Recipes

[Whoops] Newbies & Crunchy Snacks

April 25, 2013 by Allison · 46 Comments

Whelp, whoops! I meant to publish this post last night when I got home but that evidently slipped my mind. I ate dinner, plopped down on the couch, and quickly fell asleep. But I did have time to do this…

sorry Charlie, please forgive me – I recently discovered PicMonkey

My stomach started feeling wonky Tuesday night so I skipped my planned run and cuddled with Charlie instead. When I woke up yesterday morning I felt a bit better but immediately after I ate breakfast it hit me again hard and I felt nauseous/freezing/sweating the rest of the day. Today I’m “working” from home on the couch, taking it easy and resting before Sunday.

So this WIAW post is a day late [oops, I did it again] but since it’s been a few days since I’ve posted any foodie pictures and I tried a few new-to-me products I’m sticking to it… That said, be sure to check out all of the tasty eats and recipes the others shared yesterday

Thanks Jenn for hosting another tasty link-up!

I’m a big fan of TJ’s Berry Mango Muffins but I haven’t seen them on the shelf lately so I decided to give these a try and I’m glad I did! These muffins are absolutely delicious – dense, moist, packed with whole cranberries, and hints of orange throughout.

Traditional French Toast is tasty, but Cranberry Orange Bran Muffin French Toast takes the cake!

Ingredients

2 egg whites + 1 packet of stevia + a few dashes of cinnamon

Directions

Slice the muffin into desired thickness.

Combine the eggs, stevia, and cinnamon in a small bowl and whisk until combined.

Dip the muffin slices into the egg mixture and coat on both sides.

Cook the muffin slices until they’re light brown and flip, approximately 2 minutes on each side.

Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!

I typically buy spinach to toss into my salads, but after I accidentally bought a bag of spinach with arugula last week, I’ve been hooked. The light and little leafy greens pack a powerful peppery punch!

lunch snacks – fresh veggies, a ruby red grapefruit, Kettle Brand Sea Salt Bakes Chips, & Willamette Valley Honey Nut Granola Chips

Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burger + arugula + dijon mustard on soft whole wheat bread

a sliced gala apple & an Odwalla Protein Bar – this flavor reminds me of an oatmeal raisin cookie!

I love doughy carbs & salt, especially good bread & pretzels, so the two combined sounded delightful! Unfortunately, this soft pretzel stick tasted just like soft bread. I’d buy it again because it was less than $1 and I love doughy carbs, but it’s lacking any pretzel flavor.

mashed avocado + parm cheese on a toasted pretzel stick & an Italian inspired salad with arugula + artichokes + peas + sliced mushrooms + tomato sauce + tomato basil hummus

easy-peasy & comforting microwaved popcorn

dark chocolate – gotta end the day on a sweet note!

~~~~~

A couple of weeks ago I graciously received two packages full of crunchy goodies – one box contained bags of the new Kettle Brand Bakes Chips and the other box contained bags of Willamette Valley Granola Chips.

I was first introduced to Kettle Brand Bakes Chips a few years ago when Ryan grabbed a bag of the Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper [which has since been discontinued, boo] go with our lunch sandwiches. I’m not a big fan of traditional potato chips, they’re too thin, but these chips are anything but that. They’re thick, super crunchy, and coated with flavor – I was instantly hooked! So when Kettle Brand offered to send me a few of their new flavors I couldn’t say no…

Ryan polished off the bag of Sour Cream & Onion while I was at class, but from what he said and the evidence from the empty bag, they were delicious and his favorite flavor. We also tried Cheddar & Roasted Tomato and Sea Salt. Out of these two flavors, Cheddar & Roasted Tomato was my favorite.

Sour Cream & Onion: A true flavor explosion, we couldn’t resist doing a Bakes-take on this fan favorite. You won’t see a powder cloud when you open a bag of these, but you’ll definitely be lured in by the aromas of zesty onion, garlic and parsley. One bite and the cool, tangy sour cream takes over to satisfy your taste buds. They’ll make you look twice-and yes, they really are baked.

Cheddar & Roasted Tomato: We’re turning up the volume on cheese flavors with a jolt of creamy cheddar, sharp Romano and sweet roasted tomato. But why stop there? A comforting combination of onion, bell pepper, parsley and paprika join the party on a real slice of potato, lightly salted to perfection. Who said baked chips can’t be indulgent?

Sea Salt: Only three ingredients in this classic chip: potatoes, oil, and sea salt. Why mess with simplicity? The pureness of a whole potato, thinly sliced, baked to golden perfection and seasoned with fresh sea salt delivers undeniable flavor and crunch. This confident flavor isn’t afraid to go head to head with the other guys either – trust us, you’ll never buy those other baked crisps again.

Moving on from salty to something sweeter, Willamette Valley Granola Chips. I had never heard of this brand or these products before, but I was informed that they’re a fun new take on granola.

They’re light and crispy bite-sized chips made with all natural, non-GMO ingredients, and are packed with ancient grains like barley, oats, quinoa, and amaranth, making them a good whole grain snack full of fiber… Sounds good to me!

I’m not surprised that the Honey Nut flavor was my favorite. I ate them by the handful straight from the resealable bag, on top of plain Greek yogurt, crumbled on top of oats, and dipped Dunkaroo style into the peanut butter jar. Vanilla Bean took second, Wild Berry took third, and I’ll have to ask this girl what she thinks of Butter Pecan.

Thanks Kettle Brand and Willamette Valley for sending me these tasty samples – I will definitely be purchasing more bags in the near future!

Disclaimer: I was provided free products from Kettle Brand and Willamette Valley for the purpose of this review, however I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.

Question: Do you prefer sweet or salty snacks?

Question: What do you typically pack for lunch?

— Allison

Long Run, Late Night Hunger

February 17, 2013 by Allison · 49 Comments

After an internal debate about when I should hit the trail, I completed 10 miles yesterday afternoon. Sometimes getting out the door is harder than the actual run – that’s exactly how it felt yesterday.

cheesing, freezing, & feeling proud

It was my first time ever running in the snow and sleet. Typically I’d pansy out and run on the treadmill but that sounded dreadful – little snow and sleet couldn’t stop me!

Ryan and I swung by TJ’s to pick up some groceries for the week and managed to walk out with only things that we needed – that never happens. My paycheck is happy…

Modern Family is an absolutely hilarious show! But does anyone else think that Haley [aka Sarah Hyland] looks like she’s about 16-years-old? I’m always shocked when I remember she’s 22.

I fell asleep around 10PM and woke up 3 hours later. I’ve been up since 1AM this morning watching House Hunters and snacking on apple slices + almond butter. Charlie has been giving me the stink eye all morning – the man needs his beauty rest.

favorite place to be: on the couch, second favorite place to: in the car

I don’t usually get hungry in the middle of the night but my tummy could not be tamed last night. I’m almost positive that it’s because of the long run. It makes me realize that I need to be more conscious of gauging what I eat on long run days – the last thing I want to do is run this body on an empty tank…

Believe it or not, the best bite of my Caramel Apple Spice Pancakes [simply this recipe plus a teaspoon of apple pie spice] this morning was smothered in TJ’s strawberry preserves – although Peanut Butter & Co.‘s Cinnamon Raisin Swirl came in as a close second.

I got a bit distracted playing with Charlie so the pancakes came out well-done, but there’s nothing that spoonfuls of PB&J can’t fix

I’m totally embarrassed to admit that we’ve had a pile of clothes sitting on our windowsill waiting to be ironed for months. Tonight I’ve got plans to bring out our mini ironing board and get it done today.

Ryan heard “Thrift Shop” for the first time yesterday and was inspired to take a trip to Unique [a local thrift shop] this morning. He always finds some of the silliest t-shirts there and enjoy skimming through their home department…

Sunday means Teet lunch date and this weekend a friend is joining us – the more the merrier!

Thankfully it’s a 3-day weekend so I have a chance to catch up on sleep. Although I can’t sleep the day away because I’ve got a challenge to conquer, inspired by a Twitter convo this morning with these girls – pancakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Question: Are you good at gauging your hunger? I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full…

Question: If you had to eat the same meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, what would it be?

— Allison

Sooo… What? // Salted Caramel Pancakes

February 16, 2013 by Allison · 40 Comments

Sooo… I know that yesterday’s post was anything but peppy and perky, but we’re all entitled to some drab days every now and then, right? As much as I wish that everything was always butterflies and rainbows, the reality is that it can’t be. You gotta take the bad with the good and just roll with the punches.

Sooo… What’s going on? In short, no one was hurt, I still am employed, there’s still a roof over my head, and I am very thankful to have a supportive group of family and friends surrounding me.

Sooo… What is it then? I’m not at a point yet that I’m ready to share every nitty-gritty detail, but I will share that this past week has been tough in regards to health, for both me and my momma. The past few weeks, after experiencing unusual symptoms, we both have received some less than stellar news.

Sooo… What’s next? Next week I have 2 procedures [a HIDA w/ CCK and an ultrasound] scheduled that will hopefully shed some light into my tummy troubles. We’re still waiting for the biopsy results from Monday’s endoscopy to come back, but my doctor thinks that it has something to do with my gallbladder.

Sooo… What is a gallbladder? I’ve heard of the gallbladder before but I could not tell you where it was located or what it’s purpose was. Taking some help from the online medical field:

The gallbladder is a small pouch that sits just under the liver. The gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver. After meals, the gallbladder is empty and flat, like a deflated balloon. Before a meal, the gallbladder may be full of bile and about the size of a small pear.

In response to signals, the gallbladder squeezes stored bile into the small intestine through a series of tubes called ducts. Bile helps digest fats, but the gallbladder itself is not essential. Removing the gallbladder in an otherwise healthy individual typically causes no observable problems with health or digestion yet there may be a small risk of diarrhea and fat malabsorption. [source]

But just because my gallbladder [or whatever it may be] has been a bit wonky, does not mean that I cannot still enjoy my favorite things. Pancakes, puppies, laughing, late nights, family, friends, chick flicks, cappuccinos, reading blogs, running. I’ll take all of the above, please and thank you I’ve been teasing you with a recipe. So without further ado, my go-to breakfast as of late…

Salted Caramel Pancakes

¼ cup white whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs whites

2 – 4 tbsp water *use less water for thicker pancakes, more water for thinner pancakes*

1 tbsp SF Torani Salted Caramel Syrup

Directions

1. In a bowl, add all of the ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth. Note: I add the dry ingredients first, then the wet ingredients.

2. Spray a medium-sized skillet with non-stick cooking spray and place over medium heat.

3. For each pancake, spoon 2 generous tablespoons of batter into the pan. Cook each pancake until a few bubbles form and burst, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 more minutes.

5. Serve the stack of ‘cakes with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Notes:

Add a teaspoon of apple pie spice to the batter and the flavor is reminiscent of apple pie
Sprinkle raisins on top immediately after pouring the batter – they will plump up while the pancakes cook
Half the amount of flour and add ¼ oats to make oatcakes
This recipe makes 1 serving [my sized serving] – if you’d like to make more than 1 serving be sure to double, triple, quadruple, etc. all of the ingredients

Question: What’s your go-to weekday and weekend breakfast? Sweet or savory?

Question: Have you heard of the gallbladder? Know anyone who has experienced trouble with theirs? Since this is all still new, I’m very interested in learning more about it… Also, if you would rather share privately, feel free to email me at lifesabowlblog@gmail.com.

— Allison