Tag Archives: coconut

Snow Day

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In the most exciting turn of events ever, school was canceled today!

Adam says I shouldn’t be that excited about not having to go to a place that we pay money to allow me to go to (got all that?), but today was my extra long day (11-8:40), and it ended in my awful music class.  So “yippie” I say!

I’m also pretty jazzed about the bowl of Snow Day Oats I whipped up.

I started with a batch of stove top oats – 1/3 cup oats, 1 cup water, 1 small banana, and a pinch of salt.  Then I added some snow (coconut) and 3 Tbsp of fresh granola (more on that in a bit).

The oat base was good, but not as good as when I use half skim milk and half water.  I think I’m going to experiment a bit with soy/almond milk and if all else fails I’ll make my base a little lighter and my toppings a little heavier this month.

Now about that granola.  The other day I was intrigued when Brandi made stove top granola.  So today I did something wonderful.

Simply Sweet Granola

  • 2/3 cup raw oats
  • 4 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla soy milk
  1. Toast the oats in a skillet over medium heat.  2-4minutes, but use your nose and eyes to guide you.
  2. Remove oats to another container and lightly wipe any oat dust out of your pan.
  3. Add sugar and water to pan and allow to caramelize.  Do NOT stir, just lightly swirl the pan with the handle.  Cook just until a light brown color develops.
  4. Carefully pour soy milk into caramelized sugar.  Turn off the heat, and return toasted oats to pan.
  5. Using a wooden spatula, fold mixture together until well-combined.
  6. Spread onto a flat surface and allow to dry.

This granola was so quick and easy to make and the end results were soooo good!  Super crunchy and sweet but each 1/3 cup serving has only ~200calories (and as a topping you only need a few tablespoons or so).

We even made fancy coffee.

I usually hate the taste of creamers, but the nutritional stats on the Silk Hazelnut Soy Creamer we bought for Adam compelled me to try some.

Pretty darn good.

I’ve got a warm, full belly, cuddling weather, and somebody to cuddle with – life is good!

Have you gotten any snow days yet this season?

Snow Filled Saturday

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Howdy all, happy Saturday!  It’s been chilly and busy ’round these parts.  I had lots of errands to run, but more on that later (tomorrow).  Basically I have today and tomorrow to tackle this monster to-do list –

Before I got started on my errands I grabbed this coconut aloe juice.

So good, the best coconut (or aloe) drink I’ve had yet!

The weather was insane today, whiteout for miles.  

It took me forever to get the five miles to the post office, probably because I was only going 10miles an hour!  At least the bad weather meant that this adorable snowflake ended up on my steering wheel –

I snacked on a bag of kettle chips when I got home.

And made myself a Peanut Noodle Lean Cuisine for lunch.

This was actually very good, the sauce was mild but nice.

I also snagged a minneola.

And while I was ruthlessly cutting down my magazine clipping I snacked on a 7-Layer bar.

Then came dinner.

A recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray, Stir-Fried Pasta Primavera (sorry I can’t link to this recipe).

I basically followed Ray’s lead, with a few healthy changes:

  • I wanted 3 big servings (vs. 4), so added a bit more veggies and used a bit less pasta
  • subbed parsley for basil
  • subbed light for heavy cream

The end result was delicious.

I almost never order cream sauces when dining out but lately we’ve been loving them at home.

What’s the weather like in your neck of the woods today?

Coconut Combats Crazy

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2011 is going to be my year, but so far it has not been my January.  Something about having nothing pressing to do means I’ve done absolutely nothing.  Days on the couch would be exciting, if I hadn’t just come off a year of unemployment.  Plus, even though nothing is urgent, I have tons of crafts I was exciting about pursuing.

I’ve decided the remedy is to make today a day of nothing …. nothing but fun activities.  I’ve got tomorrow to run my upcoming school errands and finally go to the gym.  Today’s agenda includes

  • reading a new cookbook
  • a big pile of magazines
  • working on my magazine binder project
  • baking
  • our first real dinner since we got back from the city

When I rolled over and saw that I was still in bed at 10:40, I knew that breakfast brunch would have to be something special to ensure I didn’t get into a slump.

Done and done.  A creamy, perfect bowl of stove top oats topped with excitement.

The oats included 1/2cup each skim milk and water, 1tsp vanilla, a pinch of salt, 1/3cup oats, and 1 extra ripe banana.  Then came the toppings.

A smidge of coconut oil.

Found, finally, way on sale in the “ethnic” aisle of the grocery store.

Candied walnuts.

I know I can’t resist these so I made a single serving batch – 15grams chopped walnuts, 1tsp real maple syrup, and a pinch of salt; in the 400* oven for 5minutes.

The finished bowl ended up being so satisfying.

Every time I eat stove top oats I’m reminded of how I should make them more often.  I’m not 100% on the coconut oil, it’s very reminiscent of candle wax, but I’m excited to try it again.

Off to tackle my day of nothing!

Have you tried coconut oil before?  What is your favorite use for it?

It Was Terminated

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Sorry for the late post, the husband and I got caught up in tv. Did anyone watch “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” when it was on tv in 2007? We discovered it on Netflix Instant Watch last week and got totally hooked – I have a Summer Glau girl crush. Anyway, we watched all the way through two seasons only to discover that the last episode was a cliff hanger and the third season was canceled. WTF, I need to know how it ends?!?!

Series disappointments aside, it was a strange day in general. I got up at 9 and was busy, busy, busy. I wrote my nyc recap, unpacked, cleaned the house, helped Adam with some work, made a meal plan….. Suddenly I was at the grocery, it was after 4 pm, and I hadn’t eaten all day.

I thought I could push through the hunger and get my groceries, but when I started feeling light-headed I bought myself a cherry coke to get some sugar in my blood.

I also picked up dinner at the hot bar.

Veggies,

and protein (chicken salads).

Most of my meals were pretty lame, but dessert was a work of art.

I took banana soft serve and kicked it up a notch. Into the food processor went one frozen banana, 1ounce cocktail peanuts, 2T coconut, and 1T maple syrup.

Out came perfection. This was salty, sweet, and delicious.

Which of your tv obsessions have been canceled too soon? I have especially bad luck because I adore Joss Whedon, whose shows are both fabulous and notorious for being cancelled ahead of their time.

STT; Wednesday Afternoon – Thursday Afternoon

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As predicted, yesterday afternoon was spent on a swim workout. My mom dropped Adam and me off at Morningstar beach for an hour. We had fun, but also got in a good workout. Adam would swim a distance away from me and then I would swim as hard as I could until I reached him. Repeat.

For dinner we refurbished pad thai leftovers.

Stir-fried with extra veggies – okra, carrot, broccoli, celery – and egg.

We also went to see The Fighter. I got in some fruit with apple slices as a movie snack.

And there was German chocolate cake waiting when we got home.

I had a (big) slice with a glass of skim milk.

Yum, good job mom!

For breakfast this morning I mashed a small banana with cinnamon, and spread it on two mini buns with almond butter.

Made quite the tasty little sandwich set.

The wind has been crazy recently so we spent the morning hiking around The Point and watching the waves crash.

I’ve snacked on a bag of cheez-its,

and split a gingerbread Clif bar with Adam.

Now (after this quick stop at school) the whole family is going for a long walk downtown.  The plan tonight is a belated anniversary dinner, and then tomorrow we fly on home.

Tastes Tropical

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Whooops, tomorrow’s my last early morning of 2010 and I’m late to bed!  I need to get showered and bedded so I do well on my presentation tomorrow.  And also so I remember to wear a watch, which I never do but need to for said presentation.

I spent most of my evening reorganizing all of my notecards and binders, for an OCD-freak like me it was pretty glorious.  I also worked on an application, finished my project, and went to UPS.

By the time we were headed home with our package the husband and I were both snippy with hunger, so he made a pit stop at Moe’s.  I stuck with my dinner plans, but I did devour a TON of his tortilla chips.

My salad was much more exciting in my head before I realized that there were chips in the other room.

Still pretty good though.  A butter lettuce base with Newman’s Asian Sesame dressing, orange slices, peas, and pulverized coconut.

Tasted light and tropical.

My whole meal was pretty tropical actually, because my protein/dessert (<– it can be both!) was 2% Plain Chobani with key lime pie.

Yuuuuuuuum!  This combination is seriously even better than just straight up key lime pie.

Think well-spoken thoughts for me tomorrow, please!

Have you ever had key lime pie?  Lots of people in my food lab had not, which surprised me.

Holiday Dishes and Demons

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Do you have your holiday dishes out yet?  Other than the reindeer stuff (very nice, Kate Spade bowls and mugs) from my mom this little tree is my only piece.

It made lunch feel festive.

Although, lunch was pretty exciting (to me) all on its own.

Sandwich/salad, sandwich/soup, and soup/salad combos always feel like lunch at a restaurant to me.

My salad was a butter lettuce base with Newman’s Own Asian Sesame Dressing, Sahale Snacks Valdosta Pecans, and a bit of pulverized coconut.

I don’t eat salads at home that much – something about the lettuce skeeves me out – but this was a great combo.

My sandwich was a grilled cheese with tomato.

I spread two slices of Nature’s Pride Oatmeal bread with Miracle Whip, topped with tomato slices and two pieces of 2% provolone, then spread the outside with Smart Balance Light and pan-fried.

Yum!  The husband took a big bite (I made him a pretty gourmet mini-pizza for his lunch) and declared it delicious.

We watched TV while we ate.  Sidenote – has anyone seen the “Family Guy” or “American Dad” Chirstmas specials this year?  I think Seth McFarlane has some holiday demons, yikes!

Back to work!

Tastes Like Home for the Holidays

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My shower took forever because I couldn’t bear to get out of the warm water!  It’s already 10* outside, I’m a little afraid of what January will bring.

Tonight’s dinner utilized take-homes from my cultural meal project.

Callaloo and dumb bread with cheese!

Callaloo is a traditional Caribbean soup made traditional with callaloo, pumpkin, coconut milk, and okra.  Our version was slightly less traditional, with spinach, butternut squash, and coconut milk.

Still delicious though.  This is the recipe we used.

Dumb bread is a non-yeast-levened bread with shredded coconut scattered throughout.  I topped my serving with extra sharp cheddar.

This flavor definitely took my back to my childhood!  This is the recipe we used.

Leftovers for dinner meant less cooking time and more baking time!

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Brownies.

I followed the recipe on the Baker’s Chocolate box, but substituted the nuts and vanilla for 2 tsp cinnamon extract and 1 cup chocolate chips.

Quite tasty!  The husband said the cinnamon gave them a warm taste.

Brownies are usually my mom’s specialty but I think these definitely hold their own.  I ate two small ones.

Between the traditional Caribbean flavors and (not)mom’s brownies this meal tasted like home to us; which makes it a good meal for this week because we are gearing up for a trip home!  After all of our exams are done we are heading to St. Thomas for 10 glorious days.  Now I’ve just got two more exams to get through; I can’t wait!

What substitutions have you made on the traditional brownie recipe?  Which was your favorite?