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?

WIAW (During My 18th Birthday Party)

"Whhhaaatt? You're how old?"

Okay. So no one else actually said that to me. But I was totally saying it to MYSELF!

If you read my last WIAW (When I Gave Blood), then you'd know that April 1st was my 18th birthday. To some of you, I may still seem like a baby, a child, a *shudder* "teenager." And I guess in your own way you would be right.

On the other hand... I'm officially an adult. Soon I'll be heading off to college, getting a real job, making money (and with that paying bills... ugghhh) and also having the opportunity to travel and gain new experiences.

First experience: 18th Birthday Party!

Now, for starters, some of you (oh so few but faithful) readers will know that I gave up sugar for this year's lent challenge, and as such I knew a birthday cake would be a little hard to come by. Here is my first chocolate birthday cake before I gave up sugar. Since then I have experimented and made probably a dozen cake recipes. Most of them were adaptions of other blogger's recipes. For note, I experimented with Chocolate Covered Katie's Healthier Chocolate Cake, Live Laugh Eat's Carrot Cake, Healthy Indulgence's Healthy Chocolate Cake and Kat's Chocolate Date Cake (just to name a few more successful attempts). My main method was to replace the sugar with natural sugars like dates and to replace the oil with bananas, applesauce, nut butters, etc. I also used almond milk in place of any dairy ingredients.

So... I don't actually have any recipes to share for this particular subject, but I will say that CCK's Healthier Chocolate Cake (with substitutions) came out the best, and Healthy Indulgence's came out brownie-like. All are great recipes as-is; I just can't leave anything alone!

Never fear though! (I realize now that I use this phrase A LOT!) I did bake a cake to enjoy with friends and family. It was not sugar free or all that healthy, and I didn't have a bite, BUT I do know that it turned out fabulous. So I'll share some pictures anyways :D

Looks just like a regular cake (albeit with lime green frosting) right?

Well, you would be wrong!

This cake is beautiful INSIDE and OUT! Taste the rainbow :)

I kept on dancing around like a little girl asking, "Can we cut the cake now?" And when all of my friends asked WHY? I simply replied, " You'll see.... IT'S AWESOME!" (Yes, a little egotistical on my part, but... Isn't it awesome?)

Blowing out candles. Make a wish!

Awkward smile.

Can I cut it NOW?

Directions on how to make this cake can be found here. I personally used two box cake mixes and liquid food dye. Pillsbury whipped vanilla frosting.

And at least for me, all of my parties have to have a theme. This year's theme was Scooby Doo.

Last year, it was Phineas and Ferb. We still have some napkins left over:

And no, I didn't eat those starbursts.... Sugar :(

For supper we had pizza from Dominoes (my favorite!). I did have a few squares of the thin crust pizza, minus the cheese and toppings as dairy is still bothering my stomach. That crust was awesome.

As you can see, this is not a Dominoes pizza.

It is actually a homemade Chicken and BBQ pizza. Maybe I'll share the recipe with you?

Then we made a craft, another essential part of a birthday party.

There were about seven of us sitting around this small little table!

This was the hit of the night. We made paper beads from this tutorial that I found on Pinterest. Great, right?

My mom had us "pose" for this picture. Too cute!

As you can see, one of my friends wasn't into the craft and only made a ring.

Since my party I have constructed 3 bracelets (2 for myself, 1 for my aunt) and a necklace.

*Note: Each bead is 1/2 inch wide, so the average person at my party needed 14 or 15 beads. We also used clear stretchy cord to make the bracelets. One of my friends also made a ring from six or so beads (she wasn't as enthused with the craft as the rest of us!)

Overall the party went swell. We chatted for a long time while making the craft, then we got ready for bed and watched an episode of Supernatural on Netflix. I don't watch this show very often, but it is interesting. Plus, one of my guests is addicted!

The next morning my mom woke me up at about 7:15 am because one of my friends had to leave for a physical (another beauty of housing applications in college). We sat down and talked for a few minutes while she ate one of our complimentary muffins from Buehler's.

After she left my mom and I sat down together at the table and made some more beads/bracelets. Finally some of my friends started waking up (I fell asleep first...as always... so I guess it makes since that I was one of the first to get up). They all got to pick their own ginormous muffin, as well as my brother, mom and dad.

As they ate, some of us started making more beads (those things are so much fun!). Slowly they began to leave in tapers. At about noon we dropped my last friend off and came home.

This is when I ate breakfast. To be honest, I didn't eat a muffin because it had tons of sugar. Last year it was kind of awkward when I made myself something separate, so I just waited. Not good, I know! But I was also too consumed in making beads to really notice or care.

Recycled pic, I know! But I eat this SOO.... often! Actually, this is what I ate five minutes ago too.

Thanks again Peas and Crayons!
So, that's all I have to share with you today! Next time maybe I'll post that delicious pizza recipe? I don't know...

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Tons of random Q and A's:

Do you make your own cake or buy it from the store? This cake was last minute, so I used a box mix. Normally we make an ice cream cake or buy a special "theme" cake from the store.

Phineas and Ferb or Scooby Doo? Pick just one. SCOOBY DOO ALL THE WAY!

What is your favorite tv show? Have you ever watched Supernatural?

Have you ever refrained from eating in front of your friends afraid of what they might think?

WIAW (When I Gave Blood)

Okay, has anyone else read this post by Taralynn over at Undressed Skeleton? It's entitled: Is Too Much Fruit a Bad Thing? If you haven't, you should.

Just in case you aren't going to read it, I'll give you a quick summary. According to Dr. Bin Kin, not all of the sugar in fruit is natural... which totally blows my whole "fruit=natural sugar=healthy" thing out of the water! "Nowadays grocery stores offer fruit that has been played with through hybridization which makes the fruit grow sweeter, larger and higher in calories." Taralynn actually did an experiment where she bought an apple from the grocery store and compared its sweetness to one bought from Whole Foods.

Guess which one was sweeter? The one from the grocery store of course!

Now, what does this mean? Well to me it means that organic fruit is less sweet, but much more natural than your regular, "store-bought" fruit. However, the fruit from the store still contains natural sugars. It's not like they could add granulated sugar to a fruit.... right?

This isn't going to change my buying habits whatsoever, but it was still interesting to read and think about.

Last night though I did have a dream about apples.... There was a women up on the stage of daytime talk show (think Dr. Oz or The Doctors). She was holding up an apple and saying how many added ingredients there were in fruit. THEN she preceded to read off the ingredients lists for the APPLE: apple (duh!), ascorbic acid (used in applesauce to preserve color, so not totally random)... then comes the weird part: Salt and sugar. That's right! I had a dream that apples now contain added salts and sugar, and were therefore not healthy to eat.

I must haven't eaten something strange before bed....

Which brings me to today's WIAW eats, with as many vegetables as I can muster (aka- sweet potato, sweet potato, carrots, sweet potato).

BREAKFAST

 Buckwheat pancakes with peanut butter. Ground turkey patty for protein.

LUNCH

Bento Box: Spaghetti Squash and Ground Turkey. Carrots with Utopia Butter. Popcorn.

DINNER

Low sodium Tuna Packet. Unsalted Pistachios. Microwave Sweet Potato.

I have this meal AT LEAST three times a week.

SNACKS

Chocolate Protein Cake (Recipe below picture)

Topping made from protein powder mixed with water. Peanut Butter.

• 1/2 scoop protein powder (I used chocolate)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/8 tsp baking powder (I used low sodium)
• 2 tbsp egg beaters (30 grams)
• Water to desired thickness

Directions: Microwave for 1 minute or until done. (Undercook for a molten cake)

Chocolate Snack Cake from Spoonful of Sugar Free (made with banana puree and NO WATER)

Broiled for crispiness and topped with peanut butter

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 So, tomorrow I am having a birthday party, so look for a post on that in the near future (hopefully).

Also, my stomach problems have returned in full throttle, plus some (I have gained 8 lbs in one day from bloating, etc.... NOT FUN!!)

In matter of good news, last week I finished up 14 scholarship applications, which means that I will have more time to do the things I love: AKA- bake, read, blog.

I gave blood last week... or was it two weeks ago? I don't remember the exact date, but it was the first time not doing it through NHS at my high school, as a lot of Red Cross nurses are on strike! Most of my eats are from that day, as I've been holding onto these pictures for a looonnnggg while.

Look at me with my cool red bandage! Just so you know, I STILL have a bruise :)

HOMEMADE MICROWAVE BREAD (Gluten Free)

Thanks to everyone who continues to read my blog even though my posts have been boring, mostly WIAW-themed, and at best sporadic. I am going to try and change that though. And hopefully tomorrow I will have a new cake recipe for y'all because it's my BIRTHDAY! Yes, yes, I'm an April Fool's Baby.

Anyways, before I get started on this post, check out my last post if you haven't already, for a fabulous tasting nut butter that I dubbed Cinnamon Utopia Butter.

Utopia after all is a perfect society, and this nut butter is pretty close to perfect....
P.S. I also have some questions at the end of the post that I would love to be answered. Thanks!

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I love making food in the microwave! No, I'm not in college yet, but I will be soon, and I figured that the more microwave-recipes I had in my repertoire the better. My first recipe that I posted on here was called Strawberry Microwave Bake. Then I posted my Chocolate Microwave Bake. Both were successful, and everyone loved them because they are so easy and quick to make!

I personally love making things in the microwave because it cuts down on the waiting time, and I am not a patient person, especially when it comes to something sugary, delicious, and BAKED... Like this:

OR THIS:

For my next microwave recipe I decided to do something a little more useful for a college student. Like, what happens if one morning you wake up, and are out of bread? The nearest grocery store is 15 minutes away, the bread in the on-site grocery store is WAYYY too expensive, and it just so happens that you have to be in class like... NOW!

Enter this tasty, quick bread that you can make in the microwave. Including preparation and cooking time, you can have this bread ready to eat, slathered with your favorite nut butter in less than 5 minutes!

Homemade Microwave Bread

Adapted from my Buckwheat Waffles/Pancakes Recipe

Gluten-Free, Low in Calories, Low Fat, Vegetarian, High-Fiber, High-Protein, Sugar-Free

Calories: 85, Carbs: 15g, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 0g, Fat: 2g, Protein: 6g

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp buckwheat flour*
• 2 tsp coconut flour
• 1/8-1/4 tsp baking powder (I used sodium-free)
• 2 Tbsp egg beaters
• 1/4 cup water
• pinch of salt (optional, but I omitted)

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Add wet ingredients all at once and stir. Let set for at least two minutes.
3. Transfer the batter to the container (with desired shape). The area should be about 10-12 inches.**
4. Cover and cook on high in the microwave for one minute.
5. Remove and slice in half immediately. Toast if desired.

*Another gluten-free flour, or regular all-purpose flour should work too.
** Use a smaller or bigger container as desired to make a thicker or thinner piece of bread.


Here's the bread that I made for breakfast today, toasted and topped with 3/4 tbsp of peanut butter along with a 3oz lean ground turkey patty:

Other uses for this bread:

• Homemade pizza
• Breakfast sandwiches
• PB&J's
• Sandwiches for other meals of the day
• French Toast (make the bread thicker if you are going to make this)

You could even add different spices to make this bread taste completely different! Cinnamon or pumpkin spice for a breakfast bread. Garlic powder, onion powder or Italian seasoning for the homemade pizza.... the possibilities are endless!

Did I mention that I play the clarinet? This reed case snuck in just for kicks...

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Interested in more recipes like this?

I also adapted my buckwheat waffles/pancake recipe to make:

Buckwheat Quesadillas! Find my alterations here in a WIAW post.


And... the original recipe that started it all:

Waffles

Pancakes

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Do you guys like recipes made in the microwave? I think they are so easy, convenient and FUN to make! I love my microwave...

Any requests for what microwave recipe I should create next? The sky is the limit.

CInnamon Utopia Butter

Guys, I may have just discovered made something better than peanut butter!

Wait... What? Okay, so that may be a slight exaggeration! This stuff is good, but not quite AS GOOD as peanut butter. Never fear, that will remain my one true love. Always and forever.

This stuff is way lower in calories and much sweeter though. And it contains some peanut butter, just so ya know: All is right with the world.

Normally I would try and make a little bit longer of an introduction, but I am currently not on my own computer, and my borrowed time is expiring quickly. So, I'll just jump in with a delicious recipe, some not-so-great photography, and leave you to it!

Cinnamon Utopia Butter

Servings: 20 Tablespoons (13 grams each- approximately)


Calories: 42 per serving

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (32 grams)
• 3 Tbsp cup peanuts (28 grams)
• 3 Tbsp almonds (28 grams)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 large banana (120 grams)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Blend sunflower seeds in a food processor until crumbly. Add the peanuts, then almonds and repeat.
2. Add 1 Tbsp of oil to the food processor and blend until it begins to come together. Add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp and any additional oil as needed to form a smooth nut butter. Scrape sides as needed.
3. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the food processor and blend for 30 seconds, scraping sides to ensure that the water is uniformly dispersed amongst the nut butter.
4. Add the cinnamon and blend. Add the banana in chunks and blend until smooth.
5. Pour into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator.

*Add salt to taste. I used unsalted nuts and 1/4 tsp of salt sense was enough for me. If you use salted nuts you may need none.

You can see it pictured in my last WIAW on an apple peel:

I have also eaten in on my oatmeal:

It tastes great with fresh fruit, carrots, on pancakes, baked bread, cookies, smoothies, pudding, etc. etc. It just tastes great! (Reminds me of that frosted flakes commercial- *Cue music and singing children- "Frosted Flakes- They're more thannnnn good! ...Duh nu duh.... They're great!" End music*

By the way, if you missed my last WIAW, check it out here.

Check with me tomorrow for another WIAW and new microwave recipe!
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Serious questions that need answering... NOW. No pressure :)

How do you come up with interesting names for your creations? I'm getting bored with plain ole- blueberry muffin, chocolate microwave cake... "I wonder what those recipes entail?" I tried to get more creative with this one. Utopia after all is a perfect society, and this nut butter is pretty close to perfect. Originally I tried to combine sunflower, peanuts and almonds into the name: Al-Peanut-Mon-Seed-The-Sun (All Peanut Men Need the Sun). Then it was: Almond-Peanut-Sun-Butter (Cinn-City). Tacky, I know. No need to say a thing!

Would you like more detailed nutrition facts for my recipes? I use myfitnesspal to input all of my recipes and figure out the calorie, carb, fat, protein counts, etc. This makes it easier to keep track and input into my diary. It would be super easy for me to input them on here, but are most readers just concerned with calories? Let me know!