Back and a bit better.

Written by on in Food Journal

I really appreciate everyone’s understanding as I took a couple of days off from blogging. I’m not completely better yet, but at least the doc procedure is over, my memory is back – haha, getting knocked out on purpose is a little scary! – and the results should be revealed before this week is over. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

Bobby also appreciated all of the birthday wishes! I think he had a lot of fun yesterday – we played golf and went to Benihana for a super meal – you can’t not leave that place feeling stuffed. It’s one of those Japanese restaurants where they cook right in front of you on a hot grill. So many lovely courses, and at the end we had some raspberry sorbet and the waiters sang “Happy Birthday” 🙂 Oh, and I think he liked my present, too! I got him some seasons of The Office on DVD – it’s going to be our next marathon DVD adventure…once Lost is done, of course!

I took him to the airport this morning so that he could head home and spend one last week with his family. I can’t believe that classes start almost one week from today! I feel slightly behind on the times since many of you are already in the swing of things, but that doesn’t mean I want it to start 😉 Although senior year will be a lot of fun.

So enough rambling, I’ve got some food to share – k?!

BREAKFAST

I had a mug of Coffee Cocoa this morning while driving to the airport.

Yet another mug that described how I felt at the time I drank out of it, since Bobby oh-so-conveniently scheduled his flight so that we left the house at 6:30 am 😉 Boys…what part of BEAUTY SLEEP do they not understand? Sheesh! I kid, I kid…

When I got back from the airport, my mom informed me that we were playing golf yet again. Not that I’m complainin’ – I soak up every chance I get while I’m at home! I quickly fueled up for the round with a bowl of Greek yogurt.

I used 1 cup of Fage 0% – 22g of protein, I love it! – a Blueberry ZBaR and 1 tbsp. of Barney Butter. I think this bowl fills me up just as much as oatmeal – hurray!

SNACK/LUNCH

On the golf course, I started to get a little hungry near the end of the front nine, so I pulled out an extra special snack: a PB Cookie Larabar!

So then it turned out that by the time the round was over, I wasn’t very hungry for lunch. Blame it on the still-sore stomach 🙁 I wanted to make sure I ate something though, so I had a small piece of cranberry bread that we found at a local bakery, topped with a shmear of more Barney Butter!

I suppose this was the equivalent to a spaced out lunch. In any case, it filled me up for a while. A few hours later, I had a fresh pluot when my tummy rumbled again.

DINNER

Another Papa Bender creation! I swear I have eaten more red meat in the past two weeks than I have in the past year! My dad loves to pair red wine with steak, and that’s what we enjoyed this evening.

The meal included flank steak, which my dad seasoned with red and ground pepper, red wine, Worcestershire sauce and onion salt.

There was also some broccoli, which I topped with miso sauce for a bit of flavor.

And last but certainly NOT least, WATERMELON! Would you believe it if I told you that it’s my favorite fruit, but this is my first time having it all summer long?!

I definitely had some more after this picture 🙂 It was juicy and delicious!

And to round out the meal, a glass of red wine – a cabernet from Columbia Crest.

DESSERT

And a Sunday evening would not be complete without a little ice cream…

I’m almost out of pumpkin ice cream! I really hope that they have it back at school.

Question: I am very nearly out of space in my WordPress media library. I guess that’s what taking several photos from many angles will do to ya 😉 Has anyone else had this problem? Do I have to purchase a space upgrade? It kinda stinks because if I delete photos, they’re gone forever and if I happened to link them to my blog, that picture will no longer work. I made that mistake during the early days of the blog, and now some of my earliest posts don’t have pictures that work! 🙁 Long story short – does anyone have any advice?

Have a Monday, everyone 😉

34 Comments

  1. Sooo elated that you’re feeling better, and that your time with Bobby was well-spent.

    The Office = amazing show. period.

    Cute mug!!

    Gorgeous Fage snack (looks like clouds!), PB COOKIE LARABAR (holy yum), pluot (I just ate my last one today – ahh!! I’m going to miss them!! 🙁 ), broccoli, and watermelon!!

    Eek, sorry about your old WordPress photos – since I use Blogger, I’m afraid I can’t offer any advice 🙁
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    VeggieGirl ~ I’m so excited to watch The Office! And I think pluots are on their last run by me too, since the ones my mom bought the other day are pretty mushy 🙁 Darn.

  2. I’ve really been thinking about you Jenn. I’m glad things are on the up SWING (corny golf joke).
    That nice cool bowl of yog for breakfast looks delicious! Love. Also, I’m dying for some of your daddio’s flank steak. My dad also makes a mean one that’s totally pink inside. We’re very primitive when it comes to our red meat!
    LOVE THE OFFICE!
    Keep taking care of yourself sweetie! Use that Polish power!
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    Erin ~ You are such a sweetheart! And I love your corny golf joke – that’s my style 😉 And hurray for Poles!

  3. Great to hear that you’re starting to feel better; and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you too for when your results come back!!! best wishes!

    and that yogurt/zbar/ab breakfast sounds soooo good…too bad i don’t have any of those ingredients! LOL!

    have a great monday!
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    Melissa S. ~ Thanks, chica! You need to get those ingredients, pronto 😉

  5. Senior year of college is awesome! I believe I told you once before, but I graduated from Northwestern a couple years ago. You’re making me feel nostalgic! My friends and I had a little gathering at our house during New Student Week and kept trying to lure the freshman posses off the streets with Jello shots, but they all ran away. I think we scared them! 😛

    But seriously, you’re going to have an awesome year. Good friends, celebrations, new beginnings to look forward to. It’s great!
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    Ash ~ Hello again! I am definitely looking forward to my final year at NU – especially since the football team is undefeated so far! We’ll see how long that one lasts 😉 Loved the story about you trying to lure those naive little frosh! I remember it like it was yesterday…

  6. So glad Bobby had a nice Birthday!

    Glad you’re feeling a little better!

    Love the mug! You have the coolest, fun mugs!

    And I’ve said it before and will say it again – I love those bowls and plates. They are just soooo pretty with the cool design and colors!

    So, yes, you have very good taste in dinnerware. Where do you purchase everything?!

    Oh, and the flank stank your dad made looks delicious!
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    Foodie (Fab and Delicious Food) ~ Thank you! I purchase my dishes, bowls, mugs, etc. from various places. I worked at a grocery store two summers ago and got a discount so I went all out 🙂 That’s also where I found the mugs! Basically, I suggest grocery stores for finding some pretty unique stuff! Sometimes they have sales and you can get some great designs on the cheap!

  8. Glad you are back, and getting better! 🙂

    That breakfast looks delicious Jenn, I really want to find those blueberry Z-bars, I love that you crumble them over yogurt!

    Steak and red wine? You are speaking my language girl. I am such a food and wine pairer it’s ridiculous! Papa Bender really seems to know what he is doing.

    Have a great Monday! 😉
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    jenngirl ~ Thank you! And hells yes to steak and red wine. I have fallen in love with red wine thanks to my dad – he drinks it every night!

  9. Jenn, where did you get those mugs? They’re so adorable! I would love to get some!

    Also, all your food looks amazing! I need to try the Fage/ Z Cliff Bar combo, looks delicious!

    Pumpkin ice cream sound unbelievable, I must get some!

    Really glad your back, love reading your posts!
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    Olga ~ I actually got them at a grocery store in Arizona! The woman who makes them is named Joyce Shelton. I think you can find them at various places online, but she doesn’t have an official site!

  10. LOVE THE OFFICE!!!!

    glad you’re feeling a bit better. pumpkin icecream would Definitely cheer me up:) mmm sounds so good!
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    Andrea ~     I can’t wait to watch!! Pumpkin ice cream is incredible 🙂

  11. i’m glad to hear you’r feeling even slightly better! i hope it’s a good recovery from now on. i LOVE your mugs!!!!!! so so much! and of course i love fage 😉 sounds like bobby had a great birthday too. your dad looks like a very good cook 😀
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    wholefoodswholeme ~     Thank you so much! And yes, my Pa is a pretty darn good cook, if I do say so myself 🙂

  12. aw. surprise! another wonderful post from Jenn Bend! YAY.

    Love this one! Your pictures are gorgeous. The greek yogurt breakfast looks delicious, love the PB lara with the golf ball (you are TOO clever miss!), and your dad’s steak dinner and broccoli with miso (LOVE miso)…all sound too wonderful!

    glad you had fun with Bobby boy. glad you are feeling better.

    as for your WordPress problems… I know what you are talking about…but I since switching over to Windows Live Writer I haven’t had to deal with that problem! Maybe you can try deleting some of your past pictures?

    HAPPY MONDAY BEAUTIFUL LADY!
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    glidingcalm ~ Hehe, thanks miss! I wish I could switch to WLW – too bad they don’t have a version for Mac. Maybe someday!

  13. Another wonderful mug! I am going to have to try the clif bar in some Greek yogurt. Maybe I will finally find a pb Larabar at Whole Foods today!
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    Megan ~ I hope you found that Larabar!!!

  14. so glad to hear you are feeling better! I almost bought that pumpkin ice cream yesterday but I have to work my way though all the other ones I have at home… i think the food stamp challenge has helped me be more aware of stuff like tht!
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    Christie ~ I love your food stamp challenge!!!

  15. I love the larabar pic!

    I recommend windows live writer to, it also saves a lot of time. 🙂
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    Natalie ~ Thanks for the suggestion – I’d do it in a heartbeat if I had a PC!

  16. Haha that mug is too awesome!

    Mmmm greek yogurt + PB –amazing! There are no words to describe the addictability of this combo!

    The Papa Bender creation is wonderful! I swear there’s something about dads and liking to cook red meat–when my dad cooks, it’s usually steak!

    And I have no clue about the wordpress media library, but if you’re out of space, you can always upload it onto another website, like photobucket.com and then use HTML to put the images in wordpress–either that, or just use Windows Live Writer–all you need to do is drag and drop the images from your computer! Don’t even need to upload!! 😀
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    oatmeal ~ I think you’re onto something with the dads and the red meat – must be that testosterone 😉 I’m going to look into photobucket – thanks for the tip!

  17. I am too new to blogging to fill up my media area, but I am curious about that.

    Glad you’re feeling better and that Bobby had a good birthday. Good use of the Blueberry Z!
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    Heather ~ Thank you!

  19. I’m not a big red meat eater, but pair it with a good red wine and there’s nothing better. 🙂

    We host our images at photobucket.com. But you have to upload them, so Windows Live Writer sounds a bit easier.
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    Fit Bottomed Girls ~     My thoughts exactly 🙂 And thanks for the photobucket tip – I’ll look into that.

  20. I just LOVE the looks of your Greek yogurt. Schmancy.
    And I love your mugs too. They are adorable.

    Glad to hear you and Bobby had a great day together for his birthday. The Office rules.

    I hope you figure out the WordPress problem. I’ve thought about that and wondered what I would do if I ran out of space as well… but as a few people have mentioned, try Windows Live Writer. I’m not exactly sure how the uploading works but I think it uploads the pics to WordPress but at a smaller size, therefore using up less space. You would probably have to delete some older pictures first though in order to make that work.

    Glad to hear that you are recovering and I hope you’re feeling 100% asap!
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    Kristie ~ I love the word schmancy 🙂 I can’t wait to watch The Office after it’s been getting such rave reviews!! And I wish I could use WLW…

  21. Yum! I think I say that often here! 🙂 Always good…hope you had a great weekend! 🙂
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    Mark Salinas ~ I look forward to hearing a good “Yum!” from you every time I post 🙂

  22. I am glad all went well with your procedure!

    All of your eats looks great! I am envious of pumpkin ice cream!
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    Christie I. ~ Thank you!

  24. Hope you feel better soon and that all of the tests come back okay!

    I’m very impressed by your golfing, btw. I really want to learn how to play.
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    HeatherBakes ~ You totally SHOULD!! It’s so much fun and so relaxing to be able to spend that much time outdoors!

  25. Glad you are feeling better. As one with Crohn’s disease, I definitely can understand stomach issues!!!

    And I went on a hunt yesterday for pumpkin ice cream and I couldn’t find it. I was definitely let down and now I see it on your blog again, and I am even more let down!

    Hope you are having a good monday!!

    sweets&sweats.wordpress.com
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    Fitzalan ~ Oh no, Crohn’s disease – I’m very sorry to hear that! And I’m also sorry that you haven’t been able to find the pumpkin ice cream yet.

  26. Darn it- I forgot to look for that ice cream at the store this weekend!

    Glad you’re feeling better! I’m also glad that you and Bobby had a nice day on his birthday!

    Enjoy your last week before school!
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    Erica ~ There’s always next weekend! 🙂

  27. thank you so much for the sweet comment you left on my blog! it was such a nice thing to wake up to this morning 😀
    papa bender does it again! what an amazing feast!!!
    i’m so glad you’re feeling better and that you and bobby had so much fun! i LOVE benihana!
    i really need to try that z-bar and greek yogurt combo– it always looks so delicious! and i’m still on the mission to find some pumpkin ice cream…
    have a happy monday!
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    fitnessista ~ But of course 🙂 And hurray for Benihana!

  28. I’m glad that you’re starting to feel better!! Tummy problems are the WORST! Happy belated Birthday to Bobby! :0)

    Where did you buy your adoooorable coffee mugs?! I hope you have a great week, girl!!
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    Allison ~     Thank you 🙂 I found the coffee mugs at my local grocery store! The woman who makes them is Joyce Shelton, but unfortunately she doesn’t appear to have a site!

  29. My younger brother is always still hungry when we go to Benihana. He claims it is not enough meat for him. I guess he just lifts too many weights. My mom loves that place, so she always tries to get the family together there for special occasions.
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    Aimee ~ Haha, that’s hilarious! I can’t imagine not being filled to the brim when I leave that place 🙂

  30. Hey Jenn,
    I’ve commented here a few times before, but mostly I am just a lurker who reads your blog all the time and loves it. But I am de-lurking again because I just discovered a truly amazing breakfast, and I am telling everyone I know about it because it is just too good to not share. It’s called Banana Blender Cereal, and it tastes like eating banana bread in a bowl! I found the recipe off of chocolate covered vegan’s blog.

    It won’t let me post the link, so you’ll have to change the “DOTs” to “.”

    http://howtogainweightonavegandiet DOT blogspot DOT com/2008/05/banana-blender-cereal.html

    It is sooooo good, eaten cold, or especially when heated up!

    Anyway, keep up the terrific blog!
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    Sarah ~ Hey there, thanks for de-lurking to give me such an awesome tip! I checked it out and it sounds right up my alley – perhaps for an upcoming Bender’s Blenders post?! I think I’ve got the ingredients ready and waiting to go 🙂 Thank you for reading!

  31. Glad to see you back Jenn! Hope you are feeling better 🙂

    Enjoy the rest of your summer vacation for me…I’m jealous!
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    Karla ~ Thank you 🙂 I hope you’ve been enjoying your time as well!! If you have a chance, email me and let me know how it’s going!

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