Blogging is the New Black.

This past week- nine days, to be exact- I have been on a stay-cation. My friend came into town to visit and we went paddle boarding, laid out at the beach, went exploring around the city, went out on the town, worked out... and the best part- I went to the farmer's market two weekends in a row. For those of you who get to do that all the time, don't take it for granted! I love the farmer's market. All of those glorious vegetables and organics just there waiting for you... Yum. 

I purchased rainbow chard, asparagus, peaches, eggs, plants for gardening, beets, carrots, granola, chia seeds, Bitchin' sauce, and I picked up a little morsel from the African food truck. And then I hit up Ikea. It was an eventful day. P.S. do not ever go to Ikea on a Sunday. Just sayin'.

  Any ways, rainbow chard was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen sitting on the tables for everyone to see. I mean, why would you not want to eat a leaf that is colored like the rainbow? I bought two bunches, came home and created this lovely recipe.

  Rainbow Chard with Black Beans

8-10 leaves of rainbow swiss chard

8-10 asparagus stalks

1/2 cup black beans, rinsed

2 garlic cloves, minced and chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

4 cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper

coconut oil

    Rinse and dry chard, asparagus and tomatoes.

Remove leaves from chard and set aside.

Cut chard stems and asparagus into 1-inch pieces, blanch in boiling water seasoned with salt for about 3 minutes. Dump in ice bath.

While you are boiling these, chop your garlic. 

Pull chard and asparagus out of ice water and dry. 

In a pan, heat coconut oil and cook garlic for a few minutes, then throw in chard and asparagus. Salt and pepper as you go, cook for about 2-3 minutes and add chopped chard leaves. Cook for another five minutes or until leaves are wilted down to your liking. 

Add cooked ingredients to your serving plate of choice, add beans, tomatoes, and lemon juice. 

Black bean substitutes:  edamame, fava beans, chicken, tempeh, etc.

No, I'm not talking about anything cryptic- I'm talking about oatmeal. I'm a legitimate fanatic of the stuff. I eat it almost every morning, and 10 times out of 10 I like it sweet and loaded with berries. But today... I didn't. So I opted for savory, and decided to share. 

Savory Egg and Kale Oatmeal

  2 large kale leaves

1/4 red onion

1 egg

1/2 cup oatmeal

salt and pepper

turmeric

paprika

cholula

So first things first, put your 1/2 cup of oatmeal in a pot with 1 cup of water and cook it on the stovetop. If you want a more hearty texture, put only 1/2 cup of water. 

While that's cooking, heat EVOO in a large pan.

While the EVOO is heating, chop your 1/4 onion. Add to pan, stir frequently. 

"De-vain" your kale. The stalk is bitter, so take the leaves off and chop. Add this to your onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir and cover to cook for about five minutes. 

When your five minutes is almost up, crack an egg in the side of the same pan. Cover and cook until egg is ready. 

In your bowl, have oatmeal on the bottom, top with kale and onions, then add your egg on top. I like to sprinkle turmeric and paprika on mine for some added flavor.

When I took my first bite- yum. But I thought it needed an extra kick so I added Cholula. Mhhm. No one will know what to do when you tell them you made savory oatmeal. They might look at you like you're crazy. That's okay. Let them wonder, and keep this little secret to yourself. 

Today I stopped by my local farmers market in Little Italy to grab some fresh greens, eggs, honey and a snack. It is freakin' hot so I bailed out of there in under a half hour- amazing, I know. Normally it's at least an hour event, followed by lunch or a day of debauchery. But not today. I'm dog sitting and had to get back to little Porscha. Isn't she sweet?

Any way- here is my lunch I chopped up when I got home. Full of kale, quinoa, beets, cucumber, tomato, sprouts and avocado. Did you know kale has more protein than chicken per serving?! I just found this out- so I skipped the meat on this one. 

Farmer's Market Salad

  1/2 avocado, sliced

2 small beets, roasted and peeled

1/4 cup quinoa seasoned with salt and pepper

1 cup kale, chopped

1/2 cup cucumber, chopped 

small handful of cherry tomatoes

large pinch of sprouts

balsamic vinegar

Prepare your quinoa as you chop all of your ingredients. Toss in a bowl, lightly layer in balsamic vinegar, and enjoy!

It's official: I'm juicing. 

Starting today, I will be on a three-day cleanse from Suja Juice based in San Diego. Suja claims that this particular cleanse is perfect for those looking to promote weight loss, detox, and reset their palates. And since I'm looking to do all three- why not?

There are so many juice cleanses out on the market these days, and I went with Suja for a couple of reasons. One, is that it is juiced and packaged in San Diego, so I feel like I'm getting a more fresh juice. Two, a girlfriend of mine had done another juice cleanse bar downtown (I won't name) and got physically ill. And three, Suja uses HPP to produce their product. HPP is High Pressure Pascalization, or in other words, cold pressed instead of heat to inhibit microflora growth and extend shelf life. Am I speaking in code? Okay, it basically means that the way it is processed prevents E-Coli Salmonella, yeast and mold from forming so you don't get sick (like my friend did). And seriously, how awesome is their packaging? It has all the ingredients right on the front. It's all organic. It's delicious. 

So I think it's safe to say that I am pretty obsessed with oatmeal. I have to have it practically every day or I feel deprived. And really, I generally eat it 5-6 times a week.

I love a few things about oatmeal- 1) you can flavor it with whatever you want! Sweet, savory, bake it, overnight it, and so on. 2) the health benefits are insane! Oatmeal:

-lowers cholesterol

-full of antioxidants

-prevents arteries from hardening

-stabilizes blood sugar

-gives the immune system a boost

-great for your waistline

-naturally gluten-free

-hydrating for your insides

So eat a batch already, would ya?

I'll share what I had this morning. Overnight oats are something I like to do in the summer, because I really do not want hot and steamy oats when it's in the nineties (not that Southern California on the coast gets THAT hot, but humor me).

Overnight Fruit-on-the-Bottom Oats

  -half cup of oatmeal

-1/4 cup of nonfat yogurt

-1/2 cup water or milk

-1 Tbsp Chia seeds

-1/2 cup blueberries

-1/2 apple, diced small pieces

-1/4 cup mango, diced in small pieces

-1 tsp honey

In a bowl you intend on using to eat out of, mix together the chia seeds, honey and 1 tsp water. Mix well. 

In a seperate bowl. mix oatmeal, yogurt, 1/2 cup water or milk. 

In first bowl, layer your fruit on top of chia seed mix, then layer in oatmeal mix. 

Put the top on or cover and place in fridge while you snooze. 

When you wake up, get your bed-headed butt over to the fridge and eat. It's that simple!

Enjoy :)

What the eff is Tempeh?

I have read so much about this stuff lately, so naturally, I had to go and try it. Those of you who are vegetarians most likely already know about this healthy nibs, but some of us carnivores didn't. But now I'm on the band wagon. 

So Tempeh is cooked and slightly fermented soybeans that are formed into a very firm patty. You can find versions that have barley and other spices included. It has a much firmer texture than tofu, and has a slightly nutty flavor. Now--- that being said. I think it's like tofu, as in you need to flavor the heck out of this stuff! Don't get me wrong... I like it. But it really does need some spices and marinade (in my opinion). 

So that being said- here is my newest, easy week night recipe that you can throw together for lunch the next day, too. 

Quinoa and Cooked Veggies with Tempeh

  1/2 cup tri-color quinoa (or white- but organic)

8 asparagus spears, cut into bite size pieces

2 mini sweet bell peppers, chopped into bite size pieces

1/4 of a cucumber, chopped into bite size pieces

handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 serving of Tempeh

green onions, as many as desired, chopped

one garlic clove

1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped

low sodium soy sauce

1/2 Tsp of ground ginger

In a medium sauce pan, coat with EVOO and cook onions, stirring constantly until soft. 

Rinse, and drain quinoa. 

Put quinoa, 1 1/4 cup of water or chicken broth, and asparagus, bell peppers, and garlic into pot. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until all of liquid is absorbed. 

While cooking, place tempeh in plastic bag and lightly coat with soy sauce and ginger. Place in fridge. 

When quinoa and veggies are done, add in tomato, cucumber and green onions. Place Tempeh on top, or cut into bite size pieces. I added a bit more soy sauce and lots 'o pepper.

Me: This sucks, can it end so I can love it already!?

Me: WHY TF IS THIS SONG EVEN ON MY PLAYLIST!?

Me: Why am I doing this?

Me: Don't look at the distance. DON'T LOOK AT THE DISTANCE

Me: shit, I looked. TF, that was longer than .36 miles you liar!

Me: Power song? Let's do this

Me: *LEFT. LEFT. LEFT. RIGHT LEFT. TILL I COLLAPSE!*

Me: Oh look, I burned off breakfast, yay!

Me: Oh dear God this is the longest break between songs in the history of the life

Me: I will smash you with a hammer if you fall out one more time earbud. Seriously.

Me: Who glued cinder blocks to my feet?

Me: This still sucks

Me: I'm hungry

*Finishes run*

Wow... it's been a while. 

Time flies by in the blink of an eye... but I love this blog so I have vowed to be more consistent with it. 

Life has been keeping me busy- dating (blah!), keeping up with my friends and social events, training for a 200 mile relay, and getting a big promotion at work. Sometimes that leaves very little time for blogging, let alone keeping my apartment in order. 

But anyhow, I'm coming back with a bang with this savory breakfast recipe you just have to try. 

Three Egg Omelet and Quinoa

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1/4 onion, sliced

  2 small garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

spinach to your hearts desire (I did 2 handfuls)

1/4 cup cooked quinoa (I cooked mine in coconut milk)

salt and pepper

dollop of hummus

Whisk your eggs and set aside. 

On the stove, warm EVOO, and cook onions with a pinch of salt until they start to turn golden brown. 

Add in your garlic and paprika, and stir for about 30 seconds.

Add in your handfuls of spinach slowly, allowing them to wilt down. 

Add in salt and pepper to taste, and a bit more paprika, too. 

Set your mix aside in a bowl. 

Heat a slice of butter (yes, butter. But you could use coconut oil too) in your pan and add your vigorously whisked eggs. 

Keep your heat on medium, and as it cooks, lift the edges to allow the liquid to fall underneath. 

Add your filling to one side of your omelet, and layer in your quinoa. 

Flip one side of your omelet onto the mixture, and transfer to a plate. 

Add a dollop of hummus. Wah-lah!

I topped mine with a bit of hot sauce for a super savory, spiced omelet. Yummm.