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Today was one of the most perfect days, weather wise, that we’ve had in New York this Spring thus far. It was quite hot (it got up to 92!), but the mild breeze offset the extreme temperatures, and made for pure sunny paradise.
I started this unseasonably warm day with a huge bowl of mixed cereal! I combined 365 brand cornflakes, cascadian farms cinnamon crunch, and honey kix, topped the bowl off with a sliced banana and strawberries, and drowned them in a pool of creamy vanilla hempmilk. I also had a small spoonful of peanut butter, just ’cause. This delicious blend kept me going all morning!
Once again, I whipped out the trusty hummus container come lunch time, and came up with this bad boy of a sandwich-
Caramelized Onion Hummus on Whole Grain Nut and Seed Bread stacked with Grilled and Raw Vegetables.
I think this was the best sandwich I’ve ever made, no exaggeration! It was my first time trying Sabra’s Caramelized Onion Hummus, and let me just say that it was one of my favorite sabra flavors yet! The subtle sweet flavor from the onion complemented the rich and creamy texture of the hummus with perfection. As far as the veggies are concerned, I first grilled up some sliced zucchini and tomato which really brought the sandwich alive and added an unexpected exciting twist to it. Aside from the grilled veggies, I piled my hummus-slathered pieces of bread with lots of sprouts, shredded carrot, roasted red pepper, and cucumber slices. The sandwich was hearty, filling, and packed with nutrients! Oh, and it was extremely tasty to boot. ;)
I was going to eat my apple alongside my sandwich as I typically do, but this little guy had bigger and better things in it’s future-
Warm, Sliced Granny Smith topped with Cinnamon, Drizzled Almond Butter, and a Sprinkling of Nature’s Path Granola.
Man, oh MAN was this spectacular! I heated the apple, once topped with the almond butter, in the microwave and once topped with the granola, it tasted like a super decadent, deconstructed apple crisp! In actuality, this snack was extremely healthy and well balanced- fiber from the apple, protein and fat from the almond butter, and carbs from the granola. Perfection!
Of course I had to take advantage of this wondrous weather and take a stroll along Central Park. You know what that means!
Once I got home, I was getting hungry once again (surprise, surprise), so I made myself a delicious and nutritious salad for dinner-
Lemony Chickpea Salad Over Couscous and Arugula
This was SO SIMPLE to assemble, guys. Seriously, it took me about 15 minutes max to put this together. First, I cooked up 1/3 cup dry couscous in veggie broth that I spiked with black pepper, thyme, and lemon juice. Once cooked through, I let it sit while I threw together the chickpea salad. I used about 3/4 can rinsed and drained chickpeas (would’ve loved to use homemade, but I was pressed for time), a roasted pepper, caramelized onions, a handful of plump raisins, and a healthy scoop of toasted pinenuts. I tossed the salad with a simple dressing consisting of olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of agave, basil, thyme, oregano, S+P. I dumped the cooked couscous and about 1/2 of the chickpea salad on top of a bed of peppery arugula, and voila! Dinner was served. Halfway through, I headed back to the fridge and grabbed the hummus and added a big glob on top, for good measure. Easy and delicious!
After letting my dinner digest for a while, I was finally in the mood to add a little sweetness into my life. I settled on an absolutely fabulous yogurt mess- 3/4 cup fage, 1/4 cup pumpkin, truvia, cinnamon, 1 MASHED banana, and a handful of kashi golean. After I snapped the picture, I proceeded to mix the entire thing up. This was one of the best yogurt bowls to date! The mashed banana really made all the difference in the world- not only did it add extra sweetness, but it lent a rich and creamy texture as well as volume. In a slightly larger portion, this would make for an outstanding breakfast. Especially with some juicy raisins and almond/peanut butter added to the mix!
Although I was basking in the sun today, I must admit that it’s worn me out quite a bit- I’m exhausted at the moment! Plans for tonight consist of- me, my bed, green tea, and a good movie/book. It’s the simple things in life, folks!
I can’t even begin to tell you how absolutely gorgeous it is outside today- bright and sunny with a high of 90 degrees! It’s a Central Park kind of day for sure! Anyway, backtracking a bit to yesterday, after hearing Jenna’s tragic news, I didn’t feel like blogging would be all too appropriate, so I held off on posting yesterday’s eats until today. Here we go!
I had yet another terrific breakfast yesterday- Pumpkin Blueberry Almond Oatbran! As always, I used 1/2 cup oatbran, 1 cup almond milk, a mashed banana, 1/2 cup pumpkin, maple syrup, heaps of cinnamon, and a tbsp of flax. I topped the bowl off with a handful of heated frozen blueberries and a spoonful of decadent and delicious almond butter. It got my morning off to the perfect start!
As I mentioned yesterday, after breakfast it was Whole Foods time! I came home with a bunch of produce, yogurt, cereal, peanut butter, bread, etc. Being that I was sent a packet of coupons thanks to the lovely Kristina at Stoneyfield Farms, I also snagged two containers of Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt to try! Being that I’m a purist, I stuck to good ‘ol vanilla and plain for starters. I’ll be sure to let you know what I think once I try them!
It was pretty late once I got home from my grocery trip, so I worked up quite the appetite! After toying around with a bunch of different lunch options, I went with a safe favorite of mine-
Sundried Tomato Hummus and Raw Veggies on Organic Italian with a Crispy Braeburn
This sandwich is definite evidence that sometimes, simplicity is best. I toasted two pieces of whole foods organic italian bread, spread it with a healthy helping of sabra’s sundried tomato hummus, and stuffed it with sprouts, shredded carrot, roasted red peppers, cucumber, and tomato, and the star- thinly sliced apples! This sandwich was simply divine, achieving the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors, and creamy and crunchy textures. I thoroughly enjoyed every single bite, and devoured this baby like it was my job. Accompanying my sandwich was the remainder of the crispy, juicy braeburn.
During the afternoon, I was starting to feel a bit empty, so I made myself a substantial snack- a maple nut clif bar alongside a small mix of kashi golean and honey kix in almond milk with a sliced banana. For whatever reason, I’ve had a huge hankering for a clif bar lately, so I bought one at Whole Foods to cure that craving. The maple nut was quite good, but not nearly to the caliber of the carrot cake or oatmeal raisin walnut varieties. It still did the trick, and satisfied both my hunger and craving! And the mini bowl of cereal was exactly what the doctor ordered- cereal is fabulous at any time of the day, I think!
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but my dinner last night was one of the best I’ve come up with yet! I was in the mood for a huge, hearty salad so that’s what I opted to prepare. I came up with this fantastic creation-
Wheatberry Waldorf Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato and Pecans
I took inspiration from a wonderful recipe provided by Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, and basically worked around the recipe to coincide with the ingredients I had laying around the fridge. First up, I cut a medium sized sweet potato in relatively small chunks, tossed them with olive oil, a drizzle of agave, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, sea salt, and pepper, placed them on an aluminum foil-lined baking pan, and roasted them for about 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven, flipping them halfway through. They came out perfectly tender, sweet, and moist, just how I like ‘em. I put them aside, and started to work on the wheatberry portion of the salad. I had already soaked 1/3 cup dry wheatberries and cooked them off for about 50 minutes, so my job was basically done! All I did was toss the cooked wheatberries with 1/2 thinly sliced granny smith apple, about 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 diced red onion, and a bit of minced parsley. I dressed the salad with a spoonful of my homemade sweet and spicy dressing which contained- nayonaise, bone suckin’ mustard, a squirt of whole grain dijon, apple juice, rice vinegar, sea salt, and pepper. I laid the wheatberry mixture on a bed of arugula, topped it with the roasted sweet potato chunks, and sprinkled the entire thing with roasted pecans. My GOD, was this amazing! I loved the contrasting textures, of the crunchy apple, chewy wheatberries, and soft sweet potato, as well did I appreciate the savory sweetness (I know, that doesn’t make much sense!) that permeated throughout the plate. My recipe made a HUGE salad, so I left over about 1/4 of it to snack on today at some point. This is the type of recipe that probably gets even better with age, so I’ll be looking forward to trying it today!
Although my salad was the size of my head, I was still in the mood for a sweet treat to end the night right. That’s when I though up this lovely union-
Coconut Yogurt and Dark Chocolate “Pudding” Parfait with fresh sliced Bananas, Strawberries, and cereal.
I had bought the new dark chocolate silken creations a week or so ago, and have yet to think up ways to incorporate it into my meals. I decided a parfait would be the perfect vehicle for it! I was a bit hesitant at first, so before I put it in my parfait I tried a spoonful of it. To my surprise, it was absolutely fantastic! It had the exact same taste and consistency of chocolate pudding, only better! It was definitely parfait material, so I went ahead and assembled the layers, alternating between a container of fage mixed with shredded coconut and sweetened with truvia, kashi golean, sliced bananas and sweet strawberries, and the silken creations! Not only was this dessert healthy enough to pass for breakfast, but managed to be incredibly indulgent tasting! I can’t wait to use it for other things in the future! Like a chocolate peanut butter pie.. mmm!
But no, the fun didn’t stop there! I also made a batch of some my favorite cookies ever-
Eat, Drink, and be Vegan’s Infamous Super-Charge Me Cookies
These will always be top contenders for my favorite homemade cookies, just by virtue of the fact that they pack in so many of my favorite ingredients in one small package- oatmeal, raisins, pecans, chocolate chips, coconut, AND almond butter! How can you go wrong? You simply can’t! Of course, I couldn’t help but sample one straight out of the oven. Divine.
Alright guys, I’m going to take advantage of the picture perfect weather and head out. I’ll see you all tonight at some point! I’ll leave you with this-
