Using www.random.org, the winner is…

VeggieGirl!!!

Congratulations Ms. VeggieGirl!  Please email me when you get the chance so I can send you your prize!

I will be back later with a wonderful recipe for chicken tamale casserole!

Until then…

Look who else loves Food Should Taste Good products:

That would be Izzy…he has been sleeping in the box the chips came in all afternoon!

Today was one of those days where nothing seemed to go right in terms of work.  I try not to let work issues get to me too much, but considering it’s something that consumes most of my day, sometimes it’s hard.  I feel like all the creativity has been sucked out of me!  I think I need some sleep.

Lately oatmeal has been my go-to breakfast, and today was no different.  It was freezing when I got up – I think it was somewhere around 45* – so a hot, steaming bowl of oats sounded perfect.

1/2 cup oats, a tablespoon of raisins and a little less than a tablespoon of peanut butter.  I need some new oatmeal toppers…any ideas?

I ate breakfast around 8:00AM, and of course by 10:00 I was starving.  When am I not starving these days?  Pretty much never!  Luckily, I was prepared with some snacks.  I busted out my orange around 10:30.

I love oranges.  This one was so, so good.  Are oranges in season right now?  I don’t even know…

A little later I had snack #2:  cottage cheese salad!  This is another family recipe (if you can even call it a recipe…).  Basically, all you do is take cottage cheese, chop up a carrot, celery and green pepper and stir everything together.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and top with a sprinkling of paprika!  I used Hungarian paprika that was sweet and smoky. 

Well, you can’t really see anything other than the cottage cheese and the paprika…I promise there are plenty of veggies in there! 

I thought I would be home for lunch today, but the rain started pouring and the traffic started to pile up and all the sudden it was 1:30PM and I was starving!  I couldn’t wait anymore.  I dug deep into my purse and luckily found a very smashed cherry pie larabar.  I forgot to take a picture until the last few bites…

I took a picture of the wrapper when I got home .  Did anyone see Bob promote larabars on the biggest loser last night???  I got abnormally excited when he started talking about them.  Also, did you know, once upon a time I almost met Lara?  Well, that’s kind of an extreme exaggeration…but I did meet one of Lara’s friends, so that’s close enough, right?  I love, love, love larabars.  Peanut butter is still my favorite flavor…but cherry pie is a close second (and the coconut one, and the lemon one, and the apple pie one…).  Mmm.

So by the time I made it home, I felt like I had eaten lunch…which I guess I kind of had.  This afternoon I felt a little snacky and had the last three pieces of my chili tofu from whole foods.  This is by far the BEST tofu in the world.  I am obsessed with it.  I bought a container of it on Sunday and my husband and I have already powered through it (well, mostly me actually).

That sauce is a combination of oil, sugar and spices.  Not very good for you, but a little goes a long way.  These three little bites were perfection, and enough to hold me ‘til dinner!

My husband and I have been traveling a lot and as a result, I feel like I’ve been lacking in the veggies department.  That’s kind of the story of my life though (my mom, on the other hand, pretty much overloads on vegetables on a daily basis…I’m always jealous!).  Anyway, I told my husband I’d be eating salads for dinner all week, so being the sweet guy that he is, he cooked up some grilled chicken before he left so I could have some to put in my salads. 

I just started throwing random things in a bowl tonight…a ton of romaine lettuce, onions, carrots, cucumber, green pepper, avocado (lots of green!), feta cheese, a few dried cranberries and an ounce or two of chopped, grilled chicken breast.  I loved that my entire meal fit in one bowl…yay for minimal cleanup!

I seriously feel like I just wrote a novel…that wore me out!  Where oh where is all my energy?!  I am seriously going upstairs now to take a shower and get into bed….did I mention it’s only 8:00PM?

See you tomorrow when I’m feeling extra rejuvenated

Am I right?

So much of the time, people embark on a weight loss journey and fail for one simple reason:  the food just doesn’t taste good to them.  Sure, anyone can stick to celery stalks and plain, grilled chicken for a period of time…but over the course of our lives, the repetition, the blandness and the boringness of many so-called “health foods” gets to be too much.  Our palettes become underwhelmed and yearn for a taste of something better, and our minds start wanting everything we’ve previously told ourselves we can’t have.  Enter the world of yo-yo dieting; not fun, not good for you, and completely discouraging.

I love being in school to be a registered dietitian – and I know I’m going to love actually being a registered dietitian – because it gives me so much joy to open up the eyes of people around me and let them know that if they’re willing to try a few new things, chances are they can squelch any “bad” craving in a healthy way.  Sure, I’m all for indulgences…but there is a time and a place for them and unfortunately, they just don’t fit into an everyday healthy life.

One thing I have been craving nonstop throughout this pregnancy are chips…doritos to be specific.  Prior to being pregnant, I can’t even tell you the last time I ate doritos (where the hell do these cravings come from anyways?!)…but since I’ve been carrying a little baby with me, well, let’s just say I’ve indulged a few too many times.  I’m usually mad at myself after I eat them, because, let’s face it:  they’re crap!  Now more than ever, it is important for me to fill my body with wholesome and nutritious food.  Thankfully (seriously, THANKFULLY) the chip Gods heard my prayers and a wonderful assortment of Food Should Taste Good chips arrived on my doorstep yesterday.

In case you aren’t familiar with these chips, here is a little blurb about them:

Our tortilla chips are made from the highest quality, all-natural ingredients baked into the chips.  All chip varieties are gluten free, cholesterol and trans fat free, and do not use genetically modified ingredients (GMOs).  They are also certified Kosher, lower in sodium, and are a good source of dietary fiber.  The chips are available in eleven varieties: Multigrain, Sweet Potato, Olive, Jalapeno, The Works!, Buffalo, Chocolate, Potato & Chive, Cinnamon, Lime and Yellow Corn.  We also offer a $1 off coupon on our site to anyone that joins up for our fan club (www.foodshouldtastegood.com). 

Though I don’t have a picture (you’ll see one in my next post), I ripped into the bag of potato and chive chips…they are AWESOME!  They taste exactly like a real chip, except they have more of an intense grain flavor.  Sure, carrot sticks and apples are most certainly ideal choices for snacks…but sometimes, they just don’t cut it.  These chips are a wonderful option to have around the house when you want something fun to snack on; for me, they totally kicked my everlasting chip craving…YES!

If you would like to win a bag of Food Should Taste Good chips…

1.)  Check out the website (www.foodshouldtastegood.com), see what flavors they offer, and leave a comment on this post telling me which one you would most like to try.

2.)  For a second entry, if you have a blog, link back to this post.  Leave me a second comment telling me you’ve done so.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE A BLOG TO ENTER!!!  This contest is open to all.

All entries must be in by Saturday night; I’ll announce the winner first thing Sunday morning (which will be Sunday afternoon to all you east coasters).

I’m quickly figuring out that eating good food is my specialty…NOT photography.  I am so jealous of all you bloggers who take beautiful food pictures; how do you do it?  Moreover, how do you know HOW to do it?  I’ve never taken a photography class in my life, and despite my persistence to get a perfect shot, all my pictures from yesterdays food fall short.  Oh well.  The deliciousness makes up for it.

Breakfast was simple yet fun:

1/2 cup oats with 3/4 of a sliced banana and about a tablespoon of freshly ground peanut butter.

I think I could eat this everyday…seriously…

Pregnancy has been a little hard on me in terms of cravings; while I’ve dealt with cravings my entire life (as most, if not all people have), pregnancy seems to amplify them times one million.  It’s cool when I get a craving for something healthy, but when it’s for oreos, it kind of stresses me out.  Luckily, yesterday I became fixated on Cafe Yumm; although this meal probably dishes up more calories than I consume in an average lunch, the food is all wholesome and organic, so I feel good about eating it.

Enter the Hot ‘N’ Jazzy Yumm Bowl – pretty much one of the most (if not the most) amazing lunches on the planet.  This bowl contained a serving of brown rice, kidney beans, black beans, avocados, tomatoes, jalapeno salsa (that would be the green dollop in the middle), Greek yogurt (and that’s the white dollop!) and the fantastic Cafe Yumm sauce (which is a mixture of nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice and spices).  The bowl was big but I downed it like a champ.  Remember when I used to hate tomatoes?  I still don’t like them.  But I do crave them, so I eat them.  As I always say, I realize this doesn’t make sense…but somehow to me it does

And dinner is where the REAL ugliness begins.  Yes, I realize my first few pictures aren’t winning any awards, but my dinner pictures were just downright horrible.  A few things before you read on:  do NOT be fooled by the pictures…the soup is absolutely delicious and healthy.  It also looks a lot like the chili from my last post; just so we’re all on the same page, I wanted to let you know they’re actually two totally different meals, they just contain many of the same components and somehow photographed similarly.  The two meals taste totally different though…so you should definitely make both of these!

This is Sue’s soup.  Who is Sue, you ask?  Well, no one really knows.  This was a soup my mom made growing up…and she always called it Sue’s soup, but to my knowledge, she is unaware as to who Sue is (and if this is wrong mom, correct me!  Reveal the real Sue!).  Over the years, my sister has become the real master of this soup; while it isn’t anything too difficult, hers always turns out WAY better than mine.  But, now that it’s cold and rainy on a daily basis ( ) here in Oregon, I decided Jake and I needed to pay good ‘ol Sue a visit. 

Sue’s Soup (recipe taken from my mother…who got it from a friend…and the trail goes cold there.  If you’ve seen this recipe before let me know where it’s from so I can give credit where credit is due).

Ingredients:

-1 Whole Onion, Chopped

-5 Garlic Buds

-1 Cup Celery, Chopped

-1 Cup Carrots, Chopped

-1 Small/Medium Zucchini, Sliced

-1/2 Jug Spicy V8 Juice (by jug I mean just the normal sized container you buy in the store)

-Salt and Pepper, to taste

-1 Tablespoon Oregano

-1 Tablespoon Basil

-1 Tablespoon Rosemary

-1/2 – 1 Pound Extra Lean Ground Beef (or extra lean ground turkey)

-3 Ears Corn (cut kernels off)

-1 Large Box Chicken Stock

-Large Handful of Green Beans (the recipe actually calls for 6 green beans…but who puts 6 green beans in a huge container of soup?  I find that strange.  Needless to say, I changed it to a large handful).

-1 Can Tomatoes

-A few handfuls of 100% whole wheat pasta (elbow macaroni, rotini, etc.)

Directions:

1.)  Brown ground beef (or ground turkey) and onions.  Drain any fat.

2.)  Add browned meat and onions to a large soup pot.  Add the rest of the ingredients; bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until heated through.

And there you have it…it’s that easy!  Again, do NOT be disillusioned by the picture…the soup is seriously delicious.  Try it.  I dare you.  And if you get a better picture of it than I did, send it my way so I can post it for all to see!

I’m off to work for the rest of the day.  I’ll be back tonight with a fun product review, so be sure and check back.  There may be a giveaway involved…I just can’t decide if I want to eat them all myself…

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Lunch today was weird…so weird, in fact, that I didn’t bother to take a picture.  I was home alone all day and I just kind of grazed on fruit, vegetables, cheese and crackers throughout the afternoon.  I really hate it when I graze instead of eat a full meal…but somehow that didn’t stop me from doing it today…

Dinner was a big hit!  When I met Jake, he told me he hated chili.  (Actually, he told me he hated a lot of things which he has since learned to love).  Why he supposedly hated chili was beyond me – he loves meat and vegetables, and isn’t that the base of any good chili (assuming you are a little carni like me) recipe?  I had a strong feeling if I made the chili and put it in front of him he’d like it…and I was right!

I’ve made quite a few chili recipes in my life, and this one ranks towards the top.  It’s easy, healthy and could definitely be tweaked and changed depending on your style.

Slow Turkey Chili (adapted from www.southernliving.com)

Ingredients:

-1.25 pounds extra lean ground turkey

-1 large onion, chopped

-1 garlic clove, minced

-1.5 cups frozen corn kernels

-1 red bell pepper, chopped

-1 green bell pepper, chopped

-1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes

-1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

-1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce

-1 (1.25 oz.) package chili seasoning mix

-1.5 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.  Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.

2.  Spoon mixture into a 5 1/2-qt. slow cooker; stir in corn and next 7 ingredients until well blended.

3.  Cook at HIGH 4 to 5 hours or at LOW 6 to 8 hours. Serve with desired toppings.

We had ours with some nonfat Greek yogurt on top; cheese would’ve been good too, but unfortunately we were out (thanks a lot, love affair).

We also had a vegetable salad and cornbread on the side:

  (Random craving of the day:  avocados + salt)

I love cornbread…I know it isn’t good for you, but really, is there anything that pairs better with chili?

7:46 PM and I’m done for the night! 

Have a fabulous Monday

I hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween!  We had a lot of fun over here; it was a low key night, but we had quite a few trick-or-treaters so I got to see all sorts of cute costumes.  The best costume, though, goes to Lola:

That’s actually a repeat costume from last year, but she still looks stunning in it.  The hat was her favorite part.

So, backing up…yesterday’s lunch was pretty much the bomb.  Actually, everything I ate yesterday was amazing…but maybe that’s because everything that enters my mouth seems amazing.  Ugh.  Anyway, I had a vegetarian sandwich, a pickle and some sunchips.

That sandwich was seriously sooo good; there was so much stuff on it:  spinach, romaine, cheese, sundried tomatoes, regular tomatoes, cucumbers, spicy pickles, green peppers, banana peppers, corn relish (which is basically a mixture of corn and some spices) and avocado.  I think I could eat this sandwich everyday for the rest of my life and never get bored.  And the chips…sigh…chips are going to be the end of me!  No, not really.  If there is anything I’m craving constantly though, it’s chips.  I ate chips before I got pregnant, just not very often…and I’m trying not to eat them often now, but it’s hard when it’s all I want. 

Today, I decided, will be a chip-free day.

Dinner wasn’t any healthier than lunch unfortunately, but it too was incred.  We barbecued and I had a bratwurst and some roasted Brussels sprouts.  When was the last time you had a bratwurst?  For me, I can’t tell you the last time…I can think of a time I had a bite of one here and there, but to enjoy my own, well, that was pretty much a divine moment in my life.

Needless to say, today my eats need a bit of an overhaul; it’s healthy eating all day (hopefully all week) for me.  Breakfast was a success:

Similar to yesterday’s breakfast, today was 1/2 cup oats, a tablespoon of raisins and a tablespoon of crushed walnuts.  I’m also drinking some coffee right now because I have a headache I just can’t shake…I’m hoping the caffeine helps me…

I’ll be back tonight and my posts will actually have a purpose!  By that I mean I won’t just be posting pictures of food…I’ll be posting a recipe because we’re having some REALLY good chili for dinner.  It’s the perfect day for it, too! 

Like I said in my previous post…his pumpkin carving abilities were amazingly good.  I knew he was going to win!

So it’s another chilly, overcast day in Portland…sometimes I don’t mind all of the gray, but today I’m wishing it was sunny.  Oh well.  Because of the dreary weather, it was the perfect day for oatmeal!

There is something about oatmeal that tastes so good when it’s cold out.  I made 1/2 cup of oats and topped it with some raisins and about a tablespoon of natural peanut butter.  Yum.

Peanut butter has always been a food I’ve been obsessed with; for years now (seriously, years…) it’s been a food I eat, without fail, on a daily basis.  When I got pregnant though, I started hating peanut butter…it was my longest stretch without it!  I think I went like 6 weeks without.  I just started eating it again last week and I’m in love all over again.  I really do think it’s my all time favorite food.  Well, that and sushi (which you can’t eat when you’re pregnant and I miss it soooooo much).

Is it weird that I’m listening to Christmas music already? 

Jake, Lola and I are off to hike this morning…here’s to hoping we beat the rain!

Have you carved a pumpkin yet?  Last night my husband and I carved and while I so wanted mine to be better than his, sadly, I think he beats me by a landslide.  He wanted me to let you guys be the judge though…so, I’m not going to tell you who carved which pumpkin, but I do want you to let me know which one your favorite is:

Pumpkin 1:

Pumpkin 2:

Happy Halloween!

It’s actually annoying how good his pumpkin is.

This morning I had to rush out the door because I was running late (some things never change, huh?), so I grabbed the first two things I saw that were somewhat breakfast related:

A very small red delicious apple and about an ounce – 1.5 ounces of extra sharp cheddar.  Cheese and I are in a full-on love affair at the moment (I’m literally obsessed with it), so this worked well for me.

I ate on the way to the doctors office…this time it was an appointment for me though, and not for work.  After much contemplation, I decided to get the H1N1 vaccine; this was a VERY hard decision for me to make, but ultimately, I feel good that I got it.  Normally I wouldn’t think twice about getting vaccinated…but now that I’ve got someone inside of me, well, it makes me think a little bit harder about some things.

As I said yesterday, my appetite is like a teenage boys right now…I am CONSTANTLY hungry.  My breakfast wasn’t all that substantial though, so it didn’t surprise me that I got hungry about two hours after I ate:

That’s actually an old picture…but it’s also what I ate today, so it works!

I met my husband at Panera for lunch.  In high school (which, sadly, at this point was long, long ago…), I used to be obsessed with Panera.  The obsession has slowly faded over the years, but I still always really like going there.  I got a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a french baguette:

Then I added a half order of the Asian sesame chicken salad, minus the wonton strips and the cilantro (which I despise all the sudden):

And what would a trip to Panera be without something sweet?  I had two bites (well, really large bites…) of two different kinds of cookie; 1 bite of oatmeal raisin (which was the best) and 1 bite of toffee nut (which was subpar at best, though my husband would disagree):

I took those pictures MANY times trying to get a prettier background than Jake’s broncos sweatshirt, but he moved every single time to ensure it would make it in the picture.  I finally just gave up…I suppose the blog can support the broncos…

The rest of the day I get to work, do homework (I’m taking biochemistry…and I used to like it but it got really hard all the sudden) and workout.  Tonight we’re having leftovers for dinner, so I’ll be back later to report!

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite pumpkin!  If for some reason that poll doesn’t work (I don’t know if I inserted the HTML code right or not?), just list in the comments section which one is the best.  Like I said…friendly competition!!!

**Edited to add my poll apparently doesn’t work!  It shows up but I guess I did it wrong…can anyone tell me how to fix it?  In the meantime, leave your votes in the comment section!**

Let me explain.

Wondering where I’ve been?  On September 17, 2009 I wrote a post saying I’d be back next week…well, as everyone clearly knows, it’s about 6 weeks later and I’m just returning.  I never intended to disappear mysteriously, but I also never expected to feel the way I felt.  Since the last time I posted, I’ve been experiencing exhaustion in a whole new way.  I’ve also been completely against food, with little-to-no appetite most days.  In fact, I quit reading food blogs the past few weeks because the sight of food just revolted me.  The good news about my situation?  All these horrible feelings have passed, so I am finally back.  The best news?  All these bizarre feelings and sensations came about for a wonderful, beautiful reason:

Meet baby L!  That’s right my friends…I’m pregnant with my first baby, and my husband and I couldn’t be happier.  Let me tell you though, the first part of pregnancy is NO walk in the park!  It’s hard to imagine feeling sick (really sick) constantly, but that’s how I felt.  I assumed I’d get pregnant and be starving all the time…and initially, I was.  But right around my last post, everything changed and I just started hating food…the site of it, the smell of it…I hated it all!

So, 16 weeks along, and here I am!!!  And I know I said it in my first paragraph, but I want you all to know, I am genuinely back to stay.  I love blogging and the friends I’ve made thus far from doing it, and it is nothing I ever intend to give up.  And can I just tell you I’ve seriously never felt more loved or appreciated than I have since I stopped blogging?  I have gotten countless emails and comments begging me to come back and start writing again…truthfully, I didn’t expect anyone to notice – or really care – if I left for a few weeks.  The fact that you guys have though is such an amazing feeling.  I am so excited to get back into deliciouslyfit.com! 

So what can you expect from here on out?  Well, for starters, you can expect to see A LOT more food; although having no appetite completely sucked, having the appetite of a teenage boy isn’t exactly great, either.  I have never felt hungrier than I do now in my whole entire life!  But, I’m embracing it.  You’ll probably also see a lot more foods that most health food bloggers wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.  I’m not saying I’m giving in to every desire and craving I have, but I’m also not denying myself something I feel like I just HAVE to have, you know?  I only intend on being pregnant a few times in my life, and I want to make it as enjoyable as possible.  So, if I’m dying for some doritos one day, guess what?  I’m gonna have them.  This is a brand new attitude for me, and something I’ve slowly been adjusting to.  I’m usually insanely strict with myself and what I eat, and it’s so nice to break some of my rules for once.  My husband also loves it, as we have all sorts of food in the house right now that we don’t normally have!

This is long…so, I need to stop.  I have so much more to say!  I have so many stories to tell you, a few product reviews to do (I am the biggest jerk ever.  I have companies who have sent me stuff that I haven’t reviewed yet.  To those companies: the reviews are coming!  I promise!), and, perhaps most importantly, I want to tell you what I’ve been eating!  I’ll resume my normal schedule of blogging (1-2 times per day) starting tomorrow, so please check back.

So, for those of you still reading deliciouslyfit.com, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I know I have some very loyal readers, and it truly means the world to me.  Please help me spread the word that deliciouslyfit.com is back!  And this time, it’s for good.

See you tomorrow!

Until next time…