Oats in a jar

I had a rough early start to my Sunday morning that began with me wide awake at 4:00am. I always do this on my 2nd day of work in a row. I guess I am just wired with energy from the previous day. Thank goodness for timer set coffee!



I was so excited to try the famous "oats in a jar" that has been spreading like wildfire through the blogger world. I had been saving this jar for a few days until I felt a craving for a big bowl of PB oats. Well, today was the day. I soaked 1/2c. oats with water and 1/2c. butternut squash puree overnight. The next day I zapped in the microwave then poured the hot oats into the jar. Then MAGIC! It was a glorious bowl of oats that I cannot wait to try again.





If could have licked the inside of the jar I would have =)

Where is The Ark Noah?

A view from above an Atlanta interstate on the day the "Great Floods" hit my great city.

Easy Homemade Hummus

Traditional Hummus



Ingredients
2 (15.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation
1. Place beans and garlic in a food processor; pulse 5 times or until chopped. Add 1/2 cup water and remaining ingredients; pulse until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Fall Cream Cheese Loving

Pumpkin Cream Cheese




Ingredients
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Beat all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Makes 1-1/2 cups (24, 1-tablespoon servings).

Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Sweating it out

I was awaken this morning to beautiful sunshine at 7:30 that made me giddy with delight because as a nurse my body is so accustomed to a 5:00am wake up call. I immediately downed a cup of coffee and headed out the door. Since I was starting my run a little later than usually I assumed it would be somewhat warmer. During my 6 miles it was not only warmer but I was sweating buckets. I guess my body has a lot of junk is needed to excrete. Typically on days that I work I tend to have of a less healthy intake.



After my run I was craving eggs and something cold so I made a quick old standby that did the trick. A scrambled egg white omelette with toast and a banana blackberry smoothie made with 8th continent soy milk and Amazing Grass chocolate greens powder.




Now I am off for a busy day of errands and cleaning then tonight I am headed to Max and Erma's for birthday dinner. See ya later!

Confession Time

Long time so talk everyone! I have been in denial for a while but the time to confess has come, I have gained 25 lbs since January. The weight has slowly but sometimes fastly gained on me. Since January my life has gone from one end of the spectrum to the next affecting every area of my life. I have always been an emotional eater as many people are but that aspect plus my decrease in exercise from last year has lead to my weight gain. As many of you know I have previously lost 100lbs and maintained the weight-loss for 2.5years. Based on my height and new weight, the time has come for me to lose a few of these pounds and put me back into my healthier lifestyle and perspective.

I slowly lost pieces of myself and heart since January and now the time has come to get it back. During the past 2 months I have begun to plan my next moves to go my own direction since my engagement was ended. I have been working as a nurse for almost 3 years in the Adult ICU and now Postpartum Mother-Baby. I have gone from one extreme to the next seeing and performing some amazing procedures in the areas of nursing. There are good days and bad days that never let me down. I have finally decided to go back to school to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. My passion is healthy and strong families in the community. So many diseases and conditions that are plaguing are healthcare system can easily be prevented by proper diet and exercise.

I am sooo EXCITED about this new adventure in my life. I plan to start next Spring 2010 or Fall 2010 then finish in 4 semesters. SO QUICK!! I have already taken my MAT, GRE and getting my application together. I get a huge smile on my face every time I think about this. So, long story short, I am going to begin losing weight and I then I am starting Graduate School.

Belgium to Italy

I started off my day before work with an amazing breakfast that took me all the way to Belgium. Yesterday at the grocery store I had a craving for waffles so I knew exactly what my creation would be this morning.



I enjoy 3 Vans Waffles topped with scrambled egg whites and syrup. A banana with white chocolate peanut butter added the right amount of sweetness to complete my breakfast. Even if these waffles were not from Belgium, they were big and fluffy enough to do the trick.



The past week or so has been a blurr with all the changes in my life but through it all I have decided to always have a running to do list for my life. I guess you could say it is my "bucket list." One of the things on my list that was easy enough to accomplish was make a dish with polenta in it. During my trip to the grocery store yesterday I spotted some pre-made polenta from the good folks and Melissa's. There were many different flavors like sun-dried tomato but I decided on the plain for my first taste. Here is what I came up with for my lunch today.



I sliced half of the polenta in to 4 sections and topped with some chickpeas, garlic pasta sauce, baby bellas, and low fat cobly jack cheese. I added a Gala apple for a small dessert.



The polenta was firm yet still creamy in texture with a flavor that was not to over-powering. After my trip in Belgium this morning, I could not believe I had already made it to Italy.