Beekeats

moving to wordpress

2009-09-29T00:15:00.002-05:00

MOVED!

Until I get super fancy, and serious about blogging, I've moved to Wordpress! Ah, thank God.

PLEASE CHECK IT OUT- THE NEW BEEK EATS.

please and thanks and x's and o's and more posts tomorrow,

Bekah

Leftover Queen

2009-09-27T22:35:00.006-05:00

This weekend I had had breakfast, lunch and dinner planned out like usual.. but we were entertaining out of town house guests and naturally, BOTH of my breakfast plans had to be re-scheduled. :( I hate missing out on oats in the morning. Boo.

Friday night I painfully agreed to go a Mexican restaurant 20 miles away or so, because Jen (my housemate and co-worker) had said the food was good and comparable to Tucson. High doubts began to fill my brain at this point.

I have an issue that when I don't know you very well, I feel inclined to agree to things. Lie to you for the sake of, well, you. I hate to disappoint and cause unnecessary conflict, so I shrug, simply put a smile on my face and say "well, why not?" or "alright, I guess so." If I am not in agreement or completely and utterly want OUT of the conversation... I simply nod my head, or reply with the effortless "mhmm's", "oh, cool" and the always fun, "that's interesting".

I couldn't NOT go to the restaurant.. when someone invites me out for a most likely paid for dinner, I accept. On a very different spectrum, people who know me well know that I am a control freak. If I truly don't care about letting you down... I probably will decline. (Story of my high school career.)

The restaurant (yeah, back to my point) was typical real, traditional Mexican food. It was good. I had Pollo en Mole, some side salad and a few bites of re-fried beans. Mmm.. The good stuff. The positive news was that it came with a side of homemade flour tortillas! The little planning side of my brain immediately went off and told me *Egg white burritos for breakfast!*. Ahh...do I actually get to benefit from this night of Bekah style spontaneity?? Suddenly on a mission, I politely asked for a to-go box, saved half of my pollo for what would be a salad for tomorrow, stashed the flour tortillas and even poured some of the salsa in the box. Oh, I am thrifty. Three meals out of one.

Mini egg white burritos:
(Inspired by my one of my favorite breakfast spots in SD: The Mission. So tasty!)

3 egg whites, whisked
1 scallion chopped
2 mini flour tortillas
homemade salsa for dipping
sliced tomatoes, on the side

Salad with leftover pollo en mole, romaine, cabbage, red onion, almonds, blueberries tossed in a light vinaigrette of: safflower oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Scrumptious!

I did eat oats anyway this weekend. I'll post em tomorrow.. but once again, breakfast wins me over! Oats for dinner last night, and chilled oats for lunch today. That's all for now.. Going to bed, anxiously awaiting my oats for breakfast! BTW- I've been doing Jillian Michaels "Biggest Winner" dvds for the past couple weeks now, and I honestly didn't think anyone could make me sweat like Dave Farmar but sorry Dave, for being only a 30 minute DVD, Jillian basically makes your Utkatasana look like, Savasana. Power yoga still kicks my tush though- literally.

xo, B

Damage done... Grocery shopping.

2009-09-26T10:36:00.006-05:00

Yes. It looks like a lot. That's because it was a lot. My fridge was completely EMPTY though...I promise. I'm the kind of girl that either grocery shops once a day, or 1-2 times a month. And this was one of those shopping trips, in which I hope I don't have to return for a good 3-4 weeks.

I'm a firm believer in eating organic when possible... especially here in East Texas where I don't know where the non-organic food is coming from. One of the reasons why I eat a lot of whole, real, simple foods is because I don't like eating when I don't know what went into it! That's why I stick with what I know, and cook. If I do go out, believe me.. I have already done my research, and usually am prepared with something to order. ;) Like I've told you before, I'm a planner.

Walmart Grocery Trip:

Surprisingly Walmart has gone to some new lengths to provide us picky eaters with a wide array of organic foods. Thanks to companies like Our World and Earthbound Walmart has come through. :) For me, its worth the extra few bucks. A head of cabbage and a bag of romaine lasts me a while too. Walmart even carries Greek yogurt! Who else remembers the days when Greek yogurt could only be purchased at Trader Joe's? Oh, how times have changed. Honestly, thank God.

My organic produce and conventionally grown bananas (up the wazoooo- I'm planning on many bowls of "Whipped Banana Oats" KERF style. That woman is a food blogger extraordinaire and I'm in awe everytime I read. I just recently joined the blog community, and I feel like catching up and re-reading all of her old posts.

Single packaged frozen chicken breasts- for the single, one plate girl that I am. And PB &CO flavored peanut butter! I was so surprised Walmart carried it. It was exactly what I was looking for, and they had it. *Victory DANCE!*

Produce:

2 1 lb bags of organic carrots
2 organic celery hearts
1 bag organic romaine
1 head organic cabbage
1 bag organic green onions
10 Gala apples (They didn't have Fuji! :( )
4 oranges
1 head garlic
2 red onions
4 vine ripe tomatoes
lotsaaa bananas

Freezer/Dairy/Poultry:

1 box (6-7) all natural chicken breast
2 dozen organic eggs
1 box greek yogurt (4 4 oz containers)
2 bags frozen peas
1 bag frozen spinach

Shelf:

1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
1 jar Chocolate Dreams PB (by PB&CO)
1 jar White chocolate PB (by PB&CO)
1 container unsweetened cocoa
8 cans low sodium, white meat tuna
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can cannelini beans
1 can chickpeas

Damage done: $ 80.80

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

experimental protein pancakes

2009-09-24T16:45:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago I bought an Arrowhead Mills buckwheat pancake mix, because in the small grocery budget that I have access to, I don't buy any flour, sugar or baking products. Psh, why would I anyway? The flippin oven DOESN'T WORK! But, you already knew that.

I was having a pancake craving the other day. I rarely buy pancakes mixes. I grew up eating my mom's homemade whole wheat pancakes, and still to this day, we make all our pancakes from scratch. My mother made me home made blue corn pancakes (I love the fact that Whole Foods carries blue cornmeal) before moving (temporarily) to East Texas. Me+Whole Foods=True Love.

Culinary objective: Make chocolate protein pancakes.

Now, I would have liked to used cocoa powder and chocolate chips, but I'm trying to hold out grocery shopping, so these guys were chocolaty only from the whey protein. They could use another test run, I think less milk or more pancake mix for the ratio of protein I used. They were a little dense, but thin at the same time. Kind of like a crepe. But not very flexible as crepes normally are.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes:

2/3 cup pancake mix (two servings)
3 egg whites, whisked
3/4 cup soy milk
2 tsp safflower oil
splash vanilla
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
maple syrup or honey for dipping

The pancakes with honey and walnuts for the top.

Naturally, I had a a few leftovers. So I saved them for the next day for Stuffed Chocolate Protein Crepes!

Stuffed Chocolate Protein Crepes:

3 or 4 leftover Chocolate Protein Pancakes
1/3 cup greek yogurt
1/2 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
handful frozen cherries
PB, granola for topping

I mixed MORE chocolate protein in the yogurt, spread a little on each pancake rolled it up, plated it, topped with the leftover chocolate yogurt, PB and granola. Pretty darn good for having no chocolate chips or cocoa powder. I actually liked the chilled crepe better than the pancake version.

Interesting, no? I think you may have to like the taste of protein powder to like these babies.

Re-reading Twilight in the background. Utter Tuesday morning perfection.

It's time. I need to go grocery shopping. After dinner tonight, I think I'll try and conquer my ongoing fear of Walmart and get some cheap eats. Healthy and tasty nonetheless.

xo, B

Grilled meatloaf?

2009-09-22T21:48:00.006-05:00

Grilled meatloaf? Whoa. You might be thinking.. no way right? The grill cannot maintain even temperatures in order for the meatloaf to come out right.

Wrong. Foodie success up here in East Texas! I have access to the most beautiful six burner, gas stove but sadly, the oven is not function-able at the moment, due to the gas lines or something. Regardless, I made meatloaf! I had a 14 oz package of grass-fed beef I wanted to get the most out of for my buck; so I was really set on making this meatloaf. I baked it in a regular 9-inch baking pan, set out on a cookie sheet (preferably one you don't mind getting lovely black grill marks on the bottom of), set on the grill, covered at about 350-400 degrees. Mine came out after 45 minutes or so.

I paired my meatloaf with Picky Eater's recipe of Tuscan Chickpea Soup. I only had one can of chickpeas, compared to three, but it still turned out quite tasty. Instead of Parmesan on top, I used its tasty, slightly-forgotten sister, Pecorino Romano. YUM!

Here's my meatloaf recipe:

14 oz package grass-fed beef
1 cup oats
1 egg
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup marinara or tomato sauce
chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus a little grated on top!
1/2 of an onion, chopped/grated
1 garlic clove, minced or garlic salt
salt and pepper

Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.

Seeing as I cooked the meatloaf, ON THE GRILL... the bottom came out a little burnt, but it was still super moist and tasty. No ketchup needed! And I have lunch for the week.

No, it's not very pretty... but I get an "A" for taste. The grill didn't compromise flavor!

It seems like I've been blogging away all day, but I'm just trying to get organized. If anyone has ANY tips on how to make my navigation bar, more, um, attractive, let me know. It was all I ended up with after a very frustrating two days of html research.

xo, B

Who is Beek?

2009-09-22T11:18:00.013-05:00

The name's Bekah and I'm 18 and ready to be 30. My plans are to one day have a career that involves cooking or food, and incorporates nutrition, healthy eats, travel and wellness, etc. I decided to take the unconventional route, and go to culinary school, instead of university. As long as I was going to cook, I wanted to go to the best school possible. I'm headed to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY this January to start my strenuous but quick 38 months to complete a B.P.S. in Culinary Arts Management.

Thankfully at the C.I.A. you can obtain a full degree! (Thank God.) I don't necessarily want to be 'chef-fing' all my life, nor am I sure I even want to open or start a restaurant/business; but the C.I.A. will introduce me to many other culinary career options, that might be more appropriate for what I want to do. Let's be honest here... graduating from the C.I.A. for culinarians is comparable to being a lawyer with a degree from Harvard. Similarly, I fully expect to be drowning in student loans after I graduate. But hey, it happens to the best of us right?

Apart from food, I have many other loves including my growing relationship with Jesus whom I am blessed by everyday; fashion, fitness, wellness and travel. My ideal perfect life would be backpacking/biking/hiking across the entire continental US to find tasty vacation spots. (Maybe with an insanely attractive guy... I don't know, I'm aiming for perfection here...) After that, I would continue on to Europe and spend my days doing yoga, eating pain du chocolat and finding the best Greek food.

Some of my favorite foods: coffee, chocolate, honey, peanut butter, oatmeal, poached eggs, almonds, chicken salad, gelato, fro yo, grilled fish, tomato basil soup, wood fired pizza, artisan sandwiches (stay tuned for a Tucson post of all my favorite eats in my hometown) and all things that are associated with breakfast and dessert. Dessert for breakfast? Hell to the yes.

At the moment I am interning at a brand-spankin-new (so new, I've already seen it close and re-open) restaurant in East Texas. I'm the pastry gal, and I make all the restaurant's desserts from scratch. After this stint, I don't think I'll be returning to East Texas, well, ever. Not my kind of town, we'll just say that. Although, I have met some very neat people and I'm enjoying my experience.

Some pictures of me....

At Chelsea Market in NYC summer of 2008, fantasizing about sneaking into the Iron Chef America head quarters and maybe catching a glimpse of frequent guest judge and Bon Appetit Foodist, Andrew Knowlton! (Failure.) Boo.

Frosting mini spice cakes with my cream cheese frosting for a middle school graduation I catered.

My parents and I- I catered the event two years in a row for my senior class project, and quickly learned that despite my successes, catering is NOT something I want to pursue. Not fun.

Back in the massive church kitchen working with the mom helpers!

Golden BIG ONE-EIGHT! Best birthday ever.

Getting my cookbooks signed by.... GIADA! Of the the 25 words I spoke to her, she seemed just as inviting as she does on television. Love her, and yes, I shed tears.

Senior formal with my favorite gal pals.

What originally got me cooking.. I baked my cupcakes for my sweet sixteen!

Always and forever. Dinner with my besties at my favorite restaurant,Cafe Poca Cosa in Tucson.

xo, B

culinary point of view

2009-09-21T23:47:00.004-05:00

I believe most of my readers are fellow friends and family that live in my hometown of Tucson, Arizona. They know I haven't been cooking for very long, only about three years, but they also know how passionate I am about my cooking and how food influences my everyday life. My future colleagues at The Culinary Institute of America and my fellow foodie/'bloggie' (as I eloquently call them in my own head) friends don't know anything about my cooking, other than what I showcase here.

As an avid Food Network and "Top Chef" devotee, I often question my culinary skill and ability, and wonder, do I have what it takes to be a chef? A cyber foodie extraordinaire? Food writer? Nutritionist? Food stylist for Gourmet? Oh hit me baby: I just want to do something that has to do with food. Please. Giada makes it look so easy. Watching her show, yes, you could say I want to be a Food Network star. One of my fellow employees at the Magnolia House tilted their head when I told him about my secret dream, and just laughed and said "Nah, you couldn't. You're shy." SHY??? Seriously? Okay, maybe so. But just at first. I tend to lean more towards the description of "adult", "mature" and "quiet"; but I am by no means shy.

The point being: On "The Next Food Network Star" all of the contestants are faced with the million dollar question of the day: "What is your culinary point of view?" In other words, how will your point of view become the next "30 minute meal"? What do YOU have to offer to the table that no one else does?

This is my subtle attempt at a culinary point of view. No, it isn't quite short enough to get me on "The Next Food Network Star" and I still have to find my niche, but I have a few years.

I grew up eating organics, health ridden products, grass-fed beef, the "brown" eggs, etc. and was raised in a family where feeding the body was an act of nourishment. Every meal was eaten at the dining room table. I had to eat breakfast. I had to eat my vegetables. I remember throwing up eggs because I couldn't handle the taste every morning after I let them sit for a few minutes, because I refused to eat them. I was only able to eat my Van's frozen chocolate chip waffle, if I ate the egg too.

Naturally, I felt deprived as a child, but as I got older I grew to appreciate and love the healthy foods I used to cringe at. Then I started cooking. I made the decision that making healthy food delicious was fun! That's what I wanted to do.

My culinary point of view has been influenced by many books, movies, and famous foodies over the years but most importantly: the Slow Food movement, Michael Pollan and his two books Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, the recent movie "Food Inc.", Giada De'Laurentiis (The Italian queen of the Food Network.) and my family.

xo, B

Just a few of my favorite meals from my favorite restaurants that I might consider as my style, if I EVER was able to open up my own cafe/restaurant. Healthy, fresh, local, organic ingredients prepared in the best way possible. I love breakfast!

habits broken

2009-09-20T20:30:00.006-05:00

This week was a little bit more busy than the past few. I managed to get out a few times which meant I missed a few meals, so I ate a handful of almonds instead. I'm realizing back in Tucson I ate the same thing EVERY single day and when I craved something different I would have a 'bite' or 'taste' of it, but I would also eat what I ate every day. A typical day in the life of Bekah, would be two poached eggs for breakfast with sliced tomatoes and a 'two tablespoon bite' of Nature's Path granola (but seeing as I put the granola in a Dixie cup, it usually ended up being more like an actual portion *gasp*). Between my chicken salad and cut veggies at lunch, my protein smoothie in the afternoon and dinner, I still munched on little things like slivered almonds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, grapes, cereal, saltines, tears of tortillas, hummus and little spoonfuls of peanut butter and honey.

I eat different things here, mainly because of my effort to cut back on grocery shopping and also my new discovery of so many variations of healthy breakfast eats. So, I don't munch anymore. I eat four solid meals a day and drink coffee and water. All day. :) I never get bored of my meals either. Apples aren't going anywhere! So if I want to venture one day into the almond world, I will have an entire portion of raw, whole almonds instead of my daily apple. I have learned that it won't kill me. I won't miss the apple.

I still follow an eating plan that works well for me personally. I usually have a protein source in all my meals, and only eats grains/carbs at breakfast. I will occasionally have starchy vegetables (i.e. sweet potatoes, red potatoes, corn, peas, etc.) as an accent in my lunch or dinner. And I always have a bite of dessert. Whether it be a tablespoon of chocolate chips or a spoonful of honey, I'm there. ;)

saturday 9/19 lunch Simple boiled sweet potatoes (I prefer steamed, but what'dya know, I don't have a steamer.) with a little bit of butter, salt and pepper and two soft boiled eggs on top. Such a simple, but delicious lunch. (Or breakfast, but you know how I feel about breakfast.)

friday 9/18 lunch I'm trying to use up my canned tuna, before going back to the grocery store. Honey mustard tuna salad with celery, parsley, dried cranberries, walnuts and dried dill. Carrots on the side.

friday 9/19 breakfast Fage! Greek yogurt with Nature's Path granola, coconut, frozen blueberries and cherries and raw almonds.

thursday 9/17 breakfast Um raw oats? Soaked overnight in soy milk? Dried apricots, almonds and coconut? Yes, please. In the morning I added a dollop of yogurt, frozen blueberries and a drizzle of honey. Yes, I like it sweet.

wednesday 9/16 So this was definitely experimental, but I had an abundance of kale so I sauteed red onion, kale, and chicken breast in some spices, and white wine and well, it was edible, but the flavors were a little weird.

wednesday 9/16 lunch Tuna salad and carrots! (Honey mustard variety- recipe above.)

tuesday 9/15 dinner Sauteed spinach scrambled with egg whites and leftover homemade pesto, and sliced tomatoes. Breakfast for dinner? Of course.

tuesday 9/15 snack Frozen blueberries (about 2/3 cup), frozen banana (a few chunks), 1 cup ice, spoonful PB, 1 scoop chocolate whey protein, and water.

oh, breakfast.

2009-09-17T19:30:00.009-05:00

I love breakfast. In my humble opinion, it is not only the perfect meal, but it is the perfect meal that can be eaten three times a day. Breakfast is and always will be an American pastime. Like the 4th of July, baseball and pumpkin pie, breakfast shares that same quality that it will and always remain sacred. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, heading to the office, gym, Starbucks, school, breakfast gets trampled upon. Glanced over. Forgotten. HOW CAN THAT BE?? Breakfast is my favorite time of day. The fact that the majority of the human race SKIPS breakfast is very disconcerting.

Here in Texas, since I am pretty much the only one awake at the hour of seven or eight am, breakfast is my time to myself. I sit. I drink a cup of coffee. I read. I eat. I drink another cup of coffee. I am blessed with two best friends in Tucson who share the same love of breakfast as me. Three of the things I miss most about Tucson is meeting them for eggs and coffee at Jerry Bobs, drinking a hot Venti Americano at breakfast time at Starbucks, and going out for breakfast with my parents after we finish at the gym.

A lot of breakfasts are also cheap. One of the reasons why I eat oatmeal so often because it costs pennies to make. And it's one of my favorite things.

tuesday 9/15 breakfast- this is another variation of oatmeal I tried making. I added a 1/2 scoop of chocolate whey protein powder to the mixture, as well as water, milk, wheat germ, honey and a couple chocolate chips. YUM!

monday 9/14 dinner - salad of arugula, canned tuna, tomato, corn, pecorino romano cheese

monday 9/14 lunch egg salad and raw veggies with salsa.

monday 9/14 breakfast - Fage! Greek yogurt with honey, pumpkin Nature's Path granola, blueberries, cherries and sliced apple and a couple walnut halves chopped on top.

sunday 9/13 dinner- I made cauliflower soup with frozen cauliflower, chicken stock, water, red onion, celery, butter, s & p, a little bit of nutmeg, and a few dallops of sour cream at the end. I fried two eggs to go on the side, because I need my protein!

sunday 9/13 breakfast- Scrambled eggs with stove top roasted spiced sweet potatoes

saturday 9/12 dinner- Greek salad with grilled chicken, cucumber, tomato, romaine, feta and oregano and a few green olives.

saturday 9/12 lunch- chicken salat, raw veggies with salsa

saturday 9/12 breakfast- I made homemade muesli with oats, wheat germ, coconut, cinnamon, almonds and chopped dried apricots. Usually you soak muesli with yogurt over night, but I used non fat milk, which surprisingly worked just fine too. I added fresh fruit in the morning. Another way to use my inexpensive oats!

friday 9/11 dinner- I was home alone that night and I decided to cook up a storm. Literally. It poured like crazy that night, and I even got candles out just in case. It hasn't really stopped raining since that night. I made pesto the old school way using, a mortal and pestle with arugula, spinach, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, s & p, and pecorino romano cheese. I put the pesto in a tuna salad with sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, corn and parsley. I made a raw kale salad on the side with lemon juice, olive oil, homemade bread crumbs, garlic salt and pecorino romano cheese.

friday 9/11 lunch- chicken salad with raw veggies and salsa.

a yummy week

2009-09-12T11:20:00.009-05:00

After I (crosses fingers) successfully complete culinary school, I honestly do not know what I want to do. Obviously after working in the restaurant and catering services, I am aware that it is hard to maintain a healthy outlook and concept of cooking, especially when it is not necessarily a very profitable or popular concept to pursue. Some of the best chefs come out of the Culinary Institute of America, and after watching Top Chef, and Hell's Kitchen, etc; I am not sure I want to be a chef, chef. Yes, I love the restaurant industry. I love the hours, people, camaraderie in the kitchen, pace, etc. I love all of it. I don't know whether or not its my ultimate goal.

I don't think the food I cook for myself does my cooking skills any justice. Dis-including my *poached eggs*, I can honestly tell you that what I showcase here is not my best work. But it is what I enjoy eating. I will say that I try and make it taste the very best it can taste, without adding any processed foods, food additives or non organic meats, etc. I just refuse to add any of that to my food. Hopefully one day, I will be able to practice what I do in my own home, in the restaurant world as well. I guess that is one thing I have to look forward to: the compromising a person does to try and balance out their career with their own personal beliefs and values.

9/11 friday breakfast- This is something I would put on a breakfast menu any day. If you have not experienced a runny egg yolk with some type of bread smothered in honey, you have not experienced heaven on a plate. I love eggs with toast and honey. In this version I toasted a multigrain english muffin and covered it in honey, and added two poached eggs on top. (The yolks must be runny for the full effect!) =) If I were to really jazz it up I might even add a few pieces of turkey bacon right underneath the egg.

9/10 thursday dinner- another chinese chicken salad with napa cabbage, carrot, orange, almonds, peanut soy ginger dressing, and grilled chicken.

9/10 thursday snack- watermelon, canteloupe, blueberries, mint and lemon juice.

9/10 thursday lunch- I used my leftover grilled asparagus and had a soft boiled egg salad on top of the asparagus, spinach, cherry tomatoes, almonds, pecorino romano cheese, drizzled with balsamic and olive oil.
This is what it looked like before, and then I chopped it all up.

9/10 thursday breakfast- I usually eat oatmeal every other day, because I love it so much, and because it's super cheap and good for you. This is one of my favorite versions I make with wheat germ, dried cranberries, coconut, vanilla, and honey.

9/9 wednesday dinner- I found individual pieces of Wild Atlantic salmon at a new health food store I found and I simply grilled it with grilled asparagus and cherry tomatoes.

9/10 wednesday breakfast- I ate a quick breakfast of Nature's Path pumpkin granola/cereal with 1/2 a banana before I had to leave the house that morning.

9/8 tuesday dinner- We had people over for a simple dinner of pasta, sauteed corn from the farmer's market and salad. I grilled myself a piece of chicken so I didn't have to eat the pasta. The corn was good though!

9/8 tuesday lunch- Simple egg salad with a green salad of romaine, black beans and corn and a spicy dressing.

9/7 monday dinner- I had a leftover turkey burger (slightly burnt) with napa cabbage salad and tzatsiki sauce for the burger.

9/7 monday lunch- the last of my tomato soup with a romaine salad with tuna and veggies.

I'm a planner

2009-09-07T18:37:00.008-05:00

I'm not gonna lie... I enjoy food. Who doesn't? I'm no glutton, but I enjoy a good meal. Or snack. Or in between snack, snack. You get my point. I enjoy food like I enjoy a good book, or a good outfit. When I am reading a book, I usually have in mind which book I am going to read next. Same goes for clothing, and well, food. In high school I planned my outfits and meals on a white board, anywhere from one to two weeks in advance. From the time I turned 16, to graduation day I (usually) had all my outfits and meals written out. The point being, I think about what I'm going to eat for lunch, while I am lingering over my breakfast and coffee. I am a planner.

I am also kind of a food snob. What cook isn't? On school retreats and road trips I refused to eat the cafeteria and fast food, in which case, I prepared myself with Luna bars and apples in my bag. The reasoning for fixing each meal of my day is that I just don't like eating crappy food. It doesn't sit well with me. Why should I eat what isn't good for me? Now crappy does not necessarily coincide with unhealthy. If a basket of sweet potato chips are truly delicious and made with the best ingredients, but are still unhealthy, I will probably dig right in. It's not the same thing. One of my yoga podcasts said something the other day that I believe to be true: "Everything in moderation, including moderation." I believe in eating in moderation. But that includes eating in moderation. I am not perfect by any means, but cooking my own food makes it that much easier for me to stay true to myself and stay healthy.

When I do go out, and eat food at restaurants, I want to enjoy it. I want to remember my experience. Around the world there are countless restaurants that just, do things right, and many places that are worth visiting, so why should I waste an experience of eating out on food that is not worth experiencing?

9/7 Monday breakfast- Greek yogurt (again) with pumpkin granola, sliced banana, blueberries and shaved cocunut and wheat germ on top. This brand of Greek yogurt is Fage, and it is the plain flavor, I usually add a little honey.

9/6 Sunday dinner- I made turkey burgers with my ground turkey I got a few weeks ago. I mixed in green olives, mint, dried oregano, ketchup and a few oats to help it to stay together. It was a little dry, but I think that's because the turkey was so finely ground. Any burger does not like to be overmixed. I also made a cole slaw with my Napa cabbage, and I grilled some tomatoes.

9/6 Sunday lunch- Leftover tomato soup, carrots, cantaloupe and two boiled eggs. I don't know why.. but I was in an orange mood, I guess.

9/5 Saturday dinner- I made homemade tomato soup! My favorite. It's, sort of, getting close to getting cool here in Texas and I made soup. In the winter I make this soup every other week, and sometimes I'll even freeze extras because it's that good. I had tuna on the side.

9/6 Saturday lunch- Breakfast for lunch! I poached two eggs, and put that on top a toasted corn tortilla with heated black beans (I added chili powder and cumin to the beans) and made a salsa of storebought salsa, frozen corn, and cumin and chili powder. It was tastyyy.

9/5 Friday dinner- Breakfast for dinner! I guess I didn't really feel like cooking, so I made a smoothie with strawberries, banana,chocolate protein powder and water. Layered with pumpkin granola.

9/5 Friday lunch- Egg salad, carrots and a salad of tomato, watermelon, mint and shaved cocunut.

9/4 Thursday dinner- Jen bought chicken salad at a good deli place in Tyler. This chicken salad was flavorful, but not my favorite. This was true, literal, chicken salad. It was so finely ground, it was more like chicken salad you dip in with crackers. Not something I'll be eating again anytime soon. It was better on top lettuce though.

9/4 Thursday lunch- I ate a light lunch because I was heading out soon after. I had a piece of toast folded over with peanut butter, honey and raw oats for crunch. :) Also carrots and an apple.

9/4 Thursday breakfast- Two poached eggs with side of fruit and bread ends for toast, with honey of course.

9/3 Wednesday dinner- Grilled chicken breast on top a salad of romaine, watermelon, tomato, celery and an orange vinaigrette.

Bekah at Home.

2009-09-02T23:22:00.007-05:00

I saw "Julie and Julia" last week, and began to read the book by Julie Powell a few days ago. As much as I loved the movie, the book is that much better. Not only does it make my blog seem inimitably less cool, but also slightly more pathetic than it already is. :/ So, my quest is to set out and make something that is actually good, every day. I don't necessarily have a desire to throw a stick of butter in everything I make, a la Julia Child, because that's just not me; but I do have Giada De'Laurentiis.

You could say it was her who originally got me cooking. The Food Network has what "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" doesn't have and never will: High Definition, food stylists, closets and closets stacked high of Le Crueset cookery, and measuring spoons and designer bowls straight out of the Anthropology warehouse. "Everyday Italian" with Giada De'Laurentiis was my original 'inspiration', if you will, for cooking. She makes everything pretty and light and is just, simplicity, at its most perfect.

I watched two episodes of "Giada at Home" this morning; Giada's latest endeavor about planning dinner parties, beach picnics, yoga recovery snacks, and gardening lunches in her painfully perfect Malibu home, with her home grown herbs and too cute one year old baby. Giada, I have decided, is my Julia Child. I don't know too much about Julia, but I can probably tell you GDL's life story on the fly. Watch Giada one day, and let me tell you, you won't be able to turn her off.

9/2 Wednesday lunch- My Giada inspired italian lunch. I first made a mint, lemon mayo for my sandwich. My sandwich: I toasted some 'tuscan' bread (yes, WalMart has artisan bread. It's no Beyond Bread, but satisfactory enough...) and boiled one egg. On the sandwich, was my mint mayo, sliced tomato, lettuce, sun dried tomato and sliced egg. I made a little italian salad on the side of chickpeas, corn, red grapes, sun dried tomatoes, lemon juice, mint, and olive oil. It all turned out really good.

9/2 Wed breakfast- Acai! with pumpkin flax granola, banana and almonds. One of my favorite breakfast's. A little taste of Xoom Juice, (which I miss terribly) because I use the same granola and same acai they use for their Xoom spoons.

9/1 Tues dinner- I made a chinese chicken salad, with leftover chicken breast, napa cabbage, green onion, orange segments, and a vinaigrette I quickly made of peanut butter, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar and orange juice.

9/1 Tues lunch Chicken salad, cantaloupe and a pickle.

8/31 Monday lunch A little tuna pasta salad with olives, cantaloupe, olive oil, lemon juice, red onion and carrots on the side. (It was experimental, tasted good enough, but probably not something I'll make again.)

Monday morning eggs

2009-08-31T20:31:00.006-05:00

I may not be a chef yet.. and I may not be an extroardinary cook yet either; but I know how to poach a damn egg. It is the one thing I have perfected. I know what it physically takes, I know what is wrong if I happen to murder the egg, and I never need a timer, EVER.

It gets overwhelming, you know, watching Top Chef and Iron Chef America week to week and realizing, 'Oh my god, I don't even know what sweetbreads really are...' and 'How the heck am I supposed to come up with my own signature dish, if I ever want to be a famous TV show host, a la Giada De'Laurentiis?'

At least I can poach an egg. That I can do. And the rest, it will come.

8/31 Monday breakfast- I decided to make a mock eggs benedict with my last whole wheat english muffin, some sliced tomato and avocado, and an emulsion of olive oil, lemon juice, honey and tabasco. And of course, my poached eggs. It was delicious.
BTW, nothing is sexier than breaking into a perfectly poached egg.

8/30 Sunday dinner I had a big salad of romaine, leftover rotisserie turkey breast, strawberries, blueberries, herb goat cheese, celery and balsamic and olive oil. Love, love, love the combination between berries and balsamic.

8/30 Sunday lunch I had chicken salad in lettuce cups with some of my leftover bean stew I made on Friday (stew, or soup, almost always better after a day or two of all the flavors bathing together.)

8/28 Friday dinner- So we had all kinds of nifty beans and local peas and onions from the farmers market a few weeks back and I needed to get rid of it. So I made a soup in the crock pot, which I don't use too often, but I managed. ;)
In it was celery, red potato, dry white beans, fresh purple peas, fresh lady creamer peas, 'noon-day' red onions (must be a Texas thing), and garlic and a variety of spices. It wasn't quite ready by the time I ate dinner unfortunately, but I still ate it. I had a small green salad on the side with turkey and some strawberries and almonds.

8/28 Friday lunch I had canned tuna in a mock tuna nicoise salad, with red potato, celery, tomato, avocado, lemon juice and olive oil. Carrots and a plum on the side.

tuesday-friday

2009-08-28T11:40:00.007-05:00

Residing in a small town where the closest thing to real civilization is two hours away in Dallas; I have gotten used to living without certain common luxuries I am used to having day to day in Arizona. Did you know Dallas has a Buffalo Exchange? I got to inform my new Texas friends that Buffalo originated in Tucson... Little did they know... :)

Dallas also has multiple Whole Foods. The one thing I really, really miss is my Whole Foods. I cannot find anything here worthy of comparison, and going into the local grocery store or WalMart, searching for 'heathier' foods, I have learned to improvise.

BUT the good news is that Tyler does have a health food store, Whole Health. Tuesday afternoon I drove over in that direction and made a few purchases, which I normally would at my local Whole Foods. I got the best almonds I've ever tasted, raw and really dark and rich. I also got a package of frozen Acai, Fage greek yogurt, ground grass fed beef, ground turkey, organic peanut butter, and rolled oats.

8/28 Friday breakfast- So this morning I broke out one of my $2.60 6 oz containers of greek yogurt and really made it pretty to eat. I ate it with my pumpkin granola my mom sent me, frozen local blueberries, 1/3 of a banana and some of those really tasty almonds on top. Any other yogurt is sad in comparison. Greek yogurt is so light and fluffy, yet extremely thick and creamy at the same time.

8/27 wed dinner- I made egg salad because I hadn't had it in a while, and ate it with a little piece of Rosemary bread, carrots, tomatoes, and grapes on the side. (And some leftover Americano from our earlier trip into Tyler.)

Thurs 8/27 lunch. Sylvia, Jen and I decided to make a little trek to Tyler for the day just to relax a little bit. We saw Julie and Julia at the theaters, which only added to the blogging inspiration. We ate at Rudy's for a BBQ lunch. Coming from the West Coast, and especially in Tucson, AZ BBQ isn't very typical, so for being a chain in Texas, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't anything Guy Fieri would probably come across, but it was authentic barbecue, to say the least. We all three got pulled pork, and I got a taste of the green chili stew, and cole slaw on the side.

8/26 wed dinner- We had some boneless rotisserie turkey breast in the fridge, and I decided to eat it with a corn and cherry tomato salad with balsamic, a small taste of homemade potato salad and tsatsiki sauce.

8/26 lunch- The last of the chicken salad! I added grapes that we had, and had cut veggies, a plum and a few pita chips (A la Kristin Hucko ;)) with it.

8/26 Wed breakfast. When there's bakery bread and a panini maker, Lord knows you can't keep me away from it... So I fired up a mini panino for breakfast with 2 poached eggs. I made the panini with honey, cream cheese and cinnamon. And ate it with the eggs and a side of fruit.

Tues 8/25 lunch and dinner- I still had quite a bit of that chicken salad I made, so I still ate that. It may seem like it gets old, but chicken salad, a hundred different ways, I could never get sick of. With a side of carrots, or over lettuce, with a pickle. Mmm. Sign me up.

chicken salad and desserts

2009-08-25T22:37:00.005-05:00

2 of the desserts we ran for this weekend's menu: I got to make my espresso caramel bars, except I used a shortbread crust instead of graham cracker and I cut them in triangles instead of candy bar shape. The other is a lemon sabayon cake, that is made of 2 different cake layers, a layer of blackberry puree, and two other layers of lemon curd and lemon sabayon.

We had so much leftover rotisserie chicken meat piling up at the kitchen so I took AALLL of it off the bone, and used all the white meat for lots of chicken salad. So I've been eating it for lunch and dinner the past few days.

Chicken salad with spinach, romaine, tomatoes and plums with oil and vinegar.

Chicken salad with carrots, celery, side of plain yogurt and local peach.

My mama sent me my favorite granola, that I can't find anywhere here! Nature's Path pumpkin flax. Yum. So I had to have a bowl with a peach right when I got it in the mail.

Chicken salad with side of romaine, celery and tomatoes.

Leftovers put to good use

2009-08-25T22:12:00.007-05:00

All this is from the week of the 17th. =)
I brought lots of sauces and chicken, etc home from the restaurant that would have gone bad. One of the ladies made roasted tomato salsa and I used it on a variety of things here. We also had many things that we got from the farmer's market the week before, like fresh fruit, veggies and local eggs.

For dinner I had shredded chicken salad with the roasted tomato salsa,and I sauteed yellow squash, red potato, red onion and celery in some olive oil, honey, ketchup and a variety of spices. Tasty! (Although it didn't really go well with my mexican flavored chicken salad.)

This lunch of mustard tuna salad, a light pasta salad with spinach, cherry tomatoes and tomato salsa, and Israeli cantaloupe salad with plain yogurt, blueberries, local honey, and poppyseeds.

A gooood breakfast: leftover honey jalepeno grit cake with 2 poached local eggs, local peaches and blueberries. Grits are one of my new old favorite foods. So addicting.

Breakfast for dinner! Scrambled eggs (1 whole egg, plus 1 white) with spinach, onion, garlic and tomatoes, and a black bean corn avocado salad on the side with the same roasted tomato salsa on the side.

Lunch of pesto chicken salad, carrots with white bean puree and a few tortilla chips.

Dinner of spinach salad with carrots, corn, black beans, chicken, tomatoes and a vinaigrette.

Picking up the pace!

2009-08-17T17:30:00.005-05:00

Work has been crazy. After 4 weekends open, the restaurant is picking up the pace definitely.

These are just a few things I've been eating on my days off from the past 3 weeks....
Egg salad with cucumber, carrots and a chocolate rice cake. haha Love those!

I had this I think on a Monday night a few weeks ago, grilled chicken with and orange olive oil marinade, and salad with a few strands of whole wheat pasta.

Salad with tuna and pasta and carrots on the side.

Chicken salad with celery and apple and almonds and raw veggies.

Grilled chicken with salad and a few corn tortilla chips.

Salad at the restaurant one day when I got a break. Spinach, tomatoes, pecans and canned tuna from home with a lemon mustard vinaigrette.

I pureed extra veggies from work to make a little chilled soup, with grilled chicken and tzatsiki sauce. Yummy!

Leftover slow roasted chicken tortilla soup from the brunch menu. So good!

Chicken salad with carrots for lunch.

The other day I brought local eggs into the restaurant and poached them and had them with raw vegetables and some local white bean and artichoke puree that I used as a dip.

Chicken pesto salad with chicken and pesto I snagged at the restaurant with white peach and local grilled corn and tomatoes.

Chicken curry salad with the other half of that same white peach, carrots, tomato, and some more of that bean puree/dip. (Sort of hummus style. )

fine dining and my duties.

2009-08-03T18:14:00.006-05:00

some of the items on the dinner and brunch menu. i mostly do salads & desserts. =)

Restaurant life

2009-08-02T22:40:00.005-05:00

Some of the items I have made in my spare time, while I have a few minutes free during work, seeing as thats alllll I've been doing.

Egg white omelet with spinach and homemade spicy green sauce, yum.

Green salad with corn, tomatoes, red peppers, spiced pecans, mustard vinaigrette and chicken.

Oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast. :)

Spinach and cabbage salad with spinach, vinaigrette, pecans and poached eggs on the side.

Stuffed gordita (masa) with chicken, green sauce, cabbage, queso fresco.

Yogurt with wheat germ, bananas, almonds, blueberries and granola.

Homemade soup with oven roasted tomatoes from the restaurant and tuna on the side.

busy busy busy

2009-07-29T22:28:00.006-05:00

Well, the restaurant opened! I've been so busy but I definitely am still eating. ;) My work days consist usually of a nice breakfast at home that is pretty norm, and I usually shove whatever chicken, eggs, fruit or veggie I can find at the restaurant during prep, or service when I get a chance to eat. It is hard to resist the cayenne and sugar spiced pecans when there are so many of them on hand! Ah. Fun stuff.

We have a true Mexican cooking lady on kitchen staff who makes us treats when available. Today she brought in sopes, a masa based fried tortilla type thing, and I ate it for lunch with two poached eggs and a little black beans. YUM!

For dinner last night I grilled myself a citrus marinated chicken breast and had it on top a bed of spinach, cabbage, cucumber, blueberries and oranges in a balsamic and olive oil vinaigrette.

usual breakfast. ph & h.

some lunches...

oatmeal has to be at least 3 or 4 times a week. and there's the final potter!
oatmeal, coffee and harry= perfect morning.

i'll try and blog more. but more simple stuff.

xo, B

a few highlights from tucson and july 4th

2009-07-29T16:20:00.005-05:00

My last night in TX was the 4th and we had a little BBQ. I grilled chicken, made homemade coleslaw and we also had grilled corn, in the husk. Yummm. And local watermelon that was icy cold.

This is a salad i made while in Tucson with celery, blueberries, romaine, and leftover chicken mole from Little Cafe Poca Cosa.

I made ground turkey lettuce wraps with sauteed peppers and onions.

One of my first lunches, chicken curry in half a pita from Time Market, with carrot date slaw and celery and carrot sticks.

One of my favorite breakfastes, egg white omelets with some sort of sweet thing. I made the healthy muffins from Bethenny Frankel's Naturally Thin book, but subbed pumpkin puree for the apple sauce.. and yuummmy. It was a chocolately pumpkiney muffin/cookie.

friday 7/3 breakfast & lunch

2009-07-03T21:05:00.005-05:00

This morning I had oatmeal, which I love. There is something about the ritual of a steaming hot cup of coffee and hot oatmeal, that just adds to the breakfast experience. I could eat breakfast 3 times a day, so why not start it off with something hot?

I added water, cinnamon, milk, diced apple, raisins and honey and it was very good.

For lunch I made a shredded chicken salad with dill, miracle whip, spicy mustard, a little chicken stock to thing it out, sliced almonds, celery and raisins. I ate it with carrots, celery, tomatoes and a pickle!

I had another Fuji apple today for a snack; and lately I've been making a full pot (8-9 cups) of coffee in the morning (somehow, I believe it shrinks, because I've only been getting 4 mugs full, but I'm not quite sure how big the mug is either. :/) Naturally, I have some leftover by mid afternoon, so what do Ido with it? Iced Coffee! In this case, I added a tablespoon or two of chocolate protein powder, and oooh yum, slightly bitter mocha iced coffee yumminess.

For dinner we went out to this place, a chain restaurant called Posado's Cafe, very texmex, if you will. I ate 2 or 3 chips with jalepeno and greens with fajita chicken and salsa. It was not bad. I had a few bites of sopapilla, which surprisingly I had never had before. Honey, cinnamon deliciousness. Happy 4th of July tomorrow!

Thursday 7-2-09 Lunch & Dinner

2009-07-03T07:09:00.004-05:00

I ate an early breakfast of yogurt, Kashi and berries and was pretty hungry when lunch rolled around. I had egg salad as usual with my carrots, celery, tomatoes, pickle and rice cake. Later on I had an apple. Because I knew I might not be eating dinner when I would be hungry, I had a handful of almonds before we left for dinner.

We were supposed to go to Jen's aunt's house for dinner and set off fireworks, and they warned me that dinner at Aunt's house usually was a disaster. And it was. I ended up cooking half the meal, in order to get it on the table before 10 PM. Yes, that's right. We showed up at 7. Texans do not have any concept of time management around here, because well let's face it: there is no need for time management. This is a place where people pass you on the double yellow line on the highway, where you can bring your own alcohol into any restaurant and set off fireworks in your backyard. Let's just say, the country life, is not my cup of tea. However, the chicken we grilled was not bad, and we had alongside it organic peas, which were simply blanched, sliced tomatoes and fresh cabbage, both from a neighbor's garden which were extrememly flavorful. Baked potatoes microwaved were also available; I passed. I will say this, the fireworks were so, so, so much fun.

I only had a few bites of chicken, because by this time, it was passed my bedtime, and it wasn't settling very well. I did have a few bites of BlueBell ice cream though, which I enjoyed.

Microwaving?!

2009-07-01T19:43:00.007-05:00

Who knew I could have so much fun with a microwave?
I guess with the added equipment of a VitaMix commercial blender, panini grill and Cuisinart coffee machine, I'm bound to find something to cook up, but surprisingly the microwave has been my bestie these days.
For breakfast I microwaved my egg whites (4 of them! They did not all fit onto the muffin, so I ate them on the side) and had them on top of a scooped out (Bethenny Frankel tip) whole wheat english muffin. I had sliced tomatoes on the side.

For lunch I had the norm, of egg salad and carrot/celery combo with a pickle. I was able to boil some eggs at the kitchen yesterday to have on hand. Later on I had a snack of one of those 100 calorie mini bags of popcorn, (Kettle corn, flavored. Yum.) and a sliced Fugi apple while I watched "The Closer". Great show.

Tonight I got very inventive and creative and decided to micro the last of the zucchini, squash and broccoli in some chicken broth, and I added oats, chick peas and frozen corn to thicken it a little. I blended it all up and seasoned it with my *secret* blend of spices and flavorings, and it actually turned out SO GOOD! Okay, so the picture looks a little bit like vomit, but I didn't add any cream either, and usually the cream makes it look prettier (but fattier). I did top it with one slice of crumpled bacon though, and that worked perfectly with the soup. I say *secret* because, who knows this soup might go in my future cookbook or something! Hmmm... I will say there was a hint of cinnamon and maple syrup added to the mix, other than that I made it quite spicy.

Last night for dinner I had some salad with romaine, fresh raw corn, tomatoes, almonds, chicken, peach and carrot and a dill cucumber salad on the side. Actually the veggies in the salad all came from Bruce's yard, so that was fun to eat.

we'll have to see what its store for tomorrow! =)

Some acaaiiiii & ribs.

2009-06-30T14:35:00.004-05:00

This morning before I did a yoga, I've been doing a lot of yoga these days I had 2 packets of acai with 1/2 cup of Kashi Crunch, (unfortunately I ran out of my Nature's Path pumpkin granola, I didn't want to get any because I leave so soon) and 1/2 of a banana. I ate my breakfast with some new coffee that I got yesterday at Tazza. I even ground the beans this morning.

Later I went into the restaurant because they made some extra lunch of ribs, and coleslaw and potato salad. I ate 3 ribs which were very good for being homemade and not 'famous' or anything and a little coleslaw with sliced tomatoes and peaches. It was a yummy lunch.

yummm. xoxo, B

Catching up =)

2009-06-30T13:38:00.005-05:00

So Saturday, for breakfast I had yogurt, berries and some pumpkin granola. One of my favorites. We headed to Tyler to see "The Hangover" and I had to have a Kashi TLC bar to hold me over, and by the time we ate lunch it was an early dinner. We had Teppenyaki, it was not very good, but I managed with some edamame, chicken, and sauteed vegetables.

Sunday for breakfast I fixed egg whites on a scooped out whole wheat english muffin. The top half I ate with jelly. It was very good.

For lunch I had tuna salad, with some carrot sticks and pickles. I also had a small smoothie before dinner.

I noticed there was some broccoli, squash and zucchini in the fridge that was on its last stage. I microwaved it in some chicken broth, with a few screws of whole wheat fusilli pasta. I added 1/3 cup Bertoli tomato basil sauce, some dried oregano, basil, granulated garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. I also added chicken. It was so good, that I had it for dinner again Monday night with a little piece of bread to soak up the juices. It was half soup, half stew, half pasta. So yummy.

Monday morning I got to drive in to my favorite coffee place, about 45 minutes away, and got a little groceries too. Before I left I had oatmeal, with cinnamon, honey, water, milk, raisins and almonds. At the coffee place I had a few cups of coffee, and a small fruit salad.

At home I had lunch, which I made a chicken salad with apple, celery, pickle, almonds, raisins, mustard, miracle whip (all we had, I prefer real mayo), yogurt and apple cider vinegar. I also had carrot sticks and a pickle on the side. ;) I had my vegetable, chicken, tomato pasta soup thing again last night for dinner.

My Thursday and Friday

2009-06-28T08:49:00.005-05:00

A few highlights from Thursday & Friday:

before work on Thursday I had pb & honey & banana on a whole wheat english muffin.

After cooking a luncheon in which there were absolutely zero leftovers, I ran to Subway and got my normal sandwich because I was soso hungry. For dinner Thursday I think I had chicken salad of somesort with whatever we had vegetable wise.

Yum, real oatmeal, (no packet!) enabled me to have more, and it was actually better for me. I did just plain oats, a little milk, water, cinnamon, honey, raisins, and vanilla, and some strawberries on the side.

I made egg salad, had it with carrot sticks, pear, pickle, and I made a TINY panino and tested out the the panini machine. It was good.

For dinner Friday I had chicken salad again.

wednesday

2009-06-24T21:59:00.004-05:00

Today I got to visit a Sysco warehouse which was actually pretty awesome, sampled some mahi, salmon, marlin, seabass and some filet & rib eye. That was lunch, basically. =)

For breakfast before we headed out I scrambled myself a couple eggs that I ate with ketchep, and had a slice of toast with strawberry jam (good stuff) and a small glass of V8 with pepper.

Tonight for dinner I made a little mock tortilla soup with zucchini, squash, corn, black beans, chicken, chicken broth, carrot and lots of spices! (Dark chili, cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.) I squeezed some fresh lime on top. Yum!

disclaimer:

there are a few things I eat that do go un-documented and photographed, so just so you know this is not every little bite I eat day to day. =)

xoxo, B

Tues

2009-06-24T21:11:00.005-05:00

So on Tuesday I got to sit at home and do my own thing.. yay.. Caught up on The Bachelorette, yoga, and I even layed out and swam (with the dog :/) for a few minutes.

For breakfast I had some organic Stoneyfield Farm vanilla yogurt with frozen berries and pumpkin flax seed granola and 1/2 of a banana, and coffee of course. I had the Stoneyfield, because they do not have the Greek yogurt around here. I've seen it at one place, so I'll have to go get it next time.

For lunch after I swam I had my version of egg salad, carrot sticks, and a pickle and a half an end of bread. Jillian and Kiptyn all the way for The Bachelorette. I'm rooting for my San Diego man.

I broke our the VitaMix for a small smoothie in the afternoon, it was pretty good (Frozen strawberriees, cherries, banana, a little bit of chocolate protein powder, coffee and a few chocolate chips.)

For dinner that night I ate baby spinach with chicken, almonds, raisins, carrots, and a balsamic vinaigrette.

450 dollar strip.

2009-06-22T20:20:00.006-05:00

Today I worked a luncheon for the owner of the restaurant and a few of her friends. Before I went in I had a bowl of mixed Kashi Golean Crunch!, and Pumpkin Flax granola with a peach and some coffee.

For lunch I got to sample a few items I made for the luncheon, a caprese panzanella and mashed sweet potatoes, but I really got to taste a few ounces of the strip that is supposedly a very nice piece of meat.. somewhere along the lines of 40 $/lb. So I had that with grilled asparagus and about half of this little champagne peach soup. Everything was pretty good.

Then later I finally got to get a lot of groceries I wanted, now that we have a full working kitchen ;) so I made a mock greek salad with lemon pepper rotisserie chicken, carrots, cucumber, feta, green olives, and romaine.

what a weekend

2009-06-22T20:04:00.005-05:00

The weekend was long, hard, and strenuous…but it had its ups and downs. During the move I got to unpack the kitchen and all of the glorious, fun tools and toys that I will get to use in the near future.
Saturday morning for breakfast before we started to pack up I had instant oatmeal with blueberries and honey, a plum and coffee. I was so hungry by lunch I went and picked up Subway and had one of the best Subway sandwiches I’ve ever had. Chicken breast on 9 grain honey oat, with spicy mustard, pepperocinis, pickles, cucumber, lettuce, vinegar, pepper, with iced tea and baked lays. The last time I had Subway was the day I had it with N and J before graduation rehearsal, so it’s been quite a while.

Some other weekend highlights…
A little slice of home welcoming quiche (with a spelt crust…it was kind of funky :/) with squash and broccoli, and peaches for Sat dinner.

Sunday before work I had 2 boiled eggs with S & P and a piece of peach preserve coffee cake (made by the same lady who made the funky quiche...) During work, which was off sight at a catering event, the menu was chicken kebabs and Greek salad, so I managed to sneak a plate before it got busy.
Sunday dinner… had my tuna salad that I have made before, with a salad of zucchini, squash, corn and black beans and a few spices to liven it up a bit. I finally found a can opener! Yay!

TGIF

2009-06-19T21:21:00.007-05:00

So today was a long and crazy day. For breakfast I had my scrumptylicious morning glory muffin from Tazza. It was exactly how I imagined tasting and bettterrr.. Yum. I had that with the coffee I got to go and a handful of blueberries. I only ate the muffin top, as it was bigger than the actual body of the muffin, but had the rest midmorning as I was running around like a crazy person in the local Brookshires.. (probably comparable to Fry's in Tucson.. :/)

After working quite a bit in the kitchen for an event we are catering on Sunday, I poached two eggs and had them with some salad greens and a little slice of bread (& honey.. ahem) sampling from La Brea Bakery for lunch. The bread was definitely no Beyond Bread, unfortunately.

Later that day I had an apple, and for dinner I unwillingly ate at a kind of gross hole in the wall bar and forcefully shoved a skinless smoked chicken breast, a few bites of corn and a small salad down. Nothing special. Now I'm off to bed! Tomorrow is moving day for Beks.

x's and o's, B

The rest of my Thursday

2009-06-18T21:21:00.007-05:00

So after my power vinyasa yoga class and by the time I was ready for my day, it was time to make lunch and watch a little Top Chef Masters and Real Housewives of New Jersey (side note, those wives are crrraaazy!)

I made tuna salad with canned white meat, no salt tuna, lots of spicy mustard, balsamic, e.v.o.o., honey, apple and almonds. I paired it with a salad of cherry tomatoes, english cucumber and a crumble of goat cheese. I also had some baby carrots on the side. This meal just goes to show, with one pairing knife and a tupperwear container, magic can happen on the plate. ;)

For a snack I had what was left of my apple from the morning and lunch with 1/2 cup of mixed Kashi Golean crunch & Pumpkin Flax granola with skim milk, and another cup of coffee.

Once I had access to the car, I drove around Tyler to my favorite cafe, Caffe Tazza to grab some dinner. I love this place! They have gourmet lattes and cappuccinos with the pretty tops, really good breakfast and lunch, baked goods, gelato and brunch on the weekends.

I got an iced coffee (free refils!) and the European Salad with grilled marinated chicken breast. I think the chicken was in a pesto marinade, and added a nice touch to an already hearty salad of fresh baby spinach, cranberries, green apple, grapes, pecans and feta.

I got a hot coffee afterwards to save for the morning as well
what they call their "Healthy" muffin, which we call in Tucson, a Morning Glory. I am not normally a muffin fan, but when a baked good is made right, it can be very worth it.

xoxo, B

No cook breakfast

2009-06-18T09:44:00.005-05:00

So today I got up, didn't have to go to work, so got up late (on my watch at least) around 7:45.
I made myself a cup of black coffee, a toasted english muffin with PB and honey and had half an apple. We're getting ready to move on Saturday, so we haven't had any real cooking going on for the last few weeks or so.
I haven't been able to use the stove, oven or really 'chop' anything up. The toaster works just fine though, so my english muffin with PB and honey was satisfactory. That and coffee and I'm ready to do my yoga podcast. Dave Farmar is a yoga genius! I download his podcast from ITunes and do his class three times a week. It kicks my butt better than any yoga I've done before.