Tag: veggies

Twelve cups of healthy

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In typical Sunday fashion, I spent allll day today preparing food for the week. Even though I have tomorrow off, I kept to my Sunday routine because I love it. There’s nothing more relaxing than a day of creating and tasting food!

First, I started on this week’s batch of crockpot oats. I decided to make carrot cake oats when I found two items of questionable freshness (belonging to the roommates of course since I have a mind like a steel-trap when it comes to my own food!) in the fridge while I was cleaning it yesterday. Slimy baby carrots:

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And fermented pineapple:

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Since I’d be cooking everything, I figured any unfriendly bacteria/fermentation would burn off. I grated the carrots, crushed the pineapple, shredded an apple, and zested an entire orange:

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I also added 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger and 1 cup fresh frozen cranberries. The mix-ins:

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Because I’m out of steel-cut oats, I substituted 1/2 cup rye berries and 1/2 cup kamut (other whole grains). Other than that, I followed my crockpot oats procedure exactly, using the 5-hour low-heat method. The recipe made a little over 6 cups. I ate the “over” topped with plain yogurt icing and cinnamon:

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Next project was Red Lentil-Peanut Soup. My roommate Tara made a similar soup last weekend following a Weight Watchers recipe, and it smelled so good that I’ve been craving lentils all week. The peanut butter addition was my idea, and I must say that it was a fabulous one!

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Also during the fridge cleanup yesterday, I found these grape tomatoes in desperate need of assistance:

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I’ve never been one to ignore tomatoes in distress, so I chopped them and added them to the soup, too. And half of the chicken broth I used was my very own homemade stock that I’ve had frozen since I made it from a chicken I bought at the farmers’ market in November.

Just like with the oatmeal, the soup made a little over six cups … and I ate the “over”:

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Soooooo good! I barely had 1/2 cup of this soup, and I was instantly satisfied. Or almost satisfied, since I followed the soup with my last two pieces of peppermint salt water taffy. Then I was satisfied.

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Before I left for the movie, I threw together a very quick and very late lunch. I heated the rest of Thursday night’s steamed cabbage in the oven and topped it with the last of my sofrito sauce:

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And of course, because every meal must end with something sweet, a toasted Chocolate Fig VitaTop with a tsp of peanut butter, a half cup of chopped strawberries and cantaloupe, and a drizzle of yogurt:

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Because I can’t help taking 10,000 close-ups:

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After the movie (Bride Wars — a little bit cute and funny … a big bit sickeningly predictable and superficial), I accidentally went out to dinner with the girls (review to come) and put myself over-budget on entertainment spending before the week has even begun. Dear Sarah: You are not allowed to engage in any social events requiring money for at least one week. Sincerely, your bank account.

After dinner, I decided to hit up the Food Emporium right by the subway station. Holy expensiveness! I used to shop at Food Emporium all the time without realizing the ridiculousness of their prices … but that was pre-grad school when I had an actual income and before I figured out how to prepare fresh food. Everything cost 2-3 times what I usually pay in Brooklyn and I was soooo tempted to abort the mission, but I kept thinking about how much I did not want to have to drag myself to the store tomorrow in the snow. I spent $16 for this paltry showing:

bananas (3), oranges (3), red pepper, red cabbage, dried chickpeas, dried lentils, gallon skim, carrots

bananas (3), oranges (3), red pepper, red cabbage, dried chickpeas, dried lentils, gallon skim, carrots

Right now, I’m preparing my yogurt for its overnight incubation, clearing the fridge of roommate-forgotten rotten produce, and enjoying this little late-night snack:

sugar cookie tea and a freezer-saved conference room cookie from work!

sugar cookie tea and a freezer-saved conference room cookie from work!

Night night night!

Brown bag Q&A

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Today, as intended, I finished the last bits of lunch that I prepared on Sunday. Pork & beans, sofrito rice, yogurt/fruit, carrots, orange, and an apple and a mini-Luna (my backup-emergency-snack and my because-it’s-Friday-snack, both of which I definitely ate):

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Total food expenditure for the week: $30 groceries, $10 specialty teas (hello Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea!), and $19 restaurant (from tonight’s dinner … review to come). I am ready to start a fresh week with new food tomorrow!

Have I mentioned before that I sit next to a candy jar at work?? I try to limit myself to 3-5 mints per day solely for “breath freshening,” but some days, like today, I just go crazy and start walking to the jar every 30 seconds for fruity tootsie rolls, dumdum lollipops, mini candy canes, etc. So it’s pretty safe to make a daily assumption that I’ve had about 3-5 hard candies (or 8-10 on a day like today) in addition to what I picture!

Also, I received a question about what kind of bag I use for carrying my lunch tupperwares to work. First, in case you can’t tell, my tupperwares are single serving-sized, as opposed to average-sized tupperwares that probably fit 3-4 servings. The two larger tupperwares in the picture above hold one cup each, and the smaller one holds 1/2 cup. I can fit everything pictured, including my 28 oz. klean kanteen water bottle, into my BuiltNY lunch bag:

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My sister-in-law and brother gave the lunch bag to me (packed with airplane snacks to keep me going for the whole trip back!) when I visited them in San Francisco about a year ago, and I’ve probably used it every weekday since to pack and carry my lunches. It’s perfectly stretchy and durable — and it never fails to fit my lunch buffet!

Visions of sugar cookies …

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I have to say again how incredibly cold it was today, and it’s only going to get worse! My internship involves going on lots of home visits, something I love except for the part about having to go outside multiple times each day. Cold like this completely saps all of my energy, and no energy + sitting next to office candy bowl = bad combination! The first thing I did when I got home was make a giant mug (or five) of this:

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I am so excited about this. Are you excited?? Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea is probably the most delicious kind of tea ever made. Just look at these ingredients:

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I have no idea what “natural sugar cookie flavor” is, but it works very well. Drinking this tea right now is even more exciting because, if you did not notice, it is a “Holiday Tea,” meaning it is only available around Christmas. We are well past Christmas, and I have not been able to find it anywhere since mid-December. But my friend Kate stumbled upon a goldmine of Celestial Seasonings Holiday Tea at a health food store here in Brooklyn, and she got me four boxes! I’m planning to make a trip there myself this weekend to see if I can hunt down any more boxes. My goal is to keep sleighing right through to spring!

I addition to my sleigh ride, I made an omelet with the leftover veggies and cheese from the nutrition talk last night. Chopped zucchini, yellow pepper, red pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes:

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Cheese getting ready to dive in with a cute little broccoli bud garnish:

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Omelet with all of the above plus sofrito sauce, coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper:

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Bursting with veggies:

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And crispy on top:

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And for dessert, of course, another vitamuffin! Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTop with peanut butter (and the sleigh ride!):

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Lunch

My lunch was a repeat with a few minor adjustments as a result of my produce luck last night. I had BBQ pork and beans, sofrito rice blend, yogurt (with banana, apple, and strawberries), grapes (from last night!), and some carrots and zucchini (from last night!):

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Breakfast

I was so confused this morning when my alarm went off at 5, and I could tell it was a freezing day. I was dreading going outside to the gym, but I forced myself to do it. And it was COLD. Colder than cold really. But I lived! I did the same workout as Monday, but for some reason had a slightly lower average heart rate (141 vs. 149) and calorie burn (466 vs. 539). I wonder if the cold weather slowed things down? We’ll see what happens tomorrow (how fun that I can really do that with the heart rate monitor!) I kept thinking about the steamy bowl of oats I could have when I got back.

For breakfast, I made an oatmeal starfish:

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As usual, same ingredients but different arrangement: 1/2 cup banana bread crockpot oats, half cup yogurt, sprinkles of nutmeg and sweetened shredded coconut, strawberry, spoonful peanut butter:

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Phew, that was long. Time to go rest my eyes. Night night!

P.S. Oh She Glows is having a scrumptious giveaway contest: a whole box of Honest Foods bars!! Go enter now!

Produce to the rescue (as usual)

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As planned, I went to an NYU Alumni talk about women’s health last night. The woman who led the talk, Professor Lisa Sasson, has been quoted as a nutrition expert several times in various wellness magazines (like Self) and other publications. The information she gave was nothing new (I suppose the truth about health — that a healthy lifestyle involves balanced nutrition and regular exercise — never changes). Some interesting points/useful reminders from the talk:

– The diseases of this century — heart disease, diabetes, etc. — are diseases that stem from lifestyle (i.e. inactivity, more processed food, less fresh food).

– Sleep is not a luxury; sleep is a necessity.

– Exercising now is like putting money in the bank since we lose muscle mass and bone mass as we age: “You want to have as much money as possible in the bank so that when you retire, you still have enough.”

– Fruits and vegetables are full of chemical compounds that protect them in nature, and they protect us when we eat them as well. Different colors signify different varieties of these phyto-chemicals, so you should eat a rainbow!

– Up until our 3rd decade, we’re still storing bone that will serve us as we age, so now is the time to load up on bone-strengthening foods (in their natural forms as much as possible).

– Where your excess weight is located is more important than how much you have. The lower you carry your weight (hips — for most women — and below), the less at risk you are for disease

– We should all celebrate and love food. It’s important to keep portions reasonable, but you should never completely cut out the things you love to eat.

Very appropriately, the event was stocked with lots of fruits and veggies. I had cauliflower, broccoli, red and yellow peppers, carrots, grape tomatoes:

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Strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, grapes:

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Cheese:

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There was a ton of food left at the end, so I filled a second plate that I transferred into my empty lunch tupperwares to bring home for later use. I tried to do it smoothly, but all the lids kept falling out of my lap. So much for stealth. There was still quite a bit left after that, so I checked with one of the ladies running the event to make sure it wasn’t going into the trash (because it often does!). She assured me that they had ziplock baggies hidden under the table and would be enjoying the leftovers for snacks today. Phew! Here’s what I brought home:

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There were also lots of cookies and crackers at the talk, but I wasn’t really interested somehow! Maybe because I had already snacked on this Cadbury finger before leaving work:

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And was dreaming about having this Dark Chocolate Pomegranate VitaTop with peanut butter when I got home:

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Another busy busy busy day today! And freeeeeeeeezing cold. This clever guy at the gym this morning said to me, “Your nose matches your hair today.” Awesome.

I’ll be back eventually to report on how last night’s free food is getting me through the day today!