Tuesday/Wednesday, Butternut Squash Chocolate Chip Bread Filed under ( Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, soy )

Hello! I apologize for going MIA yesterday. Below is a recap on my Tuesday/Wednesday (so far) and a great link for a Butternut Squash Bread recipe. Enjoy ;)

Tuesday: Work was pure craziness and my laptop got a major virus in the middle of it all(it is currently in IT surgery)! After working late, I ran out to teach Body Attack(which was fabulous) and came home to do more work and to eat a quick dinner. Salad:


Chobani +I later mixed in tons of pumpkin+some nut butter (YUM!):

I ran to the airport at 11:30 pm to pick Josh up from a business trip. We came home and passed out around 12:30.

Wednesday: I didn't want to miss my pump class this morning (despite the late bedtime), so I some how rocked out of bed at 5 am for 10 minutes on the elliptical followed by pump. As a result, my day has been run by Starbucks ;) (non fat misto with pumpkin spice syrup):

Work has been crazy/busy again. Since my laptop is in for surgery, I am working from home. During my lunch break, I threw together a Butternut Squash Chocolate Chip bread using this recipe (and chocolate chips instead of walnuts). I used some organic butternut squash puree that I picked up from WFs:
The result:


I had a nibble and it tastes great! I may try to use applesauce instead of oil next time around. I will let you know what my official taste tester (Josh) thinks later.

Tonight, we're doing some more grilling (bbq chicken for Josh, squash and peaches for both). I am also going to try something new to me....tempeh!With all of the controversy surrounding soy, I have been trying to avoid it as much as possible. However, since I do not eat meat most days (I eat seafood on occasion and no land based meats), it felt like it was time to give this protein option a try. Research (which always seems to flip flop) shows that fermented soy products are the best option. So tonight, I will give Tempeh a try! I will let you know what I think tomorrow. What are your thoughts on the great soy debate?

Eggo Pizza Review, Tofu Xpress & Meals Filed under ( BBQ, Beef, Breakfast, product review, soy, Vegan, vegetarian )

This is going to be a bit of a packed post! First off, even though I do not post every day, I do cook daily. I wanted to show  you a few of the dishes that have been coming out of my kitchen as of late:

Turkey Stir Fry for Josh (ground turkey, water chestnuts, baby corn, stir fry sauce, sesame seeds) over couscous:

Lots of fresh fruit bowls (ok…this isn’t cooking- but definitely noteworthy ;)):

Ground beef & jalapeno burgers for Josh. Burgers were topped with American cheese and placed on toasted, homemade focaccia bread. Served with pickles & corn:

 

Last night, I tried making up some homemade tofu for me using the Tofu Xpress I won from the fabulous and (almost) married Janetha (big early congrats to Janetha- hope the wedding and honeymoon are incredible!):

The press was SO easy to use! I placed a block of Nasoya Lite Firm Tofu into the press and placed it into the fridge for a couple hours (Tofu Xpress recommends letting the press sit for at least an hour, but you can press overnight as well):

Next, I dumped out the water:

Covered the tofu with a little oil, garlic powder & Italian seasoning and cooked at 425 for ~25 minutes flipping once:

 

I planned to eat it with a little marinara sauce….

but it was just…..ick. Tonight, I’m going to try again and use it in a stir fry (which is how I’ve had it out at restaurants before). If I’m still not feeling it, I’m going to give it another go using either one of Averie or Broccoli Hut’s recipes. I ended up making a loaded sweet potato instead and served it with a mega bowl of melon & yogurt :).

Josh had been away on a business trip and was more excited than even I was about the Eggo Real Fruit Pizza’s we had received:

He asked if he could sample the first pizza, Strawberry Granola. Since he was super hungry, we followed the microwave vs. oven cooking directions. The outcome (sorry, the pizza broke a bit from shipping):

 

According to Eggo, “Eggo Real Fruit Pizzas are an all-in-one combination of fruit and warm toasted granola on an oven baked cinnamon and maple-flavored crust.” Josh thought the flavor of the pizza was awesome- like a parfait in pizza form. The pizzas come in individual packages and retail at $2.79 (according to this website). We both thought this was a bit steep for a single pizza. Josh said he would purchase the pizzas if there was a 2/$3.50 type deal.

The pizzas are also pretty calorie dense. The Strawberry granola contains 400 calories, 12 g of fat, 6 g of saturated fat, 390 mg of sodium and 18 g of sugar (according to the back of the box).

I will let you know my opinion when I give the Mixed Berry Granola a go!

What are you up to this weekend? I have some teaching to do (Attack Friday, Step & Pump Saturday). I am hoping to go to brunch after teaching on Saturday and Sunday I want to get some sun. Have a great one!