🙁 We didn’t end up going to the baseball game last night.
The flight of the person we were supposed to go with got canceled (one of the “joys” of living in Chicago) and by the time that the person finally did arrive and we tried to figure out what to do, it was too late. No “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” to be sung. It’s a bummer, but hey, at least now it’s Friday. That’s the good news, and I’m a glass half-full kind of girl.
Side note: I just realized that even when I’m not specifically talking about food or drinks, I somehow manage to bring it back to a “glass” – sheesh!
BREAKFAST
I had another go at the gluten-free hot cereal yesterday morning. I’m really liking this stuff now – it’s got a gritty, chewy texture but the pieces are small, so it’s nothing like old fashioned oats. It’s a nice change of pace that still allows me to have a hot breakfast when I’m in the mood. BIG THANKS to Bob and his Red Mill.
I added 1/2 of a sliced banana, unsweetened vanilla almond milk and 1 tbsp. of flax to the cereal mix. The banana added enough sweetness that I didn’t really need anything else.
Con Coffee Cocoa? CLARO QUE SI!
Random thought: I have over 120 blog posts now (missed my 100th anniversary, darnit!) and I am willing to bet that there are at least 100 varieties of these Coffee Cocoa pictures. Craziness.
MORNING SNACK
Drumroll please…
It’s the week of LARABAR samples. I’ve got one more to try after this guy. Today was the Cinnamon Roll. Here again is the description courtesy of the LARABAR site:
“You’ll think you’ve reached the gooey center of a cinnamon roll. A blend of dates, almonds, walnuts, cashews, cinnamon and raisins, this bar delivers irresistible flavor and health: 4 grams of natural fiber, 4 grams of protein, 4.5 grams of Omega-6 essential fatty acids, and Omega-3’s. The dates contribute 14 essential vitamins and minerals. The almonds are a key source of fiber, protein, and Vitamin E. And the cashews, with their B6 Vitamins, can reduce stress. So dig in and be happy.”
Well ladies and gents, it had to happen at some point. I finally found the flavor of LARABAR that I tried the first time around, way back when the craze first started. And that means that this is the one that I did NOT like. I definitely did NOT think I had reached the center of a cinnamon roll (I can only find that bliss at Cinnabon). I can’t really put my finger on exactly what it is about this flavor that I just don’t like. I guess it just tastes too much like I’m eating a health bar. I like my bars to taste a little sinful – hence the Chocolate Brownie ZBaR obsession – so I’m going to have to pass on this one. Hopefully this shows how much I truly did enjoy the other flavors this week – they surprised me!
A little after the LARABAR disappointment, I decided to compensate by having a mug of hot chocolate.
That made me feel much better:)
LUNCH
Lunch today was fabulous – super crisp and fresh. I picked up a salad from Ponte Fresco with fresh spinach, water chestnuts, black olives, black beans and AVOCADO, tossed in an Oriental Toasted Sesame dressing.
It filled me up in a major way. I think it must have been the avocado. I was completely stuffed after eating this! It also helped that it was HUGE😉
Of course I wasn’t too stuffed, because I still had room for one of these:
Perfection really does come in a square shape.
AFTERNOON SNACK
I thought we were going to the game by the time I was ready for my snack, so I wanted to have something extra satiating because I didn’t want to rely on hot dogs and french fries at the park. I heated up a sweet potato in the microwave and served it with some ketchup. SUPERFOOD!
DINNER
Then I realized we had some extra time because of the flight cancellation, so I was able to go home after work. I still didn’t want to fill up in case we went to the game, so I made myself a plate of sliced turkey and TJ’s Nutz Over Raspberries and Chocolate trail mix.
This trail mix is just my absolute favorite. There is nothing in it that I don’t love.
Then came the realization that we weren’t going to the game after all:( So to finish off my dinner, I had 1/2 cup of whipped cottage cheese with a small spoonful of hazelnut butter.
And later, Bobby and I split some Rainier cherries while watching Lost. We had to make up for missing the game somehow, right? Nothing better than a Lost marathon with some fresh fruit!
And that was that. Not quite what was planned, but still a good night.
Thanks to everyone for your comments on the articles. I think you’re right in that pretty much anything edible these days has someone or some group out there saying how horrible it is for you. It’s hard enough to weave through all of the unhealthy stuff. As long as we stick to what we know makes us feel good, I don’t see how any of us could go wrong.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Ahh, that’s terrible about the flight!! Hope all works out with the flight home, at least!!
Looove Bob’s Red Mill products.
Yeah, I’m not that crazy about that Larabar flavor either (and that’s REALLY saying something, since I’m obsessed with Larabars in general).
SWEET POTATO!!!! (you need to try it with guacamole, though – haha).
Bummer about the game! Your photos look great, like usual. Where did you find hazelnut butter? I have heard a lot about it lately but I haven’t found it at the supermarket yet.
Booooooo, Sorry you missed it. That salad is GORG!
I’ve never tried a sweet potato with ketchup before! It looks delicious though.
Mmm hot chocolate and a chocolate bar, how decadent =)
Maybe I am the only one who will ask this question, but, what is up with the breakfast plate? It doesn’t seem round. Camera trick?
Cottage cheese and hazelnut butter? I’ve never heard of such a combo. Is it tasty (maybe that question is a bit redudant since obviously you eat and like it. lol.)? What does it taste like (is a better question.)?
You might have mentioned this in a previous post, but what kind of gluten-free hot cereal did you try? I’d like to share it with my Mom, who is on a gluten-free diet. And don’t you just love sweet potatoes?!?
Jenn!!! (I have some very close friends named Jenn, by the way, so whenever I type out your name, it always makes me especially smile!!)
That hot cereal sounds really good. I think I need to get some…and are those orange specs/yellow bits cornmeal?! Because I love cornmeal and that sounds AH-mazing.
Way to go on the turkey slices and sweet potatoes…I think if we ever met…………………………….. we would like very similar foods. Ha. Except…I’ve never been a big CC (cottage cheese) person.
And good to know… I will NEVER try the cinnamon roll Larbar.
In regard to your articles yesterday, I just got a Women’s Health newsletter in my email today about how “soy lowers sperm counts”?! Random, but they are related, and it made me think of you. Hahahahaha. Just made me think of YOUR post, jeez, lighten up.. I’m not a space cadet.
Haha happy Friday girly!
hmm that cottage cheese combo/nut butter combo….how was it? i’m sure that’s a silly question because cottage cheese is amazing, nut butters are all amazing. So together they must be, well…amazing.
Too bad your plans for the game fell through, but to be honest with you, I think I would have preferred the cherries anyway : )
Have a great weekend!
everything you have eaten today looks absolutely incredible (a medley of all of my favorite things!) and i totally agree with you that perfection comes in a square shape. those chocolate squares are the ideal size and just make life so much better 🙂
i’m going to add that trail mix to my tj’s order i just emailed to my mom 🙂 it looks amazing!!!
have a wonderful weekend!!!
Awww, sorry you missed your game and your friend had all those delays 🙁
Good for you for still picking such yummy yummy food for the rest of your day 🙂
Those cherries make me want to grab them out of the screen!
Too bad about the game 🙁
That trail mix looks good. I’ll have to try it sometime.
Sorry you missed the game… but yay for Friday! 🙂 that’s cool you live in Chicago – I’m moving pretty close to there in about a month!
haha congrats on the 120 blog posts. Your pics of coffee/cocoa every day look sooo delicious.
hmmm thats too bad about the Larabar. When I was reading your description about it being like “biting into the center of a cinnamon roll” it did sound too good too be true. Have you tried the “jocolat” flavors of Larabar? The mint chocolate one is DIVINE. they are a lot more indulgent tasting than the regular larabars!
Lost!! (insert heart)
http://www.iameatingtolive.wordpress.com
Too bad about the baseball game! Lost marathon sounds entertaining enough though!
Now what I’m really intrigued by in this post is the nut butter and cottage cheese combo… how did that end up tasting, good? I’d be willing to give it a try!
your day looks so great and sadness about the larabar disappointment…i’m going to have to go out and try these…it seems to be the trend in the blogsphere…i shall try this weekend! if $$ allows for it!
have a great weekend!
I’m with you; chocolate z bars are the BEST!
Maybe you can add some cereal to your hot cereal! They melt and it feels like you’re chewing oats 😀
And wow–when you think about all the coffee cocoa you drink, it is quite crazy XD But in a good, chocolatey way!
Too bad about not being able to go to the ball game! But at least dinner was good 😀 Cottage cheese + HZnut butter? Genius!
awww sorry no ball game 🙁 I LOVE cinnamon roll Larabars, but it’s a different kind of love than how I feel for cinnabon…..ohmygod…. haha the smell is just heaven on earth
TJ’s has the best trail mix and I love that they are REASONABLY PRICED! My fave one here in Texas is $6.99/lb from the bulk bins! So my mom sends me bags of TJ’s Rainbow’s End every now and then. 🙂
Hope tomorrow is a better day for you, although it sounds like you made the best of this one!
Aw, that’s a bummer about the ball game. There will be others though, I promise. I might actually be headed to a Cubs game in a few weeks when I visit Chicago!
You have me craving that banana hot cereal–banana+flax=combo made in heaven.
I ordered some hazelnut butter today from Futter’s, thanks in part to your mentioning of it. Can’t wait to try it!
those baby larabars are so adorable. and im going to pick to cherries today just like that, cant wait to eat them all. probably in one sitting.
http://www.groundedfitness.com
I’m sorry the game plans didn’t work out for you!! All of your meals look delicious, as always…ESPECIALLY that sweet potato~My favorite!! I love to dip mine in a ketchup/bbq sauce combo :0) Mmm trail mixes are amazing…I always pick out the raisins and chocolate chips to eat together like raisinets!
VeggieGirl ~ I’m planning on picking up sweet potatoes AND guac at the store today!
Katie ~ I found hazelnut butter at Whole Foods. It was the first time I had ever seen it there though – maybe it’s taking a while to get into stores.
Anna ~ Thanks 🙂
Shelby ~ Oh you have to try it, it’s like eating french fries!! Well, almost;)
totaltransformation ~ Haha, it ISN’T round, you’re right! It’s a rounded off square shape.
Fit Bottomed Girls ~ That was actually my first time trying out the combination. I thought it was pretty good! I don’t like sweet stuff in the cottage cheese, so it was a nice change of pace.
Lisa ~ Of course!! It’s Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal. Quite a mouthful, but I really think your mom would like it!
Em ~ Haha, your comment made me smile at work on a Friday – hard to do! I responded on your blog 🙂
Sarah ~ I responded on your blog, too! I hope you have a great weekend! 🙂
fitnessista ~ Glad you like the eats! Definitely let me know what you think of the trail mix!
All Vegged Out ~ Thanks! Yeah, food blogs often make me wish the computer would allow you to grab food through the screen!
Foodie ~ Definitely give it a try!
iameatingtolive ~ I have not tried those Jocolat bars, but they are next on my list of taste tests! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Kristie ~ It was one of those spur of the moment things I mixed together. I figured I like both of them, so they must taste good! It actually turned out quite well 🙂
Melissa ~ Please let us know what you think of them!! Have a good weekend, too 🙂
CCV ~ Heck yes!
Carmen ~ Great idea! And I’m glad you liked the combo – I guess I was channeling you, Ms. Experimenter!
linds ~ I’m definitely with you on the Cinnabon 🙂
Erin ~ I’ll have to look for Rainbow’s End next time I go. Thank you!
Caroline ~ Ooh a Cubs game! Sounds like fun! And let me know what you think of the hazelnut butter 🙂
Kelly T ~ Eating them all in one sitting is very easy to do!
Allison ~ Oooh BBQ sauce is my favorite! Awesome idea! And I do the SAME thing with my trail mix 🙂