For lack of a better title, I chose to combine many of the foods I ate today into one:)
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the first official Bender’s Blenders post. I’m looking forward to seeing where it takes me and will definitely use some of your tips (nut butter, for example) in my upcoming recipes. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, click on that link above and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions.
BREAKFAST
Ah Monday. Definitely the worst day of the week. So what better way to liven things up than with a new addition to the breakfast mix? This certainly isn’t a new product, but it’s been a while since I last bought it and I thought I’d give it another go.
I know many of you swear by the peanut butter version, but I really like the original! I combined 3/4 cup Puffins with 1 cup Nature’s Path Puffs and a heaping tablespoon of white chocolate chips.
Another winning cereal combination. The Puffins are very airy and light and remind me a lot of kettlecorn. Just the right amount of sweet. Sheesh, do I EVER give a negative review about cereal? There are just so many great varieties out there – it’s nearly impossible not to like most of them!
And this next picture needs no introduction, I’m sure.
MORNING DRINK
No, not that kind of drink! Geez;) I got a skim mocha from Cosi to keep me warm at about 9:30 am. I swear they have turned the air conditioner way down in the past week or so, because it is F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G in my office! I always forget to bring a sweater too, because it’s so H-O-T outside. Need me to S-P-E-L-L anything else out? I’m in a weird mood right now – can you tell?
By the way, today I also neglected forgot to bring an umbrella even though it was predicted to rain. I thought to myself, “the minute you leave your umbrella it will pour” and guess what? I was right! So I got to work nice and sopping – have I mentioned that I don’t like Mondays?
LUNCH
Alright, I’ll snap out of my complainer mood to tell you all about my exciting lunch! It started out as pretty much all of my lunches have ever since I went to the grocery store, with a big sweet potato + ketchup!
Here’s where it got even more exciting – with a new soup!
I love tomato soup, as you can probably tell by the numerous times I’ve made it in the past couple of weeks. It’s also perfect for the cold office. I bought this box of Pacific Organic Creamy Tomato because it comes with two 100-calorie servings in an easy to tote box, which means 1) I can eat the whole box and 2) I can easily carry it in my lunch box and pour out as much or as little as I want throughout the course of the day.
I didn’t have a bowl, though, so I had to improvise with a mug.
It was really good soup, too! Very creamy and made with all organic ingredients, so you can’t really go wrong. I made about 2.5 mugs with the entire box throughout the course of an hour. It was awesome to be able to have a little at a time, so I could really space it out and stay full for hours!
AFTERNOON SNACK
I didn’t want to stay full too long because I wanted to save some room to test out one of my LARABAR samples for all of you! Today’s choice was Key Lime Pie.
Here’s what the company site says about this flavor:
“Cool, creamy and tangy. Every bite overflows with tropical flavors, just like a slice of real key lime pie. The limes themselves are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and high in dietary fiber, Vitamin C, calcium, iron and copper. The antioxidants in every bar may also protect against infection, cancer and heart disease. Who knew a treasure of the Keys could be so good for you?”
Official review from a skeptic: I actually liked this flavor! Honestly, this is coming from someone who has been very disappointed by these bars in the past (I think it was the apple pie flavor that just didn’t do it for me). Perhaps it’s because I really like foods that have a tangy lime kick to them. All I know is, I’ve finally found at least one LARABAR that I enjoy eating, and I hope the rest of the flavors are just as good! My only complaint is that the bars are so small – you don’t get much volume out of them.
DINNER
Because of Sunday night’s bike race festivities, omelette night was moved to Monday! My version called for 3/4 cup egg whites, spinach, mushrooms and a Laughing Cow cheese wedge. I also had a sliced raw red pepper drizzled in Annie’s Woodstock dressing and some whipped cottage cheese on the side.
It was my first time experiment with Laughing Cow. I really liked the way it melted because it permeated the entire omelette and every bite tasted extra cheesy. It seemed indulgent – but it wasn’t!
After dinner, I had a taste of smoothie. But I’m saving that for the next edition of Bender’s Blenders🙂
Seeing that box of Puffins reminded me of something. Back in the late 90s I used to eat a Kashi cereal named something like “chocolate pillows.” they were made of chocolate with a dark chocolate filling inside. They were delicious.
Long story short, I went broke so I couldn’t afford them anymore. When I went looking for them 3 years ago I couldn’t find them anywhere. My wife doesn’t even believe they exist. HA! Did you ever hear of them?
I love Puffins! I agree with you, I don’t think I’ve ever had a nasty breakfast cereal experience, except with really sugary (read:nasty) cereals like Lucky Charms. I don’t like ’em too sweet.
sorry about the not so great weather, it’s definitely moving out this way, I woke up to pouring rain this morning : (
I’m going to have to give that Key Lime Pie Larabar a shot, I’ve been on a lime kick recently and love all things lime so I’m sure it will be a winner.
I’m SO GLAD you like the laughing cow cheese! They’re definitely one of my favorite products!
Your post reminded me about several things I’ve forgotten:
1) Puffins – I used to eat these ALL the time about a year or two ago. I need to pick myself up a box!
2) Omelettes – Why haven’t I cooked one in so long? Yours looks so good – especially the cheese part 🙂
3) My umbrella. And it’s getting cloudy. It is 10:00 a.m., and I have 6 hours before I go home, so hopefully this will pass 🙂
I am SUCH a cereal lover, too! I’ve only had the cinnamon Puffins, which add a cinnamon flavor to your milk :0) Ah, yay for sweet potatoes~I could eat them eeeveryday and never get tired of them! Thanks for the great review of the soup! I see those all of the time at Whole Foods…perfect to take for fall/winter lunches at school!
I love Laughing Cow cheese. Prepare to be addicted. 😉
Also, how do you make your sweet potatoes? Do you bake them and get them crispy? That’s my favorite way to do it, but I don’t always have the time, so usually it’s a microwaved one w/a little smart balance butter and brown sugar. It’s seriously like dessert.
Bad weather here as well :0(
White chocolate chips?? For breakfast?? **bows downs** Haha, delish :0)
SWEET POTATOES!!! Oh yum.
Glad you liked the key lime flavor of the Larabar!
Please don’t take this as an attack or anything, but I was just curious – your dinners always seem pretty small, calorie-wise. Is there any particular reason for this?
totaltransformation ~ I haven’t heard of those, but they sound incredible! Dark chocolate filling in a cereal? I’m sold.
Katie ~ I used to live for sugar cereals. When I lived in the dorms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Lucky Charms were my mainstays. Now, I get sick when I eat them.
Sarah ~ Blech – rain stinks. And yes, I LOVE Laughing Cow – I used it again for breakfast!
Rose ~ I’m glad that I could remind you of so many delicious and practical things!
Allison ~ I like the cinnamon variety, too! Stay tuned for another soup review today 😉
Fit Bottomed Girl ~ I think I already am addicted! And I definitely use the microwave to make the sweet potato, haha. About 3:30 and it’s nice and soft, but I definitely want to bake it in the oven sometime. I bet it would taste even better!
VeggieGirl ~ Chocolate for breakfast (white or dark) is always A-OK with me! 🙂
Jess ~ No problem. My dinners certainly do vary calorie-wise. When I go out to eat, they can range from 500 to well over 1,000 calories easily. When I’m at home, I usually try to keep them small, and there are a couple of reasons for this. First, it depends on how I’m feeling – I have some stomach issues that often leave me in severe pain and therefore less hungry at night (I’m planning on addressing this issue in an upcoming post). Second, it depends on whether or not I’m having dessert – you’ll see from the end of my post that last night I made a smoothie. I didn’t post it because I’m saving it for the next edition of Bender’s Blenders. But it was probably around 200 calories, so that more than makes up for the lack of calories in my dinner. I also sometimes will have a snack that I don’t post (because I’m already in the middle of writing the day’s recap). If you would like me to post those snacks in the future, please let me know and I won’t hesitate to do so. Lastly, it depends on what I’ve had to eat up until that point. If I’ve had big a breakfast, lunch, and snacks, I find I’m not as hungry for a large dinner.
As for yesterday, there were two combinations at work – 1) my stomach was in pain and 2) I was planning on making a smoothie for dessert.
Regardless, I quickly looked over what I ate and did some quick math and I still ate roughly 360 calories worth of food. I think this is still a decent-sized meal considering everything I just mentioned. I hope this helps!
We have those Puffins in our house and the dinner looks tasty!
I love omelettes, but have never tried my hand at making one. When I do, I’ll definitely have to use some Laughing Cow cheese (never tried that before either). Your omelette looks yummy, by the way 🙂
I LOVE laughing cow and have never tried it in an omelet. Totally stealing that idea! It sounds awesome!
Just wanted to add that I love the plate you used to serve your omelette, and the placemat is pretty too!
I’ve been meaning to try Barbara’s Puffin products! They were once on sale for only $2.99 a box at Superstore, but I didn’t think to buy it! -sigh- I’m anxiously waiting for their sale again, because I am such a frugal shopper. =D
And the simplicity of the mug is so cute! it matches with the lovely soup! hahah
What a great day of healthy food! And thank yo so much for the Larabar review. I have felt eh about them, but am looking for a flavor I really love. I will try the lime next!
thank you for the larabar review! i like key lime (pie and cheesecake heh) and i’ll need to give that one a try!
and if those puffins remind you of kettle corn, then i’m definitely going to pick some up– i loooove kettle corn.
the soup also looks delish, but i can’t imagine eating soup in the south georgia heat :/
hope you have a great day!
the white chocolate chips in the Puffins sounds like heaven. I LOVE white chocolate.
don’t you hate it when places (like *movie theaters*! omg) completely over-air-condition their places in the summer?! It’s like okay… one extreme to the other! 😛
Can’t wait for the next ‘Bender’s Blenders!’
http://www.iameatingtolive.wordpress.com
mmmm cereal… I like your combo 🙂 The cinnamon raisin rice pudding I bought is made by Kozy Shack, and I found it with other refrigerated puddings. It is soooo delicious and had less sugar than sweetened yogurt per serving along with some protein- the perfect treat!
Thanks for answering! Your reasons make perfect sense, of course. And I’m sorry about the stomach issues – I am cursed with a very sensitive stomach, so I know that such things are not fun.
I’m giving you an award, Jenn! Check out my blog for details.
Just wanted to let you know – I check your blog almost every time I get on the computer. It has become one of my favorites. I can’t wait to see what kind of tasty things you’re going to post about next!
Mark ~ Puffins rock 🙂
Erin ~ Try it, try it! You won’t be disappointed!
Foodie ~ Omelettes + Laughing Cow cheese = one delectable combination! And thanks for the compliment on the plates and bowls 🙂
Sharon ~ I got mine on sale! I’m a frugal shopper as well – “hm, how can I spend the least amount of money on the best food?” is a common question 🙂
Anna ~ Give the lime a try – I really wasn’t expecting it to be good, and it was!
Fitnessista ~ I can’t imagine eating soup in the heat either. But my office is just oh so cold!
Chandra ~ I know! And in the winter you pack on the layers to go outside and then come inside and start boiling, haha. I’m just never at the right temp 🙂
linds ~ Thanks so much! I will definitely check that out next time I’m at the store!
Jess ~ Absolutely! I’m glad my answer made sense. I’m sorry about your stomach issues, too. They REALLY are no fun. I’m hoping to get tests done soon, actually – more on that later.
Katie ~ You are TOO sweet! I check your blog all the time, too! Thank you so much for the award 🙂
HEY HEY HEY GIRL!!!!!!
lol
Your tom soup looks pretty darn snazzy! I totally love constant eating. Aka mini meals. So that soup looks like a good good deal.
Totally know what you mean about Larabars though… I’d rather have a huge plate of fruit and some carrots and PB…for equal calories. But, some time this week I’ll probably eat my words, as I recently bought two on sale to have for skating. Ha.
As for the Chobani!!!, and you being nervous…hmmm…try a little bit of honey maybe? or some choco chips (which Tina from carrots and cake used to do), or some fresh strawberries/berries?! Or any other kind of fruit? OR sweet cereal? The texture is AMAZING though!! Can’t wait to see how you like it!
hope your tuesday is going amazing!!
i might have to stop reading your blog because it always makes me want hot chocolate.
i suppose i could go buy some instead. i think ill do that one.
http://www.groundedfitness.com
I’m a fan of the original Puffins myself, but the PB ones are a close second. Have you ever tried the other flavors of Puffins?
I notice that you use white chocolate chips a lot…what brand do you use? All the ones I see at the store have trans fats!
Em ~ Thanks for the Chobani tips! I can’t wait to try them out 🙂
Kelly T ~ I suggest doing the latter – but I might be biased in some ways 😉
Caroline ~ I’ve tried the Cinnamon flavor and liked that one too. As for the white chocolate chips, I use the President’s Choice brand – no trans fats! Here is their site: http://www.presidentschoice.ca/Default.aspx