Hola! Sorry for the tarde post, but it is GORGEOUS in NYC today.
65° and sunny—and I don’t feel like I have the swine for the first day in forever! These two more-than-welcome abnormalities have provoked giddy school girl syndrome, which has involved a lot of hyperactivity and a compulsion to spend as much time outside as possible.
I just stopped home for a little blogging, e-mailing, eating and listening to my construction friends sing la cucaracha (I really adore them and their musical taste)—and then I’m heading back out to bask in the sun/run errands. I love days that allow you to combine the two.
Onto Tuesday’s treats…
Cran Bran Vita in a Strawberry Yogurt Hug—a la K.
Look how cran-packed this Vita was!
I attempted breaking the Vita off—spoonful by spoonful—to ensure perfect bite after perfect bite.
But I quickly realized that when you make a yogurt mess, every bite is a perfect bite.
This breakfast was perfect for several reasons. First, I haven’t had flavored yogurt in forever. Don’t get me wrong; Greek is #1 in my dairy-loving corazón. But I almost exclusively (for lack of a less pretentious word) eat plain Greek yogurt—so I think I’ve missed the flavor/texture variation of standard strawberry yogurt. Mmmm.
Next, I haven’t loved Vitas, thus far. When I tried the Corn Muffin Vita, it was too dry. When I tried the Blue Bran, it was better—but not amazing. But—I really liked the Cran Bran! I’m not going to drop the L-bomb yet because I want to become a bit more acclimated in the Vita flavor waters before I start naming favorites. But I loved the abundance of berries! And because I, again, let it thaw at room temperature instead of microwaving, its texture was pretty moist.
I had some cream cheese and jelly toast on le side.
In the spirit of going against the food blogger common consensus, I think that cream cheese & J > PB & J. Lo siento.
Lunch carried on Monday’s tahini kick.
How, you may wonder, did I steam brown rice without access to a kitchen?
I didn’t. He did.
I heated up an Uncle Ben’s 90 second brown rice bag, added frozen peas, carrots and corn—and then dressed with Soy Vay and a big dollop of tahini.
The Soy Vay-tahini combo was such a delicious flavor blend—and it perfectly coated each and every of Uncle B’s grains. This took approximately 5 minutes to prepare and kept me full for so long. I also feel like it would taste great cold (or re-heated), so—if I ever find myself employed—this would definitely be a go-to Tupperware lunch.
In the interim, it’ll be a go-to microwave-friendly meal.
Later—though I was still really full from the rice—I used my last Nutridel cookie for a snack. I wanted to eat something because I was taking a dinner-time yoga class, and I try to avoid the awkward public hungry tummy grumbles (mouthful!) at all costs.
I had my last flaxseed—mi favorito.
Since this was my last Nutridel experience (unless they open a NYC location), I channeled a little cookie consumption creativity and decided to create a Nutridel-fro-yo sandwich!
I spread a thick layer of vanilla yogurt between the two cookie halves—and then threw it in the freezer for about an hour.
While giving my best Matilda stare to the freezer—in an attempt to speed up the process—I had the remainder of the vanilla yogurt with some Fiber One.
Fast forward an hour and—while the result wasn’t particularly photogenic—it was ice-cream sandwich brilliance.
All of the cookie’s incredible flaxseedy flavor was out in full-force in its frozen form. No me gusta the fact that I can’t re-create this.
‘Twas perfect yogi fuel. But, unfortunately, last night’s class ‘twas not the perfect yogi experience.
If you recall, I’d never tried yoga until last month. During my one-week yoga challenge, I attended five Bikram classes and absolutely loved them. Before committing to a monthly pass at the Bikram studio (which is muy expensivo), I wanted to try out a few other yoga classes—specifically non-heated forms.
Last night I went to Athletic Yoga—and I was quite underwhelmed. Because of the name, I expected a pretty challenging, athletic class. But the class sort of just felt like an hour of stretching; I think it’d be great for athletes who need quality stretch time. But, because my “athleticism” is currently pretty limited due to a hip injury, I got sort of antsy.
The instructor also wasn’t particularly helpful or engaging. I’m pretty sure I did half the positions incorrectly, and I just sort of felt like a lost puppy in yoga land. I still kind of do because now I’m doubting my initial yogi love. Before Bikram, I’d always assumed I was too fast-paced a person to get into yoga. I’m wondering if that assumption was on-point; maybe I only liked Bikram because it had an element of intensity. I’ll definitely give other non-Bikram practices a try because I love the idea of loving yoga—but I’m also not going to force it.
I had a super quick, super late dinner after class.
Featuring amazing apple-y tuna salad
In the mix: 3 oz. tuna; 2 dollops greek yogurt; 1 laughing cow garlic & herb wedge; 1/3 chopped gala; slivered almonds; lemon pepper seasoning; krazy salt.
Gah, this mix never fails. It went on top a big bed of mixed greens, avocado, red onion, more apple, red bell pepper and green beans; drizzled with my balsamic-honey dressing.
On the side I had half a red bell pepper filled with the best salsa ever.
And more spicy string beans—this time topped with melted mozzarella, garlic powder and sriracha.
And—because my swine started to subside last night—I treated myself to some No Pudge love and a grande spoonful of almond butter. I’ve been going (comparatively) easy on the nut butters because I don’t like how they feel on my throat when I’m sick. So, I figured a dollop of AB was the most self-indulgent effective way to determine if my illness had retreated.
My throat didn’t mind it at all. But perhaps I’ll re-test my almond butter indicator tonight, for accuracy purposes.
Hope you all enjoy Glee your Wednesday nights!
-Sarah
hahahahah, i love the GLEE thrown in there oh so subtly. counting down the hours!!!!
ps. why do my salads always look so boring! this needs to change, pronto!
ahh your eats look(always look) so amazingly yummy. that vita hug omg so cute and looks so good 😉 and those flax cookies must try them! loved your sammie with the froyo so smarty of you.
i feel the same about yoga, i like it! but i dont want to ‘force’ it like you said, i suck at it ahha. i am always so confused and the instructor tries to help me and yeah….
🙂
xo
maya
Cheers for Glee tonight!
I love the yogurt and cran vita!! Looks great!!
Missy your food for the day looks absolutely wonderful! You are making me SERIOUSLY jealous that I have to eat dining hall food EVERYDAY.
Just persevere with the whole yoga thing…that’s the goodness of it. There are so many different types of yoga to suit everyone’s needs; so just keep trying till you find a good fit.
ASHTANGA YOGA!!!!!!
I have had a 10 yr ashtanga practice b/c it works on all levels, body, mind, and soul. You will not sit around and chant, you will work your ass off. Period. While respecting your body and your soul. But it’s a workout. Look for anything that says vinyasa, flow, but try first and foremost for ashtanga and let me know how it goes.
This is your yoga teacher talking to you now 🙂
xoxo
aww yogurt hug <3! glad you're feeling better enough to bring back the almond butter 🙂
Cream Cheese + Jelly is one of my favorite combos, and I just recently tried your sriracha popcorn. You are a master of the food pairing combos. : )
i’m gonna let the cream cheese & J > PBJ comment slide since you did hook me up with some irish oats info 😉
I definitely had a lot of trouble easing my mind and surrendering my thoughts to yoga in the beginning — but it is an acquired mentality that comes with time and practice (yeah, takes practice to clear your mind.. sounds cray cray, but its true) now I look forward to my yoga solely because it avails me time to not have to concern myself with anything. It’s the time where I DON’T have to be so fast-paced and can just chillax on my mat 🙂
Glee!! I will HAVE to make time for that one (online) sometime tomorrow, along with GG!! Have you watched it yet??
And can I just say that the rice looks amazing. Like melt in yo’ mouth delicious!! I looove how flavorful microwavable rice can be! Tj and Kashi packets are bomb.
But seriously Sarah, all of your delicious eats make me want my own kitchen more and more. Oh well, we all know what i’ll be taking advantage of over winter break and summa!! 😉
Yum to that yogurt hug! I had one this morning as well – twas delish 🙂
Uncle Ben! He’s such a great cook – love him!! Holy shmol to that Nutridel sandwich! That’s genius!!
Yay Glee!!
ahhh i always have to watch glee on thursday because i don’t have a tv and it kills me!
ummm need to try apple tuna salad soon, and the pics are gorgy today – super clear!
First of all, VitaTops are pretty good if you pop them in the toaster (and then coat them with Earth Balance or Almond butter…I’m just saying.)
Second, I do yoga at home around once a week. Odd thing is, I have to be “in the mood” to do it. If I force myself, it just becomes unpleasant and feels like work instead of relaxation. When the feeling hits, I go at it and am so glad I did when I’m done (and my brain never shuts off, but I just go with it.)
Cran Bran was one of my favorites, too! A lot more moist than some of the others.
I love Bikram too, but it’s so expensive! My gym (where classes are free) offers 1 or 2 “hot yoga” classes a week, but they’re usually packed almost 30 minutes before and I don’t like all that stress before it.
Yes! Would love to hang in the BK some time. And I need to watch Glee like whoa.
your fro yo cookie creation is inspired, dear. i’m no yogi, but i am constantly amazed at how different all the styles are. during the day i like a hatha blend type, and at night i enjoy yin yoga (long stretching)
your food pics have made me hungry!!
Love that yoga hug! It’s the best! I bet you could probably do a hummus, salsa, honey mustard and ketchup hugs, too, huh? The possibilities are endless 😉 Your pic of Uncle B was hilarious! Brown rice takes forever and a day to cook – I’m gonna have to look for those 90 second Unkkie Ben packets the next time I’m at the gro’ sto’. Did you get a new camera? Your pics are always fab but today’s were outstanding! Maybe it’s due to the fact that the sun was actually out? Today was a gorgey day!
Thanks for the shout out! You are too kind! Please give the non-Bikram classes another chance. I have never had a Bikram class but I hear it is pretty intense. The type of yoga I practice is vinyasa flow/power/hot yoga. I love it! And on days when I feel I can’t concentrate, I try even harder to get to class. Yoga calms my mind, even if that doesn’t happen until the last 5 minutes of class. And sometimes, the slower classes are more challenging for me versus the super hot fast paced classes. When you’re constantly practicing and going at 100 mph, you need those days/classes where you just stretch and breathe. I used to hate the slower paced classes because I felt like if I wasn’t getting a nasty sweat in and my heart wasn’t racing, then I wasn’t getting a good enough workout. But it’s those slower classes that give my mind the more challenging workout. And sometimes, it’s my mind that needs more of the stretching than my body. Keep it up, Sarah! I want you to love yoga, too 🙂
today was SUCH the best weather. i brought some ca sunshine back with me 🙂
love the yogurt hug, and yes indeed that is one cran packed vita. mmmm
sarah. that cream cheese statement is A BOLD ONE my dear. as a non-cc eater, i have no right to judge, but as a nutbutter devotee, im going to raise an eyebrow atleast…
i want to love yoga too…i just am too much of a wuss to do a dang class when i know zilch about all the positions and stuff. i realllly want to be a yogi though (sigh). where are these athletic classes to which you are going?
OK, I’m slightly delirious at this point. I’ve just finished writing a paper about Melies versus Wiene, two directors. From 1902 and 1920, respectively. And I read your post, like, seven hours ago but realized I never commented.
So here I am, leaving you a creep-ass message. Ummm, I’ma have to say that as much as I love a Laughing Cow with jam, it could not replace peanut butter in my book. Nevahhh. You have some cahonas (sp?) to say that though!
I totes feel you on the yoga thing. I’ve been back and forth. Did the Bikram over the summer and loved it, but haven’t done it since (not in NOhio). But now that I see Averie’s comment I think she’s totes right and that could be our solution!
Ho K, it’s 2:40am, gotta get up at 7am…AKA I should stop typing. I’m so sorry for leaving you this whacky comment. I just love you and couldn’t allow this post to go uncommented by moi. XXXoxo
Athletic yoga? Isn’t that kind of defeating the point of yoga? haha! But I know what you mean by loving the idea of loving yoga…I’m the same way! I get a bit impatient, though.
That biscuit/yoghurt quasi ice cream sandwich looked delish! I’ll have to try a version of that sometime. And this use of bell peppers is making me jealous, it’s nt the right season for them for me so they are expensivo… lol
Not an expert on yoga sorry… hope you find a class that you like though,
Jem
Oh my the sight of the vita muffin and yogurt makes me want to cry (maybe not cry but shed a tear) because it looks so delish! Yay for the throat not rejecting nut butter no more, hopefully your healed =)
Those cookies seriously look awesome. And I’ve never tried a vitatop….hmmm must jump on that one.
Okay so I just realized I had missed your previous post! WHAT?! lol I’m checking that as soon as I’m done with business ova here 😉
I love when you can enjoy the weather and get things done. Yesterday was me enjoying the weather and putting off work lol. The tahini rice mixture sounds really good. I have a mini jar of tahini and your mix sounds awesome. Ohh poo that the fro-yo cookie sandwich didn’t work 😦
Hm.. well there are definitely different types of yoga practices for different intensity levels of flow. Like Averie said, Ashtanga is good if you want to feel like you worked.
Feel better querida! The cure for my tummy ailments was Mitri’s mom’s baked ziti. I thought that would be the death of me since it had a lot of cheese and I don’t usually do well with cheeses (TRAGEDY!!!).
http://www.ohonemorething.wordpress.com
Glad you’re feeling better and having lovely weather up there!
I totally agree that cream cheese + jelly is da best. Nut butter is good, but it just can’t compare.
Sorry about the yoga 😦 Have you tried a Vinyasa flow class? They tend to be more fast-paced then normal (Hatha) classes. I’d say they’d be comparable to Bikram, but minus the heat. However, I’ve never done Bikram so I can’t say that conclusively. I hate when teachers aren’t engaged and just let you do poses wrong. I like to be assisted!
I love the yogurt hug
I think I still have a cran bran left, that seems like a flavor that begs for cream cheese
I love Glee! It’s not on next week and I am so sad! That ginormous salad you made looks delicious!
Have you tried taking Ashtanga yoga classes? That’s the kind my mother teaches and the kind I grew up doing. It’s harder than Hatha yoga and will challenge you and build muscle — fast. Maybe a yoga/pilates blend class will work for you, too.
I think your blog is awesome..very inspirational!
I’m trying to get one of my own started — hope you check it out
xoxo
Shelley
Everything looks very yummy 🙂
i love that vita hug! so cute.
I’m not a yogi so I don’t have too much advice for ya 😦 BUT, I DO side with you on cc/jam debate. It is so creamy and delicious. I do love PBJ, but there are other PB combinations that are just as good.
I was a total yoga virgin 3 wee months ago and felt like a little lost puppy at first too, but you know what? We’ve gotta get through that “lost puppy” stage whenever we try something new!
Athletic yoga DOES make it seem challenging though, so sorry it disappointed! I do “power” yoga and I love it!
You take GORGY pictures, btw!
XOXO