Sunny Sunday Mornings

I can't believe how full my breakfast kept me! For a slow morning like today's, having that single serving size was perfect. On busier mornings, where I'll be running around a lot (as in my Mon., Wed., and Fri.'s!) I think I'll double it up. :)

Mid-morning I snacked on a pear. The sun was pouring through the windows, and it was the perfect study spot. Nice and warm and cozy...:)

Lunch was delicious as well! It could have easily passed for a breakfast, but I actually prefer having eggs for my lunch or supper. I scrambled up 1 whole egg/2 egg whites with a little milk, salt, pepper, spinach, tomatoes, and onions, and stuffed it with 1/4 cup of reduced-fat mozzarella cheese. Paired with a warmed whole wheat tortilla and some warmed salsa on the side, I was in heaven. :D Veggies, eggs, and cheese...you just can't go wrong...

After lunch I was in the mood for something a little sweet, and decided to have some plain yogurt and 1/2 cup of canned pineapple (in its own juice.) This is a great fruit to add to yogurt, because its so sweet and delicious that it helps to off-set that bitter taste that plain yogurt can have. I like adding in some of the pineapple juice as well, to make it even sweeter. Yummy...:)

It's actually 32 degrees out and SUNNY, which is putting me in a great mood! I can't wait to go out there for a run later. :) :)

Giving Vanilla Hemp Another Shot...:)

The first time I tried vanilla hemp was this past week in a milk shake, and I wasn't overly impressed with it. But I think that was due to my flavor combinations more then the actual milk itself.

BUT, today it redeemed itself. :) I put 1/2 cup of vanilla hemp in the microwave, and stirred it occasionally, until it got nice and hot. I then added it to 1/2 cup of the Ezekiel Golden Flax cereal that I've been hearing rave reviews about. :) I added a whole banana on top, and stirred it all up, and...wow! It was really tasty and satisfying. It didn't get all soggy like I was sort of expecting it to, and still had a bit of a nutty bite to it. Delicious...

Next time I'm doubling the serving, because as you can see, there's more then enough bananas to account for the cereal. haha...

I like drinking milk most of all, but the vanilla hemp added a nice subtle flavor (not an overpowering and gross vanilla!) for a little change of taste, and I really enjoyed it. I have a new favorite cereal combination on my list...

I think I owe Jenna a thanks. :)

I'm off to get ready for the day. There's a lot of material to cover before heading into this last week of exams, so I better hop to it. Once Friday comes (no I'm not rushing the week...just thinking way ahead! ;) my busy school week will be at a close, and I'll have some breathing room. For now I need to stay focused!

Looks like a gorgeous day outside! :)

Homemade Hot Cocoa...no comparison!

I'm wondering how I ever went back to the boxed stuff after having made homemade hot cocoa! Probably because it's easier to empty a packet and heat up some water, but it's actually quicker to just heat up a cup of milk in the microwave and add it to the cocoa and sugar!

I like my hot cocoa only slightly sweet, so I heated up a cup of hot milk, and added it to 2 T. unsweetened cocoa, 2 tsp. sugar, and a dash of salt. At the very end, I added 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract (following the directions on the back of the cocoa, but cutting way back on how much sugar they call for.) YUM! It was creamy, rich, and absolutely amazing. I think it's exactly what I wanted, and exactly the thing to keep me going for studying. :)

no appetite?

For some odd reason, my appetite left me this afternoon. I had to force myself to eat supper for energy...definately a strange thing for me! Hopefully it's just a quick little bug or something, and I'll be feeling fine. It could just be that I'm tired, which is probably the case, but it's nothing a good night's rest can't fix. :) I plan on heading to bed earlier tonight...

This afternoon I snacked on a pear while studying.

And before heading to the grocery store to pick up some snacks for school (I'm running low on granola bars and cereals!) I had a kashi trail mix bar.

This was the perfect supper for the "me without an appetite:" homemade black bean soup. Soup does wonders as a heartwarming dish, and after I finished it, I was feeling like munching without actually being hungry, so I snacked on some kashi crackers.

I also stopped at the bookstore today and saw sooo many great looking cookbooks that I want to start collecting. The American Heart Association makes a paperback book (no pictures, but the ingredients sounded so basic and good that I don't think it really needed them!) that I'd like to get soon, as well as some good dessert cookbooks and bread cookbooks (one devoted completely to whole grains.) I need to start saving...haha...;)

Hope everyones enjoying their weekend! :)

Strange Cravings Part II...;)

Since I had a later breakfast then usual, all I really wanted for a mid-morning snack was a fruit. These peaches aren't at their peak of ripeness yet, but they were still delicious. :)

I had the hardest time trying to think of what I wanted for lunch today. My mom is sick with the flu, so I needed to make my dad and I both something tasty (and fast.) I ended up using the last two pita pockets to make him some pizzas on, and made us each a side salad. I ate mine while still trying to contemplate what I was in the mood for. Usually I can just whip up anything and be happy, but I have those moments where I know I'm craving something without really knowing what that something is...strange, I know...

That's when it hit me. My dad's pizza was making me think about how much I love a good Hawaiin style pizza, and how tasty ham and pineapple can be together. SO, I made this crazy ham and pineapple sandwich. I toasted up two slices of bread in a frying pan (using pam), heated the ham slices very briefly in the same pan (doesn't take long for them to heat up...maybe 10-15 seconds per side), and heated the pineapple in the microwave. When the bread was browning, I threw two slices of Hormel all-natural honey ham on, topped with the warmed pineapple (making sure it didn't come in direct contact with the bread to avoid a soggy mess!,) added two more slices of ham, and topped it all off with a little honey dijon mustard. Maybe I just had weird tastebuds from the strange craving, but it tasted pretty amazing. haha...

***Oh, and I also had a glass of milk to accompany my sandwich, but appearantly I was too excited about satisfying my craving that I forgot to take a picture. :D

Snowed In!

Looks like I chose the right weekend to not make any plans! There's about 7 inchs of snow outside, with no chance of getting out of the driveway any time soon!

Breakfast was a simple bowl of quaker squares (1.5 cups) with a cup of milk and a large banana. I love this stuff...:)

Okay, off to do some morning homework (old news, right?)

strange cravings, delicious suppers, and new fruits!

I never crave smoothies during the winter...it's way too cold and all I could ever want is a hot cup of tea. Then there was today...I got home and all I could think about was making myself a big glass of cold and fruity goodness. Definately a weird craving, but thankfully I had some stuff to make one. I blended 1/2 cup of vanilla hemp-milk (heard so many good things about it on other blogs, that I had to give it a try), 1/4 cup of fat-free plain yogurt, 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1/4 cup of pineapple, and a few icecubes. This could definately use some tweaking in the flavor department...not sure if I liked the flavor of vanilla mixed with pineapple and blueberries or not, but at the time it seemed to hit the spot. :) I paired it with a small handful of almonds.

Supper was absolutely delicious. Underneath that bowl of mixed veggies and chicken stir-fry is some brown rice, all topped with a sauce that tasted of sweet soy sauce with some kick from the hot pepper flakes. Its such a versatile recipe, and tasted pretty darn amazing...

Oh, and I have a new appreciation for chopsticks. I tend to be a fast eater, which I think comes partly from school where I was sometimes 'forced' to scarf down meals at the caf in between classes. In an effort to retrain myself, I've been doing better about slowing down and savoring my meals. And these chopsticks worked like a charm...I ate way slower then my normal pace, and ended up enjoying the meal so much more. :)

I saw these cute little "lemon plums" at the grocery store and had to buy one to test out. :)
I cut it in half and let my family test it. They all just wanted a bite to see what it was like, so I was able to help myself to the other half. It tasted like...well...like a plum! haha...it was really tasty and sweet with a little bit of a tang to it as well. A little too pricey (right now anyways!) to buy a lot, but it's always fun trying new fruits out. :)

Here's a shoutout "YAY!" that the weekend is here! I don't know about everyone else, but I'm excited for some good ol' relaxation...and maybe some shopping on the side. :)