An Old Friend...

...hath returned.
What's that? Oats?
Yeah, looks like oats. Why's it pink?
Ooooohhhh, my friends. This bowl has been such a long time coming! Cran-walnut oats. Oh my, I am genius.
I have some 100% cranberry juice. I bout it in February because, well, I love cranberry juice...but it's a little too much, even for my taste. I mix it with apple juice but I always love finding other uses for things! I added the cranberry juice in place of 1/4c of the water and boiled some dried cranberries in with it all so they would plump up.
When the oats were ready I stirred in some cinnamon and ground cloves (my favorite flavor to pair with cranberry.) Mmmmm. The most satisfying breakfast I have had in a long time. Sometimes I love me.

After some blogging, browsing, and lallygagging, I did some yoga and then snacked on a Clementine and some of the pumpkin wafers I got at the Asian market.
That Clementine was depressingly bland....

But lunch made up for that...oh, how it did.
Alright, so you've heard about my BGFF, now let's talk BFFF. Yep. Best Female Friend Forever. Multiple times a week she and I would cram our 2 ton book bags in her station wagon and head to our favorite coffee house/used book store after school. Here we ordered the ULTIMATE after school snack. The Banana Dog.
I am not the creator of this masterpiece but oh am I a fan of it.
So here's the gist, you got a card where you write down your order.

Pick crunchy or smooth PB (Crunchy)
Toasted or not? (toast it!)
(Here comes the fun part, toppings)
Pick a 3, 5, or 7 topping banana dog. (I always got five)
I would add:
Marshmallow fluff, Honey, Sunflower seeds, Sprinkles, Chocolate chips.

When I found me some Ricemellow....I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do with it:
Smear it on some bread (I didn't have a wheat hot dog bun) with some of my home made almond butter.
Plop a banana in the middle (arguably the most important part)
Top it with sprinkles (because, you know, they are a health food) and chocolate chips at the end for "dessert." (Somehow I actually managed to save that end for last.)
Toast it up and serve it with jicama and bell pepper strips (not actually necessary)
Alright now, run along and do this.

I guess that was too much awesome for one day because I had a total snack fail:
Eww. Well, apparently I don't like this flavor. Good thing to learn. I couldn't eat it. I threw it out. I hated to but I had to.
I replaced it with more jicama! and a fig.

Oh, but dinner...dinner my friends came with a side of awesome, courtesy of Live Laugh Eat. I made yucca fries via Allie. I didn't document because I followed what she did exactly. I figured you could click a link. ;)
I had them alongside this amazing veggie burger:
Black bean veggie burger with spinach, tomato, pickles, laughing cow, mustard, and ketchup.
These were really, really good....like better than french fries good....when's the last time I ate a french fry? I literally have no idea. Wow.

Well, for dessert I took some fruit cutting tips from Allie (and yeah, now I feel like a stalker) and tackled my fruit.
With the dragonfruit are some mango marshmallows and chocolate chips.

"Hey Kittie, you sought out Ricemellow and claim to follow a cruelty free lifestyle. What's up with the marshmallows? Hmm? They have gelatin, you know."

Uh...yeah...I know. See...here's the thing....these are the marshmallows:
Do you understand now? No? Let me explain. I love Hello Kitty. I literally do not know how much HK merch I own and taking inventory would take days. If Hello Kitty says jump...I say how high? And she said:
"Hey look, you love marshmallows, you find them hard to resist and now I'm on the package. take that. TAKE THAT."

I couldn't take that. I bought 'em and um...I saw strawberry flavor yesterday so.....I'll probably buy them again....just to be honest.

Food, Away from the Window Sill

Yesterday was jam PACKED with food adventures. There was some of this cuteness:
...but I'll bore you with this ugliness:
"what is that?"
Ugly pancakes.
Really Ugly pancakes. I tried to make the Oatmeal Cottage pancakes featured on Kelsey's blog for my Pancake Sunday. I mean. I guess I didn't try to make them. I did make them but dizzayumn that is the most finicky pancake batter I've ever dealt with. I've always been such a good pancake flipper. *sniff*

Well, they tasted alright and I served them with some dragon blood:
Also known as Crofter's mixed with water and heated in the microwave. Instant fruit syrup!

I ate the pancakes but didn't have a mid morning snack because I knew I'd be going to an Indian food buffet for lunch. *jumps with joy*
So about that buffet...:
Plus...
And....
Heh. I didn't finish all of that but I wanted to. Haha. Send me to a Golden Corral and I get a side salad and a baked potato. Set up a buffet of Indian food and I will enjoy myself.

Then my dad and I, pregnant with naan food babies, went shoppin'! Our town doesn't have any health food stores so some weekends we venture out about 45 minutes to a big town near by, have Indian food, and food shop!

First we went to Earth Fare where I stocked up on bulk:
Oat Bran, Pecan Maple Granola, and Flax Hemp Granola.
Mmmm. Maple Pecan...
Also in bulk, I got some hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and then RICEMELLOW!!!! Ohmygosh. I've been wanting this for a while.

Another thing I've been dying to try is millet puffs. I realize this isn't exciting but since I can't find it anywhere, it's exciting for me.
Then we went to the Asian market. I got some brown rice and....
...dragonfruit! And figs from Earth Fare!
I got some root vegetables. (Yucca and Jicama)
CHEAP tofu! And some dumplings.

Snackities:
Chestnuts, milk biscuits, and pumpkin wafer-like cookies.
Coconut water and this. in that little bowl was a mystery I had to unravel. I mean. what's in it? Don't worry. I read the ingredients before purchasing but I had no idea what Gui Ling Gao was.....but the bowl is so cute...
So I researched it. Turns out it means "turtle essence jelly" Uhm.....okay? Don't worry. there's not turtle in it. They used to make it by boiling in a turtle shell and it would be like jello. Now, that turtle is an endangered species so none of that business goes on and they don't use any other sort of turtle. You can buy mixes that have things like gelatin in them but this one is pretty much a liquid and has no animal derived gelling agent. It consists of water, honey, sugar, various spices and flowers (that I don't feel like going to the fridge to identify.)
I also found this adorable noodle cup and got some soap.

So after all of those adventures I was tuckered out. I sat down on the couch and somehow took a nap. I was awoken by a skull-drilling racket...oh wait...that's my cell phone ring. (I'm too cheap to buy a good one.) Who's on the line?
My BGFF. What? Best Guy Friend...Foreverz. Anyhow. He wanted to do some hangin' and seeing as I haven't left the premises of my house to do anything but grocery shop in over a week....the prospect sounded good.

I knew he'd want to go to his favorite...um...restaurant? A place we frequented in high school. Taco Bell. I used to be able to scarf down three burritos...some nachos...throw in some cinnatwists....oh yeah. Up to four times a week. But I haven't been since I started paying closer attention to the foods I take in. So I started freaking out. Just a bit. In my head.

"Don't get anything."
"But I'm hungry."
"You had Indian food. That's plenty for today."
"That was at 11:30. It's dinnertime."
"Eat a salad before he gets here."
"Alright. Good plan."
*beep*
"What was that?"
"A text. He's here. Shitshitshitshitshitttt."
"Suck it up."

So he picked me up in his classy car...
...and I went for it.
I had a seven layer burrito except it was five layers because I got no cheese and the sour cream on the side (that I ended up not eating.)
And yes, I consumed all of those taco sauce packets on that one burrito. It's like making out with a sting ray. Bliss.

You'll have to wait for epic cuteness. I'll be back tonight!

What's Arond the Riverbend?

Doesn't that sound refreshing? Cool, crisp flowing river water on your bare feet. Balancing on rocks and wading, looking for salamanders....I should drive up to the mountains soon. It's cooler there anyhow.

Now...I know I said yesterday that I didn't like savory in the mornings but for some reason I wanted artichoke hearts and feta so I made this omelet/frittata thing:
I had it with Ezekiel sprouted toast and a banana stub that was hangin' out in the fridge (he helped with the sweet.) My decaf has cinnamon in it, my favorite way to enjoy coffee!
I ate that whole thing.....I was quite full until lunch. No need for a mid morning snack.

For lunch I was still feeling the feta and I wanted veggies so I cooked up the rainbow with salt and pepper:
Bell pepper, onion, zucchini, summer squash, tomato, and portobello.
I put 'em in a wrap with laughing cow, spinach, and cucumber. I had some leftover on the side.
I love feta. It's one of the only real cheeses that I can stomach. Feta and blue cheese.
I served it with a magically juicy clementine! Probably my second favorite fruit.

This afternoon I was saddened by the lack of nuts in my diet today so I added some of my home made almond butter to my Kashi Honey Almond Flax granola bar. I had it with some decaf iced coffee.
I'd be lying if I said that I didn't eat any of that almond butter straight....

My dinner was just as colorful as my lunch, if not more so.
I had a loaded salad of spinach, lettuce, bell pepper, onion, tomato, cucumber, corn, hummus, cottage cheese (yeah there's ketchup on that...), and a savory zucchini muffin.
Nom.
For dessert, half a pear (that is less raunchy than it looks) and a Z Bar.
I love these things. Do yourself a favor and microwave them. It's like a chocolate chip [protein] cookie hot from the [microwave] oven.

Tomorrow I get to go health food store/Asian market shopping and have Indian food. Uhm, oh holy day!

Until the Seasons change....

...I'll be waiting.

For breakfast I am still working on having different things. (I have a feeling this will end soon. I miss oatmeal.)
I tried out an old classic. "Egg in a hole," or whatever you call it.
The verdict? As with the trying of savory oats, it seems I prefer sweet in the morning. I needed fruit...

You want to know a truth? I hate summer.
I loathe the season with every ounce of my being. I hate the scalding sun on my skin and the air that is so thick with humidity I feel like I'm drowning when I breathe.
I like produce. My appreciation ends there and it isn't complete appreciation because my favorite fruits are those of winter, fall and summer or just winter. Take the pomegranate. My favorite fruit. I do not enjoy their juice I enjoy their fruits.
I need the sun to be a friend, not an enemy. A ray of light should be welcoming not torturous.
I miss fall leaves, long sleeves, jeans, leggings, the smell and the tingle of your your nose reddened by the chill.
I miss the flavors; spices, orange, cranberry, peppermint, and squash make the perfect seasons.
Because of this I burn autumnal candles every morning in rotation. One pumpkin spice, one apple cinnamon. I stay indoors and I wear autumn colors on my eyes:
I eat cinnamon on damn near everything. Including this peach:
I added the peach to some Greek yogurt topped with my medicine. Medicine? Yes. Autumn butter. I made it myself and I have the recipe for you.
Because I can't find pumpkin puree anywhere on earth, I present to you
Autumn Butter:

2/3 c unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 c butternut squash puree*
1/3 c pear puree*
1/3 c maple syrup
3 T apple juice

1 tsp pumpkin spice
.5 tsp cinnamon

-Mix all ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil.
-Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes, stirring often.
-Keep an eye on it or it will get lumpy and burnt.
-Turn off heat and pour into glass jam jars.
-Process in boiling water for 10 minutes.
-Cool and keep refrigerated.

*can be found in the baby food section.

All the flavors of fall in a simple, versatile spread.

For lunch I mashed up some banana and cinnamon (surprise):
Spread it on a tortilla with crunchy peanut butter:
Added cottage cheese to one fourth of it:
Served it with cucumbers:
And scooped up the extra with carrot sticks:
(Have you ever had pb and carrot sticks? It's one of the only ways I'll eat pb.)

Also, it's official, I hate peanut butter. I always have. I could only eat crunchy because the crunch made me forget about the taste. I just don't like peanuts. I decided to see if that hatred was still in affect today. Don't count on seeing a peanut butter on here that isn't frozen Dark Chocolate Dreams.

Another note: If you pick up bananas and this happens:
...you can be pretty sure they're ripe.

I had a snackity this afternoon of iced (decaf) coffee and my second favorite Kashi granola bar:
I love that they have whole almonds!
Okay guys, my dinner was incredible and massive and messy. I'll show you, but be warned the lighting was not my friend. I spent so long trying and trying but the dusk was being evil and I had to resort to his partner in crime, Mr. Flash.
But look at the layers!
Whole wheat bun, laughing cow cheese wedge, spinach, tomato, caramelized onion, and a big 'ol portobello mushroom.
It was top heavy.
I paired it with okra and sweet potato fries. Baked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees (a little too long this time?)

For dessert:
Frozen yogurt, banana, banana bread. I considered banana soft serve instead of frozen yogurt but decided I might go into a banana coma.....
That dessert is actually deconstructed and waiting for me in the freezer/fridge.
It's motivation because I can't eat it until I hang up/fold three baskets of laundry. Way to slack, Kittie, way to slack.