Do You See What I See?
The title of this post should be sung aloud. By Whitney Houston.
But really, do you see what I see?
Snowwww! It’s about damn time. This is Colorado. A state where first snows always come in October and here we were mid-December without any real snow. It was ludacris I tell you!
Now it really feels like Christmas.
And what goes best with snow? Skiing, sleding and snowboarding? No, the answer is hot oatmeal. Get with it, people.
Either my oats are bleeding or I’m still hooked on adding frozen cranberries to the pot during the last 3 minutes of cooking.
I promise you it’s the latter.
Topped with pumpkin granola, Justin’s Choco Hazelnut Butter and maple pumpkin butter.
And no snowy morning breakfast is complete without a warm drink.
Chai with a honey and almond milk mixed in. Spicy love in a cup 🙂
Want to know how I ate/drank this breakfast? With a spoon obviously, but also with the curtains open, the computer closed and the TV off. This never happens! But you know what? I’m always in a hurry and today I realized it and just sat back and enjoyed. ‘Twas amazing. Really.
Then I sat and enjoyed the falling snow and the silence.
Until the timer on the oven went off, telling me my tofu I was making to be packed for lunch was ready to be flipped.
Lunch was a repeat of Thursday’s dinner. Tofu, brussels and mashed sweet potatoes. ❤
I followed my own example and ate lunch unplugged and slowly as well. As it turns out it’s easier to know when you’re full when you slow down, meaning I only made it through half of the sweet potatoes but the brussels didn’t stand a chance.
On the Exercise Front:
I busted out 3.5 miles on the treadmill this morning. Why is it that I run SO.MUCH.SLOWER on the treadmill than I do outside? I was running a 10-minute/mile pace for the first two miles and felt like I was sprinting. I finally gave in and reduced the speed for the last mile and instantly felt so much better.
I also made it through 2 sets of push ups and 1.75 sets of sit ups before realizing having time for breakfast was more important than sit ups/push ups. Priorities, people.
What’s the weather like in you neck of the woods?
Did You Know…
Did you know I ate not one but two pieces of chocolate cake at work last night? One of which was doused in espresso and was eaten at 1 AM. Hey, whatever keeps me awake long enough to drive home, right?
Did you know I ate two pieces of chocolate cake and didn’t feel one morsel of guilt about doing so? That’s right, bring on the cake!
Did you know I got home at 2:40 AM and still managed to throw some overnight oats in an almost empty peanut butter jar and stash it in the fridge for the next morning. Who really knows (or remembers) what exactly went in there.
Did you know overnight oats kind of suck in comparison to hot? Okay, that sounds harsh but these did not do the trick this morning. I went the non-vegan route and added 1/3 cup vanilla bean greek yogurt and was unimpressed by the taste.
Did you know peanut butter, apples and bananas are a match made in heaven even if goopy oats are in the mix? It’s true. These toppings saved this jar.
Sidenote: Did you know Arrested Development is so underappreciated. Good thing my boss loves the show as much as I do and let us watch it at work. Do yourself a favor and rent seasons 1,2 and 3 and don’t leave your house/apartment/condo/cottage/shack until you’ve finished it.
Did you know I love my body? And it’s lovely way of telling me what it needs in terms of food. After 2 days of peanut butter balls and chocolate cake (refer to the beginning of this post) all my body wanted was salad. Crisp, fresh, clean salad.
Did you know pickles are awesome in a slad?
Did you know I love tahini dressing so much I’ve started taking shots of it?
Okay, fine I just used a shot glass because all my bowls were too big for the amount of dressing.
Tahini Dressing:
- tahini
- lemon juice
- mustard
- apple cider vinegar
- garlic
- soy sauce
- water
I have no idea how much of each I used. I just poured it into the blender and crossed my fingers.
DE-LICIOUS!
Along with some shells stuffed with spinach and ricotta and topped with marinara. Thanks, Joey!
Did you know lunch tastes better when it comes right after a great nap?
Did you know right after taking this picture I dropped my second shell on my nice couch (compliments of my parents)? Bummer.
Did you know I tried really hard to make dinner before the sun set.
I didn’t succeed but I got a few pictures before sunset at… 4:30!! What the heck?
Did you know I NEVER get tired of this tofu recipe and did you also know that this was the first time I actually remembered to use the sesame seeds?
Did you know mashed sweet potatoes with coconut oil and almond milk are insanely delicious?
It’s so true.
I think I need seconds.
Then tea and a book in bed.
Friday already? Have a good one!
You Don’t Turn Down Udi’s
I planned on sleeping yesterday morning so I could stay up later (another 2 AM closing night at the library :() but my mom called and invited me to breakfast at Udi’s and 15 minutes later I was dressed and walking to my car.
I got the Classic Egg and Cheese Sandwich (minus the cheese and plus avocado).
Plus a piece of loupe!
Goodness, I forgot how GOOD croissants are.
We sat next to the window into the bakery area where we watched Udi himself knead some dough and scrutinize over a loaf of what I think was ciabatta. He cut several slices, examined each, tasted some, discussed with another baker. I was glad to see how dedicated to bread Udi is!
Also got a large oregon chai. Yummmm.
Closing days = caffeine days.
After lunch I went home to relax for a while before heading to the mall and plowing through some Christmas shopping.
I should not be allowed in The Container Store. I cannot make decisions and there are just SO many to make in there.
Hours later (okay, it wasn’t really that long) I returned home and wrestled up some lunch. Leftovers have been my best friend this week.
1/2 a calzone from last week which may or may not be too long to be holding onto leftovers but I took my chances.
Jazzed it up by adding some sprouts.
Plus 1/2 an apple, sprinkled with cinnamon.
And leftover nut butter crusted sweet potato fries.
That refused to re-crisp in the broiler but were delicious anyways.
And a little ketchup. No really, it was a little because I wasn’t exactly sure if I wanted any at all but I ended up dipping both the calzone and the fries in it. I thought about dipping the apple but then I realized that would be disgusting.
What can I say, I love ketchup.
86 push ups and 217 sit ups later I headed to the gym to hit the treadmill. Most days I hate the treadmill but today I felt like I could have kept running forever, or for 4.25 miles at least.
Did I mention I made peanut butter the other day?
You wouldn’t believe how much food it takes to stay up till 2 AM. Good thing I’m a pro food packer 😛
Happy Thursday friends!
Lauren Loves Good Food 