Tag Archives: banana

A Day of Firsts

by

In case you missed it, June is Vegan Month.  And what better way to start off the month than with a Green Monster?

This bad boy had 1 frozen banana and 1 cup frozen spinach blended with 1 cup of calcium + vitamin d oj.

Green Monsters were my favorite discovery during my two-week vegan stint in February, and I think they are going to be instrumental in getting me through this month.

Today was also the first day of summer school.  I have an online nutrition class in July, but in June I have to be on campus from 10:30 – 12:40 M-F for Sociology.  Here we are looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed –

And then during one of my five trips to pee before class started I snapped a picture of me looking nervous.

And right I was to be nervous, this is going to be a hard month!  My professor is funny but his lecture voice is really hard to understand and the syllabus is totally unclear.  I hate when teachers want to be all loosey-goosey with the due dates; tell me what I need to read for what dates!  Plus we are not allowed to have any food or drinks in the classroom?!

I had some business to take care of on campus and by the time I got home it was after 2 and I was starving.  I grabbed the first thing I could to tide myself over.

3oz of baby carrots,

and 1oz of yellow tortilla chips.

I was so hungry I was actually getting light-headed and nauseous.  Once I calmed down a bit I made myself a frozen meal as well, Tandoor Chef Vegetable Pad Thai.

The nutritional stats on this are pretty good,

and it is delicious!

It tastes just like tasty, authentic Thai food from a restaurant.  The pasta is the right texture and it is perfectly seasoned.  Plus there are pieces of spongey fried tofu that I adore.  I give this two thumbs up and highly recommend you try it, vegan or not.

I’m actually still feeling pretty sick so I’m going to set the alarm and see if I can take a quick nap.  I have to pick up the husband from the lab later and of course I’ve got some reading to do.

What is your favorite type of frozen meals?

Great Greek

by

Welcome to Hump Day.  I woke up bright and early (7 is early for me!) because I wanted to work on my binder project before I have to get started errands.  I have barely even made a dent in my huge stack of papers yet!

Upon first step out of bed I realized that my right shin is really hurting.  Such a bummer!  I upped my time more quickly than planned now I’m terrified I did something to hurt myself again.  If you remember, before I broke my left leg I took a mini running hiatus when I had tendonitis in my right leg, eeek!  I am planning on swimming today, strength training tomorrow, and taking the weekend in Boston completely off of exercise (except for lots of walking).  Hopefully that will do the trick.

I’d be lying if I said I’m not freaking out, but breakfast did a pretty good job of distracting me.

On the left: I microwaved a mushy banana for 30seconds and then mashed it with a big shake of cinnamon sugar.  Topped with raspberries.

On the right: Greek Gods Honey Greek Yogurt.

Swoon!  This stuff is soooo thick and the flavor is a perfect balance of sweet and tangy.  Unfortunately Greek Gods doesn’t make low-fat honey flavor or I’d eat it every day!

Gotta go hit the books, binders!

What is your favorite type of yogurt?

Like Swallowing Barbed Wire

by

This is my final post.  It’s likely Adam and I will both be dead by morning.  You’ll see……  Also, I’m keeping this quick because I’m blogging mid-couch time.

For the husband’s main course I made him something fabulous looking out of leftovers – chicken, bacon, condensed mushroom soup, broccoli.

I also baked up the last three slices of bacon for myself.

It was the protein of my dinner!

For Adam’s side and my main course our plan was to try something new – baby artichoke hearts.

They took forever to make, because we peeled them, and cut off the thorny tips, and cut out the fuzzy thistle.  While we worked I got in my fruits for the day –

1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup frozen blackberries, 1cup calcium + vitamin d oj, and 1t xanthan gum all went into the blender for a fantastically purple smoothie.

And much, much, much later dinner came out of the oven.

Roasted artichokes and potatoes with evoo and salt.

Great sounding concept right?  We loosely followed a recipe from Cooking Light, very closely following the artichoke instructions.  Not so much.  The potatoes were fantastic but the artichoke hearts were difficult to choke down.  I abandoned my plate halfway through, although I did eat another 2 servings of potato.

Now the husband and I are both clutching our stomachs in pain.   😦  We are going to cuddle and cry on the couch until bedtime.  A big bowl of popcorn will probably be involved as well, because I’m still hungry and because I feel like my stomach wants me to scrape it out.

Have you ever cooked baby artichokes?  What on earth did we do wrong?

Fruit eaten today: 2.5cups

Ah-Mazing!

by

Every single thing I’ve eaten this evening has been amazing!!!  I feel like all I’ve done the last hour is “Mmmn” and “Ahh!”

First off, dinner.

Asparagus cooked in clementine oil.  I poured the oil in a skillet over medium high heat, added the asparagus and put a lid on it.  10minutes later the asparagus was perfectly steamed and charred.

Along side bacon, ranch, and chicken mac and cheese.

No words.

The Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese was a recipe from Cooking Light.  My changes –

  • subbed in 4 slices of 99% lean turkey bacon
  • added 1T of butter, and a bit more flour as well
  • skipped the dill and the salt

Next time I think I would substitute sharp cheddar in as well, I like my cheese with a little more bite.

After dinner I realized I hadn’t hit my daily fruit goal.  So I opened the gates to heaven with the world’s best dessert.

Stonyfield Fat Free Chocolate Underground Yogurt with 1/2 a banana and 1/2cup raspberries.  The “cherry” on top?

Biscoff spoon!  I’m not sure I could be much more contented.

Eat More Fruit Tip # 4 – I’m not going to recommend eating fruit for dessert (how sad!), but fruit can be delicious incorporated into dessert.  Fresh berries on ice-cream, a banana spread with Nutella, the sky’s the limit.

We have Buffy watching on the agenda and an early bedtime.  I realized that I’ve yet to study for my Anthro final on Thursday, whoops!  So I guess that’s the plan for tomorrow.

What’s your favorite kind of mac and cheese?  It’s not something I would eat all the time, but West Indian style mac and cheese tops anything I’ve ever had stateside.  It’s not runny at all and it has a super thick crust baked on top.  Some of my favorite childhood memories involve getting mac and cheese from the grocery store deli and eating it in the car on the way home.

Fruit eaten today:  2cups

Fridge Traffic JAM

by

It’s officially the first work-week of May!  Where has this year gone?!?  For that matter, where has today gone, it’s all felt a little rushed.

Adam and I both had another lackluster sleep last night 😦  Isn’t it just the worst feeling to toss and turn when you’d like to be resting up?  The morning felt like it came way too quickly and the snooze buttons were pressed several times.  I had to drive the husband to school so I could use the car to run errands, so I rushed out the door with him.  How happy am I that it’s finally throw on a sundress season?

I was a little irritated to have to go to the post office when I hadn’t even eaten breakfast but it ended up being a good thing because my parents send me an amazing package!  It was Carnival in St. Thomas last week and they sent me all sorts of goodies –

I packed the soursop jam away into cabinet before I could even look at it.  I have a problem –

Seriously, Emily?  6 open jars of fruit spreads!

However, I tore into the stewed tamarind immediately.

A few spoonfuls in I managed to stop myself and actually assemble breakfast.

Stonyfield plain fat-free yogurt with stewed tamarind and 1/2cup raspberries.

I couldn’t get over how pretty it was and the taste combination was amazing!

Eat More Fruit Tip # 1 – Instead of buying “fruit on the bottom” yogurts, make your own!  Plain fat free yogurt with berries and fruit spread stirred in has less sugar than the ones you buy at the store, and is a whole lot tastier too!

Lunch was pretty gorgeous as well.

Eat More Fruit Tip # 2 – Smoothies are a very tasty way to eat your fruits, just be sure not to add too many high-calorie/sugar additives.

I had a whole slew of annoying phone calls to make and the morning slipped away while I was on the phone.  By the time I was headed out the door I was already late so I made myself a to-go smoothie for lunch.  1 small frozen banana, 1/2cup frozen blackberries, 1cup calcium + vitamin d oj, and 1/2t xanthan gum.

The smoothie was supposed to be swim fuel but sadly that didn’t pan out.  When I got to the pool all of the lanes were full and I was too late picking up Adam to wait. 

The swim no-go is especially annoying because I don’t want to swim, I want to run, and I can do that any where.  My hopeful date to start running again is May 10th and I’m getting a little nervous because my leg still hurts.  The doctor said it would hurt up until it was healed (and then I could get moving again) but I’m so afraid that the 10th with come and go and I’ll still be stuck.  I’m so eager to run again that it physically hurts when I see other people out on a job.  I made get-well wishes on several of these today.

What would you wish on a dandelion for?

Fruit eaten so far today:  3cups

Banana Bread Makes It Better

by

My funk yesterday evening ended up lasting all through the night.  My sleep it off theory was a bust, because that involves actually getting some sleep!  I was feeling fine at bedtime but I woke up at 2am and did not go back to sleep until after 6, ugh.  I actually got up and out of bed at 3am to take a shower hoping it would somehow help me relax!

Fitful sleep or not, 8:30 was the latest I could sleep in and still get today’s (final!) Chemistry assignment in on time.  I knew breakfast had to be my cure-all.

Banana bread for breakfast makes bad moods better.  And if a sentence has that much alliteration – b,b,b,b,b – you know it’s got to be true 😀  My “cure-all” contained Stonyfield Maple Vanilla Low-Fat yogurt, 1 chopped banana, and 1 smallish slice of crumbled banana bread.

I feel ready to take on the world!  Which is a good thing because I’ve got a Chemistry final to take on at 8am this upcoming Saturday.  Off to hit the books!

What is your favorite alliteration breakfast?  One time I mixed together blueberries, strawberry yogurt, wheatberries, and a banana for breakfast; I was pretty thrilled.

Surprising Satisfactions

by

I was surprised and satisfied when I woke up at 6am this morning to register for summer school and I got into all of the classes I need.  Whoopie!!!  My exams at UB end May 6th and then here is my class schedule for this summer –

  • Sociology 100 – MTWRF 10:30-12:40, June 1st – June 26th
  • Anatomy Physiology – MWF 3:00-4:50, June 1st – July 17th
  • Introductory Nutrition – Online, June 28th – July 21st

It’s going to be a really challenging summer but I’m so excited to get started.  I just hope I’m as lucky with registration for fall classes next week.

I was surprisingly satisfied by how tasty my in-the-car-breakfast was.  A huge hunk of coconut banana bread,

and a Greek Gods Fig Greek Yogurt.

Greek Gods is my very favorite yogurt brand.  The texture and flavor is the absolute best in Greek yogurt and the packaging is adorable.

I ate in the car because I headed to school with Adam this morning.  My production level at home is abysmal and I have work that has to get done today.  While I was taking a computer break I was surprised and satisfied to see that I earned a 94% on the last Anthropology exam, go me!

Walking around campus I was surprised and satisfied to see all the signs of Spring in spite of the especially cold April weather.

I hung out in the campus library from 8-12 and then when Adam got out of class we headed over to The Spot and continued the study session there.  I was satisfied but surprised by my Mikes (egg and cheese) Bagel Sandwich.

Tasty and filling but I’m not sure it why it looked like such a hot mess.

The plan for the evening is a dinner that’s quick and easy (just like your boyfriend! ba doom ching!) and cuddle on the couch tv time.  With a big scoop of excitement mixed in – we are getting dessert from Dolci!  I’ve had my eye on it all year and we are finally trying it out.

What were you surprised and/or satisfied by today?

Taming the Beast

by

Sorry for the late post, I had 8am lab and my day ended up galloping off from there!  I was hoping my extreme hunger was a yesterday thing, but it ended up following me into today as well; I felt like I was trying to tame the beast!

We had a hard quiz this morning (the first of the semester I don’t think I got a 100% on, boo) so I started my day with some brain food in the form of a green monster.

1 cup frozen spinach + 1 cup calcium/vitamin d oj + 1 frozen banana = tasty, healthy perfection!  I’m glad I experimented for the husband’s sake, but you just cannot improve on this recipe.

Normally GMs leave me satisfied until lunch, but today the beast was howling by the time I finished with lab around 11:30.  I knew I wasn’t going to make it at the gym without food so I fueled up at the mini cafe next to my class.

A cup of fruit salad and some Silk Soy Chocolate Milk.

Ready to go; I’ve got to give the snack a little credit for the fact that I had another great swim work out.  As promised – because I love you guys! – here’s a picture of me in all my dorky glory in my swim cap:

Actually, a lady walked by right as I took this picture so I had to explain to her why I was taking photographs in the ladies’ locker room.  She ended up giving me some great swimming tips and encouragement.  Although I’m still a little jealous of Meghann’s locker room social scene.

In the pool I did 32 laps (75ft each) in 28minutes.  The husband walked into the pool area in time for my last loop so I tried to haul ass; I could feel my heart pounding by the time I was done! 

We had to run some errands on the way home and Adam decided we were going to lunch.  He didn’t consult me and I had pool water dripping down my back but I’m still not complaining!  You’ll never guess the location he chose 😀

Yes, we went back to Cozumel again; yes, I did major damage to the chips.

I told you the menu is expansive, I tried yet another new item!  Veggie Chimis –

Nachos aside, I never order stuff like this and I quickly remembered why.  Unless we are talking  french fries I don’t like things that are fried, give me roasted or raw any day!  Thankfully it wasn’t all that greasy and the cheese was fairly under control.  Plus it was stuffed with mushrooms, zucchini, and summer squash.

I didn’t even taste my rice, who would want more carbs as a side with this?

My hunger was only temporarily quelled though, and a few hours later I was ready for more.  The husband I continued our fancy-free attitude and took a walk to Sweet Tooth.

I went with a small ice-cream which beyond hit the spot.

Cookies and cream with raspberry white chocolate swirl.  Holy yum!

I’m sure you’re shocked that I was still hungry for dinner a few hours later 😉  On the menu was this recipe for Pineapple-Glazed Chicken with Jalapeno Salsa.  Two thumbs up!  If nothing else, I highly recommend making the salsa.

Here’s my plate:

I had a small piece of chicken,

with a side of roasted veggies drizzled in leftover glaze.

The glaze was awesome but I still could only choke down half of my veggies; I just did not like these!  The husband thought they tasted off too, we ended up throwing the rest of them out.

I was a little too fancy-free with the husband today and I’ve got a TON of work to do by the end of the week so I’ve got to run.

Do you like fried food?  How often do you eat it?  Other than nachos and french fries, yum, I genuinely don’t enjoy fried foods.  Although I do like typically fried foods if they’ve been baked (i.e. chicken nuggets).