October 12, 2016

Grain Free Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal

I’m writing this on the floor of my bedroom right now. I threw out my back. I want to eat a sleeve of Oreos only because I went down some rabbit hole on buzzfeed where someone jammed a fork in the creamy filling of an Oreo and dunked it into a glass of milk. Now I want to eat all the Oreos. Also, that’s a pretty awesome technique.

As I write this on my floor of my bedroom with back pain, I’m on day 22 of the Whole30. Someone told me that they were super sick of eggs by this point. Fortunately I figured out how to make this apple “oatmeal” on day 5 and I’ve been alternating it into my meal prep for the weeks. I haven’t had enough eggs to be sick of them yet. WAHOOOO.

Not only is this Whole30 compliant, but it’s vegan and gluten free with no added sugar. It tastes like a cross between apple sauce and oatmeal. The soaked cashews in the mix give it that same bite you get with oatmeal and it’s nice and thick to boot! It’s great served cold as a snack in the afternoon, but I like warm with bananas, raisins and nuts. I think tomorrow I might stir in a scoop of almond butter and coconut flakes.

recipes

October 10, 2016

Hash Brown Omelet

I am currently on day 21 of Whole30. ONE MORE WEEK TO GOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Seriously though, it hasn’t been that bad because YOU CAN HAVE POTATOES ON WHOLE30 (now! apparently!).

I’ve been trying to keep things interesting around here food wise. I don’t want to burn myself out on anything, so I’m playing around with preparations. Eggs and potatoes for breakfast in all different ways. This technique of making an omelet out of a hash brown was pretty fun! It’s a little softer than my hash brown waffle situation. If you don’t have a waffle maker, this Hash Brown Omelet is your best bet!

Inside that crispy/soft omelet, you have two eggs nestled in snuggly with strips of crispy bacon and blistered tomatoes with oregano. Whole30 doesn’t looks so bad, does it now? Still though…. I was dreaming of cinnamon rolls all weekend.

my everyday life

October 8, 2016

My Everyday Life: Week 40

Cooper turned 8!!! Casey and I surprised him with a father/son trip to Fenway Park to see David Ortiz’s farewell

I missed my boys but THEY HAD THE BEST TIME EVER, living out their baseball dreams.

I can’t believe he is 8. EIGHT.

Birthdays call for sprinkles.

I made rice krispie treats with white chocolate + sprinkles on top for Cooper’s class.

None came home (I made more than I was supposed to).

My friend Leslie came over and made me breakfast while my boys were gone.

October 7, 2016

I love lists

Welcome to I Love Lists! Let’s surf the net together:

Sweet mother….I wanna make these.
I’ve always wanted to take an ikebana class.
Fascinating read– Cosmetology in Prisons.
The sweater I haven’t stopped wearing.
I wanna caftan!
Wait. Does this really work?
Best plants for filtering the air in your home.
Inbox zero…phssshaaaawww
I watched this.
Working on it.
Wow
I love this so much.
Dream tunic.
For when I can eat popcorn again.
Colored pencil drawings are incredible.
I think you should make this soup this week.
Have any of you painted over tile?
Maybe I’ll be a panda AGAIN for halloween this year.
There’s a Salvador Dali Cookbook. Oh boy.
Don’t tell me this is the skinniest I’ll be all year.
Thank you for this. This world needs it right now.
Random web search lead into learning about the statue of David.
What a dreamy backyard.

new books on my bookshelf:

Inspiration, recipes

October 6, 2016

10 Essential Spices

Dear 19 year old Tracy,

You have your first apartment. YAY. Sorry your roommate is a dud. You’ll be better at picking friends when you get older (I hope). You just don’t have much perspective in life yet. Oh! I heard you’re going through a vegetarian phase. I totally get that. Dorm food can do that to you. Just remember that eating just cheese, pizza and hummus is not necessarily the best way to do vegetarianism. The vege in that word comes from the word VEGETABLES, so try to eat a few, K?

Your boyfriend Casey is going to visit you in Oregon soon from the Bay Area. Spoiler Alert: You marry him when you’re 27.

Anyways, you’re going to make your first Thanksgiving away from home. This is all you. No Mom to help you!!!! It’s just the two of you and you have an 8lb. frozen turkey, a bag of potatoes and a box of stuffing. You’ve seen your mom do this several times. You’re ready to impress.

The thing is…your spice cabinet just has black pepper in it. Black pepper, although a wonderful spice, won’t get you very far in your culinary life. Thirty-seven year old Tracy is here to help you, so listen up! I (we/you) have a kid and now food+ photography is my/our career. You’ll be happy to have this information, young me. Trust me/you.

Here are the 10 Essential Spices from McCormick that will dial up flavor and aroma in your dishes:

Ground Cinnamon: My most used spice! Did you know that cinnamon is tree bark? Take a closer look at the sticks of cinnamon you normally see in your hot drinks. THAT IS TREE BARK! Cinnamon is a wonderful baking spice or it can be used for savory things like chili. I know you know what cinnamon is. It’s what makes that Mexican mocha you like to drink so spicy! If you’re looking for a healthy snack, try Cinnamon Apples. Remember those cinnamon tortillas you loved at Taco Bell as a kid? I recreated them with Cinnamon Wonton Crisps! Oh and when you get older, Baked Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts will be a thing. That’s right. We have figured out a way to BAKE DOUGHNUTS.

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: This is the second most used spice in your kitchen repertoire. Maybe you aren’t super into it now but you’ll learn why your dad and your brother cover their pizzas with it. You love it so much, you have it at the dinner table. As an adult, you now put red pepper flakes on EVERYTHING- including Sausage Soup, Quick Tomato Basil Pasta, Zucchini Noodles and PIZZA! You like the spice!

Inspiration

October 4, 2016

Whole30: Week 2

I just jumped right in without notice. Today, Tuesday is day 15 of Whole30. I thought that I would just spend a few days “trying it” out to do some research, but then I just kept eating that way and now we’re here- Day 15. OMFG I’M HALF WAY THROUGH. I have a big family party to go to this weekend that involves a ton of wine and cheese so PRAY FOR ME.

Cliff’s Notes to Whole30:

remove these things from your lifestyle for 30 days:

dairy
grains (even corn!)
sugar
legumes
alcohol

The key to being OK with all of that is focusing on all the things you can have!!! And there are a lot of things….like POTATOES, MEAT, EGGS, FRUIT, VEGETABLES, NUTS, ETC.!!

Why am I doing this?

Because I want to have a better relationship with food. Food and I have been going through some crazy times lately. Bad habits were developed and I’d like to create some new/better habits. I want to feel less tired all the time and I’d like to give my body a rest/reset. I know there are things I eat that aren’t good for me and I am trying to figure out what those things are and what they do. ALSO WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO MY METABOLISM (hello, 37). Finally, I just wanted to see if I could do something for THIRTY DAYS STRAIGHT.

Things I am noticing:

Whoa. I’m less puffy. Like, my stomach isn’t bloated. I think I see my jawline again. Hello, jawline. WELCOME BACK.
The first Friday was really hard because I normally like to end the week with a cocktail. I had to figure out something else to do while I had that craving. I watered my plants. I worked on my bullet journal. I did everything I could to resist temptation and I DID IT. Whew.
Hanging out with friends wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Instead of having a drink, I put la croix in a glass with some frozen fruit. It gives me the same mouth burn I like in a cocktail so it felt kinda fancy.
I am taking my time eating.
Whoa. I didn’t realize how much sugar I ate…even for a person who isn’t a sweets person. Sugar is in everything!
I am not hungry all the time, which is weird.
There is less energy put into thinking about food and how I shouldn’t have eaten what I did and BLAH BLAH BLAH. That brain loop is gone. FINALLLLY.
I don’t feel sluggish and sore all the time. Things were crazy for a bit. I felt like my whole body had arthritis the past few months. Well, that stopped.
I have to fight my problem solving brain that wants to find work arounds to the Whole30 diet and cheat the system. It’s definitely not helpful. Also, I learned the term SWYPO- Sex With Your Pants On. It’s basically like eating a ton of Snackwell’s (remember those?!) when you’re on a diet. Just because they’re “diet foods” doesn’t mean you can go hog wild. I am trying to avoid having sex with my pants on…FIGURATIVELY. No dry humping here. I’m married. Geez.
My sleep is really deep. My dreams are pretty vivid. I had a dream that I was drinking a root beer float and it was sooooooo good and then I was like WHAT DID I DO?!! Apparently it’s totally normal.
I’m getting used to almond milk in my coffee and I actually had it black the other morning because the restaurant I went to only had soy milk as a milk alternative. I can’t believe I drank black coffee. I didn’t hate it. BUT I DO MISS SUGAR IN MY COFFEE. Maybe I won’t by the end of this….
I feel empowered by making choices that make me feel better. I make Cooper’s class treats for his birthday and didn’t eat ANY OF IT. Not even a little sprinkle accidentally fell into my mouth.
I’m slowing down my thoughts to understand why my impulse is to go crazy on a bag of chips at the end of the day.
My body is processing food faster. Hi food/Goodbyeeeeeeeee food.
I definitely eat my feelings. Now that I am feeling good, I am more motivated to eat better for my feelings.
Restriction breeds creativity, so I am really enjoying figuring out things I like eating with these limits.

Here are some thoughts I’m working on, because changing the way one eats can bring up soooooo many feelings:

-When food is one of my coping mechanisms, what new habits can I create to take the place of an old/bad habit?

-When I’m feeling anxious and I want something crunchy to eat, I ____

-When I am super hungry and it’s not even meal time, I _____

-When I’m not hungry and I want to eat, what is going on?

-When I slow my brain down, I can make better, healthier choices for myself. I just need to REMIND MYSELF to slow down.

-The times when I really wanted to have a cocktail, what was really going on? How did I want to feel? How did I feel when I said no? How was it hanging out with friends and not drinking?

favorites, Inspiration

October 3, 2016

Bowls of Goodness

I’ve been flying solo this weekend because Casey and Cooper had a special father son weekend in Boston for the Red Sox game. We surprised him for his 8th birthday! So yeah, that means my house has been quiet and all of the dishes that have been in the sink are mine. That never happens. In the process of loading the dishwasher, I realized that everything I’ve eaten for the past few days has been out of bowls. I think it’s because there’s a chill in the air and all I want is to huddle around a bowl of goodness and warm up.

Inspiration for your own Bowls of Goodness coming at ya:

Ginger Pork Meatballs with Coconut Broth over rice.

That broth is superb.

Chilaquiles

Breakfast for dinner in a bowl….huddled around watching Netflix = HOW I MONDAY.

Turkey White Bean Chili

Monday night football calls for it….and then when you’re at work the next day, pull some out with a bag of corn chips and some hot sauce and you’re doing things right.

Zucchini Noodles with Sausage

For a lighter pasta option, try zucchini noodles. It’s really allllllll about the sauce and this one is full of sausage.

Spinach Tortellini Soup

I love love love this soup. I save all the tortellini for the end…like they’re dessert.

Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

An old standby. I dream of taking leftovers and cooking them in a skillet with an egg.

Curried Chicken with Coconut Rice

I’m reminding myself right now to put this one back in the rotation. We really loved it and we had a nice amount of leftovers to last us through the week.

Pork Enchilada Lasagna

This is one of those meals you can make ahead of time. It’s a freezer meal! Also great if you know someone who just had a baby. They deserve a bowl of goodness, that’s for sure.

Sausage Mushroom Pizza Bowls

MMMMMMM a bowl of cheese, sausage & mushroom.

Spring Minestrone with Chicken Pesto Meatballs

Soup with pasta and meatballs! Give me the biggest bowl possible.

Spinach Mushroom Baked Rice Bowls

Just look at the crispy cheese on top!

Broccoli Pesto Polenta

Creamy cheesy polenta topped with a poached egg. It’s as cozy as a fire in the fireplace.

And because breakfast is another good time to have a bowl of goodness we have:

Coconut Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Chewy/coconuty, warm and filling. All the things you want on a cold morning.

If you happen to make a recipe you find here on Shutterbean and you’re on Instagram, take a picture of your creation and tag it with #shutterbeanrecipe !! I love seeing what you make 🙂