Monthly Archives: June 2010

by | June 10, 2010 · 7:40 am

Three Day Weekend!

Have I ever mentioned how much I adore days off? I’m guessing I haven’t, since I’ve been blogging for less than two weeks, but I LOVE days off! I try to cram as much activity as I can into my free days, because when I work my day job, I basically stand around and pace. And yes, this Wednesday is the middle of my three day weekend – all the better to avoid the crowds.
I started the morning with a GM (Are you sick of these pics yet? Too bad!). At least I switched up the glass it’s in:

This one had 2 cups of spinach, banana, soy milk, blueberries and ice. I used the remains of the spinach which tasted about half a day past its prime, and forgot the lemon. This drink definitely needs the lemon juice to cut any spinach flavor! Remember that!
After that Monsta came a long hike. The June Gloom has taken over! I loves me the June Gloom! Any morning I wake up to an overcast sky, I do a little happy dance inside. I’m weird: get used to it.
Half an hour into the hike my stomach started rumbling, so it was time to start planning my next meal. I had a coupon to “buy one, get one free” at The Counter, a build-your-own-burger bar. I was psyched for this and then did something incredibly stupid: I looked at the nutritional facts online. A warning to anyone who wants to enjoy this place guilt-free, DON’T LOOK! Instead of a big, juicy burger topped with fresh guacamole, goat cheese and mixed greens, I had two slices of my dense homemade oatmeal-walnut bread with a tablespoon of flaxseed peanut butter.

These were chilling in the freezer, just waiting to be devoured.
The bread kept me satisfied during a trip to Barnes and Noble, and I got hungry just in time to go to my favorite Thai restaurant. We got there with ten minutes to spare before the lunch special deals ended. Phew! Nine bucks nabbed a starter salad with citrus dressing, chicken pad thai and panang beef.

Have you ever gotten so hungry you just devoured without thinking?
I did. That’s why I had to borrow someone else’s pictures. Oops!
The lovely chef sent out complimentary sweet rice and mango! We used to frequent this restaurant every other week and know the owner quite well. I find that when you become a regular at any restaurant, a relationship develops that is profitable for both the owners and the customers :).
I was zoning out from hunger before lunch, then ended up eating so much that I went into a food coma. The only thing that could bring me out is the elixir of life.

I spent a good year looking for a big, ugly rooster mug! I really wanted one where the rooster head protruded in 3D, but I’m pretty happy with this giant.

Next stop was my all-time favorite place: THE LIBRARY!!! I went a little crazy…

Any guesses as to what my current interests are?
I saw the trailer for the new movie, Charlie St. Cloud, last night and found out that it’s based off of a book. I’m obsessed with reading books before they come out on the big, or small, screen. I’ve most recently read Dear John (haven’t seen the movie yet), The Last Song (also haven’t seen the movie), and Julie and Julia (loved the movie, the book is getting better). I read a book a week when I get the time, more if possible! My name is Bexter and I’m addicted to reading.
Dinner was reheated Thai food and a cup of Trader Joe’s kettle corn. Now I’m sitting back watching The Next Food Network Star and craving some of the salmon that Brad Sorenson made. Ummm, I might have a bit of a crush… No, I definitely do. So cute! And now I want to do some funky pushups. Is anyone else watching this or do I just sound like a crazy person?
Happy midweek weekend!

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Filed under Barnes and Noble, Charlie St. Cloud, FOOD, green monster, hike, kettle corn, lemons, oatmeal bread, pad thai, panang curry, thai food

by | June 9, 2010 · 6:55 am

Gourmet Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday, all! I hope you all started off your morning as well as I did 🙂 GREEN MONSTAAAAA!!!

This baby has spinach, bananas, blueberries, lemon juice, soymilk and ice!
Cleaning the blender seems like a big ordeal, but it’s really easy! Just pour a little dish soap and hot water into the blender:

Press LIQUIFY:

Give it a few minutes to whirl, rinse, and you’re done!
After having my massive green fuel-machine (hey, that rhymes! I should get into poetry), I jumped on the trail for another hike up the hill. Today was completely empty and quiet and lovely, and there was marine layer hanging over so the bugs weren’t biting: the PERFECT day for a hike!

I got back and got spoiled by my roomie cooking up a semi-scramble.

We were running low on spinach, so this was made with a little spinach, yellow bell peppers, asparagus and zucchini roasted in herbes de provence. Have I mentioned how much I love herbes de provence? If I ever roast ANY vegetable, I love to cover it in HDP. It just makes everything taste more complex and warmer.
Next came a bunch of thrilling errands that had to be run – Home Depot for chicken wire to keep the rabbits from devouring the new vines, Petsmart to pick up chewies for the spoiled Buddha (nickname for the puppy), the library to pick up a book I requested a few weeks ago, and finally to Trader Joe’s!
I loooove me the TJ’s! For dinner I decided to make Jenna’s (http://eatliverun.com) channa masala recipe. I picked up chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), canned diced tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, onions, tomato paste and ginger. Every other ingredient I already had at home.

After setting it all up, I chopped, peeled, minced and measured all my ingredients and got them in order. I’m a big fan of mise en place – a French term that means “putting things into place.” It also helps you clean as you go, so there’s not a huge mess in the kitchen waiting to be scrubbed when all you want to do is relax and enjoy your meal.

I caramelized the onions for 15 minutes, then went to the next bowl which contained my chopped garlic, jalapeno and ginger. After stirring that together, the next dish (the tomato paste) went in. I was supposed to pince (cook down) the tomato paste until it had formed a nice crust on the pan, but it somehow came out a little blackened. Next I threw in the seasonings which smoked up the kitchen a bit, then the chickpeas and tomatoes and garam masala.

After letting everything stew for a while to warm through, I squeezed lemon on top (and all over the floor), and plated.

Today I got Trader Joe’s garlic naan! It made the meal complete!
Even though I burned the tomato paste a little, it still tasted A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I only finished about half my plate before I was comfortably full. I’m working on eating until I’m satisfied and not gorging until I’m bursting at the seams: it takes practice! I sipped on a (durr) Fat Tire and enjoyed the evening.
After an hour I got a little sweet craving, so I whipped out the So Delicious mocha ice cream. I’m not a fan of coffee ice cream, so this is perfect to keep me from overdoing it. I scooped about a quarter cup into a mug and ate that, and after was totally content. Just the right amount of sugar in my system, dairy-free, and I didn’t want to go back for more.

Now it’s time for the season finale of “Glee”, so I must leave you all! Happy hiking, biking, and most of all: EATING!

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Filed under Channa Masala, cooking, Garlic naan, green monster, Home Depot, ice cream, Jenna Weber, mocha, Petsmart, puppies, recipe, Trader Joe's

by | June 8, 2010 · 6:58 am

Monday Blahs

You can kind of see the etching on the glass – these were party favors from my bro’s wedding 🙂 He and my new sister-in-law are big homebrewers!
The day crawled by. Around noon I started getting hungry, and being possibly, officially lactose intolerant, I whipped out the goat’s milk yogurt that I’ve read about. How can I describe this to you? It tasted like liquid goat cheese, and when you pull the spoon out, little strands hang down, back into the cup. EW. I ate about a quarter of it before I just couldn’t take anymore.
Those are stale cinnamon Puffins on top. Sigh.
I had to get that awful taste out of my mouth, so I went on lunch and got the usual: a mini spicy tuna roll with brown rice.

Sorry for the lame picture. I really did look crazy taking this, so I was trying to be discreet. Massive Fail.
After four more hours of counting the minutes, I got to come home and throw on some sweats, wash my face and eat a big KSS with the last slice of pizza and… you guessed it: a Fat Tire. This KSS had roasted zucchini, asparagus, chopped red bell pepper, Spicy Ranchero Egg White Salad, warmed lentils and fresh herbs that came in the salad bag.

Sorry for the short post. I have the next few days off, so I’ll be getting on the trails, back on my bike and taking more pictures! Happy…? Monday…..

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Filed under brown rice, Fat Tire, grind, kitchen sink salad, Monday, sushi, work

by | June 7, 2010 · 8:19 am

Lunch Date!

Today was a long day. I mean a really, really long day. I woke up to my phone serenading Owl City to me at 7am, rolled out of bed and threw about 6 cups of spinach into the blender along with 2 frozen bananas, the juice of half of a lemon, a cup of blueberries and a cup of soymilk and ice. I skipped on the Emergen-C again, but even without, this was the best GM to date! Must be all the extra blueberries. Yay antioxidants!
I finally hopped on my bike and spent about 50 minutes going 7.5 miles. Is that a good time? I have no concept as to what qualifies as good timing on a bike. This road route I took was uphill the first 5 miles, then downhill for the rest, excepting the insane hill I have to ride up to get back home. I didn’t stop once, so I’m happy for that! I love having my heart race so much that I can feel my pulse in my teeth, and flying through a cloud of misty marine layer that makes my hair damp. Love it!
After I got back I had a scrambled egg for protein, chugged a crapload of water and stretched my insanely tight quads. I had an hour of relaxing time in the backyard enjoying a hot cup of coffee and a view before I had to head to work.
I worked for a half hour before my stomach started rumbling. I swear, my metabolism is insane! Must. Eat. Constantly. I brought some freshly sliced bell peppers and the remains of my homemade hummus (picture omitted because I thought I’d look like a crazy person taking pictures of my food). Then I had to plow through work with visions of my potential lunch options dancing in my head.
For lunch I went to Lazy Dog Cafe. A wee bit extravagant, but sometimes a girl just needs a good gourmet burger. And maybe a shared beer 🙂
I split a guacamole and green chile burger, as well as the signature Lazy Dog Amber with my awesome lunch date ;). I’m always on the search for that new brew that makes the day seem bright and exciting – this Wednesday I’ll be heading up to the Islands Brewery in Carpinteria with some friends to have some tastings and take a tour. You don’t even need to ask: of course there will be pictures!
I got home after what seemed like the LONGEST day on the planet and was too tired and too out of ingredients to make the Channa Masala I wanted to, so I ordered pizza instead. Oops. I had three (oops again!) slices of thin-crust ham and pineapple, as well as a Fat Tire. I wasn’t even hungry, but three pieces of pizza went into my stomach! I’ll have to work on that… Eating when I’m not hungry is definitely an issue with me.
We just finished watching a family friend, Jenn Karlman, on the season premiere of “Grill It with Bobby Flay!” She and Bobby made different versions of grilled wild wahoo. Very cool to see her looking all pro with her amazing chef skills. You can check Jenn out here. She’s an amazing improvisational cook and makes delicious, healthy meals!
I’m so sorry for the lack of pictures, but I’ll charge the camera battery so I can keep up. I hope everyone had a great weekend! Keep your chins up for the week – just because we have to get back to the drone of work doesn’t mean we can’t have the best droned-out week ever!
Cheers!

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Filed under Amber, bike, Fat Tire, green monster, hills, Lazy Dog Cafe, mountain bike, pain, spinach, ugh, work

by | June 6, 2010 · 4:41 am

I LOVE INDIAN FOOD!

There is NOTHING better than eating healthy round the clock. I live for eating veggies and tofu, drinking hot lemon water, chomping on fresh fruits, and exercising at least 2 hours a day.
Oh wait… there’s LIFE!
Today started out healthy enough. I made a MONSTER GM to split with the roommates and added the juice of half a lemon this time. Definitely made a difference, as did the additional frozen banana. I’ll try adding the Emergen-C tomorrow morning.
And yes, that is http://eatliverun.com in the background. My mom was kind enough to point out how similar our blog names are. I swear I hadn’t even found her blog before I’d named mine! I was going for a twist on “Eat, Pray Love”. Ah well.
This GM kept me full a full hour and a half, then I was ravenous! Luckily, we were headed straight to The Taj in Ventura for Indian food. I’m OBSESSED with this place and we frequent it at least once a month.
Overhead view
Topographic view
The Taj fortunately (or unfortunately) had a buffet today, so I loaded up with saag, saffron chicken, korma and extra amounts of sauce. There is REALLY nothing better than scooping up the sauces with a hot, freshly baked piece of garlic naan.
Rice is for lame-o’s!
I will always believe that white rice is only a filler. Don’t waste your time on it! Use that searing hot garlic naan to scoop up every single bit of sauce that is left on your plate! If you don’t, I’ll refuse to join you for lunch >:(. Just kidding, I’ll go to lunch with anyone if there’s food involved :). Even more so if it’s free *wink wink*!!!
Since it was buffet style, I just had to go back for dessert…. and maybe a little more saag and saffron sauce.
That’s pineapple at the bottom! I’m healthy!
As my best friend, Michelle, pointed out to me on iChat just now, “Sometimes unhealthy food is healthy for the soul!” I love that girl! I didn’t want to disrespect the chefs, so I cleaned my plate.
But once it was officially gone, I was very, very depressed.
That’s nothing that a little chocolate can’t fix! I settled for my usual: sprinkles-covered marshmallow on a stick:
I got a call yesterday that the bike store FINALLY had my shorts in, so I just had to go try them on!
5’3″ and fierce. I know you’re scared!
News flash: I have chicken legs. Like, annoyingly-crazy skinny legs. Everything about these shorts fit EXCEPT for the legs! They were hanging on me, and while I was willing to overlook this problem, Dave, the cycle guy, told me that I wouldn’t be able to ignore it for long. I placed an order for an extra-small pair. Now I have to wait another week and a half for them to arrive. Ugh.
Back home for a Saturday night, I got to try out my pop’s new pellet rifle 🙂
Elegant and ready to kill! I scared the CRAP out of that mound of dirt below the baked beans can that I was aiming for, that’s for sure!
After feeling like a total bad-ass, I kicked back with a Fat Tire and an amazing view.
OH! And a chocolate-covered sea salt caramel!
Sorry for the blurry picture. I’m still trying to figure out this camera. I drooled over a few very cool digital SLR’s at a camera store today, but the funds aren’t allowing for anything extravagant like that.
Tomorrow I have another full shift at work, so I’m setting my alarm for 7am and I’m going to put the pedal to the asphalt and pump out a few miles! I’m hoping to map out a long loop that’s not on a main road so I can work on adding mileage without getting run over. After that, my Emergen-C GM! See you all tomorrey!

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Filed under beer, Chocolate, Fat Tire, Indian Food, Pearl Izumi, pellet gun, trufflehounds, Ventura

by | June 5, 2010 · 8:24 am

GREEN MONSTER!!!

I promised you that I’d finally have something other than a breakfast scramble for breakfast, so I give you…THE GREEN MONSTER!!!!
I used a recipe I got off of http://greenmonstermovement.com/. I chose the “fool proof” recipe for my first time. I’ll try anything once, but I’ll admit, I was nervous to try this baby. I had to go through with it though, because yesterday’s trip to Costco landed me a 2.5lb bag of fresh spinach! Check out what it looks like next to my gigantic blender!

And yes, that is my blender peeking out behind the gi-normous bag! Can’t believe that bag was only $3.99! YAY COSTCO!!!


Lucky for me, I had leftover flax meal from my homemade bread, and a bunch of fresh bananas, so it started like this:
It met its original end-point at this:
But, after the first sip, it was just too bland, so it went back into the blender with a handful of fresh blueberries, and came out as this:
After being passed around between the roommates, the general consensus was that it was STILL TOO BLAND! Still, for the first attempt, this was completely acceptable and drinkable, as this picture seems to show:
I think tomorrow morning I’ll throw in an Emergen-C or two for some extra tang. It was definitely missing something – maybe lemon or lime zest or something similar. I think I’ll also chuck in another cup or two of spinach. I might as well go big or go home :).

After chugging that gigantic, filling MONSTER, I headed off to work. I had an early shift and didn’t plan enough time to eat breakfast as well as drink the GM, plus I didn’t know if the GM was meant to be a replacement for breakfast or had in addition – it’s meant to be had in addition, as I found out :-/.

About half an hour after clocking in, I felt the insistent groan of my raging stomach, so I ran to Subway to try one of their healthy new breakfast sandwiches. I brought along a coupon – (YAY coupons and saving money!) and lucky me, got the new girl. She ended up making me a sandwich with 3 pieces of spinach, a layer of turkey and ham, and a wheat bun that was toasted. At the end of the line, a very confused me handed over my coupon and they tried to charge me $4 for the piece of crap she’d put together! They finally realized their mistake – a breakfast sandwich includes egg and is on an english muffin – and gave me the sub for a buck. I’m still a bit pissed though… definitely didn’t want a hunk of hot bread with meat and wilted spinach :-/. I was going to take a picture, but it was just TOO pitiful!

Lunch turned around though! I went to the sushi place and got a mini spicy tuna roll with brown rice, sriracha with a little soy sauce and two huge cups of ice water. I’m working on increasing my H2O intake!
I ran into a friend I used to work with, enter Duck-Duck (my friend from high school), and had a “catch-up” lunch. After parting with Duck-Duck, I had just enough time to go to my usual cushy post-lunch couch and read a few chapters of my current book – Julie and Julia. I just want to point out, this book is a total bummer! I saw the movie a few months ago and thought it was very cute, but this book is just depressing! I’ve never read a book whose author had such a bad attitude! Sheesh! I needed a See’s candy to pick me up, so I got me a Tipperary bon-bon, and split an apple pie truffle with my mum who stopped by :).

FINALLY I got home and was treated by my roommates to a wonderful dinner of seared tilapia and steamed green beans tossed with garlic oil:
You must remember though, it is Friday night, so it was followed by this:
That Fat Tire is most definitely mine! As was the following one… :). I also have been looking into the Tour de Fat – October 23rd in Los Angeles! Anyone want to go? Please let me know!

After the sunset, I retreated back inside and finally got to try some So Delicious ice cream. I’ve been wanting to try the coconut milk So Delicious, but didn’t have the desire or ability to drive all the way to Sprouts, so I settled for this:
I gotta say, ice cream really needs a nice piece of cake to compliment it. Pepperidge Farm’s chocolate layer cake was actually SCREAMING at me to eat it! I had to obey!!!
There really is no better way to end a Friday night. I’m a total homebody, and while going out and getting trashed just isn’t my cup-o-tea, I’m all for a few beers, some cake and ice cream and some good conversation. Nothing better 🙂

Happy Friday and g’night all!

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Filed under beer, cake, Fat Tire, flax, green monster, love, New Belgium, Pepperidge Farm, roommates, so delicious, soy, spinach, sushi

by | June 4, 2010 · 2:11 am

Costco & Fro-Yo

Well, it turns out that bell pepper slices with hummus aren’t enough for dinner for a normal person – silly me. As soon as I got to work, my stomach turned on me with a vengeance.

I belong to the Godiva Rewards club, which means I get one free piece of chocolate per month. Godiva ain’t cheap, so this is the only time I’ll ever enter the store – my wallet learned from my addiction a few years ago. To try and calm the wild beast that was screaming from inside my abdomen, I selected the Spring Rasberry Truffle. It has a thick, velvety rasberry center and is draped in white chocolate. So freakin’ amazing! It didn’t comfort my stomach for more than half an hour though, so I headed over to our trusty new Subway and got a 6-inch roast beef and turkey on whole wheat with spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell peppers and mustard. I picked away all the excess bread that I didn’t want to eat and made the local birds very happy.

This morning began with Emergen-C, coffee and a breakfast scramble. I promise there will be something new for tomorrow! Just wait! We also went on another lovely hike that was again overcrowded with people. Good for all of them getting their fitness in – I guess I’ll just have to head out earlier to enjoy the peace and quiet!

Looking up towards the halfway point.

After a quick shower to attempt and rinse all the bug spray I’ve been accumulating during every hike, we headed off to Costco to stock up on some much-needed veggies.

But FIRST! We just had to stop for some frozen yogurt from Menchies! After my last fro-yo stomach pain, I stuck to the dairy-free Mango Sorbet, and topped it with fresh strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, and a touch of Mochi – a yummy rice candy that’s full of sugar and carbs :)! It was a perfect way to fend off the lunch-hunger that needed to be filled with free Costco samples.

At Costco we picked up a MONSTER bag of spinach which I’ll show you tomorrow, and a big box of coffee pods. Can’t live without my coffee! Samples were very low, and I skipped the baby brie on crackers and just had some stir-fried chicken on a toothpick. Not quite enough for lunch…

At home I caught up on my current favorite blog – http://eatliverun.com, and made myself a big Kitchen Sink Salad.
This one has an entire bag of Trader Joe’s baby greens, half of a bell pepper, an entire container of Spicy Ranchero Egg White Salad, and half a cup of warmed lentils and was drizzled with a balsamic-whole grain mustard dressing. This baby is gonna have to tide me over until tomorrow – I head back to work for another 3 hour shift tonight :-/.

Tomorrow will mark my first attempt at a GREEN MONSTER!!! A green monster is a massive blend of spinach, soy milk, bananas, ice and blueberries. I’m going to get in 4 servings of veggies before 8am! Wish me luck 🙂

KSS MAKES ME HAPPY!!!!!

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Filed under coffee, Costco, Emergen-C, green monster, hike, kitchen, salad, samples, sink

by | June 3, 2010 · 1:54 am

Magic Doorstops!

Today was a day for something new and exciting – something I’ve never done before. I MADE BREAD!!!
Now, I’ve made the typical banana bread, popped open some crescent roll tubes and slammed them on a baking sheet, but I’ve never made bread that requires you to activate the yeast, assemble your own selection of different types of oatmeals and grains, and actually baked a loaf of bread.
Lately I’ve been craving some whole grains and carbs and, rather than run out to the store and grab a processed, plastic-wrapped, frozen and then thawed loaf, I hit up our new local Sprouts store. They have an amazing bulk foods section where you can get as much, or as little of any type of dry food that you want. The cost for this shopping trip came out to be pretty cheap for the whole wheat flour, flax meal, wheat germ, walnuts and yeast. Everything else I found in the cupboards.

Assembled ingredients: Daunting!!!
All the ingredients getting mixed together
My feeble attempts at kneading… I look scared!
Pre-rise
Post-rise! Does it look any different?
Baked!
And sliced!!!
I must say, when I first pulled the bread out of the oven, I was really disappointed. The thing weighed about 10lbs, and was completely raw and doughy on the inside. I cut myself a piece from the middle and then stuck the rest back in the oven. The first bite changed my whole attitude. Delicious!!! It has a really chewy texture – I credit the steel cut oats I soaked, drained and threw in, and it’s chock full of chopped walnuts and sprinkled with wheat germ. It’s very heavy, but the flavor is really good! The recipe is from Cooks.com (I cut this in half to make one loaf). My personal add-a-grains were pre-soaked steel cut oatmeal, rolled oats, flax meal and wheat germ. I also used honey instead of molasses, unsweetened soy milk instead of regular milk, and olive oil. Definitely a recipe I’d recommend if you can get over the fact that it feel like a doorstop!
Of course, I didn’t start the day by cooking bread. I started it with a breakfast scramble, and then headed here!
This is halfway up the trail we hike almost every single morning. It was a little hazy today, but where you’re looking is where the ocean is!
I’m a blessed, blessed girl 🙂 We had a warm 56 minute hike that had a nice cool breeze, and unfortunately, a lot of people. I guess everyone is starting their summer vacations, which doesn’t make me happy. I like MY park to be empty! I may get a little territorial – has anyone noticed that?
After the bread-making debacle-turned-success, I heated up a simple lunch: Lemony quinoa with some shredded leftover chicken that we had in the fridge from Memorial Day.
Blackberries and a slice of my freshly made bread smothered in a tablespoon of peanut butter with flax seed made up dessert.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I haven’t been sticking to my no-beer goal. Here’s my outlook: one drink a day, if you’re of legal age, has been found to be good for your heart. I’m definitely not perfect when it comes to my diet, and I’m okay with that. Plus, Fat Tire kicks ass and you only live once, so why not enjoy it?
I also found out that the film I was supposed to start on Saturday has been pushed until August. Now I’m left with 10 days off from work (unless I can get some hours back – fingers crossed, I need the money!) and nothing to do – except perhaps have another go at a different type of homemade bread?
For now I have to go and get ready for a 4 hour shift at work. Dinner will be some sliced up bell peppers with my homemade tomato-basil hummus and probably another serving of lunch. I wish I had time to hop on my bike, but my scheduling with work, plus having a sick-day yesterday hasn’t allowed for it. I’ll be sure to get back to it before this weekend rolls around, especially now that I may have an entire week to myself! Maybe I’ll work on my mileage since I have the time and train for that century ride that I’m hoping to do before the end of the year… Hey, you gotta aim high, otherwise where’s the fun?

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Filed under bake, beer, blackberries, bread, doorstop, health, hike, honey, olive oil, views

by | June 1, 2010 · 2:11 am

Quinoa, finally!

Happy Memorial Day to all my fellow Americans! Today is traditionally a day to remember those who fell in honor and defense of our country, and also a day that Americans use as an excuse to sit on their butts, drink lots of beer, and eat massive amounts of food – not that there’s ANYTHING wrong with that once in a while.

I decided to start the holiday off in a different way. After a leisurely morning at home with yet another spicy breakfast scramble, I headed back to the park for hiking. The heat was ridiculous today and the flies were out in full force. When I say flies, I don’t mean the pesky little ones that buzz around your ears, I mean the ones that thirst for blood and attack! I endured an hour of biting, buzzing, sweating, crowd-fighting misery before getting back into the blissfully air-conditioned car.
Up next were errands that had to be dealt with: picking up cat food from the pet store. Could there be anything more thrilling? The dog joined us on the trip, and since we were out and there just happened to be a new self-serve frozen yogurt place nearby, we had to enjoy a lunch of cake batter fro-yo outside in the blissful summer air.
Back home, a big stomach ache ensued. I may have forgotten to mention, but I seem to be lactose intolerant… I’m really good at sticking to soy substitutes, except when it comes to ice cream/gelato/frozen yogurt and cheese. Goat cheese has become my new favorite for those times I just can’t go without a cheesy, spinach omelette in the mornings. I decided to make some sun-dried tomato hummus from scratch to help ease my tummy.

Sun-dried Tomato Hummus: Makes 2 cups (Recipe from allrecipes.com)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt (I normally leave this out. I don’t want anymore sodium added to my diet than I take in already)
1.5 tbsp tahini paste (Also known as sesame seed paste, can be found in Albertson’s in the asian food or kosher aisle)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 (15.5 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil (Again, I use a bit less than this and add water to thin out my hummus)
2 tbsp finely shredded fresh basil (or 1-2 tsp of the dried stuff)
1. Place garlic, salt, tahini and lemon juice into a food processor; process until smooth. Pour in the garbanzo beans and 1/4 cup of olive oil; process until smooth, scraping sides as needed. Once smooth, add the sun-dried tomatoes and process until they’ve been chopped to very small pieces and have made the hummus a pink color. Finally, add the basil and pulse a few times until mixed in.
2. Pack hummus into airtight container and refrigerate for at least one hour. When serving, I like to add a little lemon zest to the top to give it even more color and zing 🙂

(It tastes much better than it looks)

Of course, I wasn’t able to eat this right away since it needs to refrigerate, so I decided to finally get working on the quinoa that I meant to start a few days ago. We ran out of zucchini and onions, but I found some shallots bought for a recipe I meant to make last week, so I thought that I would take a risotto recipe I learned from the amazing Giada De Laurentiis when I was obsessed with the Food Network and substitute quinoa instead. (Original recipe here) I also removed all traces of cheese and butter, but feel free to add some into yours! I might try some soy cream cheese substitute in mine next time.

Lemony Quinoa:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large shallots, diced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/4-1/2 cup good white wine (something you would like to drink)
1.5 cups of reduced-sodium vegetable broth
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1. In a saucepan, heat olive oil, add diced shallots and saute until translucent.
2. Add rinsed quinoa and mix with shallots and olive oil to toast.
3. Pour in white wine and stir until absorbed.
4. Slowly add the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time until absorbed by quinoa.
5. Once quinoa is cooked (the little tail-looking thingy appears and the quinoa is tender but still has a little pop to the bite – very scientific, eh?) stir in the lemon zest and juice, and fluff with a fork.

Quinoa before

Quinoa After

For 1/4 cup of quinoa there are 160 calories, 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. These little grains pack a punch, plus, in the lemony quinoa recipe, you’re also getting healthy fats from the olive oil. I think when I reheat this for lunch tomorrow, I’ll get some zucchini and butternut squash to saute and add in for some veggie-power.

And now, while everyone else relaxes and enjoys their barbeques with friends and family, I’m off to a pointless 3 hour shift at work where I’ll spend my time holding up a counter and watching the dust bunnies roll across the tile while the minutes drag by. Who wants to sit at home eating bratwurst and drinking good beer when you can work a night at retail?

Oh wait… I do.




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Filed under barbeque, basil, beer, frozen yogurt, hike, hummus, Memorial Day, Quinoa, shallots, wine