Martha’s in the kitchen…

My mom bought me this gorgeous new bowl from Pier One…does she know me super well, or what? 😀

Do you think it’s a problem that I get so excited over eating breakfast in a new bowl?  Please don’t answer that question.   😉

I christened the bright red bowl with a perfect combo of flavors. 😀

• 1/4 c. oatbran
• 1/4 c. oatmeal
• 1 c. milk
• 1 large banana
• 1 small handful of raisins
• 1 T. crushed flax

On top I sprinkled 2 tsp. unsweetened coconut, 2 T. walnuts, and 2 T. Natures Path Pumpkin Granola.  It was pretty much amazing.  And made up for yesterday’s 1/2 c. portion of oats. 😉

Needless to say, after such a fantastic breakfast, I was feeling pretty energized.  And that was without my usual morning cup of joe.  So I decided to head into the living room and stttretch out with a 1 hr. session of yoga.  It felt absolutely delicious.  By the end, I was dripping with sweat. 😀  And I think there’s some sort of connection between yoga and peaches, because whenever I have a morning yoga session, I’m craving peaches.  Hmmm…

After making myself look at least presentable (aka, no more sweat dripping off my face,) I took a quick drive to the post office to drop off my assignment to be whisked away to my professor.  I was pretty happy to be handing it in, although I can’t say I feel great about it.  I mean, I put a lot of work into it, but it just feels like it needs…something.  I think I could have used one more full week to just perfect it.  But at least I don’t have to worry about it anymore, and I’m probably just overthinking it.  Now it’s on to one last assignment…woohoo!

Once I was home, I made myself a steamy hot cup of coffee with a bit of milk.  I have it every day, so don’t ask me why I felt the sudden urge to photograph it.  Maybe because my favorite heart mug just wanted to make another appearance. 😀  I’m really into mugs and spoons, but somehow I always end up using this same heart mug.  It’s kind of quirky. 😀

Last night’s pasta tasted even better today.  The flavors of the basil and mozzarella sort of melded together, and it’s just so good when it’s chilled.  I topped my entire plate, including the side salad, with a good dousing of balsamic vinegar.  I think I might be addicted to balsamic.  A friend told me theres even such a thing as white balsamic??  I’m so intrigued. 😀

Still feeling on the hungry side, I finished my meal with a bowl of plain yogurt, 1 T. flax, and raisins.  I love this mix. 😀

This became my snack-on-the-go this afternoon, as mom and I headed into a beautifully sunny, 4-mile walk.  I know I’ve probably said this a kazillion times, but I really do enjoy these bars.  They’re the perfect balance of sweet, energy, and chew.  Mmm..

This running schedule is great once Saturday comes, because it means I run every other day.  But on Wednesday, I skip Thursday and Friday as running days, which means I go two days without running.  It just feels weird to me, but I think this might be a good thing.  It definitely makes me crave some time in my sneakers, which makes Saturday’s long runs extra special.  And resting up my legs probably doesn’t hurt, either, especially since I’m still walking on my “off days.” 😀

Tonight’s dinner photo needs some clarification points…

1. No, I’m not on a diet.
2. Yes, it tasted way better then it looks.

I was super excited for this meal, because Martha Stewart’s recipes have been great so far.  And an Indian inspired, vegetarian dish by the name of Curried Lentils in Tomato Sauce sounded interesting.  Especially since I’ve yet to every cook with curry!  I just made a few tweaks:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• heavy hand of ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 cayenne pepper
• 1 jar (26 ounces) Hunt’s tomato sauce
• 1 c. dry lentils, cooked
• 2 tablespoons  lime juice

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and ginger; season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Add spices; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Add tomato sauce and lentils.  Simmer until slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice.
4. Serve lentil mixture with rice.

And it was really, really tasty!!  Unfortanetly, I didn’t make enough rice.  And this recipe does not serve 6 people!  I gave everyone a decent sized portion, and somehow this was all that was left on the bottom of the pot.  Urm…should have doubled it for sure!! 

It was actually kind of a sad looking dinner, and I did feel like I was dieting.  Oh well…lesson learned. 😉 

Of course I was still hungry, but a little bowl of cereal helped solve that problem… 😀

I swear there’s a piece of chocolate underneath that peanut butter… 😀  This dessert is a definite favorite these last few days. 

And tonight, there’s guarenteed to be an appearance of one of these chillers:

• 4 ice cubes
• 1 c. frozen blueberries
• 1 banana
• 1 c. milk
• 1 T. peanut butter

It will probably come later, as I’m sitting by the campfire in my pj’s, enjoying a relaxing Friday night. 😀 

Can you believe the weekend is already here?  I don’t have any major plans, other then fitting in a 5-mile run tomorrow, possibly going to a country fair, and maybe a cookout or two.  I like slow moving weekends sometimes. 😀

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Exercise: 4-mile walk + 1 hr. yoga session