This was the best meal I’ve had in a while. It was fantastic. The flavors blended perfectly; the tomatoes were sweet and delicious; the bread crumbs were crispy; the eggplant was superb. The whole family loved it. She made one completely vegan…

And one with cheese…

My dad, brother, and sister have all raved about this lasagna to me. Now I know what they’re talking about. These disappeared in about 20 minutes.

My mom requested that I make my massaged kale salad (kale, olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice) and I topped it with some thinly sliced onions. Everyone loved this too! I was really happy. They were kind of doubtful about the kale but now I’ve converted them to be kale lovers.

I had a very yummy homey breakfast today. It was huge!

• 1/4 cup (a little more) quick cooking oats (to use them up)
• 1/4 cup farina (suggested serving size is 3 tablespoons)
• <1 cup water
• <1 cup almond milk (sweetened)
• cinnamon
• orange extract
• dash of salt
• toppings: whole milk, honey, agave nectar

I’ve been really into simple big bowls of oats with minimal toppings. I love my breakfast grains. I got into the habit of simple bowls while driving across the country. Almost every morning I had this at Denny’s (minus the fruit; that was Bobby’s):

A big bowl of oats topped with brown sugar, milk, and sometimes a little bit of butter.

Today and yesterday for exercise Bobby, Julia, and I walked to Kunkel Park and played on the swings.

It’s about 3 miles roundtrip. Swinging is also a great ab workout. No wonder (many) kids stay fit so easily.

What did you do for fun when you were little? I loved climbing things and I was always scaring my parents. I (almost) never got hurt though.

Like this post? Check out...

• September 29, 2008 -- Lunch for 9/29/2008
• January 30, 2011 -- Yoga Inspiration #2: Just Stretch.
• August 11, 2009 -- Guest Post – Val & Yoga
• August 14, 2010 -- What’s Up Saturday – 8.14.10
• June 10, 2010 -- Healthy Salad Ideas

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First up: here are two breakfasts. Cheesy grits topped with leftover chicken (1/4 cup grits, cooked in water; cheese added at the end). There was a little bit of avocado on there too (avocado came with the chicken salad that this is leftover from).

Oat bran cooked with protein powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and a dash of salt. Topped with sesame seeds and maple syrup.

Have you tried Averie’s raw vegan cookie dough balls yet? Okay, mine are not balls (the first batch was), nor do they have chocolate chips. They are so simple to make.

Averie-inspired Raw Vegan Cookie Dough Yum

Ingredients (1 serving)

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• a little bit of water

Directions

Mix syrup and flour together. Add a few drops of water at a time until you get your desired consistency. I like mine a little bit too wet for balls (TWSS?).

Variations

• part wheat germ, part flour (my favorite)
• part wheat bran, part flour
• ground nuts for flour (Averie‘s original recipe)
• part oatmeal or oat bran, part flour
• grind oatmeal/oat bran in the blender and sub for flour

I also made bread the other day. I just took my Easy Peasy Pizza Dough recipe and subbed in a few things for the flour. Instead of 3.5 cups of flour, I used the dregs of a cornbread mix (maybe 1/4 cup – Jiffy brand), some Heart Smart Bisquick, and whole wheat flour. It came out well. It was a little dense, but yummy with soft butter.

I have 3 more pictures of healthy yums, but I’ll save them for when I’m on the road and lacking in delicious food.

I can’t wait to pick up Sophia tonight and go to the Foodbuzz Festival.

What are you doing this weekend? You know what I’m doing.

Like this post? Check out...

• December 4, 2008 -- Lovely day
• July 16, 2009 -- Some favorites
• October 9, 2009 -- Branching out – new breakfasts, ramen, popcorn, and meal planning!
• February 22, 2008 -- More stir-fry ideas
• April 8, 2008 -- Fresh Spring/Summer Rolls

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• 10 standing lunges
• 10 walking lungues
• 10 pushups
• 1 lap around the park (< quarter mile?)

Repeat 3 times.

We also walked to and from the park, so I’d add at least another quarter mile to that. It took about 40 minutes total. I think my time for the 3 cycles was about 10 minutes, but we did stretching before and I’m also counting the walking time. During the day I walked a lot (shopping) and I think I did some of the DVF exercises in the morning.

Wednesday I did the Diane von Furstenburg exercises again. I love these. They are so simple. I did most of them while watching “Faces of Culture“, a video series that I have to watch for one of my anthropology classes. I also walked 2 miles – 1 mile each way to and from the grocery store.

Here are some foods I’ve been meaning to share. Kabocha with goat cheese (why not? It works with parm).

A “grilled” (waffle iron grill) sandwich with a chicken burger from Trader Joe’s, alfalfa sprouts (alfa-alfa is what Bobby calls these), and some cheddar. Lightly buttered on the outside for crispiness.

A classic bowl of oat bran. Oat bran, ground flax, coconut flakes, protein powder, cinnamon, vanilla, salt (always). Topped (post-picture) with real maple syrup. Real maple syrup appears on all of my oat bran bowls now. It is a staple. This bowl was put in the freezer for 10+ minutes after cooking.

Do you have a “staple” food? Mine is certainly kabocha, all the darn time. Others that make frequent appearances include oat bran, homemade ketchup, and stir-frys. Nut butters go in and out, depending on how I feel. Recently I have been rather obsessed with burdock as well.

Like this post? Check out...

• January 17, 2009 -- Annoucement… and dinner!
• May 14, 2010 -- Friday Fix: I’m out of here!
• January 22, 2009 -- So many things
• October 7, 2008 -- 07 October 2008
• April 4, 2010 -- Why Do Sundays Have to End? Parks & Recreation & Books…

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Our two fats cats. (Cous and Bo = Couscous and Kabocha.) Oops, look at those dirty socks on the floor.

I did actually manage to give Bobby a haircut, so maybe the day wasn’t so unproductive after all. He’s playing some xbox game here. It has something to do with Japan. Sometimes I “help” him play by watching out for the red dots (those are the enemies) and pointing excitedly. I think I did a good job on the hair; this was my second time cutting it for him.

I also did an easy walk on the treadmill tonight (1.8 miles, 3% incline) while Bobby ran and lifted. When we came back inside I did some nice stretching exercises inspired by Diane von Furstenberg (more on that later).

For dinner I had my two favorite foods: fluffy waffles* with butter and real maple syrup, and kabocha*. The recipe for the waffles is HERE. I made it fattier by using egg yolks instead of applesauce and kefir instead of milk. Bobby did his own thing and went for rice and chicken. I like breakfast for dinner.

I just steamed the kabocha and stuck it in the freezer to cool. All together now.

With these goodies, I had a bit of fluffy bread* that Bobby bought yesterday. There were several persimmons afterwards.* Did you know they are especially delicious with almond butter? Try it.

Did you have a lazy Sunday?

*Edited to add (on 6/14/2011): Holy crap what a carby dinner! No wonder at the time I was feeling a little mushy. This was from back in the days when I still wasn’t eating as much fat and protein as I should have been (though, had you asked me, I would have said I was eating plenty of fats). As you can see, I had carby munchies – the carbolicious dinner only enhanced my cravings for starchy, sugary things, which is why I followed up this large meal with more bread (starch) and more fruit (sugar).

Like this post? Check out...

• April 12, 2010 -- My recent favorites.
• March 28, 2010 -- Another Perfect (Souen) Sunday
• January 26, 2010 -- Ch-ch-ch-changes
• December 12, 2008 -- Back to the grind!
• February 7, 2012 -- Meal of the Day #2

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Post tags: breakfast for dinner, cats, dinner, fruit, kabocha, persimmons, vegetarian, waffles, walking

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The salad is an appetizer salad, but it is huge. I would call it a full meal. Of course I also helped Bobby with this (Shrimp with Angel Hair: Large Shrimp Sautéed with Herbs, Lemon and Garlic Combined with Angel Hair Pasta, Tomato and Fresh Basil)…

The shrimp were fantastic. The angel hair was just okay – I’m not really a pasta person. I nabbed some of his Small Salad (Chopped greens with shredded carrots, zucchini, and beets. Topped with croutons, tomato wedges and cucumber slices). Tossed in sesame soy dressing (my suggestion).

Let’s not forget the brown bread. I had most of this with butter.

And we got this Pomegranate Mojito too – Mount Gay and Bacardi Superior with Pomegranate Finished with a Float of 10 Cane Rum. Bobby gets tipsy easily and was very giggly by the end of dinner. I can hold my liquor even though I almost never drink

We didn’t get dessert at the restaurant, but you can bet that I had a huge bowl of steamed kabocha when I got home. It was super ripe and delicious. I also had a persimmon that I picked up yesterday. Persimmons are definitely my favorite fruit; I hope they are as cheap in NYC as they are here. (Ha. No way.)

When we were seated at the restaurant we were also presented with a Nutrition Guide. It listed the approximate calories and nutrients for each dish. It actually did affect my decision – I was in the mood for the Asian Chicken Salad, but after seeing that it had 2600 mg of sodium, I decided to pass. Sodium is very necessary and certainly good in moderation, but 2600 mg in one dish? I think that’s a little bit ridiculous. I couldn’t even figure out where it was coming from (not from the dressing – I looked that up). I tend to get a lot of sodium already because I put salt in everything – it’s the most important ingredient when I make oat bran. The average recommended intake for sodium is between 1500-2400 mg per day for the average adult.

What do you think about restaurants giving out nutritional information? Would it affect what you order?

Like this post? Check out...

• September 4, 2010 -- What’s Up Saturday – 9.4.10
• October 27, 2008 -- Hip hip hooray for PB&J
• May 21, 2010 -- More Tips for Beating IBS: Soothe Your Tummy
• April 30, 2009 -- More kabocha? (Neon Green Oat Bran)
• September 3, 2009 -- Some raw recipes

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I love it. What do you guys think?

My own crazy love is helping me change up my diet. I’m trying to eat pretty much the same stuff he does. For breakfast we made grilled cheese on Nature’s Pride bread. I had the 2 heels from the white one and he had 2 slices of the brown one. Cheddar oozed out the middle as we grilled them on the waffle maker. The outsides are lightly buttered for extra flavor. Bobby’s is in front; mine is in back.

I had coffee with breakfast; I have finally forsaken tea for coffee. I’m not sure what took me so long.

I was pretty starving for lunch. We made chicken burgers from Trader Joe’s. I sauteed up some veggies (Brussels sprouts, red pepper, burdock, collard greens) in chicken broth and added some Asian salad dressing. I had my burger on top of the veggies with some extra parm and ketchup; Bobby had his on bread with some cheddar and veggies on the side. He also had 3 pieces of veggie bacon (unpictured).

I got these yummy Pepperidge Farms cookies this morning at CVS, so we each had one for dessert. They are trail mix flavor – chocolate, raisins, and almonds.

Tonight we are making dinner for friends and we’re debating between baked French toast and my classic pizza recipe. Right now we are leaning towards the pizza because it’s always a hit.

What’s your favorite dish to make for friends or family?

In the news today…

• 6 year old boy missing from an experimental hot air balloon (UPDATE: he was found alive)
• It’s global handwashing day
• Report links smoking bans and heart health

Like this post? Check out...

• June 23, 2008 -- Menu Plan Monday
• November 14, 2010 -- Weekend Link Love (aka What’s Up Sunday)
• January 30, 2012 -- I’m Still a Salad Loving Yogi
• August 29, 2008 -- Goodeats for 8/28/2008
• April 7, 2010 -- Intensely Healthy Dessert

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I say this about a lot of things, but you *must* make these. You will not be disappointed!

Goji Nut Biscotti

Ingredients (makes ~12 small biscotti)

• 1 cup oat bran
• 1/3 cup quick cooking oats (instant) (can sub with flour or oat bran)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 dashes of salt
• 1 teaspoon spice (cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice)
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup sweetener (I used Trader Joe’s stevia)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup goji berries
• 1/4 chopped nuts of choice (see notes below)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Soak the goji berries in hot water.
3. Mix together the oat bran, oats, baking soda, salt, and spices.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat this pretty well.
5. Slowly add the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Drain the berries and add them, and then add the nuts. The dough should be dry enough so that you can work with it. If it’s not, add a bit more oat bran (or don’t add all of the egg mixture).
6. Spray a cooking pan with non-stick spray and shape the dough into a long log shape, about 1/2 – 3/4 of an inch high. You can top with extra nuts or oats. Bake this for 20 minutes.
7. Remove the log from the oven and reduce heat to 300F. Cut the log into pieces and bake them on one side for 15 minutes. Take them out, turn them over, and bake them for another 15 minutes. If they are still not hard, turn them again and cook for 10 more minutes.
8. Enjoy dipped in coffee, tea, peanut butter, or plain.

For the nuts I used these things I found in the Asian grocery store called “olive kernels” (seen above). I recognize the flavor, but I have no idea what they really are, or if maybe they have another name. The nut is definitely used in a Christmas cookie that I have every year, but I cannot remember which cookie and I have been unable to find out anything online.

Help! Do you know what these nuts might be?

Like this post? Check out...

• September 9, 2008 -- Goodeats for 9/8/2008
• July 3, 2011 -- Weekend Link Love – 07.03.2011
• September 27, 2009 -- Surprise! It’s a new camera!
• January 31, 2008 -- Vegetarian Collard Greens Recipe | Healthy Collard Greens Recipe
• August 16, 2008 -- Pickled Cucumber with Ginger (Korean side dish)

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Thanks! These are two loaves of Nature’s Pride bread – 12 Grain and 100% Whole Wheat. Both breads had a decent ingredient list, but I was disappointed to see dairy products there. You really don’t need milk to made great bread. The ingredient list was long, but I didn’t see anything too scary, and the lack of high fructose corn syrup was a plus. I immediately ate a slice of the Whole Wheat and promptly tossed them in the freezer to stay fresh. The next day Bobby enjoyed 2 slices of the 12 Grain…

This is a vegetarian breakfast of 2 scrambled eggs, 2 slices of toast (dry), 2 veggie sausages, and 3 veggie bacons. He loved it. He actually prefers veggie bacon and veggie sausage to the real deal, which I find very cute. I enjoy veggie bacon, but I don’t particularly care for veggie sausage (or real sausage, for that matter).

Aside from eating very yummy things, I’ve been changing up my exercise. I’ve found that even if I don’t plan on doing anything on a certain day, I always manage to get in a workout. I looked back on my Workout Page to see how often I take a rest day – I’ve had 7 rest/lazy days since the beginning of January. I almost *always* find something to do, even if it’s just 20 minutes of yoga. Treating exercise as a natural part of life, and not a chore, makes it that much more enjoyable. I never dread exercise; I actually look forward to it. As long as I keep changing it up, I don’t get bored.

I definitely wouldn’t advocate doing intense exercise every day. But the kind of exercise I do is something that you absolutely CAN do every day. Yoga stretches as it strengthens; I don’t do killer cardio sessions; I walk a lot; I’m gentle and listen to my body. I think I’ve learned what works (for me at least). Here’s what I’ve been up to the last few days…

For the last couple of weeks I haven’t been doing long yoga practices at all. Actually, I haven’t really been doing many short practices either. Yesterday I did Tom Morley’s “Buns & Thighs Yoga“, which was 20 minutes. The other activity I did yesterday was walking in San Francisco – about 3.5 miles.

I found a fun new video on Comcast’s Exercise TV (On Demand) called “Disco Abs“, featuring Cheryl Burke. It’s 30 minutes long and it’s a pretty good workout. I get really into all the disco moves and totally rock out in my living room. I did that on Saturday and Monday.

On Sunday I walked around in San Francisco (about 3 miles or so, maybe a little more). I was carrying a whole bunch of stuff so it was really tiring.

On Tuesday I did actually work myself out pretty hard (for me) – I jogged/walked for 5.18 miles on the treadmill (0% incline). This is not normal for me; I was feeling stressed and I needed a way to let off steam that did not involve pulling my hair out. It definitely worked; I felt great afterwards. I cooled down with about 5 minutes of yoga-ish stretching.

Do you take rest days? Or do you keep your exercise low key enough that you don’t need them? Do you ever crave a sweaty gym session?

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• January 13, 2009 -- FAQ request, yoga, & good music
• June 17, 2010 -- Winner! Weekend :)
• July 7, 2009 -- Celebration Dinner & A cute lunch
• October 24, 2008 -- Cocoa Banana Oat Muffins
• September 12, 2008 -- More goodeats for 9/11/2008

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Ingredients

• 1 package of imitation crab meat (2.5 servings)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 small pickles, chopped (I used Chinese pickles)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• other spices (chili powder, dried onion, whatever else you like)
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (vegan canola oil mayo)
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar

Directions

Break apart the crab meat. Mix everything well. EAT.

Bobby liked his on fresh toasty bread; I liked mine plain. I think I had this with some roasted squash on the side.

I’ve been roasting squash a la Clare: cut up in pieces at 425F for 25 minutes. Here was delicata:

And kabocha (duh):

I just sprinkle some salt, oregano/dill, and cinnamon on them. I’ve heard you can use stevia, but I’m not a fan. Squash is sweet enough. I like to top them with organic, fruit-sweetened (or unsweetened) ketchup. My recipe is here.

Now have a sweet weekend! What are your plans?

(Words of the day here.)

Like this post? Check out...

• November 21, 2010 -- Weekend Link Love – 11.21.2010
• June 8, 2009 -- Japanese Dinner for Decluttering
• February 5, 2009 -- Lovely oatmeal, soba, and yoga. Ahhh-dog.
• April 13, 2009 -- Sushi night, milk ice bars, salad update!
• May 26, 2011 -- Video Post: Thursday Latelies 5-26-2011

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I need a haircut, ick. Jenna’s in the last stages of interviewing for A Really Goode Job for Murphy-Good Winery.  Good luck Jenna!  Bobby and I both went to her wine tasting and we walked away with a delicious bottle of white (which I normally don’t like) – The Fume (Sauvignon Blanc).  Here’s what they say about it: “The 2008 vintage boasts flavors and aromas of citrus and tropical fruits expressed over a bright, yet rich mouthfeel.”  It sure tasted good to me

We tried a whole bunch of different wines, and while our favorite was actually a red (Terra a Lago – Cabernet Sauvignon), we couldn’t justify spending $45 on a bottle of wine.  The Fume was only $12.50, and really awesome. Bobby was tipsy by the end, so I got to drive home.

Oh, boy.  There was traffic on the highway and we got rear-ended (just a few scratches, but there were actually 2 other cars involved so we all had to pull over and exchange information, and it took a while).  We were the front car so insurance should cover it and it was NOT my fault in the least.  The guy in front of me slammed on his brakes, so I braked too and stopped, and the person behind me stopped in time, but the person behind HIM hit him and shoved him into me.  Blah.

And then I got pulled over for speeding. And Bobby doesn’t have his registration in the car.  But I was very sweet and flustered and told the officer about getting rear ended and he just let us go with a warning. California cops are much nicer than any others I’ve met – when I lived in New Jersey and New York I had several speeding tickets and was never let off with a warning.

Before the eventful day started, we had breakfast.  My breakfast for the last few days (since Saturday) has been tons and tons of fruit (watermelon and cantaloupe).  Unlimited fruit for breakfast is really great.  I also wanted to share Bobby’s well-combined meal:

A whole wheat bagel (starch) with mustard (neutral) and avocado (combines with starch!)… and sesame seeds (this does not combine well, but he wouldn’t leave them off).  I love how you don’t have to go crazy with the raw stuff – you can do something as simple as properly combining a bagel with avocado and it works.  It’s so easy to incorporate food combining.

Speaking of amazingly combined meals, I had the same thing for dinner on Saturday and Sunday nights…

A humongous salad from chipotle.  This is:

• extra lettuce
• black beans
• extra fajita veggies
• extra red salsa
• extra corn salsa
• a ton of guac, which I finished both times!!

The ladies making my salad all commented on how huge it was.  I just smiled   After dinner I have been eating Ezekiel bread with honey (and dark chocolate).

On Saturday I got a package from the lovely Justine (I won her contest) – oat bran and peanut butter. I got Artisana raw coconut butter from her the other day as well (what great timing).  Thanks, girl!

Check out Clare’s chayote creation – she tried it after seeing it on my blog the other week.

I haven’t mentioned this yet, but I got a job teaching 2 classes for 4 weeks (2 hours/day for each class) – Alebra 2/Trigonometry and Geometry.  They start today, and I hope it’ll be fun.  My SAT teaching ended on Saturday.

If you got through this monster of a post I applaud you – and I hope you’re having a great Monday.

Like this post? Check out...

• January 8, 2008 -- Leek Soup Recipe
• January 14, 2012 -- Weekend Link Love – 1.14.2012
• July 31, 2010 -- What’s Up Saturday
• November 22, 2008 -- Lazing around… and the Blogger Secret Ingredient! (Pumpkin)
• October 7, 2009 -- Squash Fries Like To Party In My Kitchen

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