Aloha!!!
Hope you’ve all been great!! Please pardon my MIA-ness! One of my best college girlfriends from Hawaii is staying with me this whole week and I’m trying to be a good host, so that means less internet time! Then, this weekend the bf has planned a little GETAWAY for our 2 year anniversary so I’ll be gone again (though I have NO idea where we’re going)!!
Blueberry Bombshell Irish Oats
Have you tried blueberry special K?? Because it’s REALLY REALLY good. So Good I had to eat a bowl of it after I ate my bowl of oatmeal. Maybe I just like trying new foods (especially cereal), but it’s yummy!!
In my oatmeal:
- 1 pack McCann’s regular Irish Oatmeal w/ ½ cup skim milk
- ½ cup Trader Joe’s (cheaper) non-organic frozen blueberries
- ½ cup canned pumpkin, stirred in
- 1 container Light ‘n Fit Blueberry Yogurt (SO cheap in bulk at Costco)
- ½ Ultra ripe banana-mama
- Topped with Blueberry Special K & Cinnamon life
- Blackberries for effect…heheh
SMILE!!
I was full after the bowl, but REALLY wanted to experience the new box of blueberry special k by itself, so I had a cup of cereal with skim milk!!! YUMMY and TOTALLY hit the spot! It’s always wonderful when a cereal can hold up to milk “soakage” and retain some of its crunchiness while still being moist. It flavored my milk all blue-berryish and it was such a treat to find a bite with some blueberry granola clusters or dried blueberries. 🙂
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Honey BBQ Chicken Salad & BuNS!!!
BuNS as in, Butternut Squash that is. I had roasted 2 butternut squashes and used one was used to top this spinach salad.
I hate raw spinach because it has that metallic after-taste due to the high levels of iron in it. So I poured some warm chicken broth over it the night before when I was making dinner so soften it. MUCH better! Check it out yourself!
- 4 – 5 oz oven-baked honey BBQ chicken breast
- 1 BuNS, Roasted to perfection 😛
- 2 Kirby cucumbers (I love these mini-Japanese cucumbers!!! So cute and extra crunchy!)
- 4 cups of spinach
- ½ cup shelled edemame
- ½ cup roasted red peppers
- 4 sticks of carrots (peeled & chopped)
If there is one thing in this world I could eat at every meal for the rest of my life, it would be Roasted Butternut Squash. YUMMMMM. *drool*
For dessert, I had a plain Chobani piled with frozen blueberries, frozen pineapples!
And when I polished those off first without even touching the yogurt, I poured on some Nuts ‘n’ Things (natural & unsalted) from Flannigan Farms!
Overall: 7.5/10. I love that they’re so conveniently packaged and portioned, as well as how raw and fresh all the ingredients were inside! Unfortunately, the bitter peanut after-taste killed it (personal bias). Sorry Flannigan farms, but hey, I’m really excited to try the non-peanut mixes!!
Taste & Texture: The cashews taste like peanuts and are slightly soft to the bite. The raisins are plump, juicy, and sweet, unlike the dry and tough ones found in many trail mixes. The peanuts are my least favorite because of their slightly bitter after-taste, but this is definitely a raw, unsalted peanut and I know that at least it is truly unprocessed and all-natural. My favorites are the raw almonds and pumpkin seeds! They are fresh, crunchy, and have retained its own distinctive flavors, lingering on your tongue after the bite.
Quantity: As expected, the peanuts and raisins are in the majority, but that makes finding the occasional almond and pumpkin seed that much more fun! Plus…I do like raisins!
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Simply Sensational Supper!
The best dinner I’ve had in a long time is always homemade of course! All together…for 2 people. 😛
The BF’s concoction was AMAZING – A chicken, tofu, mushroom, and bean sprout stir-fry.
The star of the dish is five-spice infused pressed tofu (can be found in the refrigerator section of your Asian grocer in transparent packages). It’s different to regular tofu in that it is pretty much compressed tofu that has already been marinated and dried in traditional Chinese herbs and spices. It is DELICIOUS sliced and then stir-fried with other veggies.
- 4 slabs five-spire infused Chinese tofu
- 1 cup king oyster mushrooms, slices
- A whole package minced chicken (or minced protein of your choice)
- 5-6 cups bean sprouts
- ½ garlic diced, ½ onion sliced
- Lots of oil (because the bf was in charge. *sigh*)
My concoction is my favorite traditional Chinese dish in the ENTIRE WORLD – steamed fish!
This hunka fresh farmed tilapia (not endangered, unlike that “sea bass”) for $3. Simply put it in a bowl with the following sauces and steam for ~15 minutes depending on the size of your fish.
- 3 Sprigs spring onion, sliced
- 1 ½-inch slice ginger, julienned & stuffed into the fish
- ½ cup fish-steaming soy-sauce
- ¼ cup regular light soy-sauce
I adore this dish SO much my mom makes it for me every day in Hong Kong when I go home for vacation. *sigh* I miss home.
Basil & Spice Marinated Grilled Veggies, which I was in charge of.
I marinated all these veggies in basil, olive oil, and all the herbs in the bf’s pantry (um…that would be 2 total), then grilled ‘em on the foreman. My favorite has got to be grilled eggplant. I ate them all. Our least favorite (surprisingly for me) was the tomato! (Too tart and squishy)
- 2 long eggplant sticks
- 5 carrot sticks, peeled & sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 zucchini’s
- 1 container fresh mushrooms
Dinner was SO filling and satisfying we just treated the veggies as carbs and decided no rice or potatoes necessary! But then…came the carbs in the form of Original Popchips with Sabra for a savory dessert! YUM!!!! NEW favorite snack combo!!!
On a random note, I’ve noticed that bread does NOT fill me up!!!! No matter if it’s whole wheat or not, sprouted or not, fiber or protein enhanced (or not…) it just DOESN’T!!! Would you happen to have an idea why? And are there certain foods that just doesn’t fill YOU up?
Perhaps I am just a mutant. muhahhah
Yum..I love butternut squash fries, I had them for dinner too! Not sure why bread doesn’t fill you up…it’s one of my favourite foods.
Congratulations on your 2 year anniversary! It’s so nice of him to whisk you away. Can’t wait to find out where the bf takes you and the wonderful eats you’re bound to have. Have fun!
I LOVE special k..i think i lived off the vanilla almond in college 😀 I agree, grilled tomatoes are really weird..congrats girl and have fun with your friend!!
I always get freaked out about seeing the whole fish on my plate, but its yummy once i get past that!
That stirfry your bf made does sound really good. Chicken & mushrooms are awesome together I find. I can’t say I’ve ever seen that kind of tofu before though.
Now, are you talking bread as in sandwich bread? Because I am the exact same way. But for me I think it’s because I always want more of it, and therefore am mentally unsatisfied. I don’t have that issue with giant wraps though. Maybe it’s because I can fill wraps with more goodies than I can fit on bread. Sometimes salads don’t do a darn thing to fill me up either, and then there are days when I want to explode after a salad. The body is an odd creature, I do my best to listen, but sometimes you never know!
Aww have fun with the college friend and then bf this weekend!!
I was JUST trying to figure out what kind of oats I wanted tomorrow morning, and your blueberries reminded me that I had just purchased some and need to throw them in a bowl asap!
Sometimes I get filled up by bread/sandwiches…and other days I feel like I am going on an empty stomach!! That’s what all the meal sides are for….hummus, chips, fruit, etc….! 🙂
Oh, looking at your sea bass totally makes me homesick. Did you see when I posted about the food my grandma makes? That is my favorite thing, only she puts hot oil on it, along with the other goodies! Do you ever do that? Not as healthy but OH SO GOOD with rice 😀
Have fun!!!
The thing with bread is the same with me… it tastes great but doesnt really do much for me! Something about the sugar maybe?
Going to college in Hawaii would be SAH-WHEET!! Also, woohoo for mystery vaca! Uh oh – PopChips and hummus could be deadly in this household! I’m liking the sounds of it!!
Maybe you just have a “protein” stomach? I’ve heard that there are some people who just feel more satisfied when they eat proteins and others (like myself) feel more satisfied when they eat carbs? For me, protein does nada. It has to be paired with something else.
Happy Friday 🙂
I could eat butternut fries for every meal if I don’t turn into orange so quickly! 😀
where are you going for the getaway?? i’m so jealous of you having your bf with you, which makes me miss him so much so badly that hurts!!
breads leave me full well, especially WW…. but I guess everyone is different, maybe your blood type is not A? And what it can’t fill me well are fruits… sometimes I get hungrier after having a gigantic apple! I don’t know… that’s why they can only be eaten if I just want to eat, not to fill me up.
Love that breakfast, girl!!!
Im gonna have to hunt down those Pop Chips so that I can dunk them in some Sabra! YUM!
MMmmm, oh yes to steamed fish!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE~~
I am SO relieved–I thought I was the ONLY person who didn’t like raw spinach flavor. Cooked spinach is awesome, but raw? Ick, so bitter and weird. I am really not into spinach salads for this reason.
The steamed fish sounds easy and tasty. What kind of steamer do you use? Do you steam with the bowl of sauce or just marinade the fish first? I’m really fish-stupid. I need directions!
Cereal + milk nevah evah fills up my tum tum! If I have cereal, I have to eat it with yogurt. And it’s a shame….for I love cereal + milk! Sigh.
Congrats on your anniversary!
oh man i totally know waht you mean with the metallic taste! i love steamed fish! that is the best way to prepare fish ever!
2 years?! happy anniversary! i hope you lovebirds enjoy it!
butternut fries yummmm! my mom lovesss steamed fish, but its always scared me lol. I always think the fish is looking right at me. you are a cooking goddess, and i think our fams shoudl get together and we can have a chinese festival. haha. and i also loveeee chinese babies too. they are the cutesttt 🙂 haha you are hilarious. loveeee. have a great weekend!
I need to try that blueberry special K now! It might be dangerous in my apartment though! I have issues eating just 1 bowl of cereal!! MMM popchips and hummus…looks like my dinner last night!
oh that steamed fish looks SO good! you’re such a good cook, i’m to afraid to cook whole fish, so i only get to eat it when i visit my parents. have a great getaway weekend!!
All of those veggies! yum! And I LOVE LIFE (cereal that is! haha)
Happy Blogiversary!
Wow! I just wrote Blogiversary! I need help! hhaa
have fun with your friend!! i’m currently obsessed with the chocolate special k..to die for!
i could def eat bnut squash allt he time too..sooo good!
congrats on 2 years, and hope you’re having a blast with your friend! those things def have priority over the internet.
i love the blueberry bombshell (esp the title), and i have those same flanigan farms samples on my to-do list!
Gorgeous eats, girlie! Congrats on two years! That’s so sweet of your bf! Have fun!!! Loving the blueberry!
❤ jess
xoxo
Bread doesn’t fill me up either! After a sandwich I’m always still hungry or just not that point of fullness I want to have! Have funnn!!
Yummy eats! Hope you are having fun on your getaway!
I LOVEE that blueberry special k 🙂 HAVE FUN ON YOUR GETAWAYYYYYY hope its super romantic 🙂
I am so jealous that your bf can cook! 🙂
When you say bread doesn’t fill you up, do you mean plain bread? I guess I don’t really eat bread plain very much, so I’m not sure if it fills me up. I usually have peanut butter on toast, so I guess the fat + protein would fill me up.
I would love love to go to Hawaii! Does your friend love living there? I have seriously considered trying to get a job there when I’m done with my internship next year.