And the #1 Key to Avoiding Procrastination is…
Internet and cable outages in your neighborhood!!!!!!!! Thanks Comcast, you always just know what to do to help me get my head in the game.
Soon after I woke up this morning, I lost Internet and cable access. I find it ironic considering that it happened at the exact moment that I asked you all about procrastination! Turns out, I was actually able to focus and study all day long without being tempted – because there was nothing to tempt me! Still, you all provided some great tips and now that Comcast has given me back my access, I will be sure to put your tips to good use! Thanks!
THREE-MEALS-A-DAY CHALLENGE: DAY ONE
Today is the first day in my challenge to eat three square meals from home. I have to say, it’s going GREAT so far. Probably because I didn’t have class, cable or Internet 😉 Tomorrow may be an entirely different story.
In the interest of time (still studying…) and overall quality of the meals, here are today’s breakfast and dinner – my favorite meals and the ones that took the most effort!
BREAKFAST
I woke up early to workout so that I could have the rest of my day to do as I pleased. That meant that I was able to make a gigantic bowl of Booberry Oatmeal.
It kinda looks like grey sludge…but it was good, I promise!
This bowl included:
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened rice milk
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 tbsp. ground flax
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I hadn’t had blueberries in my oatmeal for a while. It was a nice change of pace, but the frozen ones aren’t all that sweet. I definitely needed some banana in there. I ended up adding a teaspoon of maple syrup after I took these pictures to give it more sweetness!
And of course one can’t forget a delicious mug of Coffee Cocoa.
DINNER
I was most excited about tonight’s dinner because it was the first time I have ever tried baking my own tofu!! I used the influence of Gliding Calm and this post from Caitlin to create my version, and it turned out great!
I cut the tofu into ten pieces and let the water soak into paper towels for about an hour before placing them on the baking sheet. I then brushed each piece with toasted sesame oil, Annie’s Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce and teriyaki marinade and sprinkled Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning over the top. I then baked the tofu at 375* for 30 minutes, until it was nice and crispy! By the way, some of you asked on my last post whether or not the tofu from Whole Foods was firm – it is! I don’t like the soft stuff, so I always make sure mine is plenty firm and crispy! And the tofu I made tonight was no different.
I put 1/2 of the recipe on a bed of spinach and topped it all with a little extra teriyaki to cover the greens.
It turned out great – baked tofu is so easy and delicious! I will definitely be making it more often. It was so good, in fact, that I went back and had the rest of the tofu block 🙂 And even once it was gone, I wanted more – yum!
Now this opinion is coming from somebody who thought tofu = gross this time last year. So if I can eat an entire block of tofu for dinner – that’s saying something! If your worried about the texture, make sure to buy extra firm. I can guarantee that if you bake it long enough, it will be crispy and to your liking.
NAME THAT SANDWICH CONTEST!
The people over at Arnold/Brownberry Breads were kind enough to notify me about this super cool contest going on right now. I encourage you to check it out because the prize is $2500 for you and $2500 for the charity of your choice!! Here is the description from my email:
“Arnold Select Sandwich Thins are a unique sandwich-sized flatbread that are thinner than a roll, healthier than most sliced bread, and more practical than a pita. The latest creation from the Arnold brand can best be described as rolls which are flattened to a skinny size, then sliced, featuring a new shape that is not skinny on taste! Arnold Select Sandwich Thins are available in three varieties: 100% Whole Wheat, Multi-Grain and Whole Grain White.
Because the bread is completely new….its not a Panini, a Hoagie, a Muffeletta…what is it!?!?!
If you go to http://www.arnoldnamethatsandwich.com/ you can enter a contest to name the sandwich bread. The winner will receive $2,500 and will get another $2,500 to donate to their favorite charity. The winner’s name could also be trademarked and featured on Arnold’s packaging!”
I don’t know about you all, but I am definitely going to put on my creative thinking cap and check this one out!! If you do decide to enter – good luck!!
I’m off to check up on all the lovely blogs I missed because of a down Internet!
Sweet dreams 
Haha no internet, no cable!? That will certainly get the job done.
I love your “booberry” oats, I used to ONLY use blueberries in my oatmeal, until I discovered banana oats, and there was no turning back. But yours look tasty!
Thanks for that tofu recipe, I’ve been terrified to try some, yet at the same time, DYING to do it! I’m just gunna have to put on my big girl pants and cook up some tofu. What brand did you use?
Hope you have a lovely evening 🙂
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jenngirl ~ I know – nothing quite compares to banana oats!! I used the Nasoya brand of tofu, but I’ve heard that the Whole Foods brand is just as good! I hope you like it 🙂
I’m glad to see that your first day of “home eats” challenge had such great results! I esp love the tofu that you made! I looks amazing on that bed of spinach!! wanna send some to me 😉
and I know what you mean about internet and cable going out…really, it’s somethings the best thing ever. I remember when I was in australia when we lost power for almost two weeks…we basically went to bed by 9 every night because we had no light and using propane and candles was a wreck on the eyes! hehe! i had never slept so much and so well in my life!! 🙂
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tryingtoheal ~ Haha, I’ll totally send you some next time 😉 And wow, your Australia trip sounds very rejuvenating!!
Definitely a good way to stop procrastinating!
That coffee cocoa looks AMAZING. I’m going to go make cocoa tea right now.
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magpie ~ Ooh wow, let me know what you think of that!
Hahah, I think the oatmeal looks good – blueberry power!
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Sharon ~ Haha yeah!!
haha!! i have a friend who gave her connection cable to her dad before her exams to go on an “internet-fast”!! i think it really helped her! oh the evils of modern age… 😉
the tofu looks PERFECT!! yummmm!
question: what do you put in your coffee-cocoa and how do you make it?
the contest sounds fun!! i have no idea what i would call it though….
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wholefoodswholeme ~ Wow, your friend is very brave 😉 To make my Coffee Cocoa, I use Silk soy vanilla creamer and Nestle hot cocoa, plus Reddi Whip. You can find the recipe here!
do you realize how much SHINE your oatmeal spoon has? It’s almost hypnotizing.
Love the Oats…but I bet you can guess what I love even more……….?? can ya Jenn? can ya?
Oh golly, how did you know! IT IS the Baked Tofu. You’re too smartttt!
Any who…
1) I’m so sorry you lost internet….I would have flipped.
2) Thank you for the tofu shout out.
3) I hope you have a wonderful wonderful Tuesday!
Take care mama cita!
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glidingcalm ~ Haha, wow I didn’t realize how shiny it was but I looked again! I have no idea why it’s so pristine – must be a good dishwasher! And yay for GC tofu!
Thank goodness that your internet is back!!! I would have died, haha 😀
Booberry Oatmeal + Gliding Calm & Caitlin-inspired dinner = mmm, mmm, mmm!!! And a fabulous first day of the Three-A-Day Challenge 🙂
Be careful with the title of your challenge, though – I don’t want THESE GUYS to sue you:
http://www.3aday.org/Pages/Welcome.aspx
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VeggieGirl ~ Thanks! I changed the name to avoid the problem! I knew that I had heard that one somewhere.
Hi, I love your blog and have several questions
(Sorry in advance, don’t worry about answering until you have time)
Like you initially had, I am having difficulty liking greek yogurt. I have tried oikos and fage. Do you feel choabni taste the same? It looks different in pictures. How did you convert to greek yogurt? It is so much healthier and I really want to like it, but it just taste like sour cream to me even with add ins. Plus by the time I add the add ins the calories are quite high.
Also, I know you like to eat naturally. What are you feelings on flat out wraps? They seem to have a lot of weird chemically type ingredients.
Last, you don’t seem to eat very many afternoon snacks, but you don’t eat big of lunches. How do you make it throughout the day? (this is a question of curiousity, not attack- I find myself hungry no matter what and am looking for tips)
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Kayleen ~ Thanks for your questions! I’ll try to answer them the best to my ability!
1) I definitely think that Chobani is the creamiest of all the Greek yogurts. If you can find it in stores, they also have plenty of flavored Greek yogurts which combine the protein power that I love about plain Greek yogurt with the sweetness of all the other yogurt varieties. Plus, it has real fruit at the bottom! Can’t go wrong there 🙂 Otherwise, really the way I converted to Greek yogurt was just by eating it a lot. And at first, I added many, many mix-ins to get it sweeter, but if you eat something enough, you’ll gradually adjust to the taste and even start to like it after a while. And now I can eat it with just a little bit of granola or a Clif ZBar, etc. It took a couple of months for me to get to this point, so my best advice is to just stick with it if you really want to like it. You can’t beat the nutritional value!
2) I think Flat Out wraps are ok. They definitely have some odd sounding ingredients, but I’d say as long as you’re not having wraps for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they’re great. If you’re looking for an alternative, I personally love the La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious wraps. You can find more information about them here.
3) No worries, this is definitely an important question! I’m not sure if you’re basing it off of past food journal entries or present, but if it’s present than I’d like to assure you that I haven’t been posting my entire day’s worth of food lately, which is why you don’t see any snacks. Trust me when I tell you that I pretty much ALWAYS have an afternoon or morning snack — otherwise, like you I would be very hungry!! Actually, that’s usually why I keep my lunches on the lighter side — so that I can have a bigger afternoon snack and still be hungry for dinner. My go-to snacks include: Greek yogurt (haha, or flavored yogurt if you prefer!!), almonds/nuts, rice cakes with nut butter, an energy bar (Clif ZBar, Larabar, etc.) or some fresh or frozen fruit (frozen mango is my current favorite). The reason I stress three meals is that I like to have three “main” meals in a day — but I’m definitely going to eat a snack in between if I’m hungry!
I hope that my answers helped! Let me know 🙂
I’ve been having internet issues lately too. Such a pain in the butt! But it sure does help a bit with the productivity thing 😉
That tofu looks SO perfect and delicious. Mmm. Did you flip it at all during the baking process?
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Kristie ~ Haha, woops! I forgot to flip 🙂 I guess that will be what I try next time! Perhaps it would have been even crispier that way!
Sorry to hear about your internet being out, but at least you were able to accomplish a lot without it as a distraction.
Firm or extra firm tofu is the way to go and the baking method works wonders. I want to try your marinade combination – it looks delish.
And, thanks for the contest details. I don’t think it would be too difficult to think of a good charity to donate to AND some good ways to spend 2500!!
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eatingbirdfood ~ Definitely try the marinade – it was awesome and slightly spicy!! Good luck with the contest 🙂 I know I could definitely find a use for $2500!
that’s a pain that the internet was out, but really that’s the only way i actually can get any work done!
baked tofu looks SO GOOD! I can’t wait to get home for thanksgiving break so I can try it!
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Sarah ~ I can’t wait for you to try it, either!
I love your booberry oatmeal! You just reminded me that I haven’t made some in quite a while…
Glad you got your work done with the internet out!
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Rose ~ Yessss I inspired a future oatmeal post from On a Lobster Placemat!! My work here is done 🙂
hahaha! I totally get more work done with the internet is down!
That baked tofu looks great!
Love our Booberry oatmeal!
Jenn – WOW What a post… No internet – I would have went a-wall… oh wait i may already be there. Oats look amazing… but the tofu – the pictures are terrific. WHat do you think of the challenge – did you submit yet? I have a name in mind… I am scared it is going to win 🙂
thanks so much for sharing an awesome post.
Happy Tuesday!
zesty
Geez, I can’t imagine how much my productivity would improve if our internet was down!
Great idea with the 3 meals a day from home. Healthy, saves money and probably tastes better than most restaurant food, too! Can’t wait to read about your challenge!
I love your grey sludge and fabulous tofu! It always looks so good. I can’t understand people who think it’s gross!
Anyway, good job on your first day with meals from home! Have a great Tuesday!
What a cool contest! Those new buns sound perfect for my sammies! 🙂
And I always brown my tofu in a wok, but I should really try baking it. It’s not hard, and I love it when it’s crispy!!!
Looks like DELICOIUS GRAY SLUDGE! 🙂
Love the sludgy breakfast! Kinda looks like lentils. I’m still in last week’s BSI mode.
You’re such a princess!
i am totally cracking up about comcast – i have the same irritating issues w/ them 🙂
happy you’re back 🙂
So no snacks at all? I can’t do that. I think I’m a six meal a day kind of girl 🙂 I’m glad you’re doing what works for you though, that is awesome! I love that contest. I need to get Josh thinking, hes creative!
i love baked tofu too! your dish looks just like one i made a few months ago. i love eating pretty much all my food on a bed of spinach. and i never feel guilty about eating a whole tofu block. i’ve done it once, and i’ll do it again! haha
This is eerily strange, but I had cable/ internet outages all day in my neighborhood, too! Except I have MediaCom instead of Comcast, and I live in Minnesota instead of Illinois. Although, my boyfriend is from Illinois and were just in the Chicago area over the week. haha, looks like we have some things in common. 🙂
http://newtritionista.blogspot.com
Ah, TOO FUNNY! I’m originally from Eagen, Minn. My boyfriend is from the Kankakee area of Illinois, but we just spent this last weekend in Oswego. Love your blog, by the way!