Poor Puppy

I had a few silly things to complain about, but the dog had another seizure today so that kind of all pales in comparison.  He’s doing ok now but we are going to have to meet with the vet soon and possibly rethink our strategy.

Regardless, it’s been a long day and just want to go to bed.  Keeping this quick…

Kit’s Organic Chocolate Almond Coconut Bar.

DSC01156

Pear.

DSC01133

Honey wheat Sandwich Thin with white bean truffle spread and tempeh.  (I ate the tempeh raw and I am officially never doing that again – I am still sooooo bloated and sick.)

DSC01130

1/2 serving Green and Black 70% Dark Chocolate.

DSC01135

Dannon Oikos Cafe Latte Greek Yogurt with Cascadian Farm Dark Chocolate Almond Granola.  Both are heavenly and the combo was fantastic.

DSC01160

Leftover stir-fry.  The last 2 servings each of roasted broccoli, white basmati rice, and copycat CF spicy cashew chicken went into a skillet with 1 tsp sesame oil and 2 large eggs.

DSC01166

DSC01161

Ridiculous cookie.

DSC01169

Please go give your pets a big smooch for me.

And We’re Off!

Today was officially my first day off (from both school and work) since January 20th!  42 days straight!!!  I didn’t even work full shifts for most of those days but it was still nice to have 24 hours all to myself for a change.

We didn’t do anything all that exciting with our newfound free-time but it still felt pretty damn nice.  We did a major grocery trip, started watching Battlestar Galactica (please tell me that the episodes are faster paced than the movie?!), and Adam currently has the guys over for poker.

Breakfast was a bowl of peanut butter and bananas, squared.

DSC01104

2% Banana Chobani Greek Yogurt topped with a sliced banana, 1 tsp of melted peanut butter and 1 crumbled Cascadian Farm Crunchy Peanut Butter Granola Bar.

DSC01099

So flipping good.

Lunch was even better.

DSC01114

I took enough Pho home last night for Adam and I to both have lunch with the leftovers.  I beefed mine up with some roasted broccoli and a soft-boiled egg.  Plus more Sriracha, of course.

DSC01118

The entire bowl was delicious and the egg yolk melting into the broth was so amazing that it almost made me cry.

For dessert we shared this plate of samples.

DSC01109

Oh Nuts! offered to send me their Passover Cake & Cookie Sampler and I happily accepted.

DSC01105

Neither of us liked the brownie piece (too dry) but we thought that the jam in the sandwich cookie and raspberry jelly roll was nice.  By the by, everything was gluten-free and kosher.

I also had an Adora calcium disk.

DSC01110

I am going to try to remember to take one every day for the next while, but I probably won’t blog about it again.

Dinner ended up being a (giant!) container of hot bar.

DSC01120

A little bit of mac and cheese and brussels sprouts and a bunch of chicken.  Apparently I was in the mood for protein.

I made the poker players some Mac and Three Cheese Cups but they were gone before I could snag one.  That’s a good sign!

What’s your longest run without a day off?

(Pho)ning It In

I regularly drop off the face of the blogging planet and I haven’t even started my next rotation yet!  It’s rumored to be time-consuming and exhausting, but I’m sure that won’t keep me from hitting my 30-days goal this time.  I mean, I made it an entire day the last round!

You missed – bubble tea with a friend, Adam and I splitting an entire bag of chips and dip for dinner, and other stuff that can’t have been that exciting because I honestly can’t remember any other food item from the past two days.

Also, the end of my purple hair.

DSC01062

DSC01064

I had to get rid of the streaks before my next rotation so I’m back to brown, albeit a darker, redder brown.  I’ll try to get a picture in good light this weekend.

Today was the end of my winter break make-up and an on-campus meeting before we switch placements (I’ve got five weeks of clinical rotation in a local hospital coming up on Monday).  Coffee was needed.

coffee

I earned a free coffee with a book store punch card so I went big (literally!) with a venti non-fat half-pumps toffee nut latte.  Note – I drank my giant coffee and a diet pop in lieu of water all day and I totally paid the price this afternoon.

I was running late this morning – we ran out of water in the middle of my shower!!! – and I packed a fairly ridiculous trio of foods for my breakfast/lunch.  A green pear.

DSC01073

A Honeycrisp apple.

DSC01072

And a package of Annie Chun’s Brown Sugar and Sea Salt Roasted Seaweed.

DSC01074

I wasn’t exactly full, but at least it all tasted good.

Our meeting got out a smidge early and three friends and I made it over to the mall for some high school-style fun.  We wandered, window shopped, and got froyo.

DSC01076

A little plain tart with tons of popping boba for me!

Unfortunately, my dehydration kicked in during the fun and I ended up getting hit with a bad migraine.  {Sorry to be such a downer guys!}  I made it home just in time to throw up in my own bathroom; always a plus.  Then I took medicine, and a nap, and managed to feel much better in an hour or so.

My boys joined me for the nap and this scene occurred –

nap

They are too cute.

Once I rallied, Adam and I headed out for a fun dinner.

DSC01088

DSC01081

Red Pepper might be my new favorite restaurant.  They gave us free tea and fried wontons,

DSC01080

DSC01078

and served me the best bowl of vegetarian Pho I’ve ever had.

DSC01091

Adam and I both thought that the broth was swoon-worthy.

DSC01093

DSC01097

DSC01089

I took the 2nd half of my trough home with me and we are quite excited for leftovers tomorrow.

‘Night!

Day One Of Thirty? {Again}

Complaints first – The chance for 8-hours of sleep passed before I even started this post.  All of my end of internship assignments are due on Friday and I’m freaking out.  I ate two snacks after dinner and I am still flipping hungry.

Complaints aside, it wasn’t a bad day.  We got lots (and lots) of shipments at work so I was nice and busy.

The morning started with smoothies.

smoothie

For two: 1 Thai young coconut, ~1 cup frozen blue/blackberries, 1 medium frozen banana, and 2 Tbsp Hey Shuga!  <– don’t forget, you still have another ~hour to enter my giveaway!

I didn’t have a lot of time for lunch so I kept it simple.  A Garuka Bar (from my yumvelope).

DSC01014

The sweet peanut butter coating was addictively good; I planned on snacking on it throughout a task but every time I tried to walk away I took another bite instead!

I also had a Fage 0% Greek Yogurt with Cinnamon Apple Raisins.

DSC01013

The flavor isn’t listed on the Fage website and I’ve only seen it at Target.  The apple compote was good, but nothing can really compare to the pure decadence of the honey and strawberry flavors.

I only had an hour between work and night class so Adam and I cashed in a coupon for Subway for dinner.

DSC01015

6 inch turkey with lettuce, tomato, green pepper, banana pepper, red onion, and honey mustard on Italian herb and cheese bread.

I knew my sandwich wouldn’t quite fill me up and I shared this peanut butter spoon with Webster when I got home.

DSC01018

Then I also had a plate of baby carrots with the last of some smoked gouda spread.

DSC01021

And a bag of Smart Fries.

smart fries

I ended up dipping my “fries” in yellow mustard.  And then I had a big glass of water; methinks I’m a bit dehydrated!

na na na na na na na na BANANA

It’s time for another two-day post.  Shhhhhh, don’t tell my mom!

The past 48 hours have been full of Bananas, but nary a vegetable has been seen.  Things haven’t technically been that busy, but it’s hard to post when you basically die into bed.

My last post left off at lunch.  After I finished up at the hospital for the day, I came home to decorate my cupcakes for book club.

DSC00456

Book club may have been hit hard by sickness and weather advisories this week, but that didn’t mean that the three of us who still got together didn’t deserve banana split cupcakes!

Banana Split Cupcakes, makes 12

Yield: 12 cupcakes; Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes

  • 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 large bananas, well mashed
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • 12 Tbsp hot fudge sauce
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 5 oz vanilla bean ice cream, fully melted
  • maraschino cherries
  • rainbow sprinkles
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Line a cupcake tray with 12 paper liners.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine mashed banana, white sugar, egg, and melted butter.  Stir to combine, then fold in flour mixture and mix just until smooth.  Fold in walnuts.
  4. Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter.  Spoon 1 Tbsp fudge sauce into each cup.  Top with remaining batter.
  5. Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Allow cupcakes to completely cool before icing.
  6. While cupcakes are cooling, use an electric mixer to beat together softened butter, powdered sugar, and melted ice-cream.  (This icing will keep best if stored in the fridge rather than at room temperature).
  7. Ice cupcakes then top with cherries and sprinkles as desired.

DSC00455

I know I’ve posted the recipe before but since almost nobody reads my blog, nobody has made the cupcakes yet.  And that is really unfortunate because they are one of the best things I’ve ever made.  I may not write a popular blog but I can write a damn good recipe!

I actually ended up eating my serving the minute it was decorated.

DSC00460

Then while my friends ate cupcakes I munched on BBQ Smart Fries.

DSC00467

But first we grabbed a quick and easy dinner at Wegman’s.

DSC00461

I got spicy crawfish chips,

DSC00463

and a brown rice California roll with a side of spicy mayo.

DSC00465

Then the three of us came back to my place for cupcakes (and Smart Fries!) and a movie.  We watched “The Perfect Family” on Netflix and all loved it.  Emily Deschanel was great as always and the entire film was surprisingly funny and smart.

I send my friends home with all of the cupcakes (except for two saved for Adam who was out-of-town the past few days) and when my sweet tooth called a few hours later I made an amazing yogurt banana split.  An Almond Coco Loco Chobani Flip topped with sliced banana, hot fudge sauce, a big scoop of ice cream frosting, and a cherry on top.

DSC00469

Maybe the best bowl of “ice cream” I’ve ever had.  The combination of tastes was amazing, and you better believe I ate another big scoop of frosting straight from the container!  This Flip was a billion times better than the key lime one; the coconut yogurt was perfection.

I only had to work a half shift today so once Adam got home we got to spend the entire day hanging out.  He’s traveled a lot this year and I’ve really missed him.  Speaking of which, I’m going to rush through Saturday’s (pathetic) eats so I can get back to snuggling.

Pomegranate Black Tea KeVita.  Have you entered my giveaway yet?

DSC00473

Mac and cheese from the co-op hot bar.

DSC00474

2% Chobani Banana topped with sliced plums.

DSC00480

Buffalo chicken pizza with blue cheese and baby carrots.

DSC00482

And a giant bowl of popcorn with melted butter.

DSC00485

My popcorn bowl was actually too big for me and I couldn’t finish it…. who am I???

P.S.  This is what’s happening beside me right now –

DSC00490

Baking Tasting

My breakfast was pathetic.  Someone {ahem!} only left behind a tiny bit of my Low-fat Coconut Chia Kefir.

DSC00403

I planned on taking it to-go and didn’t have time to grab anything else so I had to spend the morning hungry.  Even worse, I think Wegman’s isn’t going to carry that flavor anymore.

I spent my morning in the formula lab at the hospital and my afternoon in an off-site clinic and I had to drive through lunch.  I packed it simple with packaged things I could eat in the car.  Luna Blueberry Bliss Bar.

DSC00400

Normally I’m all about the chocolate flavors, but this blueberry flavor is one of my favorite Lunas.

Key Lime Crumble Chobani Flip.

DSC00397

After all my anticipation for this flavor, I actually didn’t really like it.  The yogurt was weirdly thin and every key lime Greek yogurt I’ve tried has tasted too artificial.  But I have an Almond Coco Loco Flip in the fridge that I’m still excited to try.

I didn’t realize how sore I was from yoga until my drive home.  Moving around during the day was fine but sitting for a long stretch on the highway was killer.  Last night’s practice kicked my butt.  <– I had to edit out a typo here where I wrote “butts.”  It’s a Freudian fat joke!

During the drive I also realized how hungry I was.  Days I don’t eat breakfast are a disaster because I end up eating so much crap in the afternoon.  I started with a sliced Honeycrisp.

DSC00412

And two Alexia Artisan Sweet Potato Rolls with butter.

DSC00413

But then I had to do some baking for tomorrow’s book club.

DSC00416

Adam wasn’t here this evening to help me taste-test and I did an insane amount of nibbling and bowl licking.

DSC00409

Plus I ate one of the (mostly) finished baked goods.

DSC00426

Delicious but so unnecessary.

At least dinner was healthy.

DSC00425

My black-eyed pea salad is so easy to make – BEPs, chopped green pepper, smoked almonds, chopped Kerrygold Vintage Cheddar, green Tabasco, done!

DSC00422

It’s quickly becoming my favorite dish.  There is even another serving in the fridge for tomorrow’s lunch.

I’m hoping that this weekend will include lots of baked goods and booze, but my goals for next week are bedtime, breakfast, and less sugar overload.  {and the Vegan 20 Day challenge!}

Two Days, Too Many?

My mom called to tell me that not posting yesterday ruined my 30 day streak.  But my focus wasn’t so much the daily posting as the posting of everything from each day.  I’ve decided that as long as I blog everything I eat it will count towards thirty days straight of blogging even if I have to do some recaps.  Thoughts?

The past 48 hours have included some really tasty things, but they have also included too many missed meals and way too much sugar.  I need to keep getting better about my sleep schedule.

I didn’t have breakfast together Tuesday morning so I just had coffee – half sweet, half regular – from the cafeteria.

coffee

Lunch was a fun assortment.  An apple.

DSC00322

A Cascadian Farm Crunchy Oats & Honey Granola Bar.

DSC00323

And an Artisana Cacao Bliss packet.

DSC00325

I planned on eating the coconut butter as a granola bar topping, but that got too messy and I ended up just spooning it into my mouth with a knife.  That stuff is so flipping good; like a coconutty chocolate frosting!

When I got home I ate two fun sized candies,  <– so unnecessary

DSC00350

and a Müller Strawberry FrütUp Yogurt.

DSC00347

A friend and I are doing a Vegan 20 Day challenge soon and I just can’t stop buying yogurt!

Adam and I haven’t seen much of each other lately so we decided to make Tuesday night Date Night and make use of our King and I Groupon.

DSC00352

DSC00355

We split the Tofu Tod to start.  //fried tofu with a sweet and sour peanut dipping sauce//

DSC00357

This is one of our favorite Thai appetizers and King and I did not disappoint.  We both kept grabbing spoonfuls of the sauce!

I went with the King and I House Noodles, vegetarian and Thai spicy.  //broad rice noodles with egg, vegetables, and ground peanut//

DSC00358

I wish my meal had come with more vegetables, but I was very impressed with the spice level.

DSC00360

Adam commented that he could *hear* how spicy my meal was so I must have been doing a lot of sniffling!  Sadly, his dish was too salty and he didn’t really love it.

The husband went with a coconut sticky rice and custard dish for dessert.

DSC00364

I took a few small bites, but decided to have these gummi candies instead.

DSC00365

They came from Wegman’s bulk bins and were totally to blame for the headache that caused me to lie down while taking off my boots, and end up falling asleep on top of the covers, fully dressed!

I was still pretty out of it this morning and I left for the hospital without so much as a scrap of food in my bag.  I bought this serving of Kashi Heart to Heart from the cafeteria.

kashi cereal

And I got Wegman’s hot bar after work to eat while I was journaling.

wegmans hot bar

Many veggies with some chicken (salad and dumplings) and pasta.

I ate a Honeycrisp when I got home.

DSC00372

And then I ate a bowl of gelato for dinner.

DSC00374

And did so with impunity; I topped it with a protein-rich Bare Naked cereal sample.

DSC00375

The Talenti Caramel Cookie Crunch was good and the combination was even better.

DSC00377

And it was exactly what I was craving.

In healthier news, I made it to yoga this evening!  60 minutes of hot yoga was amazing, every time I go I love it.  But – if I go both days this weekend I will have officially gotten 4 uses out of my unlimited pass, whoops!

I took advantage of my (messy) high yoga ponytail to show y’all my current hair.

DSC00386

The bottom is still good, but the top has lost a lot of color and has white streaks.

DSC00381

I have to go back to brown for my next internship placement so I won’t bother refreshing it, but I am still love-love-loving the purple.  FYI: It is very difficult to take a picture of your own hair!

purple hair

Cookie Sunday

Cookie Sunday, could that be a thing now please?  I had two today.  But everything else was healthy.  Now that we are trying to not be fat-fat-fatties we gotta keep things balanced.

Breakfast bowl.

DSC00271

The final serving of KIND maple granola (booo!  We need more asap!) with chopped peach and plum and Lifeway coconut chia kefir.

Tortellini salad from the co-op.

DSC00274

I split a cookie with Adam at the grocery store.

DSC00272

Yes, we were back at the store, I’m unable to do my shopping in any less than twenty trips a week.

Dinner was great.

DSC00290

Buffalo chicken nuggets (I have a recipe for you below) with blue cheese for dipping,

DSC00297

DSC00299

sautéed mushrooms,

DSC00302

and roasted broccoli.

DSC00304

I made us cookies for dessert.

DSC00307

no. 2 pencil’s single serve cookies (recipe actual makes 2 cookies) are genius, but I crunched the numbers and they have 360 calories each – not an everyday treat.  But they were perfect for Cookie Sunday.  <– is it a thing yet?

Buffalo Chicken Nuggets, serves 4

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2-3 Tbsp oil
  1. Put chicken pieces into a Tupperware and cover with buffalo sauce.  Marinate at least 4 hours.
  2. Combine cornmeal and cornstarch in a large ziplock baggie.  Add marinated chicken, seal bag, and shake until chicken is evenly coated.
  3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large pan over medium heat, add remaining oil to the pan as needed.
  4. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, place chicken in pan, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through.
  5. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate covered with paper towels to rest before serving.