It's "snow" sunny

Being from Dallas, whenever we got snow growing up, it quickly melted, froze to ice and, on most occasions, was gone by the next day. So, when I woke up this morning, I was secretly hoping that the 4+ inches we got yesterday would miraculously have disappeared. No such luck  :(

Yesterday was pretty low key because of the weather. I did venture out to run a couple of errands, and finally found something I've been searching for over the past couple of months - fig jam!  I discovered a jar of the homemade stuff in my parents refrigerator but couldn't fly back with any. I tasted my new purchase on a piece of toast alongside an apple in the afternoon and it didn't disappoint.  The only ingredients - red figs and sugar  :-) 

I had warmed up earlier with a cup of black bean soup and the rest of my roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts.

 

I met a friend for dinner at a local restaurant, Logan Tavern. It was a refreshing departure from our normal Asian food outings.  We had a fantastic meal with excellent service. Once I told the waiter about my allergies, he dutifully let me know which parts of my (not-so-modified) order were OK and what substitutions I could make. It was so nice and made the meal even better!

Today kicked-off with my favorite way to eat my hot cereal - in a jar!  I made my BRM hot cereal on the stove top, stirring in sweet potato, a few drops of syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon at the very end. Then, into the peanut butter jar it went (there was little more than 1/2 T left) with a few raisins stirred in. YUM!  I'm still warm (and full) from it!

I already ventured out to the farmers market to pick up a few things - bosc pears, beets, collard greens, sweet potatoes, and a parsnip. The sun felt good but it sure was cold.

 

  

 

Off to enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Snow!

Happy Saturday everyone!  It's kind of funny how the mind works.  All day yesterday I was wishing and wishing for snow and after deciding on using this morning to run errands, the snow has of course arrived today instead.  It was falling pretty heavily about an hour ago so I'm hoping to still be able to venture out in a bit. I do have to admit that it's kind of pretty :-)

I had an egg white sandwich with a sliced pear for breakfast while lounging on the couch.  One mug of green tea down, it's time for a second (and decaffeinated) mug soon to stay warm!

Yesterday was a strong contender for best work day so far. The office was unusually quiet and empty and I felt like my old self - able to focus and be productive! The Type-A in me really enjoyed this unusual treat AND made me forget about the frigid temps!

Lunch was a mix of leftovers - tofu and rice from Java Green as well as roasted kale, beets, and brussels.

After work I came home, cleaned up a bit, had an apple, and then was off to meet up with a few friends for dinner.  We tried a new restaurant called Rice and were underwhelmed with the experience.  I am not sure if I ordered wrong or what, but I had to send my 1st dish back and pick something else. The dish I ended up with was so-so but not very filling.

A couple of us crossed town back to Foggy Bottom for a former colleague's birthday party and then it was time to head home.  I had a fitful night of sleep because I think I got glutened (or something else) and wound up with an allergic reaction before bed! No fun but feeling much better today.

Alright, it's time to brave the elements! Have a good day everyone!

100 and Going Strong!

Hi bloggies! I'm still here. Sorry for being MIA for most of the week. When I discovered that my next post would be my 100th, I wanted to make sure that the eats were truly noteworthy!

It's been a great food day, so let's begin.

I kicked off the day with some Vanilla Berry hot cereal. In the mix: BRM hot cereal, buckwheat groats, smashed sweet potato, 1/4c blueberries, a splash of vanilla extract, cinnamon, a few raisins, drop of sugar-free syrup, and 1/2 tbsp total of PB and AB. This was the best bowl of hot cereal that I've had in a while! The splash of vanilla really enhanced the flavor of the berries and grains, and surprisingly, of the sweet potato! My tummy was very happy.

Mid-day, I headed a few blocks away from campus to meet a friend at a vegetarian restaurant called Java Green. I've always heard great things about this place but had never been. Now that I really enjoy tofu and other vegetarian fare, I was excited to meet up with friend and food blogger Rella for lunch.

I arrived early, knowing that with a new menu full of gluten free things I was going to need lots of time to make my decision on what to order. The place was packed but I snagged a menu to peruse while I waited.

I ordered the gluten free Rice & More Bowl which included: jobchae noodles, organic black rice, spicy kimchi, steamed broccoli, kale, cabbage, spicy tofu, and an asparagus spear. YUM!

 

 

I loved this so much - fresh, light, and filling all at the same time. I was happily full from this meal and ended up taking home half of my tofu, rice, and noodles. I had fun with Rella and am looking forward to our next lunch date (at another new restaurant)!







The afternoon flew by at work because of the couple of projects I'm working on (and I think the fantastic lunch helped too) and then made a special pit stop on my way to the gym (see below). I wasn't really feeling it tonight at the gym so I just did 35 minutes on the elliptical and some stretches.

Dinner after the gym was light and savory. I had a roasting bonanza - kale, beets, and brussel sprouts, mmmm. I had half a serving of Amy's baked beans as well and it was exactly what I needed. I wasn't too hungry after my big lunch today.

Now, it's time to relax with The Notebook and enjoy a pear and a small piece of this special delight: my favorite gluten free cupcake, vanilla with strawberry frosting, from Hello Cupcake. They are the only bakery in DC that consistently carries a gluten free option and varies their flavors throughout the week.  The cake is moist and fluffy and the icing is creamy and out of this world!

Happy 100th to Gluten-free Grazer and thank you to my loyal readers. Feel free to keep sharing your feedback, whether you comment on the blog, find me on Twitter (@glutnfreegrazer), or via email (glutenfreegrazer@gmail.com).

And many more...

Marvelous Monday

All things considered, it was a pretty good Monday. The sun was shining and it reached 65 degrees!! In January!! Today was such a welcome surprise and it definitely lifted my spirits.

I went to yoga tonight as usual to discover that our room was being used for meetings. So the class relocated to the racquetball courts. This might not seem like a big deal but for this one, who can't even sit still in her sleep, I was really nervous about getting distracted by other people playing racquetball next door and listening to the spinning class upstairs. Instead, I was able to really focus on the stretches and found the music to be a welcome addition in helping me tune out everything else going on around me. I was proud  that I focused!

I was starving when I came home so I whipped up a quick-and-easy chicken pack. I've been craving some serious protein the last couple of days and decided that, even though I'm not thrilled with commercially produced meat production, if it was local, organic, and fed a natural diet without all the drugs, I definitely would eat it!

I used this recipe to make my pack and followed it to a T (except for subbing in adzuki beans for the black beans). I did have to bake it about 10 minutes longer though, which enabled me to eat part 2 of dinner - roasted potatoes and squash!

 

Earlier in the day I had a roasted beet salad with some parsnips and crumbled feta. Mmmm. Plus some more acorn squash and some leftover Puerto Rican beans.

 

 

I also had some more salad that was left over from a meeting in the afternoon, a grapefruit, and a bag of Glenny's soy crisps, which I enjoyed on my lunch-break walk. They tasted better while walking and eating!

I jump-started the day with an egg white and BRM hot cereal with buckwheat, 1/4c blueberries, 1/4c smashed sweet potato, cinnamon, and PB and AB (I was craving protein!).

 

Now, I'm snuggled up on the coach with a pear and am ready to watch one of my favorite guilty pleasures - GREEK!!

G'night!

What's your favorite guilty pleasure TV show?

When you crave a food to you try to find a "sub" or just have it?

Flew through the Day

I can't believe it's only 9pm. Whew, the day seemed to fly by!

This evening, I spend a good amount of time in the kitchen roasting up different veggies to use in meals throughout the week.  I find that if I have a bunch of things ready in advance, it's much easier for me to "throw something together" for lunch or dinner rather than eating out.  I have enough variety in my fridge this week for a nice variety of meals which is exciting. I munched on an apple while I did my cooking.

I had dinner in 2 parts tonight - I was pretty hungry.  First, I had a cup of roasted acorn squash along with some roasted beets and potatoes. Mmmm.  There's something about roasting vegetables that really enhances their flavor... and warms up my apartment!

 

Part 2 was a new recipe I made, inspired by this one. 
Puerto Rican Style Beans

• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 chopped onion
• 1/2 cubanelle pepper, chopped
• 1/2c tomato sauce
• 3/4c water
• 1/2 baking potato, peeled plus 1 mini white potato (skin on) cut into ~1/4 in. pieces
• oregano
• 3 cloves garlic
  
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
  

Chop onions, garlic, pepper and cilantro. Spray cooking spray inside a medium saucepan and saute the chopped ingredients about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the saucepan with 3/4 cup of water. Add tomato sauce, potato, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

This was rich, creamy, and delicious!! I added some hot sauce and a sprinkle of cheese to the mix which made the dish that much better. Yum, it was sooo good!

My large appetite was a result of spending lots of quality time at the gym today. I was previewing a different gym than the one I normally go to and took advantage of some of the things they had. I did: 65 minutes on the elliptical plus a few minutes on a couple of new machines - the Arctex (sp) and another machine that replicates an ice skating motion.  I did arms for about 10 minutes: 3 x 15 bicep curls, tricep raises, and shoulder lifts plus 1 x 15 with a heavier weight of squat lifts.Then, it was off to the pool.  I swam for about 25 minutes = ~1300m or a little more than 3/4 of a mile. I haven't swam in a long time but it felt great! I took some time to enjoy the sauna and then headed home.

Earlier in the day I had a Japanese inspired rice bowl with the leftover sushi rice and seaweed from Friday plus a serving of adzuki beans mixed in. This plus a salad was great fuel for my long workout!

Breakfast was an egg white and 1 piece of toast with a pear... plus some nibbles and I shopped my way through the farmers market.

It appears that the long overdue rain has finally arrived and I'm hoping to head to bed early to start the week extra well-rested. Good night!

Pocket full of Sunshine

I love sunshine.

The only thing that could be better is sunshine and warm weather... but hopefully that's on it's way soon!

I slept in this morning and was in no rush to get out of bed. I read my book for a while until my stomach growling made me get up and into the kitchen.

I made an egg sandwich with 1.5 liquid egg whites and had a sliced pear on the side.  I cut off the corners of my toast that didn't have egg and put some superfruit jam from TJ's on them. A little bit eclectic but oh so delicious!

 

I had a few things to do around my apartment and then I met my friend Shelbs for a little stroll and lunch so that we could take advantage of the sun. We had fantastic salads at SweetGreen, a local restaurant.  One of the things that impresses me is that they ask you to let them know if you have any food allergies, and the staff are helpful and responsive!  They also use a lot of local veggies which I like.  In my mix today was corn, black beans, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, and a few tortilla chips. T'was yummy!

I dragged myself to the gym for my first interval workout in a while on the treadmill.  My speeds varied between 6.0 - 7.0 and I ran for 1 minute, walked for 2.  I felt like I was struggling to keep up with myself which means I need to get back into running!

Just had a quick snack of a Fuji apple with almond butter and a few Gone Crackers. I <3 this crackers - whole grain, gluten free, and tasty!  My 2 favorite types are Caraway and Black Pepper.

Time to shower and then I'm off to babysit.

The Weekend has Arrived!

Happy Friday y'all!  I hope that you have something planned for the weekend that you'll enjoy - taking some time for yourself is a great way to recharge your batteries!

My weekend began with a post-work workout!  After 2 days off, it felt good to be back at the gym and I was craving some cardio. I did 45 intense minutes on the elliptical (while reading Yoga Magazine at times) and then stretched a bit.  I I had to cut my workout short because I had a treat scheduled for myself: a 45 minute massage!

It's been a long time since I've had a massage and after having some pain in my neck the past few weeks, I decided it was time to use the LivingSocial deal I had purchased. The therapist was fantastic and loosened up some of the tight knots in my neck. I was in heaven and this was a perfect way to kick off the weekend!

Dinner included leftover roasted veggies
 

plus a few veggie sushi rolls using this kit I found at the store:

 

I first laid out some seaweed on a bamboo place mat that I covered with saran wrap and then spread some of the sushi rice on each sheet.

 

 

Then I added my fillings: julienned carrots, cucumbers, asparagus, and some tofu.

 

 

 

The rest of the veggies and tofu that didn't fit in the sushi rolls became a side, drizzled with some gluten free teriyaki sauce.

It wasn't quite what I was expecting but was still a fun and different option. I just wish that the seaweed pieces were bigger!

 

Dessert was a blood orange with a serving of chocolate soy ice cream topped with a drizzle of slivered almonds, PB, and small chocolate chip cookie.

 

I'm trying out a new gym this weekend and am excited to try some new classes and hop in the pool for a swim. Should be fun along with some other activities!

G'night everyone!  This tired girl's making it an early night!