Tag Archives: cheese

Co-Co-Ca-Razy

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My breakfast this morning was chockfull of coconut.

I realize that these aren’t the prettiest pictures but a certain dog wouldn’t keep his nose out of my bowl.  That’s a Liberte Coconut Yogurt with 1 Tbsp of Bear Naked granola and 1 Tbsp of shredded, unsweetened coconut.

The Liberte yogurt is sooooo sweet and thick.  I’m coo-coo for coconut!

Speaking of crazy, check out the to-do lists I made on todoist last night.

This semester is not going to be kind to my sleep schedule and working out goals.

As long as we’re looking ahead, here’s what I plan on having for lunch – a serving of baby carrots,

a mini box of raisins,

a big baggie of grapes,

a serving of Quaker Maple Oatmeal Squares (HLS swag),

and a string cheese.

I imagine these will all be eaten by the end of the day.

I’ll be home around 5, but you should stop by the blog at noon for a shopping post!

Pregnant in Philly

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Ever since the Healthy Living Summit I’ve been thinking about one thing.  Not blogstalking new people; I’ve been too busy for that.  Not how to improve my blog, though obviously that should be high on my list.  For me, Philly was all about the Philly.

The vegan Philly Cheese Steak.  The minute I took that first chewy yet crunchy bite I knew this was something I’d have to recreate at home.

We hollowed out a roll of Italian bread, piled it high, and melted on two slices of 2% Provolone cheese.  For our filling we sautéed together sliced mushrooms, sliced onion, thin strips of red pepper, and crumbled Seitan.

Meet the /mostly/ vegan Philly cheese steak /done at home/.

It was delicious.  But it wasn’t the delicious.  I was looking to relive the taste I experienced in Philadelphia – the savory yet tangy flavor, my need to pull pieces of the “meat” from my sandwich to eat with my fingertips – and this wasn’t quite there.  Still good though.

I plated myself a small bowl of filling on the side when we sat down.

But I ended up having more than enough food and leaving most of this, plus a few bites of bread, behind.

For the salad course of dinner we ate the remains of some romaine.

Topped with Kraft Light Parmesan Asiago Balsamic Vinaigrette and big handfuls of blue cheese crumbles and buckwheat groats.

My last bite was pure blue cheese and buckwheat and it was ridiculous good.  The crunchiness of the groats makes me enjoy salads 100% more than before.

Other than making a good dinner, I didn’t accomplish near enough this afternoon.  After all my morning workout motivation it was all I could do not to fall asleep on my notes this afternoon.  It didn’t help that Webster was being a distracting little stinker –

That is the top of the couch!  Why/how?!?

Pregnancy Chic?

The other half of my title comes from my afternoon admission that I rock tunic-style tops fairly regularly.  They look good on me, they hide the fact that I spent the summer watching Charmed on the couch, and I generally think they’re adorable.  Like this new top I got at the Banana Republic outlet this summer.

This top is super cute, especially the wrap-style boobs.

But when I was describing my look this morning I heard “second trimester chic” coming out of my mouth.

I’m good with it though.  I may be years away from pregnancy but I’ve already got a ton of concerns about all the things that come after getting knocked up.  At least I can cross *spending money on maternity clothes* off my list of worries, my current wardrobe should carry me through just fine!

Are you a fan of the “pregnancy chic” look or do you prefer tighter fitting tops?

Full Court Press

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Yikes!  The semester is starting to get real and today was just a bit stressful.  I’ll keep this post quick because I have to get in the shower by 9 pm to have any chance of getting in bed in time to workout in the morning.

We finally got some info on due dates in class today (we still have several assignments that are unknown though frustratingly) and as of right now here is what I have on tap of this semester –

  • 15 exams
  • 4 personal papers (2 of which include presentations)
  • 4 group papers/presentations

That’s in addition to quizzes and homework assignments.  Fun.  I originally said I was going to aim to finish all assignments by October but clearly that goal is shot!

During class 1 I ate this Nature’s Path Peanut Choco bar from my HLS Swag bag.

A bit sticky for my liking but it was packing a great amount of chocolate and peanut butter, especially for 150 calories.  I actually enjoyed it so much that I tried to buy more at Wegmans this afternoon.

After class 2 and I headed to the gym for a quick (quick!) workout.  1 mile run and 10 minutes of strength/stretch moves.

During class 3 I ate this mini pack of dried cranberries and pineapples.

After school I drove a friend to work, went to the tailors, and did a grocery run with Adam.  Thank goodness we had a free coupon for hot bar because getting to 4pm on 200 calories made me just a bit cranky.

Garlic eggplant, garlic broccoli, roasted veg, and some sesame chicken.

Plus h2o-melon, pineapple, and a few berries.

I was freezing this afternoon so I made a mug of hot chocolate to sip while I worked.

I wish I could say I had gotten more done but it’s hard to study when this is your scenery –

I love my boys!  Actually, I told Adam the other day that sometimes I think about leaving him so I can get away from the dog but that’s a fleeting thought when I’m cleaning up after 1 or both of them and in general I think I’m the luckiest lady on earth.

Dinner was a Panini masterpiece.

A sandwich idea was sparked by my desire for this combination –

Trader Joe’s mango butter with brie.  Plus Applegate Farms Organic Sliced Turkey on rye bread.

The sweet brie pairing is always a winner (see baked brie with dried cranberries) but turning this into a sandwich took it over the top.

Yum!

Plus a side of roasted green beans which sadly seem to have gone bad and were mostly left uneaten.

Rotton beans can’t put a damper on that sandwich though, dinner was still considered a success.

Do you like brie?  What’s your favorite way to pair it?

Sleeping Hungry

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Yikes, this is one of those blog posts that veers a little further into the definition of “healthy living.”  Though actually, I think it’s pretty darn healthy to listen to your body!

for this week…

  • the good – I’ve been doing my best to get lots of sleep and I’ve been doing my best to deal with my intense hunger in healthy ways
  • the bad – I’ve been doing a terrible job of packing food for school and I haven’t worked out in almost a full week(!)
  • the ugly – My eats yesterday were consumed under the assumption that I was fueling for a long workout

Yesterday morning (Thursday) I didn’t have time to pack food before school and my stomach was growling in our four-hour class.  I ended up buying pretzels and diet pop from a vending machine at 9am.

Best. Breakfast. Ever.

I stayed on campus for a club meeting and happily ate a slice of cheese pizza as breakfast component #2.  Note, this was also bread/cheese component #1.

Post-pizza my stomach was still growling and I wanted to make sure I was well-fueled for my long workout so I turned to Wegmans hot bar.

Actually, first I ate a Oreo ball from the Tupperware in the back of my car.

But then I turned to hot bar.  Veggies from many different containers plus a few pieces of chicken.

And then bread and cheese component #2.

A jalapeno cheddar bialy with veggie cream cheese.

Yuuuuuuum.  Seriously, just yum.  And I was left super well-fueled … for my nap … at 4pm.

Yup, I fell asleep on the couch at 4pm and stayed fast asleep until 9pm when I awoke just long enough to brush my teeth and transition to the bedroom.

Since I still slept until 7:20 (what? this week my body demands food and sleep) the best I could do for breakfast was iced coffee.

Coffee, skim milk, and 1 Tbsp of English Toffee syrup.

I got out of class at 1 (which is when Adam told me he could pick me up) and have been stuck in limbo waiting for the husband to call ever since.  Sometimes I think being single would help me waste less time; I certainly would have eaten lunch and done some schoolwork this afternoon!

I’m not sure what my plans for this afternoon/evening are now, though I am making my way through this pitcher of Arnold Palmers.

Half home-brewed green tea and half Wegman’s brand organic lemonade.  Good (though I think I prefer AP’s with black tea), but my stomach is definitely ready for lunch!

Bombay To Book Club

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So this last week has sort of been a healthy living fail.  I haven’t worked out since Sunday, I’ve been eating a fair amount of junk, and I clearly haven’t been hitting my bedtime goals.  I am 100% determined to get in a longer run tomorrow though, which is all the more reason to keep this post short and sweet.

Liquid breakfast consumed in class 1.

An Americano with skim milk and a lavender mint Herbal Water.

I bought this Turkey Pepperoni and Cheese GoPicnic snack back from the bookstore on our break.

The pepperoni was crumbly and weird but the crackers reminded me of Mary’s Gone Crackers which was nice.  I ate all of the cheese and crackers, half the pepperoni, and the candy (duh).

For lunch lunch a friend and I decided to check out the new Indian place that popped up in the food court.

Healthy, real food at Buffalo State?  What, what!  I ordered a channa masala with rice,

topped with tamarind chutney and tons of spicy pickled mangos.

Yum!  I never see tamarind in the states (I used to eat them straight from the pod growing up in St. Thomas) so that was fun.  I ended up using two portions of spicy mangos which may have been a mistake as my mouth was on fire and my stomach hurt all afternoon.

My meal also came with a Naan bread but that was the only part of the dish that wasn’t great so I left it uneaten.

Healthy, spicy, veggies for lunch are totally worth a tummy ache.

After classes 2 and 3 had wrapped I headed back to my house for a quick cupcake frosting session.  Janessa actually stopped by to drop off goodies early this morning because we were heading to Kim’s house for…. book club!

Side note – I’ve always wanted to be part of a book club but when I thought about suggesting the idea to my group of friends I felt a little lame.  I sucked it up and you know what?  They were just as excited about the idea as I was!  Lesson learned when in doubt, if you are excited about something your friends probably will be too.  Don’t be so afraid of sounding silly that you miss out on a fun opportunity.

We already chose our first book (The Help) but haven’t gotten to read yet so tonight’s meeting was more of a drinks/snacks/silly YouTube videos party.  We had a nice foodie spread for sure.  Kim made spinach and artichoke dip with fresh spinach and white beans,

Hillary made taco dip,

and crescent rolls with pizza filling.

And Anna brought booze but since I was the designated driver I sat that out.

Here were my bites.

Plus dessert!  Janessa made Oreo cheesecake balls with Biscoff!

This idea was so good I sort of can’t even describe it without drooling but it sparked an even better idea that I’ll share later.

And I made Mint Chocolate Chip Swirl Cupcakes.

Recipe to come tomorrow.

And I shall see you all tomorrow too; if I don’t get to bed soon my long run will turn into a short shuffle!

Uncomfortably Full

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I love long weekends! And long weekends with trips are especially fun. It was great to visit with my grandparents, I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like.

Before we hit the road this morning we ate a final fancy breakfast.

Chicken sausage,

egg casserole leftovers, which I ate cold to my husband and grandma’s duress,

and a banana.

We were not as well provisioned for this trip as we were on Saturday. I did the best I could but still arrived home hungry. A low-fat string cheese,

and a Muscle Milk Light bar.

Yeeetch! I took two bites and decided I’d rather go hungry. At least with the dog we stop more often and I grabbed what I really wanted a bit later, candy.

I’ve been badly wanting Twizzlers for a few weeks and after a serving that craving was satisfied.

Webster slept most of our journey which meant I had time to finish the book I started on the drive over.

Hands of My Father is a memoir about a hearing boy’s childhood with two deaf parents. New addition to my top list of book favorites! I had to hold my breath to keep from crying at least once a chapter and I laughed just as often. The setting of a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn post Depression lent itself to some good stories.

When we did get home I spent my evening making chili.  And weighing chili, and pricing servings…

This was for a class assignment, and it was beef to boot so I couldn’t even taste it!  Instead Adam and I got take out for dinner.

Tuna melt on sourdough (no butter on the bread) with cheddar cheese and a side of fries.

Plus a slice of carrot cake.

Umm, plus the last two chocolates.

Can we so uncomfortably full?

Two Desserts

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I started my morning off right with a run. I didn’t pay attention to time, I forgot my heart rate monitor at home and didn’t check the clock before I left, I just ran. Thanks to the miles markers on the path behind my grandparents’ house I did learn a couple of things – 1. I can’t run a whole mile without stopping to walk (bad). 2. I ran/walked five miles this morning (good).

I came home feeling good in time for breakfast.

Cantaloupe melon,

chicken breakfast sausage,

and a delicious egg casserole with mushrooms, cheese, and bread cubes.

The fluffy texture and slightly sweet flavor were just like a souffle.

Adam and I had to run to the store for my grandma after breakfast and we spotted a Subway where I rewarded myself for my run.  (not that I don’t just drink diet soda all the time anyways but it can still feel like a reward sometimes)

They had Coke Zero and Cherry Coke and getting to mix them gives me this face –

We spent the afternoon hanging out with my grandpa and actually ate lunch at the hospital cafeteria.

I filled a plate at the salad bar with lettuce, a few kidney beans, black olives, almonds, and mushrooms, and some honey French dressing.  Not bad.

Adam and I did a few things around the house for my grandma but overall this has felt like a total relaxation vacation, right down to snacks before dinner.

In addition to a few small handfuls of nuts I had a few mini buckeyes,

and the olives from the husband’s drink.

Adam and Nana had martinis but I was drinking a more pg (and old school!) Tab.

Dinner was great, per usual.

Another small piece of foccacia (with butter after the photo),

side salad (with garlic vinaigrette ATP),

roasted glazed carrots,

and penne with tuna, feta, capers, and fresh tomato.

I like dinner but I enjoyed my two desserts better.  Peanut butter ice cream pie with heath pieces,

plus a bowl of homemade tapioca pudding.

I seriously love tapioca so much, I was moaning with joy while I ate this!  And my grandma sent me home with the dry tapioca so I can make some myself!

I’m going to hurry to get in bed, but first I’ve got to tell you guys that I totally kicked the husband and my grandma’s butts at Rummy 😉

I’ve got another long day in the car tomorrow before I’m back to a short week at school.  Thank goodness I’ve got such good travel partners.

In The Zone

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My plans for the evening got a little thrown off when I decided to go to the gym come hell or high water.  And my plans for dinner got a little thrown off when Adam ate himself sick snacking while he waited for me.  Everything worked out in the end though.

I was in the study zone this afternoon, working until 6pm before I decided to head to the gym.  Side note – we have a ton of busy work assignments this semester so don’t expect me to do well or anything just because I’m working a lot!  The gym was quick and easy, 30 minutes on the elliptical at random level 6.  I had to stay up super late studying because I went (obviously, you guys see the timestamp!) but I’m glad I got in some movement before our 7-hour drive tomorrow.

I had to go buy notecards and we walked around Elmwood trying to feed me for a while and it got pretty late.  At least I discovered a new favorite when I ended up in front of Zonies.

I split with Adam but gave the larger half to myself (that’s a small plate).

The owner was super nice and let me combine two different calzones in one; they make each order fresh.  I got the eggplant parmesan (baked eggplant, mozzarella, marinara) with spinach and broccoli added in.

The bread was nice and doughy, the marinara was zesty, and they provided me with veggies; I call that a new favorite.

I also bought this Tazo black tea and mixed it with lemonade we had in the fridge for an Arnold Palmer.

We had to wash the dog, and I still have to wash myself!, and by the time I finished with all of the work I planned it was pretty darn late!

Speaking of school, my goal is to read over all my class notes (and make notecards where needed) at the end of every week.  Since I’m doing that, I thought it’d be fun to compile some of the more interesting things I’ve learned each week to share with you guys.  Welcome to –

Fun Fact Fridays

  • Iatrogenic is a term that means inadvertently induced by medical treatment.
  • The preventative and traditional approaches to health involve reducing risk factors before disease occurs or after symptoms appear, but the wellness approach involves positive lifestyle choices that enhance physical and mental well-being.
  • Food Processing is the largest manufacturing industry in the US.
  • In the 1800’s “smouch,” made of dried ash leaves, was routinely added to tea leaves to extend the food profits and supply.  Pea flour or mustard husks (aka “pepper dust”) were also added to pepper.
  • Probiotics naturally live in our guts but need regular replenishing.  Want to replenish yours?  Stonyfield contains four more active cultures than other yogurt brands.

P.S. Can any one who’s ever seen Eurotrip hear the phrase fun facts without thinking of this quote?  “Here’s a fun fact – you made out with your sister, dude!”