Get In My Belly!!

I couldn’t help saying the title of my post in the Fat B*stard voice from Austin Powers

Anyhow, that’s what I said to my breakfast on Wednesday morning! Last week, I mixed up some oatmeal to take with me to Boston for the Healthy Living Summit. Silly me for doubting the breakfast options, but go me for planning ahead and having a great breakfast the other days I was there! I used a bit more of the mix today and threw in some extras:

- 1/2 c. oatmeal with unsweetened cocoa powder, pinch of cinnamon, dried cranberries, mini chocolate chips

- 1 spoonful forest berry preserves

- 1 spoonful Smuckers Naturals Peanut Butter (I love that The Huz buys PB when I’m out of town!)

Lunch #1 was an Amazing Grass SuperFood Chocolate Bar from the HLS Swag Bag.

Maybe something was wrong with my taste buds last time I tried this because I wasn’t a fan then. This time, however, I loved it! Maybe I’m just a sucker for all things chocolate, but this bar was really very tasty. There’s no mistaking that it’s chock full of green goodness, and there’s a distinct aftertaste, but the little chunks of nuts and dried fruit really make this a great pre- or post-workout option.

After my workout/reading session on the stairclimber, I dug into a MASSIVE salad I ordered from Chop’t. I’d had a $5 off coupon for SeamlessWeb so I figured I’d capitalize on the options the site provided.

This salad had mesclun greens, avocado, smoked tofu, black beans, fresh corn, broccoli, carrots and red onion. OMG it was delicious! I ordered the “Spa” Texmex dressing, which is supposedly lower in fat, but I would have enjoyed it no matter how many calories it had. Make no mistake, this was one spicy salad, but boy oh boy was it good. I actually had to leave a few bites at the end because it was so big, but you can bet I’ll go back to Chop’t next time I have another coupon!

I was in the mood to try a new recipe and had picked up the required ingredients on Tuesday night before my motivation was totally sapped with the humidity. When I got home from work, I got to work on this, with a portion of soba noodles on the side. (I followed the recipe exactly, but used sriracha for the chili paste)

Overall, I’d give this recipe a B. I think I cooked the shrimp too long, so they were a bit tough, and I should have sliced the onions, rather than chopping them. If you make this recipe, I strongly recommend removing the veggies after sauteing for a few minutes to drain the liquid that leeches from the onions. I had to cook the whole dish for over 5 minutes to get the sauce to thicken, which probably contributed to the toughness of the shrimp. All that said, it was a good dish and I suppose I should upgrade the recipe rating since the changes I suggested are due to “chef error”!

The Huz was kind enough to share his Haagen Dazs stash with me and I had a tasty vanilla with dark chocolate bar for dessert (and a few dried cranberries, how did those get into my hands??). Yum yum!

Random question for you all: Do you prefer the pool or the beach?