Comfort Food

So, I mentioned yesterday that I am sick. Well, that is still a true statement, but I'm on the upswing, so good news there! And like anyone feeling a little under the weather, comfort food is exactly what the doctor ordered.

My kind of comfort food was a little different than what you would normally expect of a bed ridden person, and I thought my nutritional choices yesterday were HILARIOUS, so I thought I would share. Over the course of the day, I consumed:

• a bowl of cereal
• half of a bagel turkey sandwich 
• granola bar
• macaroni and cheese
• 1.75 cookies
• ONE GALLON of fluids!

ok, one gallon might not seem like a big endeavor, but you go try to drink eight pounds of fluid throughout the day and tell me how hard that is! Yes, over 130 ounces of water/ vitamin water went through my system, and I'm attributing all the liquid to my upbeat mood today (or maybe that just happens when you've been sitting in bed for 2 days).

But anyway, back to the food... nothing but carbs! And it was amazingly lovely! While some people may only crave hot soup for their food of choice, not me. I've never been a soup person... I prefer to chew my food...so crazy carbs it was and oh so delicious! 

What can I say? My body was just craving some glucose. And my bed-time snack was the same theme:

And I ate this all while studying diabetes... the ironic-ness of the statement never fails to make me chuckle.

Sometimes a blogger gets sick...

I knew this day would happen at one point.

I would become sick and not have anything prepared to blog about....SAD DAY! It's terrible when you have lots of yummy food planned to make, and all you feel like eating is bland crackers and macaroni and cheese from a box (it's the organic kind at least!). So I apologize for the lack of interesting pictures, but hopefully my "sickness" will leave me and I can return to my weekly dinner plan.

But I do have a little "trick" up my sleeve, so I will be sharing that with you all today!

Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars

I have been wanting to make my own granola bars for a while now to try and pack as much delicious nutrition in it as possible without it being overly sweet. And for a first-timer, I think I did a pretty darn good job! Crunchy, soft, and chewy in all of the right places!

PS: I apologize in advance, because I do not know what size pan is appropriate for these bars. I made a "mini" batch when creating the recipe and I just doubled that to give you a "normal" size batch...oops!

Print this recipe!

Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bars


Ingredients

• 1 cup (100 grams) rolled oats
• 1/4 cup (40 grams) whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup (40 grams) raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) raisins
• 1/8 cup (15 grams) toasted wheat germ
• 1/2 cup raw almonds and walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup local honey

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients together, except the honey, until everything is evenly mixed and well blended together.

Add the honey and I recommend spraying your hands with pam spray before incorporating everything together. It is MUCH easier if you use your hands to combine everything.

Spread mixture into an 8 x 8 slightly greased oven safe dish. To spread out the mixture evenly and with minimal mess, use wax paper to spread and flatten the granola bar mixture.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 18 - 20 minutes.

Allow to cool, and then slice into 8 individual bars

Make it Greek

What's next on my food agenda? Well, with my love for smoothies and breakfast items, I tend to use yogurt very frequently. But, sometimes I feel like I'm a bit of a yogurt snob...aka: I only really like greek yogurt. However, a large greek yogurt container (32 oz) usually cost around $8, my grocery budget is not quite a fan of the price tag.

BUT I found an awesome way to make Greek yogurt for way cheaper (like $2.50) and it is just as delicious! You just need to gather a few items...

• 32 oz. organic, plain, non-fat regular yogurt  (usually about $2 - 3)
• Cheese cloth
• Rubber band
• Tall, narrow tupperware container (or the glass container of a blender works well too

Step 1: Take a portion of the cheese cloth (about 12 inches long) and secure it on the top of your tupperware container with the rubber band. Be sure you have a double layer of cheese cloth (like so)

Step 2: empty entire container of yogurt into the cheese cloth. 

 Be sure it is all "secure" and won't fall off the sides. It it look sort of like a pyramid!

Step 3: place in the refrigerator overnight. The longer you let it sit, the thicker it will get!!

Looks thicker! This was after about 18 hours 

It shrank! All the liquid that came out!

Getting rid of the excess liquid that is in the yogurt is what will make the super thick greek yogurt! And guess what, you only payed a fraction of what it actually costs!

But even though you started with 32 oz of yogurt, you will not be let with that much (obviously). After the whole process is over, you are left with about 19 oz of thick greek yogurt for flavoring and eating. And 19 oz of yogurt is a perfect amount for me, because I am able to use it all without having it go to waste because of spoilage...no fun.

thick and delicious!

What is your favorite use for greek yogurt?

Eat your greens!

I'm back for another Try it Tuesday post!

On many days, I go workout at 6 pm or even later, so I usually get really hungry in between that time and lunch. And that was definitely the case yesterday. So I tried out an Amazing Grass Bar.

I tried the chocolate flavor and it was pretty darn tasty! The Amazing Grass Company is know for their protein powder mix, which is organic and 100% plant based. And the energy bars, like the one I ate, combines their protein powder mix into an compact and portable form!

I'm not going to lie... I was a tad worried about what this bar would taste like. I've read from other blogs about the Amazing Grass protein powder and apparently it has an interesting flavor. But surprisingly, this bar tasted just like chocolate! The inner part has a slightly "tinge" of green, but for the most part, it didn't taste like much, except chocolate!

I love that this bar is certified 100% organic and it was completely delicious and held my hunger over quite nicely through bootcamp, without making be feel super heavy. I will definitely be trying this again sometime! For a quick nutritional breakdown:

kcal: 230
Fat: 8 g ( only 1 g saturated fat)
Cholesterol: 0 g
Sodium: 25 mg (SUPER low!)
Carbs: 35 g
Sugars: 26 grams
Protein: 5 grams

It's a tad high in sugar, but the added protein keeps you feeling full more than a plain old granola bar.

For more info on Amazing Grass products, check them out online, here!

Pinterest Dinner

You should know something about me.... I am OBSESSED with pinterest.

But really, if you are not currently on pinterest, then something needs to change... STAT!

Pinterest is near and dear to my heart, because there is a never ending plethora of amazing food, clothes, hair, travel destinations, and crafting ideas. You can literally be amused looking at the "pins" for hours (and I would know!).

Thank you pinterest

So when I found a pin on pinterest for Stuffed Zucchini Squash I knew I had to come up with my own version of the recipe. The result?...purely delicious! And I have pinterest to thank for that!

Upon inspection, you may think a vegetable stuffed with more vegetables would be bland and non-delicious. Well, think again because the key to this dish is a layering of flavors... sweet caramelized onion and carrots, meaty mushrooms, fresh tomato, a hint of cheese, and you can't forget the bacon! (10 bucks says you just got a little hungry)

Seriously, this is a perfect way to eat your veggie's in a delightful and interesting combination! Try it out! You will definitely NOT be disappointed!

Print this recipe!

Vegetable Stuffed Squash


Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 small red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup carrot, diced
• 3 small shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 small yellow squash
• 1/2 tomato, diced
• 2 slices turkey bacon, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup 2% mexican shredded cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• basal, rosemary, red pepper flakes

Directions
In a small sauté pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Then add the onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. Turn down the heat to low and add mushrooms and garlic. Cook until everything is soft, about another 4 - 5 minutes. Remove from heat when cooked.

Slice your yellow squash in half, lengthwise. 

Hollow out the middle of the sliced squash with a spoon, being careful not to puncture the outer layer of squash. Save the removed middle of the squash and roughly chop.

Cute little "boats"!

Add the chopped squash and tomato to the onion mixture and season to taste with salt, pepper, basal, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Stir in crumbled bacon, yogurt, and cheese until everything is throughly combined.

Firmly pack mixture into the hollowed out squash "boats." Distribute the mixture evenly between the 4 squash halves. Place squash in a lightly greased oven proof dish.

Bake squash in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then broil to brown the tops slightly for 1 - 2 minutes.

Consume and be happy