Favorite Pre-Departure Breakfast

If that doesn't look delicious I don't know what does.  Dutch Baby Pancake  with fresh fruit and candied bacon.  Breakfast of champions, let me tell you.  Hopefully everyone on my trip doesn't think I'm a freak because of my strange obsession with food photography and health food.  

I honestly did quite a bit of searching around for what to bring on the plane with me--last time I flew I realized that plane food and I do not have the best relationship.  hence my excitement of Justin's almond and peanut butter packets! Squeeze some of that into some oatmeal and voila, amazingness.

My mom made me this breakfast when my grandparents came up the other day to say goodbye.  I couldn't resist spending a morning with all of them AND having my favorite breakfast.

okay enough of that.  I leave tomorrow--I cannot believe it.  That would probably explain my spastic posts today since I am beginning to enter the phase of slight freak out. Honestly pretty good for me since I didn't realize how fast the summer would go by before leaving and whelp, its almost here!

I will definitely be posting tomorrow as I sit and wait in JFK, hello 4 hour layover! So, stay tuned and bare with me while I spend a day traveling and crossing the atlantic ocean from upstate new york all the way to cape town!

Recipe: Egg White Protein Oats

So yesterday I woke up early and started my day with a little pinterest.  I am addicted, I know this but the whole website is amazing and great for getting new ideas for crafts, exercises and meals.

I saw that my friend Clare had posted some amazing recipe/photo of microwave oats with an egg in them.  I thought, wow so easy and a great protein meal.  It was then decided that I would try my kitchen skills out with oats, eggs and a microwave.

I used the following:

1/4 cup quick oats

a dash of cinnamon (a lot actually)

1 whole egg

a little almond milk 

handful of  blueberries

put all these in a mug and whip them up.  Microwave for 2 minutes and volia!  I will warn you that when doing this in a coffee mug the oats puff up beyond the mug which caused the loss of some blueberries and a whole lot of juice to go all over the microwave (messy cleanup!)

These were...mhhh, okay. I wasn't impressed with how much I could actually taste the egg but I added some more almond milk and brown sugar and we were good to go.  Since I was working all day yesterday it was a good thing I had such a hearty breakfast, this baby lasted me until I got out of work at 4pm (I was starving at 2 but didn't have time) so A good meal to hold you over for, say, 5 hours!

Today I went with a different mix:

1 egg white

1/4 cup multigrain oats (different from yesterday)

dash of cinnamon

almond milk

water

The first batch didn't have enough liquid and I got more of an oatmeal/ egg crunch pancake. So I tried again to make sure I had the right amount of liquid per oats.

Volia!  Added some organic crunchy PB, strawberries, blueberries and half a nanner.

Nothing like sweet summertime!

Siggi's Skyr

Good morning! Today I thought I'd start November 1st off with something new, Siggi's Icelandic style skyr yogurt to be exact. A little back story on this rather expensive yogurt, I tried it back when "greek yogurt" was just becoming a "thing" and absolutely hated it.

Lets think back to a year or two ago.  You went to Wegmans (or your local grocery store, sorry to be so biased) and made your way to the dairy section. You'd find your yoplait, generic brand, Stoneyfield farms, Fruit on the Bottom, Oreo topped yogurt.  These babies were packed full of great ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and other additives that I cannot, for the life of me, pronounce.

Today you or I walk into that same grocery store, preferably Wegmans still, make your way to the dairy aisle and something is different.  Now many stores have separate sections for both greek and regular yogurt selections. You still have your "Banana Fosters" or "Key Lime Pie" flavored yogurts but now there are healthier options.  Stay clear of those packed with HFCS. Most of the low-fat options are supplemented with fake sugars that trick your bodies, leaving them still craving the sugar!

So, now instead of my yoplait "Boston Cream Pie" (which I still indulge in every so often), I go straight for the Greek.  Greek yogurt is packed full of protein.  The real ones have around 12-14g of protein--you want to make sure you check this prior to purchase!  Their still creamy but typically a bit more sour tasting.  Yes it does take some getting used to.

I've been meaning to try Siggi's again for its healthy ingredients and 14g of protein, not to mention its fat free.  It is made up of organic ingredients such as Skim Milk, Organic Agave Nectar (Sweetener), Bourbon Vanilla, Live active cultures and vegetable rennet. So far I have tried the vanilla flavor and have fallen in love with the dense texture of it.  While still creamy, there is a bit more to it than your Oikino's Greek.

If you can fork out the 1.99 for 5.3oz give it a shot, I highly recommend it!

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Yep, you heard right, it's pumpkin season.  If you weren't already aware of this (since late september, I believe) advertisers and businesses have been boasting their "best pumpkin latte" or "pumpkin muffins" for quite some time. Really though, who would blame them? Pumpkin flavored things are the best as the days get shorter and the temperature drops to freezing.

This morning I thought I'd start the day off with a bowl of oatmeal since I have so many things to do (and such little time).  I am getting my hair done in Fairport @ Pharoah's Salon & Spa and then making my way to the infamous Steve's diner to meet Marissa for lunch.  After that we are on to class, Ballet Performance Group (BPG) meetings and then eventually getting to some term paper stuff.

The best way to start off today? Pumpkin Oatmeal.

Now, I typically eat a really bland & boring oatmeal that most of you would probably turn your noses to at the first smell.  Today I was adventurous and added some pumpkin puree to my usual mix along with some brown sugar (you definitely need this!).

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

(one serving)

Adapted from: Carrots 'n' Cake

1/2 cup Steel Cut Oats (or regular)

1 cup water

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

and then all to taste:

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Ginger

Brown Sugar

Soy Milk

**If you don't have all these spices, simply purchase "Pumpkin Spice" at your local Wegmans. 

What's next? I think i'm going to try Tina's Pumpkin Scone recipe.  I have been craving scones since early yesterday afternoon but dislike the store bought kind since they are so "bad" for you! Her recipe includes yogurt as a substitute which I am a huge fan of!

Sun-Dried Maters & Eggs.

Who doesn't love eggs?  I quite honestly don't know a soul who does not like some sort of egg, including myself.  Quite honestly though, eggs get boring!  So we fix this problem with omelets and adding toppers such as cheese or veggies.  A new one to try?

Sun-dried Tomato with Spinach and Feta!