Jamba Oats

When you come to work to find this outside your window, it really puts a damper on your mood. It was a ghost town too which means there wasnt much work to be done. I was a good girl and packed my lunch but when lunch rolled around, I took one look at the peanut butter and fluff sandwich in my tote and made a bee line to the elevator.
I met my coworkers for a midday feast at our nearby pub (and maybe a beer… ) I learned my lesson last time when I mistakenly chose a Deep Fried Veggie Burger thinking it was the healthy alternative. But now, having made the mistake already I used my brain for real this time. I was torn between the cobb salad and the grilled chicken sandwich. Everyone around me was living it up ordering tater tots with cheese, Loaded Chicken and Cheese Nachos, and even someone who ordered a chili cheeseburger with cheese fries (oh, to be a man and eat like that!). Craving something bready, i opted for the grilled chicken sandwich and asked for a side salad instead of a side of fries.

Some asshat was playing with my settings and this was the best image I could get with my camera. But the grilled chicken was dry. The spicy mustard was lacking. The bread was perfection however, and so was the pickle! And my side of mixed greens with a sweet balsamic vinegar was delicious and quite filling. I had a beer (or two) with my lunch and left feeling satisfied with the choice I made ( minus a few bites of the tater tots, cheese fries, and loaded nachos).

Eating this much food left me feeling sluggish for the remainder of the day and on a slow day like yesterday, it was torture!

I got home craving a hot bowl of oats. But not just any oats. I wanted the oats that i got on $1 Wednesday from Jamba Juice… but its not $1 Wednesday and there aren’t any Jambas nearby. So I made my own jamba oats. I looked up the nutritional info for the Banana oats (my FAV). My father is madly in love with these oats too!

The ingredients: vanilla soy milk, steel cut oats, brown sugar and a banana.

THATS IT! Can you believe that is all that stands between you and perfect oats?

i added some instant oats to the mix for a creamy texture. I cooked it according to the directions on my irish steel cut oats.

Added half a banana and a heaping spoonful of brown sugar and a sprinklin of cinnamon.

Verdict: AMAZING! I cannot believe the difference the vanilla soy makes! It is still very creamy but has a slight vanilla aroma and flavor that really compliment the oats. The brown sugar provides the perfect level of sweetness… and bananas make this baby complete.

I just stocked up on vanilla soy milk because I cannot see myself making oats any other way! Save your $1 and make this at home!

This is how I know Karma is for realz…

See that monstrous thing below?That’s one helluva burrito that I shamlessly ate the night before I broke my tooth. I was hungry and didn’t feel like cooking. I have the nerve to tell myself that I have nothing to eat. Do you want to see what nothing looks like:

Thats just my freezer. I have this disease I beleive where I buy any and everything that is on sale and I never use it. I just save it. Like in case of an emergency I will have a freezer full of meat, fish and vegetables. Remember the black out in 2004? I keep thinking thats gonna happen again and I will live on all the frozen foods in my freezer or something. Im so stupid. and I veer off topic…the point is, Karma knew i was being lazy (and kind of greedy cuz i ate that mammoth burrito like it was my job) and when I had my breakfast cereal the next morning I broke my molar. She was pointing and laughing… yeah, Karma is a woman… and took the other part of my molar as her trophy.

that bitch.

But Karma brought me back to a product that I dismissed because I thought it tasted like dirt… no time like the present to find that when you cant chew on anything dirt sounds pretty appetizing.

But I came to this dirt drinking project prepared. this time I was going to add peanut butter. If anything can disguise the taste of dirt, its Peanut Butter! Yee haw. So I assembled my smoothie type meal by adding milk, 100 year old frozen banana (still yummy), peanut butter, and cocoa and green powder, in that order so everything gets mixed up.

And you know what? TOTALLY delicious. No, its not a peanut butter blast from Baskin Robbins but compared to the dirt shake- its amazing. And filling. I skipped my coffee that morning because of the so called “energy boost” it provided and noticed i didnt need it. Oh Karma, You might think you defeated me but you just opened up a whole new world for me! yum! Not gonna lie, I broke my tooth a few days ago so this post is overdue but I have had a dirt shake every day since then. Tthe benefits of superfoods give you an immunity boost, energy boost, and are packed with protein (hello appetite suppresant!) and I have noticed a significant DECREASE in my cravings throughout the day! Amazing grass, Im sorry I said those mean things…your product by itself is not something that i would crave but once i doctor it up I loves it. I already made my purchase on amazon for some more green stuff. And I am now using chocolate soy milk for more protein.

wow. whoddathunkit?

When I got to work I was feeling great. And then Karma thought it would be funny to throw me a curve ball… This is homemade. Tiramisu. Tiramisu, as in CREAM, Marscapone Cheese, Chocolate, lady fingers. And *gulp* ESPRESSO. One of my supervisors knows my food obsession and made some just to plop this Brick sized portion of tiramisu (aka heroine) on my desk as a thank you for working so hard. i cried on the inside. No part of my mind body or soul wanted to devour this entire thing after that delcious dirt shake. I took a bite. It was perfect. But I couldnt do it. I put it in the fridge and told him how yummy that bite was. Update: its still in the fridge. Around lunch time I found a Jamba Juice and contemplated oatmeal but then decided on the Peanut butter Moo’d… then i saw the calories (470 for a small!) and got it anyway. pretty yummy. but pretty damn expensive. *slurp*

For dinner, I needed substance. No more liquids please.

I wanted the chocolate malt-o-meal that I was moochin off the roommate…but I think she rescued it from the kitchen. I’m glad she did… it was in danger now that my tooth was being stupid. I decided to make my own.

i used irish steel cut oats. and added cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar.

delish! Not quite the malt o meal but hit the spot!

I crushed some cookies into it. Oatmeal cookies on oatmeal. they got nice and soggy.

I can eat solids. But they have to be soft. I don’t like chewing on one side because it jacks up the flavor experience. even now as my tooth is temporarily fixed I am still on a Soft Diet.

I want PIZZA dammit!

Happy Administrative Assistants Day

On Wednesday morning, on my way to work, I sneezed. I sneezed so hard that I threw my back out. Yes, this is possible. I felt immense discomfort in my lower back where I previously injured myself in January when I slipped down some stairs. I figured the pain would go away and I took deep breaths and walked to work.
I came in to have my steel cut oats, banana and a Venti Misto. Aside from the pain, I was pretty relaxed today because Mickey was being Spayed.
Some of my colleagues presented me with a lovely card and a delicious bar of truffle cake chocolate (i snuck a piece and it was really yummy)
My momma sent me something yummy from the popcorn factory. i LOVED the design on this tin! Usually when its empty I use it to store plastic bags, oatmeal packets, or snack bars.
She sent me the popcorn variety! I love the cheddar and the caramel!
Unfortunately, my back pain was unbearable by the afternoon. I couldn’t sit for long nor could I stand. I was getting sharp pains in my back and it was traveling down my left leg and up my left shoulder. So i went home to carefully crawl into bed. (its now saturday as I type this and Im still in some pain…hopefully will be back to normal soon)
Well… Mickey came back home on Wednesday night. She was so out of it. poor thing didn’t know what to do with herself with that stupid cone on her head. She desperately wanted to lay down but didnt know how. She loves her dog house but didnt fit inside.
Until I gave her a little bit of help. Its her little safe haven. And after some yelping in the middle of the night (from both of us in pain)…
Henry put her in the bed with us and I caught her loving on my pooh Bear. But she gets a freebie since shes sickie.

Rain is for Flowers

I played hookie today (not really) and when I saw the mess outside I was actually kind of happy! I love weather like this for staying in bed and watcing movies…however, I had things to do so- MEH!
I was up pretty early and wanted salad…go figure. I mixed up some romaine with a broken up slice of tofu, some fat free garlic croutons, crumbled leftover omlette and lite dressing.
It was really good but then like 2 hrs later I was starving. I guess Im used to eating lots of granola for breakfast. Silly me.
So I sliced up a banana that was about to be tossed. I love a good ripe banana…but NOT mushy and brown. Thats gross.
I heated up some steel cut oats. I am an oats lover, but there is something about steel cut oats that is simply wonderful. They are creamy yet have all the chewy bits (sounds gross but I cant really find the words now).
I dumped some other crap in there like brown sugar, almond butter, and the ripe banana.
Mixed it all up and was in heaven!
Then the Easter Bunny came early!!!I got two delicious looking chocolate bunnies, one with ancho chilles and the other with roasted almonds, and in the middle of the bunnies is a chocolate BACON bar. yea… I know. Best Part: its called Mo’s Bacon Bar. Hello! Its Mine. My Bar! Woo Hoo! And i tried it… its eerily tasty!

And then the bread fairy came and brought me some new and yummy kitchen staples! I immediately wanted to try a new recipe with the White bread.
When Carol was in College she created this sandwich and I have been curious to try it for weeks now… The ingredients: 2 slices of bread, peanut butter, honey, and barbecue chips. Are you grossed out? Sadly, I was not grossed out- I was soooo curious. I mean, worse case scenario is that its awful and then i toss it. whatevs
I smeared a thin layer of PB on the bread so I dont over power the flavors. And I only drizzle a lilttle bit of honey onto the peanut butter. Then I used some BBQ chips and closed it up.
I dont know why this tastes good people, it just does. Its weird. But Its got the salty, sweet, smoky, crunchy thing going on and I ate it. I would make this again but only when a craving hit. This is some serious comfort food.