Winter squash, winter weather

Hi Kids!  How are you all on this fine Monday!  I’m feeling pretty fab myself, despite the 50 degree weather.  I thought winter was over, but apparently not…

After yesterday’s late night grub sesh I thought I wouldn’t be very hungry until later in the morning, but I woke up with the same hankering appetite as usual. 

I guess that just goes to show you, when you listen to your body (even if it tells you it wants 4 Vita Muffins with peanut butter at 11 PM), you can’t do too much damage.  I’d also like to note, I never felt stuffed or uncomfortably full at any point last night, despite the fairly obscene quantity of dessert consumed.  I’m not sure if my metabolism was just in overdrive or what, but I had to give in.  Don’t we all have those days – when no matter how much we eat, we aren’t satisfied?  At least I hope I’m not alone…

Some days I eat a meal, and literally less than 30 minutes later, my  stomach is growling!  What?!  How is that possible?  Rather than deprive myself, I just chalk it up to my crazy metabolism (and then thank the Lord that it hasn’t stalled out on me yet).  I guess I should be pleased that I still have the ability to burn off my chow sessions with a little extra cardio.

But I digress…

Coffee up the YingYang.

I was buzzed out of my MIND after this cup.  What the heck did Kyle do to the coffee this morning?!  I was seriously having an out-of-body experience, I was so jacked up on caffeine. 

I immediately had to get something else in my tummy.

Some breakfast math.  1 vanilla Chobz + plum + honeydew + cantaloupe + watermelon = creamy fruit salad

Mmmm…

This was THE BEST breakfast I’ve had in a long time, and although it seems pretty basic, it rocked my world and got my morning off to a GREAT start.  Sometimes simplicity gets a bad rap.  In all honesty, these are pretty much the same ingredients I have in the AM every day, I just decided to mix them together today. 

Remember this old friend?  Yes, I went back to my favorite sandwich for lunch.  Smart deli “turkey” – how I missed you!  I don’t know why we were apart for so long, let’s never fight again.  Spinach and hummus also made their way between the Alvarado Street bread. 

I also snacked on a few dried pineapple rings before heading to the gym.  Unlike yesterday, today’s trip was one I was REALLY excited about. 

Stats:  elliptical (levels 10 – 11) – 15 minutes (warm up)

          treadmill (6.5 – 7, incline 3.5) – 30 minutes

          elliptical (levels 11 – 12) – 45 minutes

          arms/abs/thighs – 15 minutes

This felt AMAZING!  I left the gym on cloud nine. 

Since I work most of the rest of the week, I decided to make the most of my day off. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening in the kitchen…so be prepared for some delish eats in the next few days.

To start I made KABOCHA!!  I’ve been drooling over Maggie’s kabocha meals for a while now, so I just had to make some of my own.  Talk about perfect timing now that it’s the BSI!!

I baked it in the oven and it was EASY as pie.  Minimal fuss (nonstick spray and salt) works for me!

It was done in no time, so I sprinkled on a little vegan parm and dug in.  I think I might have a new favorite squash – Y.U.M.  It was so tender and tasty.  I could definitely see this being easily incorporated into several other recipes (quinoa, couscous, vegetable roasts, salads, etc.).  Thanks for introducing me Maggie!

I also steamed some cauliflower for another blogger inspired dish.

Vegan mashed “cheesy” cauliflower. 

After I steamed the cauliflower, I let it cool a bit, and then tossed it into the blender with some unsweetened soy milk, vegan parmesan, and salt.

I ate dinner on a TV tray since Kyle is away on business.  In addition to the bowl of the mashed cauliflower, I also had a veggie burger and steamed green beans (also with vegan parm).

Anyone even seen or tried this kind of veggie/vegan burger before?

It was a new purchase for me, but I figured it would be good since it’s made by Food For Life (and they certainly hit the jackpot with the Ezekiel products). 

I gotta be honest here.  It wasn’t my favorite burger. 

Pros:  It was filling and the nutritionals are stellar, plus they don’t cost as much as other brands.

Cons:  It was a little chewy with not much texture, and the flavor wasn’t anything I’d write home about.

Look at these beauts!!  Cucarachas stuffed with carob covered raisins will never go out of style 🙂

I also had a few more dried pineapple rings and papaya spears…while perusing the shown cookbook which was a gift from a co-worker.  I got some good ideas for (raw) Wednesday in it!

Ok, time to pack up my eats for tomorrow.  The catch some zzzz’s.