Tag Archives: veggies

Cloud 6ish

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Holy crap!  It’s late at night and we just got some terrible money news so this post is going to have to be quick before it devolves into the blogging equivalent of sobbing.  Not pretty.

Statistics was fine, as of right now it seems like I can understand the concepts.  The hospital was fine, though we do have a lot of work to do.  My evening class was more anxiety ridden than fine; among other assignments we will have to create a 6-week staffing schedule for an imaginary clinic, figure out the budget for that clinic, and create an imaginary business plan.  Yikes!

We had an hour break between clinic and evening class when I could eat my packed lunch.  A turkey bagel sandwich.

That’s a toasted whole wheat multi-grain bagel topped with strawberry cream cheese and 2 slices of Applegate Farm’s roasted sliced turkey.

A baggie of roasted green beans.

And 4 gummi cola bottles.

The gummies were amazing, but I bought them in Toronto so it’ll be awhile before I can get more.

When I got home from class I ate a Voskos 0% Honey Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt.

This was amazing.  Seriously.  The texture was pillowy like a cloud!  I do love other Greek yogurts but this was totally different and yet equally amazing.  If the sour cream-like texture of Fage bothers you, then I highly recommend trying out Voskos.

Which Greek yogurt variety/brand do you recommend for good texture?

Toasted Is Like Frosted

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I made it over the hump, it’s time to wind down the week.  I know it’s pathetic but I’ve got to admit – three days of actually doing things has left me exhausted!

I did have to hurry, but I managed to leave the house to walk to campus for my two afternoon classes on time.  We learned about Diabetes Mellitus for two hours, and then had the introduction to our class on integrative medicine/nutrition.  My packed lunch was a little weak though.  A mini box of Brown Sugar Quaker Oatmeal Squares (a HLS sample).

And a huge cup of iced coffee with skim milk and English toffee syrup.

Not enough food and too much caffeine made me very shaky and cranky!  Adam picked me up for a quick grocery trip after class and I’m surprised he didn’t strangle me in the frozen aisle.  It’s possible that I stood and stared embarrassingly longingly at the hot bar.

A Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar did the trick when I got home.

This new flavor is an easy cranky killer.

I also had a handful of sliced cucumber.

Cucumber slices with a sprinkle of salt are legit better that potato chips, and I say that as someone who really loves potato chips.

Dinner started with a salad course.

Romaine lettuce with chopped cucumber and yogurt Caesar dressing.

Then more salad and veggie.

Roasted green beans.

And a salad of crock pot chicken, mayo, green grapes, and toasted pecans.

Guys, toasted pecans are ridiculous good.  And I’m telling you that because I told Adam three times during dinner and he hates me.

What’s your go-to ingredient for jazzing up chicken salad?

Yucky Yogurt

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This (god-awful) photo sure feels official!

I had my first day of clinical practice this afternoon.  It went well, and wasn’t as scary as I was expecting, but we’ll see how I feel once we actually start doing stuff 😉  For now there’s not a whole lot to report.

I had statistics before I headed to the hospital, but again I’m not quite sure what to make of it yet.  I do know that there is already a conflict with stats and clinic in February, but I’m hoping that knowing about it this far in advance will let me figure out a solution.

I didn’t eat anything after my little breakfast and I made it through the hospital without a hunger issue so as long as I have my retainers (probably another month or so) I’ll probably stick with that schedule on Tuesdays.  But on Thursdays with a 3rd class in the evening I’ll have to pack food.

When I got home this afternoon I made myself a Stonyfield Low-Fat French Vanilla Yogurt with a S’mores Cup crumbled on top.

This bowl was as big a fail as breakfast!  I just don’t like Stonyfield yogurt any more.  I love the company’s values and flavor offerings so I want to like it, but the texture isn’t right.  Checking the ingredient list I think it must be the pectin because the yogurt is thick in a gross goopy, snotty way.  It sort of reminds me of smoothies made with xanthan gum, and not in a good way.  I ate the top layer off – I wasn’t about to waste a S’mores Cup! – but had to throw away the rest of the yogurt.

Even though I was hungry, I managed to hop on another productive streak before dinner.  I cleaned the kitchen, did the dishes, and finished updating my clinic notebook.  And roasted some broccoli into perfection for dinner.

This easy leftover meal hit the spot.  A small serving of Orange Peel Shrimp, a 1/3 cup of rice, and a bunch of roasted broccoli all tossed together.

Yum.  But the rest of the day’s disappointing meals have caught up with me and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to eat a snack before bed.  Right now I’ve got to hurry into the shower so I’m ready for the 9pm State of the Union.  FYI – The 2012 State of the Union is live-streaming here for those of us that don’t have cable.

Have you eaten a Stonyfield yogurt recently?  What was your opinion?

Back to School

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It’s official, I’m back in school!

This morning brought about a million plan changes, but it all worked out in the end.  When Adam left (before sunrise) I couldn’t fall back asleep so I finished reading Kathy Reichs book #9 (Bones to Ashes) for an hour or so in bed.  I couldn’t fall at 5 am but at 8 am I couldn’t wake up!  I ended up getting out of bed 30 minutes before the yoga class I wanted to attend was slated to start.  I thought I could make it, so I slammed this breakfast to fill up my stores.

A Wegman’s Whole Wheat Multigrain with Cranberry and Pomegranate bagel with strawberry cream cheese,

plus a big glass of water.

But getting ready took too long and I made myself a little sick eating too quickly, and that plan had to be scrapped.  My original plan was to walk to school today, but when I saw the rain I realized it was time to reevaluate again.  I would eat a little more breakfast, take a shower, drive to school and read Kathy Reichs book #10 (Devil Bones), go to class, and then go to the gym at school before driving home.  (I had to go early because there wouldn’t be any parking closer to class time).  And that’s exactly what I did.

My brunch additions were a small apple.

And a 0% Exotic Fig Voskos Greek Yogurt.

The yogurt was great.  The taste wasn’t quite as good as the Greek Gods Fig Greek Yogurt (my all-time favorite), but the nutritional content was far superior.

Then I drove to school, walked the 20 minutes in the rain from my parking spot, and vowed never to drive to school after 8 am again.  Today’s class went well, but apparently this semester is going to be very, very, very hard.  I’m scared.

After class I headed straight to the gym.  35 minutes on the elliptical, level 6 random.

I stopped at Wegmans for a late lunch on my way home.  I was only going so that I could sit in the comfy booths to finish the writing-intensive task of filling out my planner, but I ended up getting a pretty good meal.

Steamed veggies with a few pieces of kung pow tofu on top,

and two organic chicken dumplings.

Delicious, and it gave me the energy to power through some serious productivity.  I walked and bathed the dog, did the dishes, made dinner, and completed my first homework assignment of the year.  Woot!  Also, I found 15 minutes to make Adam this –

Dinner was even exotic.

I followed this recipe for Orange Peel Shrimp.  With a side of roasted zucchini,

and a 1/4 cup of whole grain texmati brown and rice red blend.

I used salad sized shrimp and subbed in mango butter for orange marmalade, but otherwise I followed the shrimp recipe.

The end flavor was delicious.  The sauce had a great tang and a good level of spice.  But I have to say that I think the recipe was poorly written.  If you decide to make the Orange Peel Shrimp (which I do recommend), I would suggest frying the shrimp in batches.  There is just no way to do 2 lbs at once without overcrowding the pan.  Also, do the shrimp first, set it aside, and cook the sauce in the same pan.  The cornstarch remaining in the pan is minimal, and does not cause the sauce to thicken to quickly; there is no reason to dirty two pans.

Dessert was two S’mores Cups.

If you can believe it, these are even better leftover!  More chewy than gooey, but definitely a bit easier to eat.  These cups are my favorite S’mores variation to date!

How often do you get Chinese take-out? 

It Ain’t Easy Being Green

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Physical activity is a funny thing.  I went to a 60 minute hot yoga class today.  I was dreading it all morning, and sure enough, when I got there it sucked.  I felt like I was going to pass out the entire time and spent most of the class in child’s pose.  It was my worst practice to date.  But by the time I was done, I was so happy that I went.

When I got home from the yoga class that was both frightful and fantastic, I made a smoothie for breakfast.

1 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 frozen banana, 7 oz frozen soursop pulp, and nutmeg (for garnish).

The flavor wasn’t quite right but the texture was luscious.

And nutmeg on creamy drinks, especially piña coladas!, is the best.

Adam and I ran a few errands in the snow and then it was time for a double-decker lunch.

On a hamburger bun with schmear of sour cream, 2 nacho turkey burgers topped with 1 oz of melted sharp cheddar.

It was totally swoon-worthy.  The burgers are nice and juicy but have this great chew from the chips too.

I’m glad I made the patties small and stackable.

For dessert, Adam and I each had a mug cake.

I followed the basic recipe, with the inclusion of a handful of chocolate chips.

Dinner was one of my older recipes that I decided to revisit.

Green Tuna Enchiladas!  I updated the recipe page too.

I had two enchiladas and some roasted brocoli on my plate.

It was a good, green meal.

But I wasn’t feeling satisfied.  In fact, I’ve had a gnawing hunger all day, and I know it’s not thirst in hunger’s clothing because this pitcher and I have been fast friends all day.

That h2o is spiked with limes and sugar cane, fyi.

So I honored my hunger and  finished up my dinner with some leftover beans and rice with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Now I’m done.

What do you do when you’re hungry when you “shouldn’t be?”

Minus One Bite

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My lunch didn’t quite cut it so this afternoon I ate a leftover slice of jalapeño pineapple pizza.

Minus one bite 😀

Dinner was my AnTEAoxidant Pasta.

I updated the page for that recipe today too.

Not my absolutely tastiest dish ever, but definitely one of my healthiest ones.

Dessert was supposed to be my horchata can.

But it didn’t suit my fancy and I ended up swapping with the husband for two cookies.

Much better.

Since I didn’t go to the gym today I did some strength training intervals throughout the afternoon/evening instead.  I told myself I had to complete 20 minutes total for it to count as a workout.

In two-minute blocks I did 2 sets of arms, 4 sets of abs, 5 sets of legs, and 3 x 1-minute planks for 25 minutes of strength training total.

Fun fact about the husband – when eating any food by hand, ie french fries or sandwiches, he always leaves behind the part his fingers were touching.

We Don’t Need No Stinking Plates

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We’ve been warned about inclement weather and woken up to 40+ degree days so many times this winter that lately when the forecast calls for snow, I just chuckle. 

Dear Weather Gods – I am so sorry I scoffed.  Please make it stop.

This morning I woke up to this –

I also woke up to this,

but that is beside the point.

Actually, I woke up to pitch black because when the husband left the house at 4:30 a.m. I got up with him.  Well, not got up necessarily, but woke up and pulled my laptop into bed with me.  I spent an hour or so doing computer work things, an hour or so doing computer fun things, and finally an hour or so finishing sleeping (we got in bed after midnight!).

When I woke up for good at 8:40 I took one look at the window and decided to skip the gym for the day.  Unfortunately, by the time I realized that I had to go outside and move my car it was too late to change into workout gear without getting a ticket.  But it was just as well in the end because when I drove past school the main road that leads to the gym was totally untouched by both snow plows and tire tracks.  Since I had to circle the block to repark my car I took a quick detour to Wegmans and came back with goodies.

I’ve had an intense craving for creamy drinks lately; my fingers are crossed that it’s not a sign that I’m getting sick!

Speaking of which, has anyone tried the International Delight Iced Coffee yet?

I’ve been obsessing over it for days but I can’t bring myself to shell out 5 bucks without knowing if it’s good.

Breakfast was waiting in the fridge for me at home.

What do you do with an almost empty jar of Biscoff?

Quietly weep until you buy more make overnight oats.

Last night I combined 1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup skim milk, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, and 1 dash cinnamon with the last 1 Tbsp or so of Biscoff left in the jar.

Before serving this morning I stuck it in the microwave for 30 seconds and the Biscoff got all perfect and melty.

My drink was also served in a jar.

I chilled the coffee, then put it in a big jar with the So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk and 2 tsp of sugar, and shook shook shook.  Plus ice and a straw.

I’m thinking shaken coffee might be my “thing” until this creamy beverage craving is licked.

In another meal without a plate, lunch was consumed straight from my mini casserole dish.

Into the dish, baked at 450 degrees Farenheit for 30 minutes, went layers of –

  • 1 sliced zucchini
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

It was similar to my cheesy eggplant bake, but this got a little bit watery.

Still good though.

I’m hoping to continue my productive streak with work on school stuff and my binders project, but with new episodes of Grey’s and Bones available we’ll see how it goes!

Mug Shots

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It was another day without a workout, but I was very productive on the seated tasks front.  Plus, I snuck in a walk and a few planks, which is always better than nothing.

For breakfast I tried one of the new Chobani flavors.

0% Apple Cinnamon did not disappoint.  Now I’ve just got to locate the passionfruit flavor.

Lunch was a rerun of last night’s dinner.

A bowl of chili topped with a sprinkle of parmesan,

and a side of homemade olive oil crackers.

Just as good in leftover form.

I woke up late (I’ve got to get a handle on that before school starts in 11 days!) and spent several hours working on Window Shopping Wednesday posts.  Those suckers do not just write themselves; I can’t even imagine how time-consuming it would be to write a blog with actual content!

Around 2:00, I hopped into a much-needed shower and then headed off to the post office on foot.  Who is that girl with the long, blonde hair?

Goodbye, old passport photo.

I finished my journey back to the apartment just in time to catch the husband coming home for a 2 hour break. We hopped in the car and ran a few errands. During our travels we split a grape cola slushie.

Slushies make me ridiculously happy. You can’t get them where I grew up and on our college trip my junior year of high school I must have bought at least one a day.

I’ve spent my evening during school work and I’ve got a magazine project lined up for when I’m done.  I had to update my clinic book and professional portfolio and write several professional goals.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, but I understand why I’ve been putting it off.

Dinner was a vegetable fest.

Veggies roasted with cooking spray and salt, dipped in tons of ketchup.

I had a small pile of okra,

and a huge pile of green beans.

Both were delicious.  As I get more and more comfortable in the kitchen, roasted veggies are still the most comforting thing I know how to make.

A vegetable fest (note, fest not feast) is on the lighter side for an evening meal, but I knew that dessert was in my future.

Coffee cake in a mug!

This recipe is a 2 minute masterpiece.

Have you tasted any of the new Chobani flavors yet?  What is your number 1 favorite variety of Greek yogurt?