Foods to beat the heat.

This week I have found it insanely difficult to get in the blogging mood.  I've written countless (okay, maybe not countless as I can count on one hand just how many times) entries, and just haven't posted them because they just... weren't doing anything for me.  Now, as I'm sitting here on my Sunday evening, thinking, staring into space, and listening to The Used, bringing me back to my early high school days, I felt a twinge to write, and so here I am.

This past week it was crazy hot, record high actually, and regardless of the hot weather, I wasn't one of the people who were "oh em gee, I am going to dieeeee, it's Canada, why is it soooooo hot?!"  Come on people, us Canadians (Ontarian's at least) dream of warmer more tropical days, and here we finally get it and no one is happy.  What I find funny is the fact that a ton of people in the middle of the winter go to tropical/warmer places where humidity is nuts, but it hits Canada and... well the world is coming to an end... complaints galore, eeeeek... picture it as a free mini-vacation, and be thankful it's only for one or two days and not EVERY day!

Even with this heat wave (even though today, in my opinion the weather was absolutely perfect) I've still been finding time to do some cooking, and well, no-bake baking ;)  Even last year with our crazy temperatures I was in the kitchen every single day, with the oven being on, as I've never been one of those people to find it difficult to cook in hot temperatures, to me, it's relaxing as no one wants to follow you in the kitchen and see what you're whipping up, haha!

The past few days I've been feeling really uninspired when it comes to foods in the kitchen, perhaps it's the fact that we have barely food in the house and my mom doesn't want to go out and do groceries, or I'm just getting really down with food, not in a bad way, I just don't feel like making complicated dishes, putting them on plates, taking pictures then having to write up about it.  When I took my two week blogging break it felt so awesome to just take my food from the pan, plate it, and eat it, not thinking of if it's going to make TasteSpotting or FoodGawker, and not worrying about what I'm going to write about it (as much as I love doing these things, sometimes I just lose motivation).  Speaking of losing motivation... my work outs.  I've taken two rest days this week, one being today as I got my tattoo touched up and was advised not to sweat (and I didn't feel like working out beforehand) so my second rest day... but blehhhhh I need help getting motivated again!

Yesterday morning it was absolutely beautiful out, it was incredibly warm, but it was perfect.  I had started the day off being lazy, unfortunately how the past few weekends have been, then I finally got off the couch and started my day.  I started by making a delicious

Chocolate Raspberry Banana Smothie

1 whole frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
2 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp cocoa nibs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup rice milk
1/2 cup water

 

As good as this smoothie was, I always get reminded why I'm not a huge fan of raspberry smoothies when I drink them; the seeds.  As much as I love seedy raspberry jam, having seeds in your smoothie just... doesn't do it for me.  I haven't made a smoothie however, that was this smooth in a long time, usually I have to really slurp my smoothies back, this one was velvety smooth and went down like water, I really enjoyed it as it was so different than what I was used to.  I love the fact that even with cocoa powder the smoothie still remained a beautiful pink colour from the raspberries.  When I make this smoothie again, because honestly raspberries and banana go incredibly well together, I'm going to try without the cocoa powder but keep the cacao nibs, just because... I could really taste the cocoa powder even with the amount being so minor.

I then continued by cutting our two mini-cantaloupes that we'd bought at the farmers market the week before... and yes for once, I had cantaloupes that I didn't cut into the day I bought them, because we'd stocked up on a million other fruits that I completely forgot about the cantaloupes, oh the shame in that I know.

This week I'd found a delicious overnight oats recipe that included cantaloupe, and since I'd never tried oats with cantaloupe I'd figure I'd give this recipe as try.  Well, at first I was going to have this for lunch (I was actually going to attempt all breakfast foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), but then I ended up going out with my friend and had ice cream (dessert) followed by sushi (dinner), yes I really am one of those people who enjoy having dessert before a meal, it just makes it so, ah, I love it.  One thing I came to the realization of is... that, well it'd been a good four + months since I'd had sushi, and in all honesty, veg sushi sucks.  I mean, yes, there's good tempura yam rolls etc, etc... but my favourite rolls have always been those with smoked salmon, or tuna, and... last night was definitely one of those days I wish I'd give into my cravings, but... I couldn't, and when it comes down to it, nor would I really want to, it's just, veg sushi is not the same, but it was still incredibly delicious especially the daikon rolls <3... daikon has got to be one of my favourite vegetables, when pickled, nom-tastic.

Sorry, where I was going with this, my oats that I had let sit for their minimum two hours, I ended up waiting until today to eat them since I was completely stuffed from the ice cream, sushi and Nibs that I'd devoured.  This oatmeal was one of the best I think I've ever had.  Even with the addition of blueberries (where blueberries being one of my least favourite fruits), the pairing of cantaloupe and blueberries is definitely unique and wonderful.  I just loved this oatmeal, and what I loved even more was that it was in a cantaloupe bowl!  Once my oatmeal was done, I scraped at the sides of the "bowl" that I couldn't get at the knife without completely butchering the cantaloupe halve.  I loved, loved, loved it, and would certainly make it again!  Yummmmy.

Blueberry Vegan Overnight Oats in a Cantaloupe Bowl

Recipe thoroughly adapted from here

Ingredients:

1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup rice milk
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp chia seed
1 tbsp bulgur (this gave it a delicious crunch)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (look at the milk turn purpley-blue, beautiful!)
1/2 whole cantaloupe
Hazelnut agave nectar 

Instructions

Mix oats, rice milk, water, chia seed, bulbur, and blueberries in a bowl, place in refrigerator overnight (for at least 2 hours).

Scoop out the cantaloupe seeds, discard, then scoop out most of the cantaloupe flesh.  Dice 1/2 cup of cantaloupe flesh and add to oats

Place oats mixture in cantaloupe shell, top with hazelnut agave nectar.

Dig in.

I've also been snacking on these delicious, raw, no-bake plum-date oat bars that I will be posting this week along with my first batch of "meat" balls!

What are some things that you do to keep 

you motivated to work out?

What do you do if you're in a work out slump?

Help a girl out!