Fuel for Fossils

Happy Friday Everyone! Today couldn’t come soon enough because I had a week that was rather long and tiring.

Backing up to Thursday, though, I awoke eager to try Catlin’s delicious new pumpkin yogurt phenomenon for breakfast:

Sliced Naner, 1/2 Cup Chobani Vanilla Yogurt, 1/2 Cup Pumpkin, Cranberry Pecan Granola, Cinnamon, Pumpkin Pie Spice, 2 Tbs. Ground Flax, Agave Nectar

Mixed in it was tasted wonderful and looked like orange blizzard of goodness. I have found a new staple recipe for quick, nutritious, and filling breakfasts:

My mid-morning snack was a classy presentation of Granny Smith apple slices and Blue Diamond Honey Almond Butter:

Even Though I Quit Drinking, I Can Still Find Ways to Put My Martini Glasses To Good Use.

I added the almond butter for extra sustenance because I was having a late lunch that day. For, you see, I had a catch-up session with my therapist (prior to Thursday, I hadn’t seen her in over a year). A lot of changes will be occurring in my life soon, so I wanted to talk to her about those in detail. It was wonderful being back in her office again, putting things into positive perspective. She also gave me some great information on education paths to become a licensed therapist with specializations in substance abuse treatment and family therapy.

I had just enough time to pick-up a lunch between the ending of my awesome and uplifting session and going to work, so I picked up a yummy wrap and this new tea that’s popping up everywhere in health food stores:

The Wrap: Sweet Potato, Dijon Chicken Breast, Lettuce, Whole Wheat Wrap

The tea was “Grapefruit Goji” flavor. It was refreshing and not too sweet. Loaded with all sorts of antioxidant-rich tea blends (white, green, oolong) as well as natural flavors derived from grapefruit and goji berries. Very nice, I will try it twice. Yes Sam, even with green eggs and ham…um, I digress.

Afternoon snack:

Lemon Coconut Simply Bar and Lemon Mate Tea. How Zingy!

Dinner was based on the fact that I had little to nothing going on in neither my bank account or my fridge. It turned out to be majorly delicious though. See, I’m of the belief that a sometimes poor kitchen leads to very rich innovations and surprisingly yummy recipes. Case in point:

Baked Sweet Potato, Topped With Dr.Praeger's Curry Veggie Burger, Black Beans, Hummus, Hot Sauce

Mashed and mixed up, it was heaven. Seriously amazing.

Dessert was an indulgent repeat of the previous night. Plus one Dove Dark Chocolate:

Deep Chocolate VitaTop, Cool Whip, Mini-Chocolate Chips, Hershey's Syrup, Dove Dark Chocolate

After digesting everything, I attempted to do an entire Yoga to the People podcast, got 35 min. into it and abandoned it once the spinal balancing sequence began. I then proceeded to do some freestyle core work (bicycle crunches, pilates twists), and deep hip stretches (half-pigeon). Then, I gchatted with the lovely Jamie and called it a night.

After lunch, I walked 2.83 miles (I checked the route on mapmywalk.com) to pick up Mina. So, even though I took a break from the formal-exercise setting of the gym, I still found ways to move this week.

I didn’t get nearly enough sleep last night (6 hours, lame), and awoke this morning to discover that I forgot to run the dishwasher. Ergo, my coffee pot was not ready for brewing action. I made some supercharging pumpkin yogurt:

1/2 Cup Chobani Vanilla Yogurt, 1/2 Cup Pumpkin, 1/2 Cup Cranberry Pecan Granola, Cinnamon Sugar, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Sprinkle of Golden Raisins, 1 Tbs. of Almond Butter, Drizzle of Agave Nectar

Listened to NPR and became saddened over the horrendously tragic situation in Haiti. The amount of devastation that has erupted in that country is impossible to comprehend. All of my warmest hopes, thoughts, and wishes go out to the people of Haiti during this grim time. The New York Times provided an extensive list of charities and relief agencies to which you can give.

On my way to work I picked up a venti Starbucks Pike Place Roast to chug. I needed the extra caffeine for all the usual reasons, but especially this morning. For, you see, I was a chaperone for Mina’s field trip to the American Museum of Natural History. That’s right, a shoal of Kindergartners and myself were going on a fossil hunt. Therefore, I needed Fossil Fuels. Fossil Fuels such as…a coffee the size of my head and a heck of a lot of patience.

I also picked up some snacks for the day:

Key Lime Pie Lara Bar, Banana

I ate the banana mid-morning, the Lara Bar mid-afternoon.

In between those snacks, though, I managed to help the Mina and her partner find their assigned dinosaur:

Kind of Punk Rock, No?

After the field trip, I had some free time while Mina was still in school, so I meandered about the Upper West Side. My meandering led me to one of my favorite restaurants, Josie’s.

I had some yummy bread and sweet potato puree to nosh on while waiting for my main entree:

I ordered the Warm Macadamia-Crusted Natural Chicken Breast Salad, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I say that without hyperbole, folks. I mean, just look at this thing:

organic mesclun greens, mango, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, organic orzo & balsamic vinaigrette

The Moistest, Most Delicious Chicken Breast I've Ever Had. Hands Down.

During the afternoon, I enjoyed the previously pictured Lara Bar with some tea:

After work, I decided to make an economical, delicious supply of soup that provided me with a week’s worth of leftovers:

Lentil and Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 cup lentils (any variety you prefer)
  
• 2 15-ounce cans reduced-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups fat-free, low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

Directions:

In a large pot, heat oil on medium heat. Sauté onions, and garlic until softened, about 1-3 minutes. Sprinkle cumin and chili powder, cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add lentils, black beans, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

It turned out to be loaded with kick and flavor. Not to mention, it was incredibly filling and cheap to make. I’m looking forward to the boatload of leftovers I have ahead of me.

Here’s what my dinner ended up looking like:

Served With Two Ryvita Multigrain Crackers. Eaten With Plastic Spoon Because I Still Need to Do Dishes.

Dessert was c’est magnifique:

Mango Slices Drizzled With Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Picked Up This Dessert Idea From "Health" Magazine's Latest Issue.

While nibbling on dinner and dessert, I had the pleasure of watching Mystery Science Theater 3,000, Werewolf. I think I rattled my core into better shape from laughing so hard. I love those sarcastic robots!

Anywho, off to bed.

What is your favorite bulk soup recipe?

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