P.C.O.

I'm sick.
Blek.
I didn't go on my bike ride today because of what I am assuming is a head cold.
Runny nose, sore throat, cough, sneeze, aches, tiredness, headache....blah.

Since I'm eating new things for breakfast this week I decided to try savory oats. But I was scared. Oh, so terrified of this strange new take on my beloved oats. Last night I chickened out. I decided I wouldn't have time for oats so I'd have something else. It was an excuse but one that was violently struck down by the time I woke unable to bike.

I wasn't going anywhere. I wasn't in a hurry. And I was hungry. I wanted oats. I just wanted my classic oats. Alright, I'll go for it. I'm doin' it. This is happening.
There we go....it was tolerable. Not preferable.
I made oats with an egg cooked in with tahini on top and spinach.
Actually, it reminded me of the oats my mom used to make for me. This is the reason I didn't like oats until this year. So...um...yeah.

I know that picture sucked. This one sucks more but I'm sick so you forgive, right?
All I wanted was hot tea. I curled up on the couch and sat for quite some time.

Around lunch time I set out some Sprouted Ezekiel to thaw:
Forgive me for the earlier bad photos because frozen bread sparkles?
This sandwich was really yummy and really simple.
Mustard
Laughing cow
Salt
Pepper
Spinach
Tomato
Heated on the George Foreman as always.

Today I had another Kashi bar but a different kind:
Oh goodness. That was yummy. I didn't want it end. (The Sierra Mist + sippy cup are a tradition for sickness. They help in the calming of mind department.)

Do you want to know what P.C.O. is?
Pizza. Corn. and Okra.
"What???"
Oh yeah, baby.
Say it:
"Patza,coarn,n'okruh" (I'm from the South...)
Every single Friday for the entirety of my high school career. That's four years. Every Friday we ate rectangular pizza, fried okra, and butter soaked frozen corn.
When I went vegan...I ate fried okra. (Sort of really glad I don't have to deal with sparse vegetarian school food anymore.)

Once again, my take on a (good?) thing:
I baked the okra at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, sprinkled with salt and pepper.
That was so much better than fried okra. I always extracted the okra and had a pile of skins on my plate leftover.
Oh yeah, look at that feta.
For the pizza I filled and topped a wrap with marinara then added spinach, tomato, onion, string cheese, feta, and pineapple.
Baked at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Like a Pirate

Now, in my week of new/different breakfasts I have had a Larabar, French toast, and cereal, so now what?
This.
No, that isn't Almond Butter.
It's cinnamon sugar butter.
What to do with it?
Slather it over a sandwich thin and proceed to toast:
Oh yeah. Just like childhood.
After my ride I ate some coconut yogurt with a coconut macaroon....because I'm redundant and decadent like that.
For lunch I recreated the Panera Bread Mediterranean Veggie sandwich. I used to order this sandwich but somewhere a few years ago I got my hands on some nutritional information and discovered that that sandwich is like 600 calories. about 500 of those are the bread. The bread isn't that good. The crust sucks.

So I made this beauty:
It was so good. The peppadew/feta combo is key.
(Yeah, there's cinnamon butter on that...)

I'm like a pirate because I have loot!....and booty...?

Anyhow, I'm leaving in about a month for my second year of college. My first year was slightly miserable (I almost switched to a college nearer home so I could have a kitchen.) I decided this misery needed to be corrected before I headed off again. I can't live without my key stress reliever (cooking/baking.) Tj Maxx to the rescue! Discounts!
Oh my, aren't they beautiful?

And all the essentials:
I am in love with these:
I call this "But Mo-m!"
I got these little ones because I like to take my own dressing to the school cafeteria. The six pack was just a dollar. I can also take snacks to class. ;)

And then because I'm an impulse buyer for $1 bowls:
They are so little and cute. I am excited!

And this, because I'm strange and can't imagine making pickles without ridges:
Did you think this pirate approached battle without her uniform?
Well, I'll have you know I don't.

There may have also been a Mark Ecko bag bought (big so I can put books/comics in it.)
Oh my, that interior.

Okay, honesty time. I'm finally sick of Larabars. I think yesterday's fail just really set that off. So I had this:
And I forgot how utterly amazing those things are. Love!
For dinner I had yummy veggie sushi.

Food Variety

"Why are you molesting fruit?"
I'm not, it was consensual and I swear they told me they weren't under ripe. Anyways, I was just hugging a fruit.

Well.....I may have done more than hug them.....once they passed my lips. Yummy breakfast cereal/fruit spread:
Oh my gosh. It was so early that it was still dark out when I took that picture. It was so humid that I couldn't even eat outside. Did I want to go on my bike ride? no. Ick, no.

But I did for 12 miles and when we were done Bikerella didn't want to go back in her cage (aka, the van.) She attacked me.
I consoled myself with coconut yogurt for a post workout refuel.
Lunch was the best, best, best everrrr. This week I am having a different breakfast every day and a different sandwich every day. This way I am not stuck in my oatmeal rut and I am using up the bread in my freezer.
Grilled cheese on a whole wheat bun? With tomato and onion? OMG, sign me up!
Confession: I love American Cheese. I still make fun of the fact that it is the only cheese to our name.

The boys have inhaled the cookies I made last week so I made some new ones. This time, White chocolate macadamia nut cookies:
Oh good lord these are deadly.
I'm currently in love with this huge Southern Living cookbook we have. It's basically everything you would ever want to know about cooking in a book.
There are nine cookie recipes. The Macaroons, Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are all from that book. My goal is to make them all.
(I sort of have a history of being a cookie baking fiend.)

So, for an afternoon snack I ate this guy*:
*Correction, I tried to eat that Larabar. That thing was horrible. Plain awful. I couldn't finish it. I threw it away.
If those things are your jam, I'm sorry. Not for me....

Hunger and Nostalgia

Last night was rough. I woke up around 2:00 AM. I was starving. My stomach burned and ached. I was so hungry that I couldn't go back to sleep until around 5:00 AM and I got up at 6:30 AM.
This week I decided to have a different breakfast every day. (Aka, no cinnamon oats allowed.) Today's French toast was delicious but when I finished it my stomach was still screaming bloody hunger. I had a doctor's appointment so I left without anything more.

I had to go to the grocery store and by the time I got home I was still struck with hunger. I had a snack of a few pretzels and (not so) spicy hummus.
About an hour later it was lunch time. I was still starving. I made a wrap and a salad:
Half way through my meal my stomach started to hurt like I had eaten too much. I was still hungry, it was so weird but I quit eating for a while and made my brother's lunch.

About 45 minutes later I finished my meal but I was stuffed until about 4 o'clock when I got hungry again. Enter Mr. Larabar:
Finally, I felt satisfied but not stuffed full or in any pain.

Around 5:30 I started on a special dinner. "Mock-sco" cheese sticks.
What?
My high school used to serve Bosco Cheese Sticks, I'm assuming Bosco is the name brand. Sort of strange, no other menu item held a brand name. Anyhow, this is pretty much the most prized meal of all students at my school. You could say "Wanna skip today?" and I am sure you would get many "Nah, it's Bosco cheese stick day," responses. Needless to say, people like these things.

I happened to love them as well because this was actually the only vegetarian entree besides baked potatoes. Unfortunately they were served with the most disgusting brownish, briny, mushy canned green beans and fried squash (I'll admit to liking the squash, but we can do better.)

When I graduated over a year ago, I saw my last Bosco cheese stick so today I created the "Mock-sco" cheese stick!!!

You will need:
Pizza dough
String cheese
Marinara sauce
Parmesan
Green beans
Squash

Do this:
Roll out your dough and cut it into portions.
(Now, I cook for myself and two boys [Dad and Brother] The portions shown are twice that of the ones I used for myself. I cut the strips vertically once more for mine.)
Fill with string cheese stick in the center of each slice of dough. For the boys I added pepperoni as well.
(For mine I cut the string cheese sticks down the middle making two "Mock-sco" sticks per string cheese.)
Wrap 'em up and brush with butter, oil or spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake according to pizza dough directions.
Cook your veggies however you want. I steamed the beans with basil and garlic and baked the squash with salt, pepper, and sauteed onion.
OMG. Sometimes I love a flashback. I have a feeling I could easily make a bunch of these at college, freeze 'em and take them out as needed.

CarFood

I want to name a business CarFood. It would sell healthy, portable items....or scrap metal to robots because they need restaurants too, you know!
Anyhow, I drove cars, rode in cars, rode in cars some more, and proceeded to drive cars this weekend. All in between the fun as always. Here are my food journeys.
Before heading out I had the most phenomenal French toast creation ever:
I don't like things too sweet or buttery so I put neither butter or syrup on things most of the time. I often like fruit instead. Bananas and blueberries cooked up for a few minutes, perfect!

Road trips mean Splenda sweetened iced chai tea in travel cups.
When I reached my destination, it was time to hop cars and be a passenger for a while....in a car without air conditioning....when it was 101 degrees Fahrenheit outside....for three or four hours....so there was a bit of this:
And this:
And a packed lunch:
Sandwich flat with laughing cow, mustard, spinach, onion, and homegrown cucumber! Blueberries and whole wheat goldfish to round it out.

Then there was a night of unpictured fun, indulgences, and some late night (early morning) fruit.
This coffee with soy helped a slight....headache resolve itself.
And then Indian food made the world a better place. (I seriously believe that to be true.)
Another drive without air meant this:
And another late night made this necessary:
Conversation that ensued when my father saw me throw away that bottle today:
"You didn't have one of those did you???"
"Yeah....?"
"But you're such a healthy girl! Don't do that."
"Dad I can't be a party animal on coffee alone. Gives me the shakes, duh."
"....*sigh* but there are so many chemicals!"
LOL. Love him.

Is it horribly sad that my favorite thing about a hookah bar is the tea/food?
And the fact that it smells like fruit.
I guess it's good that I enjoy the fare because I don't partake in the fruity inhalation. (See Dad, I am healthy.)
Okay, now I know this picture sucks bawlz but it's so homey in there I didn't want to use flash.
But this is ironic because my friend just finished telling his friend of the wonders of my food photography and then I knowingly took this piece of shit and had the balls to show it to you.
But look, it's homemade pita bread. That shit was good. I couldn't hide that from y'all and because of that you should thank me.
This morning I had a familiar bar on a familiar table. Well, I have never had that particular one, but we all know my history with these creations....
With a bowl (or two...) of coffee. Seriously. It's a bowl with a handle. I had to use both hands.

By the time lunch rolled around I was back on the road again. :(
(My lunch looks like that of a Weight Watcher's victim....I mean....participant.)*
I obtained that bar at the end of last semester when I had campus dollars to use up. I wouldn't buy it at a grocery store but I might purchase it on campus again. It tasted good but these inner crisps were extremely dry and scratched my throat....it actually hurt to eat...maybe I did it wrong.
(I took this picture while operating a vehicle I didn't even look at the screen. How bad ass am I?)

*Sorry for all the car crotch shots....but really, it's just fan service so you all should be thanking me. ;)