If I really want to I can have a few cups of coffee in my favorite mug while reading old copies of Bon Appetit and planning my day.I can do nothing but relax all morning. Have a snack. And go for a run. A slow run, so I can look at the scenery and appreciate every second of it, since I do not have time to exercise during the week.Mixed Nuts, Dates, one lonely Fig

I can have whatever I am feeling like for lunch, and go back for more yogurt since my refrigerator is mere feet away. I have no meetings to run to and housework can wait.Last of my baby spinach, leftover roasted pumpkin with cinnamon, 1 diced apple, roasted Brussels sprouts and 1 cup Greek yogurt, gingersnap granola, cinnamon and apple butter.

And lastly, I can take a spoon straight to the dark chocolate peanut butter jar, and declare lunch a victory.No one has to know that I took an extra “finger swipe” before closing the jar .

Happy Weekend,

Nora

What is your favorite part about the weekend?

I’m all smiles. The fall weather is finally here. After my run today all that I wanted was a gigantic bowl of hot oatmeal. It was creamy, fluffy and soul satisfying. Hot peanut butter with banana and warm berries—get out of town! The instant oats make this dish extra fluffy and the rolled oats give it a hearty chew. This bowl was huge and I loved every bite.

Before my run I had a banana and during my run I had this Honey Stinger energy gu.  Honey Stinger is  all natural but WAY too sugary. For the first time in a long time I decided not to put honey in my oatmeal because this turned me off. My banana was super soft and sweet. I sometimes like when they are over ripe like this. It reminded me of the painting my mom put in my apartment yesterday.Would you believe my mom painted this?? She hung it over my microwave. I will think of her every morning while I am making my oatmeal .

On my long run days I become a ravenous beast. Not even 3-hours later I needed lunch and there was no time for a photo. I made a gigantic salad with spinach, black beans, cucumber, tomato, 2 large grated carrots, hummus, a side of whole wheat toast with blackberry jam, strawberries and more honeydew melon than I care to admit eating. This was followed by an afternoon snack of hot chocolate and Greek yogurt topped with vanilla almond granola, dried cranberries, mixed nuts and cashews. Oh–I’m obsessed with cashews. Those buttery bundles made my afternoon wonderful.

I’m currently cuddled up with Truffle on my couch keeping warm.

I have a bit of a comfort dinner planned for this cool day. It’s a recipe from Food and Wine that I have had my eye on for a while and I’m really excited to give it a try.

Sunday,

Nora

1 jumbo egg, 2 extra large egg whites (what we had on hand). Zucchini, Mushrooms, Cherry Tomato. Italian Herb Blend. Pizza Cheese (Mozzarella and Provolone Blend).

I love running. It is so peaceful and freeing. I went for another “Long Sunday Run” with my dad this morning and did a surprising 12-miles! I only run a few days a week and never more than 3. Having a long run Sunday with my dad is something that I truly enjoy.

I came home to Scotty Skillet and made this awesome fritatta for one. I sauteed my veggies stove top, added the eggs and cheese and let it finish under the broiler. DELICIOUS! I love Scotty Skillet.

Before my run I had a standard toasted whole wheat English muffin with almond butter and 1/2 of a banana (the other half was immediately devoured when I got home!).

In the afternoon, I went to church with my parents. On the way home we noticed a sign that said “Blackberries“. A farmer down the street from our house has a berry patch and I have been anxiously waiting to see the blackberry post ever since my mom and I went there for raspberries. I have a thing for blackberries and these are sweet and huge! I can’t wait to eat them all week…if they last that long! It was nice to go berry huntin’ and spend time with my mom.

And now I am doing another thing I love–COOKING! I’m busy in the kitchen making my “Make Ahead Indian” dish for dinner tomorrow. Here’s what’s boiling: I will tell you what this is tomorrow .

Enjoy,

Nora

What are your favorite things to do on a Sunday?

I was running at the same pace as some man I have never met so he started talking….and talking and talking. He kept informing me of how many minutes we had been running for and how far we had run. He told me at the end we had actually run about 11.2 miles in 90-minutes. Having him by my side the entire way forced me to run a little bit faster than I normally would have. Not a bad thing but again….my legs are in pain.

After the run I drank approximately 14 cups of Gatorade and water and devoured the second half of my morning banana. I beat my dad to the kitchen and decided to try and replicate a “Daddy Omelet”. I failed miserably. I  overfilled it and did not let the egg properly coat the pan. WHOOPS.1 whole egg, 2 egg whites, lots of “pizza blend” cheese (mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, swiss), tomato, basil. mushrooms and left over green beans. 8-grain 3-seed toast with raspberry jam.

Even though it looks messy, it was delicious. I’m about to scour for more food. I can already feel myself growing hungry and I finished this about 30-minutes ago! Ah—the power of a long run.

NEED.MORE.FOOD.

Never Moving Again,

Nora

“Hot Feet run in the morning, then cold brews in the afternoon.”

YES PLEASE! I was having a crazy day so his  message was really appreciated. I spent much of yesterday driving to appointments, running around at work and making phone calls. Did I mention that it all started with an 8am fender bender? It was nothing serious. I was rear-ended at a traffic light and my bumper has a few scratches. I’ve never had to deal with something like this before and spent a good amount of time on the phone with a lady from my insurance company. Despite the craziness, all was not lost. I think I found an apartment with a real kitchen . Is it weird that I already have a list of goodies I want to make? At the end of August my blog will become a LOT more interesting. I can’t wait!

I went for a run this morning to prepare for my Sunday. I am planning to run about 10-miles so preparations are necessary. I fueled with a Super-Charge-Me Cookie and ran a light 3-miles. I have been playing around with a few “pre-run” foods and think I am going to wake up early and have peanut butter and banana toast before my long run. The best fuel for me seems to be some combination of banana and peanut butter.

When I got back I made a Green Monster Smoothie in a Bowl. I love cooling down with a refreshing breakfast. And this one had Dark Chocolate Dreams!

Blender: 1 frozen banana, 1 cup vanilla soy milk, 1 scoop Dark Chocolate Dreams PB, 1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder, 2 handfuls of spinach, cinnamon, ice.

Toppings: Vanilla Granola, Coconut Butter, Handful of Blueberries (at the bottom of my bowl haha).

Lunch today is another “whatever-isn’t-spoiled-in-my-fridge” production.

Salad: Spinach, Cucumber, Tomato, Radish, Olive Oil/Balsamic

Sandwich: Thick slice of 8-grain 3- seed bread, sunflower seed butter, Crofter’s Europe Superfruit Spread.

I actually was really satisfied with lunch yesterday. I had a small snack later in the afternoon but it held me over quite nicely. The 8-grain 3-seed bread is really dense and hearty. A thick slice with nut-butter filled me right up! Amazing and delicious.

Planning a little treat for dinner tonight, can’t wait!!

Weekend Plotting,

Nora

Do you make weekend plans during the week?

]]> http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/07/29/hot-feet-cold-brews/feed/ 7 http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/07/05/oat-trophy/ http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/07/05/oat-trophy/#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:23:37 +0000 Nora http://www.livelifeeatright.com/?p=2445

I heard a knock on my door this morning, “Nora….want to run to the high-school with me?” It was my dad. Without hesitation I screamed YES and was ready in five minutes. I was planning on going for a quick run down the street before heading back to my apartment but to me, there is nothing better than running with my dad and running on a high-school track. I love the scenery of the country side but the rubbery track makes me feel light and quick. I sometimes wish I joined the track team in high-school instead of the swim team.

I fueled up with half of a cold banana and sipped on water before we left. It was a hot 4.75 mile run and I could hear my water bottle calling to me from home. I also had a big bowl of overnight oats waiting for me and I could not wait to dig in.

Victory Oat Bowl:

Overnight: 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk, 1/2 banana and cinnamon

Morning: 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt, lots of blueberries, ~1.5 TBS chopped mixed nuts, a big drizzle of Farmer’s Market Wildflower Honey.

Cool, creamy carbs….mmmmm. This was the ultimate trophy for a killer run!

I’m off for some wine fun!!

Oat Fanatic,

Nora

What is your favorite way to use blueberries?

I think I would make a great weather girl…just kiiidddiinnnnggg.

The weather often impacts the food I crave….probably more than it should. The light wind and mild temperatures today reminded me of the fall, and what says fall like a hearty pasta dish? My version of pasta primavera was hearty, healthy and delicious.

Serves 1:

1 serving of whole wheat fusilli (~2/3 cup… I used a little more), 1/4 red bell pepper, 1/4 zucchini, 1/3 yellow squash, 6 grape tomatoes, 3 long asparagus stalks, big handful of spinach and Lively Run Herb Chevre goat cheese.

Cook pasta to directions (make sure to salt the water before adding pasta!). Heat olive oil and garlic in a medium skillet. Sautee all vegetables except for spinach and tomatoes until tender. Add ~1/4 white wine. Drain pasta and add it to the pan. Add tomatoes and spinach until the spinach wilts. Top with goat cheese.

I added the goat cheese while the mix was still slightly warm and it generated the BEST creamy “sauce”.

Today’s Headlines (maybe I should be a news broadcaster?):

• Breakfast WINS! After my oatmeal pancakes this morning I literally felt like I could run a marathon. They were so filling and kept me going all morning (almost 5 hours!!). A great recipe from Jenna at Eat, Live Run!
• Siggi’s Disappoints I liked the Pomegranate and Passion Fruit flavor of the Siggi’s but I still think that the thickness of this yogurt walks the line of tasting chalky. Not sure if it’s worth the money…but I’m not HUGE on flavored Greek yogurts and I have yet to try the plain.
• Larabars Save The Day! The 4pm slump hit hard and I wanted to run this afternoon. Insert my all-natural savior:

Weather Update: Later this evening will be a cool with a passing of frozen york peppermint patties (fun fact…lots of candy in my freezer…and I have a basket of chocolate. I have a sweet tooth.).

Exploring a New Career Path,

Nora

What is your favorite style of pasta/pasta dish?

I hope everyone is taking advantage of this beautiful weather and enjoying the company of family and friends! I also hope that everyone takes a moment to pause and remember the meaning of this holiday. I want to send a big THANK YOU to our troops and all of those who have devoted their lives to our country. You are constantly in my thoughts, and I am so grateful for your commitment.

Today has been a patriotic day for my food. One of the reasons why I love coming home is to use my mom’s dinnerware. I swear she has plates, cups and place mats themed for every major holiday. The summer months are all about the stars and stripes!I woke up this morning around 7:30am, and geared up to go for on a “Memorial Day Run” with my dad. Before heading out the door I had a light breakfast that consisted of 1/2 of a large banana, strawberries, sunflower seed butter and coffee (in my themed mug!) while reading my horoscope and completing the easy Monday sudoku puzzle in our local paper. Fun fact: I’m obsessed with sudoku. Every time I am home I retrieve the newspaper from our mailbox as soon as I wake up so that I can do the puzzle while watching the news and having breakfast.

My dad and I ran a surprising 5.5 miles (it has been an EXTREMELY long time since I have done this distance, 3 is usually my max.). The sun was hot during our run and we were BEAT by the time we returned home. My dad, aka The Breakfast Man, whipped up some omelets for brunch. My omelet was made with  Swiss cheese, basil, mixed cherry tomato and broccoli with a glass of orange juice and a large carrot on the side (don’t ask, I was craving a crunchy vegetable haha). We had brunch outside on our patio and it was fantastic!  I don’t want to be repetitive, but I LOVE COMING HOME! There is something distinctly  special about family time and good food.The run took a lot out of me, and I decided that I needed a bit more protein. I extended this brunch with a 1/2 cup of Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt, strawberries, a handful of roasted almonds and cinnamon.The sun was out in full force today, thus the shadows in many of these pictures.

I’m off to do a few tasks before heading back to school my apartment later today. WHOA! I actually typed school and it took me a minute before I realized that I just completed college and now am in the working world. So the song goes, times are a changin’. I think we will have an early Memorial Day barbecue before I head back. I have to take advantage of our charcoal grill while I can because it’s back to a cast iron grill pan when I return to my mini apartment!

Always Remembering,

Nora

What are your plans for Memorial Day?

When I do “crunch time” work, I get really antsy. I feel like I’m moving 100 miles a minute and am never focused. I fall into snacking habits to keep me calm. I’m not sure why, but I have it set in my head that I need snacks to complete my task. Every time I finish one, I have to run to get something else. I found that I had only written a few pages after breakfast (another green monster and granola bowl with an Amazing Grass Wheatgrass packet added today…interesting texture and made me feel energized!) before I ran back into the kitchen to grab a Jonagold. As soon as I finished my apple I ran back to the kitchen and had to make toast. Okay you get the picture. Basically write/read 1-2 pages grab a snack is my pattern. I literally sat in bed with my laptop from 8:30 am-1pm paper writing and snacking. A few snack highlights: 2 slices of multigrain bread (the dense bread from my bakery!) with cinnamon, almond butter, organic raspberry jam and more cinnamon on top. As soon as the bread popped out of the toaster I sprinkled it with cinnamon. I couldn’t decide if I should top my almond butter with jam or pumpkin butter, so why not both? I finished it with more cinnamon and I kid you not, the second I finished one slice I needed another it was THAT good.I also tried the Kardea Lemon-Ginger Bar. The texture/visual appearance reminds me of oatmeal cookie dough batter! I smelled lemon when I opened the package so I was pretty excited. Unfortunately, I couldn’t taste the ginger and the lemon flavor was pretty mild. For a while I was in a Lemon Zest Luna Bar phase (It is such a refreshing flavor!) and I love the potent flavor of those, so I do have a slight bias. I also loved the Kardea Banana Nut Bar so much that the others I have tried are hard to live up to it.

I’m not complaining, the food was good and I got my paper done but I was still in my pjs at 1pm with a belly full of food. I handed in my paper and needed fresh air! I decided to go for a run and soak up the blue sky and sunshine. It was exactly what I needed. As I walked back to my apartment I had a heartfelt phone call with my mom about life and what I’m going to be doing next year. I feel so fortunate to be able to talk to my parents about anything. They are my allies and my best friends.

When I got back, it was highly apparent that I had been cooped up in my room paper writing for two days. There were piles of clothes, scattered papers and books, and plates everywhere. I needed to clean. I restored my room to normal order and took a relaxing shower to refresh myself. For dinner I decided to continue with the “clean” theme and made Pan-seared Lemon-Thyme Tilapia with Asparagus and a Berry Salad. So light and refreshing after a day of snacks! I love adding berries, light green veggies (cucumbers and celery), feta cheese and nuts to spicy arugula. It is so light and packs a punch of flavor!

While waiting for my laundry to dry(when I clean…I CLEAN!), I had some dessert. I was going to go for more Chocolate Bunny for dessert but decided to keep it classy with mint cookies and cream with a frozen cherry on top  in a wine glass. Everything is more fun to eat when you serve it in a wine glass! I felt elegant .

Job Searching,

Nora

What are little things you do to “treat” yourself? (**If I’m having a bad day I always make myself something really nice and plate it up using fancy dishes. I love sharing my cooking with others but sometimes it’s fun cooking for one!**)

The nice weather also has me craving fresh produce for lunch so off to the dining hall I went for a big ‘ole salad and an apple. This was fresh and delicious, but I thought I needed some form of carbohydrates and peanut butter so I ran to the campus store to purchase a Nature Valley Peanut Butter Granola Bar.I haven’t had one of the these in a while, and usually prefer other types of fruit/nut bars for snacks, but the crunch and flavor really hit the spot.

I have a bunch of school work to do this afternoon but hopefully the nice weather will be motivation to complete it so I can get outside! Tonight my room mate and I are going to a Japanese Kimono exhibit at a local museum and sushi for dinner. I can not wait, I love when culture meets food!

Living Life,

Nora

What are your favorite “nice weather” meals? Do you change your dining to outside venues and enjoy grilling when the weather calls for it?