corny quinoa

Mmmmm pumpkin….mmmmm oats…mmmm i make noises when i eat

Pumpkin Egg White Oats:

• 1/3c oats
• 1/3c vanilla almond milk
• 2/3c water
• 1/2t cinnamon
• vanilla splash
• 1/3c pumpkin – stirred in 1/2 way thru
• 2 egg whites – whisked in at end
• nutmeg + ginger shakes
• topped with: 1T granola, few walnuts, ~2t pnut butter, ~2t coconut butter

deericious :)

I had a completely random lunch spread throughout the whole day.  Part 1, was ~3/4c Oikos plain + 1 apple + cinnamon – For some reason I didn’t like this combo.  To me, the apple and yogurt did not go well together.  I would have preferred a pretty pear!  I had a handful of almonds before running to the gym and when I got back about 1/3 of a leftover Amazing Grass bar that was in the cupboard.  I also had a graham cracker, chocolate + lime cookie, and one other delicious concoction.  Sometimes I just don’t feel like eating lunch all at once :)

Off to the gym to hop on the bike.  Rest day from running.  My training page has been updated!  I also did yoga for runners and whittle my middle today.  It’s amazing what 20min of yoga will do for your body!! Love it!

The end of my lunch!  I had this when I got home and it hit.the.spot.

Purple Bubble Smoothie:

• 1 orange
• 1/2c blueberries
• 1/2c oikos plain
• 1/2 serving mixed berry rice protein powder

This was SO refreshing.  Lately I have been kind of stuck on making green monsters and not adding much fruit, except for bananas.  I haven’t been buying fresh fruit because it is so out of season and not worth the price because I know I’ll be unhappy with the taste.  However, oranges are good right now and WF had an awesome deal on frozen organic blueberries.  These will definitely be happening more often!

Introducing my dinner soup FAILS.

Fail ONE – Amy’s Vegetable Barley – No words can describe how terrible this soup was.  I actually have yet to be impressed with Amy’s soups.  The soups were on sale so I picked up a few.  It smelled like strong onions [sorry Kath haha] when I poured it from the can.  I like onions but this smelled really strong.  I heated it up thinking it would then be better. Wrong…it honestly tasted like metal fish with a side of onions.  Lovely, no?  I dumped it…and I am not one to waste food.

Dinner success!!! Homemade Quinoa Cornbread!!! Obviously I should stick to doing things myself and not rely on cans to do them for me!! I was out later than I thought grocery shopping and then when I got ready to make the planned black bean chili, I realized we didn’t have the beer it called for.  It was already 7:45, and I didn’t want to go out again.  I am at least glad I made the cornbread!!  Really simple but a tad time consuming because you do have to pre-cook quinoa and add it into the mixture.

Corny Quinoa Bread

• 3c corn flour [BRM makes this and it was only $1.99!!!]
• 1 1/4c cooked quinoa
• 2t baking soda
• 1t salt
• 2c low fat buttermilk oat milk + 2T lemon juice
• 2 eggs

1. Oven @ 350* – Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper or butter + flour so it doesn’t stick.
2. I combined oat milk + 2T lemon juice to mimic buttermilk.  I used oat milk because it is thicker than rice + almond.  You can also do this with cow’s milk to make your own buttermilk.  I just didn’t feel like buying it!
3. Combine flour, 1c cooked quinoa, soda, + salt.  Mixing well to break up any lumps.
4. Whisk eggs + buttermilk together.
5. Combine dry into wet and stir until just combined.
6. Pour into the pan and top with 1/4c cooked quinoa. 
7. Bake for ~30min.  It should be fluffy and golden brown…toothpick test it!

Make your own buttermilk:  cow milk – vegan version

So yes, this was on the bland side, but for some reason I LOVED it.  It had a nice corn flavor and I liked the flavor the oat milk gave it as well.  The texture was awesome.  Fluffy but dense and nice and moist.  I could have eaten a lot more than I did!!  I might have to incorporate this into breakfast.  I like that sugar was not called for in this recipe, but in the morning I could see drizzling a little maple syrup on top and warming it.  Was my family the only one that would make cornbread and top it with maple syrup?  It’s sooooo good that everyone should know about it!

Soup FAIL TWO!!!  I’ve had this for awhile and really like other soups from Pacific…like their tomato and butternut squash.  This however was also TERRible.  The flavors did not mesh well at all.  It also got dumped.  By this time I was getting really MAD. grrrrrrrrrrrrr 

Now what?  Egg samich time!!!

Crack + Pour

Poke + Spread [Kelsey discovered this secret method that our FAVorite bakery in Charlotte used…it’s perfection :)]

Cook.

THE best way to cook eggs.  A little like scrambled, a little like sunny side up, A LOT GOOD!!! If I know one thing it is that I LOVE EGGS.  Who’s with me on this?  Whole Foods orgn. whole wheat bread and a little fresh grated swiss.  This seriously hit the spot…I could have eaten another, hehe.  Maybe THIS will be breakfast? Ahhh too many options!

Guess what’s updated besides my boring training page? RECIPES!! Now I just wish I could have ONLY the recipe showing…sorry you have to scroll through the post.  It seems like it would take FORever to create new posts for every recipe just to have that on the page…someone tell me if there is an easier way, haha. I’m also in the process of posting photos in the “DIG.IT –> FOOD I DIG” category. 

On another note…I had an awesome night of grocery shopping, no joke!  I found some awesome deals at Natural Grocers and Whole Foods.  Plus I think I saved about $10 with WF coupons.  Rock on!  The best deal was that WF had the 16oz Oikos on sale for $3.99 and I had THREE $1 off coupons.  $2.99 for three tubs..heck yes!

I think I need more cornbread.   Niiiiiiiiiight!

~Ashley

preTTiest veggie eveR

Jar of peanut butter.  You are quite unassuming for the pure joy you bring to peoples’ lives.

And then……you provide the most amazing vessel for a morning tub of oats.  Could it get any better??  I’m not quite sure.

Simple OIAJ [oats in a jar] 

• 1/3 rounded cup of oats
• 2/3c plain ricemilk
• 1/3c water
• vanilla splash
• 1/2t vanilla
• 1 small banana sliced and mixed in at the end
• topped with one of my graham crackers + Heather’s amazing strawberry jam

I am torn between mixing in my naner at the beginning or the end.  Both have their benefits, so I guess I’ll just switch off.  WHO thinks about things like this!?

Earth to Ashley – Realizations I make…after the fact…

Round ONE

1. Before going for a winter run, check the weather, or prepare to get caught in a blizzardy cold storm.  Today I was getting weird stares not only from my Vibrams but also my capri running pants + single layer long sleeve shirt. Moral of the story:  Check the weather!  Ski goggles would have come in handy today!
2. If you are going to peel veggies, BE CAREFUL. 
3. If you make 4 batches of graham crackers, you are going to want to eat them ALL.

It’s hard to tell but my shirt is pretty soaked…as are my pants and feet!  Speaking of feet..how did mine feel today???

Okay..this doesn’t look bad, but it was coming down HARD.  I really was having a hard time seeing while running.

I planned a well balanced completely random lunch.  [this goes with earth to ashley realization #3]

Leftover cold quinoa fruit + nut salad + black bean burger + steamed broc + 2 broken grahams plus ~2t PB

The burger was topped with a little of Nancy’s sourcream + 365 brand salsa.

How long do you guys keep leftovers around for?  This quinoa salad was from Saturday and I’m still eating it Thursday…gross??  It still tasted FABulous!  Topped with fresh goat cheese of course.

Speaking of graham crackers….here are some more photos from the trials. 

From left to right Trials #1 –> #4

As you can tell….I couldn’t figure out which way I wanted the fork pokes to go, or how many I wanted.  I was also being pretty sloppy with my fork stabbing skills…oops.  I think I like 3 stabs the best!

    

Trial #1                                                              Trial #2

Trail #3                                                              Trial #4

    

There is definitely a visual difference between all of them.  They range in color and in grainy looking texture.  I tasted trials 2 + 3 again today and they are pretty inedible.  I had to throw them out, which I hate doing.  #1 is wheaty but tasty and will definitely get eaten and #4 is yummmy + crunchy and almost perfect!

I broke down the nutritional info for Trial #4 - This was assuming you cut 24 crackers from the dough. [varies on size you cut, but mine were about 2.5x2]

1 graham cracker:

• calories: 58
• fat: 2g
• sugars: 8g
• protein: .75g
• fiber: 1g

Not too shabby.  If you eat 3, it’s not a bad snack or 2 with some PB!!  The flavor needs some work though.  I would love to get the sugar count down a bit, but I don’t want them to taste like cardboard.

The whole wheat version.

Whole wheat pastry flour.

What do you think the prettiest vegetable is???  I’m pretty sure I’ve come to my conclusion!!!  Although I do LOVE bok choy, I think the winner is RAINBOW CHARD!  

I don’t understand how something can grow from the earth and turn out HOT PINK. 

Just gorgeous.  I love how the colorful stems creep up into the leafy greens!  Don’t be scared of this amazing vegetable!!!!

As my girl Kelsey would say….”GORGEY!!!”  

What did I do with it??  Well, I have actually only cooked with chard twice.  It kind of scares me…I mean look at that color!!  It was on sale at WF for $1.50!!! so I decided to give it a shot again.  So so glad I did.  I did a little research into this nutrient DENSE veggie and wanted to learn the best way to cook it, destroying the LEAST amount of nutrients.  It’s seriously a powerhouse of HEALTH.  It looked like steaming for 2-3min was the best answer.  Su-weeet.

Garlic salted quinoa with savory red beans + rainbow chard [modified from a recipe I picked up at whole foods]

• 1-2c quinoa [depending on how much you want!]
• 2c. water for 1c. of quinoa [or 4c. water for 2c. of quinoa]
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 3/4c. water
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red/green pepper
• 1 bunch rainbow chard
• 2 bay leaves
• 1t dried oregano
• 1/2t dried sage
• 1T vinegar [I used apple cider vin]
• 1/2t salt
• pepper to taste
• salt/garlic powder/butter [for quinoa]

1. Rinse quinoa + beans and set aside
2. Chop onion, mince garlic, and chop pepper.
3. Wash chard well and chop about 1” off the end of the stem. 
4. Tear the leaves off the stems and chop the leaves + stems seperately.
5. In a lightly oiled pan, add the quinoa over medium heat.  Cook for 1-2min and then add water.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer for 15-20min until liquid is absorbed.
6. As soon as you start the quinoa, lightly oil a medium sized pot and sauté the onion + bay leaves for ~5min over med. heat. 
7. Set up a large pot with a steamer basket and about 1” of water.  Cover + bring to a boil.
8. Add in the peppers + garlic [to the onion mixture] and cook for ~5 more min.
9. Add the water, sage, oregano, vinegar and beans to the pepper/onion pot.  Mash some of the beans to help thicken the water.  Let cook about 5-7min over medium heat.
10. While that is all cooking: add the stems from the Chard into the large steamer pot.  Cook for ~2min.
11. Add the leaves in and cook 2-3 more min.
12. Fluff quinoa with fork, add in salt/garlic powder/butter to taste and lightly stir.

CHOW!!!! [i used a slotted spoon to scoop out the bean mixture b/c it was pretty watery.]  Don’t forget to take the bay leaves out! hehe

I love deconstructed meals.  This took about 30min with prep + cook time!

It was kind of hard to write the directions but I really tried to write them out to maximize efficiency.  If you want to make this let me know if something sounds confusing.  We topped the chard with a little vegan butter [earth balance] and salt. 

I loved EVERY part of this dinner.  The greens were full of earthy flavor, the beans were seasoned well, and the quinoa was light + fluffy!!!  Huz loved it too :)  I had seconds of everything.  I loved the crunchy stems mixed in with the wilted greens.  mm mmmm

Teri had chard tonight too!!  How random is that!? 

……

A few random tidbits I have been meaning to share!

If you like baking, check out my friend Carly’s blog.  I know her from middle/high school.  She just started blogging and is rocking at it so far.  It’s called “So I Married a Chef.”  Carly has extremely mouth watering recipes.  Like: marscapone brownies, PBJ bars!!!!!!, cupcakes, cookies and MUCH more! 

Next on the list:

I love this post from Darryn about her experiences with Soy!  Want to know my views?  Check it out on my FAQ page!

Lastly:

Check out the articles that are up, on the Natural Food List website, that I’m working for.  They are fun + informative.  If you follow them on twitter you will get a lot of good coupon offers for organic/natural food. My first article will be up in a few short days! 

……

Ciao!

Ashley

love + coffee

Valentine’s day recap time!

The very late morning started at 11am with two large cups of coffee + cream.  If you remember from the night prior, I was up til 3am [not drinking..just being ashley] and I told myself I would sleep in as much as I could.  I didn’t even hit 8hrs!  I think I was excited for the day :)

Our new “BREAKFAST” mugs from c+b [thanks mom + dad!]

My plan was to make Angela’s Peanut Butter Swirl Pancakes.  Chris loooves peanut butter and I happened to pick up this FREE pancake mix at the farmers market the day before.  It was free if I signed up on their email list.  It is made with 100% organic flour and it’s locally grown and milled!  However, upon further inspection of the ingredient list, I found vegetable shortening.  I know it gets into foods that I eat when dining out, etc. but in my kitchen…?  No thanks.  It totally deterred me from using the mix!  I’m not sure why that had to be added in. 

Not a problem though!!  Pancakes from scratch are NOT hard!!  However, my recipe needs a little work before I dish it out.  It included things like whole wheat pastry flour, vanilla hemp milk, cinnamon, vanilla, a flax egg [egg + water], baking powder, and extra flax.  They were thick and kind of dense.  Probably the egg substitution plus other things…a work in progress but they were more than edible!!

Say hello to the best applesauce I have ever had.  It was under $3 and REALLY good.  I never buy sweetened applesauce. Apples are sweet enough!  So why is this the best?  Because the consistency is extremely smooth + creamy.  I love applesauce but sometimes have a little gag action [sorry gross] going on because of the chunkiness.  So glad I tried this! 

Dakota + Penny were on the same agenda.  Sun bathing.  This dog will wake up panting from the sun..she gets SO hot.  I don’t know what her deal is.  Her other favorite thing is having her bed smashed up right next to the heating vent.  She would eat the vent if she could. 

This is another kitchen favorite when I’m not using my Misto filled with olive oil.  I love Spectrum products and this spray is excellent when you don’t want any olive flavor.  Like with pancakes!  Leave the olives off my pancakes..thanks!

What is this mess of deliciousness you ask??  It’s the peanut butter swirl part for the pancakes!  You can infuse ANY pancake recipe with this concoction.  And you really should.  Really.

1 part applesauce to 1 part creamy pnut butter –> microwaved 30sec –> put in a plastic bag for ease when piping onto pancakes

drip.oops.

Swirl action.  I love the flax specs!  [I use ground flaxmeal for my baking, from Bob’s Red Mill]

Plastic piping bag.  So professional.  I also did one round of almond butter + applesauce swirl.  Also yummy, but you know I am partial to my peanut butter!!

Infused maple syrup sauce!!

#1 – Chocolate Coconut Maple Syrup [using Artisana Cacao Bliss]

#2 – Coconut Butter Maple Syrup [using Artisana Coconut Butter]

Words can’t describe how mouth-watering delicious these were. 

My new favorite plate!

I made a mocktail for brunch!  Blood Orange Italian soda + buBbLy water

oh.yes.

Tried to pipe in a heart…worked, sort of ;)

yum. 

Bananas + coconut infused maple syrup = BEST new way to enjoy pancakes

I made all gone.  duh.

What next!?  Another recipe from Angela.  Peanut butter cups! I had been eyeing up the pnut butter cups for some time now and thought they would be perfect for dessert.  Chris + I are both pnut butter fa-reaks.  I don’t have any finished photos of them yet, but think of a reeses cup but 10x better.

Mess #2 of the day!  [reading the recipe from my computer]  I did a few things different with the recipe, like adding cinnamon + vanilla.  I also didn’t use vegan graham cracker or vegan choc chips.  However, I did pick up some soy-free vegan butter to use for this and it is spectacular.

peanut butter/vegan butter/graham mixture

1/2 topped with pnuts + chia seeds

1/2 topped with almonds + shredded coconut

Really good graham crackers.  Seriously.

I popped dessert in the freezer to set and then I was on to making lunch!

Amazing whole wheat loaf topped with a ton of seeds + grains.  This was the loaf I got at the farmers market on Saturday.  The surprising thing about this loaf is how moist it is on the inside.

On the menu. 

Deconstructed veggie samiches – torn bread + veggies + curry honey hummus

Cold quinoa fruit + nut salad topped with goat cheese

YUM

I made Chris a valentine’s/dating annv. card.  [do you married ladies still celebrate/acknowledge your dating annv?]  I also got him a choco/pnut butter covered pretzel rod.  Crazy day of pnut butter!!! He loved the card, hehe.  Did I tell you Chris was making dinner?? Holy moly did it smell good.  I knew tilapia [ethically farmed from Whole Foods] was on the menu but I didn’t know the details.

A little about Chris – He thinks cooking is “okay.”  He always says “but you just enjoy it so much.” lol  However, when he gets in the kitchen he always whips up something completely delicious.  Hey Chris, cook more please!!!!!!!!! :)

I mean….come on!!!  Look at this plate! 

1- asparagus, pan cooked to perfection..no joke

2- rosemary garlic linguine [that we picked up at the farmers market a few weeks ago] with a sage + garlic infused butter sauce, oh MY!!!

3- fresh breadcrumbs + sage + rosemary encrusted tilapia

The pasta, from the market, was incredible.  The butter sauce was not overwhelming.  You just needed a tiny bit.  This meal was full of flavor + LOVE!!! hehehe

I couldn’t believe he even got the breading to STAY ON the fish!!  I can never do this.  He told me the technique.  He said instead of just an egg wash, you mix egg + flour together, coat the fish with that, and then bread.  Impressive.

I am allowed to have a gush once in awhile and what better day than on valentine’s.  [even if it is cliche or hallmark created or whatever]  It was a really fun day, centered around 2 of my favorite things.  CHRIS + FOOD!  One of the best things Chris has done for me is taught me to be a little more relaxed and more confident.  All throughout school [and other times] I would always doubt myself, for no good reason.  Chris has helped me with this, so much!  He is so reassuring and calming.  It’s nice to have balance in a relationship.  I’m crazy + he’s calm…PErrrrfect ;)  He also pushes me to try new things and supports me with every single thing I do. [ie, granola bar business, the blog, running, learning photography, etc]  I could go on + on but you get the idea. 

Happy 7 years together, Chris.  I more than love you!

Niiight!

~Ashley