I am so sad… that it took me this long to try oat bran! Heather is always raving about it, and we seem to like the same things, so I knew I had to try it. She even wrote a very informative post on oat bran vs. oatmeal today (oat bran wins!).
Oat bran meal #1:
- 3/4 cup oat bran, cinnamon – this time I didn’t use much water and it was very chewy – LOVE!
- big salad of romaine with jicama, apple, sprouts, green beans (dressing was shoyu, olive oil, and a splash of POM juice. Shoyu is a slightly sweet soy sauce that’s common in macrobiotic diets.)
How many meals have I wasted on inferior grains? The smooth yet chewy texture is so appealing to me. I had it with 2 of my meals today. A note – I’ve been doing something a little different with my eating recently – I have 4 slightly smaller meals and a few small snacks. It’s working really well. I’m able to do this because I’m not working, so I should take advantage of it now.
Oat bran meal #2:
- 3/4 cup oat bran, cinnamon, drizzled with brown rice syrup – this time I used more water and it was creamier but still chewy – LOVE again!
- organic pink lady apple with Maranatha almond butter
Who else was impressed to see YOGA on The Biggest Loser last night? Bob Harper never ceases to amaze me. He taught the contestants power yoga routines and had them sweating. I loved the contestants’ reflections on the session – they said it grounded them, and gave them strength to be calm in stressful situations (like the weigh-ins). I think it would be awesome if yoga became more popular – maybe our country could get a bit more peaceful.
I also got a package today (not secret cupid yet) from Leng @ A Fat Cat Who Created A Vegetarian. I won her contest a few days ago and she sent me some lovely goodies:
- 2 jars of coconut milk
- chili sauce
- agar agar flakes
- Chinese 5-spice powder
- star anise!
I cannot wait to use these things. I’ve been meaning to buy Agar Agar flakes forever, and I was about to get them this week but my package came instead! Leng sent me a recipe for coconut jelly which sounded great.
I am off to read a new book from the library with a mug of peppermint tea – The Food Revolution by John Robbins (of the Baskin-Robbins family). It’s recommended reading for my macrobiotic experiment. Have you read any good food/health/cook books recently? Or other great books? (I’m always looking for recommendations.)
Great guest post on Tina’s blog! My husband is serious ADDICTED to that chili sauce. He basically uses it like ketchup: eggs, potatoes, burgers, pretty much everything gets a huge scoop of chili sauce before he eats it.
I love oat bran. It has such an awesome texture.
Congrats on the winnings!
great guest post today- and those are some fun goodies you got in the mail!
John Robbins wrote a book I read about two weeks ago, May All Be Fed. It’s about being vegan. You should read that one too 🙂
Hmm, those are ingredients I don’t see every day!
So glad you’re loving the oat bran (thanks for the shout out), and I love that you eat it with different meals throughout the day. Why I think I have to cut myself off after breakfast is beyond me.
I love coconut milk, and I’ve always wanted to agar agar flakes as well. Can’t wait to see what you concoct with them.
Sounds like you’re really liking your macrobiotic experiment…it’s weird not seeing bowls of yogurt in your posts. 🙂
Have a good night Maggie.
i LOVE that wooden spoon you’re using!
I loved your post on Tina’s blog! Due to a beginner’s injury, I’m just starting to run again and your tips were REALLY helpful. I’m trying to be super cautious so I don’t hurt myself again!
Can’t wait to see what you do with that coconut milk!
Wow. I guess oat bran really is that good. I need to try it right away.
I was watching that part of the BL last night and felt so happy for the contestants and it made me love Bob just a little more.
I think Bob is trying to promote his new yoga DVD. I keep waiting for it to show up on Exercise TV, but no such luck yet.
i love that hot sauce that you have! i put it on everything 🙂
You are doing a great job of making macrobiotic food look delicious! I’ll have to give oat bran a try.
love oat bran, they’re so creamy! You used 3/4 cup? that makes a huge bowl!
I’ve reading a lot about chinese medicine, how food is considered, and how they help/affect our health. I wish I could share with you those book, unfortunately they’re in chinese.
Hey Maggie,
I was just curious (this is so random!) if you know how many page views you get a day. Your blog seems so popular, and so I was just wondering :). I have a blogspot blog and was wondering if maybe I should switch to wordpress, so I’m doing some investigating. Thanks girl!
This is a dumb question, but is oat bran gluten-free??
Oat bran is delicious! I love how creamy it gets…so yummy.
Heck yes for yoga!
Ooo and coconut jelly sounds so intriguing.
I love the book Yogi in the Kitchen. It has lots of yum, healthy, Ayurvedic meals. It’s a blend of a few different healthy lifestyles…I think mediteranean is in there too. It’s good!
Wow, oat bran looks great!
And Leng is just amazing, isn’t she!
i love oat bran too!
man, you’re going to have so much fun with the stuff that came in that package!
I tried oat bran preblog but I soooooo did not do it right and it tasted awful! Yours sounds yummy though 🙂
Oh gosh, I’ve got to go out and try some oat bran! 🙂
I finished reading, The Other Boleyn Girl, and loved it. It may not be the most intellectual or challenging read but it definitely sucks you in, I highly recommend it!
I was so excited to see your guest post on Tina’s blog! I’ve just really gotten into running and I would love to run a half marathon or 10K by this summer. Any good advice on training for that? Thanks 🙂
I’ve had that chili sauce before! It’s good on snap peas – ok, well, actually it’s good on everything!
what an awesome package of goodies!
i love 5 spice powder and just bought some agar flakes and have yet to use them
i hope you’re having a wonderful day!
My mom’s maiden name was Robbins and she used to have a friend in elementary school whose last name was Baskin… so you can just imagine what they told people 🙂
what a fabulously short but sweet review of both. 🙂 Stilllll not ready to take the plunge yet for me. hahaha and YAY for all those Asian cooking cooks! Star Anise is sooo yummy in braised foods. 😛 Yum yum!
Hey girl thanks so much for the email 🙂 That was so sweet! Definitely take your advice. Love your blog and especially the name! Have a good one
Thank you so much for the secret cupid gifts! I got them just now!
what is the difference between oatmeal and oatbran?
looks delicious 🙂
Interesting, I’ve only ever used oat bran in things like muffins etc, never on its own- I’ll have to give it a try!
Also if you check out the book and product reviews section on my blog I’ve got some good health books to recommend 🙂
That is too funny! Oat bran was one of your first foods. I used to sweeten it with ground up raisins…. you don’t remember?! LOL