Stop having a boring life.
How true to do those words ring in your ear? Since I started blogging over a year ago, it has been very uncommon for me to make the same meal twice. Sure I make some things and keep leftovers for easy lunches for days like yesterday where my mom and I ended up being at the office for 14 1/2 hours. And yes, you heard me correctly. Needless to say when I went home I was not in a mood to cook. However, seeing as I need to maintain my health, and do not want to give into the temptation of bad food habits I made a lunch regardless of how tired I was. It may not be the best of lunches, but I know that today Mandarin is for lunch, and seeing as on the weekend I actually gave in and went to Mandarin I don't think it's the wisest to have the grease filled food enter my stomach within such a small amount of days spacing between.
Everyday I wake up and look forward to the breakfast I am going to make. Breakfast is by far my favourite meal now a days. I love that I haven't even made the same smoothie twice, I may be in absolute love with certain smoothies, i.e. Banana Chai Smoothie, you see I'm still talking about it, and it has been how long since I tasted it! However, I make a new breakfast everyday because I believe the reason food was created in such varieties is so that we don't have a boring life. Moderation, variety and balance are three keywords I took out of my University nutrition class and how true are those words. I believe people get bored with food because they eat the same thing everyday, in the summer I definitely fell into that category. I mean, I had become nuts and was simply eating my "no fat, aspartame added" yoghurt a whopping 1/2 cup with a total of 60 calories + 3/4 cup Bran Buds totaling a whopping 120 calories. 180 calories for breakfast. Honestly what in the world was going through my mind. My one cup of soy milk that I put in either my smoothies or my oatmeal contains 110 calories itself! Goodness me. I'm not sure where this little rant is coming from, but VARIETY. Variety is the key to life, it makes your meals more fun, colourful and it allows for you to not get so bored with your food.
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So yesterday was an insanely long day, what did I end up doing? Eating. Eating. and more Eating. I couldn't stop I was just so bored, and the day just kept going. On top of everything I told you guys about in my post I ended up going to the kitchen upstairs and seeing what they had. Well, I found pineapple, cantaloupe and red grapes, needless to say I was content. Then, my eyes quickly targeted a BOX full of Larabars! I was in heaven, vegan granola bars, woohoo! I quickly snatched up a few to put in my desk for later, well I ended up eating the Apple Pie one, it couldn't just stare at me and think I wouldn't eat it, as if. Speaking of Larabars, I found a recipe a while ago, which I immediately hit the kitchen when I found it for Larabar knock-offs. They were delicious, I never posted it because I didn't have the "right" post for it, well now I do :)! These Larabars had pretty much identical ingredients, except for the fact that I made mine a little thinner and the lighting is absolutely horrible so you can't really see them. They were soooo good though! Zest of lemon, juice of lemon, ginger, dates and almonds? How could you seriously go wrong with ingredients like that? You simply cannot. They were so simple to make, all ingredients you can read (just like real Larabars) and tasted fantastic! The variation of these bars is certainly unimaginable if you keep the nut/fruit ratio intact, I can't wait to try some different versions!
Ginger Lemon Larabar Knockoffs
Recipe taken from here
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 2/3 cup lightly packed ground medjool dates ~10-14, depending on size and dryness
- 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
- 2 tsp lemon zest - the bright yellow part only
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Grind almonds with a food processor, until mealy, and measure out 1 cup. Roughly a little over 1c whole almonds will yield 1 cup ground. Empty into a bowl. Process dates until very small sticky pieces are left. Combine nuts with dates, add ginger and lemon zest. Pulse until well combined. ~10-15 pulses . Add lemon juice and pulse again, until combined.
If the mixture can hold together if you try to form a ball, it’s done. If not pulse a few more time and test again. If it’s still not working, you probably need a few more dates. Start with 2-3. Empty the contents of the food processor and processed 2-3 dates. Add combined mixture back in and pulse. Test again to see if it holds together. Form into a large ball and place on a large sheet of saran wrap. Cover the top of the ball with the saran and start to press out, shaping with your hands. Flatten and shape into desired shape. Cut, wrap in saran, and store in the fridge.
Yields ~ 10 bars.
That wasn't the only thing I grabbed though. The day before, they ordered Greek food for lunch and there was leftovers. I may not of taken some the day they ordered, but I definitely took the leftovers, oh it probably wasn't the wisest of choices since it was greasy rice and potatoes that I slathered with Tzatziki, but it was soooooo good. Oh my goodness, it was amazing, and it had been forever since I'd had Greek so I gave in! It is apparently one of the best Greek places in Toronto, I can definitely see that, I can't remember the name but it certainly was fantastic. So, all of that food on top of some other stuff I had in my lunch, I was a huge glutton, it was bad, but that's what happens when you're bored. Fortunately though, after making my lunch I don't know how, but I had some energy left, and I did another work out. Yes two in one day, that seems kind of crazy, but seeing as they're only approximately twenty-two minutes in length I don't feel like one of those crazy gym freaks.
With that being said, it's been almost two months since New Years. How are your resolutions going? Have you kept your word, or have you fallen off the wagon a bit? I hope that everyone has been able to keep with their resolutions as I think it is important since most people choose ones regarding health. I have been incredibly diligent at keeping mine, it probably helps that Jillian Michaels enforces the idea of health, and says how she hopes we our gurgling our hearts... just makes you want to work out right? No, it doesn't but I love the work out, it's so fun. I have done it everyday since January 8, excluding last Tuesday and Wednesday since I wasn't feeling well. However when I first started there was one day I did two parts in one day and did so last night, so can we say that I'm even? I know I don't have to work out everyday, but seeing as it is for just a short time I figure it's not hurting anyone, and really I do love the way I feel after doing so.
I brought my gym gear to work today and figured I would do it when I arrived to work since no one would be here except my mom, the other accountant and I, but I am far too tired. I will either do so on my lunch break or when we get home, if it's not crazy like yesterday. For breakfast though, I had this amazing smoothie. It was delicious, delicious, deliiiiiccccious. I've been in-love with dates ever since biting into my first one sometime last year, and now I am hooked. When I found a smoothie that incorporated dates it was destiny that I make it. I loveddd the smoothie, I saved it for when I arrived at work. The only downfall though, the dates sink to the bottom. I decided to shake up my glass, and I shook a little too hard and ended up getting some on my WHITE jeans, why did I wear white? I then get out of the car, wipe my leg ON the wet, snowy, muddy car, hits my jeans, great start to a day... le sigh. Oh well, I went to my office and happily sipped at my smoothie. It was so wonderful, and the fiber from the dates definitely left me full for a few hours afterward, I certainly recommend making this smoothie!
Date Smoothie
Recipe taken from here
Ingredients:- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 1/2 cup (packed) pitted Medjool dates
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cups ice cubes
Combine the yoghurt, milk, dates and vanilla together, then add the ice and blend it some more.
For lunch I had my delicious Homemade Wheat Thins, I ended up freezing half the batch and they definitely freeze/unthaw like a charm. I had made this gorgeous Tuna Salad with Lemon and Olives that I had been eying for quite some time but just never got around to doing it. This was a delicious lunch, it was light, refreshing, packed with flavours, savory, and filling. I thought this was beautiful and it was so simple to put together and the results ended with a big bang. Certainly would make this again, heck this would be even nice to serve as an appetizer or such at a party or dinner, especially tossed in with some Homemade Wheat Thins. I loved this, and had some leftovers for the next day that I gladly snacked on!
Tuna Salad with Lemon and Olives
Recipe taken from here
Ingredients:- 2 cans tuna, drained
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil - optional
- Sea salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
Add the tuna to a mixing bowl & using a fork, break it up into small pieces. Add the olives, lemon zest, lemon juice and cilantro. Stir to combine. Pour in the olive oil, along with a sprinkle of salt & pepper to taste. Toss well & serve.
I then snacked on tons of veggies, another delicious Pumpkin Pie Banana Chunk Oatmeal Cookies, followed by a ton of rice and some Bruschetta. It was a good day but another long fourteen hour day, ughhh. Needless to say I was incredibly glad to go to bed when I got home!
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