Nutty October

It's that ray of sunshine that streams through my window every morning, followed by the constant sound of rustling leaves, that keeps me from going crazy this time of year.

And then, it's that pile of loose leaf paper, the stacked books, and the crumbled up interviews in the wastebasket that bring me right back to my frantic state.

October is a beautiful disaster for me, and I am almost certain that that is the case for every other university student in Canada and the world.

However, last night as I was laying in bed thinking about the midterm I had to write this morning I suddenly felt at ease. There really was nothing I had to worry about. Sure, I could go over everything I DIDN'T know for the exam...Or else, I could think about all the simple things in life that make me happy --- Like sunshine, rustling leaves, delicious food, racing heart rates, beautiful family and friends ---Why do we let such little things like midterms and papers get to us? There is so much else to life, there is so much beauty.

I woke up with ease this morning as those pleasing thoughts I went to bed with took any sign of grogginess out of me.

This mornings run felt easier than ever, too. Instead of huffing and puffing, I breathed deeply in the crisp fall air; and instead of looking at my own racing feet, I waved to every Jo Blow that crossed my path. Today was going to be a good day, midterm or not.

For breakfast, I had some protein packed pancakes --- topped with sliced banana, agave nectar, and almond butter. Lately I have been doing half spelt flour and half oats to switch up the texture. I have also been adding in whatever I feel is necessary, like today for some brain food I threw in some flax seeds.

They were delish. I must say these are a great way to get through my ever-so-gritty and over powering in taste Vega powder!

After breakfast I went about my day --- On what seemed like broken glass --- As I was informed that at any point during the day an exterminator could come barging through my door. Why? I don't know. I promise you I have seen no rodents or bugs as of late. However, my landtoad likes to keep us on edge...Posting signs is her cup of tea!

No exterminator yet.

I was dying to get home after class tonight as while I was deeply involved in class discussion this afternoon, I found a recipe that looked too good to pass up. A mixed nut engery bar --- and we all know I love any and all things nutty --- and I happen to have an influx of nuts in my freezer, always.

I found this recipe while perusing the Carrots n' Cake bake sale...I most definately found some other must-trys! Those will come; I promise you.

Here is my version...However, it is is very similiar to Amanda's lovely creation

Nutty Enegery Bar

Ingredients

1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup dried prunes

1/4 cup ground flax (you can use whole flax seeds; just add them into the first processing step in order to grind them up!)
approx. 1 tbps. dried coconut
approx. 1 tbps. agave nectar
aprox. 1 tbps. of almond butter
1 tsp. vanilla

1. In a food processor, combine nuts and dried fruit; pulse until it forms into a crumbly mixture (about 30-45 seconds.)
2. Transfer to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until everything is well combined. (I used my hands to make sure everything was good n' stirred!)

3. Pour into a pan and flatten to desired thickness...Mine were about 1/2 an inch thick!

4. Store in refridgerator for a few hours, or until you can't wait any longer...

I waited until after dinner to indulge with some heated and diluted almond milk...But wow, these are incredible. The prunes are perfectly sweet, and the nuts add a nice texture!

For dinner tonight I had a portabello "pizza." And by pizza, I mean open-faced melt with toppings.

In olive oil, I grilled the portabello mushroom for a few minutes on both sides. I then sprinkled on some dried italian spice, dried chili flakes, and some soy sauce (to give the mushroom an extra bit of flavour.) With the mushroom on its bottom, I lay on some sliced roma tomatoes, and grilled eggplant. I then transfered the baby to an oven proof dish where I proceeded to top it with spinach and mozarella cheese --- And into the broiler it went!

At the last minute, I added some sliced green olives.

This "meaty pizza" was to die for...I forgot how incredible real mozarella is! It gets so stringy and chewy when it's melted...Mmmmm.

I dipped it in Dijon mustard and sriracha...

Now I must force myself to do work as October and all of its glory is still going full throttle!

Protein Packed Pancakes

Those grey skies blew right on over --- Waking up to sunny blue skies was a perfect way to begin a Friday, or my weekend. Having Fridays off from school is so nice; I get a long weekend every week!

I headed out for my morning run with money in hand as I had to pick up a few things at the end of it --- Running out of toilet paper is something that is unheard of until you live by yourself. I didn't know there wasn't a never ending supply of the stuff...

For breakfast today I tried out Angela's spelt pancakes from Oh She Glows; however, I switched it up a little as I am too stubborn to follow any directions.

Coconut Spelt Pancakes

1/3 cup spelt flour
1/2 tbsp. Vega Complete Whole Food Optimizer (chai flavour)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. coconut flakes

1/3 cup almond milk (maybe a little more depending on consistency)

1. Mix together the dry ingredients, and then gradually stir in the almond milk. If the mixture is too thick, feel free to add a little more milk or water.

2. Pour small rounds onto a greased frying pan (I used coconut oil for that extra hit of coconut!)

3. Flip cakes as soon as you see bubbles forming on the top! Fry the other side until it is golden brown --- another couple of minutes.

4. Walah! A healthy single serving of pancakes! Accessorize as you please.

I topped my pancakes with some frozen banana puree, chopped walnuts, cacoa nibs, flax meal, and craisins for some colour!

I was a little low on agave nectar due to my granola disaster last night, so after awhile I started dipping my pancakes in some raspberry spread.

The batter made about three small pancakes...and it was plentiful! The protein powder fills ya rightt up. I'll let you know tommorow if they stick with you throughout the morning!

Granola Shmanola...

I thought the sky was grey due to the time I woke up this morning. In fact, I swear I saw the sun peering through the clouds while I was running. It wasn't until I was safely inside my home when it all happened; the grey clouds exploded and it down poured for a good majority of the day. But who cares! It's fall; we can't have sunny skies forever.

For breakfast I had a simple bowl of cereal with almond milk and coffee...Well with a few new additional ingredients thanks to last night's grocery shop.

To my spelt flakes I added banana, cacoa nibs, flax seeds, the most plump grapes, and fresh figs! Mmm...I must have had figs before but it felt like the first time biting into a real, fresh fig.

After breaky, I threw together a little lunch to get me through my six hour class. I packed a chickpea salad, some grapes, and a bran muffin.

It was then that time; I trudged out into the rain for my morning class. I left my bike at home today as I figured it would be difficult to ride in rain boots equiped with an umbrella. What a brilliant idea --- The few people who braved the wind and rain on their bikes looked in serious pain.

We had a guest speaker from Chatelaine today who spoke to us about the importance of fact-checking. I would have to say it was the most practical and helpful lesson I have sat in on since my first day at Ryerson.

I will then go on to say that I absolutely adore my feature writing class. Not knowing was I was getting myself in to (I thought it would be a broadcasting class,) I was dreading the idea of an entire semester of feature writing. However, after one day I LOVE it. I love the instructor, Rachel. I love the class size. And I already see positive progress in my writing in the near future.

We had an hour break in the afternoon so I headed back out into the rain to visit a friend nearby for lunch.

The rest of the class time was used for pitching our first feature story ideas to Rachel, and then for going over a story from the National Post. It is a lovely story...Even though it's based on tweeting. Check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/magazine/01wwln-lede-t.html?ref=magazine

It really opened my eyes. What has become of our society? Can we not just cherish a moment by ourselves or with the people who surround us? Why must our first thoughts be "I have to tweet this?" I wish I could say this was a bad thing but maybe tweeting is a way for us to remember --- An on going diary for us to recover years later? Or maybe it's a way to hide discomfort, a way to remove ourselves from the present moment...

After class I headed over to Kensington Market to pick up some ingredients to make Meghan's granola. I always forget how sore my feet get walking in rubber boots...When I was just a few blocks away from home I had to remove my boots to stretch out my feet. Let's just say it was a good thing it rained today or I may have walked home barefoot.

When I got home I quickly whipped together the granola mixture so that it could bake while I made dinner.

I switched up the recipe just a tad by using agave nectar in place of the honey and maple syrup.

Well...I wish I could say it was a success. I must remember that my oven gets too god damn hot. No matter what the baking time always ends up being half of what is suggested due to burning.

I didn't take the granola out when it started to seriously brown though as it was still very soft...It wasn't until I finished eating dinner that I realized my granola had turned from a golden brown to a burnt brown. Let's just pretend the granola is coated with cocoa.

I added some craisins and raisins after I removed the brownola from the oven...

I refuse to throw it out --- A little roasted flavour never hurt anyone!

For dinner tonight I had a brown rice patty topped with a tomato mixture and some green salad.

To make the patty I mixed together about 1/4 cup of brown rice with some corn kernels, red onion, garlic, and one egg white. For spice, I added some cumin, tumeric, cayenne, salt, and pepper. After forming a patty, I fried it in some sesame oil until it was golden brown on both sides (about five minutes a side...for me, at least!)

The tomato mixture was a blend of tomato (obv,) red onion, cilantro, chili flakes, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

I dipped the patty in some Dijon mustard and hot sauce.

Dinner was pretty darn good...But I wont be having any patties tommorow as the second one I attempted to make just turned into a jumbled messs.

For dessert I had some of my granola mixed with some walnuts, almonds, and chocolate chips. The chocolate chips actually made it seem like the granola was chocolate flavoured and not just charcoaled...It was quite nice...

Well I must do some dishes now as the kitchen is quite a disaster due to a secret dish that won't be leashed until tommorow...

Wed...Cornday

Having class at 11 am, I decided to get up nice and early in order to get in a run before being forced to breathe in the same recycled air as 50 other students in a dark breezy room for essentially five hours straight.

Fortunately this week has seen no tell-tale signs of winter. The sun has been shining everyday all week. It's such a nice thing to wake up to and soak in immediately.

When I got back from my run, I did a few chores and then made up some breakfast. As I told you yesterday, you may be getting a hit (or I may be) of frozen banana puree oats...Well, I wasn't lying. Today I most definately whipped up a frozen banana as I was salivating over it since the last time it touched my lips. I threw in a couple of prunes to add an extra texture and flavour to the ban-puree...

I also added some blueberries, pear (fresh from the farmer's market,) cacoa nibs, flax seed, and walnuts. It was the perfect meal to get me through the morning.

I also had a cup of cof with some agave nectar as I am currently out of almond milk.

Before I headed out to class, I packed up a few things to nibble on throughout the day. Luckily I took out a bean dip last night that ended up being the staple ingredient in my lunch today.

I used it as a dip for tomatoes, carrots, and crackers. I also brought along a bran muffin and a pear.

I got home at around 5 pm today and grabbed a quick snack (rye cracker with a slab of AB) before I headed down to Sobey's for some much needed groceries.

I also chomped down on a feta stuffed jalapeno while I browsed through the aisles as I craved one immediately upon seeing them in the deli window.

After cramming the last item into my grocery bag, I was thankful I stopped shopping when I did. The bike ride home was a little wobbly; one more item may have sent me right over.

For dinner tonight, I had a mexican inspired dish. First off, a delicious corn on the cob...I can't get enough of the stuff. I would give up a limb for a cob o' corn. I drizzled on some coconut oil, and sprinkled on a little cayenne for an extra kick.

Alongside, I had some stirfried garlic, onion, kale, and tomato. I also heated up some more refried beans (the real mexican part of the dish.) For some garnish, I sprinkled on a little bit of cilantro...Mmmm


I also cracked open a birthday present tonight.

That's right, folks...Someone knows me really well. I got some sexy hot sauce straight out of Mexican soil. It was darn good --- But let's just say a little goes a long way. The XXX label is not meant to be a fun little white lie.

Oh my --- The dish was unreal. And the corn...Well, I am still thinking about its goodness. Luckily, I saved half of it for tommorow!

For dessert I went a little nutty. No, but really! I am obsessed with walnuts lately, and dove right in to a bowl mixed in with some chocolate chips, spelt flakes, raisins, and grapes...I'll save you the photo (I didn't actually take one...or three as I had a few servings...)

Well, I must go finish up a project I am in the process of doing...You'll see it on Friday. Maybe I'll do some h/w too...