In the Mood for Comfort Food

Ah.....warm days, cool nights. That's what we've been having here in Southwestern Ontario and it's been absolute perfection.

My tastebuds and cravings have been all over the map. I can't help but stop everytime I pass a nearby veggie stand, yet my oven has definitely been on alot more this week than it has been since early Spring. 

Dare I say that I'm starting to look forward to Fall and the comfort food that comes with?! As much as I love the fresh, summer produce I think I am. Fall is my favourite time of the year and I am ready to welcome it with open arms.

As soon as I got home last night, I cut into a fresh cantalope that I'd bought. In order to use up all the produce that I buy, I'm one of those people that needs to wash and cut my fruit and veggies right away. If I leave it for another day, it often ends up spoiling before I ever get to it.

This was one of those melons that smelled of sweetness as soon as you put it up to your nose. I had a feeling it was going to be really good and I was right!! It was the best cantalope that I have ever, and I mean EVER, eaten. I chopped the entire melon up, ate a bunch right outta the bowl, made a sweet treat that I'm hoping to share with you real soon and packed up a couple of containers, so I could take some melon to work with me today and tomorrow.

After my melon, I got to work making homemade tomato soup for dinner and topped it with some shredded cheddar. Yummers!!!

After dinner, I was procratstinating so I wouldn't have to clean the bathroom in the mood for more kitchen creativity, so I decided to try a couple of recipes that I'd found online recently.

First, I made some Whole Wheat Banana Peach Muffins (recipe by Jenna at eat, live, run). These were so tasty! I loved them so much that I may have eaten three last night...no, I am not joking and there is no strikeout being used here my friends :)

I also decided to make some slow cooker oatmeal for breakfast this morning. Slow Cooker?!?! Whoa....that definitely screams Fall right?!  I  made Janetha's slow cooked apple cinnamon steel cut oats. Talk about waking up to heaven in your very own home. The smell of apples and cinnamon greeted me at the door when I got up this morning. This oatmeal might be my new all-time favourite breakfast --- it is DELICIOUS!! I bought steel cut oats at the bulk store a few months ago, but I really didn't know what to do with them. Boy, do I know now!! Go check out the recipe and check out the other links that Janetha shares in her post. I'm thinking some banana coconut oats might be in this girl's immediate future.

What is your favourite oatmeal combo?

So now I am fueled and off to work for the day. I hope you have a great one!

Andrea
xoxo

Peach Vanilla Chai Smoothie Bowl

Mmmm Breakfast.

The most important meal of the day.

It is so important to eat your first meal shortly after waking. I usually eat within the first hour, so that my body is fueled and ready to tackle the day. Eating a healthy breakfast not only gives your bod the kickstart it needs to start performing for the day, but it also gives your metabolism a kick in the butt to get working and we all want that metabolism to be working to its fullest potential, right?! :-)

I've always been a breakfast eater. When I get up in the morning, the first things I think are *get me mah coffee* and *what's for breakfast* --- you may notice that I often speak from the tummy ;-)

Usually I prefer warm savoury breakfasts, but we've had such a warm summer that I've found myself craving foods that are cool and refreshing.

Smoothies fit right into those requirements, but I never feel like a drink is enough to fill me up, so I decided to try my own 'smoothie in a bowl' combo and see if I could add a little bulk to make my smoothie 'stick to my ribs' a little longer. As bulk, I added oats, chia and some Vega One Vanilla Chai shake powder. I ended up make a huge, THICK shake and it was awesome! I ate half before I left for work, half when I arrived at work and was satisfied until noon.

I had some Niagara peaches left that were starting to get too soft, so I used them in my smoothie, but you can certainly use any fruit/veggie combo that suits ya.

Peach Vanilla Chai Smoothie Bowl

Makes one big-ass smoothie bowl for one hungry gal ;-)

1 large peach, chopped into chunks - I froze mine the night before

1/2 - 1 large frozen banana

1 serving Vega One Vanilla Chai nutritional shake powder *optional

1/4 c oats

1 tbsp chia seeds

3/4 c almond milk (or milk of your choice)

1/2 c water

1/2 tsp pure vanilla

*Note: If you do not use a protein powder that is naturally sweetened, you may want to add some sweetener or use vanilla sweetened almond milk - stevia or maple syrup would also be good sweetener options for this smoothie*

Place all your ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. Pour into your fave cereal bowl, top with your fave toppings (chopped fruit, nuts, coconut, granola) and eat 'er up!

I got this as a free sample in the mail {score!}

This all-in-one shake mix has a great flavour and doesn't leave a chalky taste in your mouth. It is one of the few powders that I really, really like!

Thick enough to eat with a spoon - yummers!

 

Cool - check!

Refreshing - check!

Filling - check!

Healthy - check!

Oh so Delicious - check!

This is a new fave of mine for sure!

What is your favourite summertime breakfast?

Have a great day! TGIF!

Andrea

xoxo

Strawberry Lime Spritzer

You know those summer days when it's so freakin' hot out you feel like you just might melt?! Today is  the third day in a row that's threatening record temperatures and humidity that is through the roof. You know it's bad when you get out of the shower and start sweating before you even start to put your make up on. I think it's pretty safe to declare this week the first "bad hair" week of summer. Hello frizz...how you doin'??

via Pinterest via Deb Ford Moreland

We have a really old house that doesn't have any duct work, so no central air for us. We do have a heavy duty stand up one that hooks into our window though, but no matter how high we run the A/C, our house just can't seem to get rid of the ickiness that comes with such crazy humidity.  I've been more motivated than ever to get up bright and early to do my workouts before work just so I can get ready for work at the gym instead of at home :) 

Normally, I would say that this is the perfect beer drinkin' kinda day, but I'd like to stay away from anything that's laden with calories, so I decided to recreate one of my favourite non-alcoholic drinks instead. Have you ever had a Strawberry Limeade from Sonic? Sadly, there are no Sonics in Canada (or in Ontario at least), so I always try to make a pit stop for some tater tots and a limeade whenever I'm visiting the fam.  Last week my mom & I stopped on the way to the airport for breakfast. Strawberry limeade, tater tots and cheddar poppers --- oh my --- what a meal!!

Strawberry limeades are soooo good and the one I had last week got me thinking about how easy it would be to create my own verison at home. It turned out to be pretty fabulous -- the perfect summer bevie when you're looking for something that's a little 'fancied up' without the booze. I used sparkling water instead of a sugary soda, so it tastes more like a spritzer, but a little Truvia (stevia) helped to sweeten it up perfectly. Strawberries are in season right now and they were so perfect in this, but you could also buy some frozen strawberries to keep on hand and they would work  as well.

Strawberry Lime Spritzer
Makes 1

4 - 6 strawberries, stemmed & chopped

3 - 4 thin slices of lime

lime flavoured sparkling spring water

1 - 2 tsp Truvia (or stevia) --- sugar would also work in a pinch

Using a fork, mash your chopped strawberries.

Place in a glass. Add 2 - 3 lime wedges and then pour in your sparkling water. I added the Truvia at the end and gave it a little stir...be careful, mine foamed up and overflowed a wee bit! Add more Truvia to your desired sweetness.  Use additional lime slices & strawberries to garnish.

Strawberries with stems --- too cute!

Oops! Watch out for spillage.

Yummm....

Whoa baby

*Note: Make this up about 15 - 20 minutes before serving. I found the flavours of the limes and strawberries came through much better after soaking for a bit*

I give you the bomb-digity of summer bevies!

Do you have a favourite restaurant that you like to visit when you're on vacation?

What's your favourite summertime drink ~ alcholic nor non?

Have a great Thursday & stay cool my friends,

Andrea
xoxo