It's All Textural...

Guess who's alarm didn't go off this morning...

Yep. That'd be me. Only by about 40 minutes or so; I was actually up for maybe 15 of those thinking "Wow, I wonder why it's so light out..." hah. Luckily I leave myself  lot of time to be able to take my time in the mornings so I ended up right on schedule, but I was rushing around the kitchen to get breakfast before realizing it wsn't necessary!

However, it did cause me to resort to the usual breakfast!

I didn't have much Greek yogurt left though, so I relied on some fried egg whites to make up for the protein! Does anyone else like to burn their eggs? I love my eggs to be all crispy, crunchy, and golden! I think that's why I hate yolks so much - by the time the whites are perfect, the yolks are so dry and blah.

Also got to try the new Spelt bread I picked up! It's good! However, I don't feel like I really got to enjoy this breakfast since I felt like I had to scarf it down. I hate having to eat in a hurry. It makes me feel like I never ate at all regardless of how full I really am! I prefer eating slow and enjoying meals, by far.

That being said, this held off any signs of hunger well into the day! Before I knew it, it was noon and was just starting to want a snack. I don't usually eat my lunch until 2:00, but get hungry for a small snack around 10-11.  When it was lunch time, however, I got to enjoy delicious leftover tilapia that I packed with some leftover  fried bulghur from Wednesday. Just as good the second time around!

I actually was debating between having this for lunch or dinner, but the deciding factor came down to lunch because I didn't want to show you guys a repeat meal! I am so enjoying blogging, because it encourages me to eat balanced, healthy, and new meals. Love that! I became so lazy last semester, and even started missing way too many meals. This was moreso due to a horrendous living situation though, which I obviously have, luckily, resolved by moving back home for the time-being.

For those of you with your own foodblogs, do you feel it encourages you to keep trying new things?

I'm not saying I'm breaking new ground with this bulghur and bean burrito:

...but lets remember that I could eat the same hummus and veggie sandwich day after day and be thrilled :P

This delicious dinner involved 1 high-fiber whole-wheat La Tortilla Factory wrap spread with 1/3 Laughing Cow Wedge, remaining bulghur, and 2 fried egg whites, to bulk it up a bit. Thrown on the George Foreman, and paired it with a small side of romaine and a lovely dill pickle. And don't think that measly amount of Frank's was enough...I was just getting too frustrated at how long it was taking to get it out of the bottle and really wanted to manja! So I took the picture and dug in :P

I know I say this all the time, but this was so good! Definitely a fan of these wraps. At first I was disappointed, thinking they were way too small, but apparently I just have eyes way bigger than my stomach. I was stuffed after this! They have a great texture, especially when on a panini press - it's a great combintion of chewy and crunchy. I love crunchy and chewy together! The texture of food definitely plays a huge role in how much I like it.

Will a food's texture determine how much you like it, too?

The fried eggs were definitely key.

Check out the day's dessert!

Okay, so I never said these cookies were the prettiest things, but I certainly love them! I think cookie my be the wrong term, now that I've solidified my method to making them, too. I prefer them more crispy-crunchy and bran-flavored than any normal cookie would be!

For the poppyseed citrus oat-bran cookie, I mixed 1 T. rolled oats, 1 T. wheat bran, stevia, cinnamon, 1/8 t. baking powder, lime zest, vanilla, and ~1 T. egg substitute. Formed into a cookie shape and nuked for about 1 minute.

For the almond butter bran cookie, I mixed 1 t. smooth, unsweetened almond butter, ~1 t. wheat bran, stevia, splash of egg substitute, and a "splash" of unsweetened applesauce. Nuked for about 1 minute.

I'm probably wierd, but I much prefer them this way - but they may be too dry for a "normal" person, haha. I'm also the one who likes burnt food and loves the smell of toast, especially when it's almost burnt. Just a random little Jess Fact, for your entertainment! What's one of your quirks?!

In almond butter news, I am a little disappointed! While I love it when made like above, I don't when it's just plain and I was imagining it was something I could enjoy regardless of its' preparation :(

However! I think it may just be because it's the unsweetend kind, and thanks to the heads up from Karla at Foodologie, I learned that Barney Butter will send you free samples! I hopped on that train as fast as you can say almond butter! Thanks, Karla! And if you haven't already, be sure to check her blog out - I mean, just look at all of these delicious eats!

And lastly, speaking of challenges and blogging encouraging me to expand my tastes, does anyone want to start a "new food product" challenge with me? There's so many food items I have yet to experiment with, such as the TVP I picked up yesterday. I would like to begin picking up a new ingredient every week/every other week and figuring out what to do with it. Anyone game?

Whew! I can talk a lot. Hopefully I don't bore you all too much!

Have a good night :) The weekend's here! Unfortunately I have to spend half of my day tomorrow waiting in Midas...this Jeep will be the death of me!

Mexicalian Day

Today ended up being Mexicalian Eats day! Lets start from the beginning.

Only took me twenty years to discover the key to perfect scrambled eggs is a rubber spatula.

Southwestern-inspired breakfast pita. Con rolling pin y cafe.

In the pita: 1/2 c. egg beaters, splash of soy milk, montreal seasoning, and mustard; poured over sauteed onions, red and green peppers, fresh cilantro (uh...i think it was cilantro, anyway) and crumbled bacon. Added some Chipotle salsa and a French Onion Laughing Cow wedge, scrambled and stuffed in a toasted Joseph's pita.

I've discovered the secret to the Joseph's Flax Pitas is to toast them first. Otherwise, they break really easily, and get soggy from just about anything since they are so thin. Definitely not good if you're looking for nice, thick bread; but I like them for stuff like this because I think it's just enough bread, and toasting them adds a nice crispy crunchy factor!

And a side of snow! So pretty to wake up and see it, it was kind of weird because as snow was falling, it was melting off the roof! It was like, 35* out I think; I was able to walk to the bank from school without freezing which was really nice!

Speaking of school, classes started out pretty good! My first was at 9:30 and is a world regions and cultures course; going to be kind of similar to a cultural geo class I took last semester, and it's even with the same teacher. It was supposed to go until 11, but only went until about 10:15 for today, hench my walk to the bank. It was a nice in-between breather before Intro. to Criminal Justice! Should be an interesting course; I'm thinking of a psychology or sociology major, and so c.j. sort of ties in and interests me, as well. I feel like I'm on a ten-year plan, though. I'm  second year and still sort of lost as to what I really want to do.

How long did it take you/is it taking you to decide on a major?

I'm jealous of the people who've always known where they're going with their lives!

I was actually able to come home for lunch, too! My next class wouldn't be until 4, and I had absolutely nothing to do around town until then. Vermont isn't exactly a happenin' place.

It's sort of a pain since I do commute about 25-30 minutes between school and home, but I figure once the semester gets rolling I'll have stuff to be working on in the library or darkroom.

I was pretty excited to be able to make a nice fresh lunch rather than packing one, though! I hadn't had  really good salad in quite a while and thought I'd do a mexican-esque one kidney beans (=love!) and spices and tomatoes and err'thang, but also really wanted fried polenta! I love crispy but chewy fried polenta in salad! So, I decided a mexicn polenta pizza over a bed of lettuce was in order. Yes, I could have just thrown it all together in a salad. But I've gotta make it pretty for the blog!

For the Polenta: Slice pre-made polenta into 1/4" thick or thinner slices and place on a nonstick, sprayed pan and fry on both sides until crispy on the outside, but slightly soft on the inside. I seasoned mine a bit with some montreal steak seasoning, but you could use anything.

For the Bean Mixture: Sautee chopped onions, red and green peppers, minced fresh cilantro, and minced garlic in a non-stick, sprayed pan for just a couple minutes; not even until onion is browned. Add 1/2 c. drained kidney beans. Season with some chili powder to taste. Mix well over heat for another couple of minutes, and then add 1/2 wedge laughing cow cheese and all-natural salsa. Mix until melted and combined.

To Assemble: Over a bed of romaine, place fried polenta rounds in a circle. Top with sliced fresh tomato followed by the bean mixture. Top with a dap of sour cream or plain greek yogurt. Drizzle with some balsamic vinegar and lime zest.

This turned out SO SO good! Made myself proud, haha. I'll have to have it in a wrap sometime in the not-so-distant future :)

What are your favorite salad toppings??

Before I knew it, it was time to go back to school! But not without making a quick snack:

Citrus Poppyseed Quick Cookie: 2 T. instant oats, .75 T. wheat bran, 1/2 pkt Truvia, lime and orange zest, poppyseeds, vanilla extract, 1/8 t. Baking powder, 1.5 T. egg beaters.

This one was a WINNER! Definitely keeping this version in mind :)

Next up was my Family Violence class. I barely made it in time due to my road being much worse than I'd thought, and made a terrible decision to sit right in front of an open window. Umm, hello! Yeah it's warm-ISH but it's snowing out and night time! Not to mention I am always freezing to begin with. Made for a miserable first hour, let me tell you.

This class is supposed to run until 6:50 (yikes! 3 hours! Just once a week though) but we were let out an hour early. Luckily, the teacher seems pretty nice and actually said "I encourage you to bring your dinner or your fritos." YES! I was a bit worried since it runs right through my normal dinner time. I could only imagine sitting there with a rumbling tummy, and then being way too lazy by the time I got home to make a good dinner. I can think of some things that would make for a non-disruptive yet filling dinner so there will probably be some nights that I will take advantage of that.

Dinner tonight was just leftover Shirataki noodles. Yum! Maybe I like these because I'm not expecting them to be pasta. I don't really think "Oh, I'll just eat my measly excuse for a pasta replacement now." They're moreso like Ramen noodles, I guess? Except made way tastier, haha. The consistency is more ramen-like. To me they don't taste bad, but admit the texture could be a bit off-putting. Kind of rubber-band like, maybe. Regardless, I have no picture. I ate them out of their tupperware. No shame, it happens. Hah.

This is getting really long-winded: I'm sorry! I'll wrap it up, but first, look at this beautiful concoction:

Frozen Greek Yogurt: 1/2 c. Greek yogurt, 1/2 a mashed banana, mixed with small spoonful organic chocolate pudding mix & sprinkle of Truvia. Topped with wheat germ. 

While I was reheating and eating dinner, I threw this together and tossed it in the freezer. By the time I ate & took a shower it was kind of frozen, but more like a very soft soft-serve consistency; ideally I would have given it another half hour or so but upon taste I couldn't wait that long! It was sooo good! Definitely a must-try. And do yourselves a favor and use a full serving of yogurt! I wasn't sure how it'd be so I just used a little bit, haha.

I have so much more to say but it will have to wait until tomorrow! Back to work all day tomorrow.

Have a good night!

It Starts...

So. Here I go; taking the plunge, hopping on the bandwagon, what-have-you: food blogging. Over the past year I've become progressively more and more interested in healthy living, particularly in food and how it fuels the body. This interest has given way to a passion for healthy cooking, and a thirst for more knowledge of different fruits, vegetable, proteins, grains, and how to incorporate them into mine and my families daily life. I've been following multiple healthy living foodblogs, and when you take into account my long-time passion for photography, I just felt like it's time to start one myself! So let's see how it goes, no? This blog will be compilation of interesting eats, fun photoshoots, random babbling, and anything else that choses to present itself. Enjoy!