Lunch + Blog Scheduling

The delay this morning certainly was nice, but I was secretly hoping for a full day off I just feel like we still have SO much to do to get ready and leave tomorrow after work, and another day off would have helped. Oh well – that just leaves more stuff to do tonight + tomorrow!

Lunch today + tomorrow will probably be quick because we still have a few errands to run before leaving (getting money for the trip, cancelling Roxy’s reservation, picking up the right size ziploc bags, etc).

It’s a good thing we had leftover soup – Nick and I both packed some today since that was the only “hot lunch” option in the fridge.

I had a serving of the black bean soup with the last of the avocado and some broccoli from last night’s dinner.

 

Lots of green

Operation “back to basics” for this week is going well – it’s also helping me eat more of what we have rather than buying more food right now. I don’t want anything to go to waste before we leave on the trip!

 

Blog Scheduling…

This trip to Spain will definitely change my normal blogging schedule.

However…my dad is actually taking one of those mini-computers, so I should be able to blog! I’m excited about that because I know I’ll have tons of pictures and things to share with friends and family back home.

When I can’t put a post up, I do have some guest posts lined up, but I need a little help.

How do I set them up to post at a certain time in case I can’t physically go online and hit “publish”? I thought I had it set up right on our trip to Honduras, but then they never posted on their own, so I had to publish a few and wait to do the rest later.

Help?

 

and, for fun -

What’s your food philosophy on trips? Eat authentic foods and not worry about anything? Try to stick to what you normally eat when you can?

I know it might be different for people who have food allergies, etc, but I seriously just want to eat my way through Spain This may be my only time to travel there, and I want to get as much local fare as possible.

 

Technorati Tags: leftovers,soup,beans,avocado,broccoli

Delayed

Maggie cuddled me down last night, and I never got back up to blog!

After work was over, I cleaned the house while waiting for Nick to get home and then got started on dinner.

All was going well until I actually started cooking. Do you ever have those times where everything just kind of goes a little wrong?

That’s how it was last night.

First, the pan I was using wasn’t working good. The potatoes were sticking, even though I had a good amount of oil in the pan.

So, I switched out the pans which meant it took twice as long for the potatoes to cook.

By the time we sat down to eat dinner, it was after 8 pm! Even with all the problems, it was a good frittata and I’m excited to have leftovers tonight.

Once we got everything cleaned up from dinner, I laid down on the couch with Maggie and just fell asleep. Oops!

Fast forward to this morning, though, and everything is going pretty good!

• I remembered to set my alarm
• Work is delayed right now because we’re getting MORE snow! Already about 4 inches right now
• We gave our smelly puppy a bath this morning
• I’m having a pretty good hair day
• I had an awesome breakfast
• Nick made coffee

Because of the delay, I got to take advantage of the sunlight this morning – or the reflection off the snow, actually.

While I was cooking Nick’s oatmeal, he saw my diced apple and decided he wanted some too, so I made double the apple oats today.

My bowl had:

• 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water, pinch salt
• 1 small local apple, diced and microwaved with cinnamon for 2 minutes
• 2 Tbsp craisins
• 1 Tbsp crunchy pb

I love the apple + craisin + pb mix! So good I didn’t even miss the chocolate or butterscotch.

 

Speaking of snow…

I’m wondering if it will ever stop here?

I’m not worried so much about the snow here, but our connecting flight to Spain on Thursday is supposed to leave from Philly which is getting SLAMMED with snow again today and tomorrow.

I hope they have another place they can route us through to get us there! I guess we’ll see. I just don’t want to end up stuck in the airport – I’ve done that before and really don’t want to go through it again.

 

What’s your worst travel story? Funniest story?

My worst had to be the first time I ever flew by myself. I was coming home from school for Thanksgiving one year, and I got a ride to the airport with my friend. He was flying somewhere else, so I headed to my gate and got settled. My flight that morning was supposed to leave at 6 am, but that flight got cancelled so I had to go back down to the check-in and get on a different flight. I thought that was all worked out, so I dragged my stuff to that gate to find out that the gate for that plane had changed. Great.

I walked around the airport to new gate only to find out that that flight was cancelled!

Needless to say, I ended up calling my mom crying and I was stuck in the Little Rock airport for 11 hours that day, waiting on a flight home.

The weird thing? There was no bad weather at all.

Thankfully, nothing else has been that bad, so I’m crossing my fingers for this trip!

 

Technorati Tags: oatmeal,snow,apple,craisins,peanut butter,travel

Best Burger

I have so much to do before leaving on Thursday and today has been so busy! Having this past Friday off just meant I had more emails to get through this morning, but it’s going well so far.

After a morning full of work (and coffee), I was more than ready for lunch!

A Back to Basics Lunch

About 1 cup of Campbell’s Blended Veggie Soup that needed to be eaten.

1 cup of so of celery and 1 Tbsp hummus, and the star of my lunch…

A Morningstar Farm Black Bean Burger on a slice of my honey whole wheat bread and toasted with mozzarella on top.

I LOVE these spicy black bean burgers. I like making my own, but these ones are great to have in the freezer. Plus, they have whole beans + corn in them, which gives the burgers a great texture.

 

What’s the best burger you’ve ever had (veggie or not)?

PS: How pathetic is this little face?

She’s about to be a lot happier, though. We’re off for a quick lunchtime walk!

 

Technorati Tags: soup,veggie burger,black bean burger,hummus,celery,Maggie

Back to Basics

I was definitely not ready for Monday morning – I forgot to even set my alarm clock! I finally got out of bed and into the shower once I heard Nick up with Maggie.

It’s a good thing oatmeal is fast to make

I’m going back to basics for food this week.

I know that I’m going to be eating everything I can while in Spain – I don’t want to miss out on anything there! 

Paella.

Churros and chocolate for breakfast.

So, I’m trying to eat good + balanced this week, even more than normal.

Maybe not so much chocolate on my oatmeal this week or cookies every day

 

• 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water, pinch salt
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 Tbsp sliced almonds
• 1 Tbsp craisins

I know one tablespoon of chocolate chips on my oatmeal won’t make or break anything, but I have a feeling this trip will be pretty indulgent, so I want to go INTO the week in Spain feeling good!

We are bringing a good amount of bars (LARABAR, Clif, etc) with us to have snacks on the plane or during the trip, but I can’t wait to have authentic Spanish food.

3 more days!

 

What’s the best trip/vacation you’ve ever had? Where was it? What do you remember most?

Technorati Tags: oatmeal,banana,almond butter,almonds,craisins,coffee

Packed and Dipped

Nick and I got all our stuff together for the trip and worked on getting things packed up for about an hour or so this afternoon.

We’re almost ready! The only things left are our ziploc bags with bathroom stuff (travel shampoo, facewash, toothbrushes, etc), my makeup, and my glasses and contacts, which I can’t pack until the day we leave.

I feel so much better having everything together and ready. Plus, all of the clothes I’m taking are already in my bag, so I can’t change my mind now or keep adding to the pile

I even have my first “travel” outfit picked out for Thursday so I won’t have to decide what to wear that morning. I know it will be comfortable to travel in, and that’s the most important thing because it’s going to be a long day that day.

After moving our bags downstairs, I got a quick dinner ready for us.

Probably not the most impressive “superbowl” spread, but I thought the chicken nuggets would be fun to eat during the game.

I cooked a box of Applegate Farms chicken nuggets for us to share and cut up broccoli, celery, and carrots while the nuggets were in the oven.

I had some ranch dressing with my veggies and honey mustard with the nuggets.

I like being able to dip every part of my meal – it’s easier to watch the game and eat at the same time! And this dinner was ready in 15 minutes – perfect  for a game night.

As for dessert, Nick finished off all but 2 of our supercharge me cookies, so I’m going to have my 2 cookies – maybe with some tea?

 

It’s been a long and busy day, and I’m more than ready to settle down with Nick, Maggie, and Roxy.

Is tomorrow really Monday already?

 

Technorati Tags: nuggets,ranch,mustard,broccoli,celery

Catching Up

This weekend has gone by so fast – I feel like we still have so much to do, and we’re just running out of time! Nick and I are trying to get as much stuff done to get ready for our trip before the work week starts so the next few days won’t be so crazy.

Nick went into the lab yesterday to get some stuff done, so Maggie and I had a pretty relaxing afternoon. We took 2 walks around the neighborhood, played in the snow with the kids down the street for a while, and then watched the Hokies’ basketball game until Nick got home.

Besides working on laundry, the most productive thing I did yesterday was bake bread!

Not sourdough, but it turned out great. I’m trying to find a good recipe to make for sandwich bread for us, and I think the one I made is a good contender. If you have any good yeast bread recipes, send them my way! I’d love to have a few good recipes on hand whenever I have time to make it.

Once Nick got back, we heated up some of the black bean soup from the other night and then watched 500 Days of Summer – we both LOVED it!

Especially the music. You could tell that the songs in the movie were really thought out and used in the best place possible. I’d love to have that soundtrack.

 

Thankfully, we had another day with no alarm clock. Since Nick didn’t have to do sound today at church, we got to sleep in a bit more and have a good breakfast.

Nick cooked the last of our bacon and some eggs for us while the coffee was brewing.

I pulled apart some clementines for us – I have a whole new box of them! They were finally on sale again at the store, so I gave in.

After church, we went and ran a bunch of errands. They were having a pizza potluck today after the service, but we had so many things to get done that we didn’t get to stay.

I dropped Nick off at the lab again so he could get a few things done, and I ran to Books-a-Million to pick up our books for the trip

I also grabbed a few chocolates for us from The Chocolate Spike, but I guess I ate them before taking a picture – oops! I had a dark chocolate hazelnut spike and a dark chocolate dipped peach.

Once we got puppy treats at Petsmart, a camera battery at Best Buy, a scarf/flip flops at Old Navy, and travel stuff from Target, we headed back home for lunch.

 

More soup!

I had some black bean soup with sour cream, red onion, and avocado with a side of colby jack cheese-toast.

This honey wheat bread is awesome! I just put it in the toaster oven with a slice of colby jack cheese until the cheese was bubbly.

Alright – back to business!

I’ve got laundry going and I need to start packing my bag for the trip.

 

Ready for the Superbowl? Are you watching the game tonight?

 

Technorati Tags: leftovers,soup,bread,avocado,eggs,bacon,clementine,coffee

Sourdough Saturday

It’s Saturday – you know what that means!

Sourdough Pancakes!

The best batch yet.

 

And finally a recipe!

Sourdough Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 cup room temperature sourdough starter
• 2 Tbsp neutral oil (I used canola)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup buttermilk

1. Put sourdough starter into a large bowl.
2. Stir in oil with wooden or plastic spoon (no metal!)
3. Beat egg with sugar and add to starter mixture.
4. Stir in flour.
5. Stir in buttermilk until all is combined.
6. Mix baking soda, salt, and a little water and add to the bowl. The mixture should bubble a bit after sitting for a few minutes.
7. Heat cast iron (or nonstick) skillet over medium heat.
8. Cook pancakes until golden brown.
9. Serve!

Best served hot with maple syrup, a side of fruit, and lots of coffee.

I’m bringing sourdough back!

Everyone should have some starter in their fridge. It’s so easy and makes THE BEST pancakes. And bread. And biscuits. And chocolate cake.

It’s hard to believe that I never made pancakes before last year. Ever! I never made them on my own before we got married, and even when we made them together, I was never the one actually cooking them.

Thank goodness it’s an easy skill to master

Agenda for today?

No clue.

It’s STILL snowing here. And the snow/freezing rain isn’t supposed to stop until around 4 or 5 this afternoon. We already have over a foot of snow so we may really get snowed in today.

Right now, we’re still in pajamas, drinking coffee, and cuddling on the couch.

I do have a bread baking project in the works and will probably work on some laundry while being lazy in the house. And we’ll start packing our bags for our trip, too.

 

What’s your favorite citrus fruit?

Technorati Tags: sourdough,pancakes,buttermilk,whole wheat flour,orange,coffee,recipe

Rochelle’s Black Bean Soup

The snow pretty much stopped this afternoon, but it’s been sleeting ever since :\ I think we may get more snow tonight? Either way, this storm system isn’t supposed to be out of the area until late tomorrow.

While Nick was having a snowball fight and building an igloo with our neighbor kids, I took Maggie on a walk around the neighborhood and then let her play in the snow. I still think it’s funny how much she loves the snow! It’s ridiculous.

After coming inside, I got to work on dinner + dessert

I was making some black bean soup tonight, and had to cook the beans from scratch so I had them simmering on the stovetop while I was baking cookies and playing with Maggie.

2 years ago, Nick and I traveled with his family to Oregon to visit his uncle, aunt, and other family for Thanksgiving. His cousin, Rochelle, made this amazing black bean soup and all the girls made sure to write down her recipe.

That week we were visiting was the only time I’ve been able to spend with her and her family so far, and I’m thankful that we traveled when we did.

After losing Rochelle last year, I’m grateful that I still have her recipe. Now we always think about her whenever we make it.

Rochelle’s Black Bean Soup

• 2 slices bacon, diced
• 1-2 Tbsp oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
• 5 cups water or broth
• 4 15 oz. cans black beans (drained and rinsed) or 5-6 cups cooked black beans
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp water

Topping Suggestions:

• lime juice
• red onion
• cheese
• avocado
• sour cream
• scallions

1. Heat large pot over medium heat.
2. Add diced bacon.
3. Once the fat has started to render, add the olive oil, onion, carrot, and celery.
4. Let the veggies cook 5 minutes and add the garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, and tomato paste.
5. Stir the mixture and let cook for a minute.
6. Add in the balsamic, Worchestershire, tomatoes, broth/water, and beans.
7. Bring mixture to a boil and let simmer 20-30 minutes.
8. Mix the cornstarch and water together and add to the soup.
9. Let cook for 5-10 more minutes until thickened.
10. Serve!

 

We had all the topping options for our soup tonight.

I topped my soup with some lime juice, pepperjack cheese, red onion, avocado, and a little sour cream.

It was just as good as I remember it!

Dessert tonight was easy.

Nick requested more Supercharge Me cookies

The only changes tonight were:

• I doubled the batch
• I used 1/2 cup oat flour and the rest whole wheat flour
• I used 1 cup old fashioned oats and 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 5-grain hot cereal

They turned out awesome again – I think as long as you have the basic ingredients in there and the right proportion of wet –> dry, they’ll be great.

Time for cookies + What Not to Wear!

 

Technorati Tags: soup,beans,tomatoes,cookies

Wearing Red, Seeing White

I guess the groundhog was right.

Winter is definitely not over.

And the snow is still coming! Although it just switched over to freezing rain/sleet a few minutes ago, so I’m not sure how bad it will get.

We have about 8 –9 inches so far, I think? But we haven’t been out to play in it yet

We’ve been on the couch just about all morning.

Nick ended up turning around and coming home instead of heading to the lab. He said the roads just weren’t clear enough to get out there. I’m glad he decided to come back home, because they would have been SO much worse when he was headed home a few hours later!

So we’ve just been cuddling and watching the snow fall. Maggie really hasn’t left the couch at all. Any time either one of us gets up, she goes to cuddle with the person still on the couch

We obviously weren’t going anywhere for lunch today, so it was a good thing we had lots of leftovers!

Nick had the last 2 pieces of pizza from the other night, and I heated up the rest of the ravioli.

I wanted a little more green with my lunch, so I chopped up 2-3 cups of spinach and put it on the bottom of my bowl before adding the pasta.

The spinach started to wilt under the warmed pasta – it was great! Pasta + salad in one bowl = less dishes to wash.

 

Heart Health Month!

Remember when I did my heart health series? I had so much fun putting those together, but I can’t believe it’s been a YEAR since those posts went up!

Here’s a few of my favorites:

What to Look For

Risk Factors

What to Eat

Know Your Numbers

If you’ve been reading for a while, you know heart health is important to me and my family. We’ve had our share of heart troubles in the past 3 years (including a few surgeries, stents, and sadly, deaths) and I’m a big supporter of keeping your ticker healthy.

So, I’m wearing my red today!

  

Are you wearing yours?

 

What are you doing today to keep your heart healthy?

Technorati Tags: leftovers,pasta,spinach,Maggie,puppy,heart health

White Out

This is the most snow we’ve had here in the past 6 years that I’ve lived here, for sure.

It’s coming down hard outside! We’ve already got another 5” today, and that’s on top of the 3-4 inches we still had on the ground from the storm last weekend.

Maggie’s happy about more snow -

 

I just hope snow is all we get. There’s a chance that all this snow will change into sleet/freezing rain/ice later today and into the day tomorrow, and I would like to be snowed in, not iced in.

While I was on the phone with my mom and then Nick’s mom, Nick made us breakfast. And coffee! How did I get so lucky?

Nick cooked up some bacon and scrambled eggs, added some colby jack cheese, and made breakfast sandwiches on some Nature’s Pride honey wheat bread. And we split a cara cara orange

I’m actually in the most uncomfortable position right now while blogging, because Maggie is halfway in my lap and doesn’t want me to put my laptop in front of her. So I’m leaning over her, sideways, to type on the couch. Not very comfy, but she’s ready to cuddle and NOTHING gets in her way when she’s like this

 

Nick just left to head into the office – work is closed today, but he had a few things that have to get done in the lab. He just called to say that the main roads aren’t really bad, thank goodness. You can’t even see our street right now!

He should only be gone a few hours, and then we’re snowed in for most of the weekend, I think.

What’s the biggest storm you’ve been in?

I grew up on the east side of Virginia, near Virginia Beach, and I remember one huge snow we had when I was growing up. But other than that, the only other big storms we had were from hurricanes.

After one big storm hit, we were visiting my Nany and I remember seeing a couple kids from her neighborhood riding in a canoe down the streets. That’s how flooded it was – crazy, right?

 

Technorati Tags: eggs,bacon,bread,sandwich,orange,coffee,Maggie