get in maa bellahh

good morning everyone!

i got over 8 hours of sleep for probably the first time in 6 months or so

... today is a great day!

(the flowers are fresh cut from my mom's garden... i love you spring!)

some foodzzzz i has been scarfin':

english muffin topped with cottage cheese, chocolate PB2, cinnamon, and a few fresh strawberries.

strawberry shortcake, anyone?

dinner on sunday - black beans, 1/2 avocado, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, radishes, a HUGE blob of salsa, and a disgusting amount of seasonings.

Q: do you guys HEAVILY season your food?

i can't just eat anything plain anymore. everything is a blank canvas now :)

OIAJ - this is a gift of god. seriously.

in the mix: 1/3 c oats, 2 tbsp oat bran, pinch salt, 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, coffee to cook (maybe 1/2c?)

sweet, caramelly gooooooooddddddddnesss.

product review: PURE BAR cherry cashew (tj's - $1.49)

the taste was "meh." the nutritional stats were not "meh," however.

basically, it's a larabar with a few less nuts and rice protein substituted, but the calories/fats/protein is pretty similar. it's pretty nice for someone like me who tries to save their nut consumption for aforementioned OIAJ.

they are 100% raw and natural, so i would definitely keep them in mind in a pinch.

want a coupon? 

low and slow sweet 'taters, tomato sauce, hot sauce, and nutritional yeast.

two things -

1. homemade tomato sauce is INFINITELY better than canned.

... especially if you don't make it and your mom does all the work. score.

2. nutritional yeast is my new favorite non-meat protein source. i love it.

yeah, i'll jump on that blogger bandwagon.

do you guys use the website coupons, too?

hope your week's kickin' off right.

-r

ps - tonight is my cinco de mayo cooking demo at whole foods with miss stephanie and miss brittany!!!

wish me luck, and i can't wait to meet these lovely ladies.

family gatherings and product review.

how insanely gorgeous was the weather this weekend???

it was PERFECT here. so beautiful.

le sigh.

anyways, onto food, shall we?

i haven't been very good about taking pictures of my daily eats recently, but i think that's a good thing.

don't get me wrong, i love reading daily eats blogs (hello kath!). i think it can be really interesting to see how other healthy bloggers eat, but most of my food is pretty repetitive and not photogenic. think about when your stomach doesn't feel well... usually, that's not when you try out an exotic new thai dish. i tend to kinda think this way:

"um.. i'm hungry. helllloooo conveniently placed apple!"

you guys know what an apple looks like, right?

ok, i think we're on the same page.

also, i think it can be easy to get trapped into taking pictures of EVERY bite you put in your mouth. it can turn a bit obsessive, and i don't really want to head down that road. i enjoy my food with NO GUILT, and i enjoy the pictures i do take, so why fix it if it ain't broke? capishe?

just because it's been about a week since i bombed your google readers with a kitchen sink salad, here's your fill for this week.

spinach/kale base, bell peppers, cukes, avocado, tomatoes, radishes, carrot, strawberries, chopped dates, stacy's pita chips, salsa, hot sauce, and nutritional yeast!

om nom nom. cheeseeeeeeeee.

mom always jokes that i can't go back to school, because who will make her salads???

i'll hire an intern, mom. no worries.

also, a new addition to KSS (kitchen sink salads) worth sharing:

foodie review:

riceworks sweet chili rice chips

these are SO good! mom and i got a huge box to share from costco probably a month ago, and we've been slowly working our way through ever since! if you don't already crumble chips in your salads, you guys are seriously missing out. it's like croutons that don't taste like dirt!

they make quite a few flavors, but i've only had the chili. i can't wait to get my grubby little paws on some of the other varieties... especially the baked cinnamon!!!

they're made from whole grain rice and gluten-free, so they're pretty dang awesome for someone with food sensitivities (like my celiac sister).

want a coupon?

moving on...

want to see more of my snacks?

of course you do!

it's an apple, i swear.

nor is it a mutant - not stellar lighting, i'll admit.

my first savory oats experience!
- 2 tbsp oat bran
- 1/4 c rolled oats
- 1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk
- pinch salt
- insane amounts of black pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder

after i cooked it almost all the way, i stirred in a laughing cow swiss cheese wedge.

#@*$(@#$#@*$(@#$#@*$(@#$#@*$(@#$

i want more now!

like cheesy mashed potatoes,

but way better for you!

(not knocking the spuds...)

prime example of why i don't document everything i eat.

allow me to introduce you to daily breakfast:

- 1/2 c cottage cheese

- sprinkle stevia

- mixture of 2 kinds of cereal... usually trader joe's high fiber cereal and ezekiel cereal.

photographic yawn.

and it's 5:30am.

double yawn.

but tasty!?!?

we also had a little family get together on saturday.

usually, mom and i try to cook for the family on saturday since it's one of two nights dad's home for dinner (he works in illinois).

the crowd usually includes me, mom and dad, my little brother and sister if they aren't out on dates, my older sister and her guy, my nephew, and any other scragglers who are left high and dry and need some grub.

on the menu:

- roast

- mashed potatoes

- green beans

- roasted sweet potatoes (low and slow)

- mushrooms sauteed in red wine reduction

- ciabatta bread from tj's

- homemade fro-yo!

le spread.

my salad.

you know the deal/usual suspects.

taters.

oops.

i wanted to show you guys my shirt, but i forgot to put down my towel...

it says c'est la vie!

correct me if i'm wrong french-speakers,

but doesn't that mean it's the life?

it also has my favorite thing on it: a fleur-de-lis.

not sure when the obsession started, but i'm in love.

i think it's the combination of the old-world look of them and the shape. they're just so gorgeous and intricate. 

and finally,

check out my new tab.

if you're interested in why my life is the way it is (no school, work, etc.), check it out!

happy moday loveies!

-r

friday foodzzzz

i'm not quite sure why i'm not sleeping right now... i've been up since 4am and it's past midnight.

body, we need to talk. insomnia is SO 2009.

i didn't toss and turn or anything. i was just up and at 'em at around 4 something. it was a good thing, however, because shortly after my little sister got up to leave for her spring break. she and her buddy are driving to tampa, florida!!! when i was 18, there was NO WAYYYYY my mom would have let me do that. but i'm happy for her :)

some of her swag i picked up from wf...

cashew cookie larabars, justin's maple almond butter (!), ener-g brown rice bread, and cream of buckwheat. you know, normal stuff.

to send her off right, i made her some banana bread millet:

½ c millet

1 reaaaaally ripe banana (not sad to see him go!)

3 prunes

1 packet stevia

1 c milk

sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg

splash vanilla extract

how I did it, and what you shouldn’t do
I toasted my millet in the bottom of my pot first. That was all well and good. But I got the crazy idea (hey, it was 5am!) that it would be a good idea to go ahead and boil the milk in the micro so I could just add it right to the toasted millet. Sounds good, right? Well apparently I’m the only one who didn’t know that hot pot + hot liquid = hot explosion on your countertop.

it does.

after I washed the milk foam from all over hell and back, I brought the millet back to a boil, then cut it down to simmer for years and years… ok, more like 25 minutes or so. She loved it, so that’s all good.

because i'm a terrible blogger before sunrise, no pic. but here's another egg wrap to add to my growing collection:

1/2 c egg whites, pinch salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder, sauteed mushrooms.

sex on a plate!

after breakfast, my mom and I were supposed to go on a walk in our nice weather (it got to 85 here in Richmond!!), but she didn’t sleep much either, so we rescheduled until tomorrow. I went to the gym and started reading some new james patterson book. I got about 5 pages in, got bored, and talked to my friend zach for the rest of the time on the elliptical. today was an easy cardio day, so not too worried.

upon my return, i promtly snacked my face off on what else? cottage cheese oats!

1/2 c cottage cheese

1/2 c old fashioned oats

packet stevia

1/2 tbsp liquid crack (a.k.a. white chocolate wonderful!)

also, i daily consume about 10932043 cups of this:

deeevinee.

I threw myself at the bed for an hour after eating. It was gooood...

Eventually I reemerged, then went to California pizza kitchen for lunch with the boy!

 I hadn’t been in ages, and I totally forgot to take a picture because I was so hungry! the line to get in was CRAAAZY long today because of the nice weather, and the boy and i were not pleased. I got the grilled vegetable salad…

credit-o. because i was too hungry.

omg – it’s heaven. It has pretty much every grilled veggie you could ask for! grilled corn, asparagus, zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, and avocado. I didn’t even need salad dressing it was so good.

The boy and I shopped in urban outfitters and levi’s for a bit before he had to go back to work. I got a scarf!

And I wore it. Obviously.

... still squinting from that flash.

and i finally got to wear sandals!

After that, I pretty much sat inside on this gorgeous day like a bum.

But… I won my first giveaway!!! Tropical traditions coconut cream concentrate!

If you guys have any ideas on what to use it for, please share! Thank you to Stephanie!

Later, mom and my older sister and I got a girl’s night out! We graced Tara Thai with our presence.

 It was fantastic, as usual.

i ordered the plah goong - cashew shrimp in lime-chili sauce!

i get it everytime. i try so hard to pick something else, but it's just that good!

and now, food porno, friday style :)

we're pretty heavy drinkers, us three.

mine.

mom's.

kristen's.

sense a shrimp theme?

us too.

right before that, i was totally vanna white-ing my plate, but mom couldn't get the camera to work.

so now, i'm just cheesin'.

and my nightcap:

trader joe's berry blend, sprinkled with stevia.

so good frozen.

well i'm finally hittin' the sack. hope you guys had a great friday!

tomorrow i am going bikini shopping (eek!), then to a friend's house for a little pre-easter dinner.

i also have a post planned on soy... stay tuned :)

- r

whatever wednesday

hi there.

thought i'd drop you guys the most random post ever.

ready?

health update

today i had a follow-up at the homeopathic doctor who has been treating my battery of issues. basically, we think the supplements might have helped my brain get started in the morning (it had been REALLY rough to get up and going),  but they didn't address the main reasons we were there - pain/nerve response and fatigure. she reassessed me and we found a few more deficiencies that could be causing trouble. she put me on vitamin D3, licorice root, and thymus.... so i'm crossing my fingers! after almost 3 years of searching, it would be so amazing to be pain-free, but i would take 10% improvement! i would also really love to have some nerve function back... i miss things feeling how they used to.

on a completely unrelated note,

stolen from miss naomi... thanks girl!

i added a tablespoon of Turtle Mountain So Delicious Coconut Hazelnut Creamer to my cottage cheese, and holy crap! that's amazing! like ice cream :) am i the only one OBSESSED with cc right now?!?

kashi fans!

i'm sure i'm the last one to know this, but Kashi is giving away free samples of their new cereals! i signed up for the almond one. just fill out your info and they will ship it to you! hurry before they run out. and can i just say they have a great recipe database? i'm lovin' it.

girl talk

i decided today i'm finally going to give in to the trend and jump on the skinny jeans bandwagon..

yeah, i know, but they're so stinkin' cute! and why on god's green earth am i going to torture myself through weekly squats if i get no benefit from it!??!!

here's my next purchase...

from my local joint Need Supply Co,

i love Need, y'all. the clothes are so unique, and the jean wall is bangin'! i had been in before, but didn't really enjoy it until i went jean shopping with my guy... he was super patient. i love jeans, but it's so frustrating to find the perfect pair! especially over these runner's thighs i got goin' on.

happy hump day, all!

-r