breakfast
…but where do you get your protein?
0Arguably one of the most frequent questions I (and vegetarians in general) get is “where do you get your protein?” I have found, in my 1.5 years of experience, that with a little planning it’s not terribly difficult to get enough protein. There’s protein in pretty much everything! You just have to be willing to branch out a bit. Continuing to eat the typical american diet of sugary cereal, iceberg lettuce and french fries will get you nowhere fast.
So. To demonstrate, I documented a day of eats and now I’m about to list the protein content of everything*. Ready? Here’s what I ate yesterday..
breakfast:
popped amaranth (1c = 28g)
walnuts (1c = 4g)
rice milk (1c = 1g)
maple syrup (nada)
snacks:
greek yogurt (6oz = 15g)
protein bar (1 bar = 10g)
greek frozen yogurt (1c = 12g)
lunch:
rainbow rice salad:
wild rice (1c = 6.5g)
black beans (1 c = 14g)
corn (1c = 5g)
peas (1c = 8g)
peppers (1c = 1.5g)
carrots (1c = 1g)
dinner:
hummus (1c = 12g)
pimento cheese (1c = 25g)
whole wheat pita (1 pita = 6g)
cabbage (1c = 1g)
mixed greens (1c = 0.5g)
balsamic dressing (nada)
other favorite sources:
hard boiled eggs (1 egg = 6g)
quinoa (1c = 24g)
lentils (1c = 18g)
peanut butter (1c = 64g)
any other type of nut/seed butter (35-50g)
nutritional yeast (1c = 85g)
chickpeas (1c = 12g)
white beans (1c = 19g)
any other kind of bean (1c = 10-20g)
This by no means is a comprehensive list! As you can see, there are many excellent, healthy, tasty sources of protein. It’s all about finding a balance and what works for you. While peanut butter is an absolutely wonderful source of protein, it’s also unfortunately a more excellent source of fat. I wouldn’t recommend downing a cup of peanut butter daily but a few tablespoons here and there are not only delicious but an excellent way to sneak in protein!
What are some of your favorite sources of protein?
*note: serving sizes listed don’t reflect my actual servings. I normalized everything to around one cup for comparison purposes. Although I probably could down a cup of pimento cheese if I didn’t believe my arteries would immediately clog.
Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Drizzle
0It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a recipe. Truthfully I’ve been living off pimento cheese and spinach. At least they balance each other out?
This pancake recipe came from a cookbook I picked up in Disney World. The original is based on a breakfast dish out of Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside, which is where we actually stayed for the marathon.
Pumpkin Pancakes with Maple Cream Cheese Drizzle
Need:
for pancakes (adapted from Chef Mickey)
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 c light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 flax eggs
3/4 c rice milk
3 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 can pumpkin puree
1 tbsp butter/Earth Balance
for the drizzle:
2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp powdered sugar
rice milk
Do:
- Make the pancakes: mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl.
- Slowly mix in flax eggs, milk, oil, extract and butter. Add pumpkin puree and beat until smooth.
- On an electric griddle, nonstick pan or cast iron griddle, pour 1/4 cup of batter and cook until bubble appear on top surface and bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook until bottom is golden brown. Repeat until all batter is cooked.
- Make the drizzle by whisking cream cheese, syrup and sugar together. Add rice milk until the consistency is slightly runny.
- Top pancakes with drizzle and garnish with any toppings you’d like, including strawberries.
- Enjoy!
These pancakes freeze beautifully and make a perfect, quick morning treat.
I’m thinking I’m going to need to make another large batch of these babies tomorrow….
Saturday Morning
0My breakfast kick’s your breakfast’s ass.
Scrambled eggs with goat cheese and chives. Side of grapefruit and Minnie. Refreshing start to the weekend.
Questionable Food Product Instructions
0
….really? You really need to warn us that the waffle will be hot after we cook it? Seriously?
I hope this is more of a ‘we need to put this on here because if we don’t and someone gets burned they can sue us’ kind of instruction rather than a ‘there are really dumbasses out there who won’t realize the waffle will be hot after they cook it’ kind of instruction.
New York Bagels
3I’m not perfect.
I bought these bagels without checking the label. I get home and discover they have HFCS in them.
Oh well. I’ll survive.
They’re still freaking delicious.
And sometimes I really, really, really miss New York.
Sunday Brunch
0As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I was sent two Bauducco Panettones.
The package also came with some recipe ideas. The first one was french toast. Sold! I soaked slices of the cake in a flax egg and pan-cooked them for a few minutes on each side.
The cakes were okay on their own, but french toasted, they were quite tasty. I could have left the syrup off though, as they were quite sweet to begin with.
Panettones are sweet breads usually eaten around Christmas or New Year’s (both are rapidly approaching.. is it really October already!?). They’re super popular in Italy and several other countries, including Malta, Brazil & Switzerland.
I was sent two varieties, one with chocolate chips and the other with raisins and dried fruit. Not really sure why the chocolate chip one had a pack of silica gel in it though. When my sister was little, she found a pack of silica gel in a store and decided it would be a great snack. My mom wasn’t too happy about that and I wasn’t too happy about having to immediately accompany them to the hospital. Needless to say, she survived, but I’ve since learned that silica gel is not, in fact, a tasty snack. 
Back to the ol’ grind tomorrow. Monday, you always approach way too fast.
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.
Hash Browns & Waffle House
0Is there anything better than perfectly cooked hash browns?
Crispy yet soft, buttery, carb-y potatoes shredded and fried into oblivion. When I think of hash browns I think of one place: Waffle House. If you live in the south, you’re quite familiar with WaHo. It’s the late-night hang out for hungover college students and truck drivers alike.
(Source)
However, today I wasn’t hung over and I had little desire to have my potatoes fried in bacon fat and handled by the bare hands of an ex-convict. WaHo is quite an interesting place and it is for sure an experience everyone needs to have at least once. Did you know their pickles both go excellent with eggs and stick to the window? Also, if you eat a whole bowl of their pickles, you won’t get sick. Not like I know from experience or anything.
While I wasn’t jumping out of my seat to get myself to a WaHo, I did use their menu as inspiration for breakfast this morning.
Unofficial Dictionary of Waffle House Hash Brown Terms:
Scattered: scattered on the grill (not contained in a ring)
Smothered: with grilled onions
Covered: with melted cheese
Chunked: with ham
Topped: with chili
Diced: with tomatoes
Peppered: with peppers
Capped: with mushrooms
According to the most official dictionary, I had mine scattered, covered, diced, and capped. I also threw in some non-traditional WaHo fare: carrots, spinach, tofu and olives. Orange’d, Green’d, Vegetarian’d and Mediterranean’d?
All I did was grate a few potatoes and throw them into the skillet with a bit of oil. Talk about an easy, nutritional breakfast.
Maybe I’ll start my own restaurant and call it Hash Brown House. HaBrHo?
Sunday Morning
0Sunday is, hands down, my favorite day of the week.
Sundays always remind me of the Maroon 5 song, and I’ve had it in my head for the past couple days.
Such a good song. I love Maroon 5! I saw them in concert in 2004 or 2005 when they went on tour with John Mayer (swoon!). My friends and I bought lawn tickets but ended up in the third row because of some people who only came to see Maroon 5. It was an amazing concert. Adam Levine + John Mayer = total hotness.
Anyway. This Sunday was both relaxing and productive, which is the best kind of day. Things accomplished today:
run/walk/limp 5 miles because it’s hot outside and I recently agreed to run a marathon
immediate ice bath afterwards while sipping a green monster
watching Disney-related documentaries on Netflix
making my own granola and enjoying it for breakfast/midnight snack
Homemade Granola (adapted from Oh She Glows)
Need:
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup almonds, slivered
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tbsp flax meal
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp raw sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp applesauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp sunflower butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Do:
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Mix the oats, almonds, quinoa, flax, chia, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the applesauce, syrup, sunflower butter and extract.
- Microwave the wet mixture for just about a minute, until warm and easily incorporated.
- Mix the wet into the dry and stir to coat.
- Spread the mix on a baking sheet in an even layer.
- Bake for 25 minutes, just until the batch is slightly golden. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
This granola ranks high on the “best granolas I’ve had” list. It’s crunchy, crispy and not overly sweet. I enjoyed mine both with a cup of rice milk and atop a green smoothie today. I also eat it straight up, but I end up eating all the granola chunks before the rest of the batch. 
I can’t believe this weekend is already over. Anyone else agree weekends go entirely too quickly?
