English Muffins, Tomato Soup For Lunch, Other Recent Meals

 

Okay, so I’m still in the sudden phase of randomly deciding to eat an English muffin with peanut butter for breakfast instead of oatmeal.  I mentioned last week that it’s weird and unheard of for me to NOT eat oatmeal for breakfast — but it’s happening with no rhyme, reason, or planning. Who am I?

I mean, an English muffin with peanut butter does make sense for me as it was my go-to breakfast every day for like seven years before switching to oatmeal.  So it’s not that far off for me to go back to eating it again, I guess.

These are old English muffin photos from previous posts on the blog but I do sometimes skip jelly and dice apple on top as I did in the past.

Side note: Whatever happened to the cinnamon raisin English muffins at Trader Joe’s?! I haven’t seen them in so long – why would they stop making them? Didn’t other people like them as much as I did?!

Lately, I’m also deciding some weekdays to have tomato soup for lunch. I’m really not a soup eater unless I’m sick so it’s slightly strange (although becoming normal) when I heat up tomato soup with toasted Ezekiel bread and melted mozzarella cheese for lunch.

However, I have not been able to restock Trader joe’s Organic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Low Sodium Soup. What gives? Where is it? Why do they do this to me?

I’m still eating salads regularly.

In this salad from Chopt was:

• romaine
• corn
• crispy chickpeas
• avocado
• hearts of palm
• pickled onions
• beets
• lemon tahini

I started to have them mix the lemon tahini into the salad rather than order it on the side. They are good about not drowning the salad in dressing — and I like it much better this way. It’s nicely chopped and mixed all together.

And nothing beats my favorite slice of whole wheat pizza with a salad. We are at the point now where I walk into Mario’s and the guy starts boxing up my slice before I even order and pay.

My son made a beautiful mug of hot chocolate with one of the cookie hangers from Trader Joe’s. Looks so pretty, right?!

Yesterday’s Meals + Tomato Soup + Bored With Dinner

So I have a question before we take a look at what I ate yesterday. Do we prefer seeing a full day of meals (as in, breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert) or do we prefer when I round-up a whole bunch of recent eats from the last few days? Please let me know as I try to decide which way to continue to go with What I Ate Wednesday style posts. 🙂

Breakfast:

Do I even need to tell you again how obsessed I am with all things Henri Bendel at the moment? I want everything. EVERYTHING. It’s one part loving their girlie bags and accessories, one part their marketing strategy that always makes EVERYTHING look so darn appealing. Like now I am trying to rationalize needing this tote. I think I need it. 🙂

Anyway, the usual breakfast is going on here. Pre-run oatmeal with cinnamon, chia seeds and blueberries (peanut butter added after taking the picture) and coffee.

Post-run oatmeal which really looked like the above with the addition of diced apples. No picture.

Lunch:

I’m currently on a soup kick, which if you know me, is a little bit weird. I am NOT a soup lover.

However, I do make an exception for tomato soup. I love tomato soup (although I have to be in the soup mood to eat it).

At home, I LOVE the Trader Joe’s Organic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup (low sodium). When I am out, I do like Panera’s tomato soup which I ordered yesterday with a salad for lunch while working.

Dinner:

I’m bored lately with dinner at home. Actually, it’s not that I’m bored with dinner in terms of eating, it’s that I don’t feel like thinking about it, going food shopping and then cooking.

This is a plant-based power bowl of sorts involving roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, lentils, quinoa and the julienned root vegetables from Trader Joe’s. Easy enough.

Dessert:

I had one of those mini dark chocolate bars again from Trader Joe’s plus some slices of a honey crisp apple dipped in the jar of peanut butter.

[bctt tweet=”What I Ate Yesterday! #WIAW #Panera #Soup #Powerbowl #oatmeal #bendelgirl” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Are you a soup lover? Which soup is your favorite?

Who else is bored with dinner? What do you do when that happens?

Anyone having problems logging into the blog? Please let me know, it seems a bit slow and yesterday I am aware there were times that no one could log in. Thanks!

Out of Cookie Dough?! (WIAW)

Jumping right in to What I Ate on Monday!

Breakfast:

I eat the same exact thing every morning.

Along with coffee and water, I have half of a banana mashed and warmed with a small amount of oatmeal before my run and then more oatmeal mixed with fruit (usually frozen blueberries) and Skoop B-Strong after my run.

The only variations that occur in my post-run breakfast is that sometimes I cook egg/egg whites in with the oatmeal and/or add peanut butter. Also, long runs will feature more of each ingredient to make up for the energy expended during the workout.

Since I am terrible at remembering to take pictures lately, especially first thing in the morning, rather than skip today’s post, I figured it would be okay to share with you an older post-run breakfast photo which looks just like what I ate on Monday.

In fact, this is probably a more valuable photo of my blueberry pie protein oatmeal since the picture is from the recipe post I shared last year!

Lunch:

I was craving absolutely nothing for lunch which is an awful feeling. Hungry yes, in the mood for something specific, no.

I ended up with a whole wheat cinnamon raisin English muffin from Trader Joe’s topped with peanut butter and apples. Not a bad lunch.

Dinner:

I haven’t had a sweet potato in a really long time. It’s all about regular, white potatoes at the moment, sliced and baked until crispy with a side of Trader Joe’s Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup. I love dipping the fries in the soup! And, if I am feeling fancy, I melt mozzarella cheese on the baked fries.

Dessert:

I think that because I didn’t finish my cup Saturday night at Cold Stone, I was feeling the need for another round of a good dessert.

We went back to Cold Stone so that I could redeem myself but I wanted to cry when I saw this sign letting me know they were out of cookie dough. Of course cookie dough is what I wanted mixed into my Cold Stone creation!

Instead of cookie dough, I had a brownie mixed into the vanilla yogurt plus chocolate chips and whipped cream. It was fine but didn’t really hit the spot the way cookie dough would have for me.

Off to start my morning routine of Pure Barre and an easy run, be sure to check out what everyone else is eating today!

[bctt tweet=”Taking a look at what I ate on Monday! #WIAW #oatmeal #coldstone #fries #peanutbutter” username=”cookiechrunicle”]

Which would you prefer, a big chunk of cookie dough or a brownie mixed into your ice cream (frozen yogurt)?

Favorite kind of English muffin? Have you tried the whole wheat cinnamon raisin English muffins from Trader Joe’s?

What’s on the workout agenda for today?

What I Ate Runner’s World Race Weekend

Somewhere in all of that race recapping yesterday, I mentioned that I felt as though I ate really well when it came to fueling my muscles properly in order to prepare, run, recover and then prepare to run again.

When I say I ate really well, I mean that the foods I was consuming made me feel good. They digested really well, didn’t leave me hungry, gave me energy and didn’t cause me any intestinal distress.

On Friday I showed you my favorite running/race food staples that I was packing up to take along with me to Bethlehem, PA.

Destination races can get tricky because you want to make sure you eat what you are used to and needing to do that means coming a bit prepared.

The best part about everything I brought along with me is that I really ate it all!

• Cooked oatmeal
• Extra make-your-own oatmeal raisin oatmeal packets
• Apples
• Bananas
• Ezekiel Bread
• A jar of Crunch Time Peanut Butter
• Jelly Beans
• Justin’s Peanut Butter Packets
• Chobani 100 Strawberry and Blueberry Greek Yogurt
• Mixed cereal container with raisins
• Sweet Potato Wedges
• Extra Watermelon Gum – because, well, sometimes you need a piece or two or three

I love sweet potato wedges hot or cold and figured they would make a perfect running snack at any time of the day or night.

I put them in a cooler along with the yogurts and cooked oatmeal for the car ride.

I left Friday afternoon and prepared myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel Bread to eat on the road.

I ate the halves of the sandwich probably an hour apart.

I wasn’t even all that hungry to tell you the truth which I don’t say often but I knew I had to eat.

I stopped for Starbucks when I was probably thirty miles outside of Bethlehem which was a nice pick-me-up even though I was trying for the whole more water less coffee thing. Oops.

By the time I arrived at the hotel, checked in and found my way in and out of the expo to grab my number, it was time for dinner which ended up being at Panera Bread.

As you may know, I don’t care for soup. Not that it’s bad, I just never crave it or want it.

Tomato soup though, is sometimes the exception.

I went with a long time fave, the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich on Whole Grain Bread with a side of the tomato soup as my pre 5k/10k dinner.

Oh and a pickle.

I ordered the soup not just because I think I was in the mood for a bowl but because the extra sodium sounded like a good idea to help me retain some water in order to keep me a little more hydrated.

Sodium helps regulate the body’s fluid levels. Click here for a good article from Runner’s World on the subject.

I had some apple slices with peanut butter when I returned to my room before bed.

Pre 5k/10k Breakfast:

My usual oatmeal mixed with banana and peanut butter.

And of course, coffee.

And lots of water too, from the minute I woke up.

In my pockets went:

And like I showed you yesterday, in between the 5k and 10k was a banana with the peanut butter I carried in my pocket.

When I got back to my hotel room after the 10k, I was starving as usual which is exactly why I knew to bring my usual post run favorite meal.

It’s not all that appealing to the eyes but trust me, it was delicious.

Basically, it was overnight-ish oats:

I heated up one of my make-your-own oatmeal packets with water and then let it sit in the fridge during the races. When I got back, I added a container of the Chobani Blueberry Greek yogurt, some skim milk, more raisins, apple slices and a ton of peanut butter.

I normally eat plain greek yogurt but since I would not have my usual fruit supply with me to flavor the mix, I bought the flavored yogurt varieties for this trip.

I am really not good at heading out to eat after a race. I am usually too sweaty and cranky to wait for a table or rely on what might be on a menu. I like to shower, eat what I am used to and put my feet up.

I drank a few servings of a smoothie-juice-thing from the Vitamix booth at the expo that afternoon which somehow became a meal because I wasn’t even hungry again until an early dinner.

I really liked how I felt from eating the soup and sandwich combo as a pre-race meal so I went the same safe route for dinner Saturday night, only having it this time from Cosi,  which was located in the Saucon Valley Promenade Shops because yeah, I fit in some shopping when I wasn’t running.

I think it was a warm veggie sandwich on their whole grain bread with hummus instead of some feta spread, toasted up all nice with a cup of the tomato soup with extra bread and a little bag of carrots.

So this is interesting:

I took this picture with the intention of showing you what I ate from the candy store. But I didn’t get anything.

I know, right?! I went in thinking I would go for a piece of fudge or some fun chocolate-covered pretzels but nothing was truly appealing to me.

I just wasn’t in the mood. Instead I went back to the hotel and had this as my nighttime snack:

A cup full of banana slices, sweet potato wedges and lots of peanut butter.

Don’t knock it till you try it. I am craving it just typing up this post.

Pre-Half Marathon Breakfast:

Getting repetitive, aren’t I?

I will spare you another photo of coffee but I never go without a cup (or two) before a race.

I had half of a banana with water right after I finished the half just to hold me off until getting back to the hotel.

More overnight-ish oats with Strawberry Greek Yogurt, raisins, apples and peanut butter and a side of race medals.

I made myself another pb & j for the car and stopped for coffee before hitting the road.

During my ride home which went fast until reaching the GW Bridge (shocker), I ate my sandwich, an apple and the few sweet potato wedges that were left in my bag.

When I got home, I found myself craving another bowl of tomato soup before going out for dinner which I recapped in Monday’s post.

Good thing I had some in the house. I should now try the regular version which contains more sodium for my next race!

Looking back, I eat real boring and repetitive but it really worked for me and I loved every bite.

Be sure to check out what everyone else has been eating this week!

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Do you bring certain foods with you for destination races?

Are you starving when you finish running or does it take time for your appetite to kick in?

Are you a soup lover?

 

 

 

Running Observations And Quinoa Flakes Breading Recipes

Oh hi!

Over the weekend I realized some things and thought I would share them with you this morning:

Observation #1: I like to run in the rain.

Weird? Yes, I think so. At least for me. I mean, when would I ever want to spend time in the rain? Never.

Except while running. As long as there is no wind, I have come to realize that I enjoy my runs in the rain.

When we last spoke Friday morning, I planned on an easy and quick workout before my busy day. I didn’t mention anything about running in the rain because I didn’t know I would be running in the rain.

It started raining about half a mile in but it certainly didn’t bother me. In fact, I had a great and fast 4 mile run.

Observation #2: No two runs are alike but the feeling at the end of each run is the same.

I laughed to myself at the beginning of Saturday’s long run because as great and as fast as Friday’s run was in the rain, Saturday’s run in the sunshine was the complete opposite and anything but awesome.

It might have felt like my longest, most never-ending run yet. But I didn’t stop. Well, only to go to the bathroom and adjust my shoe laces more times than I care to admit.

Nothing hurt me, nothing was actually wrong, so no reason to call it quits. I just didn’t have the same awesomeness going as I did the day before. When that happens, I slow down and enjoy the ride. Or run in this case.

I realized that no two runs are ever the same nor can you ever really predict when the great or not so great runs will occur.

Yet, regardless of the run, when you are finished with what you set out to do, you will always feel proud.

Observation #3: Nothing is better than running early, taking a shower, putting the pajamas back on and climbing back into bed.

Hiding under my covers, especially when the temperatures are suddenly in the 20’s with wind chills in single digits, is simply divine.

Observation #4: I may actually like the bicycle.

I randomly decided to cool down on the bicycle yesterday after completing 30 minutes on the elliptical and my version of strength training. 5 lb weights used for bicep/tricep routine.

I didn’t even realize that the bike in my gym had so many options; in fact, the screen made me think I was on the elliptical since it was exactly the same.

While I only pedaled for 7 minutes, I do think I may attempt a full workout on this bike, making use of the intervals and resistance levels.

Observation #5: I have yet to post my Quinoa Flake Breading recipe.

Just because I don’t always post on the weekend doesn’t mean I am not doing something blog related. I often use the weekend to catch up on blog maintenance and site enhancements.

I spent some time compiling my recipes from the past year all in one new page and realized I had never posted my quinoa flakes breading recipe.

I mentioned making eggplant parm using quinoa flakes in this post but never got around to the post where I would explain how I did it.

It is so simple that you must go and buy a box of Quinoa Flakes. This combination of the flakes, parmesan cheese and some seasoning really makes for a nice breadless breading.

It crisps up all nice and you can feel cool for cooking and eating quinoa.

The Quinoa Flakes Breading recipe is the same for anything you wish to bread; eggplant, chicken, mozzarella sticks, zucchini fries….endless possibilities.

The amounts really depend on how much you wish to bread but a standard recipe is as follows:

• 1/2 Quinoa Flakes
• 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
• Oregano or any desired seasonings
• one egg or two whites

Combine flakes, cheese and seasoning in a bowl. Dip eggplant, chicken (or whatever you wish to bread) in egg or egg whites and then coat in the breading.

Bake on a lightly greased pan. Or pan fry.

I promise you that no one will notice you used quinoa instead of breadcrumbs. In fact, they will rave about the taste and texture of your amazing “breading”.

See this tomato soup with the baked mozzarella bites floating on top? Oh yes. You must make this.

I used the same quinoa flakes breading listed above to make the mozzarella balls instead of the typical breadcrumb recipe. For the original inspiration for mozzarella bites in tomato soup though, please  click here for all of the yummy details.

Baked mozzarella sticks are nothing new in these parts. So simple to make and are always a family favorite.

Speaking of family favorites, we have a new love around our house:

I was in total cooking/baking mode yesterday, playing around with creating donuts and latkes and who knows what else.

The recipe for these flourless donuts to come this week. I will tell you now that they absolutely contain quinoa flakes.

I know, I am so quinoa cool.

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How was your weekend? Did you run in the rain or freezing cold?

Do you like the bike or do you only pedal when outdoors or in spin class?

Bake anything good over the weekend?