Veggie Much??

Helllooo... how was everyone's Monday today?? Can't complain about mine... Woke up later than I was planning to (I wanted to get an EARLY run in) but I got laced up and ready to go and was moving by 930 or so instead and boy did it feel good...

Running in the center of town this time of the year is beyond gorgeous. All the leaves are falling, it smells like fresh cut lawns but also crisp air and the faint scent of coffee from the coffeehouse on the green kept hitting me every few minutes. What a tease Gahh.....

3.2 miles later (yayaaa!) after not running for a few days, this takes some effort sometimes... but feeling great regardless:

I LOVE grocery shopping after a good workout or run... does anyone else get that? That energized, amazing feeling you get after getting your body moving is great motivation to go straight to the store and pick up some quality ingredients that will help keep that feeling going.

I originally went with a plan to pick up only the ingredients for a dinner I planned on making tonight, but I passed wayyyy too many tasty things that (at the time) I thought I needed... and I'm so glad I did.

On the List:
-Field of Greens lettuce
-Cantaloupe
-Avocado
-White mushrooms
-Strawberries
-Light POM Wildberry Tea - Loved it! I'm usually a POM Lychee fan but this was good!
-Whole Wheat Pitas & Red Pepper Hummus
-Oatmeal Raisin Walnut CLIF bar... which I have yet to try! And will definitely give a review once I do.... I've heard great things about Clif bars so I'm looking forward to it ;)
-And of course, Shape with Lauren Conrad on the cover so I can learn the bitch's secrets (HA!)

I was also REALLY tempted to buy Tofu while at the store but don't have much experience cooking with it or even eating it really! (I don't count tofu in my Miso Soup as really "tasting" tofu) Do you recommend it?

So after a run I need a good, filling breakfast... I went with Stonyfield French Vanilla yogurt topped with all-natural granola, sliced strawberries (I wanted raspberries & didn't realize they had been eaten until I got home - boooo!) and raisins. Mmmmm-mmmmm, this never disappoints!



My morning consisted of these two essentials: Perfect!

Lunchyyytime! I had:

-My last MorningStar Mushroom Lover's Burger topped with a few baby spinach leaves & a smear of Spinach Artichoke Hummus on Arnold's wheat sandwich thin

-A ton of sauteed veggies - onions, mushrooms, red bell peppers, fresh corn, spinach, eggplant, and carrots soooo so good...

I don't think I could ever get sick of sauteed veggies ... perfect for clearing out the fridge in a hurry and it's always SO filling. This is only half the portion I made and the rest was saved for dinner.... definitely Nom Nom status:

I love you Mushroom burger ughhhhh, WHY does the S&S in my town suck so much? There's maybe two varieties of MorningStar options in their freezers... what I need is a Trader Joe's. It sounds like most of you foodies live by it and I'm veryyy jealous! There's two that are within 30 miles of me... do you who live by TJ's think it's worth the trip for me to get out there and do some shopping? I'm starting to lean towards YES!

Snack time brought me a SoyJoy I haven't tried yet.... I'll eat the Strawberry ones like it's going out of style but the Apple & Walnut today was a little disappointing. If you say Apple & WALNUT, I'm pretty sure there should be some NUTS in there, don't ya think?

Now I looooove me some nuts and this bar was slacking. Overall rating? B- (just "Ehhh")

I'm also a newbie to All Natural peanut butter (And I'm DYING To try almond butter!!!!!!!) I'm sure I'll love it the second I get a taste. But this PB was delicious... nice and grainy like it should be:

I tested it out on 1/2 an Arnold's sandwich thin with sliced strawberries (because I'm apparently a berry fiend today) Bananas would have been phenom but these were a great replacement.... Sweet, salty, delicious!

My new cookbook from the fair was full of recipes and I was like a kid in a candy store when flipping through the pages... "Ohhhhh my God THIS one!" "Holy BaJesus I'm making this NOW!!!!" "What the... LOOK at this!" so it's only natural I waited exactly one day before picking one out and cookin up a storm in Le Kitchen.

Tomato Zucchini Tart:

-1 refridgerated rolled pie crust

-1 package (4.4 oz) light herb cheese spread, such as Boursin

-4 medium-size ripe tomatoes, about 1 pound total, thiny sliced, patted dry

-2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound total, sliced into 1/4-inch coins

-1/8 tsp. salt

-1/8 tsp. pepper

-Fresh thyme (I used basil - it worked with the other flavors better.. tomato, cheese)

Directions:

-Heat oven to 400 degrees - coat a 9-inch tart pan with nonstick cooking spray

-Fit piecrust into tart pan and remove excess dough from around edge

-Prick bottom of crust all over with a fork (ALSO prick the sides!! Grandma's advice so you have to trust it)

-Bake at 400 degrees for 12 mins; cool; reduce oven temp to 350.

-Spread cheese evenly over the bottom of crust.

-Alternatively fan tomato and zucchini slices in a deocrative fashion, sprinkle with salt and pepper

-Bake tart at 350 for 40 minutes or until crust is nicely browned and zucchini slices are fork tender. Garnish with fresh thyme (or basil!); cool slightly and serve.

The verdict:

My parents are obsessed with this dinner!!! They absolutely loved it... They said the zucchini stayed slightly crisp throughout cooking which I'm a big fan of (no mushy zucc's please) and want me to recreate it ASAP. Heyooo that's a SUCCESS in my book :) If you're a veggie lover, go for it... it's great right out of the oven.

And I don't disrespect dessert. It's always appropriate ;) Thanks B&J, you've satisfied my sweet tooth more times than I can remember... Yum yummmm... Definitely ate the last few bites left in this baby for my after dinner snack:

Tomorrow's Agenda?????

****Morning run - I'm thinking of taking the same route as this morning; it was beautiful

****B.Fast - I'm thinking oats are loooong overdue, I miss them too much!

****No Work means Cleaning spree/Laundry/Baking... all those fun things I usually do on days off :) I'll be posting a Chocolate Chip Raspberry Shortbread recipe when I'm done.. just FYI

****Possible trip up to do drinks with Shanny in Willi?? Still deciding.....ehhh it's such a hike for ONE night but I do love me girl's nights and my girls are sooo far away now that I've graduated and moved back across the state *sigh* :(
****And whatever else comes along!

Hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday and I can safely say... I'll miss you Patrick Swayze RIP!

NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER.

G'night!