those green oats!! And the brownies!!
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i cant believe you took the middle piece first!!! hahaha. thats hilarious.
i always save the best for last, which is funny because ordinarily i have NO patience, but in terms of pampering myself with foodie things, i want to end on the best note possible. i also refuse to open presents (or cards) at ALL before my actual bday (or christmas, or whatever holiday it is for). i guess im a stickler for enjoying things on the day they are meant to be enjoyed?
I’m with you on the presents thing! If you open them all before the big day it totally takes the fun out of The BIG Day!