Gluten-Free Pasta

I know I said I was eating gluten again, but it also started making my stomach sad that I was eating sandwiches, cereals, cookies, etc again, so I've tried to cut back just a little. That being said, I haven't completely cut out carbs, so I figured making pasta for lunch yesterday wasn't going to upset my body at all. In fact, I think my stomach was smiling as I finished each bite of one of the most savory and delicious options I've made all week.

It started when my mom brought a slew of gluten-free products into my place of work last week. Amongst the various types of rice crackers, I also had to fit a colossal sized bag of ancient grain quinoa pasta into my purse. I looked like I was smuggling food out of Oreganos. I assumed it would stay in the "share corner" of my apartment for weeks, neither of my roommates and I were very motivated to boil 12 cups of water at any point over the next few days. However, yesterday I had a hankering for pasta after gazing longingly at the bag, and Claire (one of my roommates) was only too excited when I suggested that I would make it.

After boiling 12 cups of water, I added 3 cups of pasta to the pot, and let that simmer--uncovered--for around 9 minutes. Then I drained the water and let the pasta cool for 7-10 minutes. I was really craving spaghetti sauce, but fate had other plans, and I found a basil-pesto spread on the door of my fridge. It was perfect. I put 3/4 cup of noodles (around 200 cals) into a bowl and added 1/2 teaspoon of the basil pesto sauce in. Better than any restaurant, if I do say so myself (which I totally do).

For the record, there are 3 cups of noodles in that bowl, not 3/4, so unless you're really hungry don't try to duplicate this picture for consumption--the serving size will be a bit off

-KIM

Miracle Quinoa Bowl

I start my morning off early, waking up at around 7:45 am to work on a project for my Fungi class and do my hour of Insanity. I had half a grapefruit before my workout so I wouldn't be thinking about food the whole time, and during my workout, decided I wanted new nail polish.

Class doesn't start for me until 3 pm on Wednesdays, so I quickly headed out to Target when my workout was over. Big mistake, I should have eaten breakfast before I left, because on the way back to my apartment I was about ready to start gnawing on the steering wheel.

When I got back, I was going to go with something simple like a bowl of oatmeal and fruit, so that I could nibble the fruit while I waited for the oatmeal to cook. Instead, I decided my taste buds were craving something more savory, so I rooted around my fridge and then created my "Miracle Quinoa Bowl."

And so it begins...

I started by tossing the miracle noodles into a pot to boil for their regulatory 2 minutes--I threw some mushrooms in with the noodles so they could cook--and then heated up another pan for some scrambled egg whites. Once they were done, I mixed the two together and made them the base of my MQB bowl. Next, I shredded my cooked broccoli pieces over the base, and spooned some tri-color quinoa in with the mixture. Tomatoes followed the quinoa, and as a final touch, I curved some asparagus spears over the bowl and drizzled balsamic vinegar to finish. Voila!

So delicious, so light, and so easy

-KIM

The Ultimate Garbage Salad

Dinner: something that doesn't always exist when I have to work starting at 5 pm on a Tuesday night. So instead of waiting for the 11 pm end of my shift to be the starting point at which I take my first bite for the night, I'm going to pack something I can nibble on in between greeting and serving tables. I call it, "The Ultimate Garbage Salad."Not quite the appealing name I had hoped for, but the taste will definitely make up for it.

I previously described garbage salad in an earlier post, but to those of you who haven't seen that post, I'll re-describe it now. I love tons of different flavors and textures in my salads, aka, I need a ton of THINGS in my salad. These things range from different vegetables, to pastas, to fruits, etc, basically whatever's sitting in my fridge at the time. And so, the clutter in my fridge ultimately helped create a beautiful spectacle of a salad I can't wait to dig into as soon as the first rumble in my stomach hits.

The Ultimate Garbage Salad

Arugula

Spinach

Cabbage

Bell Peppers

Avocado

1/2 package Miracle Noodles

3 scoops Tri-Color Quinoa (cooked as of last night to sit overnight in the fridge <-- my protein)

Steamed Broccoli

Several Stalks Steamed Asparagus

Mushrooms

Cucumbers

AND I'm going to top it with Balsamic Dressing!

-KIM

Filling Breakfast

After a tough insanity workout, nothing better than setting up for a good chow-sesh. No meal says "ready for the day" like a power-breakfast filled with protein, vegetables, and a fantastic taste. With just a couple minutes, turkey bacon had been cooked, the omelet was made, and I was ready to eat!

Turkey Bacon

1) Drizzle some olive oil on a flat pan

2) Turn up the heat

3) Let bacon slices sizzle for a couple minutes on each side

**You may have to microwave slices for around 20-30 seconds if bacon was in freezer

Omelet

1) Spray pan with cooking spray

2) Pour egg whites pan (amount of your choice, I usually do 3-4)

3) Let egg whites cook until no longer clear (using spatula to move away from sides of pan)

4) Add veggies of your choice (I used bell peppers, mushrooms, and spinach)

5) Slide spatula under one side of omelet and sandwich the veggies

6) Let cook on that side for a minute

7) Flip omelet and let the other side cook

8) Turn of heat and slide onto plate

9) EAT!

-KIM

Happy Monday!

So finally back to the school grind after enjoying a nice, full weekend. I have to say that as much as I want to detest Mondays, I kind of enjoy the feeling that they bring me; I wake up knowing that I'm going to be productive and that a fresh week is starting. Any worries that I had from the last week are slowly starting to fade, and I'm allowed, in my opinion, a clean slate to start new.

And with a new week comes new meals! I kept things pretty simple today. I had my oatmeal for breakfast, a bowl of miracle rice with veggies and egg whites for lunch, and then I went to Wegman's to go food shopping. Food shopping has to literally be one of my favorite things to do! There are so many options of delicious things to get, and I always love envisioning what meals are in the week to come.

Just a little look at my purchases! I ADORE fruit!

For dinner, I decided to do something a little bit different. I usually like to make my own veggies, but Wegman's ready-made, hot, seasoned vegetables looked so delicious that I decided to snag a few for my own nibbling pleasure. I filled up a plastic box with asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, and a few baby shrimp.

My delicious dinner! Can't wait for the rest of the week!

--Lara

Late Dinner

MY MIRACLE NOODLES FINALLY CAME! After hearing Lara rave about these "zero calorie, zero carb, zero sodium... etc" noodles for weeks, I finally put in an order for my own. I came home from work around 6 pm yesterday, but I had no time for dinner quite yet. I already planned my night and the order was: online quiz, workout, shower, dinner. By the time I finished everything else on my list, I was famished.

I didn't want to wait around for my noodles to cook, but then I read the label and realized it only needs to boil for two minutes. What????? These noodles kept getting better and better. Lara warned me that the "zero calorie" also stood for "zero taste," so I pulled out minced garlic, pepper, and mushrooms to flavor the noodles when they finished boiling.

I didn't think the noodles would completely satisfy me in my state of starvation, so I went in the fridge for the salad I never got around to eating at work (I literally don't sit down for 8 hours at a time when I'm serving). In this particular salad was arugula, spinach, sliced mini bell peppers, some leftover grilled salmon, avocado, tomato, cucumbers, raw mushrooms, and I'm sure I'm leaving something out (my mom calls these "garbage" salads because you basically just throw everything in your fridge into them).

I eventually just tossed the noodles in with the salad, because it felt odd to be eating them plain--they're a little bit of a curious texture--and it was genius! The noodles soaked up the flavors of the salad and the combined bowl made for a substantial and guilt-free dinner (forgot to get a picture I was enjoying too much)

-KIM

Mother Daughter Date Night

Ahh girls night, the time when there's nothing a good gossip sesh or glass of wine can't fix. Luckily, my beautiful mother was in town this week, so I skipped out on yet another Thirsty Thursday to enjoy a relaxing even with her.

We started our adventures by taking a walk in Sabino Canyon--one of the most beautiful places to walk in Tucson when the sun is setting. This also helped us work up extreme appetites, something I now look back on as foreshadowing for the feast to come.

We made our way to Whole Foods next (a new one just opened in Tucson that is WONDERFUL, they have a full salad bar, BBQ, a desserts section, a fresh produce section, sandwiches, salmon...etc), for what we assumed to be a "light salad night." Oh how were we mistaken. After filling up two large brown boxes with salads, Mom encouraged me to go get a piece of salmon because she heard me "craving" it earlier. Salad, salmon, check. A bit of brown rice sushi for an extra filler, why not?

But it wasn't over. As I tried to head for the cash register, Mom insisted we move south towards the BBQ aisle--big mistake. There we found the most succulent and juicy piece of brisket I've ever seen in my life, I think I actually know what heaven smells like now. Of course, we had to buy a piece to split, accompanied by two sides of BBQ sauce. I tried to leave, but naturally Mom had other plans.

One of the most delicious meats I've ever tasted. We polished this off easy.

French fries. She wanted unsalted french fries. Next came the kettle corn, two bags of it to "see which one we liked better." And then the chocolate bunny ears (a marvelous invention by candy companies because really, who eats the rest of the bunny anyways?).

And there you have it, our Thursday night feast; a simple dinner for two, snuggling in front of the TV with satisfied stomachs and smiles on our faces. Did I mention we split a bottle of wine as well?

The cashier looked appalled.

-KIM

Studying Snack

I have a huge test tomorrow; and I mean almost two full months of fungal information in one test. In case you're curious, it's because I thought taking the general education class titled "Mushrooms, Molds, and Man" would be easy. It's not. If having to face the terms "Basidiomycota" and "Fungal Hypovirulence" weren't scarring enough, I'm now currently trying to pack my brain with more yeast, mushroom, and fermentation facts than I thought was humanly possible (although truthfully I never gave it much though until now).

I didn't have any time for a substantial dinner tonight because (since I'm a PIKE dreamgirl) I had to be at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity for "speed dating" at 6 to check out the new lady selection pool--exactly the time I got out of my Mushroom study session. This made for a very inconvenient nomming session at the Sigma Kappa household, as I tried to speedily inhale a plateful of lonely-looking salad greens while checking the time on my phone in manic paranoia.

By the time I left the PIKE house around 8 pm, I was starving. There is only one thing on my mind when my stomach begins to rumble: food, and food now. Luckily, I had some time before I met my friend at the library to study, so I headed over to the local supermarket, Safeway, and grabbed the most delicious salad I could find.

This particular salad seemed healthy and savory enough, so I headed over to Mark's house with what little time I had left to **Kimify it. The salad consisted of mandarin oranges, cabbage, chicken, nuts, lettuce, crunchy noodles, and a sweet Asian dressing loaded with sodium and sugar. My Kimifications included taking out the nuts, crunchy noodles, and replacing the salad dressing with a much lighter balsamic vinegar. Just filling enough to keep me satiated until I was done studying, but not too heavy that I felt weighed down in the slightest!


**A recently created term I used when describing my salad modifications to Amanda, she said I had to put it in the blog.

Looking at this makes me want to eat it all over again...

-KIM

Library Lunch

Spring break was everything i wanted it to be; it was relaxing, warm, deliciously sunny, and restful.

School is anything but. I have suddenly been thrown back into the world of too much to do and not enough time to do it all. On top of all of that, it's blizzarding outside. Not a little flurry, but a full-on snowstorm. Normally, I'd be fine with that. My family can attest to the fact that I absolutely adore cold weather and snow. However, I'm just not in the mood now.

But something that always picks me up is delicious food. And luckily, it's coming in an amazing abundance now that I'm back. My first blog-worthy meal happened in the most unexpected place: the library. Before I headed back to Syracuse, my friends and I stopped at Trader Joes to pick up some nibblies. Whilst there, I grabbed a yummy-looking salad to save for a cloudy day. Thanks to Syracuse, I didn't have to wait that long.

I brought my salad with me to the library between classes, and the nutritious blend of greens and condiments were a perfect way to help me get my paper done. I wish so badly we had a Trader Joes here in Syracuse! I complain about it all the time! I guess, for now, Wegman's will do.

Yum!! This salad packed a serious protein-punch and made for some seriously delicious brain food!

--Lara

Healthy Eats

I started my day with a grapefruit, but not JUST a grapefruit, it was the big momma of all grapefruits. Sized relative to the proportions of my head, this grapefruit spoke to me at Safeway, practically begging me to buy it. How could I resist? It was delicious, sweet, juicy, and just enough to get me going before my new Insanity DVD (this week is "recovery," but it was basically all just strength work. Didn't feel like I was recovering much).

After my workout I took a quick shower, and headed to the kitchen before my rumbling stomach could affect my blossoming mood. I decided on something hearty, but breakfast-friendly (even though it was almost 11 so I could technically consider it brunch): rolled oats and fruit. Because I'm doing my "no sugar/no salt" kick this week, I had to skip my favorite part, the honey. Without the sweetness of the honey to spice up my oatmeal, I instead turned to handfuls of diced strawberries, sliced/frozen 1/2 banana, blueberries, rasberries, and cinnamon to keep my taste buds happy. And it worked (next time I'll add flax and chia seeds, which I've heard are awesome, but that will be after my next Trader Joe's trip)!

I didn't have much time to eat during the rest of my day, I was running back and forth across campus to code research, go to an advising appointment, run back to finish my research, and sprint back just in time for my 3 pm class. By the time 4:15 pm rolled around I was ravenous, so I decided to take advantage of my grocery shopping spree last night and headed back to my apartment to whip up an early dinner.

You'll notice in the picture below that my salad bowl is slightly oversized, or should I say, Kardashian-sized. In most episodes, the beautiful Kardashian sisters consume their salads out of bowls made for someone slightly more King-Kong sized--I thought it was genius and I've been doing the same thing ever since. It helps to see salad as more of a meal, instead of just a "side," if all the leafy-greens and other creative additions are larger bowls (I always like to feel like I get to eat more!).

Of course I topped my delicious and extravagant salad with Red Wine Vinegar

Arugula, spinach, sliced chicken (preheated from last night's batch), cherry tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, and avocado helped make my dinner absolutely fresh and mouthwatering

Of course the salad would have been enough, but I was so hungry I needed a little something on the side. Last night I bought a nice head of broccoli, and since steamed broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables, I decided to try it out. Luckily, I also recently discovered an excellent pot for cooking vegetables in, so I bought myself a strainer for the water and steamed up some of that broccoli!

I felt so accomplished, this is the first time I've steamed veggies in my apartment!

 -KIM

Back to the Real World

Lara, Amanda, Lara's friends, and I, did not spend our spring break drinking our week way; we spent it eating. Lots and lots of eating. From ice cream on the boardwalk, to pizza and Mexican at Disney World, and lots of Mama and Papa Gould's cooking--it looked like I may as well have eaten one of the other girls at the end of the trip. Binge eating: my weakness.

Pizza from Italy (in Epcot, Disney, of course) Topped with Mozzarella cheese, truffle oil, and artichoke hearts : it stole my heart. 

Chocolate chip banana and Blueberry muffins Mama Gould had waiting for us

And of course in a Jewish household, who could resist bagels???

So in order to get my system back where it needs to be (plus I have to look good when I visit Lara, I'm her formal date...romantic <3), I'm spending the next two weeks cleansing my body. This means no extra sugar, no salt, and none of the junk I was inhaling in Florida (see pictures above).

Mark and I went grocery shopping when we got home (after a quick trip to the mountains to watch the sunset) to pick up everything that I'll need for the next couple of weeks. We had gotten taco salads after Amanda and I landed in Phoenix, so I wasn't too hungry until around 7:30 pm. Even then I wasn't starving, so I made myself a fruit bowl and nibbled some almonds while Mark taught me how to bake chicken in the oven. I've literally never done that by myself until now, learn something new every day I suppose :)

Thinly sliced chicken breasts topped with minced garlic and pepper (cook at 350 for around 1/2 an hour)

The chef hard at work

Fresh fruit, forever my weakness. Those blackberries were gone within the hour

Light Brunch

A couple weeks ago I had such a delicious little home-made brunch (also known as a mid-morning snack) that I had to share. Healthy, savory, and not too offensive on the calories either!

It was nothing too fancy, just something to fill me up, while also spoiling my taste-buds at the same time. I give you: the breakfast sandwich:

My Breakfast Sandwich:

Ingredients:

1 Slice Turkey Bacon

3 Egg Whites

Pepper

3 Slices Tomato

1 Slice Whole Wheat English Muffin (Toasted)

Pile high and eat slow! Pair with some veggies to add an extra fresh crunch. Enjoy <3

-KIM

Pre-Florida Goodbye

Mark and I decided that we needed to spend some quality time together before I left for Florida (ONE MORE DAY!!!!!), therefore, it was only natural we spend some of that time eating. We wanted to mix it up a bit, so instead of the usual "dinner and a movie," we changed the genre of our date a bit to....

Froyo and a Playground

Cute, fun, and definitely delicious. Too much dairy can be dangerous for me (I'm lactose intolerant), but a little bit never hurt...too badly anyways. We had to hit up the bank first, which inspired my frozen yogurt craving because we passed the newly establish Yogurtland on our way. I told Mark we were going to reward ourselves for being so financially responsible, and he said that was fine, as long as we got to play on swings after. I thought that was a wonderfully fair compromise; a fun way to work the froyo off!

He doesn't like to make normal faces. Mine is on the right: Praline,  Bananas Foster, and Chocolate froyo topped with strawberries, blackberries, mochi, reeces pieces (I was craving peanut butter!), and chopped up reeces bits. So yummy :)

Clearly we enjoyed our yogurt...

Proudly repping yogurtland

We left Yogurtland satisfied and happy, and headed down Tucson (a street in Tucson...original) to a park with a jungle-gym. There was a little girl at the park who kept running over to ask us questions, she actually swung higher than Mark. It was really fun and such a great idea, but maybe next time we'll do yogurt AFTER the swings, digestion and all...

Mark going for a wild ride

-KIM

Protein Breakfast

I have been one busy gal pal!! Between midterms, extracurricular activities, and big/little festivities for my sorority, I've barely had any time for myself! However, my breakfast this morning made me so happy, I knew I had to share it.

So it's been a few days since I've had a good treadmill run, and my body is feeling the effects of it. I've been more sluggish, irritable, and I've been snapping at people because I haven't had a positive outlet for some of my frustrations. So today, I knew that had to change.

I planned my morning this way: I would have anthropology class, meet my friend at the gym for 40 minutes, and then head to my next class. The only issue? WHERE DO I FIT IN FOOD?! I knew I had to fuel up early in the morning so it would last me until after my second class. Here's where my super protein-filled breakfast came in.

I had my usual oatmeal (1/4 cup quick-oats), 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 2 tablespoons wheat germ, pineapple, blueberries, and rasberries. BUT I DIDN'T STOP THERE. I steamed a handful of broccoli & also mixed in 2 egg whites. I made a perfect, healthy egg scramble.

This plus my usual oatmeal was SO filling!

I ate my breakfast at around 9:30, and here it is at 2:24 and my stomach is JUST beginning to rumble. My run this morning was amazing; I ran for about 35 minutes before I had to head to my next class. I walked in as a sweaty mess! It was understandable no one wanted to sit near me...

To quell my rumbly tumbly I swiped a large apple from my dining hall and will munch that on the way to my last class of the day! I'm feeling good, and I can't wait for spring break soon!

SPRING BREAK IN 2 DAYS!! I GET TO SEE MY TWIN SOON :)

--Lara

Spring Break Countdown

I promised myself I was done with silly diet fads and watermelon cleanses pre-bikini trips, and I am sticking to that promise. This morning I finished day 15 of Insanity (still proving to be just as insane as day 1), and I've been trying to eat as "right" as possible--Amanda and I leave for Florida on Friday!

I started my morning off right with a bowl of Kashi Go-Lean and Almond Milk paired with a fruit bowl, just because I was craving a bit of extra sweetness. I wasn't hungry until around 2:30 pm, when I had to throw out the most god-awful protein bar I've ever tasted in my entire life. It tasted like the cross between old strawberries and a chemical lab; something most unpleasant.

So delicious, looking at this now I'm actually craving another one. Dinner anyone?

I came back to my apartment around 4:45, where I indulged in several pieces of brown rice sushi, and a small handful of almonds. I don't have that "too full" feeling, which I usually get after coming home after a busy day out. A delicious start to the day :)

-KIM