Cookie DoughHunger came while I was stuck in traffic. THANK GOODNESS FOR PURSE SNACKS! This is one of the samples that Zone sent me to try earlier in the week. True to its name, the bar was the consistency of cookie dough and became a little squished in my luggage-sized purse.

When I was little I remember baking cookies with my mom constantly sneaking bits of cookie dough. It was a wonder that any actually made it in the oven. This bar tasted just like it. It was a bit too sweet for me for a snack (dessert like!) but I loved the chocolate chips inside the bar and the chocolate swirl on top.

Vintage Bon Appetit MagazinesOne of my mom’s friends gave me a bunch of old cooking magazines and furnishings for my apartment! I felt like the luckiest girl in the world! I don’t have lots of money to spend on finishing my apartment so it was such a blessing. Plus, these magazines are amazing. I swear I could spend days and days studying recipes. After unpacking, I found myself on the floor getting started on my first stack. When I looked up, 2-hours vanished from my clock! Truffle had fun with them too.She’s a foodie cat!

LeftoversI munched on some carrots and hummus while contemplating dinner. Ultimately I decided on leftovers. I reheated my kale and white bean soup on the stove top and served it with Kashi Fire Roasted Vegetable Crackers.While it was still piping hot I stirred in some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and topped it with hot sauce and more cheese. I love stirring cheese into soup! It makes the base creamy and hearty. Yum.

Date-NutAfter reading through several holiday issues, I really wanted date-nut bars. I love all of the recipes that incorporate dried fruit and nuts during the holiday season. I improvised. I took a few Medjool dates and smooshed (official word) walnut halves into them. I had this with a K-cup Dark Hot Chocolate . Sweet tooth satisfaction.

Playing with Truff! She missed me .

Oldies are Goodies,

Nora

What dish comes to mind when you think of “the classics”?

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

My dad and I have been running with a group every Sunday morning for the past few weeks. This also means running a little bit more. Last weekend I ran 11.1 miles and was dead. I needed Mexican food and beer to save me. Today we ran about 8.75 miles, which was a much more comfortable distance. Before I left I had a standard slice of toast with almond butter. I was searching for a banana but we were out . When I got home I dove into the kitchen to create arguably the biggest bowl of oatmeal ever. I was hungry and needed some serious protein. I also couldn’t decide if I was in the mood for hot or cold, so I combined both elements into one. The base is creamy hot oatmeal and the top is cold fruit, Greek Yogurt, nuts and honey. It was delightful and super filling.

Planning to do a few “make ahead meals” for the week before heading back to my apartment. The weather is predicting heat so I am going to do everything in my power to stay out of the kitchen. I have some Indian food in mind .

Cooking Away,

Nora

What are your favorite “make ahead meals”?

Farmer’s Market Salad: Bibb and Red Leaf Lettuce, Cucumber, Tomato, Heirloom Beans, Walnuts, Goat Cheese. Olive Oil/Balsamic. 8-Grain 3-Seed Toast with Raspberry Jam.

I am going to miss the comforts of fresh food this week. I don’t even want to know what happened to the food in my broken refrigerator over the weekend. A trip to the grocery store is necessary, however; I do not want things to spoil…hmmm. Decisions, decisions. To make food or to take food, that is the question. Whether tis nobler…okay enough. Dinner will be interesting.

Reality Check,

Nora

Do you make one big grocery trip or several during the week?

“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/2010/07/28/night-owl/ http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2010/07/28/night-owl/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:35:19 +0000 Nora http://www.livelifeeatright.com/?p=2959

Overnight Oats: 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt, 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk, 1 banana, 1/2 TBS chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla extract, blueberries, 1 heaping TBS sunflower seed butter.

Despite my failing refrigerator, I broke down and bought more soy milk. I found that certain parts of my fridge are colder than others, so I am hoping that it is going to be okay for now… I am attempting to use it as quickly as possible. I made overnight oats for breakfast in a wine glass to be fancy. It kept cold and was refreshing. I also had a little something-something in the middle of the night: cold cereal and milk.

~1/3 Kashi GoLean Crunch, ~1/2 cup vanilla soy milk

I’m not sure why, but last night I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep. I think it is just because I am anxious about finding a new apartment and have a lot on my mind. I was thirsty and started to get a little bit hungry. If there is one thing I know, it is that I can not fall asleep if I am hungry so I fixed myself this snack around…oh 3am. It was perfect and I slept like a baby. I miss cold cereal and milk. I cant even the last time I had it for breakfast!

Essentially everything of substance in my refrigerator has spoiled. My lunch was an effort to eat veggies, use things before they spoil and still be satisfied.

Most Random Lunch Ever:1 thick slice of 8-grain 3-seed bread, almond butter and Crofter’s Asia Superfruit Spread

Salad: Spinach, Beets, Cucumber, Tomato, Radish, Olive Oil/Vinegar.

I anticipate that I might be hungry after this so I packed dried fruit and nuts as well. Looks like nut butters and carbs and Larabars will be my main sources of nutrition for the next few days!! UGH. I miss my cheese .

Making It Work,

Nora

JUST KIDDING! That is such a morbid thought process. Despite my ~3 hours of sleep last night I had a pleasant day that ended on a high note with this sinfully good dinner.

To make my “eggs purgatory” I incorporated 2 large button mushrooms in a small saute pan with 3/4 cup prepared chunky marinara sauce and brought it to a boil. I reduced the heat to a simmer, added 1 egg+1 egg white to the pan, covered it and let it sit until the white part was set. The result was reminiscent of a casserole! YUM! I set the mixture on top of a big bed of spinach and topped it with ~2 TBS Parmesan Cheese and cracked black pepper. On the side I had steamed broccoli, toasted Miche bread and a glass (plus more ) of Alamos Malbec. I think this has to be the ULTIMATE easy-cooking for one dinner!

My dear friend Merriam-Webster defines Purgatory as “a place or state of temporary suffering or misery”. This meal was anything but miserable. In fact, I cant believe something so simple could be so delicious. I gave myself a pat on the back after dinner for a job well done.

I want to thank everyone for their sleeping advice after my post this morning! I was thinking about the cause all day and my insomnia last night was most likely the result of not moving all day at work and eating late at night. It left me with high energy levels that I could not shake. I decided to test my theory with regular eating and exercise after work today.

This afternoon I snacked on a new find: a Think Thin Cookies and Cream Bite. I bought these at TJMaxx (BEST STORE EVER!) after not finding what I was looking for and desperate for a sympathy purchase. It has a semi-long ingredients list but does not include anything that sounds intimidating. Plus, 100 calories, 5 grams of protein and the flavor of cookies and cream goodness…NOT BAD! It completely satisfied my sweet tooth and kept me energized through the afternoon.

When I left work at 4:45pm it was a mellow 77 degrees out and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue. The weather hasn’t been like this in a while, and I knew I had to take advantage of it. When I got home I put my running shoes on and fueled up with a burnt super-charge me cookie. This cookie was from my disaster batch. I’m not one to waste (plus I like the “burnt” flavor of certain things..weird?), so it suited me just fine.

Compare and Contrast: my oven v. my mom's oven

I’m not sure how far I ran, but it was a slow and steady 45minutes. Granted, about 10 of those minutes were spent bouncing in place at cross walks. I kept receiving “what is that crazy girl doing?” looks from people driving by as my long, blonde pony tail vigorously whipped from side to side. Don’t worry, I shot a few “What? I’m not crazy, I just want to keep my heart rate up!” looks back. It felt wonderful to run again! My body needed to move.

I can already feel my eyes getting heavy and my body is starting to tire. I’m snacking on a few beautiful strawberries and then hitting the hay.

Sleeping Beauty,

Nora

How do you balance work, exercise and leisure? Have you changed your schedule/lifestyle to accommodate these things?

Thoughts: I’m finding that it is hard to balance exercise, work and relaxation. I enjoy the peacefulness of the morning, having breakfast and gathering myself for the day. Early exercise isn’t something I have considered. At work, I sit at a computer from 8am-5pm, which is mentally draining and leaves me feeling “too tired” (although in reality, when I have gone to the gym after work I feel more energetic after.) to go to the gym at the end of the day. I also tend to enter into the thought process: “by the time I get to the gym, change, work out and come home it is going to be dinner time and have to rush to prepare something.”  Late night eating throws me off, so I have just been coming home cooking and feeling…restless. I need advice!

1. I graduated college on Sunday May 16.
2. Immediately after my diploma ceremony I went on a packing rampage and shoved the contents of my college apartment into trash bags and boxes as quickly as possible.
3. My parents helped me move all of my crazily packed belongings into my apartment and I headed home for a few days.
4. Early Tuesday morning I left home to get started on apartment unpacking.
5. Wednesday-Thursday my parents returned to help me clean/unpack/organize my apartment. All day Wednesday was spent cleaning. I had work at the bakery on Thursday and my parents stayed to complete the apartment transformation without me! I came back after work to a beautiful, organized and clean home. I’m not sure what I would have done without them because they completely transformed my hole-in-the-wall into a cozy abode.

When I got back from the bakery Thursday night my body was screaming “GIVE ME VEGGIES! GIVE ME VEGGIES!” The past few days haven’t exactly been produce heavy, and I was dying for some clean eats! It was nearly 8:30pm when I got back to my apartment, so I complied a salad in my new PERFECT SALAD BOWL (This bowl is is deep and has high sides so the contents of my typically gigantic salads mix well and do not fly all over. I’ve always used plates for my salad constructions and they can be messy. I’m very excited about this purchase. Thanks Mom and Dad!) with about 2 cups of mixed greens, 1/2 head of romaine, 1/4 cup garbanzo beans, handful of alfalfa sprouts, 1 stalk of celery, 1/3 of a large cucumber, 3 big and beautiful strawberries, 1/2 of a navel orange, 1/3 block of 5 grain tempeh and feta cheese topped with balsamic. This beautiful large salad was enjoyed on the floor of my new living room while watching Julie and Julia on my tiny TV. After dinner I enjoyed an ice cream sandwich for something sweet and cool.

Previous Eats:

On Monday I ate the contents of my parents fridge which includes but is not limited to the following:

Later that night I shared crackers, cheese and a martini with my dad before dinner. My mom prepared a fantastic grilled chicken breast, blue cheese wedge salad with a tarragon vinaigrette and herbed basmati rice. We enjoyed this meal with a cool and crisp Simi Chardonnay.

With a little help from my friends Betty Crocker and butter, I assembled Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (extra chocolate chips added) for dessert. I had four of these while watching TV with my parents. It was the perfect way to relax before returning to my cluttered apartment.

Running out the door on Tuesday morning I grabbed a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Luna Protein Bar (as if I didn’t get my cookie fix the night before) and headed back. When I got to my apartment I snacked on almonds and dried apricots before assembling my first apartment meal. For lunch I made a simple salad with a slice of leftover pizza. I had an apple and dark chocolate shortly after.

Dinner was a complete disgrace so pictures were not taken. I had a meeting from 5-9 so I decided to fill up with granola, cereal, museli, a frozen banana, vanilla soy milk, and Greek Yogurt. A few bowls later and I was  extraordinarily stuffed. When I got to the meeting the smell of pizza filled the air. The temptation was too much and I had a slice of cheese and a slice of pepperoni. After the meeting I had a dark chocolate almond and a dark chocolate cashew cluster before calling it a night.

Wednesday morning I had an 8am class to learn how to use my new MacBook. I wanted oatmeal for breakfast, but it was out of the question. The gas for my oven was not turned on and my microwave aka the number one cooking device used during my freshman-junior years of college remained in storage at my house. I made a portable breakfast for the drive:

This monster was composed of 1 large frozen banana, 2 large handfuls of spinach, 1/2 scoop chocolate whey protein, 1 scoop GREEN Superfood, cinnamon, 1 cup vanilla soy milk, 1 TBS crunchy PB and 5 ice cubes.

After the appointment I went to Starbucks for a Grande Soy Misto and a KIND Cashew and Almond Bar.

I had a late lunch and my parents finally arrived, ready to get down to apartment furnishing business. I have the world’s greatest parents, I can’t believe how much they have helped me with over the past two days. I’m pretty sure that if I did not have their assistance I would have just lived in a dirty, half-unpacked apartment for the next three months. It was a long day of cleaning that ended in Dinosaur BBQ for dinner. I started with a Middle Ages IPA beer and for my meal I had a chicken platter with BBQ chicken breast and wing, baked beans (so tasty and cooked with pulled pork!), corn bread, and a marinated cucumber and tomato salad. You better believe I demolished the entire plate!

This overdue entry is a bit lengthy, so I’m going to stop here. I have been reflecting over the past few days and have some thoughts for my blog that I want to share. I’m also exceptionally excited about my internship that starts MONDAY! I’ll be back later today (if I have the opportunity to obtain internet!) so stay tuned for more trials and tribulations.

Growing Up,

Nora

Mom and Dad- Thank you so much for every opportunity you have provided me with. I am so grateful to have your love and support in my life. The road hasn’t always been easy, but you never stopped having faith in me and I appreciate that more than you will ever know. Thank you for never doubting me and encouraging me to pursue my interests. You are my best friends and every day I truly feel lucky to have you in my life. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

On to my day:

Today was such a scramble. I’m always such a mess during finals week between little sleep, weird eating and stressful studying. I’m glad that this marks the end of it! I started today around 7am and was under lock and key paper writing in my apartment until 3:30pm. I literally moved from my floor (everything was spread out on my floor…I couldn’t sit at my desk anymore!) to the kitchen all day long and finally sat in bed for some final editing and to provide relief to my numb “bottom” that suffered from my harsh floor all day. Yeah, it wasn’t a fun time.

Breakfast was exactly what I was craving: Berry Oats. Last night for dessert I had some luscious local strawberries with MaraNatha Dark Chocolate Almond Spread.

I knew that I needed to have these again for breakfast, so I made a big bowl of oats for breakfast with strawberries and blackberries.Into my bowl:

Base: 1/4 cup oat bran, 1/8 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup vanilla almond milk, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 sliced banana, 2 tsp chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla extract.

Toppings: ~1/4 cup Chobani Greek yogurt (last of it!), 3 strawberries, handful of blackberries and almond butter.

This was SO delicious. I really liked the melted Greek yogurt on top. It made my bowl so creamy and I loved the sour contrast with the berries. When I get more yogurt, I’m going to incorporate it into my warm oats more often!

This is the only meal that I was 100% certain of all day. As I got into paper writing the rest of my food was completely random and consisted of “I can’t focus, go make food” dishes. They were all consumed sporadically between the hours of 10am and 3pm. I really hate mindlessly eating, I never feel wonderful when I do and today was no exception. My stomach was…let’s just say a bit bubbly, but it got me through the day. I’ll try to categorize as best I can the randomness of food:

Morning Snack: Jonagold Apple with Almond Butter.

“Lunch”:

Lunch was a compilation of everything in my room/fridge/freezer that I could think to put together. I’m not sure what time this all actually took place, but I think it was a few hours after breakfast when I was getting into the really tedious part of my paper. I spotted a Luna Cookie Dough Protein Bar and decided I needed a little cookie dough to chug through more work. I ate half of it before lunch and the other half later in the day. Shortly after I decided that I needed to refocus and make myself a snack. I went back into my kitchen and prepared a plate of watermelon and pineapple. I wasn’t full and it was almost lunch time so after maybe 30 minutes I went back into the kitchen to make some real food. Remember that Multigrain bread I picked up at the bakery a while ago? Well it also comes in a Multigrain Currant variety(be still my heart, I’m in love with this bread), and I happened to have a few pieces in my freezer from a long, long time ago . The pictures above are a before and after shot. I topped my toast with some natural crunchy peanut butter. After I made my toast, I thought to myself, “Nora, you can not live on nut butters, fruit and carbs alone.” And decided to make a plate of sautéed spinach topped with a runny fried egg, extra sharp cheddar cheese and hot sauce. Maybe I should just call this breakfast number two! It was so delicious, and held me nicely through the majority of my paper writing! I really love the combination of egg yolk and extra sharp cheddar cheese, it is so creamy and flavorful!

I finally completed the bulk of my writing around 2pm and determined I needed some editing food.I needed some greens so I made a mini “sludge” monster with 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk, 5 ice cubes, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 scoop Amazing Grass GREEN Superfood, 1 heaping TBS Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa, and a big bunch of spinach. It looks like sludge, and wasn’t as good as my protein packed monsters, but it was still refreshing. After this freezing beverage I needed something warm so I microwaved a Medjool date with almond butter and cinnamon. I microwaved another unpictured date with just cinnamon after this. Still not satisfied, and now wanting chocolate, I used a random (embarrassing purchase… my campus store sells them so I picked up a bag a while ago.) rice cake as a vessel for MaraNatha Dark Chocolate Almond Spread and Raspberry Jam.

Today was a whirlwind, and I had a bunch more “finger swipes” of almond butter, some raw almonds, another apple and a big carrot somewhere in between. I think it’s safe to say: my paper was a nut butter fueled production.

It was a bit cool out when I finally left my apartment, but the walk was welcome. I was in need of a good leg stretch, and it settled the random bites of my day. I was fortunate to get to the Political Science Department mere MOMENTS before they locked the doors. My professor told us that the paper was due at 5pm, and the department locks  down at 4:30pm! I don’t know what I would have done if I left my apartment 5 minutes later.

I haven’t had time this week to exercise so I did a light 50 minutes on the Pre-core machine before heading home. I was planning to run but was felling a little “blah” when I finally got to the gym. I’ll tell you, paper writing + sitting + eating = exhaustion.

I wasn’t particularly in the mood for anything fancy for dinner, and wanted to continue my fridge cleaning so I used the remainder of my Bush’s Baked Beans for another Baked Beans and Sweet Potato dish. I served it with a fresh green salad and the last of my watermelon. I decided to cook my sweet potato in the microwave for the sake of time, and it wasn’t very photogenic. I ended up mashing it and topping it with cinnamon and Crofter’s North American Superfruit Spread (cranberry/blueberry mix) before adding my baked beans, which was delicious .

For dessert I had a few squares of Green and Black’s Mint Dark Chocolate and a cup of Decaf Constant Comment Bigelow Tea. I needed something a little cozy to curl up in bed with because The Notebook was on and I had some blogging to catch up on .

Hopefully, normalcy will resume tomorrow. I still think it is SO strange that I do not have anymore school work to accomplish. I have some personal projects and fun books to read, so I’m sure I’ll find a way to stay occupied. I think the most exciting part about finishing is that I now have time to do the things that I really like. I’m all for academics, but when it is a struggle to love and appreciate the material you are learning the work is tedious and stressful. I’m really looking forward to reading for fun and continuing my food/wine aspirations.

I have MANY more thoughts, but until I gather them I’m going to leave this rather long post be. I have one more week on campus for  “Senior Week”, which is filled with senior class functions (Finger Lakes Wine tour Monday…stay tuned!). I’m officially out of here after our graduation ceremony next Sunday. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Surreal Life,

Nora

Have you ever had a moment or experienced an event that seemed unbelievable?

When I woke up this morning my sweet tooth was non-existent. In fact, it was slightly aching from some late night Easter candy AND  ice cream. Around 11pm last night I felt like I wanted dessert but couldn’t decided between candy and ice cream. I went with candy and had a bit of Easter Bunny and a frozen mini Mr. Goodbar. After finishing that I wanted ice cream (go figure) so I had a double scoop of Mint Cookies and Cream and Vanilla topped with fresh sliced strawberries. I curbed my cravings but it might not have been the best “pre-bed” snack. I quickly ruled out cereal and even the notion of nut-butter and banana oats seemed TOO sweet. I decided that a runny egg was the only thing that would satisfy.

For breakfast I had Cinnamon Raisin Toast with Pumpkin Butter and Extra Cinnamon, Fried Egg, Strawberries and a Valencia Orange. I finished it all off with a cup of  Black Tea. This was a delicious combination. I love fried eggs with something sweet, and the pumpkin butter had just enough sweetness without overwhelming my throbbing sweet tooth.

Fun fact: I actually BURNED my first piece of toast this morning. I started laughing, because a) I can’t remember the last time I completely burned a piece of toast and b) toast is the easiest thing to make and I cook WAY more complex things. EH, such is life. I also discovered that my pumpkin butter was on its last legs . I literally scraped the jar for my toast, but I decided to keep the jar as a yogurt vessel to REALLY scrape it clean. I do not waste a drop!

Breakfast Special Wednesday,

Nora

What is your favorite egg dish?