52 in 52: Week 21

It feels like it has a been so long since I have blogged. My laptop has not been working well so it is really annoying to be on it for more than a couple of minutes. I have been using it as an excuse to stay off of electronics and enjoy the nice weather. It has been so hot outside (for Wisconsin in May) that I have not really wanted to cook anything. Instead I have making snack plates with fruit, hard boiled eggs, veggies and hummus for a lot of my lunches. That being said, I have still managed to make some tasty meals. 

This week I made crispy tofu. I have wanted to find a way to enjoy tofu since it is a cheap protein source that would be nice to have as an option next year. I used this recipe from the blog From My Bowl. The outside was just nutritional yeast and coconut aminos. I was not sure if it would work well, but it made for the crispiest tofu I have ever had. 

This recipe is great because you can easily add a lot of seasonings to change up the flavor profile. I made this without anything added, but next time I want to try it with garlic powder or something similar. The tofu worked well in a bowl as shown above, but I think it would also be great as a fun snack or appetizer with a dip. I highly recommend this recipe for anyone who wants to find new ways to enjoy plant based proteins. 

until next time, 

Maddie

52 in 52: Week 20

Toast has always been one of my favorite foods. It does not take too much looking on my Instagram (@classyandcleverblog)  to see that I love avocado toast with a sunny side up egg. But recently my family has been flying through the avocado. Four of the five of us really love them, so avocados do not last long in my house. I was having a craving for a sunny side up egg and toast, but I wanted another toast topping as well. I won't lie, I think what I came up with this week is so good that even avocado toast now has real competition. 

I made toast and topped it with natural peanut butter, arugula. bagel seasoning and then a sunny side up egg. I have also made it with red pepper flakes and micro greens, both combinations are out of this world.  The savory flavor of natural peanut butter (ie no added sugars) goes perfect with the eggs. The arugula add a nice peppery flavor, but different micro greens can add that as well. I really like to top my eggs with bagel seasoning if I am in the mood for a crunch, but adding just sesame seeds does the same thing. If you prefer spicy foods, that is where I would recommend the red pepper flakes.

I HIGHLY recommend you try out this toast combination. I know that I will be eating this all of the time, especially when I go back to school and my mom no longer buys me tons of avocados. Making this with peanut butter cuts down the price of the toast, while also adding some protein that will help keep you full longer. I am not saying this is an avocado toast substitute but it is an amazing alternative. 

Let me know if you try this!

xoxo, 

Maddie

2020 Spring Favorites

The spring semester ended for me a little over a week ago, and it went my quickly. When I was trying to think of what to write for this post, I realized that I was great about trying new things without going crazy and spending tons of money. My focus has been on staying healthy by minimizing injury from running as well as making new good. This comes through in what I have loved using this past spring. 

Lululemon Swiftly Long Sleeve: This whole spring until just last week was so cold. I was really thankful for my Lulu long sleeve during my morning runs, as it is the perfect shirt for the windy 40 degree mornings we have been having.

Garmin Vivoactive 4s: I bought my Garmin right around Christmas last year as a reward for finishing PT for my hip surgery, but go figure I hurt my hamstring almost right away. Part of attempting to fix my hamstring has involved slowing my pace down a lot. This watch has been really helpful with tracking my pace, and on a less important note, I have had a lot of fun tracking my water as well. 

Foam Roller: I used to use this kind of foam roller in high school when I worked out at a gym, but since then I haven't. With getting back into running, my legs have been very sore so I decided to invest in a nice roller. Now, even when I don't feel like running, I go on a run just to use the foam roller. It always feels so good. 

Champion Wisconsin Hoodie: I am not one to spend money on an oversized hoodie, but when I happened to find one at my school bookstore for  50% off, I did not hesitate. I had planned on wearing during finals this spring, but instead it turned into my quarantine hoodie for the days I did not want to deal with looking good. Talk about a great impulse buy. 

Patagonia Jacket: As I mentioned above, the weather was not great this spring. Because of this, I found myself wearing this Patagonia jacket all of the time when running errands or taking walks. Since my winter parka is really heavy, this jacket was perfect for anything between 32-50 degrees.

Nutritional Yeast: I had mentioned previously in this 52 in 52 blogpost that I tried nutritional yeast for the first time this winter. Since being home, I have also gotten my mom hooked on it, so we have been using it in all sorts of recipes. My favorite recipe so far was a nutritional yeast dressing from Eating Bird Food that we used for kale salad.

Body Love Every Day: I picked up this book from my public library right before it closed. I have really been loving some of these smoothies. I have tried several, and all of them were great. My favorite smoothie was the cookies and cream smoothie that has chocolate protein powder, flaxseeds, almond butter, blueberries and spinach. You can find that recipe and several others from Kelly LeVeque's book on her website (here). 

Prophecy Sauvignon Blanc: Once the weather starts to get warmer, I really like to have a glass of white wine in the evenings. This sauvignon blanc I picked up from my grocery store and loved it. This wine has a crisp taste, which is exactly what I am looking for after a long day outside in the sun. I highly recommend trying it out. 

8" Cast Iron Skillet: I have had this skillet for a while, but never used it a lot. Now I have been obsessed with making socca so it is used several times a week. Socca is a crispy chickpea pancake popular in southern France. Making a good socca requires a cast iron skillet, and this. 8 inch size allows me to make the perfect size socca for one. 

The Rise & Conquer Podcast: I like to listen to a podcast during my afternoon walks and after listening to several, this podcast is by far and away my favorite. Georgie Stevenson is so fun to listen to, and I love that she can really make you think. The topics very which keeps it interesting, ranging from lessons learned in business to manifesting your life to breaking up with diet culture. The episodes never fail to entertain me on my long walks. 

What have you been enjoying this spring? 

xoxo, 

Maddie 

52 in 52: Week 19

It doesn't take much looking around the blog to tell I like pancakes a lot. It is pretty much once a week that I try out a new pancake recipe, but I have yet to find the perfect one for me. For the longest time I have had a bag of  Birch Benders Keto Pancake Mix sitting around in my cupboard. I got it as a gift, tried it once according to the packaging directions and thought it was okay. The almond flour taste was really strong, and the pancake was grainy. I had tucked the mix away a forgot about it. 

I rediscovered the mix a couple of weeks ago, and had been thinking of how I could mess around with it so that I would actually like eating it. I hate throwing away good food, so I knew I was going to eat it one way or another. I added 1/3 c. mix, 1 egg and then almond milk until it made a thick pancake batter. I then let it sit as I heated up an 8" skillet. I poured in all of the batter to make one large pancake, and covered the pan with a lid. I find that this helps the pancake fluff up a little more and it also helps it cook through completely. 

This makes an amazing pancake. It was fully cooked through, something I find that is a problem with grain-free pancakes, and it was really thick and fluffy. I think the egg helped tone down the taste of the almond flour as well. This pancake was also really filling, between the protein in the egg and the mix, I was completely full until lunch time. If you have the keto pancake mix, I would highly recommend trying to make it with this method. I think this would also work well with any other pancake mix, so I'd be interest to hear how it works. 

Until next time, 

Maddie

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

52 in 52: Week 18

By the time this is posted, finals are officially over! It's been a long week (+) of studying, dealing with unhelpful professors and trying to keep life together without going crazy. Normally finals is made better by studying with friends, taking coffee/lunch breaks together and just having someone to complain to. This year that was obviously wasn't that. Snapchat/texting/whatever just isn't the same, so finals felt much longer than normal. By Thursday this week, I finally only had one exam left which left me time to play in the kitchen and spend some time outside preparing the garden for the summer. It was a much need rest from going over flashcards and more flashcards. 

This week I made Rachael DeVaux's Healthy Twix Bars. I have seen these bars all over Instagram, but never seemed to have the time or enough almond butter around. I try to make smaller batch treats since it gives me an excuse to bake more. I loved that this recipe used a 6x6 pan (I used a random dish) so I knew it would not make too much. These were so easy to make. The only downside is that they require a lot of time to make. You aren't in the kitchen for most of it, but there is a lot of cooling and freezing involved so this is not a last minute process. 

These were a hit with everyone who tried them, so I will definitely be keeping the recipe around. They do not taste like a Twix bar, sorry, but they taste so much better. It is a softer shortbread, and the "caramel" has an almond butter/maple flavor. I just used your classic semi-sweet chocolate chips on top, but I think they would be great with dark chocolate. If you have all of the ingredients around your house, I highly recommend that you try out these bars. 

Until next time, 

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 17

Last week of "real" online classes and finals are next week so that meant that I did not spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I ended up making most of my lunches on a whim, so they were nothing special. I have made some fun breakfasts this week including a zucchini bread smoothie (recipe coming later) and these zucchini bread pancakes (recipe). I had leftover zucchini from the previous week, where I had zoodles with dinner. It was a perfect excuse to make these pancakes.

These pancakes tasted exactly how I remember my mom's zucchini bread tasting. I haven't actually had it in years since it isn't gluten free, so I had to double check with her that it was a similar taste. There is almond butter in the pancakes that gave a great yummy taste, but since the flour used was coconut flour, it wasn't too nutty. I topped my pancakes with defrosted blueberries and maple syrup, which made for a great way to start the day. 

Another thing that I loved about this recipe was that it is  a recipe for one, but without a crazy portion size. It was so easy to make, that I see myself making it all summer long once zucchinis are in season. If you ever find yourself with even the smallest zucchini, I highly recommend making these pancakes. 

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

52 in 52: Week 15

My big thing that I tried this week was chickpea flour. I have been seeing some recipes recently that I have been interested in, so I decided to get it from the grocery store and have fun experimenting. I guess that is one of the perks of being grain free... my flour is easy to find. One of the things that shocked me about the chickpea flour was how cheap it was. Compared to almond and cassava flour, chickpea flour is substantially cheaper. Once I picked up the flour, the cooking began. 

The first thing I tried to make was Socca. I have heard about it before, and after looking through some of my mom's French cookbooks I decided to try it out. I was also making shakshuka that morning, which involved using my cast iron skillet and I think this made a big difference. My Socca turned out soft, and I am 99% sure that it is supposed to be crispy. This was probably because I just made it on the stove top, and it in a standard pan. I did really love the taste though, so I am planning on trying it out again. If I can figure out how to make it crispy, I know that this will be a staple in my diet. 

I then tried to make chocolate chip cookies with chickpea flour. To start, I did not really like these cookies but I also think I might have messed up the recipe. I know other people who have made these and said they were some of the best gluten free cookies they've had so I will be trying these, or something similar again. I also will flatten out the cookies more before I bake them next time. I think that the centers were a little undercooked, which lead to it still having a bean-y taste. I will make sure to report back if I find a cookie recipe that I like, but as of now, maybe chickpea flour isn't meant for cookies. 

If there are any chickpea flour recipes that you like, let me know! 

Until next time, 

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

52 in 52: Week 14

This week I tried Fishermans eggs. It is a sardine mix that is topped with an egg. I used this recipe from Sophisticated Caveman, but instead of using tomatoes (which I didn't have) for red peppers. I served this for breakfast on top of spinach (instead of arugula) along side a piece of toast and a blood orange. 

I have several thoughts on this recipe. First, the recipe way over shot how long the egg should be cooked for in the oven. My whites got really rubbery and the yoke was starting to get too cooked once I pulled it out at 7 minutes. Second, tomatoes would be much better than red peppers because the dish could have used the added liquid. It was a little dry without tomatoes or the runny egg yoke. 

One thing I did add after taking the pictures was capers. Any bites without olives seemed to be missing something. Adding the capers gave a much needed acidity to the dish while keeping true to the Mediterranean flavors. 

All of this being said, I still liked this meal. I would not put this recipe as one of my favorites, but I definitely want to try it again with all of the proper ingredients. I am also going to make it as a lunch not a breakfast. Not that it is a big deal, it just felt like I was eating a lunch... probably because I don't think of fish as my typical breakfast food. 

Would you try something like this for breakfast? 

xoxo, 

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

Day in the Life: Social Distancing Edition

Life has gotten into a pretty decent routine recently. I knew right away that finding a good schedule for me was key to making sure I actually got in all of the school work I needed to do. Being home makes it so easy to not do anything, especially when some of my family seems to have so much more free time than I do. I have the same schedule for every day. This lets me have time to workout, to cook, do homework and then blog or read a little. Having a schedule lets me feel like life is a little more normal and under control. Here is what my day looks like:

6:00am
Every morning the first thing I do is workout. What I do varies by the day, but the vast majority of the time I go for a run since I am training for a half marathon that is in May. I don't know if the half marathon will actually happen, but as of right now I am just going to keep training. On the morning I don't run, I typically stretch or I will do PT exercises.

8:00am 
Eight is around when I have breakfast made. Typically I end up eating breakfast with my mom since we have the same morning schedules. I have breakfast, about two cups of coffee and then go upstairs to get dressed for the day. I try to dress decently (ie wear jeans) to feel like I am working. It doesn't take me long to get ready, so this part maybe takes 10-15 minutes.

Breakfast was a psyllium husk and coconut flour pancake. It was based off of a recipe that I found on Instagram. I topped the pancake with defrosted cherries, almond butter, flax seeds and maple syrup. Of course, I also a couple cups of coffee with breakfast as well.

9:00am 

I always make sure start doing homework by 9am. I know myself well enough that I could waste my entire morning reading magazines or blogs instead of actually getting work done. Morning are when I tend to work on reading for classes. This is my least favorite type of homework so I just try to get it out of the way. 

12:00pm

I have mentioned this already on this blog, I like to take advantage of being home to make myself a nice lunch. This is probably my favorite time of day. It is so nice not to be eating the same tuna salad everyday as well as not eating and doing homework at the same time. 

For lunch I reheated leftover sweet potato fries, and topped it with black beans, avocado, sprouts and a sunny side up egg. I also had pineapple on the side as I was making lunch. 

1:00pm

After lunch, I will go back to doing homework. A couple days a week I have live classes to listen too, if not, I will use this time to watch recorded lectures. Again, nothing exciting but sadly I still have lots of school work to manage. 

4:00pm 

I like to take another study break around 4pm to take a walk outside. I tend to go with my parents, but I also really like listening to podcasts during this time. I really miss walking around campus. It was always a nice break from sitting in class, and fresh air was always welcome. This is around the nicest time of day weather-wise, so it gives me a chance to enjoy the start of spring. The walk can last anywhere from one to three miles.

5:00pm 

After going for a walk, I normally feel a little more motivated so I go back to studying homework for a little bit. I will use this time to study for upcoming exams or to take care of some readings. This is also the time where I might have a little snack if I am getting hungry. Recently I have been loving nuts and frozen mango, but this day I had a Blueberry Cashew Perfect Bar (my favorite kind). 

7:00pm 

Before dinner to like to do my second workout of the day. I typically will either lift weights and do an arm workout, or I will do PT if it didn't do it earlier. I am still doing strengthening exercises to help my hips. Having surgery was enough to motivate me to do my strengthening.  

If I don't do another workout, I try to take this time to write a blogpost. I have enough time before dinner to work on a post, and either watch TV or catch with my mom in the process. 

7:30pm 

My family has always had dinner together as long as I can remember. During our "stay at home" order in Wisconsin, my parents have loosened this meal, because both my sister and I are in college so being home all the time isn't the easiest. It is always an option, so I take advantage of eating with others because at school I often eat dinner alone while doing homework. It is just one part of this time in life, that I have made sure to appreciate it. 

This dinner was asian meatballs with mushrooms and snap peas on top of cauliflower rice.

8:30pm 

After dinner is where my days tend to vary. If I have finished all of the work I need to do, I will either read a book or watch TV. Recently I just finished reading This Is How It Always Is. Because I have a lot of exams coming, I have been spending the time making flashcards. Out of all my homework, making flashcards is my favorite because I can still listen to some music. 

10:00pm 

I try to go to bed around 10 or earlier every night. I know that keeping a steady sleep schedule will help make life seem more normal. I also just like to get up early, so going to bed early is key. 

What does a day typically look like for you?

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 

Tuesdays Eats: A Slow Sunday

These pictures are all from Sunday. The weekend can be my favorite time of the week when it comes to meal because I am not trying to make meals that I can eat between classes, especially for lunch. I love a warm lunch but that is not always realistic for me. This weekend was especially nice because my classes are just getting started. I had homework, but not a crazy amount that still allowed me to get to the gym, relax and spend time with friends. Here is what I ate on Sunday: 

Snack: French Pressed Coffee + Orange

Both days this weekend I started my day with a French pressed coffee and fruit. I was not really hungry when I woke up, but still needed to eat something. This was the perfect way to start a slow morning. 

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt w/ Peanut Butter, Strawberries + Granola + Flaxseed

I was really craving a cold breakfast this morning so I made a yogurt bowl. I just put in whatever I could find and it turned out well. In the winter I eat a lot of frozen fruit, so for this bowl I just defrosted some strawberries. Frozen fruit is a staple because it lasts so long, is cheaper and tastes so much better than out of season produce. 

Lunch: Eggs + Cucumber + Pineapple + Pumpkin Morning Glory Muffin 

On Sundays we are served brunch at the sorority house so my lunches always end up being a mix of the brunch food and whatever else I can find. These egg cups are my favorite thing that they make. I always wait for a fresh batch and then make sure I pick the ones with the runniest yoke. I tried dipping the cucumber in the yoke (I know, weird) and it was good! Even though this meal was simple, it was my favorite of the day. 

Snack: Smoothie (Strawberries, Blueberries, Banana, Peanut Butter, Spinach and Vanilla Protein)

First of all I will address the fact that this is the ugliest picture of a smoothie. I can't take a good picture of a smoothie no matter how hard I tried... I think I need a better smoothie glass than a textured plastic cup. I made this smoothie after a workout where I did my hip PT exercises and lifted upper body. I like to make sure I get some protein in after strength workouts and the smoothie was calling my name. This was one of the best smoothies I have made in a while, I think it helps that the protein actually tastes good! (brand linked above)

Dinner: Tasty Bite Madras Lentils + Lettuce + Broccoli + Pineapple

By the time it is Sunday night, there are typically no leftovers left to eat. Thankfully I bought a box of Tasty Bite microwave pouches from Costco before I left for the semester. I love these microwave pouches for a yummy, plant based dinner. I would eat them more often, but they are about $3 a pouch in standard grocery stores ie not in the college budget. The pineapple when surprisingly well with the lentil by adding a nice tang. This was a really satisfying meal to end the day. 

Until next time, 

Maddie

52 in 52: Week Four

This week at Whole Foods I found Forager Grain Free Cereal  and since I love cereal so much, I knew I needed to try it. The only other grain free cereal brands I have heard of are Magic Spoon and a couple other brands, but none of them are available in store. This cereal was $6 when the comparative brands are around $10. I am a big fan of cereal bowls for breakfast or as a late night snack so I was excited to try it. 

I tried the cereal dry, and then tried it for breakfast as part of a more balanced meal. My cereal bowl included more cinnamon, flax seeds, peanut butter, banana and almond milk. Won't lie, the dry cereal tastes like styrofoam (or at least what I like it would taste like). Thankfully it gets substantially better when milk is added. Overall I like it as an option for my cereal craving but if you aren't grain free I would stick with something else. 

For being grain free I would give it a 7/10 (with milk). I will probably end up buying it again because it does give me the option for cereal again which makes me so happy but it won't be a regular purchase.

UPDATE (1/28): This cereal grew on me a lot. It still isn't great dry but it does so well with almond milk once soaked a little. I still won't buy it weekly because of the price but I guarantee it will show up again on this blog. I love have cereal back. 

Until next time, 

Maddie