Zucchini Bread Smoothie

I have always been a huge fan of zucchini bread. It was always one of my favorite things to eat when I was younger (and not gluten free). For years now I have been trying to find a good gluten free zucchini bread recipe, but I still have yet to find the perfect one. I had seen people make zucchini bread smoothies on instagram, so since I had leftover zucchini in the house, I decided to freeze it and make my own version. 

This recipe turned out so well. I did not actually think that I could get a smoothie to taste like zucchini bread, but the mix of zucchini, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla protein was suprisingly accurate. I have already made this several times, and I know that once zucchini's are in season in Wisconsin, this smoothie will become a constant in my smoothie rotation. 

Zucchini Bread Smoothie

Serves: 1 Large or 2 Small

Ingredients 

1 c. frozen zucchini

1/2 frozen banana

handful of kale (or spinach) 

1 T. almond butter

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder 

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon) 

1 1/2 c.  almond milk 

Instructions

Blend until smoothie and enjoy! 

Let me know if you try this out! 

xoxo, 

Maddie

Blender Veggie Pasta Sauce for One

Anytime I make dinner for myself at home, I always make pasta. I love pasta with a passion because it is so versatile. I have been experimenting with different kinds of pasta recipes that I can easily next school year. My only requirements are that they are cheap, fast, easy and somewhat healthy. It sounds like a lot, but in reality it has been pretty easy to find some good sauces.

This pasta sauce checks off all of the boxes. I would call this a pretty healthy sauce. It has three different veggies with carrots, cauliflower rice ad marinara. Personally, I feel you can count marinara sauce as a small bit of tomato, especially if you buy a higher quality sauce that is not full of unnecessary ingredients. At my house, we always have Silver Palate pasta sauce. This sauce is also so easy and fast. All you need to do is throw all of the ingredients into the blender. By the time your pasta is cooked, the sauce will be ready. 

I know that this sauce will become a staple in my diet, and I hope that you give it a try!

Blender Veggie Pasta
Servings: 1 (easily multiplied)

Ingredients
2-3oz dry pasta (I used Banza)

1 cup frozen cauliflower, defrosted and cooled
1/2 cup chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian)
1/3 cup marinara sauce
1 medium carrot, shredded (about 2/3 cup)
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt/pepper to taste

optional: spinach

Instructions

Boil water, and cook pasta according to the packages direction.

Add all of the sauce ingrinets (cauliflower through salt/pepper) to a blender, and blend until smoothie. Pour sauce into a pan, and heat through. Once pasta is done cooking, and warmed sauce and stir until evenly coated. At this point you can add in the optional spinach, and stir until wilted.

Notes

If making one serving, it will blend best in a smaller blender. The first time I made this I used a large Vitamix and it was still chunky just because the amount in the blender wasn't enough. I used a NutriBullet the second time, and it was the perfect size. 

For the cauliflower rice, I use frozen cauliflower rice that I defrost in the microwave. This causes the  size of the rice to shrink, so you may need to experiment if you are using freshly grated cauliflower rice that has been steamed. I have always used frozen cauliflower rice so I can't  help you there.

Leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator. It seemed to develop the flavors even more with time. 

This recipe was inspired by the Hungry Blonde.

What are your thoughts on this sauce?

Until next time, 

Maddie 

52 in 52: Week 16

I am starting to feel the stress of finals building. I have had less time to make fun meals, which is okay, but it means that there are less fun things to report on. I know that all I have to do is get through the next two weeks, and then it is finally summer. Not that summer matters that much in terms of working or spending time with friends, but I am so excited to finally have free time and (maybe) warm weather. I started to bring the idea of summer with a cool dessert this week, something would be perfect going into the summer. 

This weeks new recipe was a chocolate chia pudding from Feel Good Foodie. I was in the mood for a different kind of dessert than I usually have. Typically I have dark chocolate or coffee ice cream but I saw this recipe and decided out of the blue to make it. The first time I made it, I added coffee ice cream, coconut flakes and a chocolate covered banana. The second time, I had the chia pudding with bananas. The chia pudding with ice cream was something I hadn't thought of before, and it made a great texture combination. 

This chia pudding tasted so good. I think that what really made this so good what that I used a high quality cocoa powder. I used Equal Exchange's cocoa powder and it is a game changer. The cocoa powder is rich and full of flavor.  It is nothing like other brands I have used in the past. I will definitely be making this again. I loved the easy of being able to just grab it out of the fridge and still have a fancy dessert. I am already planning all of the different flavors I want to make... almond, chai and coffee... yum. 

What is your favorite kind of chia pudding?

Until next time, 

Maddie

Tuesdays Eats: One Month into Quarantine

I realized suddenly that we are already a month into Wisconsin stay at home order, and time has flown by. I did not think I would be saying this, but I have been busy enough with online school that I have not had time to get bored. The highlights of my days are always my meals. This is when I can take a break from studying in order to cook, primarily breakfast and lunch. I have been able to find a lot of meals that I love and have had only a few busts. This day was a pretty predictable day of eating, so here we go!  

Breakfast: Vanilla Skyr w/ Grain Free Yogurt, (defrosted) Local Cherries and Blueberries + Cookies and Cream Smoothie 

If you have looked on my Instagram recently, you would know that I am obsessed with Kelly Leveque's Cookies and Cream Fab Four smoothie. The smoothie has blueberries, spinach, almond butter, flaxseeds and chocolate protein powder.  I would not just have this smoothie alone for breakfast, I just don't know if it would keep me full until lunch. Instead, I split the smoothie recipe with my mom (she also loves it) and have something on the side that involves chewing. I was in the mood for a parfait even though the weather is still pretty cold, so I just had that as well. 

Lunch: Socca w/ Lemon Rosemary White Beans and Mushrooms

Lunches have continued to be a fun experiments in the kitchen. I have continued with my socca obsession that I mentioned on last Fridays 52 in 52,  and we topped it with leftover white beans and local mushrooms. The recipe for the white beans and mushrooms was from Spoonful of Flavor.  This was a great recipe to use up things that we had lying around the house. We are lucky enough to get produce delivery once a week from a local farmer, so we have a constant stream of mushrooms, spinach, carrots etc available. Most of our lunches involve finding new recipes to try that involves using up these items. 

Snack: Peanuts + Grapes (unpictured) 

Yup, a snack. Nothing special but it didn't need to be. I just needed something to get me through the final paper that I am writing. 

Dinner: 1/2 Leftover Socca + Apple + Sausage + Garlic Soup 

I had a snack plate for dinner this night since the rest of my family was having cheese fondu. Technically I could have it with my family, it would have been annoying for them since they couldn't have our homemade French bread dipped in the cheese due to cross contamination. They weren't complaining but honestly, I don't love cheese fondu so I had a deconstructed version. The socca was leftovers from the day before. I had wanted to see how it would taste warmed up so this was the perfect time to test it. (FYI, its not as food as fresh) Finally, the garlic soup was from a Julia Child cookbook with egg ribbons in it. It was a nice final touch. 

Dessert: Hu Cashew Butter Dark Chocolate 

Since we couldn't get our typical easter candy this year, we picked up some Hu Chocolate from the grocery. I had always seen it on Instagram, but wasn't sure if it was worth the type. Now let me tell you... it is. I absolutely love this dark Chocolate. I really like the cashew butter bar, but the hazelnut dark chocolate bar is even better. This ranks as one of my all time favorite dark chocolate bars. 

What have your meals been looking like? 

xoxo,

Maddie

Hidden Veggie Immunity Smoothie

At school I work with performance nutrition for our sports teams, and the main point of my job is to make smoothies. Obviously I have not been working since I am back home and all college athletics have been cancelled. My bosses have been letting work on little projects if we want to stay involved. Recently I worked on making social media posts on the topics of hydration and immunity. I loved making the immunity post because it was informing on what foods are great for the immune system, and then I made a recipe to go along with it. 

This Immunity smoothie truly does have most of the recommended vitamins, mineral and protein to help support a healthy immune system. The strawberries are a great source of Vitamin C. Carrots provide beta carotene which will be covered into Vitamin A. The banana provides probiotics that help keeps a healthy gut, which has a surprisingly large impact on the immune system. Protein can come from the milk and protein powder. Finally the almond butter is a good source of  Vitamin E and Zinc. All of these nutrients can help your immune system. 

It is important to make sure you always get your nutrition information from accurate sources, not just any old website (mine included). Eat Right is the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics website, and it has a lot of great nutrition information on almost every topic. At the end of this post I will link two great articles about eating for immunity if you are interested. Here are some key take aways:

Hidden Veggie Immunity Smoothie
Serves: 1 large or 2 medium smoothies

Ingredients 

1 cup milk (dairy free if need be) 
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 chopped carrot
1/2 banana
2 T almond butter
pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Here are the links to extra reading on eating for immunity.
https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/preventing-illness/support-your-health-with-nutrition  
https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/preventing-illness/how-to-keep-your-immune-system-healthy

Let me know your thoughts on the smoothie,

Maddie

Strawberry Grapefruit Smoothie

In the middle of this last semester I started to experiment more with making smoothies in the morning. I love smoothies as a way to get in your fruits and veggies to start the day, but just a smoothie isn't enough of a breakfast for me. I really need to be able to chew some part of my meal in order to feel satiated. I started to experiment with making small smoothies and I found some that I really liked. My favorite breakfast quickly became a smoothie with scrambled eggs or a muffin on the side. 

This strawberry grapefruit smoothie is one of my all time favorites. It creates a great fluffy smoothie with the prettiest color. The grapefruit provides a refreshing and tangy taste while the strawberry balances it out with sweetness. 

For protein powder, I really like Garden of Life's Sport Whey Protein. Of all of the protein powders I have tried, it blends the smoothest with not off taste. Any other plant or whey based protein powder could work here as well. If you don't want to add any protein powder, another option is adding vanilla extract. Your smoothie will not expand in volume as much, but it will still have a great taste. 

Strawberry Grapefruit Smoothie 

Serves: 1 

Ingredients 

1/2 c Grapefruit* (about 1/2 a large grapefruit) 

3/4 c Strawberries 

1/4 c Riced Cauliflower

2 T Vanilla Protein Powder 

1/3 c Almond Milk (or any milk of choice) 

*try to remove as much of the white strings as possible as it makes the smoothie bitter

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth. 

Let me know what you think!

Until next time, 

Maddie 

52 in 52: Week 13

This week was a dull one. I was stressed with school, tired with nothing to do and unmotivated with everything. My half marathon that I was training for was also officially cancelled this week which is a bummer. It's not like I did not know it was going to happen, but it is still sad that it did. Regardless, I have still kept up with cooking. It is what I look forward to the most!

This week I made cauliflower fried rice. I can't remember where I found the recipe (sorry) but it is pretty similar to any other recipe for fried rice except I used cauliflower rice and coconut amnios. I served it with "bagels" with peanut butter. If you haven't tried adding everything seasoning to peanut butter toast, you are missing out. 

Overall I liked how easy this dish was. It was nothing complex, but that was exactly what I needed this day. I cannot compare this to your typical fried rice, because I have never tried it. This is the kind of recipe I know I will be making again next year when I am back at school. It was a great way to add a lot of veggies into meal and it was a nice warm recipe for a cool day. 

Until next time, 

Maddie

52 in 52: Week 13

I have finally settled into a routine with classes back up for school and everyone in my house is working. I have found that I am working best with a set schedule for my day. I get my run in right away, then make breakfast and am sitting at my desk working by 9am. I give myself study breaks during the day to make breakfast, a nice lunch for my mom and I, and then to go on a walk in the afternoon. I have made sure to try a lot of new recipes this week. On my instagram (here), I shared my salmon cakes, frittata and lentil/beef sloppy joes. Making all of these new recipe gives me something to look forward to and I am so thankful for that. 

This week I made a cranberry ginger crumble fruit bake from Jar of Lemons.  The fruits I used are apple, cranberries, clementines and blueberries. The recipe initially called for mandarine oranges and blackberries but since I did not have those, I made use with what I had. For the granola topping, I used a grain free granola from Purely Elizabeth. This fruit bake was really interesting, especially with the addition of citrus. I would have never thought of adding it myself, which is part of why I wanted to try out the recipe. 

This fruit bake was really easy to make and tasted great which makes it a win in my book. The recipe says that it is a two serving dessert, but my mom and I had this for breakfast for two days. This first day I ate it with scrambled eggs on the side. Day two did not have as much of the fruit bake left, so I added leftover sweet potato, more granola and then added yogurt on the side for protein. I already have plans to make this again. I want to make sure to save some for dessert so I can try it out with ice cream! 

COVID-19 may be causing problems all around, but I find it important to focus on the good in life too. For me, I am so thankful for being able to cook in a real kitchen and experiment with fun recipes. 

Until next week, 

Maddie

52 in 52: Week 12

This social distancing/being on spring break with nothing to do has given me tons of time to try new recipe. I have made a new lunch or treat almost everyday but today I am sharing my favorite... bagels! I found a grain free bagel recipe on @lashsandlemons, and seeing as I had all of the ingredients, I whipped it up one night for breakfast the next day.

These bagels were really easy and quick to make which was appreciated. For the recipe all I had to do was mix coconut flour, flaxseeds, psyllium husk, egg whites and coconut oil, then add it to a doughnut pan and bake. I just happened to have psyllium husk for a recipe I tried about a year ago, but never found a use for it sense. Now I finally have a use!

What are my thoughts? I am so happy I found this recipe. They aren't dense at all like real bagel, honestly the only resemblance to a bagel they have is the shape. Instead they are light and airy. I used the bagels for avocado toast, and it was sturdy enough to hold a lot of avocado. I think these bagels are going to be a stable in my baking routine... I have already made them twice.

Until next time,

Maddie 

52 in 52: Week Nine, Ten and Eleven

Life has been very busy recently. First we started off with a lot of mid-terms and papers and now we have the whole coronavirus situation. I am not longer at school, and have online classes until at least mid-April. Hopefully this means I have more time to blog and actually stay on track, but I really don't know what to expect coming up.

For next set of 52 in 52, I started writing each of these posts in their respective weeks, but by the time the week ended, I completely ran out of time.

Week Eight

I put myself on a mission this week. After being tired of eating microwaved scrambled eggs over and over, I decided to try to make eggs with a runny yoke in the microwave. So this week my "new" food isn't anything I bought at the grocery store, instead it is a new method of making eggs. 

This was quite the process to figure out. The first couple of times I ended up with overcooked egg whites and yolks at the were perfect... if you wanted them to be fully cooked. I went through several eggs in this attempt. Don't worry, I didn't throw them out, instead I ate a lot of weirdly cooked eggs. I tried a lot of variations such as two eggs v. one egg, the timing, covering the egg, 

The Method 

- Preheat bowl for 60 seconds on high. 

- Crack one egg into the bowl and stab yolk once
- Cover with paper towel (whites will pop a lot)
- Microwave on high for 30 secs (I think the microwave I was using is really weak, so be willing to test out your power level)

Nothing beats eggs made on the stove, believe me, it is always one of the first things I eat when I am home, but this runny egg yolk works. It can get you through time rough times of having only a microwave. 

Week Nine

Keeping on the runny egg trend, I  tired have sweet oats with an egg on top. I wanted to have protein in my oatmeal, but didn't feel like adding collagen or protein powder. I had tried eggs with savory oatmeal over winter break, but one of the Youtubers I watch, Lexi DeYoung, has always talked about runny eggs on sweet oats so I figured I'd give it a shot.

This oatmeal bowl had oats (obviously), cinnamon, flaxseeds, defrosted strawberries, peanut butter and an egg. This surprised me, but I loved it! I didn't really taste the egg but it added a nice texture change. I also appreciated that this breakfast kept me full and satisfied until lunch time. I would highly recommend trying this, especially if you want more protein for your oatmeal. I think next time I want to try it with bananas and chopped nuts with the egg!

Week Ten

This was my last week of relative normalcy ie being at school. No matter what I would have been starting my spring break this weekend so I already had a list of foods I wanted to make. I was able to check my first thing off of my list: Carrot Cake from Ambitious Kitchen. I have been able to eat oats more often, so this cake based on almond and oat flour was perfect for me. I was excited to try it too as it used maple syrup as a sweetener...I love almost anything with maple syrup.

This cake was a hit with my family. You wouldn't guess it was made with alternative flours other than how it was a little denser than your typical carrot cake. The spice level was perfect, and I loved the addition of cinnamon to the cream cheese frosting. This isn't a very sweet cake. but seeing as I don't love super sweet cakes, I found this to be just right. If you are looking for a yummy, everyday this is one you should check out!

I am not sure what new foods I will be trying with this coronavirus situation, but I am betting I will be able to keep coming up with fun ideas so stay tuned.

Stay Safe! 

xoxo,

Maddie

52 in 52: Week Eight

Four midterms in seven days can make for some hectic days. I wanted to do a big post Monday about a fun challenge I did last week but I have not had the time. I've had to focus on studying instead of writing blog posts, but it definitely paid off. I am writing this later on Thursday night than I would like to be awake, but I really at least want to have one post a week. This kind of a post is pretty easy for me since I love to try and eat different foods so hopefully we can get through all 52 weeks. 

On to this week, what did I try? Nutritional Yeast!

One of the girls who is lives in the sorority house is vegan and she was telling me all about nutritional yeast. She let me try a little of hers and I thought it was so interesting. The first day I had it, I used the nutritional yeast to top scrambled eggs with broccoli and spinach. I really loved the different taste it added to the eggs. For this dinner I used it as "cheese" on top of my taco salad. The rest of the taco salad had seasoned chicken, tomato, carrots, salsa, lettuce and guacamole. 

Here are my overall thoughts:

The first thing I have to say is that in no way does nutritional yeast pass as cheese. First of all, it isn't creamy like cheesy and really doesn't have the same taste either. For me it tastes just like a different savory seasoning not cheese. Also a heads up, the smell is super weird. It is impossible to explain but it grew on me. Overall, I really liked nutritional yeast. I can't stress how much it isn't like cheese but it was really good on top of eggs, veggies and on this taco salad. I liked it enough to buy myself my own bag on it and I am excited to keep experimenting with it over the semester. 

Until next time (when midterms are finally over),

Maddie 

52 in 52: Weeks Six and Seven

The school year is starting to really pick up hence the lack of blog posts again. I really want to make it a goal to stay consistent with blogging, but I have no idea how it will go. I (sadly) found out that I have an exam every week for the rest of the semester. I am hoping I will be able to make a routine out of studying and balancing the rest of life.

I have been able to try a bunch of new things recently which has been enjoyable. I combined last weeks post with this weeks. In addition to what I mentioned in this post, I have also tried Siggi's plant based yogurt, Healthade's Grapefruit Kombucha and Nada Moo's Cookies and Cream ice cream. I thought that the Siggi's was really interested and by far and away the best dairy free yogurt I have ever had. The kombucha was your classic grapefruit kombucha which is always a good thing. The only disappointment was the Nada Moo ice cream. I was hoping for real "cookies" but it wasn't like that. I can't explain it too well, but it wasn't for me.

Week Six: Mandarinquats

 Holy Heck these are sour. The packaging says these are good sliced on salads or pickled, but since I am not pickling anything and don't have a knife sharp enough to cut them so I just tried them whole. Unless you are really in the mood for a shock of sourness, I wouldn't recommend doing that. I could the that these would be good picked or eaten in smaller portions. The overall opinion is that I would not buy these again without a specific purpose. They would be a great garnish but not as your fruit in your lunch box. 

Week Seven: Freeze Dried Edamame

I picked up freeze dried edamame at Target because I wanted to try some different protein sources with lunches. I really really loved these. They were crunchy and salty, which is always a good combination. I used the edamame to make "snack" lunches. It was fun it to pick at them with the rest of my lunch. I am also going to look into different forms of edamame to bring with me. Frozen edamame would be a cheaper option, but it would lose the fun crunch.  I will definitely be buying these again. Target, you will be seeing me soon. 

I have a post I am so excited about coming next week so stay tuned! 

Maddie

52 in 52: Week Five

You all know how much I love my yogurt, especially skyr. So there is no surprise that I was so excited to be able to find two (!) new flavors to try.  I picked up the seasonal spiced pear, which you can see on instagram here. The more exciting find was the apple cinnamon skyr with almond butter. I have been wanting to try it the moment I saw it was released. 

I loved this yogurt. The almond butter had the perfect consistency, not too thick or thin. I only like runny nut butter in my yogurts so I was worried about this at first but of course Siggi's got it right. What really made this yogurt special was the apple chunks. I thought the apple would be pureed but nope, there were small chunks throughout which made a great texture.

I really loved the convince of this yogurt. Yes, of course you could make a bowl of plain yogurt, and top it with almond butter, cinnamon and cut up apples but you don't always have the time.  I had this yogurt while studying last weekend and it was perfect. I was filled up until I wanted to eat dinner.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone, it a real 10/10. The flavor and texture is perfect. It makes a great snack and could easily be a good breakfast if you added granola and maybe some more fruit. the only problem is that I can't find this yogurt everywhere but hopefully that will be changing soon1

Have you tried this yogurt yet? 

Until next time, 

Maddie 

Tuesday Eats: I'm Back (again)

I am really hoping that this semester I can get better at blogging more often. Last semester was crazy for me. I didn't have time to relax, let alone write blog posts. This semester should be a little easier (fingers crossed) so I am planning on spending more time blogging. I always liked to write the Tuesday Eats, so I know I will be continuing with these posts for now. With that, here is what I ate:

Breakfast: Pumpkin Egg White Pancake w/ Maple Syrup and Raspberries + Grapefruit 

Finding a good grain free pancake recipe is so hard. I am really picky which doesn't help at all. I like this pancake recipe because it only uses pumpkin and egg whites so it isn't pretending to be a "real" pancake. This day I warmed up frozen raspberries and used it as a topping along with maple syrup. It makes for a really good breakfast

Lunch: Kale Salad w/ Poached Egg, Tomato, Cucumber, Sauerkraut, and Leftover Roasted Veggies 

I wanted to try a salad with a poached egg so my mom and I made this for lunch. The egg doesn't really look poached but we tried. We just used up a bunch of random veggies we had in the house and it made for an amazing lunch. 

Snack: Candied Nuts 

My aunt came over in the afternoon to teach us how to make her signature candied nuts. We made an original flavor and a chipotle flavor. My favorite was the original but they are both really good. It is crazy how many nuts I ate once we had them in the house but that are that delicious. 

Dinner: Chicken Noodle Soup + Kale Salad 

My Parents love to make homemade chicken noodle soup. They made the broth in the instant pot and for everyone else, my dad makes homemade noodles too. I use chickpea noodles to make it grain free. My favorite part of this soup is that the noodles are cooked in the broth so they have a different taste than when cooked in water. I hadn't tried that before they began making the soup. 

Until next time, 

Maddie 

52 in 52: Week One and Two

I wasn't going to do anything in terms of "New Years resolutions" this year, but the other day I heard on the radio the idea of 52 in 52. Every week for a year you try something new. The new thing can be anything you want it to be. I loved this idea so I am going to do 52 in 52 with the goal of trying a new food or recipe each week. I am excited to see where this takes me while I am in school. I have had a pretty easy start since I am home for winter break, but the real challenge lies ahead.

  

Seeing as almost two weeks have already passed this month, I am combining this post. The goal is to do a short post each week about what I tried. I am making my weeks Sunday through Monday for the sake of ease instead of trying to go by the dates. So here we go! 

Week One

If you follow me on instagram (@classyandcleverblog) you would have seen my post about these new grain free English muffins I tried. I had been really wanting avocado toast, I don't like to have avocado with most grain free breads because it doesn't make for a balanced breakfast ie no carbs. So many people are afraid of carb but I find that I don't function well if I am not eating enough carbs. 

These english muffins were so easy to make that I know I will make them again and again. They were the perfect base for avocado and will make for a great peanut butter and jelly.  I made a lot of these and put them in the freezer so I can just pull one out whenever I want. 

Week Two

I tried a papaya this week! As much as I love to eat locally, I am really interested in trying tropical fruits as well. Of course I am never going to find a papaya growing in Wisconsin so I got this from the grocery store.  

I first tried the papaya by scooping it out of its skin and thought it was just okay. BUT, once I added lime juice on top of the fruit it was amazing. I loved the fresh citrus burst that the lime gives. It completely changes how the fruit tastes. I will definitely have papaya again if I see it at the store. 

When I was reading about papaya I found that the seeds are edible. My mom found a great salad dressing using the papaya seeds and a bit of fresh papaya. The seeds have a peppery taste that make for a great salad dressing. Some people dry the seeds to use like peppercorns but that was more work than I was willing to put in. 

So there is week one and two! Let me know if you have ideas of any foods or recipes I should try. My mom is also doing this on her blog, so you can follow along here! She made a new cinnamon roll repine for New Years Day, and then an instant pot recipe that everyone in my family loved.

I am excited to see where this takes me!

xoxo,

Maddie 

Tuesday's Eats:: Making Up Meals

Posting this semester will definitely be all over the place, but this weekend I was so productive with homework that I actually have time to write something! This weekend was so much fun with a HUGE badger win over Michigan, hanging out with my friends a lot and just finally having a moment to breathe. When it comes to food, my weekends are pretty similar as we aren't served anything in our sorority house. This means all of us eat a lot of leftovers or random snacks. This "Tuesday Eats" is from Sunday and I am pleased with how I was able to make a tasty full day of eating from just what I had around... no spending on food for me this week. Here is what I ate: 

Breakfast: Pumpkin Spice Skyr w/ Blueberries, Grain Free Granola, Plums and Turmeric Juice Shot

I absolutely love the fall for all the foods. I really love pumpkin foods, and the Pumpkin Spice skyr is what I look forward to the most. When it isn't in season, I add cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to my yogurt just to get same idea. My only complaint about fall foods is that it is so much so focused on pumpkin, but there are others like maple and sweet potato flavors that are so underrated. Even with that, I am still so happy to see my Pumpkin Spice Siggi's back on the shelves. 

Lunch: Eggs w/ Salsa, Leftover Roasted Brussel Sprouts, and Carrots w/ Hummus 

On Sundays we are served brunch in my sorority, so I made for a lunch of mix of leftovers and brunch. I grabbed some scrambled eggs, but of course had to have some leftover Brussel sprouts as those are one of my favorite things we are served. I honestly only added the carrots and hummus to add a little color, but it worked out to make a good meal. 

Snack: Smoothie (blueberries, banana, yogurt, fig, spinach, cinnamon)

I love the weekends because I can make better snacks for myself then just beef jerky or fruit with nut butter. I just wanted something small, so I threw a bunch on things in the blender and hoped for the best. I was pleasantly surprised with how good this was! I have been really liking to add cinnamon to my smoothies, just like with my yogurt mentioned above, because it adds some warmth to an otherwise cold snack. 

Dinner: Salmon Bowl w/ Cauliflower Rice, Broccoli, Leftover Brussel Sprouts and Capers

Dinner was just a random bowl of leftovers, which is typical for my Saturday and Sunday nights. I could easily order in food, but why would I do that when I can make these bowls for free instead of paying over $10? I have gotten really good at putting together leftovers in a way that tastes good, and is a little different every time. For this bowl, it was the capers and a little lemon juice I added that really brought everything together. 

Dessert: Chocolate Banana Protein Pudding w/ Hemp Seeds and Granola 

I was procrastinating doing homework when I saw a recipe online for a protein pudding. I decided to give it a try and I am so surprised by how good it tasted, even if it was pretty ugly looking. I was thinking it would taste like straight protein but it didn't! All it is, is chocolate protein powder, milk, peanut butter and mashed banana. Letting it sit in the fridge allows it to thicken up into a pudding like consistency. I am not the biggest pudding fan to begin with, but it is really nice to know that I can easily make myself a dessert if I have a sweet tooth that day. 

Until Next Time! 

xoxo,

Maddie

Tuesday's Eats: Some Real Meals Again

You would think the first week of classes would be pretty calm and relaxed right? Nope. Between working, homework, classes and sorority recruitment I have had no time this week. Everything has been back to back so much so that I found myself eating mainly protein bars (Bhu and Perfect Bars) and fruit, but no real meals. This week I wanted to make a point of eating real meals instead of just snacks. I always find that meals keep me fuller and happier than just a bunch of snack. Monday was the first day of eating real meals again, and lets say it turned out pretty well. Here is what I ate. 

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Toast w/ Rhubarb Jam, Blueberries and an Orange 

The highlight of this breakfast was the rhubarb jam. My mom made it for the first time this summer and it was amazing. It was the perfect level of tartness. I just had it on toast, but it would also be so good with almond butter or in yogurt. I've also been experimenting with different protein sources other than yogurt (though I still love my yogurt), and microwave scrambled eggs have been on repeat. They are easy and fast which is great for week day breakfasts. 

Lunch: Salad w/ Taco Seasoned Tofu, Cucumbers, Tomato, Carrot and Salsa with Baby Bel Cheese

Being grain free means that most of my meals consist of fruits/veggies and protein. Initially I was struggling to make meals that kept me full, but I find that if I fill the whole plate with veggies and then top it with a lot of protein staying full isn't a problem. We always have a salad bar for lunch and dinner, so I took ingredients from teh salad bar and then just topped it off with tofu that had been leftover from taco night. Not a crazy meal, but not bad either. 

Dinner: Alfredo Zoodles w/ Chicken, Broccoli, Olives,  and Tomato 

You have no idea how excited I was for zoodles. Everyone was having pasta with Alfredo Sauce so I was preparing myself to have just some broccoli and chicken but instead I was able to make a delicious meal with extra topping from the salad bar. The chicken this night was so good for some reason, I went back for seconds. 

Dessert: Apple and Dark Chocolate (unpictured) 

I had been initially thinking I would want a smoothie for dessert, but instead it wasn't that hungry but definitely still had a sweet tooth. To remedy this first I had some dark chocolate which is my usual dessert of choice if I want something small. I was still a little hungry since I had eaten an early dinner. For some reason an apple was sounding so good to me, so I had that as well. Apples are never my "dessert" of choice, but today it was what I wanted so I just rolled with it. 

Until next time, 

Maddie 

Tuesday's Eats: Back at School

      It's been a while. Between working, greek life and packing for school I have not been able to find anytime to blog. I've mentioned in the past how I've been eating grain free and feeling a lot better, so in the last couple of weeks I have tested different grains to see what I might be able to tolerate. The answer... pretty much none of them. So far, I have done the best with rice but I will still be sticking with grain free for a while because I still didn't feel good after rice two days in a row.
      Another life update is that I am back at school. I got back at the end of last week. Right now,  we don't have food service right now (I am still in the sorority house) so my meals are either eating out or whatever I can make using a fridge, blender and microwave. This means my meals are not that exciting but I have managed to make some good meals for myself regardless. Here is what I've been eating.

Breakfast: Skyr w/ Strawberries and Grain Free Granola

Back to my usual school breakfast of a parfait. This one was really good because I used coconut Icelandic Provisions and Purely Elizabeth Vanilla Almond Butter granola. This granola is by far and away the best grain free granola out there. I have tried a lot of different grain free granolas because if you have been looking at my old "what I eat posts" you'll notice that granola has always been a staple in my diet. I would say that Purely Elizabeth is the best gluten free and grain free granolas out there.

AM Snack: Cashews 

Cashews are my favorite nut and its crazy how many I have eaten this yummy and already this school year. I had easy access to them at work so I could enjoy them whenever and my parents got me some when moving in as a treat. I typically don't buy nuts for myself because they are so expensive but I always make sure to enjoy them when I have a chance. My only complaint is that the 365 brand isn't as salty as others, and being a salt fan, this is a little bit of a let down. 

Lunch: Strawberry Chicken Salad, Plums, Cheese and Carrots w/ Quac 

I have seriously eaten this salad 3 times in the past 2 days, its a little much. We get all of the leftovers in my sorority house so I had this for lunch the initial day, dinner that night, and then lunch this day. I don't mind it becuase it tastes really good, but I need a break from it too. I changed it up a little by adding the fruit and veggies on the side. It is times like these where I look forward to meal service so that I can eat a little more variety in my days but oh well, at least it tasted good. 

Dinner: Naf Naf Grilled (Catered) 

I had a work meeting this night and it catered Naf Naf which is a middle eastern grill. I really appreciated this choice because it was so easy for me to make a grain free meal. In my bowl there was lettuce, chicken, steak, falafel, various veggie toppings, bit of tahini and a couple other random things.  I ended up eating two bowls worth of food with hopes that I could avoid needing to eat food that I bought at home. 

Bedtime Snack: Coconut Peanut Butter Perfect Bar

Not eating again definitely didn't happen. Because I had dinner so early, I ended up needing something before bed so I chose a perfect bar. The honey helped give me a little something sweet while the bar still had enough protein to keep me full throughout the night. I would never turn down a Perfect Bar any time of day so this addition is no surprise to me. 

Until next time, 

Maddie 

Tuesday's Eats: A Low Fiber Diet

This was a standard week except for one thing.. I couldn't eat anything (not even two grapes) without bloating a lot. This has been happening for two weeks, except that I decided last weekend to try to do something about it. I did some research and found a low fiber diet might give my digestive system a chance to rest which would cause the bloating to go down. I am only going to eat like this for a maximum of 5 days because you don't get a lot of the nutrients you' get from eating fruits and veggies. So far, I have seen little to no change but I am still willing to give it a shot for a couple more days in the hopes of feeling normal again. Here is what a low fiber day looks like for me. 

Breakfast: Berry Juice + Peeled Apricot +  Greek Yogurt w/ Peach Jam, Rice Chex and Cinnamon

I thought breakfast would be the hardest meal to figure out but it hasn't been that bad. I had the juice to make sure to got my vitamins in that I would normally get from my typical pile of fruit. The mock parfait turned out alright, even though rice Chex is not exactly my preferred topping of choice. Of course my favorite part of the breakfast was the peeled apricot. I love love love all stone fruit, so I was really happy to see I could still eat one a day if I peeled it. 

Snack: Tuna Salad w/ Peeled Cucumbers and Pretzels 

I knew I would need a snack before working because I wasn't sure that there would be anything I could eat there. Tuna salad was a great, quick way to fill up and get me through the rest of the morning. I made mine with mustard, greek yogurt, cucumber and random spices I found in the cupboard. It was't the greatest but it got the job done. 

Lunch: Banana + Primal Kitchen Protein Bar + Roast Pork (unpictured) 

This was not so much of a meal as just grazing throughout the day. I had the banana and bar earlier, and the pork later on. I chose this bar because it was one of the only ones at the store that had one gram of fiber while still being more that a glorified cookie. The bar was a big disappointment. It was really hard to eat and it did not taste that great. I won't be purchasing it again. 

Dinner: Hamburger + Peeled Cucumber + Baked Potato w/ Pasta Sauce

This dinner looks quite different than my other normal pictures of plates full of veggies. I am already missing my veggies so much even though it has only been a couple days. That being said, this still turned out to be a yummy dinner. I have always loved my mom's hamburgers so any night we have those is a good night. 

Dessert: Coffee Ice Cream 

Depending on how my stomach has been feeling, I like to have a small dessert to finish out the night. Last night I chose coffee ice cream which is my favorite flavor. Recently I have been feeling the worst right after dinner so I haven't been having as much dessert, but I really want to get everything figured out before fruit season is in full swing. Nothing makes me happier than ending my day with a fruit dessert.

Until Friday!

xoxo,

Maddie 

Tuesday's Eats: All the Greens

This week started to finally feel like summer. The weather got really nice for a couple of days and I got to enjoy some my favorite summer activities. Saturday was my favorite day as I got to start out with yoga, and then go to the opening of one of my favorite farmers markets. The rest of the day was spent gardening and being outside which was so enjoyable. I got a slight sunburn so you know the weekend was a success. Here is what I ate this week (hint: it's very green). 

Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Cauliflower Rice, Flaxseed, Blueberries and Blackberries with Kale Juice 

Unlike Saturday, this particular morning was pretty chilly outside, so I needed a warm breakfast. Beeng home means I have time to make steel cut oats, which is my favorite kind of oats. I topped it with the fruit I found around the house and flaxseeds for some healthy fats. The other day I had made a kale juice which was just kale, ginger, lemon, lime, and water put in a blender. It was surprisingly good so I will be making that again. 

Lunch: Kale Salad with Apple, Avocado, Shrimp, Grilled Onion and Roasted Cauliflower

When I started making lunch all I knew I wanted was roasted cauliflower, so I quickly made some. Then I just started throwing together random things from my refrigerator and somehow made this really yummy salad. I don't normally add apples to my salads, but I was inspired when making this. I loved the crunch they added. 

Snack: Apple and Peanut Butter 

After lunch I went on a longer walk, so once I came back I was a little hungry again. I used up the rest of the apple from my salad and drizzled on my favorite natural peanut butter. I love natural peanut butter (partially smucker's) so much for the texture. It is so much better than the highly processed kinds, so I fully recommend it. 

Dinner: Chickpea Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Leek along with Broccoli and Sauerkraut

My mom made this dinner, and it was really good. She just threw together random ingredients in our fridge because she wanted to use up the specialty sausage we had from Madison. I really loved this dinner because you could really taste the mushrooms. This year I have been liking mushrooms more and more, so dishes like this are right up my ally.

xoxo,

Maddie