Sniff sniff.

Something smells like almond butter.

But wait, that can’t be possible….I’m at the gym. Barney and Justin are upstairs in my closet!

Something definitely smells like almond butter though.

Hmmm I wonder why.

I think I’m sweating out nut butter toxins/amazins.

Yep, my nut butter hangover has lasted 4 full days.

***

That was fast.

Really really fast.

I think it’s time I enter a multi-treatment rehab facility.

Eggy oats with banana and Blueberry Chobani

Just so you know, I’m not eating to go into hibernation or anything. There’s definitely something going on with my cravings this week and I’m trying to roll with it. I usually go through cycles where I crave high fat/high sugar foods for a week or so and then have zero cravings for them the rest of the month. Sound familiar?

It just so happens that my week of cravings coincided with my discovery of Barney and Justin at WFs. I know if I try to control or resist my cravings, they will just escalate. Ya gotta give your body what it wants. Apparently, mine wants Barney and Justin.

***

I’m working out too…or should I say sweating out nut butter.

• 60 min. elliptical
• 15 min. upper body strength training

***

The Chobe stash is disappearing before my eyes…

The 2% flavors have been my favorite. It’s amazing what a couple grams of fat can do in terms of creaminess. If you haven’t tried 2% Greek yogurt you must!

***

Thank goodness for some fresh fruit.

I found this in my crap-from-college bag…

Wow, have my eats been lame or what? The food options have seriously been limited in this joint. I held off on grocery shopping thinking we would be moving this week. However, our move got pushed back another week (no complaints here), which means…

It’s time to hit up TJ’s!

(woop woop)
***

I’m glad you enjoyed my dorky posts from yesterday. Did you notice the shrimp dish was plated so that the broccoli sat on the bottom and the other veggies + shrimp floated on top?

Yep, that was all Peter.

By the way, Peter was flattered by all your sweet comments on his cooking .

I kept thinking about the MGD 64 commercial as I was writing up that post. You know, the one where the guy goes ‘How is it that you’re still single?’ while his friend is doing squats to burn off his beer?

Yeah, I wonder that too…about myself.

If you haven’t seen the [most overplayed] commercial ever, here it is:

Barney? Justin? MGD 64 man? I’m single.

***

Tell me: What’s your favorite overplayed commercial?

You’ve heard about Peter’s Kitchen before. You’ve seen many of Peter’s creations here on LLE. Now, you can experience the behind the scenes action.

First, a little background information on Peter…

The hypothetical restaurant, “Peter’s Kitchen,” was founded several years ago when Peter’s family jokingly suggested he open a restaurant with that name. Instead of going out to eat, Peter’s family often preferred to stay at home and dine at Peter’s Kitchen. Peter actually has no formal culinary training. Engineering, yes…culinary, no. He learned how to cook at a young age by watching his mother in the kitchen. As the oldest of five siblings, he often had to cook for his family.

Peter loves to eat and he’ll eat just about anything (luckily, he was blessed with a lightning fast metabolism). Thus, he likes to experiment with various foods/ingredients. Although he does not particularly enjoy cooking all that much (so he says), he cooks dinner nearly every single night for his family. Some nights he is in the kitchen for up to an hour and some nights he spends just 20 min. or less. He usually prepares 3-4 dishes every night, depending on how many mouths he has to feed.

Peter is all about cooking quick, simple, and cheap meals. In fact, his daughter suspects/knows that one of the reasons he regularly prepares her favorite seafood is so she doesn’t spend as much money on groceries at Trader Joe’s. While frozen shrimp is more convenient than head-on shrimp, it is inevitably more expensive…even at TJ’s. Peter doesn’t mind cleaning the shrimpies himself in order to save some money.

Now you know where his daughter gets her cheapskate ways. Note: Peter also keeps the shrimp heads in the freezer to throw into a future pot of soup. Now you also know where his daughter gets her inability to throw away food…or anything for that matter.

Additional background information:

Peter’s daughter, Allie, suspects/knows that her father would rather her find a real job than spend hours everyday blogging, as her blog is not popular enough to consider it a ‘real job.’ He thinks/knows that she would make more money working for McDonald’s than Foodbuzz. Much more.

Thus, Peter tries not to show too much excitement about her blog. Of course, he often lets his guard down and when this happens, his daughter can’t help but smile. After all, he was the one who helped her research DSLR cameras and bought her the one she wanted for graduation, further encouraging her blogging hobby.

Before Allie takes his dishes from the kitchen counter to her photography spot, Peter does some last minute arranging of the food to make sure it looks blog-worthy. Sometimes, he adds a twig of parsley or some other garnish to make the dish more pleasing to the eye. His daughter’s hobby has forever changed his approach to food presentation. Now, he is always thinking about what he can do to make his dishes look better for the blog .

It is in these moments when Allie realizes that deep down inside, her dad thinks her blog is pretty cool.

***

Last Wednesday, Peter was just starting to cook dinner as his hungry daughter got back from her workout. As Allie was chugging a glass of water, he told her to check out the gorgeous green hue of the broccoli he bought at the store. He immediately suggested she take a photograph.

His hungry daughter didn’t feel like it because she knew she would have to take the broccoli to the window sill or out on the balcony for good lighting and she was on the verge of gnawing off her arm. However, Peter was adamant about documenting the crown of broccoli and insisted the kitchen lighting was just fine.

Upon reviewing the initial photos, Peter agreed that natural lighting was necessary. Thus, he followed her advice and took it over to the ‘sill.

He even went over to the sink to sprinkle some water droplets to make it look more natural. Oh dear.

Take two.

As Ms. Tyra Banks would say, this was his best shot:

Peter proceeded to explain to his daughter that the shadows were necessary to bring out the texture of the broccoli florets. She nodded in agreement and hurried her father along.

Peter told her not to worry. ‘Give me 10 min. and I’ll have dinner ready.’

First he chopped up the [gorgeous] broccoli and 1/2 a carrot while his daughter washed her bargain tomatoes.

He also took out a can of baby corn, one of her childhood faves.

Next, he sauteed the shrimp (that he cleaned earlier that day) in a pan with a few tablespoons of canola oil.

On the side, he lightly steamed the broccoli in a pot with about 2 cups water until just tender.

Time to stir-fry!

Baby corn, carrots and tomatoes in 1 TBSP canola oil.

+ steamed broccoli and a sprinkle of salt.

Finally, he tossed the veggies with the cooked shrimp.

Peter wanted you all to know that “cooking healthy meals is easy and simple.”

Thanks, Peter.

Peter never uses recipes. Ever. Instead, he improvises with whatever happens to be in the fridge/freezer/pantry.

Note: This was a super simple dish due to Allie’s desire for a quick meal. If there is interest, Peter is open to demonstrating some more complex dishes such as:

Quote of the day:

“Allie, you’re gonna want to take a photo of this dish. It’s special. Tell them it’s made with Peter’s secret sauce.”

~Chef Peter

Packed up kitchen

Limited options here

Limited in selection…

…not in taste

Is it September?

Feels like July!

Or 2003?…oops

Less decaf tomorrow

Look very closely

Lion King anyone?

***

Sweaty Betty Workout

• 60 min. elliptical
• 15 min. legweights
• Abs ‘n’ stretch

***

Same ol’ snax…

…in this kitch

Gotta play fair

Nothing But ‘Nut’

***

Nothing…

… new ….

…here

Love this girl

Short on time?

Skip to 1:40

***

Special post coming!!

.

.

(Catch the pattern?)

I got a little too excited about my new nut butters yesterday. I should have put them away after Round 1. Instead, I sat next to them at the kitchen table as I blogged. Danger danger. My pesky little finger/spoon (okay, fork) went back for more and more mindless scoops.

I had absolutely no desire for anything else sweet for the rest of the night….or anything at all for that matter (isn’t it crazy how filling nut butter is?). I rarely burn out my sweet teeth but they were awfully exhausted by the end of last night’s nut butter-fest.

I didn’t eat any nut butter for an entire week because we ran out. I suppose my body/mind/soul missed it dearly…?

(How I lived the first 20 years of my life without nutz/nut butter is completely beyond all comprehension)

I actually started eating Justin’s almond butter over 2 years ago. Fact: I brought 20 squeeze packs with me to London (study abroad) and savored every morsel.

Imagine if I had started my blog back in August 2008 (!!). I desperately wanted to start a food + fitness blog since I had been reading them for several months by that point but I just never got around to it. I did start a silly little blog that focused on my travels in London. It was mostly just to show friends and family my adventures…and photos of the massive London Whole Foods!

Guess what my blog was called?

***

This morning I had 1/2 of a Chocolate Chip Brownie Larabar and 1/2 an AllieBar as my pre-workout snack.

I loved the real chocolate chips inside. Check out the massive nutz!

I got in a sweaty betty workout to cure my nut butter hangover:

• 26 min. run
• 22 min. incline walk
• 20 min. elliptical
• 10 min. arm weights

My post workout meal had to be FAST because I was rushing out the door to go to the dreaded DMV.

I quickly made an egg white veggie wrap with Laughing Cow cheese spring mix and tomatoes + a side of Chobani Pineapple 2%.

Microwaving egg whites from a carton is a lot less scary than egg whites from eggs. Carton whites don’t *pop*!!

Mmmmmmm!

I needed this table to be larger, so I used my firm placemat and then put the flimsy one I wanted to use on top.

Magic.

Actually this was the real magic…

The Chobani Fairy saw that I bought some Plain Chobani last month and asked if I wanted a free sample (FTC disclaimer!) of their other flavors.

Do I want free Greek yogurt?

Is the sky blue?

Does Paula Deen use butter?

I am not one to refuse Greek yogurt.

Dairy sensitivity or not.

‘Twas like Christmas morning!

I love when shipments come with these reusable ice packs! Perfect for my shins and hip.

I usually don’t buy flavored yogurt because of the higher sugar content so I’ve only ever tried the plain, pineapple and pomegranate flavors. Instead of syrup/fruit on the bottom, I like to customize plain yogurt with fresh fruit and honey/agave/stevia. My body most definitely needed sugar (and protein) post workout today so this was perfect. The pineapple flavor was as good as I remembered it! Greek yogurt is creamilicious ‘n’ delicious, especially 2%.

I am eager to try the other flavors!!

***

I had to dash off to the DMV with my dad so I brought along the other half of the Larabar.

Enter: 3 1/2 hours of sitting and waiting.

***

Upon walking in the door, I made a gigantic smoothie with 1/2 AllieBar crumbles.

.
Most of it sunk to the bottom…

.

(whey protein, wheatgrass, strawberries, bananas, spinach)

.
I also had a piece of toast with my new nut butters and banana slices.

.

.
I just ate some veggies and shrimp from Peter’s Kitchen.

.

.
…and dug into 1/2 a carrot cake Larabar and a scoop of Barney Butter. I’m storing them in my closet though so I have to walk at least 7 seconds to reach my stash .

.
Plus some cantaloupe.

.

.
Alright, this Clutter Queen has some packing to do!

***
Tell me: What’s your favorite flavor yogurt?

.
I grew up loving strawberry banana and vanilla.

I don’t have a bar ’stash.’ In fact, I’ve never had one.

I don’t have a drawer full of barz to ‘eat through’ and I don’t keep barz in my purse as ‘emergency snax’

…because barz don’t stand a chance around me.

source

(Obviously, I did not take that photo because I would never have that many barz in my possession!)

I don’t have any barz in my house because I ate them all.

I don’t keep barz in my house because I will eat them all.

If I bring a bar with me in my purse, I’ll eat it even when it’s not an emergency.

If I buy barz at the store, you can be sure that they’ll be gone by the end of the day.

Yes, even if I buy them at 10 PM.

…midnight snack, ya know?

***

The last couple of days have been filled with barz and nutz. No no, not sports bars and crazy psychopaths.

Even better….

This morning, I had a freshly made AllieBar and some coffee in my Duke beer stein.

I made 6 batches of AllieBars last night. I always forget how exhausting it is to make these bars until I’m a hot mess 5 min. into the process. Between making, wrapping, cleaning, packing and delivering to the post office, it took over 5 hours.

5 hours that I did not spend packing up my room .

They may look pretty but don’t be fooled…they’re high maintenance! AllieBars are made with love.

I got this mug exactly one year ago at the start of my senior year.

While packing up the AllieBars, I had half of this Greens+ Chocolate Energy Bar.

This bar is one of my favorites….ever (and that’s saying something!). My brother got me hooked on these a year ago. It tastes like a nougaty candy bar, but it’s filled with good stuff like greens!

It’s hard to read the label but the ingredients are real, wholesome, and green!

Looks wonky but tastes amazing.

Workout*:

60 min. elliptical + 15 min. leg weights

*much needed to fight packing stress!

***

Post workout:

A salad with Mango Ginger tempeh and tomatoes.

I started by sauteing crumbled tempeh with tomatoes.

…and then added some TJ’s Mango Ginger Chutney (a new to me product).

It gave the tempeh flavor, spice and everything nice!

I also used the chutney as a salad dressing yesterday while packing (I warned you about lame meals, didn’t I?).

That’s a Dr. Praeger’s Tex Mex Veggie Burger. Not quite as tasty as the v-burg from The Counter but still good. I must say I went back and squirted some ketchup on the burger after a couple bites.

Boulder Canyon Olive Oil Kettle Chips on the side.

At my new make-shift photography spot….with the darn beach chair that finds it’s way into every photo!

On my way home from the post office, I stopped by Whole Foods just to look around. I didn’t have anything in mind but I figured it couldn’t hurt to browse…

OH

MY

NUTZ…

****JACKPOT****!!!!

First I found the Larabars, then I found the Justin’s and then I found the Barney Butter. My jaw dropped lower and lower as my eyeballs got wider and wider.

I almost got this jar too but I had to exercise some degree of self control.

I was just browsing the Barney Butter website yesterday looking for a location near me that sold it. I was beginning to feel hopeless (because the closest locations to me were in Southern VA). I was also giving up hope that I would ever find the elusive Carrot Cake Larabars.

I couldn’t even wait the 1/2 mile drive home from WFs to dig in. I did save this little nub to photograph for you all though.

How nice of me.

Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. It tasted so much like a real piece of carrot cake. I especially loved the pineapple flavor. I may or may not go back and buy the 2 boxes in stock.

…and they’ll last a week, tops .

***

Then I did what any other level-headed person would do….

Note: That was 3 hours ago. Those jars do NOT look like that anymore! Oops. Perhaps I shouldn’t keep a nut butter stash either…?

After spooning with my jarz, I decided to spread them on a slice of bread and top it with banana slices. Ya know, to balance it out.

The Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter is a dream come true. It tastes like Nutella but without the random ingredients.

I can’t wait to dig into the Chocolate Chip Brownie Larabar (I was allergic to the other new flavors)!

…hopefully it’ll survive ’til tomorrow!

Doubtful.

***

Tell me: Do you have a bar stash?’What is your favorite bar (just one!!)? What about your favorite nut butter?

If I have to choose…Greens+ and TJ’s Sunflower Seed Butter (duh).

Weren’t we just talking about Fall coming soon? Pumpkins, crunchy leaves and apple cider?

NOT.

By the time I woke up this morning it was 80 stinkin’ degrees. I braved the heat and went on a run outside ‘cuz I wanted to take advantage of the carb-fest that went on yesterday (more on that below). I almost always have amazing runs after a day of carb-lovin.’

Even though I found a shady trail to run on, it was quite steamilicious out there. I even tried thinking about my runs in the winter to cool down….like the day I was completely Fooled by the Sun. It was 40* F that day and I was frozen solid running along the WaDuke Trail. Sadly, that mental trick didn’t work too well today because I got tired…fast.

I ran 1.5 miles and then turned back around to walk the 1.5 miles back home. I felt defeated but I wasn’t about to give up just yet. I hopped on the treadmill and ran another 2 miles for a total of 3.5 miles. My goal was 4, but I listened to my body and that was as far as my legs wanted to run today. More on why I had a goal distance later .

I ended with a quick 10 min. of upper body strength training.

***

Afterwards I drank a Cole Dass Smoothie.

Made with vanilla whey, frozen strawbs, banana, wheat grass, frozen spinach, stevia and ice.

I froze some strawberries last week but I forgot to cut off the leaves. FAIL. Good thing I like green leaves in my smoothies, huh?

Eggy Oats with bananas and pecans

***

Did you know there was a Carb Festival going on this past week?

The Chunky Monkey Granola was devoured in just a couple o’ days. Poor thing! On it’s last day I used it as a topping for a bowl of TJ’s Euro yogurt + oatmeal <—really good together!

The base.

Plus banana, strawberry and granola.

And then I finished off the bag!

Abracadabra!

***

That was just the appetizer for Saturday’s main event. I was sent these chips from Boulder Canyon Natural Foods to review (for free). We purchased a large bag of the same brand from Costco a few months ago. Since we thoroughly enjoyed that flavor (Rice and Adzuki Chipotle Cheese) I was eager to try some other flavors.

I thought I wasn’t a big chip person, but apparently I thought wrong. I was under the impression that it was safe to open up a bag. Ummm nope! I chose the Hummus and Sesame Tortilla variety first and ended up finishing the entire bag throughout the day–so good! I really enjoyed the delicate yet crispy texture. It had a hint of hummus flavor but it wasn’t too strong.

Later that night, my mom brought me a couple bites of a dessert made out of dates. Upon eating it, I had an allergic reaction!

So what did I do? I cracked open another bag of chips to make it go away. I chose the Olive Oil Kettle Chips. Whenever I get allergic reactions, crunchy carbs make me feel all better. These chips did the trick. Unfortunately this happened at around midnight. Oof.

I most definitely had a migraine from [delicious] chip overdose and I felt really dizzy. Double oof.

***

Look what happened to my photography spot!

This week is officially moving week!

My worst nightmare.

It seems like we’ve been moving all summer long but this week is THE week. It’s down to the wire now, folks. My crap has either gotta get packed or thrown away!

So if I’m missing in action and/or eating super lame food, you know why.

***

Tell me: What is your favorite brand/flavor of chips? What’s your favorite carby food?

Cheddar Sour Cream and granola for me. Although, muffins are a close second!

Last night my dear friend Mari came to visit! She and her dad are driving from Boston, MA to Austin, TX (!!). Mari and I have a lot in common. She loves to run, she has endured many running-related injuries, she’s a Craigslist enthusiast, and she graduated from college last year feeling directionless.

Needless to say, we always have plenty to talk about when we’re together.

Mari was one of my many flatmates when I studied abroad in London (8 girls in one teeny tiny flat). We interned at the same company over there too. We immediately hit it off and became very good friends. I’m not kidding when I say our flat (AKA apartment) was teeny tiny. I’m pretty sure it was a fire code violation. We were jammed in there like sardines. You can see a photo of our Harry Potter closet-of-a-room in my London Study Abroad Photo Album.

(Please don’t get me wrong. I am not complaining about the size of our living quarters, simply commenting. All 8 of us grew to love our flat a lot. After all we were students living in a posh area of the city–we were lucky to even have beds to sleep in.)

Here we are with two other flatmates while touring Cambridge University.

I stayed with Mari when I went to Boston for the Healthy Living Summit in 2009. You can read about our adventures here and here!

Oh yeah, and she was my partner in crime on Halloween back in 2008 .

***

Onto the food.

We went out to The Counter last night for dinner with my parents. The Counter is the 21st century’s bold answer to the classic burger joint….burger options are only limited to your imagination.

We got some coupons in the mail so we decided it would be a great night to try out the restaurant.

To be honest, as of a couple weeks ago, my parents and I thought this place was just any ol’ burger place. Boy were we wrong!

We snapped a few photos while waiting for our table.

My dad looked over the menu.

The menu is actually quite simple. You choose what you want: protein, cheese, toppings (so many options!!), sauce, and a bun or greens.

The Counter uses humanely raised and handled meat.

They also have already brainstormed menu options to choose from.

We started off with a trio of sweet potato fries, regular fries and crispy onion strings.

It came with three sauces: BBQ, Ranch Dressing, and Apricot Sauce. I added ketchup to that plate!

I ate my fair share of sweet potato fries and crispy onion strings. They were phenomenal.

Mari and my parents snuck bites as I was trying to get a good photo .

Peter appears to be very excited to have the night off from his chef duties at Peter’s Kitchen. Perhaps a little too excited?

Mari ordered a Greek-inspired burger with 1/3 lb. beef, roasted red peppers, feta cheese, olives, greens, and tzatziki sauce.

My Momma ordered a 1/3 lb. beef burger with brie cheese, jalapenos, roasted red peppers, greens, and sun-dried tomato vinaigrette.

My Dad ordered a 1/3 lb. beef burger with lettuce, tomato, red onions, cucumbers, applewood smoked bacon, Danish blue cheese and honey mustard sauce.

To take advantage of the coupon, I ordered a Asian Veggie Signature Burger Bowl. It came very close to what I would have selected had I built my own bowl.

1/3 lb. Housemade Veggie Patty, organic mixed greens, carrot strings, chopped red onion, grilled pineapple, roasted red peppers, scallions, with a ginger soy glaze on the side.

I’m gonna go ahead and say this is the absolute best veggie burger that has ever entered my mouth. It even surpassed the amazing veggie patty from Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant–in fact, it kicked it off my veggie burger radar, completely.

Wow. Wow. Wow. I was blown away. I wish I had saved a bite so I could’ve brought it back home and analyzed the ingredients. I must go back and order this again!

Dim lighting=Fuzzilicious photos.

…but I want you to see how real it is!! No weird/sketchy ingredients.

Demolished.

So so stuffed…but in the best way possible.

We came back, chatted like old times, reminisced about our London days, and then hit the hay.

***

Tell me: What is the best burger (meat or veggie) that has ever entered your mouth? Did it come from a restaurant? A box? A fast food joint? I don’t judge burger preferences…honestly, I don’t at all .

Happy Friday!

This morning was spent cleaning up my room, bathroom and kitchen floor because I have a guest coming today for a short visit (she’s been on the blog before….long ago!).

Two things I have to say about that:

1) There is no bigger motivation to clean than the arrival of a guest. I was scrubbing down my bathroom as if it had been neglected for months. Not that it had been….I said as IF it had been. Yeah.

2) How the heck do I still have hair on my head?! And a lot of hair too. I swear I shed more than any species on this Earth, Labrador Retrievers included.

Beautimous, huh? Just don’t zoom in too closely .

**

Okay, I have one more thing to say about cleaning. Who would’ve thought, right?

I used these homemade glass + surface cleaners (Three Citrus + Lemon Lavender) that I got in my YumUniverse Launch Party goodie bag. It’s made with all natural and organic ingredients and made everything *sparkle.*

Ingredients: Organic white vinegar, organic lemon rind, organic lavender, organic lemon an/or lavender oil.

You can make your own too. Here’s how:

Fill glass jar halfway, or almost full, with lemon rind. Add 2-3 Tbsp lavender. Fill jar with organic white vinegar. Seal and soak for 3 weeks. Strain. Use and be amazed. <–their words, not mine.

The scent of vinegar lingers for a bit but I’d much rather use vinegar than harmful chemicals!

***

I made a Strawberry Lemonade Protein Green Smoothie to get me energized to scrubba dub dub.

(don’t be fooled by the angle of the shot…this glass is a biggie)

I used the same ingredients–protein powder and energizing green powder–as the first time. However, I left out the yogurt today.

I used extra ice  this time to make it super voluminous and refreshing. This protein powder sure makes smoothies F-R-O-T-H-Y! I had to grab a 2nd Magic Bullet cup because the smoothie kept growing and growing!

Kinda like Jack’s Beanstalk, if you will.

You can really see that beach chair I was referring to in my last post .

***

Of course, some Chunky Monkey Granola.

Hmmm where did all the pecans, chocolate chips and banana chips go?

…don’t look at me!!

I think we’re gonna have to consult the detectives working on The Case of the Missing Bread .

***

Workout: 50 min. elliptical + 15 min. incline walking +15 min. upper body strength training

***

Post workout: With dinner only an hour away, I kept my post workout snack on the light side…and high in protein to rebuild my muscles.

Arnold Sandwich Thin with scrambled egg whites, smoked salmon, and tomatoes on my new Relax plate.

Smoked salmon is not cheap, so I usually get the small TJ’s 3 oz. pack and use it for two different meals/snax. I’m still working on those bargain grape tomatoes. I’m amazed they’re still fresh.

When I got out to my dining spot, I noticed it was directly in the sun. See?

As I mentioned in my last post, it makes for very harsh lighting.

Thus, I transfered my photography spot to a shadier section of the balcony.

Ahhh much better. It even makes for a no-chair-needed Bird’s Eye View shot.

Thanks for the reminder to relax, dear plate!

I microwaved the egg whites in a bowl for 45 seconds and voila! an egg white patty. It doesn’t get any easier/simpler/faster that that, my friends.

I was sent these Arnold Sandwich Thins as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program.

My dad has been gobbling these up faster than you can say ‘sandwich thin.’ He likes them a lot and uses them to make peanut butter sandwiches almost every morning. Funny since he is all about hearty bread. I wonder if he knows they are 100 calories .

Note: I was also sent the multi-grain flavor but my dad ate them ALL before I could photograph them!

As for me, I think they are just okay. I like doughier bread so the thinness of it isn’t that appealing to me. The taste is pretty standard for whole wheat bread. If anything, it has a softer texture, which I like. In the end, it makes for a good round sandwich bread/bun.

***

2do 2nite:

At 8pm there is a Cold Matters Twitter Party to celebrate the launch of their new series. You can participate using the #ThermosCold hashtag. Sadly, I won’t be there [virtually] since we are going out to dinner.

***

Tell me: What kind of cleaners do you use in your house?

Okay, off to eat and play with my GUESTIE!!

After returning from my dish extravaganza yesterday, I was in serious need of some snax. Dish shopping is tiring when you’re lifting up heavy plates and imagining how they would look in photos with various foods.

I had a plate of dates with coconut butter. We finally finished our jar of almond butter. Now, what time is it?!

It’s sunflower seed butter time! I’m comin’ outta rehab .

I also finished off a tub of plain yogurt (~1 cup) with a banana. I love when bananas are at this stage–ripe with plenty of brown spots but not mushy yet.

Love green bananas? I read in the latest issue of Health magazine that slightly green bananas have more resistant starch. The starches turn into sugar as the banana ripens.

Workout:

60 min. elliptical + 10 min. abs and stretching

***

Dinner was a dish prepared by Peter, Head Chef at Peter’s Kitchen. It’s been awhile since his dishes have been featured here. I had something on my mind already but my dad insisted on cooking something for me….in less than 10 minutes.

I’m going to try and get him to write a guest post since so many of you ask for tutorials/recipes. Stay tuned.

Here’s a preview:

Peter, posing with a head of broccoli in his chef coat….errr Road Runner t-shirt .

After a humongous dinner, I somehow made room for some cantaloupe. So ripe and so sweet.

Then, I picked up a package from the HLS roomie Sarah!

Sarah is one of the first bloggers I met (back in Jan ‘09 when I was a blogless reader). We met up at a restaurant in Hillsborough, NC with Kath, Matt, and a few other readers. Several months later, after I started LLE, we began to communicate more and more. We sat next to each other at HLS 2009. Then in the Fall of 2009, we watched Food (Th)Inc. together, organized an NC blogger meet-up, and then had several more meet-ups! You can see all of my blogger meet-up posts on my Favorite Posts page.

Sarah has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders…at school, with Live Laugh Eat and in life. I’m so sad that we live hundreds of miles apart now .

P.S. I think Sarah has the best handwriting of any doctor I’ve ever known. I bet pharmacists love her prescription slips .

She is a big AllieBar fan too, so I brought her some when I went to HLS 2 weeks ago. She sent me this delicious granola made in Chapel Hill, NC as a thank you.

I’ve gotten Little Red Wagon Granola once before when I was living in Hilton Head. Of course I tried the Carrot Cake flavor. <–during my first week of blogging (!!).

I was excited to try another flavor last night, Chunky Monkey. It has banana chips, chocolate chips, pecans and almonds. Mmmm!

I opened the bag immediately.

….and went back for more and more and more…

…and more. I’m not sure if there are any chocolate chips or pecans left in the bag!! Thank you, Sarah–I miss you too!

***

Yesterday, I asked you where you take your food photos (if you do). Well, I thought it would be fun to show you where I take MY photos. You know, so you can see where the magic happens .

Usually, I go out onto the balcony for the best lighting….

…and get tangled in that hairy plant every time!

It has chairs that I can stand on to get a bird’s eye view….while getting some funky glances from the neighbors.

I occasionally use this little table when the sun is shining directly onto the bigger table. I try to avoid direct sunlight because it can be quite harsh.

Have you ever wondered why some of my photos have a blue blur in the background? Yeah, it’s that darn beach chair right over there.

If I feel like it, I typically grab a placemat on my way out. Don’t ask why the tags are still on.

If I’m lazy or don’t have the ability/time to take everything onto the balcony (such as when I’m doing step by step photos for a recipe), I use this lovely window sill by the kitchen table. It only gets good lighting during certain hours of the day though.

I would love it a whole lot more if those grey bars weren’t there.

Remember several months ago when all of my food was photographed on top of a concrete slab? Yeah, that was right here on the ‘porch’ of my apartment at school.

That apartment was like a cave and the only place I could get a good amount of light (or any light at all) was outside on the porch…or on my bed HA! It wasn’t the most modern looking apartment but we all know the air conditioning definitely worked!!

I went out there every single day, even when it was snowing.

I’m gonna have to find a whole new set of good photography spots once we move to the new house. The kitchen has a ton of windows though so it should be easy. Hopefully I won’t have to go outside when it’s frigid!!

***

Tell me: How do you like your bananas? What’s your favorite granola flavor?

I woke up bright and early this morning because I had a a meeting with the bakery owner. She was out when I dropped off my application on Monday, so I called to see if I could go back and chat with her for a little bit (proactivity!). I started off my day with a cup o’ [72% decaf] Joe in my AIM mug, while Google-reading and Twittering.

I swear AIM taught me how to type

…and gossip with friends.

Everyone eats with their Garmin next to them on the kitchen table, right?

***

Before I knew it, it was time to GO! I can be such a slow poke in the morning. Thus, I had to whip up breakfast in a NANA-second (Ha. Ha.).

Strawberry-Nana No-Bake Baked Oatmeal with yogurt.

For this batch of No-bake Baked Oatmeal, I added 1/4 of a mashed banana to the batter. I also experimented with egg whites from a carton. I got worried because the egg whites weren’t as goopy (compared to egg whites from whole eggs), but it worked well.

I tried microwaving them a little bit longer before transferring to the pan (~45 seconds). That way they would be more ‘cooked’ on the inside –> a more baked-like finish product.

Looks peaceful. Unfortunately, I had to wolf this baby down.

My please-hire-me outfit. A headless shot because I was too nervous to smile for the camera (or maybe I was too ashamed of my dirty mirror + room!).

Okay, here it is…my eeps-I’m-so-nervous face.

The bakery. So duuurn cute.

I know your fingers and toes must be cramping by now but you’ll have to keep them crossed for another week or two…or three? Hmmm.

***

On the way home, I stopped by HomeGoods (AKA Wonderland) to make good use of the trip and to soothe my soul. If you are not familiar with HomeGoods, it’s a store by the same company as Marshall’s and TJ Maxx (name brand products for much cheaper) but it’s all home stuff!

….like dishes and cookware!

I found some leaf plates <–my favorite!

Halloween stuff already!? Look at this precious little guy.

Could I brush my fruits ‘n’ veggies with this?

A tea pot on clearance for $5!! Doesn’t it kinda look like my tea pot from Target?

Londontown.

Mmm hmm! Tell it sistah!

The murmuring of ‘I want…I need…I must have‘ went on for a good 50 minutes as I weaved in and out of the aisles.

I wasn’t planning on spending a whole lotta money but I just couldn’t walk away empty handed. I just couldn’t.

So? What did I buy?!

A good reminder to eat mindfully .

Okay, duh! I wasn’t passing up on this deal. Oh no siree.

It even comes with a plate. Two birds with one stone.

A leaf bowl.

And the adorable cupcake/muffin holder. I think I can bake with this too, although I don’t think I will!

Guess how much I spent?

$21 buckeroos. Not too shabby, right?

***

Also, speaking of leaf plates, pumpkin, and all things FALL….who remembers my obsession (<–one of my most favorite posts ever) with Starbucks Pumpkin Spice [Crack-Laced] Lattes? I think that’s what I’m looking forward to most of all this fall.

If you weren’t around back then…long story short, I would get a venti P.S. latte/coffee every time I made the trip to and from school.

Speaking of school, boy am I glad I’m not going back there this week! I smile every time I remember that I graduated and will not be making the trek back to Durham this year.

HALLELUJAHHHH!