Tag Archives for Breakfast
Weekend Eats
I was making pancakes yesterday morning when I remembered I had some leftover pumpkin in the fridge. Now, I cannot cook or make up my own recipe to save my life, so when I made some substitutions on my own and the pancakes turned out amazing I was beyond excited! I’m slowly understanding how to slightly tweak things and still have them turn out edible.
Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes (adapted from my favorite vegan pancake recipe)
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg replacer (I used Ener-G, but you can also use flax seeds)
1 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened)
2 tablespoons pumpkin
1 cup white all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
pumpkin pie spice to taste (I used about a tablespoon)
3 tablespoons sugarMix dry ingredients together then add wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop 1/3 cups of mix onto a greased, preheated pan. Flip when the tops of the pancakes being to bubble a bit. Makes around 4 pancakes. I always double this recipe when I make it for two people.
Over the weekend I also made some wonderful red lentil dal that was recommended to me by my friend Amanda. I’d bought some red lentils and wasn’t sure what to make with them and this recipe was perfect. I served it over quinoa and it made for a delicious and filling dinner. I’ve been trying to eat more lentils because not only are they cheap, they are also full of protein and iron.
Ripped In 30: What I Ate
I’ve received quite a few questions about what exactly I ate during Ripped In 30. I have highlighted a few of my favorite meals here that worked for me. Everyone is different, but I just wanted to share what I found to be a good fit for me.
My diet consisted of 1,600 calories a day and I kept a detailed account of everything I ate. Now that I’ve finished the challenge I no longer count calories and have kept the weight and inches off by sticking with (mostly) unprocessed foods, tons of fruit & veggies, eggs, whole grains, beans and nuts.
Pita Pizzas » These are great because you can always have something different just by choosing different veggies. I used Ezekiel brand pita bread and really liked it. All you need to do is take one piece of pita bread and cut along the edge like this so that you end up with two crusts for your pizza.
I made my own sauce by using canned low-sodium tomato sauce and added basil, a bit of salt and oregano. My favorite toppings are mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, asparagus and onion. Just play around with the toppings, find your favorite combo and enjoy!
Baked Potatoes with Greek Yogurt » During Ripped In 30 I found out that greek yogurt makes a wonderful sour cream substitute. It’s packed with a ton of protein and not many calories or fat which is great. I used this brand of yogurt and really liked it.
Veggie Stir-fry » It’s so easy to make these and they make the perfect workday lunch. I would pre-chop veggies and store them in tupperware bowls and make a large batch of quinoa on Sunday so that it would last the entire week. When I woke up in the morning for work I would just heat up the veggies, add some quinoa and sauce and be on my way. Easy!
Remember not to deprive yourself. I think one of the biggest reasons I failed so much in the past is because I viewed getting healthy and in shape as a temporary diet and it shouldn’t be that way. I felt that I couldn’t have anything “bad” and that was just me setting myself up for failure. You begin to tell yourself no so much that you eventually break and think you can’t do it anymore.
It needs to be a lifestyle change in order to work. Watch portion sizes. Eat whole, clean foods. Drink plenty of water. Make smart substitutions and choices throughout the day. Fuel your body properly. Make the change. Get stronger. See the results.
Food Diary
Breakfast: Two slices of toasted Ezekiel bread with three egg white and iced coffee with unsweetened almond milk.
Morning Snack: Apple
Lunch: Kale salad (recipe from Oh She Glows). Stir-fry using a bag of frozen mixed veggies and this sauce I made the night before. The sauce was really good! The recipe called for anise stars which I didn’t use and it still turned out fine. I had never heard of that spice before, but it is beautiful! Check it out:
Pretty neat, huh?
Here’s me enjoying my lunch at my messy desk. Stir-fry.. MMM! :]
Afternoon Snack: Banana
Late Afternoon/Pre-Workout Snack: Ezekiel pita bread with almond butter. I ate half the pita with almond butter when I got home and when I realized I forgot to take a photo. I knew the right thing to do was eat the other half in order to take a photo so you all could see. :]
I wanted to work out but I didn’t feel like strength training or intense cardio so I went with Bob Harper’s yoga DVD. I’ve had this for awhile but never done it. Hour long workouts are just so hard for me to get into unless it’s a group exercise class with someone really there to motivate me.
This yoga workout was really awesome though. It’s a bit of strength, but the stretches are so good and there’s modifications for all the moves. The hour actually went by quickly which was great because…
I wanted to catch up on Secret Life! I always bring my laptop in the kitchen to clean or cook while watching tv shows so I feel productive. I got to work on dinner and followed along with the drama while chopping onions, garlic and ginger.
Dinner: Chickpea & eggplant curry from Appetite for Reduction that was enjoyed on the front porch with Greg & Pepper. I wish I could share the recipe with you all because it is amazing! I’ve loved every recipe I’ve made from this cookbook so far, but I think this is my favorite.
After dinner we went on a walk around the neighborhood so Pepper could get some energy out. After every walk, the minute we take the leash off, Pepper goes crazy and rolls and rubs his face all over the carpet. It’s pretty funny but kinda weird. Does anyone else’s dog do this?!
I’m off to pack lunches and get my gym bag ready because I’m going to try and make a strength class after work. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!
Be sure and check out what everyone’s eatin’ at the What I Ate Wednesday party!
Food Diary
This morning I woke up and decided I wanted to change things up with breakfast. I keep seeing green monsters on all the blogs I read and wanted to try my own. It was awesome! It’s a really simple recipe and it tastes so good.. I just wish I’d tried it sooner!
Breakfast: Green monster (recipe from Oh She Glows). I also had two slices of Ezekiel toast and three egg whites.
Morning Snack: Apple
Lunch: Spinach & chickpea curry from Vegan with a Vengeance and quinoa. It doesn’t look all that appetizing but it was delicious!
Afternoon Snack: Banana & an iced coffee.
Dinner: Kale salad (recipe from Oh She Glows). I’d been wanting to try this recipe for awhile now and finally had most of the ingredients on hand to make it. My version had kale, cucumber, tomato, sunflower seeds, avocado, carrot and a tahini dressing. Amazing!
There are insane storms here and more on the way so I’m outta here for tonight! The weather has been so weird lately and it’s kind of freaking me out. Are any of you guys having crazy weather too? If so, stay safe out there!
Be sure and check out what everyone’s eatin’ at the What I Ate Wednesday party! I love it because I find so many new bloggers & recipes from there!
Weekend Eats
I used my favorite vegan pancake recipe and added some shredded coconut and strawberries on top. It was a delicious breakfast!
A plate full of veggies, toasted pita bread & hummus.
Vegan chocolate chip scones from Vegan with a Vengeance. These things are seriously dangerous! The recipe made ten scones and after eating three and a half within a few minutes I threw the rest in a ziplock bag and put them in the freezer as fast as I could. I need to stop making sweets because I always eat them all in one day.
I am a total salt & vinegar chip addict and when I saw these salt & vinegar almonds in Walgreen’s on Saturday and was so incredibly excited to try them! I sat in my car, in the parking lot until I finished the bag. They are so amazing and totally made my day!
What was the best thing you ate over the weekend?
