Baking Friday : Apple Oat Bars
Posted: November 5, 2010 Filed under: baking, Friday | Tags: apples, baking 2 Comments »Fridays seem to be my baking day! It is a good way to pass the time while I wait for Nick every week. This week I made an amazing vegan recipe from Ashley and Angela. Finding recipes like this reminds me why I love reading blogs.
These are the oat base and apple middles that Ashley and Angela created. Basically they are apples, oats and brown sugar. How could they not be good???
The crust is almost graham cracker like and it is amazing! I am really excited about this recipe and trying it with strawberries as Angela did and the peaches in my freezer from this summer!
I am bringing these to Nick’s football game tomorrow so we shall see how a bunch of boys feel about them. I will not tell them they are vegan 
Friday Night Lights
Posted: May 7, 2010 Filed under: Friday | Tags: apple, banana bread, gym, hot dog, salad, sweet potato Leave a comment »Happy Friday evening! Another week is done and the weekend is upon us. This is going to be a busy weekend, but should be a good one.
Nick and I went low key tonight because we both have early morning activities that we need to be perky for 
My office was super freezing today and I really wished I had soup for lunch, but when it is 80 outside I don’t think about soup!
Instead I have a lovely salad, crackers and apple.
In the mix; spinach, tomatoes, carrots, avocado, pumpkin seeds and 2 pollet hard boiled eggs. Check out how yellow that yoke is! It looks even better in person.
I bet you can’t guess what I had for a snack…
Squishy banana on top.
I had planned on going for a bike ride after work, but when I got home there was serious cloud cover and wind. Bummer, so I went to the gym.
I did 30min on the arctrainer and 20min on the elliptical. I also did a few leg exercises, arms and abs.
A quick shower when I got home and then it was time to get started on hot dogs for dinner! It was Friday Night Lights night so I made “game” food. Well healthy versions of hot dogs and fries.
2 Applegate Farm turkey hot dogs on a flat out fold with ketchup and hot dog relish. I love hot dog relish, and it may be one food I will not give up.
Folded with a side of sweet potato fries. Yum! No nitrates for me!
Along with our hot dogs and fries I made up a salad.
Romaine with tomatoes, carrots, cilantro and cucumber. I dressed it with a EVOO, red wine vinegar, S&P and rosemary.
For dessert I had a little ice cream and brownie but I forgot to snap it before enjoying. I had planned on banana soft serve, but my bananas did not freeze in 4 hours? Does that seem odd to anyone else?
Friday Night Lights time! Hello Riggins!
Pancake Friday!
Posted: May 7, 2010 Filed under: Friday | Tags: banana, black beans, kickball, mango, pancakes 1 Comment »Whoa I just made an epic breakfast, but first I need to highlight yesterday
The honorable mention goes to my lunch time sandwich creation
I thought this would be a great sandwich, but it only turned out so so.
Refried black beans, mango, avocado and cilantro. I thought it would be sort of like the black bean burgers with mango salsa from Cooking Light, but they were missing the spice me thinks.
In second place, Caroline’s Cupcakes (which doesn’t have a website?!). This is a new cupcake place that just opened next to our kickball field that I had to try.
I ran to the field so I didn’t have my camera, but I got a mini vanilla with chocolate icing and I would give it an 8/10. The icing was really nice and light with a good chocolate flavor, but the cake was a little dry and bland.
AND finally in first place…
OUR KICKBALL TEAM FINISHED UNDEFEATED! We are heading to the playoffs with a number 1 seed. I hope we can pull it off this year!
Now back to that breakfast…
I had been seeing a lot of pancakes on the beat so I thought Friday would be a great day to make some.
I used KERF’s recipe for yogurt pancakes but I nixed the oil for flax and added a handful of granola. I also halved the recipe.
Topped with mashed banana, pb, chia seeds and cinnamon.
These were so good! I love pancakes!
What a way to kick off a Friday!
Here comes the weekend!!!!
Sissy
Posted: April 30, 2010 Filed under: Friday | Tags: Sicily Leave a comment »I am out of commission today. Sissy and I enjoyed some time on the porch but most of the day was spent inside.
I am hoping that tomorrow will be a better day, I mean it is derby day and I have mint juleps to drink.
Farewell.
Lentil Love
Posted: April 23, 2010 Filed under: Friday | Tags: bagel thin, gym, orange, Snobby Joes, wrap 4 Comments »I am so beat! I am not really sure why, but I do have a lot to do tomorrow so I am planning on watching Jamie Oliver in bed once I am done with this post! I can’t believe it is series finally tonight, I wish they had touched on more aspects of the backwards food programs of America ie. farming and labor! I guess with only 6 shows you can’t go that deep into the story.
I was really uninspired while making lunch today so I was only excited to eat because I was hungry. I hate meals like this! They seem to happen on Fridays when the fridge is running low on the good stuff.
Wrap and orange. Yep.
I really like Minneola oranges better than navel ones!
In the wrap: carrots, maters, LC wedge, lemon hummus, hot peppers. It was not enough. Thankfully the group next to us was having a party and they shared their leftovers. Some of the food was not pretty. You should see people around free food!
I snagged some olives and cheese, which is exactly what I needed.
The day came and went and I was finally on my way home through awful Friday afternoon traffic.
I made a little pre-gym snack before heading out the door.
I am slowly finishing some bagel thins, but I really put off by how many preservatives they have in them. I can’t throw food out but they have been on my counter for at least a month and have no mold. My Wegmans bread grows mold in 3 days…yep. Anywho I spread on homemade cinnamon vanilla almond butter and jelly. Best after work/school snack.
Then I went to the gym to test out the calf/knee. I did 30min on the elliptical and 15min incline walk, with a 2min run to end. My calf is still a little stiff, but I think with rolling and another day off she should be good to go. My knee is still the same, working but I need to be nice to it. Arms, legs and core then home for dinner!
Nick was no here for dinner so I got to make something he is not a fan of, lentils! Man I love lentils.
I have heard of Snobby Joe’s all over the web so I started with this recipe and just went with it.
I didn’t have any tomato sauce so I added marinara and fresh tomatoes. I also 1/4 the recipe because I was only making one serving. These were so good! Lentil love baby.
Along with my lentils I had some green beans drowned in sweet and spicy mustard that made my nose run! It is like wasabi in that way.
Jamie Oliver is making me laugh. A child had McDonalds in Elementary school…yep.
OK time to hit the hay. Where is Sissy Pants?
Enjoy the weekend!
Keepin It Green
Posted: April 23, 2010 Filed under: Friday | Tags: cereal, green monster, kickball, omelet, toast 1 Comment »Happy Friday!
Sorry I didn’t check in last night we were busy winning our 6th kickball game in a row! Booya! We are amazing haha. I would like to win so that we can quit next year. Everyone on the team is getting pretty old for Thursday night drinking.
So lets do a little recap of my green eats yesterday for Earth Day!
(Multiply this picture x2) – I am bringing these to work to get them out of the house!
Random dinner…I had shrimp planned but I was not feeling it this afternoon so I went with a delicious omelet.
In my omelet: sundried tomatoes, cheese, peas, kalamata olives, rosemary, S&P, garlic powder.
In my mini green monster: TJs whole grain drink, frozen tropical blend, large handful spinach.
I really liked this random dinner! The best part about it? Nick tried my green monster and said it wasn’t that bad, and he wanted to try one! Too bad I used the last of the spinach 
I cannot wait to make him one with raspberries! (His favorite fruit)
This morning I had a simple Friday breakfast.
Cold cereal bowl: Oikos, shredded wheat, TJs fiber cereal, Uncle Sam, strawberries, homemade almond butter with cinnamon and vanilla crumbles, skim.
My calf feels good today! I didn’t notice anything yesterday at kickball so I am going to head to the gym today and take it easy to see how it feels under a little stress. I think I will be good to go for my race! I also signed up for another race last night, but I will get to that tonight! It should be fun with a little mini vacation for Nick and I!
Time to get this Friday started!
Double Desserts!
Posted: April 16, 2010 Filed under: Friday | Tags: California Pizza Kitchen, pizza, salad, Vaccaro's Leave a comment »Do the weekend dance! Yay! Along with it finally being the weekend I finally got the new that I am officially a state of Maryland employee! I have been working for the state for about a year and a half and I finally because a full fledged ward of the state. I am also getting a little more money which is a nice bonus!
While at work I went for a nice little lunch time walk before settling in for a different by delicious lunch!
Wine in the Woods anyone?
Salad with leftover roasted broccoli, black beans, mixed greans and guac. Plus a lovely organic gala.
I had the usual snack of fig cookie bar before heading home to Sissy and some chores that needed to get done this weekend that I will have no time to do this weekend. I cleaned both bathrooms, water the plants, vacuumed the whole place and cleaned the kitchen.
Then Nick and I were off to impromptu date night!
Pizza and Ice Cream!
We headed to The California Pizza Kitchen for some pizza, duh!
I started off with the Mediterranean small plate with Greek salad, pita, hummus and feta.
Then it was pizza time!
Whole Wheat thin crust of roasted red peppers, eggplant, onions and goat cheese. I only had 1/2 of this personal pizza because after dinner we were going to Vaccaro’s! I hadn’t been since living in the city when it was right down the street…dangerous!
I got a 1/2 Italian cookies and cream and 1/2 amoretto. I ate it before there was time for a picture but I also got a lovely almond cookie. I mean when in Rome, right?
Great way to start off the weekend! Now I just need to keep my self under control at the wedding. I love wedding cake and will eat your slice of you don’t want it
I am so sleepy and I still need to pack and figure out exactly what I am wearing tomorrow. I am trying to fit in some sprint work and weights tomorrow morning!
Enjoy the weekend!
Strawberries and Cream
Posted: April 16, 2010 Filed under: breakfast, Friday | Tags: kefir, oat bran, strawberries 1 Comment »Happy Friday! Yet another week has come to a end. Any good weekend plans? N and I have 2 wedding back to back on Saturday and they aren’t in the same town PLUS our roommate is moving in on Sunday. Let’s just say it is going to be a busy weekend! I wish the weather were going to be nicer. At least it is nice today!
I was really pleased with how much oats turned out this morning!
Strawberries and Cream Oats
- 1/3 oat bran
- 1/3 cup whole grain drink, 1/3 cup water
- cinnamon
- pinch salt
- vanilla
- 1 tbs flax
- ~4 strawberries chopped and cooked in
- ~4 strawberries chopped for topping
- 1/3 cup Kefir
- 1 tbs crunchy pb
- (forgotten chia seeds!)
This was a great combo. Banana has nothing on sweet strawberries!
I have to make sure to bring my sweater to work. The AC will be cranked with the nice warm temps. I hate being cold!
Where did the time go? I need to get my butt out the door!
Check ya later!
Lots of Side Notes
Posted: April 9, 2010 Filed under: Friday, Jamie Oliver | Tags: chobani, cycling, ice cream, Jamie Oliver, wrap 2 Comments »Warning this post was written after 2 glasses of wine…
Hey, Hey it’s Friday night! I remember the days when Friday nights = go out and drink. These days, things have calmed down a bit. When you get up at 5:30 it is really hard to stay up late. It makes me feel better in the morning as well and I actually have a morning! This obviously does not mean I do not enjoy a glass or two of wine every once in awhile
Before the wine I went through a pretty simple day at work broken up by lovely lunch.
Note to self : Amazing Grass in oats is an amazing stomach filler!
My lunch was full of different flavors!
First off we have an orange and Chobani Pom. The yogurt seemed to taste more like grape than I remember. It was still tasty and I love that is says “awesome” on their packaging!
If you were only organic! I still cannot turn them down during a 10 for $10 sale, or really any other time I walk by the yogurt isle.
And the main event…wrap-tastic. BTW I recycle my foil wrapper for my wraps!
In my wrap I had tomatoes, lemon hummus, lettuce, avocado and cilantro.
And the day went…
Then it was time for a FiggyBar! Note: Nick really enjoyed them and he is my general public survey
This FiggyBar was delicious! I love how you can peel it apart of eat it all three layers in one bite. So many texture changes and flavors!
This afternoon I FINNALLY picked up my bike from REI. They knocked off $20 from the labor charges so that was really nice!
Once I got the bike in the car I headed to the NCR trail. This is where I used to do my long Sunday runs when I was training for my 1/2 marathon.
Me at the six mile marker aka the furthest I ever ran on that trail + my bike turn around point today. It was cold and windy today (30mph gusts). I can’t wait to see what is past the 6! Does my helmet look different? Well it is!
The helmet I bought at first was a woman’s and well I have a rather large head and had to return it for a men’s. It fits a lot better now!
Anyway I rode about 11.5 miles in 48min57sec. This seemed slow compared to other’s rides I have read about in the blog world, but I did realized I do not have clips on my bike, the wind was crazy AND I was on a mountain bike. It was pretty hard I must admit you have to be so much more mentally aware when you are on a bike because you are going so much faster than a run!
I can’t wait to ride when it is warm and less windy! Also on a road bike wouldn’t hurt.
When I got home I was starving, but I need to clean and shower first.
After the quickest shower ever (OK Katherine maybe Kent’s were faster) I started on dinner while drinking a glass of vino.
I love having frozen shrimp and scallops on hand! They are so easy to defrost and throw in anything! This was one of those nights.
I sautéed onions and garlic in EVOO, thyme and S&P. Then I added some shitake mushrooms to simmer. While these were cooking off I cooked off some green beans and added some shrimp and scallops to the mix with parsley and lemon. This was then thrown on top of a toasted Ezekiel English muffin. I could eat these for every meal!
Now that it is Friday I needed to enjoy it a little, this does not included the wine! I had a nice little bowl of pb cup ice cream while Jamie Oliver was on the tele.
I could totally hit the hay at 10pm tonight. When did I get so old???
I love my sleep and my days are full of to-do lists, growing up is a bummer.
To end on a bright note, tomorrow Nick and I are attending a Bourbon, Beer and BBQ festival tomorrow and it should be a lot of fun. I have about a million things to do before then.
Go Jamie Oliver Go!
Night All!
Orioles Magic
Posted: April 9, 2010 Filed under: breakfast, Friday | Tags: Amazing Grass, gone nuts, oat bran 1 Comment »Good Morning! It is Friday! Happy Dance
Sorry I never checked in last night we had a kickball game after work and then we went out for a bite to eat at Mother’s downtown, which is an area bar that actually had some decent food choices.
Today is not only Friday, but it is also the Baltimore Orioles opening day! I am not attending, but the city is abuzz with Orioles magic, make it happen! I am sure I will be attending a few games this year. Tickets are so cheap!
Now back to the food!
It was really hard getting out of bed this morning so I felt that my oat bran needed a little extra boost today ie Amazing Grass Superfood!
I had the usual mix with an added scoop of Superfood (I just realized that I forgot chia seeds!)
- 1/3 cup oat bran
- 1/3 cup skim
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup plain Stonyfield
- 1 banana, 1/2 in 1/2 on top
- 1 scoop amazing grass
- wheat berries
- cinnamon
- vanilla
- Last of my Sanibel pb
I love my green oats!
Time to get moving. it is a chilly 49 out there today!
Any good plans for the weekend???
