Beta Makes it Betta

Is it just me, or are rainy days the best for baking?

I’ve spent the last two hours in the kitchen making Mama Pea’s tofu gnocchi (pics to come later!), vegan chocolate-chip pumpkin-walnut cookies, and puppy chow. Whew!

For the cookies, I knew I wanted to make something pumpkin flavored, but Tina’s banana-oatmeal chocolate chip cookies were also calling to me. What to do?

I subbed out the mashed banana for ½ c pumpkin and added about five minutes to the baking time to compensate for the extra moisture.

Of course, I sampled one fresh out of the oven for “quality control.” Delicious!

Next, I made some puppy chow for my friend Zack. I had an open box of Chex in my pantry from the last time I made this, so I figured I might as well make some more before it went stale!

Somehow, I managed to keep my hands out of this bowl. Miracles do happen.

* * *

Rewinding to this morning, my alarm went off at 6 am for a strength workout. A quick glance out the window at the pouring rain was all it took for me to roll over and go back to sleep. My 12 am bedtime last night didn’t help, either! As this lady reminded me, one missed workout definitely doesn’t hurt J

I slept for another hour before waking up and pouring some cereal for breakfast.

Fiber One + banana + almond milk. Standard.

After a full morning of classes, I returned home to a very orange lunch.

Though I usually go the sweet route with my sweet potatoes, Chuck’s “sweet potato mac and cheese” inspired me to try something savory. I microwaved the ‘tater for about three minutes, then topped it with a “cheesy” humnut sauce- 2T each hummus and nutritional yeast.

Carrot sticks provided even more beta carotene!

I also had a honeycrisp with peanut butter…

And a bowl of Angela’s high-protein chocolate pumpkin pudding.

The combination of the meal + baking tastes + cookie has made me stuffed!! Oof.

Hope you’re having a great Thursday!

What’s your favorite pumpkin baked good?

Do you prefer sweet potatoes sweet or savory?

Paper Time

Just posing quickly before jumping back into my French politics paper. I can’t wait to be done!

My afternoon snack was a peanut butter sandwich on Arnold bread.

And after classes, I came home and attacked this beast:

Favorite salad ever! Tomato, cucumber, carrots, romaine, salsa and a mashed avocado. The perfect meal.

I had a decapitated tortilla on the side. I literally have to pick them apart in tiny pieces- not very photogenic.

Grapes + dates followed.

And when Mike stopped by to say hi after doing some errands in the city, he convinced me to split a TJ’s dark chocolate bar with him. Well, I guess I didn’t need that much convincing…

Back to work…T minus 16 hours until my weekend begins!

What was the best class you took in college? If you’re still in college, which is your favorite so far? I love this French politics class, but writing papers is never exactly what I’d call fun.

I know it’s only hump day, but what are you most looking forward to this weekend?

Good Food + Good Run

Today, I realized what I can do if I really push myself:

Before my run, I enjoyed my second OIAJ of the week.

This jar contained ½ c oats, 1 c almond milk, a sliced banana, frozen strawberries and about 2T of peanut butter.

I feel like I’m an OIAJ failure because I always scrape the sides of the jar as I eat it, leaving nut butter only at the very bottom!

After breakfast, I set out for five miles, hoping for a negative split. And doggone it, my plan went off without a hitch!

• Mile 1- 8:23
• Mile 2- 8:05
• Mile 3- 7:51
• Mile 4- 7:49
• Mile 5- 6:37
• Total time- 38:45
• Average pace- 7:45

When I looked at my watch after mile 1, I was worried I’d started too fast. I tried not to look at my watch for the second mile and ended up going…faster? Though I wasn’t sure I could keep up the pattern, I kept pushing and somehow, it happened. The last mile was a KILLER! I just ran as hard as I could and reminded myself that I was only ONE MILE away from a negative split. It made me run faster than I even thought I could- the power of positive thinking!

* * *

I came home, chugged water, laid on the floor for a bit and stretched out my legs before starting on lunch!

Angela’s Basil Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons:

To start, I toasted two slices of Ezekiel bread in a skillet with olive oil.

While the bread browned, I combined a huge tomato, garlic, 1T maple syrup (which I subbed for brown sugar, since all I have is white!), salt & pepper and chopped basil.

It smelled delicious! I transferred it all into a casserole dish, sprinkled it with nutritional yeast and baked the whole mess at 350* for about 25 minutes.

There are no words.

I must admit, I’ve developed a slight blog-crush on Oh She Glows recently. Angela’s recipes are always so creative and flavorful. This dish was no exception! I served it atop a bed a of fresh spinach for extra veg.

Afterwards, I enjoyed a little crunch with a honeycrisp apple. The perfect ending to a perfect meal J

What’s the most recent accomplishment that you’re proud of?

Who are your current “blog crushes”?

Don Giovanni

This evening, I met up with my friend Amanda for an early dinner. Gracie introduced the two of us when she visited a few weeks ago, so it was fun to chat with someone new!

We went to Don Giovanni, an Italian restaurant in Chelsea.

The interior was cozy and fun- lots of old-school pictures on the walls!

I was excited for some thin-crust brick oven pizza, but out waitress informed us that they weren’t serving pizza until later in the evening. Fail.

Shouldn’t a restaurant known for its pizza serve it all day?

Though I was disappointed by the lack of pie, my meal was still pretty darn good. I started with the house salad, which was surprisingly big and full of fresh veggies!

For my entrée, I chose the vegetable primavera: a combination of mushrooms, broccoli, green beans, zucchini, carrots and peppers in red sauce.

I was a bit apprehensive about ordering just veggies at first, but this was delicious and filling. By the time my plate was clean, I was perfectly satisfied but not at all stuffed.

Oh, and I’m incredibly proud of myself for eating all the mushrooms. Granted, they were smothered in flavorful homemade sauce, but they didn’t gross me out one bit!

Amanda and I stayed at the restaurant for an hour and a half chatting. We have a lot in common- she actually went to college near where I grew up!

In lieu of a sugar-bomb restaurant dessert, I had a few squares of dark chocolate and an unpictured spoonful of peanut butter when I got home. Perfection.

Homework time! Have a great night J

Have you ever been bummed out by a restaurant’s “time” rules? I know several of my friends frequently lament the fact that you can’t get Egg McMuffins past 11…

Are there any foods you want to like, but just can’t seem to enjoy?

Simple and Delicious

Did I not promise I’d be rocking sweatshirts in no time?

J.Crew sweatshirt over a Lululemon tank and Target yoga pants

Some days, I really enjoy putting extra thought into my outfit- it puts a little spring in my step to wear something nice. On rainy days, however, all desire for cuteness goes out the window, and I resort to the comfortable classics J

This morning began bright an early with a four-mile jaunt on the elliptical. I had two pre-workout dates to tide me over, and enjoyed a cereal breakfast afterwards.

Fiber One, frozen strawberries and almond milk. Simple and delicious.

Rainy days are wonderful when you can just curl up inside with a mug of tea and some trash TV. Trudging through puddles in flip-flops? Not so much. Alas, I made it through a morning of classes and returned to my apartment for a simple and delicious lunch:

My fridge is very bare at the moment (I’m going grocery shopping this afternoon), so I settled on two slices of lightly toasted Arnold whole-wheat bread with peanut butter alongside frozen veggies tossed in nutritional yeast and hot sauce.

An orange for some vitamin C…

More dates! Love these little guys.

Time for a grocery run- one of my favorite parts of the week?

What's your least favorite kind of weather? I could do without being outside in the rain, but I absolutely shudder at the thought of freezing-cold temps.

What's your favorite "simple and delicious" meal?

Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma'am

I had a teacher in elementary school who said that pretty much every single day. Now that I’m a little older and actually realize what it means, I’m a little befuddled as to why she’d teach a bunch of second graders that expression…

Anyway, I have a ton of work to do tonight, so this post will be a quick one!

Before classes this afternoon, I snacked on a berry-flavored Nakd bar from Freya. Tres bon!

Around 5, I met Jillian for an early dinner at Cosi, our favorite place. As usual, I got the hummus and veggie sandwich. Though I ordered it on white bread, my order came on whole-grain. I ate it anyway J

I remember hearing somewhere that Cosi’s whole-grain bread isn’t whole-grain at all, just flecked with “grains” to give it the illusion of being so. I have no idea if this is true or not, but I prefer the white!

I wasn’t very satisfied when I came home, so I had some healthy fats in the form of roasted salted peanuts.

As well as a few squares of dark chocolate and a two medjool dates.

These are the kind of sweets that love me back. No energy crashes or sugar hangovers with dates + chocolate!

Homework time!

What are some of your favorite expressions? I’ll admit to saying “Wham bam thank you ma’am” every once in awhile J

What’s your favorite “healthy” dessert?