Good morning!  I’m cramming for a Pathophysiology of Obesity exam this morning—fun, right?—but I just wanted to pop in and share one of my new favorite go-to foods.

I’m not sure why, but I’ve shunned the egg lately.  There’s no good reason; I just hadn’t thought about buying eggs for a while until I needed a few for a baking project.  As I worked through the carton, I finally saw the light—eggs fit the bill of a protein powerhouse and they leave money in my wallet.  Win.  Eggs rock because:

• Eggs have it going on in the nutrition department.  Not only are they a great source of protein (6 grams per egg), but they also offer up vitamins B12 and D, riboflavin, and folate.  Yes, egg yolks throw in a hefty dose of cholesterol, but recent research shows that people who do not struggle with controlling their cholesterol may safely consume eggs in moderation (up to one whole egg per day).  My standard scramble mix is one egg and two egg whites.

• Eggs can be simple or fancy.  Like a good little black dress, the egg can be dressed up or down to fit the occasion. Busy week?  Hard-boil a few eggs one evening to grab for snacks or salad toppers.  Weekend brunch?  Prepare an omelet with extravagant fillings.

• Eggs are cheap.  This is very good.  They also store well—just shove the carton in a nook or cranny of your refrigerator and the carton will do its thing to keep your eggs safe for weeks.

I experienced a bit of a learning curve when trying to scramble eggs, but as with most problems, YouTube offered a solution.

One thing about eggs I just can’t get on board with?

Eggs are not the most photogenic of foods.  I snapped about 10 pictures of this salmon scramble, and they were all a little lacking.

Luckily, it’s what’s on the inside that counts—this delightful egg was stuffed with leftover salmon, spinach, and goat cheese and topped with dill and salt and pepper.

I’ll let its lackluster appearance slide.  Have a great day!

Hi guys!  My computer is all healed from its spontaneous black screen of death syndrome and midterms are wrapping up, so I’m back in action.  I’ve spent the last week doing a lot of this…

Luckily I had an amazing time in Gamecock Country  South Carolina last week, so it softened the blow of cramming for exams.  I flew into Charleston and my sister Monica and I met up with my college friend Stacy (hi Stacy!).  We caught up by creeping on some of the gorgeous houses on the Battery.

I kept backing up and still couldn’t fit the whole house in my camera screen!  Sure sign of a winner.  I also showed off my mad skill of using my long arms to take hot pics.

And then Monica-Colleen Fall 2011 Food and Shopping Extravaganza began.  We started off with sushi happy hour at my favorite sushi restaurant of all time, Tsunami.  Their happy hour specials seriously can’t be beat–3 rolls for $8.95!

I also tried some local delicacies. Deep fried anything at the fair was up first.  Rumor had it that the hot item at the fair this year was deep fried Jello, but we couldn’t find it.  Deep-fried butter was alive and well, though.

I tried a few bites of a deep-fried Milky Way, and it was kind of like a donut with a candy bar in the middle.  I didn’t hate it.  Then, we hit up 2Fat2Fly.

Lord have mercy, as my South Carolinian coworkers used to say.  2Fat2Fly offers stuffed chicken wings.  We tried the macaroni and cheese stuffed wing on a whim.

Crazy.  I can’t figure out how they managed to stuff noodles in the wing??  It just looked like a normal (huge) chicken wing.

After all that, I of course needed a Greek salad from Zoes, an awesome chain cafe in the South.

Zoes reminds me of payday. I used to treat myself to a Greek salad for lunch every other Friday.

I was super excited that iced coffee was still in season in Columbia.

I was a huge fan of the 80 degree temperatures in October!  Michigan needs to step it up.  Despite the summer-like heat, pumpkin was alive and well in Columbia, and I found my beloved Pumpkin Pie ice cream at Publix!!!!

So delicious–pumpkin ice cream with swirls of whipped cream and chunks of pie crust.  Yes, please!

Two of my biggest loves intersected on Devine Street–how cute are these Lily Pulitzer pumpkins?

Love!  I stepped away from pumpkin for a few minutes to devour this apple crisp that my sister made.

Yum.  She used this recipe, and it was crumbly on top instead of cakey, which is a vital apple crisp attribute.  So perfect.

In between all this eating, we I also managed to shop until my wallet ran dry I dropped, and I stuffed everything into my carry-on suitcase.  Huge accomplishment.

Thanks for having me over, Monica!  I’m ready to come back!

Hi everyone! Just dropping in to say hi and let you know I’m unplugging for a few days while my computer is raised from the dead repaired. 

I’m in South Carolina and have been enjoying some fabulous food–can’t wait to share it with you soon.  Macaroni and Cheese stuffed chicken wings at the state fair, anyone?

Have a great week!

It’s Monday during midterms–why, yes, I do need a huge dose of happiness.  I saw this last night on Pinterest and jotted down a few ways I will strive for happiness this week.  Scientifically endorsed and all.

Take Initiative:  I’ll finally pay that parking ticket that I’ve left in my car for three weeks now.

Smile:  I’ve wanted to try “smile meditation” for a while a la Eat Pray Love.  This is the day!  I’m going to just sit and smile for 5 minutes straight today.

Have Goals:  I’m going to wake up early for morning Body Pump on Tuesday and Thursday this week.

Savor the Everyday:  I’m going to enjoy my 15 minute walks to class instead of rushing to school.

Make Friends:  When I’m stressed out about school and work, I’m going to remind myself that the way I make people feel is more important.

Web via Pinterest

Devalue Money:  Done.  I’m broke.  It’s okay.

Give Away:  Epic closet clean out is coming up soon…

Avoid Comparisons:  I’m owning this quote today: “I can do anything, but not everything.”  Even if it seems like other people can, I’m owning my limits.

Say Thank You:  I’m going to write and send three thank you notes by Friday.

Exercise:  Life is my cardio this week.

How will you be happy this week?

Hi guys!  Thank you so much for all of your feedback on the new name and design of my blog!  I’m excited to get things started here!

This quote popped up on my quote-of-the-day message this morning, and I’m loving it:

“If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.” – Ivan Turgenev

How true is that?  I tend to put things off for the perfect moment—I’m going to wait until conditions X,Y and Z are set before I start this project or strive for that goal. I need to remember that starting is key.  I can struggle and flop through the beginning, but at least I will begin instead of waiting for a perfect time that may never originate.  Just some deep thoughts for your Friday morning.

There is, however, a perfect time for spaghetti squash.  Have you tried this winter squash as a pasta replacement?  I love my carbs, but sometimes it’s nice to sneak in a hearty serving of vegetables at the end of the day.  Then, it’s spaghetti squash’s time to shine.   Spaghetti squash is, well, a squash, but after baking, it can be shredded with a fork to form “spaghetti” strands.

Just trust me.

Check out those strands!

What do you think?  Will you give it a try?  Even if you are skeptical of squash strands in your pasta bowl, rest in the knowledge that anything is good when drowned in marinara.

Big changes today!  Welcome to my new website, Plate of Peace at www.plateofpeace.com!

I owe a huge Thank You to Julie at Savvy Blog Services! She handled everything from the header design to securing my new domain name, and she is absolutely fabulous to work with.

I started my first blog, Cheerful Feast, over the summer to share my recipes and healthy living musings.

I soon became hooked on blogging and wanted to create a new site reflective of my overall attitudes and behaviors towards healthy living.  When I brainstormed how I feel about my relationship with food and health, peace kept coming to mind.  I’ve traveled a long and twisted nutritional road—I have struggled with being overweight, losing weight, and engaging in restrictive eating behaviors.  It’s taken a lot of hard work and soul-searching to get where I am today, but I couldn’t be happier that I finally found peace with my plate.

Plate of Peace will still feature nutritious and delicious recipes and tips for a healthy lifestyle, but I also hope to delve into a few emotional ties behind eating and weight loss. In essence, I’ll still be feasting cheerfully here, too!

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your support of Cheerful Feast and my blogging endeavors.  The emails and comments that I receive while blogging bring me so much joy.  Knowing that I’ve helped or inspired someone makes me so happy.  I’m excited to share this next adventure with you, too!

I have just a few housekeeping blogkeeping items:

*Please subscribe to Plate of Peace! You may click on the icons below my picture to subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter, or Facebook.  This will ensure that you receive the latest Plate of Peace updates.

*My recipes are now printable!  If you scroll down to my previous post, Raw Apple Pie with Almond-Date Crust, you may see an example of this feature.  Do you see that the recipe is now printed within a light blue box?  Click on the “Print This” button just above the blue box on the right to easily print the recipe for your reference.

*My new email address is plateofpeace@gmail.com.

*My twitter username is now plateofpeace.

*I will still be posting on my regular Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning schedule.

Thank you again for checking out Plate of Peace!  I welcome any comments or feedback, and I want to know what you would like to see more of on Plate of Peace.  More recipes?  Nutrition tips?

Have a great day!

I have a bit of an apple situation on my hands.

I went to Wasem Fruit Farm with a group of friends yesterday to pick apples and I did some serious work on the trees!  It was really fun, and they had a huge selection of apples—I grabbed Macintosh, Golden Delicious, Jonathon, and some unknowns.  I was a pretty hot commodity because I’m tall and could reach some of the prime apple clusters at the top of the trees.

My bargain shopping ways shined through when the orchard staff informed us that there was a flat fee for the U-Pick bags.  It didn’t matter if you picked 3 apples or 50, you paid the same price.  I attacked the trees like I was at one of those bargain basement sales where you stuff a garbage bag full of clothes for one price.  I think it’s safe to say that I have at least 60 apples.

Once I dragged my apples home, I dug out a Raw Apple Pie recipe from Whole Foods Health Starts here that I’ve been meaning to try.  I had a bite at Whole Foods last week and was really intrigued by the crust–dates and almonds comprise the bottom layer for a lighter take on traditional apple pie.

Three words for you: Make this now!  Better yet, make it yesterday because it needs to chill overnight.

So. Delicious.  All the spices and taste of apple pie without the sugar bomb and impending food coma.Four apples down, 56 to go.  Do you have any apple recipe suggestions?!