A Freezer Full of Goodness!

There's nothing I love more than a well-stocked freezer! That might not be true. But really, I have so many options right now that dinner has been a cinch each night this week. Not only do I have tons of delicious proteins tucked away, but I also have a variety of miscellaneous treats (which is what I'm most excited about!) Take a look at what I've got:

Two tilapia fillets, one andouille sausage, a fillet of

arctic char, half a pound of ground turkey, one portion of turkey and kidney bean chili, four black bean mushroom burgers, edamame (so delicious mixed with pasta, or as a simple side dish with salt or soy sauce), wild blueberries, banana, plums, raspberries, mangoes (all are wonderful additions to smoothies and morning oats), homemade m&m cookies (ready for baking to send to Nate!), french cut green beans, TJ's chicken dumplings, and last (BUT SO NOT LEAST) TJ's tart, non-fat frozen yogurt. I die.

Another great thing about freezers full of goodies? My grocery bill is relatively low this week, even though I shopped at Whole Foods (a rare treat). It's expensive there, but I'm single, which means I can buy whatever the hell I want (direct quote by whom, Mom?). Check out these gorgeous, local peaches that I got on sale!  And, to make this good day official, look what I get to have for lunch: cobb salad with avacado, bacon, egg, kalamata olives, tomatoes, and cucumber with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

The Reservoir

As I pedaled furiously to work this morning I passed the Georgetown reservoir, which I ride/drive by constantly. It must have been the looming storm that caused the smell of lake and earth to surround me, and I could remember myself being at Linwood across the years, perched on my bike, smelling that same scent. I found myself staring across the front half of the reservoir, a recently-emptied pit of cement, and forced my eyes to focus on the mass of blue water behind it, rolling hills and blue sky along its border. Oh, to be floating in one of my lakes today!

I wish this ache to go home would leave me. The only time I don't feel a longing to be far away from where I am is when I'm surrounded by my friends. During the week those moments are rare- everyone is busy with their lives, which is true for me as well. There's something peaceful about living by myself, but lately I would trade my clean, decorated studio for a sink full of someone else's dishes just for the company. I need Schuyler!

Tonight's dinner: Baked tilapia in a curry-yogurt-lemon sauce with Indian Cabbage (I could eat this all day) and quinoa.

Ch-ch-changes...

I've been insprired recently by The Broccoli Hut, a blog about healthy eating and cooking. Caroline has so many creative breakfast recipes that I decided I needed to expand my oatmeal-flaxseed-brown sugar-blueberries staple to include other whole grain variations. So, at Trader Joe's I bought a huge bag of oat bran for only $2.99! The recommended serving size was 1/3 cup, so I increased it to 1/2 cup, of course. I put it in my glass tupperware with 2 cups of water and microwaved it for 4 minutes- the result was a soupy-thick cereal that looked like cream of wheat. I mixed in my standard ground flaxseed, a tab of salted butter, 2 scoops of brown sugar, and a handful of frozen wild blueberries (another change!). I didn't eat it until about 30 minutes later, after riding to work with the tupperware bungied to the back of my bike. Final review: I love oat bran! It tasted like oaty grits. I know, I know-  this meal wasn't revolutionary, but I promise it's the beginning of a beautiful era of amazing breakfast cereal combinations! Kiwi and coconut butter, perhaps? Peanut flour and raspberries? THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!


This picture doesn't necessarily capture the true glory of my breakfast...