Tag Archives: yogurt

Hello, Old Friend

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It’s finally time for my favorite treat of the season –

Silk Soy Nog seriously makes me so happy!  It tastes just like (actually, better than!) regular egg nog but only has 90 calories for half a cup and no saturated fat.

The Silk Nog actually showed up at the grocery store back in early November, and it’s possible I had went into crisis-mode because I thought that meant it would be gone before it was seasonally appropriate.  Thankfully Silk products have a long shelf-life, so Adam bought me two cartons just to get me to stop whimpering!

I like Silk Nog straight from the carton, in coffee, and in overnight oats, but today’s smoothie might have been it’s best use yet.

For 1, blend –

  • 1 medium frozen banana
  • 1/2 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
  • 3 Tbsp malted milk powder
  • 1/2 cup Silk Soy Nog

Topped with seasonal sprinkles for funsies.

It was thick, and sweet, and Christmas-y, and perfect.

I had a late breakfast because I spent my morning at the dentist.  My teeth are perfect and now they feel nice and squeaky clean.  On of our friends is a hygienist at the practice so it was more like catching up with a friend (literally!) than a scary appointment.  I’m not sure what will happen with lunch because I’m actually leaving the house this minute to pick up a school friend.  We are heading over the Buffalo Centre for the Treatment of Eating Disorders to get in some observation hours.  I’ll see you this evening!

Not My Birthday

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It’s Adam’s birthday so I’m going to keep this post quick and cursory.  Well, it’s sort of his birthday.  But not really.  I’ll explain in a minute.

This morning was about as lazy as it gets.  I stayed in bed until past noon and it was glorious.  Then Adam and I headed out for a late lunch at Mangoz, a new Jamaican place in our neighborhood.

We split a plate of stewed chicken with plantains and beans and rice.

It was amazing.  The best Caribbean food either of us has had since leaving home.

And they had pink Ting.

We’ll be back.

My one accomplishment today was a quick trip to the gym.  30 minutes on the elliptical, random level 6.  And I did some studying while I worked out.  Followed by a super quick stretch/strength session.

But that was sort of where the productivity ended.  We decided to spend the day doing fun stuff (in celebration of Adam turning 26 tomorrow).  Adam opened all of his presents a day early.

And I even made an effort to fix my hair.

We went to the mall so Adam could use a gift certificate at Dicks, and cashed in a coupon for Aunt Annie’s as well.

We split this pretzel, slathered in mustard.

The husband’s choice for birthday dinner was Indian food.  I got a fig lassi.

And we split a paneer pakora (fried cheese) for an appetizer.

I got the vegetable Korma, with extra okra, for dinner.

I demolished it.  I made three plates, and ate every last drop (literally!).

I made myself a little bit ill, but that didn’t stop me from drinking 90% of this coffee milkshake I “shared” with Adam.

Whoops.  And now we’re gleefully watching tv.

It’s been a good day, even if it’s not my birthday (or the husband’s!).

Ingrid and I

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It’s been a back-and-forth sort of day.  My travels included –

  • home to school
  • school to the WNY Food bank (in a friend’s car)
  • WNYFB to the Broadway Market (carpool)
  • Broadway Market back to school (carpool)
  • school to the post office
  • post office to Wegmans
  • Wegmans to Batavia!
  • Batavia back home
  • home back to school
  • and finally school back to home

Whew!  Way too many miles for my poor little gas tank.

For our last class of the semester, my coordinated program group took a field trip.  We donated the money we earned from the Chili Sale to the Food Bank of Western New York, so we went there today to take a tour and give them our check in person.  The tour was fascinating; a staggering amount of food (1.5 – 2 million pounds) is moved through the food bank each month.

I ate this Stonyfield yogurt drink on my first drive to school,

and these grapes during the drive to the food bank.

I also packed an Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookie for everyone in the car.

Good reviews all around!

Our next stop was the Broadway Market.

It was fun to see, but I doubt I’d go back.

One of my classmates bought a fig cookie from one of the stands a shared a bite with me.

Shockingly for me, I actually found this to be too sweet.  But the sprinkles were fun.

When we got back to school I had time to print of the last of my notes for final exams before I was off on errands.  I stopped at Wegman’s at 12:30 for a 15-minute lunch.

Food, that wasn’t very good.

I had two different types of brussels sprouts and both were basically raw.  Plus the German Potato Salad (on the right) ended up being more cheese than potatoes.  I’m not saying it wasn’t tasty, but I am saying it wasn’t healthy.

And a coffee with skim milk and two sugars that I dumped down the front of my shirt while driving on the highway.

I’ve had better lunches.

I was driving out to Batavia – 50 minutes each way – for a job interview.  They won’t know for a few weeks and a lot of other (more qualified) people have applied, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

My long drive was made exponentially more pleasant thanks the new-to-me Ingrid Michaelson CD my friend Kim burned for me.

I loved it!  The sound reminded me a lot of Regina Spektor’s 2nd album, Far.  And there were several songs that I had previously enjoyed but not recognized as Michaelson’s.  Her song “Snowfall” has been my favorite Christmas (or anytime!) song since I heard it on Bones last year. 

How gorgeous is that?

I had enough time before my final event to run home to take a quick shower and make Adam and I the world’s fluffiest smoothie.

For two – combine 1 cup skim milk, 3/4 cup h2o, 3 Tbsp malted milk powder, and 1 scoop chocolate whey protein.  Blend for far too long and you get chocolate malted air.

That big glass literally felt like nothing was in it, but at least it tasted good!  And my 150 calorie serving was surprisingly filling.  Oh the power of protein.

I was back on campus because my friend Janessa and I volunteered to run a nutrition table at the relaxation fair our college was putting on.

We were there two hours and were very pleased to see many students take an interest in our table.

I snagged a popcorn bag from a neighboring snack table,

which sparked the craving for this snack when I got home.

I’ve actually been munching my way through the bag while I typed this post!  Plus two unphotographed cookies that snuck in after I hooked up the camera.

Are you an Ingrid Michaelson fan?  How about Regina Spektor?

By The Magazine

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Last day of school before a 5 day break, what what?!!  I was actually super busy all afternoon but something about not having to go to class tomorrow just made the whole day feel 100% fun.

I rolled over to look at the time this morning and it was already 7:15.  It’s possible my alarm didn’t beep, but more likely that I turned it off in my sleep.  Breakfast was on the go, and rushed.  A perfect pear,

and this Orgain Iced Cafe Mocha protein drink.

I bought the drink on super-sale at the Co-op and it wasn’t really what I was expecting.  It wasn’t thick or sweet at all, which would normally be nice but was strange when I was expecting the opposite.  But the nutrients did a good job of filling in my morning.

And then we had cake.

I’ll tell you again, that my classmates all loved the crock-pot cake.  Even if you don’t win my giveaway I suggest making it at home.

Amid afternoon activities, lunch was eaten in parts.  First, a strange-sounding yogurt bowl.

Activia Selects French Pineapple yogurt with canned pumpkin and shredded coconut.

I know that combination sounds strange, but it was pretty good.  Pumpkin Colada?

Plus a bag of popcorn.

And a Biscoff spoon.

I’ve had this jar of Biscoff open for more than a month now and I’m sort of not sure how there’s still any left.

Dinner was Tomato-Vodka Soup and Scones, both magazine recipe finds.

The Tomato-Vodka Soup was from Everyday with Rachael Ray.

I skipped the spices and rim rub, only used half of the vodka, and substituted light for heavy cream.

The Easy Scone recipe was from Woman’s Day.

I used light cream instead of heavy again, but otherwise left this one alone.

Both were delicious.

But I’m not the hugest tomato soup fan (I made this for the husband mostly) so I left behind the 2nd half of my bowl.  Instead I ate a 2nd scone.

With Smart Balance Light and honey.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Duncan Hines giveaway.

Are You Having A Good Life?

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I got something like 4 hours of sleep last night.  I’m not ready for either of today’s two exams.  I’m tired and cranky, x 10.

But yesterday evening I spotted an e-mail in my inbox from Fage and Foodbuzz about winning a trip to Greece by posting about the Greek tradition of “Good Living.”  They defined good living as having a positive, healthy life and I’m inclined to agree. 

So last night I set myself up at the mantle.

I’m healthier, happier, and less likely to fall asleep if I study while standing rather than sitting.

And this morning I took the time to make a healthy, tasty breakfast.

Though I did make sure it could be eaten quickly, and with one hand!  Today won’t be fun or easy, but at least it is off to a good start.  I think that pursuing a good life means making an effort to be healthy and positive, and that the little steps you take towards this goal are the ones that really matter.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie, serves 1

  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp dried cinnamon
  1. Blenderize.
  2. Sip.
  3. Swoon.

“As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway“

P.S.  Earn my love; who sings the song with the lyric from the title?

No Sleep Makes Strange Cravings

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Hello, hello. It’s been a long time (48+ hours!) since I’ve posted and it’s felt even longer. It’s been a crazy couple of days. My meals since I last blogged have been anything but impressive, but it kind of made me want to post all the more since I’m trying to put it all out there. I will add the disclaimer though that this is a *do not as I do* post 😉

I didn’t tell y’all last time, for obvious security reasons, but Monday was Adam’s 1st 24-hour shift at the hospital. It went very well, but I’m still glad that he’ll get to sleep at home most nights this year! I was tired, he was tired, the dog was tired.

<– That’s the scene I walked in on Tuesday afternoon. Swoon.

I had a ton of schoolwork to catch up on and was worried about sleeping without Adam so I pulled a bit of a 24-hour shift myself and only slept 2 hours on Tuesday night. <– this was a terrible idea, but more on that in a minute. I studied mostly standing at the mantle, which was lovely, and had a civilized midnight snack of tea with skim milk and dark chocolates.

Since I packed lunch before my all-nighter, Tuesday’s meals got off to a good start. I mixed together a Stonyfield 0% Chocolate Underground Yogurt with pumpkin puree and the end result was pretty amazing.

I also packed some citrus.

I ended up eating just the tangerine and giving away the orange.

And I bought a coffee – with tons of skim milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon – during a break in class.

Brunch was tasty, but not very filling, so when I came home to my sleeping family I stole a slice of Adam’s Newman’s Own White Pizza.

I also ate this fruit packet.

Wednesday (today) involved a major test and a major paper, so working on practically zero sleep Adam and I knew to grab hot bar for dinner Tuesday night.

An Indian dish and some tofu,

veggies,

which included some “Asian” Brussels sprouts that we so wildly good I almost drove back to Wegman’s to buy more!

I also snacked on a bowl of pretzels and coffee & cream malted milk balls.

And then the evening took a turn South. It’s possible I had a full-scale meltdown and confirmed that I’m now too old to pull all-nighters. Writing my paper involved such dramatic sobbing that I had to reprint a copy of my article because I got it wet with tears. Pathetic, I know.

When I did wrap things up, around 2am, we both celebrated with bowls of Lucky Charms.

Thanks for the cereal, husband, and for loving me in spite of me!

Tuesday I was too tired to be tired (if that makes sense) but today I felt every single missed hour of sleep. Meet breakfast –

And lunch –

Why, yes, classmate wondering why I’m photographing two bags of combos at 10am, I do write a healthy living blog.

But my paper was turned in and my test was at least passed, so today wasn’t a total fail. All I wanted to do at 4:30 when class finished was go home and sleep, but instead I headed to work. Tonight was my final shift which was actually sort of sad. I suppose I won’t miss random strangers calling me an asshole and hanging up, but the whole getting paid thing was nice.

When I got out at 9, I picked up Adam so we could fulfill the strangest food craving I’ll ever have – a McDonald’s Fillet-O-Fish Sandwich.

I hate McDonald’s. I’ve never even tasted this sandwich before. But for some reason I was smelling it all afternoon and it was driving me crazy.

This wasn’t even good (I was right, McDonald’s is gross) but at least I can move forward now.

P.S. I still have to shower (it’s after midnight) and tomorrow I have to *start* studying for Friday’s giant test so if you think tonight’s post was whiney and/or incoherent you probably should wait to read again until this weekend!

Have you ever craved a food that you’ve never tasted before?

Yay, Buffet!

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It was a good weekend end.  It’s been great having my brother-in-law in town for a quick visit.  I managed to have a good balance of work/schoolwork/and fun today too.

We started our morning with smoothies.

1.5 cups of mango puree, 1.5 Tbsp honey, 1.5 cups frozen peaches, and 1 container of Stonyfield Mango and Honey Low-fat Yogurt; split three ways.

This was the last of the mango puree but I definitely plan on purchasing more soon.

My smoothie made me shiver, so I made a cup of tea to warm up with.

2 bags of red velvet tea steeped in skim milk.  It was tasty, but the dog snuck his snout in halfway through so I had to abandon it.  I moved on to pizza leftovers instead.

Atop notecard making.  Holy crap do I ever still have a lot to do before Wednesday’s exam!

I did take a mid-day study break to go to Brawler’s Deli with the boys for lunch.  Their portion sizes are ridiculous; check out this half of Adam’s sandwich!?!

My meal was healthier, but equally big.

A side salad with a bit of balsamic and spicy mustard on top,

a cup of gouda beer soup,

and Adam’s side of cole slaw.

I ate all of the cole slaw, 3/4 of the salad, and 2/3 of the soup, when the game reached halftime and the Pearl Street Staff set out a huge (free!) buffet.  Score!

I took some fruit, carrots, and spinach and buffalo chicken dips with chips.  All tasty.

After my brother-in-law left, Adam and I spent the afternoon hanging out until I had to go to work.  Dinner had to be simple since my shift started at 6, mac and cheese leftover from last week.

Plus some amazing cookies (recipe’s coming tomorrow) when I got home.

Also plus 2 servings (?!) of Lindt truffles that were eaten on the couch and out of reach of the camera.  Whoops.

It’s going to be a busy week, I’ve got to get to bed!

Smoothie, Sandwich, Stir Fry

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Y’all will not even believe what I did this morning … Started my day with a trip to the gym!  It wasn’t a long visit – 25 minutes on the elliptical, level 6 random – but after my month+ hiatus it felt good to be back.  Now I need to hurry to bed so there’s a possibility of me making it back to the gym tomorrow!

I didn’t have much time when I got home, but between showering and peeling the dog off of my boots I managed to make Adam and myself tasty smoothies.

The secret ingredient was MANGO.

I’ve been eyeing that can of sweetened mango pulp at Wegmans for months.  I’d been resisting, but once I remembered that we had some frozen peaches to use up I finally bit.  For two servings I blended –

  • 1 cup mango pulp
  • ~ 1 cup frozen peaches
  • ~ 1 cup Stonyfield Plain Fat-free Yogurt
  • ~ 1 Tbsp honey

They were delicious.

I wish breakfast had been a bit more filling though, because lunch was a long time coming.  I had to get through three classes and a group meeting first.  Since I decided to stay on campus until my shift at work I ended up having to buy food in the bookstore coffee shop.

I know that sandwich looks divine, but I sort of hated it.  I ordered the (pre-made, then toasted) turkey with cheddar and chipotle mayo and regretted it every bite.  There was way too much turkey, way too much cheese, and the cheese had a gross plastic texture.

I ate 2/3 of it, sadly.  Normally, my rule is that I do not eat anything that I don’t a) love or b) need for nutrients; but I was stuck, starving, and not about to drop down more cash for something else.

I should have just gone home anyways because between tiredness and hunger I didn’t get a damn thing done.  I actually curled up with my backpack and took a nap; shhhhh!

After a good shift at work, I came home to stir fry veggies for dinner.

No pasta or egg this time, just veggies, since my massive sandwich gave me a dose of carbs and protein.

The vegetables are always my favorite part anyways.  (Have you tried my riceless stir-fried rice?)

What should I make with the rest of my mango pulp?