Resource Rhythm

I'm trying to use up all my nuts/grains, and also wanted a good carb source to have on hand so tried whipping up another batch of Gluten-Free Quick Bread! So easy and tasty. Epic with Hummus or Baba Ghanoush. I love being resourceful, not buying ingredients, and keeping things tasty!

 This time I went beyond S&P for flavor and added a bunch of Bragg's 24 Herb Mix. I also used a mashed date instead of applesauce, 5g of agave nectar instead of sucanat, and my homemade extra thick almond milk. It came out super flavorful, savory but a tad sweet with nice crunchiness and occasional date treats!

 Since I used up the almond milk and almond butter I made, it was time to move on to my next nut sources. I did Brazil Nut Milk w/ contents of 1 Vanilla Bean Pod and then Hazelnut Butter! Wow. They rule. Especially in a delicious bowl of overnight oats:

• 1/4c Oats
• 1 Scoop Vanilla Plant Protein
• Cherries
• Dried Cherries and Cranberries
• Cacao Nibs
• Chia Seeds
• Shredded Coconut
• Brazil Nut Milk
• Hazelnut Butter and Cinnamon to top

So creamy and nutty with oodles of berries/cherries and the cinnamon and cacao nibs match up perfectly.

 Another Sashimi Salad, this time with a little Wakame Salad, Avocado, and Albacore Tuna. Mmm I don't ever want to lose access to quality cheap sushi grade fish.

Bungalow Munchers

As I mentioned before, I needed to try my hand at cookies w/ avocado. Jeri from Bungalow Munch also wanted me to make a Bungalow Munch Cookie recipe. Thus, Bungalow Munchers are born.

Version 1.0: 

 I got a little bit carried away I think with too many ideas trying to fit into one cookie with these, but they are still quite delicious and well on their way to being a solid recipe.

The flavor is superb! If I can get the same flavor but have these present like cookies and not semi crispy granola-mush balls I will be on fire!

Sweet and flavorful yet a only a bit crispy on the outside and pretty mushy like bread pudding (I don't mind at all!) on the inside. The best tasting bread pudding on the planet! Chocolatey (carob) Carroty Granola-y Cinnamon-y Raisin-y goodness! I almost don't even care if they act like cookies or not. 

Version 2.0

I went for more dry ingredients the 2nd go around, and it definitely helped, but I need push it a tad more.  I kept the flavor except with more carrot (yess) and a little less sweet (the middle ground will be best) going from agave nectar to raw cane sugar, so will switch half-half.

(the lighting made them extra yellow, but they actually look more like 2 photos above)

I shaped them how I wanted them to turn out knowing they wouldn't flatten and they ended up much more like cookies! Still a bit soft, not crumbly, but not quite holding together fully either. The changes I'm incorporating below in the recipe should do the trick.

• 4t Egg White powder
• 2T Coconut flour
• 4T Brown rice flour
• 2T Whole Raw Cane Sugar or Brown Sugar
• 2T Agave Nectar
• 1t Cinnamon
• 1/2t Baking powder
• 1 Avocado
• 1/4c Almond butter
• 1t Vanilla
• 1.5c Bungalow Munch Granola
• 1/4c Carob Chips (or chocolate, just didn't have any...) *the more the merrier though!
• 42g Raisins (I had a small kid snack box, didn't measure it)
• 1.75c Shredded Carrot

Mix dry ingredients, food processor/blender/smart stick wet ingredients, add final dry ingredients and bake at 300º at 30-40 min shaped in their final desired form!

Gluten/Dairy Free with delicious carrot, cinnamon, raisins, granola, and carob chips.  The texture of the carrot/chips/granola is so bomb, yummy morsels to bite into in every bite! If you try out this recipe with or without great success please comment/let me know what you think/how it goes because it's one of my only recipes I came up with without really adapting from another one!

Downieville

Downieville Pre XC Race Dinner

 Keeping on the gluten free train, I recruited my Seaweed snacks to partake in Burrito night.  We had delicious chicken sauteed with herbs and spices, accompanied by brown rice, avocado, arugula, and carrot.  Salsa, Hummus, and Lemon all around to kick up the fun!

 This bowl of oatmeal before my downhill race just looked too good to not photo.

• Oatmeal
• Almond Milk
• Strawberries and Blackberries
• Coconut Butter and Shredded Coconut
• Almond Butter
• Bottom of the Bag Rice Cake Crisps!

It was a creamy nutty coconut berry blast!

After pigging out on Bungalow Munch Granola with blueberries, Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, Almond Milk, and Crystalized Ginger, this clean dinner hit the spot perfectly the night before the dh race.  

• Ginger Seared Ahi Tuna Steaks
• Grilled Salmon
•  Quinoa Salad with Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Garbanzos

 All topped with a bit of Tahini! Sesame Ginger for days.

Once again, I felt the need for a light clean dinner after cramming tons of food post race, so hit up a big salad with some sauteed veggies, cashews, rice cake bits, and garbanzo beans. Dressed in olive oil/balsamic and partially wrapped in seaweed.  The mushroom/butternut squash sauté in coconut oil was quite epic.  Definitely going to start using coconut oil more often!

Whole Athlete-Specialized Tahoe Training Camp Part I

If you remember my posts from living with the team before, these may be similar, but i'll try to include what's new and exciting! Also check out the girls team's blog/log from the camp!

 A non-oatmeal breakfast for once. The best TJ's Gluten Free Blueberry Raspberry Oatbran Muffin toasted and topped with Artisana Coconut Butter (frosting!), Almond Butter, and Sea Salt. Accompanied by Hard boiled egg whites for some protein and fresh cherries for some sweetener / antioxidants!

Sorry for the bad photos, the lighting wasn't so good but the taste was superb! Slightly spicy yet sweet all around.

One of the more epic dinners: a massive baked sweet potato along with the best baked chicken and summer salad! Inspired by the salads from Wisconsin.

• Romaine Lettuce, Raddichio, Tomato, Carrot, Avocado, Peaches, Olive Oil/Balsamic, S&P
• Chicken Breast, Artichoke Hearts, TJ's Ponzu Sauce, Basil, S&P, Chile Powder

The accompanying salad was sweet and delicious from the plenty of olive oil/balsamic and a hint of peach, the chicken sweet yet spicy from the sauce and chile powder/basil, and well, sweet potatoes are obvious.

 A quick throw together salad for lunch! Super easy salad fixings, canned tuna, and toasted gluten free bread. A bit of salsa, hummus, and spice brings it all together!

• Lettuce, Carrot, Tomato, Olives
• Olive Oil / Balsamic
• Brown Rice Bread toasted
• Canned Light Tuna
• Salsa and Garlic Hummus
• Sea Salt, Lemon Pepper, TJ's Every Day Seasoning

I am loving toasted brown rice bread and the tuna goes great with olive oil, spices, hummus, and salsa.

We do oatmeal a lot and I've got a couple goodies on hand to mix it up. This one was Chocolate Cherry Almond. The breakfast prep crew went with Cinnamon, Apple, and Banana cooked in (the standard) and I topped with:

• 100% Cacao Baker's Chocolate
• Almond Butter
• Honey
• Cherries

With no added sugar in the chocolate, a bit of honey adds just the right touch! You can either wait for the oatmeal to cool and enjoy crunchy choco bits of melt it in right away for a more pudding mix in theme. I enjoyed the warm melty delicious version! AB and Honey go so well together as do Dark Chocolate, Almond, and Cherries!

Speaking of Oatmeal, I used the leftovers with some other on hand ingredients to make into muffins! TJ's muffins ain't got nothing on my resourceful Bread Pudding Oatmeal Muffins!

I didn't really measure anything out, just added a bit of each thing as needed and it worked out pretty well.  No egg/flour/oat bran required! They are pretty much gluten free too except for the tiny bit of crunchy cereal added. I've been keeping gluten/wheat free quite well!

• Leftover oatmeal with Banana/Apple cooked in (maybe 2-2.5 cups)
• Vanilla Whey protein powder (2 scoops)
• Baking powder (~1.5T)
• Greek yogurt ~2.5T
• Organic Cane Sugar ~1/4c
• Pumpkin/sunflower seeds 1/4c
• 2 Dates
• Raisins/Cherries (small handful)
• Cinnamon/Sea salt (couple shakes ea.)
• a bit of Ezekiel Flax Sprouted Grain Cereal (for the crunch factor)
• 20-30min at 400º F

 The tops become muffin texture, slightly crispy and nice while the bottoms maintain an oatmeal bread pudding state (especially with the cooked banana/date/apple!).  They are delicious vanilla/oaty/cinnamony baked deliciousness! Especially good with some Almond Butter and a bit more Sea Salt/Cinnamon sprinkled on top. Off to do some more shredding.

Race/Travel Eats and My Best Oatmeal Ever

A little race and travel action this weekend, but nothing too extreme so I'm including today's yummy breakfast! I can never sleep well the night after a race for various reasons, one of which is extreme hunger waking me up early.  At first I was bummed this wouldn't let me sleep in until 7 for school, but it gave me the time to eat hot oatmeal for breakfast (vs. overnight) which is especially epic for reasons you'll see below! I ended up so thankful. Plus an afternoon nap won't hurt.

Check out the Creamy White Drizzling! 

Coconut Tart Bread Pudding Oatmeal

I was looking forward to trying my new Artisana Coconut Butter on something warm, but wasn't prepared for this awesome experience. I now look forward to eating hot breakfasts with it melting over the top so much.  I enjoyed the flaky almost mushy topping before quite a bit, but when it is warm and melted it mixes in way more and turns into a creamy delicious frosting, also kind of sweet somehow. Words can't do it justice.

• 2.5T Sprouted Quinoa, 2/3c Coconut Milk, 1/2c Oats, 1/3 cup water
• 1/2T Chia 1/2T Sunflower
• 1 Date, 2 pieces Dried Mango (add just before done)
• 10g Plant Fusion Vanilla Protein (1T?)
• Blueberries, Strawberries
• 1T Coconut Butter

  #1 If you want your breakfast to become a delicious dessert, that's how it's done.  Combine with another epic discovery of having a sliced Date actually somewhat cooked in! It reminds me so much of bread pudding for some reason.  I think these two phenomenons on top of some tarty tang from dried mango and more delicious coconut milk and chia seeds cooked in and bam!  Favorite oatmeal yet.

Celebratory Race Feast?

    I usually don't feel like eating much after a delicious 600 calorie Big Sur Bar, so combined with a 6 hour car ride and trying to get home before midnight I came up with this creation, which I was totally fine with! I combined some leftover supplies we had with some veggies from a Mexican market off the freeway (I really just wanted a convenient T-Joe's Salad but there was nothing). Pretty weird but so tasty and got the job done.  Some Brown Rice Cakes, Avocado, Olives, and Hard Boiled Egg Whites combined with some purchased Carrots, Cabbage, and chopped / bagged Cactus! The cactus was bitter but almost sweet at the same time. A solid purchase for sure.  Basically partial cracker sandwiches and partial delicious cabbage leaf wraps with some Carrot-Cactus Guac!

    As I've been exploring what my stomach can tolerate/feels like after a race, this time I continued to change things up.  Instead of choosing a real lunch vs. super treat after my Gu-Brew Recovery Drink, I went with both! I was craving real food but didn't feel like missing out on some epic sweets, so I went with some delicious Spinach/Spring Mix Vinaigrette Salad combined with a Basil Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad supplied by the high school team parents!  I ended up not eating the pasta since I could get plenty of carbs from my massive and satisfying Date-Coconut-Pecan party Big Sur Bar, and it wasn't brown rice or whole wheat pasta.  My meal ended up being a clean tasty combo and I got all my desired nutrition with some dialed and easily digestible food!

Bungalow Race Munch!

Bungalow Munch is officially a Whole Athlete-Specialized Team Sponsor! Nothing like the conveniency of bringing the most high quality, organic, munchy granola to the races! A bit of Protein Powder is pretty easy and convenient as well, and really actually goes quite well with granola as it thickens nut milk up nicely, making it more like a creamy yogurt (which is of course perfect for granola)!  

• 1/2c Bungalow Munch Granola
• 3/4c Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• 1.75T Plant Fusion Vanilla Protein
• Strawberries/Blueberries

I wouldn't mind having this before every race! A creamy fruity toasty vanilla bowl! The Coconut Milk-Bungalow-Vanilla Plant Protein would go great with banana as well.

No mega pre race dinner, I unfortunately had to eat crappy bar food (chicken house salad where the chicken tasted like microwaved ham/airport food), but no matter when I can make my back up dessert fuel. Keeping gluten, wheat, and dairy free! Organic Plain Brown Rice Cakes with Naturally More Almond Butter, Sea Salt, and a Sliced Date. It's a delicious dessert combo that also has great nutrition! A must try combo.

Back into Baking! Buckwheat. And another Race!

I luckily got to do plenty of baking in the past few days, the cooking that started my passion so many years ago! It really is therapeutic. and fun to mess with different combinations and creations. like chemistry but 100x better. and tastier. I also raced!

I will master the buckwheat bake. I made 3 so far, one on Sunday morning and two on Sunday night to eat today and yesterday at school.  They are truly awesome, so many customizable themes and so many convenient options to your liking.

Buckwheat Bake 3.0

I am using egg whites for these on the go buckwheat bakes instead of chia eggs because I need to up the protein content as I mostly sit at school. This one was Mixed Berry with some Stevia to sweeten and the Pumpkin option instead of Banana. Plenty of crunchy Pumpkin seeds for even more protein and healthy fat (the most protein packed seed)! 

• Buckwheat Bake Recipe
• 5 Drops Stevia
• 1/2c Blueberries/Raspberries + additional fresh Raspberries

I like the pumpkin instead of mashed banana because the flavor is subtle and contributes less sugar/carbs (good for school, not for pre-ride).  The berries and stevia made it totally sweet enough to be yummy topping free!

The Inside: Delicious Tart Cooked Berries!

Besides the normals, this is worth including to mention the grain combo. Just enough protein for a not hungry-Max from lots of greens, quinoa, and tahini.

Clean and Tasty

  I mixed a 1:1 ratio of Quinoa and Wheat Berries in my rice cooker and it made a fluffy, nutty, almost corny mix! Way better and more nutrient dense than either one on their own. Also settling into a dialed standard Tahini Sauce mix!

• Grilled B-Sprouts (Mustard Seed, Olive Oil, S & P)
• Steamed Broccoli
• 1/3c Quinoa, 1/3c Farro, 2c water
• 1/2 Baked Sweet Potato
• Hummus and My Tahini Sauce (Tahini, Ginger Juice, Lemon, Cider Vinegar)

My second try involved a cocoa/carob-banana theme!

 Buckwheat Bake On the Go 2.0 

  The banana option and included fresh raspberries, which brought an occasional touch of tart! Raspberries get so much more tasty when cooked. The bake had tons of chocolate/carob/banana flavors working together and the carob chips made delicious melted morsels scattered throughout. One healthy chocolate muffin wanna-be for sure! This was the perfect amount of food to hold me over until lunch! (8am to 12pm)

• This Buckwheat Buckwheat Bake Recipe
• 1t unsweetened Cocoa Powder (didn't have carob)
• Egg White instead of Flax Egg
• 2t Carob Chips
• 2T chopped Almonds/Pumpkin Seeds instead of Walnuts
• Some Raspberries

Sweet enough from the Carob Chips/Berries to not need any topping. 

My first was a tasty nutty blueberry muffin! Not as protein heavy and definitely more sugar but that is perfect for pre-ride.

Basic Blueberry Buckwheat Bake 1.0

For attempt #1 I used coconut milk instead of almond milk, the chia seed egg option, and blueberry as the central focus. It was a bit mushy so I think almond milk works better.  I topped with my favorite blueberry jam and some agave nectar because it wasn't sweet enough, so for the future bakes (like above) won't have toppings on the go I will bake in additional goodies/sweetness. Who doesn't love biting into some tender cooked blueberries that explode with sweetness and flavor?

• This Blueberry Buckwheat Bake
• Chia Egg Option
• 2T Almonds/Pumpkin Seeds/Sunflower Seeds (not walnuts)
• Coconut Milk

Eating bread gluten and wheat free! When I saw this recipe and recently invested in buckwheat I had to give it a go.

Tasty With Toppings

 Before Topping

 I haven't been eating any bread for a while since i've been enjoying a wheat/gluten free spell, and this REALLY hit the spot. It tastes almost liqorice-y from the delicious black pepper combo and is moist, nutty, and not crumbly. I followed the recipe except with amaranth flour instead of millet flour. I had the same meal for lunch at school except with Wasabi Dijon Mustard and Hummus and it was just as good.

• 1 Serving of Buckwheat Millet Amaranth Bread
• 1/2 Block of Tempeh in the Toaster
• Gai Lan Broccoli steamed with Sesame/Sesame Oil
• Cucumber, Tomato, Green Onion, Avocado
• Lemon/Tahini, Hummus, Nutritional Yeast, S & P

Nutritional yeast combined with Hummus or Tahini and Avo is officially awesome as an almost salty-cheezy sauce and I love it. 

 Post Race Delight

Enjoyed some Futomaki Sushi leftovers (Sushi Ran) as a treat when I got home from the race. Accompanied by some leftover vegetables, brown rice, and tahini. Totally splurging...

 Recovery Muscle Brownie Treat

Lenny and Larry treats don't let me down after a super hard effort! 20g of Protein for the win.

 Pre Race O'Oats

Same pre-race overnight oats, added vanilla, Bing Cherries, Raspberries, Cocoa Powder, and more Almonds instead of Almond Butter.

Pre Race Dinner Out?

I went to Lydia's Kitchen for pre-race dinner, and got this French-Mex Buckwheat Crepe Wrap and House Salad. A moist soft buckwheat crepe around avocado, black beans, salsa, greens all topped with a cashew sunflower seed chile sauce! The first time Mexican food will taste light.  It wasn't filling enough so I ate some more at home, and the race was low key and mainly for training so I didn't make a special dinner. I went super fast feeling great so it definitely still worked! It's comforting to know that a variety of things won't fail me.

New Clean Eating = Super Fast! Mango Blueberry Coconut Superbowl, New Granola Review, New Race Food

I got a new White Iphone 4! It's so fast and sleek and I love it. Finally my pictures will now be near D-SLR quality. I was out of town and racing this weekend, here is the report from the race!

In a bowl

 I got home pretty late and had little in the fridge so decided to give Cafe Gratitude in San Rafael another shot by getting a take out bowl. And I'm glad I did. It hit the spot perfectly.

I Am Whole

 I got this bowl for the seaweed and japanese influence. The Kimchee and Tahini Ginger Dressing were amazing. Not too strong of pickle flavor on the kimchee and the right ginger-bite to creamy ratio on the dressing.  The Teriyaki roasted Almonds added the perfect amount of sweetness. Then add in a bunch more delicious sea vegetables, fluffy quinoa, and kale! It was expensive but worth it.

• Quinoa, Kale, Teriyaki Almonds
• Sea Vegetables, Housemade Kimchee (Japanese Pickled Cabbage), Kombu Seaweed
• Tahini Ginger Dressing

Post Race Lunch

For once I decided to not go with a massive cookie or bar after my recovery drink post race and tried eating real food. I was just kind of in the mood I guess, and it worked out just fine. The Mexican Black Beans, Chicken, and Vegetables looked pretty appetizing too. I went with that, some salad, salsa, hummus, and pita chips (the tortillas were white flour). I digested it all fine but missed out on having some delicious sweets because of it (could have had them but would of felt bad).

New Pre Race Dinner

I can't take credit for this, I was late joining my coach Julia Violich for dinner. She prepared this light and clean meal, a nutritious pasta and salad. There was no salt and pepper (still super tasty) and not too much protein, so I made the exception to eat feta cheese, which is arguably the healthiest cheese, especially if it comes from goats not cows due to easier digestion.  The salad was only dressed with olive oil and the pasta sauce was just olive oil, a bit of tomato paste, and a bit of feta and it all tasted amazing anyway! #1 The benefits of including a bunch of quality ingredients. I went heavy on the Quinoa Salad to try and get the protein and still had a rice cake with almond butter before bed, but felt really good and clean.

• Penne pasta (the only forgotten ingredient so had to suffice with what the closest store had)
• Zucchini, Squash, Mushroom, Red Pepper, Tomato Paste, Olive Oil, Feta
• Spring Mix, Quinoa Salad, Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, Olive Oil

I was planning the usual Overnight Oats Race Breakfast, but the only milk available was almond milk, which has minimal protein in it, so I opted to try out the From The Fields Granola that Julia had! I'd been wanting to try out this brand, and this was the perfect opportunity since it has the protein from quinoa flakes that I desired.  Plus I also learned from Julia that soy is a mucous forming food, and am now into a relatively new realm of nutrition for me.  I won't ramble about it forever, the article pretty much explains it. It's especially relevant to me right now because I've been coughing recently and haven't been able to completely clear my throat, which ends up being quite annoying during training/racing.

Cherry Almond Granola

So many clusters of quinoa crunchy love!  It seemed like it wouldn't be sweet or flavorful but it was, and formed clusters around lots of yummy roasted almonds.  The cherries were high quality and full of flavor, making such a clean delicious bowl. I'm stoked to finally try it, and all thanks to not having access to soy milk! It paired perfectly with almond milk and i'm also glad to open a new window of cleaner eating for when I feel like it. I definitely do feel cleaner eating almond milk over soy. The amount of sweetness is perfect (from honey and maple syrup), although occasionally I'd see my self adding in a date (recently learning from the mucous linked article that is the only non-sulphured dried fruit and is therefore less mucous forming). The touch of saltiness is awesome as well. And it's even wheat free and oil free. I can't wait to try the other flavors like Cardamom Rose or Orange Lavender!

• 1c From The Fields Cherry Almond Granola
• Almond Milk, Blueberries

Along with the theme of more clean eating, I only used a tiny bit of soymilk for this seedy-bowl of oatmeal.

Super Seed Mango Blueberry Coconut Bowl

    I wanted a super seed-y epic bowl of oatmeal this morning, and my craving was perfectly satisfied.  All the flax and chia seeds made it taste nutty and almost chocolatey on its own! #3 I love the way they gel up do to their hydrophilic properties. It makes the oatmeal much more voluminous.  All the additional toppings just magnified the crunchy nutty seedy delight! Mango, coconut, and blueberry are awesome together.

• 1/3c oats , 2/3c coconut water, 1-2t flax, 1-2t chia, 3 drops stevia
• 1/4c cooked quinoa
• coconut, dried mango, blueberries, cacao nibs, a bit of soy milk

The quinoa added that much more fluff. A tiny bit of soymilk for a touch of creaminess.

Super Herb Chicken and WannaBe Peanut Sauce, then the 'Usuals'

A couple things worth mentioning, and others worth neglecting in this meal. I'll start with the don'ts. 

Herb Baked Chicken and Super Sauce

     Steaming Brussel Sprouts = Dont. They just don't taste good! Somehow they get really bitter compared to when you grill them, even with my usual mustard seed and sea salt/pepper. I drowned them in my new wanna-be peanut sauce making them palatable, which is a YES. #1 I don't know why i've limited myself to tahini for making dressings/sauces, when almond butter and sunflower seed butter are perfect options! It was like a delicious Asian Sesame or Peanut Sauce that tastes good on anything, but primarily a salad dressing for the tasty Japanese Hijiki Seaweed Salad (I first used the dressing sans-sunflower seed butter to soak the dried seaweed, then mixed it into the sunflower seed butter as dressing). Inspired by our cooking on the team trips, I finally baked a chicken breast. Tons of herbs/spices and delicious leeks, artichoke hearts, and pine nuts! So much flavor yet so clean tasting at the same time. Trader Joe's Marinated Artichoke Hearts (jar) are so delicious especially when baked with chicken. They totally gave me the sensation of eating pizza, but just the good parts of eating pizza!

-Chicken Breast Baked with Dill Weed, Ground Coriander, Dried Basil, Lemon Pepper, Olive Oil, Lemon

   -Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Leeks, Pine Nuts

-Steamed BSprouts w/ Mustard Seed, Sea Salt, Pepper

-Hijiki Seaweed, Cucumber, Tomato, Sunflower Dressing Sauce

    -Sunflower Seed Butter, Rice Vinegar, Lemon, Olive Oil, Water

-Short Grain Brown Rice

The chicken made a reappearance in my lunch, remixed with some extra spice!

   Wrap Action

    Implementing my new policy also inspired by my team-trips of having baked sweet potatoes on hand (make a batch and fridge), half of one conveniently served as a sweet addition to my lunch. I supplemented the chicken with some tofu since there wasn't quite enough. #2 Also digging the wrap selection from TJoes - it's far superior to any other market (stupid over processed 'low carb' wheat or gluten free wraps are lame!). Brown Rice Tortillas for the win! Keeping it wheat free for days.

-Brown Rice Tortilla (TJoes), Radicchio, Avocado, Tomato, Onion

-Leftover Herb Chicken + Firm Tofu

-Hummus, Zahatar, Ground Coriander

-Sweet Potato

The Good Earth Sweet and Spicy Herbal Tea is so good this massive jar barely lasted 30 min! Accompanied the spicy yet sweet crunchy breakfast bowl perfectly.

Semi Standard Berry Ginger Spice Crunch

This would be a standard overnight oats combo for me but there's a few yummy standouts. #3 First is the simple added crunch from the bottom of the bag rice cake puffs. Then go for some pomegranate thanks to more TJoes pre-prepped genius. Last but definitely not least would be the carrot/ginger juice infused into the oats for a nice bite to compliment the usual spice combo!

-65g oats, 200g soymilk/almond milk/carrot juice/ginger juice (had a bit of each left)

-Blueberries, Pomegranate, Strawberry, Dried Cranberries

-Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cloves

-Hazelnuts, Almonds, 'Bottom of the Bag' Rice Cake Puffs

Carrot Cake Oats/Date Time, Signature Rice Dish, India TakeOut

We got take out Indian food for my whole visiting family (12 people total), and ordered a ton of dishes online! So easy and so tasty. You can eat an Indian feast and keep it healthy, here's how it's done:

India Takeout Experience: Taj of Marin

It's been a long time since I've eaten Indian food out, mainly because the only memories I have are eating mass quantities of Naan, Raita (Yogurt Sauce), Chicken Tikka Masala, and other heavy creamy meaty dishes (good but not nearly in my current diet/desirable at all). So when it was decided to have a massive family Indian feast I first planned on cooking my own meal, but then remembered that there is Indian food in my diet! RHS Cooking Club Indian day was the healthiest of all our meetings, and I've been making Daal quite a bit.  #1 Just stay away from any butter/cream sauce dishes and lots of red meats. I chose a few classic vegetarian (and vegan!) options, as well as Tandoori Chicken, which I've been itching to make recently anyways! These dishes may seem liquidy and rich but they really are just a vegetable/legume cooked, mashed, and mixed with vegetable oil, water, and a ton of delicious spices. Nothing to be concerned about, and all the herbs and spices are really good for you.

-Channa Masala (Garbanzo Beans and Spices) was probably my favorite, the flavor is top notch, a little spicy, but mainly the chickpeas actually give it some good texture/substance

-Yellow Dal (Yellow lentil simmered and tempered with ginger, garlic and herbs, a bit liquidy, but tasty nonetheless)

-Bengan Bhartha (Eggplant clay oven baked w/ onion, ginger, garlic and spices)

-Tandoori Chicken (Chicken marinated in yogurt, blend of colorful Indian herbs and spices, cooked in a clay oven, everyone knows it's good, and super clean yet full of flavor)

-Brown Rice and Cucumber from Home (really helpful to balance out all the spice w/out Naan, Basmati Rice, and Raita)

-A sample of Rosemary Garlic Naan and Raita (I couldn't skip out on this classic completely due to the dairy/wheat, it's too good)

-I also tasted the Coconut Shrimp Masala (the flavor was Masala just w/ Coconut, which made it similar to a delicious Thai Curry, this was definitely the best flavored dish)

Signature B-Sprout Tofu Rice Dish?

For lunch I went with my classic grilled yet moist and tender B-Sprouts, but paired with more ginger, Herb Grilled Tofu, and some leftover Sweet Roasted Garlic Rosemary Purple Carrots. These Brussel Sprouts and Tahini Dressing just might be my own go to signature creation, and they went perfectly in this rice dish.  #2 The creamy slightly sweet ginger tahini dressing makes everything mold together perfectly, and could have been even better with a bit of avocado for some added creaminess. The tofu actually has a taste, its flavored from the herb/spice yet still tastes clean and balances out the exploding flavor and gingery kick from everything else. The brown rice is nutty yet tames everything down as well. Delightful!

-Grilled B-Sprouts (Mustard Seed, Ginger Powder, Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper)

-Grilled Herb Tofu (Firm Tofu, Cilantro, Mustard Seed, Ginger Powder)

-Left over Roasted Garlic Rosemary Purple Carrots (Oven at 400º, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, Rosemary)

-Leftover Steamed Bok Choy

-Creamy Sweet Bite Tahini Dressing (Ginger Powder/Juice, Citrus-Lemon or Orange, Rice Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Tahini)

-Brown Rice and Tomato

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

I just searched for a while on my blog and surprisingly haven't posted any Carrot Cake Overnight Oats before! So simple and good, the only reason I felt the need to include it this time is because it got super-fied with dates and a ton of carrot juice. I tend to have fresh in the fridge but you could easily make this with store bought carrot juice really conveniently!  Kind of super tasty like the Date Spice Granola I enjoyed and loved for so long (the best of Kaia).  #3 Dates are definitely one of the best (and healthiest) breakfast/dessert sweeteners, I'm stoked I reintroduced them to my pantry. They got banned for a long time because I would literally just eat way too many all the time whenever I walked by, but now have enough self control to save it for delicious meals like this. Just one is all you need for a tasty breakfast bowl! This one was full of carrot flavor, sweetness, and the proper carrot cake spice! And nice texture variations with the mushy oats, soft blueberries, crunchy almonds, and chewy date pieces!

-65g oats, 200g carrot juice

-Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves

-Almonds, Blueberries, a Date

Fast Sea Otter Team Eats / New Trader Joe's Specials

So I wasn't super consistent with the food blog thing while living with my team but I'll give some brief commentary on some tasty things and ideas/tricks I learned! Trader Joe's was < 5 min from our house so we restocked on the daily and now I have some go to purchases there! This food all went super fast as our team got so many good results (and made for really convenient bring to the venue leftovers)! And I felt super clean/dialed the whole time food-wise. The meals I didn't include were mainly Burrito night and pasta night, which are pretty self explanatory (brown rice pasta ofcourse!)

 Asian Stir Fry Night

 The last night we made stir fry and it was sooo tasty. We used some Trader Joe's General Tsao's Sauce with Ginger and Olive Oil added to bake chicken tenders in and then the same combo with garlic to stir fry a ton of delicious vegetables. Same for the tofu, but baked.  It all ended up being sweet and spicy! Garlic, ginger, red chile, and sweetness all around, but not unhealthy or greasy like Chinese food. I am definitely down with buying the packaged vegetables already prepped for cooking that T Joe's offers, mainly butternut squash and broccoli florets. #1 It saves a lot of time and you don't buy a ton of vegetable that will just get thrown away in a second anyways (broccoli stalks).  I also rediscovered my love for sugar snap peas just plain, but also threw some into my vegetables to bring on some crunch!
-Sweet Chili Ginger Chicken Tenders
-Sweet Ginger Vegetable Stir Fry (broccoli, butternut squash, cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms)
-Sugar Snap Peas
-Brown Basmati Rice
-Herb Baked Tofu

Leftover Herb Chicken Salad Lunch

We baked some delicious Herb Chicken on the first night with various spices, mainly thanks to Trader Joes Everyday Seasoning which is a delicious combination of spices in a container with a grinder so you get the full on effect (like fresh ground coriander, mmm).  Then there was a large supply of Yams that we baked (orange=yams, yellow=sweet potatoes, the public must get educated! I am tired of people confusing them, even trader joe's has them mislabeled) and then just had on hand throughout the trip, which I am now adopting the practice of for sure. #2 It's like having rice in a rice cooker all the time. Accept you can grab 'em and eat them with your hand. Simply dialed. Delicious snacks or carb staples for a meal or salad. Or dessert; they are that sweet and delicious. Anyways this lunch I mixed up some leftovers into a salad with extra TJoes Seasoning, Balsamic/Olive Oil, and Purple Cabbage.

-Herb Chicken Breast (Baked w/ Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, TJoes Everyday Seasoning)

-Salad Leftovers + Fresh Basil, Cabbage, Balsamic and Olive Oil

-Yam

-Extra TJoes Everyday Seasoning, Salt, Pepper

 Super Delicious Oatmeal Combos

We had a fresh XXL pot of oatmeal every morning, pretty much with Banana cooked in every time, although once with Walnuts and Raisins. Nothing super out of the ordinary except I learned that the end of the rice cakes package makes for the best oatmeal toppings (the go to healthy wheat free snack). #3 Crisped brown rice puffs bring on the delicious crunch factor! Also for salad croutons! And the TJoes Bing Cherries are quite delicious as well. I already knew they had epic dried mango, but adding it to oatmeal was new for me, and I am already repeating it more it's so good!  Finally those Muffin Tops you see? Raspberry Blueberry Oatbran from TJoes! I guess I've been avoiding wheat recently just because it feels better and isn't very hard, and these muffins fit the bill perfectly. Muffins are often cupcakes in disguise, but these are a tasty healthy muffin for sure. They are the only wheat free muffin they have and they also happen to be the best variety. I see more trips to Trader Joe's in my future...

-Oatmeal with Banana/Raisins/Walnuts cooked in

-Cinnamon

-Blueberries

-Dried Mango/Bing Cherries

-Almond Butter (Creamy w/ Sea Salt)

-Brown Rice Puffs (Rice Cakes leftovers!)

-Raspberry Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins

-Soymilk

The other thing I started loving from Trader Joe's on this trip is their flavored sparkling mineral water. I was drinking it only because our house didn't have super good tap water, and although I previously haven't cared for carbonated drinks at all, especially plain sparkling water over still water, but acquired a new taste for this stuff. It tastes great and settles your stomach, the minor burp you get feels so good, especially when you feel full. And it's potentially healthful due to the mineral content although i'm not totally sure... Kind of also a more interesting water to drink when I feel like drinking not eating but don't want tea. Bring on the summer!