.. my Oats and Kabocha that is.. not me :p
All Dressed Up and One Spot to Go
I made my first stove top oats this morning! Yeah, I’ve been a total slacker up to this point just using the microwave, and most of the time using quick oats for that matter. But today, since I had time and wasn’t ravenous (which turned out to be important, haha) I went stove top. I used 1/3 c Oats and 2 tbsp Oat Bran. I guess I didn’t add enough liquid at first because when they first boiled down they weren’t even close to being cooked so I kept added H20 and USAB until it got to the perfect texture. Naturally my first stove tops had to be Pumpkin.. (apologies in advance, the pics did not turn out good :/)
Naked Pumpkin Oats!
Taking full advantage of my last couple days of not-particularly-clean eating, I dressed my naked outs with:
1/3 c Pumpkin
1 tbsp Sunbutter
3/4 tbsp Pumpkin Pecan Butter
1 tbsp Chocolate Chips
1 tbsp chopped Pecan pieces
all dressed up!
All I gotta say is ‘yummers!’ I definitely see/taste the difference in the stove top version. They are thicker and creamier (not sure that’s the right word). It was rather time consuming however, so I’ll have to mix up a few batches and keep them in the fridge for my rushed mornings. Even though this is a “dirty” oatmeal version for nutritional needs, I think to clean it up I’ll just need to subtract the Chocolate Chips, Pumpkin Butter and either the Pecans or the Nut Butter (keep one for my good fats) and add in a half-scoop of Protein Powder. And to tell you the truth, although this was fantastic and indulgent, I miss my Protein Oats and will feel equally satisfied (& healthier) with my usual clean version. Just to give myself a little more guilt, or perhaps to convince myself that it’s time to clean it up, I calculated the nutrition facts of the above bowl, they were approximately:
Calories: 475
Fat: 25
Sat Fat: 5
Carbs: 56
Fiber: 13
Sugar: 19
Protein: 13
Then I compared it to a cleaned up bowl which included: oats, oat bran, pumpkin, Sunflower Butter, and 1/2 scoop Protein Powderlook at the difference!
Calories: 337
Fat: 12
Sat Fat: 2
Carbs: 40
Fiber: 11
Sugar: 5
Protein: 24
Now that’s a better nutritional profile! Add a cup of Starbucks Via and I’m one happy camper (.. ok wow, I just said ‘happy camper’ :p).
Kabocha Me Crazy
So as I was suppose to be working on my take-home-Final, I naturally was brainstorming new fun things to do with the other Kabocha (wow, the level of dorkiness just shot up.. yet I’m ok with that :p). So like I predicted yesterday, I had to try out a Protein Powder mix. The following deliciousness emerged..
Kabocha Protein Peanut Butter Custard
1 Kabocha
1 scoop All the Whey Cake Batter Protein Powder
<1 tbsp Unsweetened Almond Breeze
1-2 tbsp Better n’ Peanut Butter
So I sliced the Kabocha in half, cleaned out the seeds and cooked it at 375F for 30 minutes. Then I scooped out one of the halves into a food processor and added the Protein Powder, dash of UAB and Better n’ Peanut Butter, and hit Go… ok it doesn’t actually say go, but I think it should.
So this is great by itself. It tastes like a rich peanut butter pudding! It’s amazing how the whipped texture and flavor of the Kabocha imitates other unhealthy alternatives (thinkin butters & creams). It was hard not to just eat this all strait from the processor, but there was one more experiment.
I then spooned the pudding-batter into a small ramekin and microwaved it for 45 seconds. If you prefer more of a cake-like treat, microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Other potential yummy add-ins include: trail mix, nuts, cinnamon or chocolate chips, or dates. And behold a rich, delicious & healthy Peanut Butter custard!
Kabocha Protein Peanut Butter Custard
I used 2 tablespoons of BPB but 1 would have been more than sufficient. I didn’t run the nutrition facts on this because I forgot to weigh how much Kabocha I used. I’ve also had a small problem finding accurate nutritional data on Kabocha. A number of sites claim that 3/4 cup (85 g) is 30 calories. I find this difficult to believe considering that 1 cup of Butternut Squash is around 80 calories. Do any of you have any additional info? Next time I cook one up I’ll be sure to weigh & measure the amounts to hopefully get a better idea. If I had to estimate, I would think half of the scooped out product used was maybe 1.5 cups. More detail data coming soon!
New Restaurant and New Moon!
A good friend of mine patiently waited until I was done with my competitions so we could do dinner, wine and New Moon. We were both big fans of the book, so we’d been looking forward to this for a while. We decided to go to a restaurant in Phoenix call True Foods. It is a concept restaurant which focuses on uses seasonal, organic, logically grown products. I got the Warm Pita with Shaved Turkey, Provolone, Tomato, Onions, Grapes & Yogurt Dressing. While Caroline got the Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Mozzarella, Tomatoes & Zucchini. We both also got a glass of white wine, and this time I made it past my 1/4 glass to a whole 2/3 before feeling light-headed and loopy :p
After dinner we headed over to see ‘New Moon,’ and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I liked this director better than the first film’s and how they did the werewolves was awesome! The 2nd book was my least favorite of the 4 so I didn’t really have high expectations, so I definitely enjoyed it. Next I need to see ‘Blind Side.’ I read the book a couple years ago and loved it. I’m curious to see how well they transfered such a wonderful true story into a movie.
Fun Links
Inspirational Gifts for the Season – From Whole Foods
Healthy Eggnog Recipe – From My Daily Wellness Tip
I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! Are there any movies you’re looking forward to seeing over the holiday season?
Fun Links
Dude, that oatmeal looks INTENSE. I’m on a pumpkin kick, too (I’ve got a big ol’ orange guy right here next to me that’s destined for the roaster). My next experiment will be pumpkin and parsnip mash. BTW – your competition photos are HAWT. Nice work and congrats.
That looks like dessert and not breakfast. Count me in! I can’t keep chocolate chips in the house though or i’d eat the whole bag.
Everything is good with cake batter whey!!!
Yeah, definitely not my usual, haha, but a delicious treat nonetheless. My weak of ridiculous eating has come to an end, so I guess I figured why not go out with a bang :p
I love New Moon, heard that The Blind Side is awesome.I still need to see that one.
I’m totally going to re-read the 3rd and 4th books now! And though I’m on Team Edward for sure, and it’s robbing the cradle, all I gotta say about Jacob is.. wow :p
I went to True Foods when I was in town for work a couple months ago. I wish we had one where I lived…I LOVE that place! I got the spaghetti squash casserole, too. Well, my co-worker and I split the casserole and the green tea soba noodles. Yum!
I think I might go back this week, there are just SO many things on the menu I want to try!