Oatmeal Hotcakes

Hi guys! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! I usually don't post on the weekends, but I was so excited about this new recipe, I wanted to share it with you. We are currently having a freak cold snap, so I woke up craving something warm. My creative juices got to flowing and here's what I came up with:

Oatmeal Hotcakes

Although this makes one giant hotcake, you could also make several small ones. It's kind of like a pancake, but much thicker and heartier.

• 3 tbsp cottage cheese- If you aren't a fan, don't worry! The curds melt and it ends up being like ricotta cheese! Ooo light bulb! You could substitute the cottage cheese for ricotta to mix it up!
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp maple sizzurp (syrup)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup rolled oats (GF for my Celiac peeps!)
• 1 tbsp all-purpose GF flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• coconut oil

Whisk together all of the wet ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Combine dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. At this point you could add fruit into the mixture, like blueberries or banana slices, if you like.  Add about a tbsp of coconut oil into an omelet pan and heat on medium/low (4 or 5). Once the oil is hot, pour the entire mixture into the omelet pan.

Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the underside is a dark golden brown. Then flip it like an omelet! Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Top with jam, butter, more sizzurp, or whatever you like!

Devour. Enjoy!

Much Needed R&R

As you know, I’ve been battling a little cold (or something), and have been trying to deny it. But on Wednesday, I completed my senior thesis (for now), and didn’t really have anything to do today. So I took advantage of it, and did nothing. Seriously. I had a simple breakfast:

Crisp Gala apple, yogurt with flax, GF biscuit, and black coffee.

The only “thing” I did today was meet my Mama for lunch at Crispers. They have gluten-free options! I love when a restaurant caters to us GF peeps! I felt so gourmet when I devoured this little number:

Mango, duck, and goat cheese salad with black bean and sausage soup. I did NOT eat that tortilla thingy.

 As soon as we got home, I crashed. That was at 1 PM. Not until 5 PM did I find myself slinking out from my cozy little cave. Usually, a four hour nap is unthinkable for me. But today, it was totally acceptable.

A little over an hour later, I helped my Mama whip up this simple, yet mouth-watering meal:

Grilled chicken tenderloins, sauteed cabbage and spinach, and sauteed squash and onions.

 Tonight’s agenda includes dessert of some sort, more lounging, My Best Friend's Wedding, and more sleeping, thank you very much. I was in desperate need of some rest and relaxation. Giving in never felt so good.

Random Nonsense You Might Like to Know

Hiya pals! I decided to jump on the "ABC's of Me" trend I’ve been seeing all over blogdom. Here are some random facts about me you may or may not care to know. Who comes up with these lists anyway? Just call me a blind follower.

A. Age: 21. It’s only downhill from here.

B. Bed size: Well, this is a touchy subject. I had a queen  from age 9 until we moved last year. I now have a twin. Luckily, I don’t move an inch when I sleep. 

C. Chore you hate: I’m a cleaner. No house chores really bother me. I really hate washing/detailing my car.

D. Dogs: Six spoiled flea bags rule this house. Here's a link to a Tumblr I created for my blogging class all about them. My Little Poopers

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee. Black with Stevia. Then breakfast. These are non-negotiable.

Cookie dough oatmeal with strawbeezies and almonds.

F. Favorite color: Red. When I was little, brown was my favorite color, but I changed it when I realized that wasn’t normal.

G. Gold or silver: Both. I mix metals a lot (I know, faux pas). I don’t really care. 

H. Height: 5’5

I. Instruments: Piano. I’m aiight.

J. Job title: Student. Ready to move on. 

K. Kids: Someday, a loooong time from now. I want two, and I already have names picked out.  

L. Live: Central Florida, not for long! South Africa, here I come!

M. Mom’s name: Michelle. My belle.

The Ladies.

N. Nicknames: Ash to my fam. Robster/Robes to my Biff. That name came about from my robe obsession. If society permitted such behavior, I would wear one all day, ‘err day.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Yes... not for myself. I slept on the couch for a few nights when my mama had surgery.

P. Pet peeve: Sloshing when you chew. I am really weird about the way people chew. Loudness, slurping, mouth open, etc. I hate it all. Gah. Another one is when people leave seconds on the microwave. Hello! Cancel button people!

Q. Quote from a movie:  One of my favorite movies, 

“Well that's what we do, we fight... You tell me when I am being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you are a pain in the ass. Which you are, 99% of the time. I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have like a 2 second rebound rate, then you're back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing."

R. Right or left handed: Righty tighty!

S. Sibling: Sister. Monica. Eight years younger than me. You'd never know it. Check out her blog!

T. Time you wake up: I’m an early bird. 9 AM if I really want to sleep in. 5 AM if I gotta get stuff done.

U. Underwear: I change them regularly.

V. Vegetables: I love all of them. They usually comprise at least half of my lunch and dinner. Carrots are my preferred snack vej. 

Lunch: 1/2 a cucumber, 1/2 a tomato, 1/2 c. cottage cheese with Louisiana hot sauce, and a biscuit.

Kale chip snack!

Steamed veggies and a biscuit with egg on one side, cream cheese and blueberry jam on the other.

W. What makes you run late? Generally, I prefer not to be late. I'm the walk-in-a-minute-before-it-starts girl. I like to live on the edge… Actually, the last thing to make me late was packing lunch for the day. 

X. X-rays: Teeth, knee, thumb, foot. I broke my foot playing basketball bare-foot with my lovey. At the time, I was living on the 3^rd floor with no elevator. Not a happy time in my life.

Y. Yummy foods you make: Everything! Haha. I don’t think I have a “signature dish.” Either I’m a good cook, or everyone who eats my food is a bad critic. 

Z. Zoo animal you like: Lions. I’ve had the privilege of playing with lion cubs and seeing grown lions up close. Their size is incredible and seeing them with nothing but a car window between us is the most humbling experience. Not something easily put into words.

Shortly after this pic was taken, this 6-month-old lion shredded a ball cap in less than 30 seconds. It was terrifying.

So now you know a little more about me! I hope I’ve entertained you. Have a fantastic night... or day. I'm chu-chuckin’ up the deuces.

Dear Senior Thesis

Dear Senior Thesis,

Here’s the deal. I’ve decided to spend Spring Break at home to finish you off and now I’m sick. I’ve really been trying to ignore it and trudge through my usual routine. However, I woke up this morning not hungry, which, as you know, is completely out of the ordinary for me, and did not eat breakfast until almost 9 am.

Blueberry oats with 1/2 a banana

It was less-than-stellar, but due to my foggy state of mind, I wasn’t concerned.

Working on you for 3 hours did me no good. I did not appreciate how you teased me by first lengthening, and then shortening again as I tweaked you. You sapped my brain power, stealing all my lunch creativity. This was the result:

Chocolate banana protein shake with greenies

 I dry coughed my afternoon away with you constantly on my mind. If only I could just get you out of my head.

In an attempt to rid myself of thoughts of you, I made sweet potato fries that promised to be delish.

 Sadly, even though they tasted good, they were sorely lacking in the stiffness department. Had I felt well, inappropriate jokes would have ensued.

Heh.

 Just FYI, my sickness has not yet improved, and I am seriously considering subsisting on tea, honey, and lemon tomorrow.  

Dinner is done and the kitchen is cleaned, and now here I am, about to work on you again. But before I begin, I have one question that, although I know will be rejected, I must ask anyway: Would you be ever so kind as to finish yourself?  

 Please?

                                        

                                             Sincerely,

                                                 Your regretful author

P.S. I plan to be rid of you by tomorrow.

Going to War

After two days of shenanigans, I deemed it necessary to get back to work on my senior thesis. I figured since it was Spring Break and I had nothing to do this weekend, it would be ok for me to sleep in past my usual 5 AM on Saturday as long as I worked in the afternoon. Now let me explain something. I have said it before and I’ll say it again. I work best in the mornings. By “I work best,” I mean “I work.” Once 1 PM hits, my brain is no longer capable of doing anything school related. The cause of this predicament eludes me.

Here are some Saturday eats: 

Toast with cream cheese and an apple (on top and on the side). What what.

Ke-sah-dill-uh with a turkey pastrami salad beast.

 So, instead of doing work as I had planned, I ended up wasting time by attending the yooj Saturday shopping trip with my mama in America’s Friendliest Hometown. When we returned, we treated ourselves to some hazelnut cappuccinos.

Yumalicious

 Di-Vine. It has been way too long since I’ve had a proper cappuccino, and I fear a reversion back to flavored creamer…

That evening, I had the house all to myself since Mama and Gigantor were attending a friend’s birthday party.

Sauteed greens with sweet potato.

 I had brief intentions of taking advantage of the alone time and doing some work. Regrettably, Netflix lured me further down the path of procrastination with the promise of a beautiful story about “a young duchess who indulges in extravagant vices and begins a scandalous affair with politician Charles Grey to balance her unhappy marriage to the duke of Devonshire.” I’ve been dying to watch The Duchess for weeks now and simply couldn’t resist. Movie trumps thesis.

While watching, I played beauty shop.

Crazy curly.

 Then I indulged in a little chocolate decadence.

Gigantic fresh strawberries with "chocolate mousse" (plain yogurt with cocoa powder and Stevia).

 Toward the end of the movie, I started feeling a little scratch in my throat, which I attributed to the karaoke I was doing earlier in the night (self-entertainment).

 I woke Sunday morning and quickly realized the scratch was not a product of my singing, and that I was, in fact, getting sick. I refused to accept this “problem” and protested by ignoring it and conducting business as usual.

Protein pancakes with 1/2 banana.

Super yummy. Review coming soon!

It melted in my car but still tasted Great ;).

 I planned (again) to work on my thesis after my morning workout (AKA sickness protest), but was “sadly” informed that the fam and I would be going to see The King’s Speech. The Oscars brought the film to my attention and I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. We were not disappointed in the least. The movie was fantastic.  I, however, was not. My scratchy throat had by this time become quite painful, and although I was excited about going out for an early dinner, I was also longing for a warm bed and some hot tea. After the movie, we traipsed over to a nice little Italian joint where we were waited on by an extremely rude dude. I was incredibly perturbed by his nasty attitude, but feeling entirely too crappy to do anything about it. Instead, I listened to my family talk and enjoyed my delicious eats.  

Mahi-Mahi with steamed veggies.

 The rest of the night consisted of the Bourne Ultimatum, about ½ a gallon of colloidal silver, and an 8:30 bedtime. I was not about to let this “problem” (I refuse to call it sickness) get me down.

Unfortunately, “sickness” is exactly what it was. I finally did work on Monday on account of me being banned (by my mother) from any form of physical exertion. Pretty much, all I did was thesis, eat, sleep, work on wedding invitations, and eat some more. 

Messed up eggs (didn't have butter) on corn tortillas and a side of grapefruit.

Mexican quinoa: quinoa, salsa, onions, chickpeas, corn, cumin, and chili powder. Topped with sour cream.

Betty Lou's Peanut Butter Ball.

\

Incredibly dense ball of peanut-y goodness.

 I ate this ball at 4 PM. It was better than real peanut butter. This Betty Lou's Nut Butter Ball kicked the Coconut Macadamia Nut one's arse. I want to eat them all day 'er day. It's almost 7 PM. I am still full. Enough said.

Here are the stats:

Calories-190
Fat-8g
Carbs-18g
Protein-15g  <-- take a good look people
Dietary Fiber-3g
Sugar-9g

Tonight, I will be taking an entire bottle of Vit C washed down with a cup of colloidal silver and going to bed at a ridiculously early hour again. Immune system, this is war.