Classy classy

Good morning! Before I get started on today, I just want to mention that I have entered Saturday’s crazy pre-run breakfast — the pb-pumpkin hummus on a toasted bagel with a sweet ‘n’ spicy black bean-salmon patty open-faced sandwich — into The Great Peanut Butter Exhibition #5 – Sandwich contest!

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If you can’t remember how gorgeous this sandwich was, here’s a visual reminder:

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And just to be specific about it all, the pb-pumpkin-hummus spread contains 1 tbsp of each of those 3 components, along with hefty sprinkles of cayenne and cinnamon, yum!! Now I want one of these sandwiches again …

But, I’ll have to make do with this breakfast cookie (oh darn, hehehe):

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Today’s cookie contains 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1/2 mashed banana, 2 tbsp unsweetened soymilk, 1 chopped piece of Lindt hazelnut chocolate, and 1 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds.

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I finally got the proportions of dry-to-wet correct, so no freezer necessary today! It was hard enough from the overnight in the fridge. But I’m also kind of thinking that I might like it better with that extra frozen ice-creamy texture …

Mmmmmm, chunk of hazelnut chocolate hanging onto the edge:

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On the side, I had a pot of tea made from the Yogi Himalayan Apple Spice tea sample I received last night:

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The tea was ok. It just tasted like regular old herbal apple spice tea. I guess the big selling point is supposed to be that it also contains black tea and has caffeine — it’s part of the “revive” series — but again, nothing particularly special about the flavor.

I was planning to go for a run this morning, but I didn’t get to bed until pretty late last night because I was up working! Adjusted plan is to do the run when I get back from class this afternoon — which may actually work out better since it will be sunnier and warmer then. I’ll be back post-run with a report on the day!

(And p.s., I had this little dish with about 1/4 cup of pineapple and 1 tbsp granola before I went to bed last night:

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If I even have the slightest bit of hunger in my belly at bedtime, I can’t fall asleep!)

Can you sleep when your tummy is growling?

** Also, go check out The Fitnessista because she, too, has “comfort” up for grabs today! **

Anecdotes of unfurling?

You all had such creative ideas for alternate blog titles. (And thanks for giving me today’s title, Emily!) If you feel like you could use a little Wednesday laugh session, take a look at the list I’ve compiled at the bottom of this post 🙂

So breakfast was of course a cup of Almond-Infused Rosemary-Lemonade crockpot oats:

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Mmm, I seriously feel like I’m drinking lemonade (a sophisticated, grown-up version with the rosemary and all, of course) when I eat these oats.

Also check out that big goopy spoonful of Hangry Heather-style homemade banana-almond butter. (Gotta give credit where credit is due, even though she called me a freak for dunking my bread in tea :P) I mashed 1 tsp banana with 1 tsp almond dust butter, and it came together scrumptiously.

On the side, I had 1/2 cup yogurt with 1 tbsp vanilla-almond granola, unsweetened coconut, and 2 crumbled basil-spice meringue kisses:

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And if you look closely, you can see a evidence of my soymilky black tea and water in the background:

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I can’t wait until natural light decides to come back in time for my oats! Breakfast without it just looks so drab and tired.

And now, welcome to the alternate-blog universe! You could even make it into a game if you really wanted and try to guess the actual blog before clicking on the link to find the answer …

Nibbles of 24 hours

Lime Puppy Booze

Cleansing Agent and Essential Nutrient

A blog in college: because you drink too much or Humanity: maintain it through eating real food and moving more than your fingers on the keyboard

A Twelvemonth of able-bodied gourmandization

Sufficiently Toothsome

Plantain Shack or la casa del platano

And the one that started it all:

Fairly Naive Damsel or Foxy Jade Lassie or Somewhat Youthful Lady

(Plus two antonym submissions: Fat for Free and MealButt)

(And Emily’s poetic ideas for me, one of which became the title for my post: ” stories of growth?  yarns of gain?  annecdotes of unfurling?”)

** Giveaway alert: Go visit An Apple a Day to see what YOU could WIN!! **

B ‘n B

Yup, I’m fully blogging in bed right now — in my pjs, under the covers, teeth brushed, mouth guard in place, contacts out, glasses on, earplugs in, and ready to pass out as soon as I hit publish. Can’t wait 😀

But let’s do a little review of the day first, shall we? I walked into the office at 9:20, and the first thing Belkis said was, “Sarah, there’s bread in there.” [Gestures to conference room right next to my desk.] And bread there was!

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Belkis had brought in a whole loaf of bakery-fresh Dominican bread. The thought of saying no never crossed my mind. I cut off a big slab, about an inch thick, and dipped it in my milky earl grey tea. I think that might be a little weird. I dunk everything — cookies, crackers, bread. How do you feel about soggy carbs?

After my big slab o’ bread, I went back for the end pieces:

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I’m not crazy about the heels of regular sandwich loaves, but they’re always my favorite part of any kind of fresh bread or baked good … brownies from the edge of the pan, yum!

After that loaf-fest, I didn’t really get hungry again until about 2pm! As an appetizer, I had two of these little balls that Inginia (of the pumpkin kibbi fame) brought in. She slaved away all weekend making them for a party and wanted to share the wealth:

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This is also from some Middle-Eastern dish, and I’m not sure of the exact ingredients. I think Inginia is going to bring me the recipe, but in the meantime, they were basically fried bulgur dumplings with some ground meat and seasonings inside:

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Very tasty! Once I get the recipe, I’ll see how I can go about healthifying them — I think they’d also be delicious baked.

Lunch was a cup of spinach-chickpea dal:

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And a one-cup mix with 1/2 yogurt and 1/2 pumpkin gingerbread crockpot oats:

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(I sprinkled some of Jessica’s Honey Bunches of Oats on top for visual variety.)

Around 3:00 I had my packed cup of fresh pineapple (same deal with the cereal):

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And then I heard some paper rustling suspiciously. I followed the sound with my eyes and saw this:

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That’s Nydia and Jose bent in deep contemplation over a pile of Valentine’s chocolate!

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I took one of the pink hearts for later 😀

Around 3:45, I had three Kavli crispy thin crackers with 1/3 cup homemade guacamole (1/3 mashed avocado, 2 tbsp salsa, juice from 1/4 lime):

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And the guacamole necessitated a mint (my first of the day!):

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I went into a session a little after 4, and when I got back to my desk after, this sight greeted me:

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Yes, two potatoes mysteriously showed up on my desk. Apparently, I am now the designated recipient for anonymous food drops (but I’m not complaining!). Potato donor, reveal yourself!! Even though potatoes are the one food that I seriously dislike (this rule does not apply to sweet potatoes, obvi), I am clearly the best person to take on the task of finding them a new home. At this moment, I imagine the potatoes are journeying into the depths of Brooklyn with Gina … and I have full confidence in Gina’s ability to use them appropriately!

Because I was planning on running club at 6:30, I decided to have an early 5pm dinner at work. Especially since the club no longer gives free food after (grrrrrr!), I have found that this dinner-first arrangement works well (at least it has worked well all two times that I’ve done it, haha) to keep me energized through the run and not wanting to gnaw my arm off after. The dinner I packed for tonight was 1/3 wheat bagel with 1/4 cup pumpkin-pb spread (1 T peanut butter, 3 T pumpkin) and two black bean-salmon patties:

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I toasted the whole thing in the work toaster oven, and it was so delicious and saucy, mmm:

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Dessert was a given: the Dove chocolate heart from Nydia:

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I followed that advice and had another mint as I walked out the door :P.

Gina, Kate, and I met at 6:30 for running club and did 4 sort of stop-and-go miles in Central Park, including a loop around the reservoir, one of the most beautiful places to run in the city at night! But Kate and I were talking after about how these running club runs just seem to drag for ages. We ran over 9 miles on Saturday with minimal struggling, but 4 miles at running club always does us in! I wonder if it has to do with the time of day …. Anyway, stats for the run: 49 minutes, 357 calories, average heart rate 140, max 156.

In the subway station post-run, I broke out the breadstick and marinara sauce that Jessica and Nydia brought back for me from Pizza Hut because they couldn’t finish it at lunch. Kate, Gina, and I split the bounty between the three of us after Kate and Gina hand-modeled the goods for me:

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I had my final snack of the night when I got home: 1/4 of a broiled banana (the banana also came from Belkis today) topped with 1/4 cup chocolate mousse and a tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds:

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While I was washing dishes and before I was able to drag my mouth to the toothbrush, I may have also peeled off one whipped cream-soaked cookie from Brigitte’s remaining log of birthday cake and eaten one or two pieces of Lindt hazelnut chocolate …

News of the Day:

1. Heather, the queen of raw chocolate-avocado mousse herself, is definitely NOT giving away anything you’d want to try to win here.

2. Neither is Itzy here.

3. There’s a new BSI contest this week, and it’s a good one! Get more info here.

4. I was reading the January issue of Self while I was on the elliptical this morning, and I found a little blurb in there about the dangers of resting your laptop computer directly on your lap — I think it mentioned causing irritation to your thighs and emitting radiation that can lead to cancer (like everything does) and suggested using some sort of lap tray between your legs and the computer. (As I type this, of course, my laptop is directly on my lap.) Does this worry you? Where do you rest your laptop? Do you put something between your legs and the computer?

5. And remember the most important question of all: How do you feel about soggy carbs?

6. There’s a 99.999% chance I’m sleeping as you read this.

Narrative of Increase

Just kidding — still Tales of Expansion here. (That probably makes no sense unless you read last night’s post, so go read it!). Maybe I should come up with a different synonym title for every post this week …

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I switched the exercise routine this morning since I’m planning on running club tonight. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical at the gym and then came home for 20 minutes of Yoga for Runners #1. This class was MUCH more manageable than the last time I attempted it! I still got confused in a couple of spots — especially since I couldn’t find the pose guide that came with the download — but I stuck it out until the end. I guess all the Gentle Hatha #1 is paying off … and there I was thinking all I was doing was stretching! Stats for jog to and from gym, elliptical, and yoga: 1 hour and 21 minutes, 341 calories, average heart rate 106, max 155.

Breakfast was another cup of my exciting new Almond-Infused Rosemary-Lemonade crockpot oats with 1/2 cup yogurt, unsweetened coconut, 2 crumbled basil-spice meringue kisses, 1 tsp homemade almond butter, and 1 tbsp vanilla-almond granola:

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And more chocolate tea (black tea, unsweeteed cocoa powder, cinnamon, cayenne, splash unsweetened silk) on the side:

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Back to blog title synonyms, Janet from Pretty Green Girl left a comment last night with a few synonyms for her own blog: “Based on a quick scan of thesaurus.com, I’m thinking… Fairly Naive Damsel. Or Foxy Jade Lassie. Or Somewhat Youthful Lady. Ok, that one totally depresses me. ;)” Her comment got me laughing and thinking that this would be a fun activity. So, what’s YOUR blog title synonym?

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I’ve got my badge — it’s over to the right, below all the Foodbuzz stuff.  It’s quick and free, so go get the badge and fight global warming, too!

And, because we all love free things, go enter this crazy-extensive giveaway at Missy Maintains!

Dark and dreary

Well, it’s back to pitch-black mornings, thanks to daylight savings! I was so excited last week that the sunlight had finally started to peek through at 6:30 am when I was leaving the gym, but those days are over. No sun until 7:15 now! Despite the darkness, I had a great arms and steps workout this morning. Stats: 1 hour and 6 minutes, 459 calories, 136 average heart rate, 168 max.

Breakfast was a cup of my latest oatmeal concoction: Almond-Infused Rosemary-Lemonade crockpot oats!

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Yum, they tasted just like summer!

With the oats, I had 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 tbsp unsweetened coconut, 1 tbsp vanilla-almond granola, and this gorgeous tsp of homemade almond butter:

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And two crumbled basil-spice meringue kisses:

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My beverage of the morning was “chocolate tea“:

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The tea included 1 black tea bag, 1 sugar cookie sleigh ride tea bag, 1 scant tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, a splash of unsweetened soymilk, liberal cinnamon, and a hefty sprinkle of cayenne. Nothing like spicy and bitter chocolate to zap some light into the day!

Did daylight savings time affect your morning?