February 9, 2010 by Jessie
This morning’s bowl of oats was special because I tried a new secret ingredient in it: coconut milk. I added a little splash (probably about 2-3 tablespoons worth) and stirred it into the cooked oats while they were still hot. The coconut milk made the oatmeal so creamy and decadent!
The mild coconut flavor went really well with the Kashi cereal and blob of dark chocolate peanut butter I put on top.
Yesterday I mentioned that I ate a veggie and tempeh stir-fry for dinner. Well, it was so good I decided to make another one today!
Making a stir-fry is great for cleaning out the fridge and using up veggies. I diced up two carrots, half of a red onion, and a block of tempeh and sautéed everything together until the veggies were tender.
It was the perfect opportunity for me to try this new ponzu sauce that I received from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program.
I tasted the sauce straight from the bottle and it had a nice lime flavor, but once I cooked it into the stir-fry the flavor dissipated. Oh well, it was still very tasty. Once the stir-fry was done I threw in a handful of chopped green onions and some toasted sesame seeds.
I served my stir-fry on a bed of mixed greens and used a couple dashes of the ponzu as my dressing. Yum! I bet peanut sauce would be awesome on this as well.
I’m bummed because I just found out that my dad’s flight was cancelled due to snowstorms and he won’t be coming to visit this weekend as planned. All of this snow everywhere is no joke! I’m not trying to rub it in, but winters like this are what make me happy to live in sunny Florida! Stay warm out there. 
Posted in Breakfast, Chocolate, Ethnic foods, Vegetables | Tagged coconut, easy, oatmeal, onions, salad, stir-fry, tempeh, veggies | 11 Comments »
February 8, 2010 by Jessie
Today I went on a slow, steady run and was able to keep it up for 31 minutes without stopping. Normally, I don’t really care how long I take, but I am doing a 5k in a couple weeks and would like to be able to finish in a pretty decent time. My shins were killing me for almost the entire run, but I made it through and iced as soon as I got home. Hopefully this helps. 
Backing up to earlier today, I finally got to the post office to send my Secret Bloggie Valentine her package.
I forgot to take photos of what was in the box, but I have a feeling my valentine will post the photos on her blog when she gets it. You will just have to wait and see!
I also took a trip to Costco and came back with some goodies.
Pocket-less pita bread
Strawberry-banana smoothie twin pack
Maple syrup
Kettle corn (twin pack)!
Yum, I was really excited to find this at Costco today. I love salty and sweet together!
For lunch I made a hummus and tempeh sandwich on a pocket-less pita. I put so much spring mix salad on it, you can barely see the tempeh or hummus, but they are in there, trust me.
As far as tempeh goes, my favorite brand is West Soy. I have tried many others that are very bitter and need to be boiled first to help get rid of the bitterness.
West Soy has a nice mild flavor straight out of the package, which makes it perfect for slicing up and using in sandwiches. Sometimes, I am way too lazy to pre-cook my tempeh!
I ended up having tempeh again for dinner, but I cooked it in a veggie stir-fry this time. Sorry I don’t have any photos of it, I was so hungry I scarfed down my meal without thinking about getting the camera.
It looks like I will be having an easy and exciting week. My dad and middle sister are both coming to visit, and I have a few fun activities and home-cooked meals planned already. Stay tuned.
Posted in Life, Lunch, Snacks, Vegetables | Tagged hummus, pita, salad, tempeh, veggies | 7 Comments »
February 7, 2010 by Jessie
Happy Sunday everyone! I spent most of my weekend just hanging out at home, cleaning, and getting things done around the house. I finally watched the movie Milk, which has been in my Netflix que for the longest time. As I expected, it was very good, but a bit of a tear-jerker for me. I would still recommend it though.
I didn’t take any photos of my food yesterday simply because most of it was a repeat of what I ate on Friday, with the addition of a few snacks here and there. However, I went to the grocery store last night and discovered a new cereal:
Needless to say, I was very excited to try it this morning with some almond milk. It was not quite as crunchy as Go Lean Crunch, which is great since I don’t like feeling like my teeth are going to break when I eat it.
I also like that it had 9 grams of protein and tons of fiber in it. Aside from the great nutrition facts, it was really tasty too!
The highlight of my day was going to a Miami blogger meet-up this afternoon. I have already met Meredith and Julianne, but I finally got to meet Melissa and Amanda too! I had a great time chatting it up with these ladies and I really look forward to our next meet-up.
From left to right: Amanda (Run to the Finish), Julianne (Fit and Fabulous Jewel), Melissa (Trying to Heal), me, and Meredith (Pursuing Balance).
What a lovely group of girls!
We hung out at Starbucks for a while and then walked over to Whole Foods to grab some groceries. We spent quite a while ooh-ing and ahh-ing in the nut butter aisle as expected! I was tempted to purchase a new vegan Nutella-like spread, but decided against it when I remembered that my aunt sent me a variety pack of Peanut Butter and Co. for my birthday last week (thanks again, Aunt Karen).
Source
I think I’m all set in the nut butter department for a while. Try not to be too jealous.
Anyway, while at Whole Foods I picked up this baby for my ride home
I think I am addicted to Guava Goddess kombucha. Seriously though, why is this stuff so amazing? If only it didn’t cost $3.79 a bottle!
I’m off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday evening. Although I’m not big on sports (especially football) I hope you all enjoy watching the Superbowl. After all, it’s in my home town this year.
Posted in Breakfast, Life | Tagged Miami, peanut butter | 11 Comments »
February 5, 2010 by Jessie
Happy Friday! Hope you are having a good one so far.
I started my day off with a chocolate-peanut butter smoothie just like this one, but I added an entire banana to it this time. So creamy and chocolaty.
Lunch was a hummus and veggie wrap.
I made the wrap with garlicky hummus, Trader Joe’s artichoke antipasto, avocado, kale, lettuce, onions, cilantro, and tons of Frank’s hot sauce.
The flavor combination was amazing, I want to eat this everyday!
Then late in the afternoon I went on my first run in over a month. I’m not much of a runner, but I usually like to do around 3 miles a couple of times a week. I have been avoiding my little runs for a while since I have had some pretty serious shin and foot pain.
It actually wasn’t that bad today, but I really felt out of shape after not running for so long. I only made it for 24 minutes before I had to walk, but according to my Polar monitor I burned 300 calories in that time!
This is a good thing considering I ate more of these than I would like to admit.
These maple leaf cookies are from my TJ’s stash of course, and man are they delicious.
They were almost too sweet, but their strong maple flavor made them irresistible for me.
Dinner was whole wheat pasta with broccoli, gigante beans, and We Can’t Say It’s Cheese cheddar style sauce (review coming soon, I promise).
It was very filling but I think there is room for another maple cookie or two! Have a great weekend.
Posted in Breakfast, Chocolate, Life, Main dishes, Snacks, Vegetables | Tagged bananas, Breakfast, Chocolate, cilantro, easy, hummus, smoothie, wraps | 8 Comments »
February 4, 2010 by Jessie
Good evening all. I can’t believe it is already Friday tomorrow, this week flew by for me.
Since I ate a rather boring bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, I will spare you the details. I did enjoy a cup of Tazo Awake tea for a change instead of my usual coffee.
I added almond milk and stevia and came out creamy and delicious.
Lunch was this beautiful salad of kale, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado slices, and tons of cilantro. I am a cilantro freak, I just can’t get enough of it, especially combined with tomatoes and avocados.
I ate this salad with a little bag of salt & pepper PopChips that the company sent me to sample.
For being so low in fat, these chips were loaded with flavor. They are light, crunchy, not at all greasy like regular chips.
I really enjoyed them and I look forward to trying other flavors!
For dinner, I am ashamed to admit that I ate mainly snacks and nothing really substantial. Can you blame me though? My Trader Joe’s package arrived and I just couldn’t help but tear into a couple of things.
Think I got enough stuff? I went a bit crazy, but who knows when I will get to go to TJ’s again. I am so thrilled that all of this stuff is vegan (with the exception of honey in a couple of things). Hopefully, these goodies will last me more than a week or two!
After all, I heart TJ’s.
Posted in Review, Salads and dressings, Snacks, Vegetables | Tagged cilantro, salad, tomatoes, Trader Joe's, veggies | 15 Comments »
February 3, 2010 by Jessie
Thanks for all the birthday wishes! It is hard to believe I am only a year away from 30, I still feel like a teenager sometimes! The first half of my day was pretty boring in terms of food, so I will spare you the details (basically a repeat of yesterday).
Dinner was definitely worth sharing though. I went to this little Mediterranean place in South Miami that I had never been to before.
I started the evening with a couple of refreshing cocktails.
Then it was on to the food!
Falafel and tahini sauce
Hummus and grape leaves
Baba ganoush, hummus, and a fava bean and garbanzo salad
My plate with a little of everything. And yes, I had seconds!
Yum. No birthday cake for me this year, but I think I will live. I’m off to watch LOST online since I missed it last night. Have a nice night everyone.
Posted in Dinner, Ethnic foods, Legumes, Life, Restaurants, Vegetables | Tagged hummus, light meals, tahini, veggies | 12 Comments »
February 2, 2010 by Jessie
That’s right, for breakfast I had sweet potato bread and it was wonderful. Yesterday, I came across the recipe over on Nicole’s blog, and just happened to have a couple of sweet potatoes waiting to be used up. What a great breakfast bread! I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose, and the bread still came out light and moist. I had it with a large cup of coffee with almond milk and stevia in it.
I ended up eating more of this bread for a snack with some chocolate peanut butter on top. Awesome flavor combo.
Lunch was a quick tofu scramble and some roasted potatoes. I guess I am on a potato kick lately.
Dinner was another yummy salad with the fresh veggies I got in this week’s CSA box. I made the dressing my mixing vegan mayo, water, hot sauce, and a couple drops of liquid smoke. I topped the salad with a crumbled Amy’s quarter pound burger to get my protein in. Yum!
Tomorrow is my birthday, so there will probably be lots of good eats in store. I’m still not sure what I going to do, but it will probably involve going to a restaurant for dinner. See you then!
Posted in Dinner, Lunch, Salads and dressings, Side dishes, Vegetables, baked goods | Tagged almond milk, baked goods, Breakfast, organic, sweet potato | 16 Comments »
February 1, 2010 by Jessie
After a flight cancellation and multiple delays, I finally made it back to Miami late last night. Although I had a great time playing in the snow and getting to wear a scarf and gloves, I am glad to be home.
Here is a food recap of my last couple of days in North Carolina:
Oatmeal with almonds and apricots.
Hearty vegetarian chili with salad and cornbread. The perfect winter meal in my opinion.
Lunch at the Mediterranean deli. There was so much selection, but I eventually settled on a delicious falafel and eggplant pita.
No trip to Chapel Hill is complete without a visit to the best foodie store ever, A Southern Season. Sorry no pics of the inside, I was too busy experiencing major sensory overload in there.
I had lots of fun and so much good food on my trip! Now that I’m home, I have decided to make more of an effort to post what I eat everyday for the month of February. I chose to do it this month since it is my birthday month (and the shortest). In keeping with my new goal, here is what I ate today:
A bagel with We Can’t Say It’s Cheese vegan spread (review coming soon) and a soy misto from Starbucks.
Organic blueberries to snack on. I cannot be trusted around these, I could literally eat the entire pint in one sitting.
Grilled cheese (using the cheese spread again) with a salad for lunch. So tasty!
I also had a chocolate shake made with Amazing Grass, chocolate protein powder, and almond milk for dinner, and snacked on some Stacy’s pita chips as well. It is going to be quite a challenge for me to remember to take photos of everything I eat, so please bear with me!
Do you prefer blogs that are more like a food journal, or do you like to just see random meals from time to time? I am still trying to figure out which format works best for me, but I would really like to try to post more often. Any input would be appreciated.
Posted in Life, Lunch, Main dishes, Restaurants, Salads and dressings, Side dishes, Snacks, Vegetables | Tagged almond milk, Breakfast, coffee, oatmeal, organic, pita, smoothie, veggies | 12 Comments »
January 29, 2010 by Jessie
Hey guys! I have been missing in action for the last few days since I’m visiting family up in Chapel Hill, NC. Of course, on the day I am supposed to leave they are predicting 8 to 12 inches of snow!
Hopefully I will be able to make it back to Miami tomorrow as planned, but in the mean time, have a look at what I have been up to eating.
Breakfast bar at Whole Foods:
Huge soy lattes (served in bowls) at Cafe Driade:
Super spicy Indian food at Sitar Palace:
Vegan platter (only $3.09!) at Cosmic Cantina:
Dinner at Butternut Squash:
I also made sure to do a big shopping at Trader Joe’s so I can send myself a package home.
Why isn’t there a TJ’s in Florida yet? I love this place so much!
I feel so out of the blogging loop lately since I haven’t had much time to read or comment on other blogs. Be back soon! Have a great weekend.
Posted in Dinner, Ethnic foods, Lunch, Main dishes, Restaurants, Vegetables | Tagged Breakfast, coffee, salad, Tofu, veggies | 16 Comments »
January 25, 2010 by Jessie
I just have to share this decadent tasting “milk shake” I made today. It tasted like a Reese’s peanut butter cup, only better and healthier!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 Tbs natural peanut butter
- 1 heaping scoop Amazing Grass Chocolate Superfood (you can also use regular cocoa powder)
- stevia to taste (or your favorite sweetener)
Combine everything in a blender and drink up! I didn’t use ice so I stuck it in the freezer for a few minutes before drinking. I love using Amazing Grass in dessert-type of smoothies like this, so I can get my greens in without even noticing them. This would also be perfect with half a frozen banana blended in.
And for the record, I didn’t use my beloved Almond Breeze to make this shake, because I found a new and intriguing almond milk to try:
What? I had no idea Silk made almond milk! You should have seen the look of excitement on my face when I found it at the grocery store.
I tried a few sips of it plain, and I found it be a lot sweeter than Almond Breeze, even though the calorie count is about the same. It was also a bit thicker and creamier, which I also enjoyed.
From now on, at least I can get whichever of the two brands is on sale, since I like both of them equally. I love trying new products!
Have you found any interesting new products lately? Please share.
Posted in Breakfast, Chocolate, Desserts, Snacks | Tagged almond milk, bananas, Chocolate, dessert, healthy, light meals, low-fat, smoothie | 19 Comments »
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