Missing in action

I’m sorry (but I’m not sorry) that I’ve been MIA this week.  Playing catch-up after being on vacay is a never-ending process.  When I haven’t been working or sleeping, I’ve been spending every single extra second with Kyle.  Absence does make the heart grow fonder, FYI.

I also stopped taking photos of my food for a while because my camera couldn’t keep up with my appetite.  I’ve been doing quite a number on the fridge/pantry (it’s as if I arrived home from Europe and immediately felt the need to ravage our kitchen and make up for the 20 days I was gone).  Seriously.  If you want a visual, just picture the Tasmanian devil whirling through the apartment.  I haven’t been uncomfortably out of control, but I do want to get back to intuitive eating.  Soon. 

There’s also that matter of triathlon training…but I’ll get to that later. 

In the meantime, I found a way to make oats taste like Raisin Bran without using the actual cereal at all.  Raisin Bran is one of my favorite cereals (a fact that means almost nothing since that category has close to 50 occupants).  But let’s pretend that I don’t put cereal before my husband in terms of devotion…and say that being one of my favorites is a highly elite and selective honor.

Raisin & Bran Oatmeal

• 3/4 cup whole rolled oats
• 1/4 cup wheat bran
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 4 drops NuNatural’s liquid stevia (or 1 tbsp sugar)

I cooked the oats in the water first, then added the bran and soymilk at the very end. 

True to the OG cereal, I doused the raisins in the sugar separate from the oats.  And just like the actual Kellogg mantra of “two scoops,” I added in just enough raisins to make the ratio fairly raisin heavy.  🙂

And while we’re on the subject of themed oatmeal flavors…

This is one I packed for work the other day.  It looks like an ordinary tupperware of oats, but just wait. 

 

I swear I have more recipe ideas when I’m running than any other time of the day!  It’s like the cardio clears my head and I am flooded with brain activity.  My breakthrough moments aren’t always food related, but they often are.  I can’t tell you how many times I get back from a run and immediately grab a pad of paper to jot down my notes.  Anyone else have this same method of madness?

 

(Vegan) Strawberry Cheesecake Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp vegan cream cheese (I’m partial to Follow Your Heart’s dairy alternative)
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more to taste)
• 3-4 drops of NuNatural’s liquid stevia (or whatever sugar you prefer)
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries

For transportation purposes, I left things unmixed until I got to work. 

Once breakfast time arrived though, I stirred it all up.  After heating up in the microwave, the strawberries and cream cheese got soft and combined perfectly to make beautiful pink oats with a thick consistency and cheesecake-like flavor.  Mmmm…

Today, I’m switching it up.

Apple pie oatmeal with bananas and peanut butter on top.

What kind of dessert have you made your oatmeal into?

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Replacement plate

Have you seen the new nutritional tool for Americans? 

The pyramid has been replaced!  [source]

I’m a big fan of Michelle Obama’s campaign against obesity…when she added a garden to the White House so soon after moving in, I knew she meant business.  It seems she’s been working overtime to make changes to the old model.  I have to say, this tool has seemed outdated for quite some time, so I’m glad that a new image will take over. 

As you can see, it is now a plate, divided into the sections: vegetables, fruit, grains, and protein (with a dairy drink on the side).

Likes

• There are no quantifiable serving sizes or amounts (much more simple that the former model)
• Fruit and veggies take up half the plate (this is a GREAT visual)
• The word “protein” is used instead of “meat” (way more vegetarian friendly)
• The protein portion is the smallest one (maybe this will finally convince non-body-builders that protein isn’t supposed to be the dominant part of the American diet)
• The word “grain” is used instead of “carbohydrates”

Dislikes (or to-be-improved)

• There are no quantifiable serving sizes or amounts (is this model too simple?)
• “Protein” gets it’s own category (kinda negates the fact that there is protein in grains and dairy, too)
• Dairy as a drink choice is great when it’s compared to soda as an alternate, but what about nondairy options?

Since my likes outweigh my dislikes, I’d consider the remodel a successful one…with room for improvement.  I guess we will wait and see how it’s received by the public.  Do kids still learn about the food pyramid in school?  Do you remember learning about it?  I do.  It was posted in our family’s kitchen on the cabinet where my mom’s cookbooks were stored (right above our “snack drawer”).  And I remember at a very young age constructing perfectly proportioned meals like peanut butter and jelly and tomato soup with stone ground wheat crackers.  I even used to write them down!  I guess I was a food blogger without a blog, even when I was in elementary school…

Thoughts on the new plate?

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