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

Perfect Bar Flavor Rankings

Perfect Bars have become a staple for me over the past year. I love how they are full of protein and healthy fats that keep me full and satisfied. I make sure to always have a couple around during the school year as 1/2 a bar makes for a nice quick snack, or a full bar is great for helping tide me over between meals when I am eating at random times. I had fun trying a bunch of different flavors. These flavors all came from a pack I got at Costco that had peanut butter, almond butter and chocolate crisp, as well as from a mixed pack from Amazon. I loved being able to figure out what flavors I liked compared to the others, so here is my ranking of Perfect Bar flavors starting with my favorite to least favorite.

Peanut Butter Coconut
You need to like coconut to like this flavor, but if you're like me and love coconut then this is the bar for you! The texture is perfect as there is added coconut flakes in the bar. I've never thought of the peanut butter and coconut combination before but it really is a winner so I fully recommend trying this Perfect Bar.

Blueberry Cashew
I liked the idea of cashews and blueberries but I wasn't sure how I'd like this bar because I really love plain cashews but I dislike cashew butter. Thankfully this bar turned out to taste really food. There were chunks of dried blueberries and cashews in the bar which gave a great texture. My only complaint is that there wasn't a lot of blueberries in the bar, but I also understand that the amount of blueberries can vary by bar.

Maple Almond
As a huge maple syrup fan, I am not at all surprised by how much I liked this bar. The maple flavor is strong enough to not be overpowered by the almonds, but it also doesn't make the bar too sweet. There are chunks of almond scattered throughout the bar as well, adding to the texture. The maple almond combination is fantastic. If this review was being written in the fall, then it would probably be above blueberry cashew but right now I am in a summery mood so blueberry wins.

Pumpkin Pie
This flavor has potential to be in the top three if only it would be available all year long. I really loved this flavor last fall, and I was so disappointed when I couldn't find it anymore. Pumpkin Pie is an accurate name as opposed to pumpkin spice. There was a subtle pumpkin flavor with added nuttiness. I won't lie I don't fully remember what this tasted like, but I do remember how excited I was once I tried it.

Dark Chocolate Crisp
I really liked to eat this bar as a dessert. I don't love chocolate in the middle of the day, but it was a great way to end the day. The crisps added a fun texture. It reminded me of a mix of a rice crispy bar and the standard Perfect Bar. I also like that this bar is a little lighter because normally at this time of night I normally just want to satisfy my sweet tooth, not satisfy hunger.

Fruit and Nut
I heard this bar compared to a peanut butter and jelly, and well I wouldn't go that far, it still reminded me of the classic combination. I liked how there were chunks of peanut butter and some dried fruit, but I really felt the bar was lacking in fruit. This means that some bites tasted like the plain peanut butter bar which was a little disappointing. If there was more fruit, then I would like this bar a lot more.

Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter
Unpopular opinion, but I don't love this bar. Although chocolate and peanut butter is a classic combination, I feel like the flavor is lacking. There just isn't anything special that makes this bar stand out. I found that the peanut butter overwhelmed the chocolate flavor, making the bar a little plain.

Almond Butter
This bar definitely tastes just like almonds and almond butter. I do like this bar, but my main problem with this bar is that once it comes to room temperature it can get really oily. This makes it less enjoyable to eat, especially since it leaves grease on your fingers. It's still good flavor, but not one that can be eaten at room temperature while trying to do anything else.

Peanut Butter
There is nothing wrong with this bar that puts it so low on the rankings, it is just that it is very plain compared to the other flavors. You have like really like peanut butter in order to like this bar, because it is just a strong peanut butter flavor. Plain flavors have their perks, but it just doesn't compare to flavors such as coconut peanut butter.

Dark Chocolate Almond
This bar was a huge disappointment. I was hoping for something similar to teh Dark Chocolate Crisp, but instead the bar was very grainy with an off flavor. There isn't too much to say about this bar, other than I didn't like it so much so that I did not even finish half of it.


As of now, I haven't tried the following flavors: Salted Caramel (Limited Edition), Chocolate Walnut Brownie, Mocha Chip, and Birthday Cake (limited edition).

Overall, you can tell that I really love Perfect Bars. Other than the Dark Chocolate Almond, I really like all of the flavors. Even peanut butter, the lowest of the positive reviews, is still good. This summer since I can cook a lot, I won't be eating a lot of Perfect Bars but once it comes time to go back to school, I am going to stock up again.

What Perfect Bar flavors have you tried?

xoxo,

Maddie

Tuesday's Eats: Full Day of Cooking

This past week was a busy, but good one. Its really nice to be home again for the summer. I am loving good coffee, fresh fruit and veggies, being able to cook and best of all my mom's homemade cooking. I have also started a new job that is based more around dietetics that I am really excited about. I love that I can learn more about nutrition, get paid, and best of all, I get to try a lot of different food products for free. I couldn't think of a better summer job. With that being said, here is what I ate this week (can you tell I've been having fun in the kitchen?). 

Breakfast: Banana Bread (Unsweetened Caroline) w/ Peanut Butter and Cinnamon, Kale Salad, and Yogurt w/ Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries and Flaxseed

I recently have been disliking sweet things which is really weird, but it mainly is with refined sugar based foods, so I think it is just from not eating a lot of sugary things for the past school year. Because of this, I decided to try an unsweetened banana bread made with buckwheat flour. I really liked this recipe as it is not sweet so it goes just as well with kale salad as a parfait in the morning. This particular morning I had no idea what I wanted to eat, so I just decided to have a little bit of everything. It made a random, but yummy meal. 

Lunch: Avocado Shrimp Salad w/ Carrot, Spinach, Cucumber, Hemp Seeds and Kombucha 

Yummy lunches are my favorite part of summer so I took advantage of the produce in the house to make a shrimp salad. I always just start with precooked shrimp, and add whatever I can find. This was one of my favorites yet, so I am going to continue experimenting. Keep an eye out for a recipe if I can perfect it. One fun thing about working in food service is that I can try a lot of different drinks and snacks. I have been loving trying all of the different Kombucha flavors, and this was the first one I found that I truly loved! 

Snack: Crisp Bread (this brand) w/ Hummus (not pictured) 

Dinner: Mushroom Bolognese (Delicious Everyday) w/ Banza Pasta and Simple Salad

I was in charge of making dinner this night, so I made a really yummy mushroom bolognese. TI love using my chickpea based pasta with this sauce because it allows for added protein. Banza is my favorite because the chickpea base adds a whole wheat-like flavor that goes really well with the earthiness of the mushroom. Of course, a little salad was added to make the plate more colorful and to throw in another veggie into the meal. 

How was your week?

xoxo,

Maddie

Tuesday's Eats: Birthday Weekend

I am finally done with classes and home for the summer! It is so nice to feel my stress level go down and finally relax for the first time since winter break. At our house, it lines up so that my finals end right when my siblings and I have our birthdays. This year I was so stressed that I completely forgot I had a birthday, but thankfully others remembered for me and took care of things such as the cake. This day is from my brothers birthday and my first day home. Here's what I ate:

Breakfast: Avocado Toast w/ Strawberries, Blueberries, and Raspberries

When I get home from school avocado toast is always one of the first things I eat. Obviously it is really simple, but at school I never buy real avocados, and we also have my favorite spices (Aleppo pepper flakes and sea salt) at home. This is one of my favorite things to eat, and add on a big side of berries means that this becomes the perfect way to start my day. 

Snack: Blueberries and Peanuts

I got a little hungry while waiting for it to be time for lunch so I snacked on some blueberries and peanuts. It is really simple, but that's exactly what I needed. So much stress over the school year messes with my stomach a lot, so simple meals are needed to help me feel better. 

Lunch: Carrot Rhubarb Soup and Roasted Veggies 

I love using local produce whenever I can, and since the rhubarb plant is ready for use I wanted to have fun and experiment with new recipes. My mom and I made this soup from our rhubarb and local carrots we got at the farmers market that morning. It was very carroty but the roasted rhubarb added such a nice flavor. My dad was also playing around with roasting veggies in our new pizza oven, so I had some of those on the side as well. 

 Side: Chips and Salsa

Every time I come home from school I find myself hungry around 5:30 because that is when we have dinner at my sorority, while at home we eat around 7:30. I knew I wanted something savory, so tortilla chips were calling my name. I ended up eating a ton of them, but they were really hitting the spot so that's all that mattered. 

Dinner: Tomato Lime Shrimp w/ Quinoa/Cauliflower Rice Mix and Kale Salad

As this was my brother's birthday, he got to pick what was for dinner. He chose a Mac and cheese that is hard to make gluten free, so I made my own dinner and made sure to eat with the family. I made up the "recipe" for this on my own, based on a bunch of different things I found online. The idea of lime was sounding good to me so I started with that and went from there.  We had local tomatoes and kale at the house, so obviously I needed to find a way to use those. This was a great dinner to have right away being back, and I can't wait to experiment  more in the kitchen. 

Dessert: GF Vanilla Birthday Cake

My mom was sweet enough to make sure to get me a cake for my birthday, even though I complete forgot about it. She ordered it from a nearby bakery that makes these amazing gluten free cakes. I had my first piece on my brothers birthday, not mine (which is the next day) so I could participate in the cake eating activities. I will not lie,  I am not the biggest fan of vanilla frosting so I scraped it all off my piece, but the vanilla cake on the inside was perfect.

Until next time!

xoxo,

Maddie 

Tuesday's Eats: Last Week of Classes

Last week of school! I currently writing this after my third full day of just sitting and studying so this is a much needed break. Although this day had some good food, particularly dinner, I am really excited to go home. I am so ready to cook whatever I want and eat all of the local foods from around me. I have one week left of eating the most random meals to get rid of food and then I am done! With that being said, here is what I ate during my last week of classes.

Breakfast: Cream of Buckwheat w/ Blueberries and Banana, and Sausage

A purple breakfast this morning of cream of buckwheat with frozen blueberries. I always think it's fun how frozen blueberries turn everything purple, but this batch of blueberries wasn't the best tasting which make breakfast only okay. This wasn't my favorite breakfast I've eaten recently, but not every meal is going to be great.

Snack: Celery and Peanut Butter

I was so hungry during the middle of the morning so I quickly grabbed peanut butter and celery from a market at school. It isn't anything special but one thing I did notice was that after now only eating natural peanut butter, the standard store bought stuff tastes so weird. I really tasted the different, and it just shows me how much more I love natural peanut butter.

Lunch: Salad w/ Broccoli, Carrots, Pineapple, Guacamole and Canned Salmon

I really loved this salad bowl I made out of all these random leftovers. I knew I wanted to use up a salmon pouch I had, and there was pineapple around so I started with those two ingredients and just added anything else that sounded good. The weather was also really nice this day, so this semi-tropical salad really hit the spot.

Snack: Clementine and Chickpeas

Not much to say about this snack, other than you can clearly see that is this a common snack for me. Its easy to transport, tastes good and keeps me full, enough said.

Dinner: Chicken, Roasted Cauliflower and Frisee Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

This dinner was one of my favorites one I have had at school for a long time. Roasted cauliflower always makes for a good dinner, but the real star of the show was the honey mustard dressing. Our chef made it for the first time this week, and I am honestly upset that he waited this long to make it. It is one of the best salad dressings I've had yet. The chicken wasn't anything too special, but the combination of everything made me (and my tastebuds) really happy.

Dessert: 1/2 Dark Chocolate Almond Perfect Bar and Popcorn

 I really wanted dessert this night, but couldn't decide between sweet or savory, so I went with half a Perfect Bar and some popcorn. This is such a good combination. I love the mix of flavors and textures. The Perfect Bar can also add a decent amount of protein that keeps me full throughout the night and makes it so I don't have to eat immediately once I wake up.

Wish me luck with studying!

xoxo,

Maddie