WIAW- I Promise...

Thanks my lovely readers for all of you warm wishes on my last WIAW (During My 18th Birthday Party)!

I think I should give up doing regular posts and turn this blog into a complete WIAW site, because that's all it seems I can post (insert frowny face here)!

This next week, I am making a vow to you that I will write two other non-WIAW posts.

What should I write about? I can think of a million things, but what do you want to read? Let's see... homemade pizza recipe, homemade nut butters, should I do a FAQ? (but to do that I would actually need questions.... hm..). Dilemas Dilemas!

Enough with the chit chat and confusing parentheses! Let's get down to WIAW, or What I have been eating recently.

Note: Due to recent comments on my past WIAW's, I feel the need to tell you that most of the time my WIAW's do not include everything that I eat in the day, and most of the time the pics are from separate days (because let's face it, I forget to take pictures!)


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Breakfast: Oats in a Jar REVAMPED

At the beginning of the week I mix up this recipe, while a little complicated, is actually quick and perfect to add to my breakfast bowls.

In the mix:
1/3 cup oatmeal (combination of quick and rolled for texture)
1/2-1 cup water
1 Tbsp chia seeds
Almond milk
1 banana
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1/4 cup egg beaters
baking powder (or salt for the normal people out there)


Directions:

• 1. Heat up a cup of water in the microwave until it is boiling. Add slowly to your 1/3 cups oats and chia seeds until reaching desired consistency. Microwave for another minute, then add almond milk to thin out and add creaminess.
• 2. In a separate bowl mash your banana and combine thoroughly with the egg beaters and coconut flour.
• 3. Add liquids (banana mixture) to (kind of) solids (oatmeal mixture) and stir. Spinkle salt or baking powder in for added flavor.
• 4. Let set overnight or for a few hours until the oats, chia seeds and coconut flour thickens up. Use more almond milk to break it up.
• 5. Keep this in the fridge and use 1/4 - 2/3 cup for morning oatmeal. You've got fiber, flavor and protein!

In my jar:

• 1 Tbsp peanut butter (sometimes I'll use an empty jar and replicate this by spreading nut butter on the sides)
• Layer of frozen raspberries
• Layer of 1/4 cup Oatmeal mixture
• Layer of raspberries
• 1/4 cup cereal (Special K Protein- Love this stuff!)
• Cinnamon on top

Here is a better picture when I made OIAM (... in a mug). Equally good.

The background of this picture is the deck my Dad is building! Yay!

*I also had a piece of grilled chicken on the side because I wasn't in the mood for egg beaters or turkey.

And to keep me entertained while eating said oatmeal in the morning, I read the back of my brother's Kookie Cereal Box. And you can bet money that I did the maze and which-picture-is-different games!

Lunch: Sweet Potato Salad with Tuna (Veggie-Loaded!)

Sometimes I get bored with my plain 'ole sweet potato, tuna packet and pistachios, so this weekend I searched high and low across the blog world for a new idea for sprucing up my insane sweet potato addiction. And I found one!

In the bowl:

• Garden Mix lettuce- Did you hear about the Dole recall? SUPER SCARY! Thankfully I didn't buy Dole this week but an off name brand.
• Diced onions
• Halved cherry tomatoes
• Sweet pepper chunks
• Tuna in sunflower seed oil (Yuk, I had to drain this ALOT! I really don't like oil based tuna...)
• Half cooked, cubed sweet potato

I derived this idea from Sarah Fit. The combination of the sweet veggies and salty tuna was nice, and I'm glad I tried it because this salad was very refreshing and packed FULL of veggies. I'm not sure if I will make it again though, because I have to admit... I really like eating plain sweet potatoes the best, skin and all. (By the way! That other half of the potato? Totally ate it 30 seconds later like it was my job. Lol)

*Edited to add: I actually made this for my packed lunch today, with the sweet potato on the side. Totally awesome :D

Snack #1: Wheat Toast with Pecan Butter and Egg Beaters

This week I really tried to up my protein, so I started including a source of protein in all my meals and snacks (chicken, ground turkey, egg beaters and edamame are a few examples).

Dinner: Bunless Burger Stuffed with Veggies; Steamed Broccoli on Side

For this meal I took some lean ground beef and mixed it with diced up tomatoes, sweet peppers and onion. Then I grilled it on our George Foreman. On the side I had some raw broccoli stolen from my mother's stash as she was steaming it (I couldn't wait! Shh....)

The burger kind of got destroyed when I removed it from the grill, but it was still tasty and oh so juciy from the added veggies!

Snack #2:

Alright, you are probably all tired of hearing about my poor stomach! Actually though, it hasn't been bothering me recently and is not nearly as bloated. I think that this could be one of three things (or combination thereof):

1. I have stopped taking my antibiotic that I had for my acne.
2. I completely removed dairy from my diet. Whenever I ate whey protein powder or even carob chips (which has milk powder in them... UGHH) my stomach would become instantly bloated and bother me for days. Since I have removed dairy- Nothing!
3. I have set down a time at night where I stop eating. Before I used to bake at all hours, even past midnight occasionally! Now I try not to eat after 8:00 or 8:30 so my stomach has an hour to rest before I go to bed. I think that this has really helped!

 As a result of #3 above, my snacks have gotten a wee bit smaller, but no less delcious. I am also eating more in the day now, to compensate for what I'm not eating at night.

Homemade Peanut Butter
Basically I took two cups of roasted, unsalted peanuts that we bought at Aldi's and whirled them around in our big food processor. This created a big ball of thick peanut butter, which I then added salt to. The salt helped it get a bit more creamy, but it was more of a no-bake cookie texture than nut butter! At this point in time I was freaking out (mainly because we were already of peanut butter and this was my last resort...) In a pure stroke of genius I pulled out our peanut oil and added a tbsp or two. Voila! Peanut Butter.

It's really light and color. No idea why?

Sugar-Free Sweet Potato and Apple Oatmeal Cookies
What a mouthful! I was craving some cookies last night, but didn't want all of the added sugar. After a previous failed attempts earlier this week, I finally remembered a saved recipe I had on myfitnesspal. With a few alterations I used up a sweet potato and some leftover applesauce all in on sitting!

Recipe makes 10 cookies, around 40 calories apiece.

Ingredients:

1. 1 Sweet Potato, mashed (approximately 75 grams)*
2. 1/4 cup Unsweetened applesauce*
3. 1/4 cup egg beaters*
4. 2/3 cup oatmeal (combination of instant and rolled for texture)
5. 1 tsp sodium-free baking powder
6. 1 tsp ground cinnamon
7. 1 small apple, peeled and chopped (60 grams)*

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together your wet ingredients then add dry ingredients and combine.
3. Add diced apples last.
4. Use a tablespoon to measure out cookie dough. Place on nonstick or greased cookie sheet in mounds.
5. Flatten with your fingers to spread out.
6. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes depending on desired texture. Enjoy.

I had two for a snack topped with nut butter and cinnamon. On the one I used homemade almond butter and the other peanut butter. I actually liked both a lot, but the peanut butter probably wins out (like always!)

*Note: If you don't have sweet potatoes, applesauce or egg beaters, you can replace those ingredients with a total of 3/4 cup fruit puree. Banana or pumpkin, or all applesauce/sweet potato would be great! You can also replace the diced apple with about 1/3 cup fruit, dried, frozen, whatever you want. For added protein and fats, you could even mix in some nuts or edamame!

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Tell me one thing that you eat everyday! I'm needing some good ideas... lol. This sweet potato habit has got to stop :)

What has been your favorite veggie so far in this month's WIAW?

Do you have a set time where you stop eating for the night? If so, why?