All Around the World

Written by on in Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Snacks, Tidbits and Treats

My blog readers are awesome! Thank you so much to everyone who took part in the De-lurking Initiative 🙂 I was so excited to read about all the areas of the world people are reading from, and hear some opinions on both the blog and oatmeal!

I compiled a list of the locations (in no particular order). Based on the responses, we are quite a diverse group!

Chicago, IL (2)
Charlotte, NC
Yucaipa, CA
San Diego, CA
Victoria, BC, Canada
Alberta, Canada
Los Angeles, CA (2)
Ontario, Canada (2)
London, England
Texas
Israel
Ohio
Baltimore, MD
Woodbridge, VA
Rhode Island
Washington, DC (2)
New York, NY (3)
Boston, MA
Wisconsin
Czech Republic
Valdosta, GA
Cleveland, OH
Dallas, TX
San Angelo, Texas
Overland Park, KS
Amherst, MA
Athens, GA
St. Louis, MO
Pittsburg, PA
Austin, TX
Michigan (2)
Shepherdstown, WV
Mountain View, CA
Seattle, WA (2)
Exton, PA
New York State

**EDITED TO ADD**

I’ve gotten several more locations in the comment section 🙂 Here they are: Orlando, FL; Brazil; Iowa; Richmond, VA; Minneapolis, MN (holla!!); Bristol, England; Germany, Mannheim. SWEET!!

My next step is to figure out a way to include a map somewhere on my page. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best site to use for that graphic?

Thanks again to Meghann for the idea 🙂 I hope some of you will keep commenting!

Keeping with the oatmeal theme, I tried another new combination today and I think it may be one of my favorites. I give you Peanut Butter, Banana & Jelly Oatmeal!

Yum! Here’s today’s combination:

  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
  • 1/4 cup liquid egg whites
  • 1/2 small banana
  • 1 tbsp. ground flax
  • 1/8 cup Bear Naked Peanut Butter Granola
  • 1 tbsp. Smucker’s Strawberry Jam

~*~

Seriously, it was amazing! Has anyone ever tried adding jam to oatmeal before? How have I not thought of this until now?! Given my incredible sweet tooth, I should have tried this ages ago! Oh well, better late than never – and it was worth the wait!

I had a mug of Coffee Cocoa on the side to start the day off right.

I spent the morning in class learning about copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets – we talked about Bratz vs. Barbie 🙂 I met up with K and one of our favorite people on campus for lunch at the student center. I was pretty hungry since class doesn’t get out until 2:00, so I decided to get the chicken and vegetable stir-fry.

Sorry for the bit of blur in the picture. It was a very good stir-fry, though! It combined red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, water chestnuts, pineapple, chicken and brown rice with a teriyaki sauce. And because we were having a long and fun discussion, I was able to savor each bite instead of eating on the go, which made it even better!

When I got home, I got the best gift EVER from K…

Words can’t describe how much I love Peeps! Especially at Easter – but I love the fact that they now have them at pretty much every holiday! I broke out a spook for a little after lunch treat!

After doing a bit of work, I headed for the gym, where I did a lovely 40 minutes on the elliptical machine and an arm workout that worked biceps, triceps and shoulders. I can tell I’m going to be sore tomorrow!

I came back and made myself a post-workout snack of 1 cup Fage 0% sprinkled with some rice puffs, more peanut butter granola and a tsp. of maple syrup.

It really hit the spot – I’m telling you, if you don’t like Greek yogurt now, just keep on trying and eventually your taste buds will get used to it. It’s hard for me to go a day without eating it now! I’m excited to try the Oikos samples now that I’ve used up my previous supply 🙂 And the Chobani review is coming soon!

My snack held me over well through another night at the television station. I run the video playback for our sports show on Thursdays. It’s my job to make sure the right video is playing at the right time. When I first started, I was very nervous and worried that I would do something to screw up the show. But with practice, I’ve learned that it’s not so bad, and I actually enjoy it! I know – I’m a broadcast dork!

I came home and fixed myself something small until I could enjoy the main event (keep reading to find out what that is!).

I heated up a bag of steamed microwave veggies – an Asian blend that consisted of red peppers, water chestnuts and broccoli. After I ate it, I realized it was a lot like lunch 😉 Oh well, can’t have too many veggies I guess!

The main event was my first-ever acorn squash!! I followed this recipe exactly, but substituted Promise Light for the butter. Here they are all buttered up and ready to go into the oven!

1 hour + 15 minutes later…voila!

The pool of goodness is the maple syrup/brown sugar combination. I did as the recipe said and spooned it out over the drier areas of one half of the squash.

The sweet version of acorn squash was unbelievably good! I remember reading on many blogs that the skin is good too…and it really was! I would liken it to a potato skin in terms of texture. I think I might even like the skin the most!! I saved the other half for lunch tomorrow.

So now I’ve tried spaghetti squash, butternut squash and acorn squash. I want to try a savory recipe next time! Any tips as to what kind of squash I should try next?

While I was writing this post, I had another mug of Decaf Coffee Cocoa. It’s becoming a tradition – caffeinated to start the day off right, and decaf to wind down and relax the night away 🙂 What are some of your favorite evening rituals?

Happy Halloween!!

38 Comments

  1. Your oats look SO good.

    My favorite evening ritual is eating an apple (or 2!) really slowly with peanut butter. It’s weird, but I do it a lot. Especially in the summer.

    I also blog at night, and I usually watch House on usa – they always have reruns. Painting my nails and reading are also things I tend to do at night.

    Great question 🙂
    _______________

    maggie ~ What a great ritual! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  5. so much yumminess in this post!!!!! the oatmeal looks seriously delectable, and the acorn squash looks perfect!!! of course, greek yogurt and lots of veg = pure happiness. i love the idea of revving yourself up with coffee cocoa and then winding down with it too (decaf = good idea!). starts and ends the day on the right note! i don’t really do hot drinks that much in the evening, so no ritual like that for me… i chug lotslotslots of water before bed, and always mole up under my duvet and call the boyf to say goodnight!
    _______________

    Mi ~ Sounds lovely!

  7. Wow! I love how we’re everywhere! Your welcome for the idea!

    I didn’t get a chance to comment yesterday but Orlando, FL representin!

  8. Hooray for bloggers all around the world!!

    PBJ oatmeal?!?!??!! I need a bowl of that… holy yum.

    PEEPS!!! Classic.

    Girl, you and I BOTH baked an acorn squash!!!! 😀

    Evening ritual = watching a little t.v., reading a magazine, texting friends ( 😉 ), and then going to sleep!

  9. Hi! Catching up on my blog reading today and I missed your de-lurking call. I’m a US ex-pat living in Brazil right now. 🙂 Just started reading your blog not to long ago.

    That acorn squash looks amazing! Happy Halloween!

  11. love the ghost peeps! and I have a picture very much like that one of acron squash I did the other night – so delicious!

  12. happy halloween!
    everything in this post looks wonderful!!! i need to pick up some polaner so i can try that pbbj oatmeal tomorrow– GENIUS idea 😀
    i also love peeps! they’re my favorite thing about easter and i was so excited when they started making them for other holidays- the little christmas tree ones are so cute!
    i love all the veggies in this post. stir frys are one of my favorite fast, easy and scrumptious meals 😀
    your acorn squash looks wonderful- i’ll have to try making it that way… maybe i’ll like the skin a little more
    hope you have a wonderful day!

  13. Look at all those readers! Nice! 🙂

    Jenn seriously we’ve got the twin thing going on, I’ve been seriously thinking about PB&J oats for awhile now, and just haven’t tried it yet! Yours look great!!

    Happy Halloween! 🙂

  14. that squash looks amazing!

    i used to put jam in my oats all the time back in my pre-blogging days! Last year I seriously had oatmeal for breakfast every.single.day. and I actually had a big selection of jams to put in to mix it up a bit: blueberry was my favorite!

    have a great weekend/HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

  15. I thought about trying a pb&j oatmeal combo a few weeks ago, but I haven’t yet – those pictures of your combo makes me want to try it ASAP:)

    Have a great day Jenn!

  18. Wow Jenn! WHAT amazing eats you’ve had. Your acorn squash looks just marvelous, and I love the PB & J oats too… I was thinking of making those the other day!!!

    haha and the peeps ! you are too funny!!!

    happy halloween!!!

  19. That oatmeal looks beautiful! And great idea with the squash + syrup.

    I love peeps – I didn’t know they made them in ghost form! I usually only have them at Easter (in moderation, of course).

    Fav evening ritual: brush my teeth, wash my face, drink a huge glass of water… and then (yes, I will admit this..) Bill tucks me in and we “talk” to my stuffed hedge hog…..

  20. I have to have something sweet at night. Size doesn’t really matter, it could be something teeny, but I simply must end my day with a little sweet. Lately I have been making a cup of hot chocolate (real hot cocoa too, not the diet kind) with a few marshmellows. It feels so decadant!

    I think PB&J oats are in my future. Yumm!

    sweets&sweats

  21. That stir fry as well as your dinner look AMAZING!

    I really need to try acorn squash – it always looks so smooth and buttery! Have a great day!

  22. I love the list you compiled! Thanks for the process pictures of the squash – I’ve never made acorn, either, but now I know how. 🙂

  23. Evening ritual is Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer tea.
    Those are the only three kinds of squash that I’ve tried, but you might try a savory stuffing for the acorn squash. I like it with rice, turkey, beans, etc. Southwestern style kinda stuff.
    http://www.seejessrun.wordpress.com

  24. Sorry I’m late with the city shout out! I’m a reader from Iowa (Ames for school, Quad-Cities for home). Love the list–it’s so fun to see 🙂

  25. PB&J oatmeallll! I love that stuff–your enhanced version is awesome! Nice touch with the almond milk!

    Congrats on preparing your first acorn squash! It looks amazinggg~

    As for visitor maps, I hear this site’s pretty good: http://www.niftymaps.com/

    Happy Halloween!

  26. PBJ oats sound amazing. I want to try that combo. Those little ghost peeps are really cute! And, your acorn squash looks delicious!

    Also, you can add Richmond, VA to your list!

  27. I can’t wait to try this! I keep passing the acorn squash in the market. I love butternut, though it’s a pain to peel and chop up. MMmmm. 🙂

    Favorite evening ritual? Playing with my cat and then, when he’s tuckered out, he keeps me warm by laying on my lap. Lately, I’ve been having a mug of hot cocoa to wind down the day. Both are wonderful treats!

  28. Peeps and acorn squash in one day? Wow.

    Favorite evening rituals: blogging and spending time with the fiance and the dog… nothing major, just relaxing!

  29. amazing eats!!!! That bowl of oatmeal with jelly looks so delicious!! AND that SQUASH……sooooooo yummy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ that’s the best way to celebrate Halloween!

  34. You can add Minneapolis, MN to your list – I know I’m technically in Boston right now, but HOME is where the heart is =]

  35. You can add Bristol, England to your lurking list! I just stumbled upon your blog and think it’s fab. PB&J oats–what an idea! I think a lot of food bloggers now are wondering about lurkers! It’s hard to get people to speak up!

  36. To all ~ Thanks for letting me know about your evening rituals! I’ve definitely picked up some great ideas from you 🙂 And hello to all the readers who commented on their locations in this post! I just added a map to the sidebar of my blog, so hopefully we’ll be able to put a “dot” on your location soon!!

  38. Hey! Add me to your list. I am a reader from Germany, Mannheim 🙂
    Adding Jelly to my oatmeals is something I do as well… I even would add jelly to my plain joghurt to sweeten it up. It really tastes good 🙂

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