Food is my love language
Hash browns, pan roasted heirloom tomatoes, over medium eggs with smoked salmon and dill, pancakes, and – last but not least – Bloody Mary. Then football and a long run later. It’s days like today that I’m glad I know how to cook because we are able to enjoy a great meal while still in our pajamas, no makeup, no shoes, no lines, and no snooty severs. Just good food and even better company.
Happy Sunday!
I’ve been away for a while and I have missed my blog world. I have been busy buying a house, starting school again, and just dealing with life in general. No excuse, though. I kept telling myself that I would compose some fabulous post with lots of pictures and tips when I did return but never got around to it. So here I am eating breakfast when it occurred to me, “what better time than now?” This has for a lot of things lately – buying a house, getting a Masters degree, and interviewing for that promotion at work (which I didn’t get). There really is no better time than now to live our lives one day at a time. There is no better time than now to let go, love people, and eat good food.
Good morning!
This morning, the day after Christmas, my mom made this delicious creation. It’s already made cinnamon rolls- you know the ones in the can that pops open- cut in quarters, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and egg. She topped them with sliced almonds and baked them at 400 degrees for about twenty minutes. When they were done, they were like a cross between French toast, custard, and cinnamon rolls. They were so good with our morning coffee! Thanks, Mom!
P.S. I have a lot of catching up to do on posting so stay tuned!
In addition to yummy sticky buns, my mom also made my favorite breakfast: bagels with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and capers. She also added thinly sliced shallots, tomato and arugula. So freaking good!
Mom making sticky buns for me on Thanksgiving morning. She said she used a recipe from Ina Garten. I saw her use pre-made pastry dough, brown sugar, butter, pecans, walnuts, and cranberries.
Good morning! I’m sad to say I did not wake up early enough to go on my run this morning but I did drag myself downstairs, pulled my yoga mat out, and did some poses and strengthening moves for about half an hour. I’m happy I did something!
I went ahead and planned out my day in meals last night and thought I would share it. So far, I have already eaten my oatmeal and am still working on my coffee.
Breakfast:
Oatmeal prepared with one cup unsweetened coconut milk, dried fruit mix, raw walnuts, and cinnamon.
Coffee with soy creamer
Snack: 1 organic pear and 1/4 cup raw almonds
Lunch:
1 cup Snap Pea, Edamame, and Radish Salad with 1 cup brown rice
Spinach salad with tomato and goat cheese crumbles, lemon for dressing
Snack: 2 cups green grapes, 1/4 cup walnuts
Dinner: Big ass Romaine salad with canellini beans, red onion, fennel, parsley, and my delish cumin, lemon, olive oil dressing
After dinner, I am going to stick to tea if I need a sweet fix. I love Good Earth’s Original herb tea. It is naturally sweet and decaffienated. It reminds me of the Market Spice Tea I used to get at Pikes Place Market in Seattle.
I’m going to try to go for a run this evening since it is finally starting to cool down at night. Now I just need to log my meals in myfitnesspal.com so I can really see where I stand. Happy Monday!
I made a big batch of Quinoa for the week and ended up eating most of it for breakfast. It’s a brilliant thing to eat for breakfast because it has everything you would want in a breakfast – fiber, protein, whole grain, low-fat. I warmed up my already cooked quinoa with some vanilla almond milk and cinnamon. Then, I topped it with fresh chopped green apple, walnuts, and more cinnamon. I sweetened my breakfast with a little drizzle of real maple syrup. It was so good and filled me up. My whole oats may be sitting in my cupboard for a while now that I have discovered that quinoa is great at breakfast.
This was our delicious Sunday morning breakfast last Sunday. I cleaned out the fridge and chopped up all my leftover veggies – spinach, mushrooms, onions, hatch chilis, green onions, and cilantro. On the side are delicious flour tortillas from a Tucson tortilleria (tortilla store), Estrella bakery. This meal easily held us over to dinner and curbed my impulse to buy everything at the grocery store.
Whether you are a breakfast-eater or not, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. I always try to eat something in the morning in addition to my coffee whether it is a slice of bread (bread not toast because toasting takes too much time on some hectic mornings), grabbing an apple and the whole jar of almond butter, or simply a few bites of cold left overs.
This morning, as many Monday mornings are, was hectic and rushed. I slept in a little later than I wanted to but I knew I still wanted the start the day of and the week off right witha nourishing, healthy breakfast. Cue: oatmeal made in the microwave. I used half a cup of whole oats and put them in a pretty big bowl with half a cup of hemp milk and half a cup of water. I cooked the oatmeal in the microwave for 2 minutes, swirled the bowl then added another minute. I then dumped the oatmeal into a plastic container (wish I had glass) and topped with chia seeds, dried goji berries, dried cranberries, chopped raw almonds, and a sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar mixture. Breakfast done in about 4 minutes – done! It would have taken more time in the McDonalds drive-thru to pick up a cup of their crappy oatmeal (did you know there ‘cream’ alone has 11 ingredients? – crazy!) and mine is much better.
Don’t know about Chia seeds? Well, they serve a much greater purpose than to make grass covered ceramic pets (remember ‘Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!’ ?). These little guys are packed with solubable fiber, protein, antioxidants, and the richest known plant source for omega-3’s. Sprinkle them on oatmeal and salads or add them to your next batch of granola. I used to buy them in bulk from Sprouts but now even Trader Joes is selling them (LOVE Trader Joes).
What about Goji berries? Also knows as the wolf berry, the goji berry has been used for thousands of years in China, Tibet, and India. They are full of antioxidants and have been linked to dozens of health benefits. Watch out though if you are on blood thinners, they have been said to interact with those medications. I buy them in the bulk section of Sprouts and I only get a handful that lasts me quite a while.
I ate my delicious, wholesome, and vegan oatmeal at my desk this morning but felt good that I was showing my body some love by making a point to eat breakfast. There is something about eating whole grains in the morning that make me feel really happy. Cheers to Monday! It is going to be a good week.
There is something about the smell of coffee brewing, salty potatoes, smokey sausage, and toasted bread the screams brunch! It means no alarm clocks, just sleeping in and getting up to make a fabulous breakfast in your pajamas. This breakfast serves as lunch, too, because it is close enough to noon to serve a dual purpose.
On this sunny Tucson Saturday, I have a craving for scrambled eggs and crispy, salty potatoes. Also on this day, I feel like trying my hand at french toast. I discovered a cool trick on my handy dandy mandolin and added a secret ingredient to the french toast that made the a little ‘drunk.’
The Love Language of Food 