Gearing up

Well, as Hope alluded to, I made pumpkin dip for my guests. We had a fun time watching the game, although we were going for the LA team, who lost on penalty kicks!! The guests dipped apple slices in greedily in the pumpkin dip. Here’s how I made it.

Pumpkin Dip
I plopped in the food processor all of the following:
1/2 can of pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cream cheese block (fat free)
1 pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar (could use turbinado or agave)

Process until incorporated and chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.

In addition to dipping fruit, I’ve found some other yummy uses for pumpkin dip!

Over pumpkin oats. Can you have too much pumpkin?

 

Roasted squash is delish with pumpkin dip filling!

Tomorrow is another big day for foodies, and it will be my first thanksgiving to cook! I am cooking for my hubby and a friend. We are going to have a vegetarian feast, and I did some searching to get inspired for my dishes.

 

Here is my gameplan! It’s fairly traditional with some flavorful twists.

1. Spinach salad with figs, goat cheese, almonds, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette
2. Garlic mashed potatoes (my recipe, forthcoming)
3. Corn pudding (at the hubby’s request, from here, sans acorn squash)
4. Butternut squash, roasted and baked with gorgonzola cheese and walnut creme (ala Ariane Duarte)
5. Cranberry sauce, homemade by our friend
6. Pumpkin pie, with homemade crust and from fresh pumpkin puree (What I did all day today with my dear friend, Lyndsay!)

So, there you have it! I can’t wait to work on it tomorrow! I think it’ll be great. What are your favorite dishes for tomorrow?! Are you cooking or being cooked for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy every bit of your day tomorrow.

Getting reaquainted with yoga

Good morning!

The forecast says there is a 50% chance of rain this afternoon. Hmm. Walk asap?!

I had the pleasure of doing 30 minutes of yoga this morning! I have attended yoga classes on campus in the past, but not in a few months. I searched my TV’s exercise selection for something that wasn’t too “fitnessy” but just peaceful and focused on enjoying yoga. I found the perfect fit! Shiva Rea’s flow yoga was just right. Gorgeous scenery, calming instruction, and the right level of difficulty for someone like me who hasn’t done structured yoga in awhile. So, now I’m feeling amazing and can’t stop smiling, even though it’s gloomy out.

Do you ever have this experience with yoga or other types of exercise?

Now onto breakfast.

Reused photo here. I added pumpkin and almond butter to the bowl!

My almond butter is running very low and it is nearly time for oats in a jar! Which blogger came up with OIAJ? I can’t keep track sometimes.

I wanted to tell you all about a fantastic website called Local Harvest, which I recently found. You can purchase fruits, veggies, honey, meats, nuts, herbs, and spices all directly from the farmer/grower! I have already found some fantastic raw honey on the site which I can’t wait to order. I think it’s a great idea to use the internet to connect farmers with customers. You can also search for farms in your area and explore their offerrings. Check it out!

Tonight we are hosting a little event called Footie Fest ‘09. The championship game of Major League Soccer is tonight between the LA Galaxy and the team from Salt Lake City. We are having friends over to enjoy the game, drinks, and light fare. The game doesn’t start until 8:45, so we don’t plan to make dinner! I am thinking of making tons of sweet potato fries with different dipping options such as barbeque sauce (ala Elise), cinnamon, and ketchup. We’ll see! What do you serve when you have a late night event?

Enjoy your Sunday!

P.S. I have plans for my first giveaway in the works!!

Finally, homemade apple pie larabars

Two of my “dream foods” finally got made yesterday and today! Read on, kind readers!!

I finally got my act in gear and made pumpkin oatmeal! I used steel cut oats and added cinnamon, nutmeg, and a sprinkle of cloves to add flavor. 1/2 of pumpkin from a can went in as my oats simmered. Viola!

I don’t usually have chocolatey breakfasts, and this bowl was amazing!

Last night hubby made us Annie’s Mac and Cheese, tuna patties, and broccoli!

Here is a tip on tuna patties. We typically use canned light tuna, but a new addition was “prime fillet” canned tuna (this happened to be Bumble Bee brand). It was AMAZING! It blew regular chunk tuna out of the water. So fresh tasting and substantial.

And now…item two on my “dream foods realized” list!

This morning I got the idea to use some leftover dates which had dried out. I soaked them in warm water and pitted them. Brace yourself, because this is so good you may be tempted to make it immediately. I’ve long been wanting to recreated the Apple Pie Larabar. Y’all know that I’ve done homemade larabar versions of the cinnamon roll kind and created a new kind of my own: peanut apricot! However, it was high time I gave the Apple Pie flavor a try. These are gluten-free and vegan!! Here is the recipe!

Apple Pie Cookies (aka Homemade Apple Pie Larabar Cookies!)

Ingredients (makes 8 cookies)
6 dates, pitted
1/4 apple, roughly chopped (I used a ripe Fuij)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp raw organic turbinado sugar (I used Wholesome Sweeteners brand)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 pinch cloves
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup raw almonds

Step 1
Process the dates and apple in a food processor for about 45 seconds until well chopped and you can form a ball with them.

Step 2
Remove the fruit mixture and add nuts. Process until finely chopped. Add spices.

Step 3
Add fruit mixture to nuts and process all until both are incorporated.

At this point I wanted to make regular larabars like last time. However, the apples, of course, contain a lot of water, so they made the mix a bit doughy. The dough tastes ah-mazing, but isn’t exactly easily packaged. This was my moment to improvise! I set the oven to 250 and make cookies with the dough. After 15 minutes they were warm and still soft on the inside. So good.

Pardon the ugly mini-blinds backdrop! These guys are warm, chewy, and just sweet enough. Plenty of apple flavor, too!

Hope you try these soon! Have a fantastic day!

Semi-homemade and healthy

It’s a dreary, cold day, perfect for sipping chai and doing my final project of grad school.

Decadent breakfast of banana oats and a quarter of a homemade chocolate-chip waffle. Why not?

Panera is a great place to work until about 11:45, when it becomes a cacophony of crying babies, socializing Moms, and loud businessmen. So, I went home for lunch. I got plenty done on my powerpoint, though unfortunately the topic is Boring. (Certification exams for nurse practitioners.)

A made a little sampling plate of quinoa, fuji apple, tomatoes, sprouts, hummus, and TLCs for lunch.

When the husband teaches late, I have to come up with something that is ready for as soon as he returns! Otherwise, I’m on the verge of irritable from hunger. So, last night I found a Kashi pilaf called Moroccan Curry, and mixed in some green onions from the garden. ($2.99 in grocery stores!) I also added chopped fresh spinach to add color and vitamins.

Served warm on pitas. The husband may or may not have melted cheese all over his.

Awesome with a side of sweet potato fries!

What is your favorite meal that is super speedy to throw together? This one was pretty successful.

Enjoy your evening!

Tofu trial

Hello, friends.

I got to take a pretty wonderful run this morning in the sunshine.

I went to clinical afterwards after a nice bowl of oat bran and came home to defrost some homemade tomato sauce made from garden maters. The husband made pasta and sautéed some mushrooms.

I have long been wanting to make tofu tasty and I’m getting closer.

Baked tofu over quinoa with roasted veggies

 

Strips of tofu marinate and bake really well in soy sauce, which I did here. I also added a little lemon juice and black pepper.I baked it in some sunflower oil at 350 for about 20 minutes. (We like it crispy or close!)
Green bell peppers and onions gave the bowl a nice crunch. Have you had success with tofu marinades?

Last night, I had some delicious chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, but alas, no photo was taken. Thanks, John and Jed!

First blogger meetup!

What a fun day!

First of all it was just plain gorgeous weather. All. day. long.

Apple butter oats. Ah-mazing! Props to Lyndsay for the AB .

In a flight of spontaneity, I saw that Maggie was going to be in my lovely state of Tennessee. I emailed her and we were able to meet up! She and Bobby stopped by for a quick chat and snack! It was so fun to meet a fellow blogger in real life! It was great to talk to them both!

Thanks, Maggie!I lunched on a tomato basil pizza burger (whew!) from Morningstar Farms. Instead of using ketchup, I used organic marinara sauce. Tasty! Can you tell how I feel about sprouts?

 

So good. Marinara leaves regular old ketchup in the dust!

My hummus (see the Recipes tab!) and veggie spread! Shared with Bobby and Maggie!

I have friends over now for a game night. (Yippeee!!!!) So, I’m off, friends.

Like buttah!

Hey, folks.

I haven’t had much time for exciting new dishes, so I feel a bit weird about posting regular old meals! My recent lack of time did not keep me from making a much need grocery stop. I found some awesome broccoli sprouts, a head of kale, and some staples like organic black beans.

I breakfasted on banana oat bran with some Peace Cereal for extra crunch! Still enjoying summer’s blueberries! (Frozen!)

I improvised a quick and healthy lunch of pita with sprouts, greens, and laughing cow cheese. I used the garlic and herb flavored cheese!

I got to catch up with a friend who I hadn’t seen in 6 months! She and her husband through-hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail recently. They clocked 25 miles a day over desert, mountains, and snow. Physical feats like that just blow me away! One day they hiked 36 miles! They were on their way to a buffet, so it was justified!! As we parted, she handed me some homemade apple butter!! Thanks, Lynds!

As you can see, I’ve already sampled.

I need to get a recipe from her to share with you all! I can tell she used nutmeg and cloves! So tasty. It is also chunky, which I like.

I didn’t leave her empty-handed. I gave her this little delight.

Love it! It is National Pomegranate Month, so stay tuned for some flexy recipes using fabulous POM juice!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Rearranging and refueling

Hey, there!

It is a dreary day, but at least the rains haven’t fallen! I woke up and took at brisk 1 mile walk to focus my mind! It was so good to make a mental note of what I wanted to accomplish today. I can’t stress enough how good this was for me! Some like yoga in the morning, but I am often too antsy for that!! Maybe someday…

I have been trying all different kinds of oats this fall: rolled, steel cut, groats, and now oat bran! I made some oat bran quickly in the microwave and mixed in banana (1/2), dried cherries, flax seed, and almond milk. I added some delicious, creamy almond butter last of all. Oh, I also added some pre-cooked quinoa!! I had already mixed the bowl when I snapped the photo, so it doesn’t look as fab as it tasted!

This kept me well satisfied until noon, when I made a quick snack.

The rest of my breakfast banana with cinnamon! Yum!

Unfortunately, I spent most of the morning cleaning, which just had to be done. I relied on Pandora to keep my spirits up and now the bedroom looks really good! I rearranged a bit and spread out my new duvet. I was inspired to change around the room since it also contains my desk/office space!

Here is Jenny’s office space…so inspiring and inviting! She is a master at reinventing Craigslist finds!
(Photo credit: http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com)

I worked well into the afternoon and love the new open spaces in the bedroom, despite getting bigger bed! I made a quick lunch salad which was awesome!

A tomato-basil burger over kale with egg whites and a fresh green pepper!

So tasty and just filling enough!

Ok, now I am going to hit the books for the rest of the afternoon until it’s time to go for a walk with a friend!

Have a great evening!

Faking it

Hey, there!

First and foremost, it’s time to share my Acorn Squash Pizza!

Today I revamped my personal pizza of a few days ago with some awesome acorn squash. Cooking the acorn squash is super fast in the microwave if you don’t have the time to roast it. It also saves energy to use the microwave, rather than using the oven! Just cut it in half and clean the squash. Place the halves face down in a pyrex dish with about 1/4 inch of water. I microwaved it on high for 8 minutes and it was perfectly soft! I spread the delicious squash on a pita and baked it with cheese and onions.

 

As you know if you’ve read much of my blog, not much meat shows up in my diet! (I do eat fish on occasion, but no red meat or chicken, fyi!) If you use meat alternatives, you know they can be hit or miss. One of my favorite recent discoveries has been Yves Italian Sausage style meatless franks. They brown nicely in the skillet and have great flavor! Do you use any meat alternatives? Quorn? Boca? Morningstar Farms? Gimme Lean? Here is my plate with one of the Yves Meatless Sausages!

 

Who can refuse sweet potato fries and roasted brussel sprouts?

 

The frank had a nice flavor without that soy taste that I’ve experienced with other items. I’d love to hear your recommendations for other meatless meat items! Who fakes it best?

 

Have a good evening,

Rest day!

Hey, friends.

This week has been ridiculously busy. We squeezed in a trip to Chattanooga, TN, to see my sister play some soccer in the state tournament!!

It is pretty hard to stay healthy in the midst of a busy schedule. Working at the clinic this week has been intense! So many sick kids! I know one of the best ways to stay healthy is for me to keep moving and planning meals in advance, if possible!

A grainy breakfast is the perfect opportunity to secure a healthy dose of goodness first thing in the morning.

Stovetop oats, cooked the night before, with granola and frozen blueberries.

I usually have my oats with almond milk and sprinkle on some flax seeds for extra Omega-3s. This morning, however, I got crazy and tried something different.
Breakfast quinoa. Impeccable.

Quinoa takes about 15 minutes to cook stovetop, so it can be prepared in advance and refrigerated, or cooked the morning of consumption . It’s done with each grain has a little band around it, like the planet Saturn. I poured some amazing peach kefir over my little Saturns and sprinkled ground flax seed on top.Sometimes meal preparation just happens serendipitously! I went to work this week and in the break room was a bag full of ripe green bell peppers from a patient’s garden. I stocked up! Of course, I didn’t keep my coworkers from having their fill either! Have you had a serenditpitous meal lately where everything just fell into place?

Roasted Bell Pepper Plate

I roasted the peppers in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes, turning them once. I cleaned them (removed all the seeds) and got cous cous cooking on the stove. I sauteed onions and mushrooms and added the cooked cous cous and a sprinkle of chili powder. A sprinkle of colby cheese and tomato later and done! Not the prettiest, but oh so good!

As you can see, I sorta splayed the pepper on the plate and piled on the toppings. So. Good. Try. This. Tonight.

Next, I have a review to share with you! I saw Nutridel cookies on many of my favorite blogs, and they just looked fantastic. I got a few in the mail along with their impressive nutritional facts recently. One of their flaxseed cookies has 57 calories, 3g of protein and 3g of fiber! One thing I didn’t know until I sampled them was that they are very thin and crunchy! I dug this, but wasn’t expecting it. Their sweet taste comes from molasses – no other sweeteners! I really enjoyed the cookies, finding them a very healthy indulgence. They are also vegan-friendly and I can see kids loving these as a snack! Thanks for sending these, Nutridel! I brought them to work and my coworkers were very curious!

All in all, I’m just thankful to have a rest day today! What are you up to today?

Thanks for reading. Have a fabulous Saturday!