Where has the year gone?

How is it November already?! Seriously!

Here's a bit of what I've been up to lately...

cooking eggs! One egg... two yolks.

This happened three times in a row! That's cool.

I went on a scavenger hunt of sorts. One of the items? A funny headstone. Get it?!?!

Halloween!!!!! I was a 50's pinup girl (my hat and sunglasses are inside for this photo unfortunately)

 How my friends described me (cards on the left) and my friend (on the right) using green apples to apples cards. My friend is a guy (note the feminine adjective..:)

I get to see my family and dog (!!!) in two weeks!!

Spicy Scrambled Eggs {insert oohs and ahhs}

Oh my gosh guys. Tonight's dinner was epic. So epic, delicious, amazing, and just awesome that I am going to tell you about it even before I tell you about my crazy and equally rockin'.

Spicy Scrambled Eggs
Recipe from From Mom with Love: Complete Guide to Indian Cooking & Entertaining by Pushpa Bhargava

Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1 large onion chopped
1 green chili, seeded and finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes (I used three small ones), diced (optional)
2 Tbs oil (I used olive)
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt

1. Whisk eggs until frothed.
2. Heat olive oil in large nonstick frying pan on medium.
3. Add the chopped onion and chili, stir and let cook until the onions are soft.
4. Add the diced tomatoes to the mix and saute for a while.
5. Whisk the eggs one more time while the tomatoes are cooking, and add all the spices.
6. Put the egg mixture in the pan and cook until it's ready! I like to wait until the eggs start to brown just a teensy bit. Undercooked scrambled eggs are nasty. Runny yolks in fried eggs, however, are heaven.
7. Serve with toast. I made mine with my cast iron skillet on the stovetop because we have yet to find a toaster here, and it worked perfectly!

EAT AND ENJOY.
Serves 4. I have 3 more servings left. Breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? I think so. Tomorrow is covered.

BEST OATS EVER!

I'm so excited. This morning's oatmeal seriously tops them all!

Allowed to soak overnight: 1/2 cup old fashioned oats + 1/2 cup skim milk

This mix was reheated for 30 seconds in the microwave today before 1 egg and 1 banana (in pieces) was added. Then it was microwaved for a 30 seconds, stirred, then 1 minute, stirred, and a final minute.

The egg got cooked (but you really can't taste it) and the banana turned to a sweet, sweet mushy goodness. It was so much sweeter this way!

Then a tablespoon of peanut butter and some cinnamon and ta-da!! It's aroung 470 kcal, which again is more than usual, but something about the added egg/old fashioned oats combo makes it stick around in my tummy so much longer. Usually I'm STARVED by lunch! I hate that, because then I tend to want to overeat.

I finished this off with some iced coffee and milk leftover from yesterday.

Oh, and here's my dinner from last night!

Eggies eggies eggies

OATMEAL!

Long story short: I have (or had) 4 eggs that will expire this week, and I did not get around to using them this week, so I needed a way to eat them!

So.. I put one in my oatmeal this morning!

1/2 cup oats + 1/2 cup skim milk left in fridge overnight covered..

then I added a raw egg this morning, and microwaved for 30 seconds, stirred, then 50 seconds, stirred, then 20 more and it was all cooked!

1 banana + 1 tbs pb + cinnamon + more milk (the egg made it almost solid) and we're ready to go. Yumi!

this is just the egg + milk + oats after cooking..

see the cooked egg whites??

At right around 500 calories, this is a pretty rich breakfast, but I need it to last me from 8-1 with a workout tossed into the mix. I hope it holds!

Canadian Idiot

I'm watching curling and doing homework!

I started the day off right with pumpkin/banana/raisin/peanut butter oats again, with a sprinkle of cinnamon. 2.5 servings of fruit- woot!

Then blah blah blah lots of classes blah blah blah.. 

the lunch! I was planning on a different lunch today- but plans changed! So I did too. I had a slice of cheese pizza with two huge bowls plain spinach. I ate the spinach WITH the pizza- taking a big forkfull of spinach and a small bite of pizza. It was so amazing! I definitely recommend. And it kept me below 400 kcal for lunch. 

Then I went to the Spanish advisor to figure out what classes I'll get credit for in Ecuador. I will get a total of 12 credits and am now a double Spanish/Pharmacy minor. Wow. I was shocked/excited/overwhelmed- and I can't wait!

Before going to teach (!!!) Gravity, I had an apple and a muffin with cream cheese while gabbing with my parents on the phone about all the Spanish/Ecuador news.

I also had two small dark chocolate squares for some extra antioxidants ;)

Gravity went so well! I'm loving that class more than I ever thought I would, and I hope I get to teach it.

Dinner was an egg/cheese quiche, green beans and a glass of milk!

Everything was very tasty, but I'm not sure if I've had enough to eat today! I might have a small bit of greek yogurt later tonight, but I'll just see how I'm feeling.

fighting with my feet

They hate me. 

Snackie! Before gravity I wanted a low-cal snack, but wanted something with more substance than a small bar or something. I went with oatmeal and some raisins! Good choice.

Here's dinner, plus some oranges on the side. Gravity was really good- my arms got quite the workout! The only bad part was my heel hurt so badly walking to the rec that I had to walk in my socks :( I looked very amusing I'm sure haha

Orange You Glad it's Saturday!

I've been thinking of various ways to use up some of the items in my fridge before they go bad, so I revamped my previous eggie casserole.

What I came up with:
beat:
8 eggs
mix in:
about 2.25 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. cottage cheese
2 cups skim milk
s&p to taste
add and stir to coat:
5 pieces whole wheat bread, cubed
stir in:
about 1/8 cup spinach
about 1/2 cup broccoli
about 1/8 cup mushrooms
(all had been cooked in the microwave)
about 1/8 cup bacon pieces
sprinkle italian seasoning on top!

Pour into buttered 9X13 pan and bake at 350 for 50 minutes! Next time I might cook it a little longer, it was a little runnier than last time.

I actually really liked the spinach and broccoli taste in there. I think next time I want more spinach!

Los ingredientes:

In the pan!

final product:

It kind of stuck to the pan despite my buttering it first.. I think maybe I need more eggs next time to keep it firmer?

Still tasted AH-mazing though! 

 (only 309 calories per slice)

Good Morning Monday

Off to the start of another full week. I knew I'd need a hearty breakfast to make it through three classes before lunch.

I reheated my egg casserole from a few nights ago..  It really redefines the idea of a "square meal."

Then I had an orange, to get my vitamin C, and had a glass of skim milk from my Henry VIII mug.

I heart my 8x8 pan :)

I also heart pictures.

Here is my day in food and photos:

my overnight oats the next morning. I had these before going to Zumba and abs blast.

I heated up my oatmeal bar in the microwave, and it tasted even better than usual. Plus the pear was ripe, sweet, and juicy. yumi.

Here's my batch of oatmeal bars for the next week! These are perfect to make. One thing I do is let them cool like this, then flip them over so the bottoms can 'dry out' and cool so they don't get soggy. Definitely do this- no one wants soggy oat bars.

Amidst my baking frenzy, I didn't realize it was time for a snack like I usually do! Here's my impromptu snack:  a banana with almond butter. Anther great food item; I really like almond butter.

And making dinner! I got some mushrooms from the salad bar, and needed to cook them. As it turns out- they cook AMAZINGLY in the microwave. Who knew?? One minute, stir, another minute, and you're good to go! Mine had little tiny bits of bacon stuck to them which added even more flavor. These go into the casserole I made..

As-you-like-it breakfast casserole (my style)

5 eggs

1 cup milk

1.5 cups cheddar cheese, grated

3 pieces whole wheat bread cubed

1/4 cup mushrooms (about that much)

1/8 cup bacon pieces (again, about that much)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Italian seasoning (found some in the kitchen- made a nice addition)

Beat the eggs in a big bowl. Add the milk and cheese. Stir. Add the bread, and mix carefully so the bread doesn't disintegrate. Then add the extras (mushrooms, bacon, salt, and pepper). Pour into a buttered 8x8 pan, sprinkle seasoning over the top. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, and then enjoy!! 

original recipe here

before & after

My dinner:

Evidence of today's success in the kitchen, and proof of my love for my new pan haha

Sleepy day so far

I was going to get up nice and early this morning, have breakfast, study a bunch, and generally be productive.

Unfortunately I woke up with a sore throat and just not feeling super well.

Breakfast: usual PB + banana sandwich with milk. I only had half of the banana this time (it was HUGE), but had a small square of dark chocolate.

Lunch: I took these ingredients...

..munched up the egg and cheese in a bowl..

..toasted the bread, cut it cute, and microwaved the cheese and eggs..

I used the toast as chips to eat the eggs and cheese and then dipped the crust in salsa. I ate the orange on the side. This was a really good lunch!

Finals

The nerdy/weird/self-destructive/optimistic side of me (almost) likes finals week.

Sure it's stressful, and at times you want to die, but then it's over.

The relief that comes with finishing every exam is almost worth the stressing before it. almost.

So yeah. What's the best way to relieve stress? EXERCISE! yes. Yesterday: level 2 of the shred, then I ran a mile, then did pilates, and a yoga class. So much fun.

Today I was sore from yesterday so took it a little easier, but not that much: level 3 of the shred! ack! It still kills me every time, and I have to take mini (2 second) breathers, but I still did it! go me.

Onto food. . I finally got my hands on some über healthy bread, and have taken full advantage of it through continued eating of peanut butter sandwiches. So good. mmm.

THEN! tonight I made eggies and toast. At home this is my go-to food: we always have the ingredients, it's healthy, and takes about 10 minutes to make. No really.

Tbs. peanut butter 100+ bread 90+ apple 75+ coffee+ tsp. sugar 15+dash milk 10= 290 calories :)

1 Tbs. peanut butter 100+ asian pear (cross between an apple and a pear- soooo good) 75+ bread 90+ cheese stick 70= 335 calories

Making Eggies and Toast:

2 tsp.s olive oil 80+ bread 90+ egg 55= 225 calories

add an apple at 75 to make it an even 300..

Heat the oil up on high, then add just the bread (with a hole in the center) and let it absorb some of the oil. Then flip it over so the other side absorbs the rest. Let it heat up on each side so it gets a little toasted!

Then break the egg and put it in the center of the bread. Let it cook for a while on this side- just make sure it doesn't burn!- then flip it over for a bit, salt it, and you're good to go!!

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!

(no final photos. Why? I ate it before I thought about taking any more photos.) I did however take a photos of the clean dishes! ..and my phone apparently :P