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 

Tuesday's Eats: First Day of the Spring Semester

Back on campus for second semester junior year! I have no idea how this semester will play out in terms of having time to blog but I am hoping to be more consistent this semester. I made sure to work less and I no longer have an officer position in my sorority. This should be the first of many posts for what I eat. I hope it brings some inspiration of easy meals to make. I only have a microwave, blender and fridge to work with if I want to make anything for myself, and anything else is made by my sororities chef. This means that most of my meals are super easy and anyone can make them. With that being said, here is what I ate on my first day of classes! 

Breakfast: Siggi's Black Cherry Skyr w/ Flaxseeds and Paleo Granola + Banana + 1/2 Grapefruit 

I went for a pretty basic breakfast to start off the semester. I always have to adjust when coming from home because the types of meals I make are pretty different. At home I like to make a fancier breakfast while at school it tends to be just little things thrown together. For me, the key is to start my day with fruit and protein. This helps me feel my best and it makes sure that I don't get hungry before lunchtime. 

Lunch: Leftover Pumpkin Pasta + 2 Clementines 

I brought leftovers from home for my lunch because I knew I wouldn't have anything to pack at the sorority house yet. The pasta is chickpea pasta with a pumpkin sage sauce. This has to be one of my favorite winter meals so it was a great way to get me through the day. The two clementines were a fun expirent. One was just the standard clementine from the grocery and the other was a satsuma mandarin from Tree Ripe Citrus. The Satsuma mandarin was much softer and easier to peel. It also had a brighter flavor than the clementine. 10/10 would recommend. 

Snack: Cashews 

Once I got to work I was so hungry. I completely underestimated how much food to bring with me. I didn't have a lot of time so I grabbed some cashews to much on while working. 

Dinner: Smoothie (not shown) and Trail Mix 

I knew I was going to do things with my friends after I finished work this evening. I work at a smoothie bar for athletes on campus so I just made myself a smoothie to keep me full for the night. My smoothie had strawberries, blueberries, collagen, peaches, spinach and peanut butter. I also picked out the nuts of this trail mix to eat as well because I wanted something salty, but I really don't like sweetened, dried fruit. This might not have been your standard dinner, but it did the job of keeping me full for the night. 

Until next time, 

Maddie

52 in 52: Week Three

Since going grain free I have been really missing my oatmeal. Oats are probably one of my favorite foods. Over this winter break I have been testing different grains to see what I can tolerate. Oats seem to be okay for me now!

This brings me to what I tried this week... savory oatmeal. I have never had savory oats before, and it has also been years since I have had a sunny side up egg. I made a bowl of oatmeal topped with a sunny side up egg, tomato, sautéed spinach, avocado and bagel seasoning.

I absolutely loved this breakfast. I have always been skeptical but somehow it all worked out really well. I ended up eating a sunny side up egg almost every day this week and have been loving them. It wasn't until about a year or two ago that I really started to love eating eggs. Now I typically have eggs 5-6 days a week for breakfast when I am home; I like them that much.

Next week I go back to school which will make trying new things a little harder,  but I am excited to see what I can come up with this semester.

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