Amazing Meal – Vanilla Chai

I decided to take my morning oat smoothie (smoatie?)  to work with me to try to keep me satisfied longer.  Usually I eat breakfast at home around 6:45 and I’m hungry again by 10:00.  Eating after I get to work makes it closer to 8 am… but I still had about a cup of canteloupe and coffee before leaving the house.

For an extra punch of nutrition I added the follow trial packet of Vanilla Chair Amazing Meal (thanks to my samples from Terri Jo) to my smoatie.

The following went into my bullet cup and were quickly blended before bed:

 

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

1 tsp chia seeds (they’re growing on me – no, not literally)

1/2 cup unsweetened Silk

1/2 scoop Designer Whey protein powder

Overnight oats – not the prettiest!

The Amazing Meal still had a slightly green color to it but smelled yummy.  After adding another 1/2 cup of Silk, it blended up together very well.

It's not called beautiful meal, it's AMAZING - more important that it tastes good, right?

Although I eventually ended half a frozen banana to the mix, I tasted it first to review the product. 

- The “meal” blended in well and was not gritty – but the overall texture was thick since there were oats in the mix.

- The flavor was light and not overly sweet at all – again, it was in addition to the 1/2 scoop of vanilla protein powder but it had a lightly spiced, sweet flavor.

- With the nutritional benefit of this mix in, I would definitely use it again! 

Of course I took caution to not repeat my oat shoe incident.

Spill-free!

Perfect for Smoaties on the go!

Since the sample was 10 ounces and they quote a serving as 23.5 g, it only added about 50 calories to my smoothie, giving it a total of around 325 calories – with the soy milk, oats, chia, and banana, the Amazing Meal definitely made it a balanced breakfast on the go.

Honestly the best part of reviewing this first product was the shaker cup they sent!  I put it in a baggie this morning, but now I know for the future that it will be perfectly safe to toss in  my bag without worrying about spills.

Cheers!

Want to try the Vanilla Chai?  You can order some here.

What’s your favorite Amazing Grass product?  I’m thinking of taking their 14 day challenge… anyone want to do it with me?  You can read about Jen’s experience (from Peas & Crayons) here.

PS – I hadn’t planned to be so captivated by the royal wedding, but found it addicting while getting ready this morning.  The ceremony itself wasn’t that exciting (I only saw after the vows, and they both looked so bored sitting there!), but once they were getting in the carriage Kate turned to William and said “I’m so happy” – I thought that was a beautiful moment.

Anyone wearing hats like THIS will not be allowed at my wedding.  Sorry, Eugenie and Beatrice.

And how lame was the balcony kiss???  My fiance’ (who I didn’t know was watching it all at home) texted me at work and said “Our kiss will be way better!”  Yeah, we’ll blow them out of the water.

But now he wants planes to fly over too.

Happy Friday!

xox

C

Starting Off Healthy

If you’ve read my blog at all over the past 40 days, you probably noticed that I gave up added sugars for Lent… and whined about it a LOT.

It was really difficult to resist temptations at first, but got suprisingly easy by the end of the second week or so.  They say it takes 60 days to make a new habit, right?  So I missed it by 20.

Let me say yes, I’m a dietitian, and yes, I agree with (most of) the article that’s floating around about sugar being toxic.  I know all about practicing moderation.  I know all the different strategies to limit unhealthy foods and enjoy so many natural foods that are the best kind of fuel for your body.  Like Amazing Grass’s products, which I so kindly was sent some samples of (thanks Teri Jo!).  Reviews will come as I try them.

But anyway, I knew I’d be gorging myself on Sunday.  Eating sweets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Stuffing my face with cupcakes, cookies, cake, candy, and chocolate until my belly hurt.  And then I’d eat more.  So I started the weekend off with a healthy dinner.

Quinoa caprese – with stewed tomatoes, fresh basil, and goat cheese

My poor fiance’ thought we would snuggle on the couch Saturday night, but I had baking to do!  Carrot cake cupcakes, courtesy of the recipe makeover in last month’s Cooking Light.

Topped with to-die-for cream cheese frosting

Funfetti mini cupcakes, courtesy of Aldi’s boxed mix! =)

I would like to meet the person who had the genius idea to top cakes with more butter and sugar. 

Also the Einstein who thought that icing was not enough – we needed to add more (colorful and crunchy) sugar!

Yes, they did taste as good as they looked.  And no, I didn’t even LOOK at the nutrition facts.

And Jessica’s No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies.

With her magical addition of chocolate.

Since the fiance’ gave up sugar with me (mostly), we played Easter bunny and exchanged baskets.  Never to be outdone, he gave me two huge baskets, filled with the treats below plus about 30 plastic eggs filled with Ferrero Rocher and other mini treats.

He said, “When I saw the running bunny I just knew he was perfect for you!”

Too bad my ankle is still too messed up to run.  But I was able to walk (in bangin’ heels) most of the weekend.

So this morning I woke up with a sugar hangover, but still started the day with two malted milk ball eggs, bites of leftover coconut lemon cake and a cookie (or two).  But I was also really craving some fiber and protein in the form of whipped banana oats.  I had to use a piece of frozen banana since we didn’t have any fresh, but it gave the oats an even creamier texture once it dissolved.  As I was topping them with a bit of maple syrup, I promised myself I would not try on my wedding dress today.

Happy Monday, all!  Anyone else have a food hangover today?

xox

C

Breakfast Cookie A la mode

I owe so many new food/recipe discoveries to the blog world.  For this one in particular I’ve got to give credit to Jess and Clare for the basics of my attempted breakfast cookies.

Sunday night I made a combination of quick oats, almond butter, and cinnamon, and milk that turned out to be less than impressive.  So last night I took more specific notes from the girls’ posts and made a more serious attempt.

1/3 cup quick oats

1 Tbsp steel cut oats

1 Tbsp almond butter

1/2 scoop Designer Whey (french vanilla)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 packet Splenda

pinch salt

…. mash mash mash away to incorporate the almond butter.  After this step I added a piece of a frozen (and microwaved) banana to help it hold together and add some sweetness.

The banana definitely improved the consistency and helped to mush together the ingredients.  We had no skim milk at home (gasp!), so I added some 2% (about 2 Tbsp) for an extra indulgent cookie.

And then I got nervous, thinking I had over poured and it would be soggy.  Then I had a great idea….

Green Superfood (chocolate) to the rescue!  I have been using this on a regular basis during Lent to help satisfy my chocolate cravings.  It contains cocoa & the grassy taste isn’t overpowering.  Plus I love the dainty mini-scooper!  For only 30 calories, it packs a TON of nutrients!

Ahh, this texture seems much better – firm enough to shape with a fork.

I was really excited to try the cookie this morning.  For people who think their Green Monsters or homemade juices are ugly (like Julie’s barf bowl), check out this gross-looking “cookie”!

The texture was just grand, like an underbaked cookie.  Then I had ANOTHER stroke of genius…. every “dessert” is better with “ice cream” (notice the quotation marks).  Topped with some plain Fage, this made a fantastic, nutrient packed breakfast!  Mmmm, à la mode!

Approximate nutrition: 312 calories, 12 g fat, 41 g carbs, 12 g protein

You know what?  I’m feeling much less genius like.  This would have been phenomenal if I had thrown it in the microwave for a few seconds, making it a WARM cookie a la mode.  Ugh, I guess there’s always tomorrow!  And cocoa nibs… or nuts…

Although the fat content is a bit higher than I would like, it definitely keeps me satisfied until lunchtime.  I might cut back the almond butter to 1/2 Tbsp tomorrow.

On an unrelated note, my ankle is still awful.  I try to keep it elevated and iced at work, but walking to and from the bus stop is miserable.  I hobble around like Igor or the hunchback of Notre Dame.  My fiance’ is driving me in and picking me up from work tomorrow, but I am already dreading the hobble to the bus stop at 4:30.

Anyone have good advice for ankle sprains?   Not working out and being in pain have me at my wit’s end. 

xo

C