Highlights From My Weekend

To say this weekend was low key would be an understatement. But don’t you worry, I had plenty of fun.

Friday: I picked up my little brother after school so we could hang out for the weekend. He’s 16 and all he does is EAT. I’m jealous of how much he can get away with eating!

I ate my delicious leftovers from Mi Xao, a new Vietnamese restaurant in Mt. Pleasant. Eric and I went on Thursday night and it was everything I hoped it would be. I ask for a combination of two types of pho. My bowl had shrimp, rice noodles, ginger broth, bean sprouts, basil, lime, jalapeno slices, cilantro, onion, and scallions.

Eric had the wonton pho. We also had the spring rolls, pot stickers, and a can of coconut juice. Okay, I had the coconut juice. I wish you had seen Eric’s face when he tried it. He was not a fan. I happily drank it.

I’m fond of any restaurant that keeps a gigantic bottle of Sriracha on the table. Please look at my broth in the above picture. Now look at this picture, after I had clearly added a ton of the magical sauce. I left with teary eyes and a watery nose.

Saturday: I woke up and made my new favorite breakfast: a pretzel Flatout wrap + scrambled eggs (1 egg, 2 whites) + avocado + Sriracha.

I signed Amanda and myself up for the Charleston 1/2 Marathon. Eeehh, it’s real!

I browsed Hobby Lobby for some craft ideas and ended up finding a birthday present for Rachel…and a majorly sassy glue gun.

I went for an easy 4-mile run around I’On then proceeded to get LOST in the DARK for 30 minutes. I couldn’t find my car and had to map myself with my phone. Typical!

The little brother and I made dinner, watched movies, and ate too much candy and frozen yogurt. Later I suffered from some serious FOMO when I received this text from Danielle:

Sunday: I made crackers. Yes, crackers. I’ve made these twice now and feel the recipe is ready for the blog! Stay tuned. If you’re my friend on instagram, you already know that they contain rosemary, raisins, and walnuts. It’s a fantastic combo, trust me.

Amanda and I started Week 3 of our 1/2 marathon training.

I love having a workout schedule mapped out for the next 10 weeks. I’ll share it with you soon! Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

What were the highlights of your weekend?

What was the best thing you ate?

Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili (Vegan!), New Running Playlist

And just like that, the temperature dropped. I realize it’s snowing in some places, but holy crap this crisp weather came out of nowhere. It is 45* as I type this. 45 degrees!!! That’s just rude.

Meanwhile, my Gruber Farm CSA still thinks it’s Summer. I’m not upset about it; I’ll hang onto Summer as long as I can.

Week 7’s box:

• apples
• corn
• tomatoes
• black eyed peas
• the cutest pumpkin ever
• yellow squash
• broccoli

I was so excited to see that adorable pumpkin as I hadn’t bought one this year. It may be too late to carve it, but I can surely make pumpkin puree for more pumpkin bread. I bet it’ll be a million times better than the canned stuff.

Just checked the weather. It’s still 45*. I’m still cold. I bet you are too, so I made us some chili.

Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 ears of corn, kernels removed
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin puree
• 2-3 tbsp. Sriracha, depending on your heat preference
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• Optional toppings: crumbled pita chips, avocado

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, corn, black beans, pumpkin, Sriracha, and spices. Stir until evenly combined. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Serve warm with toppings. Makes 5 servings.

This chili is very different from anything I’ve had. In fact, it’s better. It’s both sweet and spicy and you can adjust the seasonings to your liking. You should also note that when you first mix all the ingredients in the pot, it will seem very thick. I promise that after simmering, the juices will come out and it will be just right. You can trust me…and Sarah:

She made my day with that tweet!

In other news, I’m still running longer distances, with 5 miles being my new minimum. Amanda and I always run together, but right now her doctor says she has a sprained ligament. : ( Will you please pray for her? I hate that she’s hurting and want her healed a.s.a.p.!

Now have a looksee at my current running playlist:

What’s your favorite cold weather food?

How do you like your chili?

What’s your favorite song at the moment?

The Friday Five 09.14.12

1. What I’m Reading: After book club met last night to discuss Dare Me, we decided our next book will be Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.

From Amazon: On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a thirty-two-year-old Realtor, had three goals: sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she’s about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all. Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent captive in a remote mountain cabin — which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist — is a second narrative recounting the nightmare that follows her escape: her struggle to piece her shattered life back together, the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor, and the disturbing sense that things are far from over. The truth doesn’t always set you free. Still Missing is a shocking, visceral, brutal, and beautifully crafted debut novel about surviving the unsurvivable — and living to bear witness. 

2. What I’m Eating: My contribution to book club was an Avocado & White Bean Dip with Sriracha.

To make: In a food processor, blend

• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 can of great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

We had a great spread at book club last night. Strawberry, Goat Cheese & Basil Bruschetta:

Trader Joe’s spicy Flaxseed Chips & Black Bean Dip:

Pumpkin Spice Muffins:

Can we all please admire how full Hannah poured her glass of wine? It was a long week for everyone.

3. What I’m Listening to:  It’s Time by Imagine Dragons.

4. Recipes I’m Bookmarking:  On Sunday, I’m going to Sean’s house for Rosh Hashanah. (Remember the intern? I went to Seder at his house in the Spring.) To bring with me, I’m making a pumpkin challah and shaping it into a teddy bear! I’m so excited to make this and celebrate with his family. Details to come!

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

WHEN WE’RE OUT AND MY FRIEND SAYS SHE DOESN’T WANT TO DANCE

WHEN A GUY IN AT THE BAR TRIES TO TOUCH ME

WHEN A RANDOM GUY TRIES TO DANCE WITH ME

I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed weekend! 

The Weekend.

Since Thursday, Amanda and I were housesitting at her parents’ house. We cooked a ton of good food (lots of recipes coming!), ate a bunch of desserts, went out with friends, and enjoyed the glorious 80-degree weather.

Friday - Dinner at Next Door in Mt. Pleasant, then drinks downtown at The Macintosh and Hall’s.

Saturday - Healthy cookie baking…which ended up being our dinner. Twice.

More upper King bar hopping with friends.

Tree hugging. Kaye and I doing our usual tree pose in which she’s always in disco ball attire and I’m embracing the pastels. NYC fashion vs. CHS fashion. It’s quite different!

Sunday - Breakfast sandwiches: English  muffins, fried egg, pepper jack cheese, avocado, sriracha. Our mouths were on fire!

Tutti Frutti froyo! Cookies & Cream, White Chocolate, and Peanut Butter with M&Ms, Heath bar, and cookie dough bits.

Sunshine and sunset on the water.

Coming up this week:

• a Spicy White Bean & Chicken Chili recipe
• a  healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe (using chickpeas!)
• review of Next Door
• Clif MOJO bar giveaway!  

My Favorite Healthy Snacks

I’ve mentioned it before – I really love snacks. Lots of little meals > 3 big meals. Here are the snacks I most often eat.

1. Greek yogurt. It’s packed with protein, is rich and creamy, and full of flavor. My favorite brands, by far, are Fage and Chobani.. My absolute favorite is Fage’s Cherry 0%. I don’t typically like cherry-flavored foods, but this is the jam.

I also really like their Blueberry 0%.

Of all of the Chobani flavors, Pineapple 2% is the one I buy the most. Just like their Passion fruit flavor, it’s very tropical.

Surprisingly, I love their Lemon 0%. It’s really refreshing!

2. Luna bars. Let’s be honest, these things are “healthier” candy bars. They’re made with 70% organic ingredients and contain many essential vitamins and nutrients. Iced Oatmeal Raisin is ridiculously good.

I’ve noticed that people either love the Iced Oatmeal Raisin or the S’mores flavor, but not both. Weird, right? My other top flavors are Peanut Honey Pretzel, Chocolate Dipped Coconut, and Blueberry Bliss.

3. Nuts! I prefer almonds and walnuts, but put me in front of a can of cashews or peanuts and I won’t deny them. First and foremost, I like plain ol’ nuts in their natural state. I buy them in bulk from either Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

4. Fruit. I love almost all fruit in its natural state. Bananas, blueberries, and strawberries are my favorite. I’ll also never say no to pineapple. Have I ever told you I briefly lived in Hawaii with my mom when I was 3? Yep. Check this out. Someone was eating a lot of pineapple in 1987.

5. Back to the food. In high school, chips were my weakness. Nowadays, I reach for popchips. They’re not baked or fried, but instead air-popped. They have the best flavors and are so crunchy. I have little to no self control around a bag of Barbecue or Salt & Pepper popchips.

Their newest flavor, Sweet Potato, is quite different because it’s sweet, but is absolutely delicious.

Have you guys seen the new tortilla popchips? I’m dying to try them!

6. String cheese. I hadn’t had string cheese in years until very recently when I visited my grandparents. I forgot how convenient of a snack this is. And it’s cheese. Come on. We all love it. These bad boys are only 50 calories a pop (stick?) and, well, they’re fun to play with.

Embrace your inner 10-year-old and buy a bag of these.

7. Cottage cheese + jam. Sorry if you just threw up after reading that. It’s a great combo, I swear! Cottage cheese packs a punch of protein, and if you buy a lower sodium or low-fat kind, is a great post-workout snack. Top it with some jam for extra flavor. Just try it! +

8. Carrots + hummus. Sabra’s Roasted Garlic hummus is the best! +

9. Avocado + toast. It’s one of the most simple, yet delicious, snacks I eat. Just top a piece of toast with a couple avocado slices, drizzle with honey, top with salt & pepper, eat munch away.

10. COOKIES! Of course! Can’t stop, won’t stop. These aren’t healthy, but I could never leave them off my list of favorite snacks. ;)

What’s your favorite snack?

Are you team Fage or Chobani?

Favorite Luna bar flavor?