No, We Did Not Elope!

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

My April Fool’s prank on my parents went pretty well yesterday! The origination of the prank is kind of a long story, so I’ll spare you. But please know that I have nothing against eloping – I just wanted to see my parent’s reaction! Yesterday I sent them the following email:

Hi Mom & Dad,

I have some news. After a spontaneous decision, Bobby and I decided to elope last night. I know that this may upset you, but we want you to know that it wasn’t because we didn’t want you there.

I can talk to you more about the details later, but I wanted to send you a message so that the initial shock could wear off.

Love,
Jenn

My mom knew it was a trick because she had already pulled a prank on my little brother, but Papa Bender called me and told me that he fell for it for a few minutes! He then sent me this email:

That’s interesting..

What will you tell your brother?

Mom and I are having another child. I guess they will have immediate in laws.

He is just sooooo funny! Papa Bender actually sends me a joke via email every day. He gets them sent to his email from some comic site. He is the ultimate corny jokester, and now you know where I get it from! What is your favorite April Fool’s prank of all time?

When I wasn’t being absolutely hilarious yesterday, I made some great meals! I let myself sleep in again (to a more modest 9:30 am this time) and decided to create a Heather-inspired breakfast.

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Yes, my friends, I made Blended Avocadoatmeal. The bowl contained:

  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 sliced banana
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 tbsp. Barney Butter (also in honor of Heather, who gave me my first crunchy jar!)

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It was my first-ever blended grains experience. The creaminess of the bowl is hard to resist, peeps. And honestly, if at first you think it odd to add avocado to oatmeal, I dare you to try it. Avocado is a fruit, after all – and we all know how good fruit is with oatmeal! If your still unsure, have some Coffee Cocoa on the side 😉

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Later that morning, Bobby came over to watch a movie for class. He needed a VHS player and so I decided to watch the movie with him: Wall Street. It’s from 1987 (the year I was born!) and it was pretty good. Getting to see a younger Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas was fun. Eventually, we got hungry and decided to make lunch.

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I had a Whole Foods coupon last week, so I decided to buy some cold smoked salmon because I loved it so much at home. I paired 3 oz. with 2 tbsp. dill hummus (for those who asked, I didn’t make it myself – the brand I found is Tribe) and a handful of spinach in a FlatOut wrap. There was also a dill pickle on the side. It was a delicious and filling combination.

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And because we were watching a movie, I helped myself to another Coffee Cocoa to sip on.

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After the movie and the boy left, I took the opportunity to get out in the sunny, somewhat warm weather and take some pictures for my first photojournalism assignment. I haven’t quite figured out how to load the pictures onto my laptop, so I can’t use the camera for food yet. But it’s so nice!

I came back and discovered a package filled with goodies:

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Kelly from Sequel Naturals has introduced me to a really cool new program called Thrive in 30. It was created by the founder of Vega, Brendan Brazier, who is a professional triathlete and bestselling author. Here is some information about the program:

Thrive in 30 is a free 30-day program developed by professional triathlete and bestselling author on performance nutrition, Brendan Brazier. The program was designed to increase knowledge about plant-based nutrition, optimize physical and mental performance, and offer a fresh approach to total body health.

This is a month-long journey based on The Thrive Diet; made accessible in an easy-to-follow and engaging program guiding health enthusiasts to make life enhancing change. In ‘Thrive in 30’, participants receive 12 emails over a month, each  touching on a different key health-enhancing topic. In addition to written content, each lesson includes a brief and intimate video segment where Brazier reviews key principles and provides suggestions on how the ideas can be seamlessly applied by anyone.

Here’s a sampling of the topics covered:

· Alkaline vs. Acid—Why Your Body’s pH Matters

· Nutritional Over-Achievers and How to Harness Them

· Food Sensitivities—How to Reconnect Your Diet and Your Body

· Superfoods + Fitness = Your Route to Optimum Performance

· How What You Eat Has Global Impact

So far, I have learned a lot about the importance of incorporating more whole foods into my diet. If you’ll notice in my posts this week, I have really made more of an effort to add more of these foods to my meals. Although I do eat meat, I recognize the importance of the “plant-based diet” for many people and see no reason why a meat-eater can’t incorporate some of the same habits into her lifestyle. I highly recommend you check out the Thrive in 30 link and see for yourself. I basically get a 5-minute video in my inbox every other day full of great information! Thanks, Kelly!

I decided to try the Vega Whole Food Smoothie Infusion out first:

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It boasts a great ingredient list of plant-based foods that have protein, fiber and Omega 3 EFAs. I combined this packet with 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 cup water, 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1/2 cup frozen dark cherries and 5 ice cubes. It made a very generous portion!

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My overall impression of this smoothie packet was that it tasted great with the addition of fruit. It was a bit grainy and you could definitely taste the “greens,” but I actually liked both of those qualities because they were offset by the sweetness of the fruit and juice. I really felt like I was getting a well rounded mini-meal out of these glasses. And, in reality, I was!

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After what I will call Dinner Part 1, I headed to the gym. I did 30 minutes on the Stairmaster and 15 minutes on the stationary bike. I was still pretty sore from my more intense workout the day before, so I just kept it to cardio. Then I came back and made Dinner Part 2: a scrambled egg white topped with provolone cheese and Goya.

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Mm, so melty and salty! I will definitely be using the cheese + seasoning combination again!

Then I had to buckle down and get to work. I already have quite a bit on my plate as far as work goes, and I have a tendency to procrastinate early in the quarter, so I’m hoping to avoid that. Of course, while I was studying, I got the urge and couldn’t fight it, so I had a Strawberry Kombucha.

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I know – 3 days in a row? Well, I got them on sale (for those who asked, they were 1/2 off)!

Around-the-Foodosphere

I’m off to get ready for my full day of classes!

Rabbit Rabbit (1 day late!),

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61 Comments

  1. I should have told my parents I eloped, that would have been a good one. I’m not even sure I even talked to my parents yesterday..lol

  6. haha funny trick! i would be angry if you eloped because then i wouldn’t be at the wedding, hehe!

    i’ve never tried smoked salmon with hummus but I bet it would be good!

    Can’t wait to chat tonight : )

  7. Hahaha – I totally say Rabbit Rabbit on the first of every month! I learned it from The Babyisitter’s Club Little Sister books that I read back in 1st and 2nd grade!

  11. haha, great prank!

    I don’t have smoked salmon as often as I should – that wrap looks awesome! good luck with all your school stuff 🙂

  12. Cold Smoked Salmon is my fav!!!
    Today after I go to the gym I’m going to head over to TJs and get me some for a wrap.
    I usually have it with a layer of cottage cheese, cayenne, and spinach or arugula. amazing with a side of scrambled eggs. It’s a great way to get a whole bunch of protein after a good workout.

    Thanks for the shout out!!!

    Your strawberry kombucha reminded me that I have a new one in the fridge waiting for me!!! It’s a brand new flavor so I’ll test it out and tell you what I think!!

  15. Ah ha ha ha! That’s a great prank. I love your dad’s response. My dad would have said something very similar. 🙂

  17. Your dad’s email is hilarious!
    I didn’t do anything for April fool’s day but I have some great ideas from all you girls for next year!

  18. Avacado oatmeal sounds intresting! I’m not a big oats person. Too much prep for me! I’m glad you played a real April fools day joke on your parents. People on campus were using Hofstra letter head to make fake letters about cars getting towed. It was pretty funny! The wrap looked awsome!

  23. Hahah! Way to go with the April Fool’s joke! Isn’t crunchy BB the supreme nut butter? I adore it oh so much!

    HOLLA ’87 BABIES!! Best year ever in my opinion 😉

    Rabbit Rabbit reminds me of old school Nickelodeon when they would have “Today is….blahblahblah DAY!” and the first day of the month was always rabbit rabbit day!

    Thanks for your super sweet comment on my blog! It made me smile from ear to ear – you’re one of my besties too 😀

  24. What a great prank… I’ve never been a prankster but I bet my parents would be HAPPY to hear that one – they wouldn’t have to pay for our upcoming wedding. 😉

    And I’m loving the spring-y oatmeal bowl! 🙂

  25. hahah! great prank! i was totally going to do that w/ my parents too!

    and the best one i pulled was on my brothers. i told them at 5am that it was snowing outside…in southern california. i mean really? totally fell for it, ran outside in their boxers and i locked the door. April Fools! hahaha!

  28. No offense, but I think I like Papa Bender’s joke the best! OMG, would you just die?!

    I’m very intrigued by this Thrive in 30 concept. I’m going to checkity check the link, thanks!

  32. Haha my parents would die if I said that! They’d never believe me, though. PapaB is too funny! I don’t do the salmon, but that wrap looks great. Good luck with getting started on all the work- I know I already feel behind!

  33. Wow, now I feel old. I was 8 in 1987!

    That salmon totally looks like tomato slices to me. I keep looking at it, and my brain keeps saying “that’s not salmon, it’s tomato”. Perhaps because it’s cold smoked?

    Interesting to hear your take on the Thrive in 30 program. I received an email from them yesterday about it, so I’ll have to check it out.

  34. haha i love cheeesy Dad jokes, they’re best kind! It’s so funny b/c we talked about we both TRY to like oats but just never make them…i’ve been eating them for like, the past 3 mornings and they are slowwwlllyy growing on me! Looks like we have the same persistence 😀 I’m gonna try this avocado craziness next for sure. AND i freakin’ love that you have a VHS playa..so old school, you should save that for future millions ;D

  39. Your dad is a freakin’ hootinannie! He has such a great sense of humor! I can see where you get it 🙂
    I agree. Even if you eat meat you can still reap the benefits of plant-eating. Yay!

  42. Ha ha. Both you and Papa Bender are hilarious! I fell for so many April Fool’s jokes yesterday – I do every year!

    Jenn, thanks for the shout-out and so glad you tried the avocado oats. Isn’t the creamy factor amazing? Your bowl looked beautiful – much better than the poo oats I made yesterday. 🙂

    I’m doing the Thrive in 30 too and expecting some Vega samples soon. I really like what Brendan said about cortisol levels and stress as I truly believe stress is the underlying cause for so much of the world’s illness.

    Good luck with all of your school work, and I still drooling over that melted cheese photo. YUM!

  43. Love the blended grains in the cute birdy bowl. And your flat-out wrap, which I have not been able to find anywhere!

    Sounds like your family has a great sense of humor!

  47. haha, love the april fools joke! papa bender seems like such a fun guy!!

    the oats look great, I have always wanted to try the avo in my oats after seeing it on heather’s blog, and I am glad to hear that someone else loves it!!

  48. Jenn,

    Haha! Sounds like your April Fool’s Day prank was a hit! I made coffee gel with Agar agar in a coffee mug and gave it to my mom EARLY in the morning. She didn’t think it was too funny until after I gave her a REAL cup of java! Once caffenated we had a pretty good chuckle! 😉

    Have a great day!

    With Love,

    Emily

  50. you say “Rabbit” on the first day of the month too?! i thought my family was the only one that did that haha. i don’t even know where it came from! we treat it like a contest and try to say rabbit to each other before the other person remembers to say it 🙂

  52. You totally reminded me that I have some of that same Smoothie Infusion in my cupboard–after all that whining about not having any protein powder…

  53. good one!! your dad is classic, no wonder you make me laugh hahaha! I WANT THAT WRAP – i love smoked salmon than ANYONE (i mean it!!! i’ll fight you if i have to) and now have a crazy craving for it. damn. the blended bowl looks fantastic too, i’m dying to try the avocado addition – i tried blending the other day with my hand blender but it seems too weak to do anything, i’ll have t drap out the big blender and not be so lazy!

  54. that is too funny about the joke!! and good thing your dad played right along! : ) i think my parents would have dropped dead!

  56. hahaa I think my parents have pulled that one on me as well. I would have told them Mark and I eloped, but at this point, they would probably be pleased. 😀

  57. heehee what a great prank jenn. Good thing your parents are such pranksters too! My parents would have called me while they were still flipping out and my mom would probably be in tears. hahaha

    I LOOOVE smoked salmon too!! I still haven’t gotten my hands on flat our wraps, but I”m worried they’ll be dry! I have a feeling your avocado oats will soon be a new blogosphere food trend. heheheh Though I probably won’t be participating in this thought-leading experiment. 🙂 Hope you have a fabulous weekend Jenn!!

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