Archive for August, 2011
Marshmallow Fluff
0Guys.
I am obsessed.
I bought a jar of marshmallow fluff the other day thinking it would be an innocent little snack.
No. I’ve demolished over half this jar already.
Why oh why is it so good?
Also, guess what? Today is National Toasted Marshmallow Day!! Of course I celebrated with my beloved jar of fluff.
I’ve been eating the stuff atop peanut butter filled pretzels. And sidenote? Peanut butter pretzels are pretty much the greatest invention ever.
Dinner tonight was the simple combination of peanut butter + fluff + sliced banana on a bun. Simple. Delicious.
I may have walked around at work today for a good 30 minutes with fluff on my face.
Okay, I did.
I give the rest of the jar two days. Max.
Vegetarian Pulled “Pork” Sammies
2Living in the south, I’m constantly surrounded by delicious dishes like pulled pork and shrimp and grits.
Honestly, before I went vegetarian, those were two of my favorite foods. I let the craving for pulled pork get to me tonight and indulged.
Vegetarian, of course!
Vegetarian Pulled “Pork”Sammies
Need:
1 block extra firm tofu
barbecue sauce
hamburger buns
additional toppings; slaw is highly recommended
Do:
- Slice the tofu into long strips. Bake at 350F until it just starts to brown. You don’t need to press the tofu if you’re baking it this way. It usually takes about 30-40 minutes to bake.
- Put the tofu in a food processor. Gently pulse 3-4 times, until the tofu crumbled but isn’t pulverized.
- Mix the tofu crumbles with your desired amount of barbecue sauce. If you like it saucy, slather it on. If you’re a bit more conservative, use a little less. It’s up to you!
- Spoon tofu + barbecue mixture onto hamburger buns, dress with toppings and enjoy your sloppy southern meal.
I used store bought light barbecue dressing and it was freaking delicious. I had Annie’s organic barbecue the other day and while it was good, there was something a bit off. This version hit the spot and wasn’t too terrible on the ingredient list.
While I was researching vegetarian pulled pork, I found this ridiculous thing called a jackfruit, which apparently makes a pretty decent substitute? It’s supposed to have a mild taste and a similar texture to pulled pork. I’m a little skeptical but Greenville does have an Asian market, where I can supposedly find said jackfruit. I might need to take a little gander and see if I can whip up a better version.
I’ve also seen some versions made with seitan, which I have yet to try (!!).
Now if someone could just figure out how to veg-ize low country boil and shrimp & grits, I’d pretty much love you forever.
The Three…
1…best things I’ve eaten today:
3. BBQ roasted chickpea sandwich. It’s like pulled pork, but better.
2. Cashew Brittle. It’s like Costco’s version, only more brittle. It’s a work in progress.
1. Mama Pea’s Banana Chocolate Millet Muffins. It’s like heaven in your mouth.
That is all.
Easy Fruit Popsicles
2Remember eating popsicles as a kid? You’re sitting outside, it’s the middle of summer. The melting juice running down your chin. You picked the red one (obviously, because it’s the best) and now sweet-sticky red syrup covers your once bright white shirt.
I loved Flinstone Push-Pops, Rocket pops, the plastic tube ice pops, and the classic Popsicle brand popsicles. There’s not much better than an ice cold popsicle on a hot day.
In an effort to re-live my childhood cool down a bit in this scorching SC summer, I decided to make my own. I had the popsicle mold already, and I discovered a few cans of peaches in the pantry. Hmmm..
Homemade Tropical Popsicles
Need:
one can diced peaches in light syrup
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup shredded coconut
Do:
- Mix everything together in a bowl. Pour into molds and freeze for several hours, or overnight.
This was so simple to make and low calorie too! I like the texture of frozen fruit chunks, so I left the fruit whole. You could process in the FP to make it a bit silkier if you prefer a smoother popsicle. The possibilities are literally endless. If you don’t have a popsicle mold, you could always use old yogurt containers and sticks. Seriously, get creative because these are gooooood.
What was/is your favorite popsicle flavor/type?
Weekend Happenings
2Weekends always go by way too fast. Why is that? I need a(nother) vacation.
This weekend was a busy one too. There was a used book sale on Saturday and I was all over that. I got there a bit before noon, shopped a bit and went back in the afternoon. After 3PM, they give you a paper bag and you can shove as many books as you want in there and pay $10 per bag. I ended up with 36 books for a total of $20. Not bad! Now I’m just waiting for my mom and BFF to come knocking on my door, telling me I’m going to be on the next episode of Hoarders.
Books rule!
This book was included in my loot, as it looked intriguing. Non-runner? Check. Training for a marathon? Check. Woman? Check.
I broke my detox this weekend by re-introducing gluten and beans. The Pita House is a local Greenville restaurant/grocery store where they serve authentic Middle Eastern food. It is absolutely to.die.for and the book sale was just a hop, skip and a jump away from this tasty lunch.
I seriously need to learn how to make falafel like this at home. With tabbouli and creamy hummus stuffed inside a homemade pita? I kind of want it for lunch tomorrow too. I need a Pita House intervention.
In running news, I ran nine miles today! Personal distance record! Woohoo! I kept a slow and steady pace and I finished the whole thing. It gave me a lot of time to think and relax, oddly enough. I’ve never considered running relaxing, but when I tell fear and doubt to shove it and get into a groove, it’s actually most enjoyable.
Who am I!?! But how could I not enjoy this beautiful, shaded trail? It runs right behind my alma mater so I was able to sneak a peek at my old stomping ground. Sigh. I miss college sometimes.
The Swamp Rabbit Trail is a 13 mile trail through gorgeous upstate South Carolina. There were tons of bikers, runners, joggers and walkers out this morning, even at 7:30am! Luckilly the trail isn’t too hilly, and there are water fountains along the way. I parked and ran 4.5 miles out and back. When I got to 4.5 miles, there was a cute little shack labeled “watering hole.” It wasn’t open but it piqued my curiosity!
The trail is spray painted with mile markers every tenth of a mile, and I just so happened to pass the 26.2 mile marker! The trail actually starts at mile 23, because eventually they want to extend it all the way to the North Carolina border, where it will begin at zero.
I spotted my little mickey pin on my camera bag last night and decided to pin it to my shorts for inspiration. It worked! I ran almost the entire way, and ended up walking about 1.5 miles total. Not bad for 9 freaking miles!
Do I really have to go to work tomorrow?
I’ll leave you with this hilariousness:
You a wanta a spicy meatball?!
Detox. Day 4
0We’re in day four of my little detox experiment and it’s still going well.
I’m going strong avoiding caffeine (wah!), dairy, soy, beans and gluten. I have to admit, I am getting a bit bored with my food variety. I miss coffee, crunchy bread, froyo, a good goat cheese and veggie burgers. If nothing else, this detox has truly made me appreciate the foods that I “can’t” eat right now.
Lunch today was a huge quinoa salad, topped with cauliflower (love!), cherry tomatoes, green beans and carrots. I whisked up a quick dressing of olive oil, balsamic and grainy dijon to pour over it. It was delicious.
I slipped up yesterday and had some sunflower butter, which has some added sugar and salt (which I’m also trying to avoid), but I didn’t beat myself up about it. Some salt is essential and sunflower butter is freaking good.
In terms of how I feel, I feel most excellent! On Tuesday I ran a slow but steady three miles nonstop! I know walking doesn’t make me any less of a runner, but I always feel accomplished when I can go the distance without walking. I also feel more focused at work, which is always a plus.
I also started reading 50/50 this week (I have a slight Dean Karnazes obsession), and the back of the book has a beginner’s marathon training guide, which I’m going to incorporate into my training.
I knew back when I started my first plan it was unrealistic for me to run up to ten miles on a weekday. I just don’t have time! I think I’m also going to bump up running to four days a week, instead of the planned three, with one day of biking, one day of swimming and one rest day. However as anyone who took high school english knows, the best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry.
Anyway, I can’t believe tomorrow is Friday! This week has absolutely flown by. Time for me to snuggle up in bed with my nerdy book of the week.
Second Breakfast
0Long run days call for two breakfasts.
This is a rule.
On Sunday I ran six miles. I had the usual smoothie in the morning and I was hungry a few hours later. I bought some buckwheat for my detox this week, so I decided to try out Ashley’s buckwheat bake. I followed her recipe exactly and added some chopped pecans. I also microwaved for 2 minutes instead of baking for 30 minutes.
I was hungry, okay?!
Buckwheat is an interesting little thing. Contrary to it’s name, it’s gluten free and quite tasty. I bought the groats from the bulk section at WF and used my food processor to grind them into flour.
The bake had a muffin-like consistency and was delicious topped with some maple syrup, coconut and pumpkin seeds. Mmmmmm.
I can’t wait to try out some fall varieties. Pumpkin puree, applesauce, chopped apples, raisins. The possibilities are endless!
Second breakfast never tasted so good.
Detox. Day Uno.
0So. Let’s talk about what I’ve been eating lately.
It’s been looking a little like this:
and less like this:
which left me feeling like this:
So I’ve decided to do a seven-day detox of sorts. My body has been all out of whack for a little while, and I want to get to the root of the problem. There is very clearly something that is causing me distress. I have a good feeling it’s caffeine and something in Sabra hummus (tear!), but I want some more solid proof.
For the next seven days I will be abstaining from caffeine, dairy, gluten, soy, beans, and most added sugar and salt. What does that leave me to eat? A multitude of things!
Breakfast today was a banana and a brown rice cake topped with peanut butter.
Mid-morning snack was a Larabar + delicious detox tea. I’m not a huge fan of tea in general, but this one tastes sort of like chai. I’m not really sure if ‘purifies my liver’ as it claims, but it sure is tasty!
Lunch was a hugh jass salad: spinach + mushrooms + carrots + sprouts + tomatoes + Angela’s cheezy sauce.
Afternoon snack was half a honeydew and two dates. Dates = candy.
Dinner consisted of roasted sweet potato, rainbow chard roll ups packed with millet, nutritional yeast and pepper plus cherry tomatoes on the side.
I didn’t feel hungry or deprived at all during the day, which is good because that’s not what I’m going for at all. I’m cleaning up my eating and will slowly be adding the above off limits back in, after seven days of clean eats. Hopefully I can get to the root of the problem and health-ify myself on the way.
One day down, six to go!
Weekend Lessons
0There’s nothing better than driving around with the windows down at dusk. I’m loving the 75 degree weather lately. Fall is on the way!
Clip art is hilarious. Hi.lar.ious.
Swiss chocolate is divine.
I’ve added another cookbook to my collection! Thanks, Jenny!
Themed Scrabble is kind of silly. What if you play a work unrelated to cooking? You automatically lose?
People put some weird stickers on their cars.
Things I Must Make Immediately
0Why is Pinterest such a time suck? And so full of delicious things?
Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese
Strawberry Limeade Yogurt Popsicles
This week has been super busy at work, so quality kitchen time has been a bit compromised. I also slept for 12 hours last night instead of making dinner/blogging. Oops?
Promise I have some delectable things in the works!
