Bruins, birthdays, and BBQs

Saturday was sponsored by the letter “b” apparently. 

Kyle and I woke up at 7 am to get in a morning jog.  I hate working out early in the AM, but I love how it frees up the rest of the day.  So conflicting.  The reason I don’t like rise-and-shine cardio is because I suck at it.  I’m slow in the mornings.  I don’t really start to function until an hour (or two, if I’m being honest) after I’ve been awake.  The route I took Saturday morning typically takes me 24 minutes (when I do it in the afternoon).  At 7:15 in the morning, however, it took me 31 minutes.  That’s a pretty big difference for a 3ish mile run.  I told ya – it takes my body a while to warm up.  Without coffee to grease my gears, I just feel slow and my joints feel creaky. 

By 8:15 I was packing my lunch for the day, and by 8:45 we were off to the Rose Bowl.

Here’s what I packed up:

Ezekiel english muffin sammie with avo, mustard, spinach, Cedar’s roasted red pepper hummus, and Daiya vegan cheddar “cheese.”

Ezekiel 7-sprouted grains English muffins are the best kind of english muffin ever.  And that’s a fact.  Don’t even try and tell me otherwise unless you’ve tried them yourself.  In addition to being ridiculously hearty, they are so fluffy.  If you think that sprouted whole grains are more like cardboard than carbs, you haven’t tried these yet.  I will say, Ezekiel’s sliced sandwich breads are a little tough for my taste buds, but their english muffins more than make up for those shortcomings. 

So if you’ve written Ezekiel’s products off (or other sprouted ones) because you’ve only tried their breads, please, do yourself a favor and try the english muffins.  You’ll never buy any other kind again. 

 

And if you happened to forget all the reasons SPROUTED grains are good for you, here are a few reminders:

• Phytic acid (a GI irritant) is reduced when you sprout grains before baking them
• Nutrients are more available to the body because germination pre-digests the enzymes that inhibit absorption
• Enzymes produced during sprouting break down amino acid protein bonds enabling digestion of the entire grain and increasing vitamin content
• Unlike enriched* grains, sprouted grains are made from the endosperm of the wheat kernel (the inside portion), which retains all the natural fiber, bran, and 22 vitamins and minerals

*Enriched bread is milled into white flour which requires the removal of the bran and the germ and results in the loss of it’s natural fiber, bran, vitamins and minerals.  In order to compensate for this, vitamins and minerals (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron and folic acid) are added back in, "enriching" the flour.

Also, as per the FDA’s guidelines, only 50% of a bread’s grains have to be “whole” in order for the bread to be considered “whole” wheat.  So always look to see that your bread specifies 100% whole wheat.

But back to my packed goods…

I also brought a baggie of homemade trail mix (with cheerios, raw almonds, carob chips, and raisins), a Braeburn apple, baby carrots, and a Raspberry Pomegranate Supercharger PranaBar.

I was nervous this would be either overly fruity or overly nutty, but it was neither.  I had half on the car ride to the Rose Bowl and the rest in the stadium. 

Pros: It held me over well, it wasn’t sticky, it wasn’t headache-inducingly sweet, and it tasted good. 

Cons: The texture was too uniform (?) – basically, I wanted to see more visible chunks of individual ingredients.

Would I buy it again?  Yes.  I love PranaBar for their organic, unprocessed, dairy free, gluten free, no sugar added, vegan, non GMO, all natural perfection.

We made really good timing on the way to the game, so we met Kyle’s parents at the Pasadena Whole Foods.  Lord help me, this place was HUGE. 

Lucky for me, Kyle’s parents know that it’s really not fair to bring me into a massive Whole Foods and then leave empty handed…

Vegan desserts up the yin yang.

How, oh how, shall I choose?

We picked 8 different vegan truffles and boxed them up for later. 

I couldn’t wait!!

Eventually we made our way into the stadium.

It was hotter than hot.  Blazing hot.  Triple digits hot.  You get the idea. 

With all our cheering, we were sweating like crazy.  And get this, the Rose Bowl ran. out. of. water.  Seriously. 

Remember those vegan truffles?

Oy.  Goodbye my sad melted liquid lovers. 

On the way home from the game, we stopped at (a different) Whole Foods to pick up dinner.  It makes me very happy to know that I’m not the only one with a healthy foods’ store addiction…my in-laws are just as obsessed with Whole Foods as I am.  Guess we’re a good match.  😉

I had a mini-stroke when I discovered my beloved Synergy Kombucha was back in stock!  YES! YES! YES!  For those who are now screaming in delight at their computer screens, this is not a mirage, they are officially back in stores (in the wine shop/alcohol section).

We also picked up some appetizers. 

Mary’s Gone Crackers – Original and Herb flavored

I’ve heard about these crackers for a while now, but was never able to find them in New York.  I did manage to find (and try) the curry stix, but wasn’t a fan.  I ended up using them to bread tofu and accessorize my salads & soups. 

Needless to say, I was really excited to give these a shot despite my iffy past with Mary’s Goods, since they are:

• wheat free
• gluten free
• dairy free
• vegan
• organic
• kosher
• non GMO
• whole grain
• hydrogenated oil free
• trans-fat free

Plus all the ingredients are recognizable things like brown rice, flax seeds, quinoa, and sesame seeds. 

I put them on a pretty tray and served them alongside two kinds of Cedar’s hummus. 

This is going to sound weird, but they reminded me of the wafers you get during communion.  If you aren’t Catholic, this comparison means nothing to you.  But basically, they were really light, crispy, and flavorful.  I liked how some were thicker than others.  Call me crazy, but it somehow made them feel more home-made (and less processed).  I loved the seedy, nutty flavor of the Original, and the subtle presence of seasonings in the Herb flavor.  They weren’t the least bit hard or stale tasting either, as many “healthy” crackers can be.  They were surprisingly airy while hearty at the same time.  Those are pretty opposing characteristics, but somehow Mary’s Gone Crackers achieved it.

Figs and wine made their way into the mix, too.

A nice spread, no? 

Ramsay’s 2008 North Coast Pinot Noir.  Love.  [Read: I might have to go buy another bottle] 

After chatting, munching, and more chatting the boys got to BBQing. 

Salmon grilled with EVOO, salt & pepper (for the fish eaters).

The vegan portion of the meal included:

Sumi salad, Israeli couscous, and butternut squash. 

So while the rest of the dinner party passed around the fish, I made myself this lovely plate.

In addition to Israeli couscous, this salad had eggplant, portabella mushrooms, wild rice, dried cranberries, sunflower oil, canola oil, turmeric, mint, oregano, thyme, sea salt, and black pepper.

The Sumi salad had cabbage, green peppers, scallions, almonds, sesame seeds, canola oil, sesame oil, rice sticks, rice vinegar, evaporated cane juice, sea salt, and black pepper.

The butternut squash dish had red chard, apple cider vinegar, canola oil, sea salt, and black pepper.  It was way more citrusy than I was expecting, and I went back for seconds and thirds of it. 

When more friends joined us, we poured more wine. 

I didn’t try any of the St. Francis Chardonnay, but the Dry Creek Meritage Zin was another winner.  For being so different from the Pinot, I actually don’t think I could choose a favorite between the two reds.  They were both great in different ways. 

After a few drinks it was time to sing to the birthday girl! 

What’s cuter, the monkey cupcake or the loving look on Kyle’s dad’s face?  Awwww…