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*AMBER512's Recent Blog Entries
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Friday, April 16, 2010
Hello everyone! I have been taking a break from trying new foods lately, so I haven’t had much to write about. But I did finally have my southwestern breakfast. It was originally going to be a southwestern omelet with some hashbrowns like I was supposed to get when we went to the coast. Instead, it evolved into me wanting “dip dip” eggs like my Grandma used to make me.
I think what she made were “over easy” eggs, although I prefer them more “over medium” now. All I know is that the yolks were not fully cooked and I could dip my toast into it. Hence, grandma’s “dip dip eggs.”
I made two eggs over medium and toasted two slices of low-sodium Ezekiel bread.
On the side is my southwestern hash. I cooked up frozen diced potatoes and added bell peppers, green onions, and black beans. After I had taken the pictures I decided to top it with salsa.
So tasty and it kept me full and satisfied for HOURS. Yum!
I also had a fun time when I went to buy some shorts for this summer. I grabbed a pair that looked like they might work, but I was truly amazed that they not only fit, but fit well! And….they were a size 12! I was shocked, surprised, and just about cried. I found my husband and did a little happy dance right there in the store. I’m sure I looked like a complete dork, but I was so happy!
They may have only been a few dollars, but I was pretty jazzed.
Later on, I had a green monster as a snack and then a light dinner since I was pretty full from lunch still. I have found that I don’t want a dessert at night if I have cereal or oatmeal for dinner. I think it’s because I always have a yogurt with it. Although, I tried just having some yogurt for dessert and wasn’t satisfied. I don’t know why, but my body just likes to end the day with a satisfying sweet.
Do you have a sweet tooth? What satisfies it?
Monday, April 12, 2010
I got on kind of quinoa kick after the santé fe quinoa I made for Easter. So I decided to try the breakfast quinoa recipe I have been meaning to try for at least a month now. Most of my meals take only about 15 minutes, so if they take longer than that I tend to put them off.
What I didn't want to put off is buying some more spinach. I knew I was going to be making green monsters all week so I got a giant bag.
I decided to try one with greek yogurt instead of milk or water.
It was creamier than usual, but it didn't really add much in the flavor department.
But anyway, back to the breakfast quinoa!
Breakfast quinoa is basically swapping quinoa for oatmeal. It is higher in protein and fiber so it is a good way to switch things up, especially if you’re getting sick of oatmeal.
The recipe was inspired by Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point, of course. You can scroll down to see the original recipe here.
www.healthytippingpoint.com/recipes/
baked-banana-and-goji-berry-oatmeal
But, this is what I did.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup raw quinoa
1/4 cup milk
1 banana, sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Directions:
Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Put 2/3 cup of water and the quinoa in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn heat down to medium, cover and let simmer for 12-15 minutes until the water has been absorbed.
After it is done cooking add the rest of the ingredients except for the brown sugar.
Cook on medium low, stirring constantly until the banana is mostly melted and the milk has evaporated (about 5 minutes).
Plate and top with brown sugar
First off, let me say the taste was alright and the smell was FANTASTIC. I absolutely love the smell of cooked bananas and cinnamon. The texture to me was just horrible though. It would be perfect if you like your oatmeal mushy. I am toying with either making it again and just using oats, or possibly adding some slivered or sliced almonds to it, to try and give it a better texture.
Have I convinced you to try any quinoa recipes yet?
Monday, April 05, 2010
I hope you and yours had an amazing Easter. We made it to my cousin's house and Aubrey's grandma's house. So glad to get to catch up with some family and try new foods.
I wasn't sure what foods would be available so I wanted to make sure that I would get some fruit and veggie servings in so I enjoyed a chocolate green monster.
2 cups raw spinach
1/2 frozen banana
1 tablespoon pea protein
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup water
2 packets of Stevia
and a couple of frozen strawberries
I actually didn't overeat, which is a first for me since starting Sparkpeople when it comes to the holidays. There are too many foods that I think "hey, I ONLY eat it this time of year so I better get my fill!" I did eat more deviled eggs than one needs to, but I didn't get that uncomfortable stuffed feeling that I've had before. I also tried red velvet cake for the first time. It was alright, but the buttercream frosting was AMAZING. I could take a bath in that stuff.
But the day made me realize that I truly do need to cut back on the amount of sugary things I eat. I don't eat total crap, but I do love my fruit and I know there is some sugar in my cereal and yogurts. While I don't plan on cutting them out, I am going to concentrate on cutting back and eating more healthy fats, like nuts and more veggies.
One fun thing about the holidays is that I can try out new recipes and see what our family thinks of them. I introduced quinoa to a few people that had no clue what it was! I did confess that I had only tried it with my Double Broccoli Quinioa recipe ( www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_jo
urnal_individual.asp?blog_id=2891124 ), but that I was trying a Sante Fe version I found.
It was pretty good, but I am definitely going to make changes next time. First thing is to have about half as much corn and replace that with bell pepper. I had a tiny amount of bell pepper in the fridge that I added, but it definitely needs more. The bell pepper really gave it an awesome crunch.
It's very pretty, but I think it needs even more color. Probably split the bell pepper between a red one and an orange one to get my full amount of antioxidants!
(as usual, I did not add salt to mine, but I listed the amount since others like it)
Sante Fe Style Quinoa
Ingredients
1½ cups water
½ cup mild picante sauce (I had salsa on hand, so I used that)
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well under cold running water
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup fresh or frozen yellow corn, cooked, drained, and cooled (originally this was 1.5 cups)
3/4 cup bell pepper, diced (original recipe didn't call for)
4 scallions (green and white parts), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon EVOO
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, picante sauce, quinoa, cumin, salt and pepper. (Next time I'm going to add the picante sauce, or salsa after I cook the quinoa, I think it will taste better that way). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for five minutes. Uncover and toss with a fork.
While quinoa cooks, add the other ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Place in refrigerator to cool if serving cold.
When quinoa is done either add the remaining ingredients to the pot to serve warm, or add quinoa mixture to the bowl and place in fridge for two-three hours to serve cold.
We knew we were going to be taking it to a couple of family functions so we decided to serve it cold. I will definitely make it again with the changes I noted above.
Did you have a good Easter? Try anything new?
Saturday, April 03, 2010
I have not been doing well with trying new meals lately. I keep getting the desire to try something new, but then I start looking through all of my choices and realize I’d have to go shopping to make half of them and the other half don’t sound that great.
I had been craving a southwestern omelet ever since I couldn’t get one at the coast, so I bought all of the stuff to make it and I haven’t wanted one since then. Every time I have planned to have it for lunch, I just think “yuck, not today.”
Or I will get bogged down by the multitude of choices and just get overwhelmed and choose to have something I know will be filling. Especially when I have to go somewhere; I don’t want to chance being completely unsatisfied by my meal.
So yesterday, I stuck to something I know is tasty and filling. Chobani yogurt, a banana, and Kashi Go Lean with cinnamon and a tiny bit of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
A few days ago I did try an “unovernight oats” idea from Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point. www.healthytippingpoint.com/2010/03/
un-overnight-oats.html
Instead of actually soaking the oats overnight, you add the yogurt only about 10 minutes before you want to eat. The oats still soak up the yogurt, but take on a chewier texture.
I used a vanilla Chobani and about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon with more sprinkled on top right before I ate it. It was alright, but probably would have been tastier if I had used one of the fruit-flavored kinds.
On the side I had a banana and half an ounce of almonds.
I tried again later with letting it actually soak overnight. And I used less yogurt to the amount of oats I was using.
Again, pretty tasty, but I’m not a huge fan. It makes me crave eating oats with yogurt on the side. I have just gotten bored with all of my oatmeal recipes so I thought I’d try something new.
Let me know if you have tried and loved anything new lately. Was it tasty? Filling? Does it use ingredients you normally have on hand?
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
As an update to my last blog :
So I did try adding unsweetened cocoa powder! I did add an additional packet of Stevia and blended up the amazingness. AWFUL color! But trust me, tasted pretty darn good!
Frozen Strawberries - 35 grams (about 3 small)
Frozen Banana - 50 grams (about half a small banana)
Spinach - 65 grams (about two cups)
Almond milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Pea Protein - 8 grams (about a tablespoon)
Unsweetened cocoa - 5 grams (about a tablespoon)
Three packets of Stevia (to taste)
135 calories ; 22g carbs ; 3g fat ; 11g protein
Throw it in a blender, throw in a straw, ignore the color, be amazed at the great taste, and drink to your health!
I also tried some freeze-dried fruit from Target today.
I had half of each bag, sharing the rest with Aubrey. It's a lot of sugar (which I could feel COURSING through me afterwards) but the taste is great.
Organic Banana and Organic Cinnamon
Organic Banana, Organic Pineapple, Apple, and Papaya
I would probably have only half a bag of just one kind next time so I wouldn't have such a sugar high. Although I did drink the chocolate green monster afterwards, so I didn't stay feeling crazy for long.
If you missed my full blog on green monsters, visit this link
www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_jo
urnal_individual.asp?blog_id=3064999
and have a great day!
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Member Comments About This Blog Post:
on the new shorts, that had to be really worth a Happy Dance. Hash looks good as does the eggs.
