Layered Lunch

It’s definitely a Monday.

Work is crazy and non-stop – I feel like I just can’t keep up! Lunch is definitely going to be quick today…I just wish I could keep my email from filling up again before I even completely clear it out.

Lunch today is the same thing we had for dinner last night 😉

I love when I enjoy a meal so much that I can’t wait to have it again. I’ve been thinking about this lunch all morning.

I made Nick some huevos rancheros last night, but I really wanted my eggs on some brown rice instead. Runny eggs on rice is one of my newest favorite things – I can’t believe I waited so long to try it.

So instead of using tortillas as the base for mine, I just made a huge layered Mexican dinner!

• brown rice with lime juice, scallion, and cilantro
• fat free refried beans
• corn
• salsa
• 2 over easy eggs
• guacamole

 

If this doesn’t make my day better, I don’t know what will!

 

I’ve got a puppy to take walking and then it’s back to work for me.

 

What is your craziest day for work or school during the week?

And what’s your favorite Mexican dish to make at home?

 

Technorati Tags: eggs,brown rice,salsa,corn,beans,guacamole

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Kryptonite

Does anyone else feel like the weekends are going by even faster lately? I can’t believe it’s Monday morning again. Yesterday was so gloomy and nasty, but the day seemed to fly by. I worked on laundry, Nick and Maggie napped, and we ate a lot of leftovers.

I was not ready to get out of bed this morning and really not ready to sit down to my computer to start work.

But Maggie was a little cuddly this morning, so that made it a bit easier to wake up and get ready for a fun breakfast.

I finally caved and bought White Chocolate Wonderful pb! I’ve had a Kroger coupon for $1 off PB&Co peanut butter for months and decided to use it this weekend before it expired.

I’m glad I finally tried it!

I wanted to make sure I really tasted the peanut butter, so the rest of my oatmeal was pretty plain.

• 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup water, pinch salt
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• cinnamon

This jar may go faster than I think 😉

I knew I needed a satisfying (and fun) bowl of oatmeal this morning – I’m hoping it’ll keep me out of this bag today.

These things are so addicting!

They’re definitely my favorite Easter candy, and it’s really hard to stop eating them once I’ve started.

I can pass on the cream eggs and Peeps, but put a bag these in front of me? That’s trouble.

 

What’s your candy kryptonite – the one you just can’t stop eating once you start?

Technorati Tags: oatmeal,banana,peanut butter

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Perfect Pizza

Our pizza turned out so good yesterday! Definitely the best homemade pizzas we’ve made yet.

I used the same dough recipe I normally use (subbing in 3 cups of whole wheat flour) but it was the cheese the made the difference this time.

Since our food processor attachment broke months ago (and I’m usually too lazy to hand grate cheese), we typically use pre-shredded cheese on our pizzas.

No more!

I had a block of cheddar and mozzarella that we grated yesterday to use on the pizzas, and the cheese actually bubbled and browned and made our pizza look like a real pizza.

Homemade pizzas always taste good, but the pre-shredded cheese just melted and never browned like it should.

I really wish I had taken pictures of the whole pies when they came out of the oven. Nick and I were so proud!

We made one pepperoni + red onion and one bbq chicken pizza.

And thankfully, we had some ready for leftover lunch today 😉

Along with some spinach/romaine/carrot/red onion/goat cheese salads, it was the perfect lunch today.

I’m glad we went out and hiked yesterday afternoon, because the weather is just nasty today! It’s only in the 40s and is gray and raining.

But…that makes it a perfect afternoon for laundry, baking, and napping – which is what I’m doing next 😉

 

What’s your favorite pizza topping?

 

Technorati Tags: pizza,homemade,salad

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Girls Night In + Pancakes

So glad it’s the weekend 🙂

I was so confused when I woke up this morning. I kept thinking it was Friday and that I overslept and never turned on my alarm clock!

Maggie, Roxy, and I had a girls night last night, and it was a great way to end the week.

Nick was doing sound at a concert last night, so I came home to hang out with Maggie while he was gone.

I heated up the last of the meatballs for dinner and had them on a small sweet potato.

Marinara on sweet potatoes is awesome! I need to remember this combination.

Maggie and I played after eating dinner and then watched What Not to Wear and Food Revolution before falling asleep on the floor 🙂 She may be crazy sometimes, but Maggie is a good cuddler.

Once Nick got home, I got out my sourdough starter to feed it so we could have pancakes today!

It’s been a while since we’ve had the time to make pancakes, so I was more than ready for this breakfast.

Coffee – check.

Sourdough pancakes with maple syrup – check.

Cara cara orange – check. (Definitely past their season, though. I’m ready for berries!).

Unpictured bacon – check.

We just finished eating breakfast and I’m about to mix up some pizza dough for lunch with friends before we go out on an easy hike today with our dogs. Should be fun!

Nick has to head into the lab today before they  come over, so I’ve got to get this dough ready and clean up a bit before they get here.

 

Any fun plans today?

Technorati Tags: pancakes,sourdough,orange,coffee,meatballs,sweet potatoes,leftovers

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Food Revolution

I am so excited to watch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution series!

I just can’t wait to see what is going to happen after this – I know he’s done a lot of work and has helped make some amazing changes in his home country, and I’m so excited that he is bringing his passion to the U.S.

Since this generation of kids is the first one to ever be expected to die before their parents, this is something that needs to be addressed.

From his website:

I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It’s time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!

 

It starts tonight at 9 pm (Eastern) on ABC.

 

Are you ready for a Food Revolution? Will you be watching?

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Chocolate Mint Cookies

Want to know one thing I’m obsessed with?

Mint + Chocolate.

Peppermint Patties.

Girl Scout Thin Mints.

Andes Candes.

Christmas Mint M&Ms.

Lindt Dark Chocolate and Mint Truffles.

Grasshopper Cookies.

Grasshopper brownies.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Mint moose tracks ice cream.

If there’s a candy or dessert with mint and chocolate, I’ve probably had it. And I probably loved it.

And I don’t want mint-flavored things to be stuck in the holiday season. I don’t understand why those Mint M&Ms are only a Christmas deal, but I guess it is a good thing since I can (and often do) eat them by the handful.

I’m not sure what it is about mint and chocolate together, but I can never turn it down.

I love the mix of rich chocolate with refreshing mint. The mint just lightens everything up enough so I don’t feel like I’m eating something horribly decadent…even if I am.

But who can eat Girl Scout cookies all the time? I don’t even know a Girl Scout around here. And I don’t work with Girl Scout moms who sell cookies in the office for their kids. I don’t think I’ve had a Girl Scout cookie of any kind in 3 years. I’m not horribly sad about that, but I do love a good Thin Mint.

So I came up with a Chocolate Mint Cookie recipe to fulfill my cravings and, as crazy as it sounds, it’s actually pretty healthy.

And aren’t green chips in cookies just fun?

Chocolate Mint Cookies, makes about 1.5 dozen

• 1 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate + Mint Chips
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 Tbsp almond milk

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In large bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and chips.
3. Add in maple syrup, vanilla, oil, and almond milk and mix until batter comes together.
4. Drop by tablespoon onto a baking sheet, about 1” apart.
5. Bake 11-12 minutes.

I thought about adding peppermint extract to the cookie dough, and I may try that in the next batch.

But I also love chocolate + mint more than Nick, so I didn’t want to overpower him with mint in these cookies. At least not until I knew what he thought of this batch as-is.

Nick came home after I made this batch of cookies and grabbed one on his way through the kitchen.

The one thing I heard through his mouthful of cookie?

Tastes like a Thin Mint.

Not “tastes like a healthy thin mint”.

If you can fool a boy, I say the recipe is perfect.

Mission accomplished.

 

Technorati Tags: recipe,cookies,healthy,chocolate,mint,maple syrup

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Breakfast and Brunch

Thursday is flying by for me! Work is just so busy that I don’t even realize how late it is until I look at the clock.

For my meals today, I’ve basically had breakfast + brunch. Just the way I like it.

I made a big bowl of apple oatmeal for breakfast today. Nick and I went through 2 pounds of strawberries in just 2 days, so apples are the only fruit in the house that will work in oatmeal.

I diced up a small (local!) apple and cooked it in the microwave with cinnamon for about a minute.

Then I added the apple to my oatmeal with more cinnamon and topped it with some almond butter.

This almond butter with flaxseeds from Trader Joe’s is so good! I love how crunchy it is.

And lunch today is leftovers!

We had one piece of the frittata leftover, so I heated that up with some broccoli for a quick lunch. I love the pockets of goat cheese! I think I’ll use even more the next time I make this.

Now Maggie and I are watching some HGTV while I’m eating 🙂

I think I could eat breakfast-type meals all day, every day. I just love ‘em! Maybe I’ll change my dinner plans tonight to include more breakfast food…I guess we’ll see 😉

 

Do you like having breakfast-for-dinner? What are your favorite things to make?

Technorati Tags: oatmeal,apple,almond butter,frittata,leftovers,broccoli

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