Cheesy grits with fluffy scrambled eggs

In case you missed it - I put up an About page. It is a work in progress (read: endless editing to occur for the foreseeable future) but I took everyone's advice and stopped thinking so much about it (ha ha!) and just put something up there.

The ensemble for this morning's breakfast:

Eggs, quick cooking grits and nutritional yeast.

You may be wondering why nutritional yeast is making an appearance so often lately. Well, the reason is that I finally found some Red Star nutritional yeast which (if online reviews are to be believed) has the best flavor.

So, I have been trying it out in different recipes. And this morning it was going into the grits.

I cooked 1 serving of grits according to the package directions - I don't like my grits thick so I added in a bit more water.

When the grits finished cooking I stirred in 2 Tbsp. of nutritional yeast for a cheesy finish.

They are a bit hard to see but there are cheesy grits under there.

Then I whisked 1 whole egg and 1 egg white in a bowl with dried parsley, dried basil and salt and pepper. The eggs cooked on low and pulled off the heat while they were still a bit undercooked. 

At this point I get out chopsticks (for some reason a fork just doesn't work as well) and scramble/fluff the eggs while they finish cooking from the residual heat in the pan. 

The meal was rounded out with a bowl of blueberries and some tea with soy milk.

What do I think of the Red Star nutritional yeast? I can see why people prefer it - It definitely has a stronger cheddar flavor and if you are using nutritional yeast to replace cheese? The extra cheddar flavor is a big plus.

I am planning on making a homemade version of my favorite take out dish tonight - Time to go shopping for the ingredients!

Imagination at work

You know what happens when you go to this store -

the day before you drop your dogs off at the dog 'hotel' and you are filled with doggie mom guilt?

You end up bringing home this:

A bulk size bag of rawhides.

My other purchases that were not bought in a guilt filled haze:

I know it is not eco-friendly to buy these. I should be filling up reusable bottles to bring my toiletries but I just love these miniature darlings. They bring back great memories of past trips.


My lunch held off hunger for quite a while so I ate dinner pretty late.


I used my imagination and put together this odd collection of characters.

Edamame, grapes,coleslaw and blueberries.

Everything got thrown into a bowl and since I am slowly working yogurt back into my diet - I stirred in some greek yogurt (I think blue cheese dressing would also work well if you want something a little sweeter).

I thought it was going to taste awful but I was surprised. I ended up eating it in stages - First, I ate all the edamame with the coleslaw first (I love edamame). Next I scooped up the grapes one by one. And lastly, the sweet blueberries.


And, it turns out that eating it in that order created a nice progression from savory to sweet/sour and finishing with crunchy sweet. Yum!

And in one of my many impulse purchases - I couldn't resist this at the store - 

 

I admit, it was the tagline that pulled me in. I am a sucker for a good tagline.

Night all!

The game plan and herbed egg whites

I looked over the eating plan my sister's had tried.

The important highlights?


- lots of fruits and vegetables

- low fat (but not non-fat)


- small amounts of protein at almost every meal


- eating small portions 


- no dairy


So that will be my game plan for the moment. 


By the time dinner rolled around I was ready for some protein.

Herbed egg white sandwich.

I scrambled 3 egg whites with a pinch of dried basil and parsley.


An Orowheat Sandwich Thin went into the toaster.

I also had a bit of the coconut juice left so that was my drink with dinner.

And I had another bag of the Brainberries.

I am surprised by how much I like these blueberries. I have been avoiding blueberries at the local store because they have been too sour. But I was thrilled when these Brainberries turned out nice and sweet.

Time to face facts

So on Saturday night you may remember I went out to eat here:

And I ate this:

And it was delicious. I enjoyed every bite. 


But as I sat up that night with raging heartburn, I realized it was time to face facts.


My family (at least the female half) all have with age - developed a sensitivity to high fat foods.


I have been in full blown denial that this oh-so-fun-genetic-legacy had finally started to affect me. Sure, I made small concessions but I never took it that seriously.


My sister's were completely unsurprised when, after they had seen what I had posted as my dinner, I was stuck home the next day nursing a bum stomach.


Two of my sisters (yup, I have more than two) said they enjoyed blissfully calm stomachs following Tracy Anderson's 30 day method diet. I was pleased to find that I actually had a copy of the book in my bookshelf.


While I read up on what might have been the reason for my sister's happy tummies while on that eating plan, I am gingerly sipping on a smoothie.

1/2 a banana, one scoop of Amazing Grass, 1 packet of blueberries and young coconut juice.

It doesn't look very pretty but it tastes OK and so far feels soothing on my tummy.

Connor got a couple of bites of banana because it is his second favorite (after peanut butter, of course).


And, yes, there was a point to this post. From now on I am going to have a go at embracing my gastrointestinal reality with a positive attitude (someday - right now I am still wallowing in bitterness and self-righteous indignation).


So there will be a shift towards a lower fat diet. Hopefully, I will figure out how to go about this without being stuck surviving on a diet of steamed veggies and rice...

Sunrise muesli

Today I woke up before sunrise for some reason so you will have to excuse the flash.

So, this morning it was sunrise muesli:

Muesli with milk, blueberries, slivered almonds and peanut butter.

And very strong coffee.

The dogs were out of kibble this morning so I am cooking them some breakfast now.

I will post pictures later...

Fruit soup

The workers told me yesterday they will be cutting down the tree in my patio.

I love this tree. It is one of the reasons I rented this apartment. But, apparently, there is a new policy in the complex that forbids trees in the patios. Sigh.

I am hoping that the tree guys:

1. Are unable to work in the torrential down pours that are happening today.

2. Are too busy chopping down everyone else's trees and don't get to mine so that I get to enjoy my tree for another weekend.


The next item up on the soy front? Soft tofu.

I combined a good size chunk of the tofu with an apple, an orange, some blueberries, Kyo-Green and some Udo's oil. 

 

It turned out to have the consistency of a thick, fruit soup.

Topped with almond slivers.

The combination of fruit was spot-on and the tofu added a nice creaminess to the smoothie without interferring with the taste of the fruit.

And coffee.

A healthy serving of protein plus tons of fruit? I think I will be making more of these!


The dogs enjoyed this:

Apple slices with a large dollop of peanut butter.

A good start to the day for all of us :-)

A good trend

Today started tinged in blue.

Blueberry Chobani yogurt with extra blueberries.

 

I am trying to make sure I get plenty of protein to start the day so I also had this:

I mixed one whole egg with the just the egg whites from a second egg - added in a tsp. of greek yogurt, a pinch of basil and a pinch of salt.

Kona coffee, an orange, yogurt and scrambled egg.

The good trend of the day? I did a short shuffle/jog this morning - which marks the beginning of my journey back to running!!

And I am starting a closet project today - which means laundry and culling out clothes I don't wear.

A bit of an intimidating project for a Monday...

A sunshine morning

My plans to attend the family party yesterday did not happen.

By early afternoon, I was running a fever and had to cancel :-(


I spent last night clutching a mug of chamomile tea - wrapped in a very fuzzy robe and watching the Oscars.

On the upside? I am very happy that it is not a stomach bug.

I started my day like this:

A huge glass of water with 1 scoop of Amazing Grass and a mug of very strong coffee.

I know most people are not fans of plain green drinks - most combine them with fruit, etc. But for some reason I really enjoy the slightly bitter, earthy taste without anything else added.

I also like the taste of wheatgrass (juiced) - I know I must be alone in this...

And for the heartier fare:

1 cup of oatmeal with blueberries and a drizzle of maple syrup.

I am heading into the day with the positive belief that my big glass of green goodness will kick this virus in the tuckus.

That and a little time spent out in the sun (It is really sunny here this morning!) walking the dogs.

Happy Monday!

A biscuit kind of morning

I am still fighting insomnia. I was up until 4 am last night which is so not fun :-(

The good news? I managed to sleep for 6 hours!

I woke up feeling energetic for once. After my 30 minutes of yoga (I did a 30 min. tv program called Namaste yoga), I was in the mood for baking.

I decided I wanted to make biscuits. I had about 1 cup of Bisquick mix left in the box. I mixed that with some milk but I went a little overboard with the milk and it came out more like a batter than dough. 

So I searched around my kitchen for something I could use to thicken it up. I had some nutritional yeast but that type of flavor for the biscuits seemed wrong.

I added in some panko (not the greatest idea) but then I found a small bag of flour crammed in the back of my fridge.

Things went much better after that :-)

I won't give you the details about the panko incident - but just know that I did end up adding some ricotta cheese to the mix and then adding in the flour.

I rolled out the dough a bit too thin so they came out more like biscuit cookies.


Each biscuit was smothered with ricotta and blueberries. The top biscuit was adorned with a healthy dollop of greek yogurt. 

Then I mixed some water, blueberries and honey (sugar works better but I didn't have any) and let is simmer till it reduced to a thin syrup.

Did I eat this creation as a tower? Heck, no.

More blueberry syrup on top.

Chai tea.

I am going to do my best to get to sleep at a decent hour tonight.

I am considering putting in 2 - 3 hours on the treadmill so I will be so physically exhausted I will have no choice but to fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow tonight.

Is this an extreme solution? Nah :-)

Sooo hungry

I probably should have had a little something for dinner last night because I woke up this morning STARVING. Not a good thing.

I wanted something fast so - 

1 cup of muesli + 1/2 cup of milk + chopped apple + blueberries.

It was just what I needed - quick to make and quick to get in my tummy.

The morning would not be complete without caffeine.

I am amazed how plump and juicy these blueberries have stayed all week long.

I guess I could call this post "The Ode to Blueberries" except it is neither lyrical or poetic :-)

I am hoping to get in a dog outing later today - we shall see...

Breakfast Act 1

Even though I slept 8+ hours last night - I still woke up exhausted((

I had a little bit of yogurt left so I mixed up this:

Greek yogurt with muesli, blueberries and a drizzle of honey.

And of course tea!

I have a little something cooking on the stove.

Breakfast Act 2 coming soon...

Smoothies and toothaches

A certain fuzzy girl was up all night with a toothache (((

Poor Abby. 

Recently, at her yearly checkup, the vet noticed that one of her canines was chipped and part of the root may be exposed. It hadn't been bothering her - until last night.

And this is Abby after finding out I will have to make a dental appointment for her.

So, suffering from exhaustion, I assembled the ingredients for a smoothie.

I blended up a handful of blueberries, some red leaf lettuce, 1/2 a banana, a scoop of Amazing Grass - Green Super Food, 1 Tablespoon of Udo's oil and 2 Tablespoons of apple sauce.

Nope, it is not pretty - but it tasted great.

The dogs treat:

This is one of my favorite mixes to give the dogs: Kyo-green + yogurt + Udo's oil. The yogurt aids in digestion (if given in small quantities), the healthy greens in the Kyo-Green makes the pigments in the dogs coats really pop and the EFA's in the Udo's oil helps give them a glossy coat. 

That is nutritional info - but as anyone can tell you - presentation is everything...

I am not looking forward to a day filled with errands - or making the call for Abby's dental appointment...