Pumpkin Mania

As an avid blog stalker, there are many trends I take note of. Cake pops, bacon-flavored desserts, etc. have graced almost every food blog on the world wide web. Enter a health foodie's top trend: pumpkin. Pumpkin granola, pumpkin parfaits, pumpkin muffins, cake, cookies, and pie. Pumpkin chili and pumpkin hummus. Even pumpkin mac 'n' cheese!

I was always a little leery of the pumpkin trend. Really?? Its orange and mushy...and screams fall. And I'm just not ready for fall. But the can of pumpkin puree in my cupboard has been calling my name. I couldn't resist it any longer. So what did I do? Combined it with my favorite food for a fantastic flavor explosion (haha, like that alliteration? ;).

When I first started eating healthier, I lived out of 75 Ways to Love Your Oatmeal. It seriously saved my butt. Now, I make oatmeal about 4-5 times a week, and I love it! I don't typically use Jenny's book anymore because I have the recipes I love memorized.

Now, I have a confession to make. Some people bake their oatmeal. Others do it on the stovetop. I used to bake mine, but had to microwave it while on vacation this summer. Now I'm just super lazy and microwave my oatmeal every time. And guess what? I like it better that way. When making oatmeal, its really up to you to decide how you want to cook it. The measurements will work whether you bake it, stovetop it, or nuke it.

5-minute Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup oats
• ⅔ cup 1% milk
• ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
• 1-1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar splenda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans/walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Mix all together in a large bowl (if you don't use a big bowl, it will spill over in the microwave and your mom will get mad at you...) and microwave for 3-4 minutes.

Servings: 1
Calories w/out nuts: 277
Calories w/ nuts: 371
Protein: 10.1g

P.S.--I know my photos have definitely been sub-par. I blame the awful lighting in my apartment. But I'm definitely gonna make it up to y'all and try to find somewhere to take pictures where the lighting doesn't make the food look so nasty. But I promise it all tastes good!

Baking + Cleaning = Stress Relief

It's been a rough week. The tests, work, and other problems have been building and stressing me out. Even though I'm eating pretty well this week, I have gained a little bit of weight. It's frustrating and I'm just so tired. So tonight I took a break from studying and focused on something I haven't done in a while...cleaning. It seems like lately I am hardly ever home so my apartment is an absolute disaster. And I'm gonna fix that. And bake "stress relief" cake at the same time. Hey, next to exercising, isn't cleaning and chocolate the best stress reliever there is? :P

Sammi's Chocolate Cake 

Ingredients:

• 1 package sugar-free yellow cake mix
• 1 box sugar-free chocolate pudding mix
• ¾ C. egg whites
• ¾ C. vegetable oil
• ½ C. sugar
• 1 C. Greek yogurt or fat-free sour cream
• ¾ C. chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a well-greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Serve warm sprinkled with powdered sugar. I love to slice up the leftovers, cover them with foil, and stick them in the freezer. Then whenever I need a treat, I just pull one of these bad boys out! I actually like the cake better frozen--the freezer keeps it moist and flavorful even after a couple weeks.

Servings: 20
Calories: 198
Protein: N/A

P.S.--I ran 7.5 miles this morning. And now I'm going to play an intramural football game. I think I might pass out.

Study all Night Long

Ok, so maybe not that long. But still. Four midterms in a week! I have been living in the library the last few days, and I am soo sick of it. But at least I have happy snacks to make me feel better...

Overnight Oats = best. idea. ever. No mess, no fuss. I made a huge batch and took it with me. In this batch there's oats, blueberries, honey, greek yogurt, 1% milk, and almonds. I had it packed on the counter and my roommate was shocked that I could eat oatmeal cold. I replied that I could eat oatmeal all day, everyday, warm or cold. Yeah, it's that good.

Had to use up the broccoli. Since I don't like it raw, I steamed the "trees" then seasoned with lemon pepper.

It's sweet potato season! I'm a little picky about sweet potatoes...first of all, I don't like "yams". I don't buy the orange sweet potatoes. I like the more mellow sweetness of other varieties. I also like a sweet/spicy combo, so toss the potato chunks with olive oil and Tony's and roast. It's like french fries!

Last of the summer berries. :( 

Quinoa. Once again, Gift from the Gods. Cooked it in chicken broth. Super easy.

Haha. So I wasn't planning on taking asparagus with me to the library, but it was about to go bad...this morning I quickly tossed them with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray (0 calories. Check it out.), salt, pepper, and garlic powder. No the easiest to-go food, but still my favorite veggie!

Not all of these snacks are really great "to-go" foods. But bear in mind that I have been leaving the house at 9:00am and getting home around 8:00pm every day this week. So yes, I have probably been getting some weird looks from my desk neighbors. But hey, they are probably just jealous that their food isn't as delicious as mine, right?...right??

I'm so fried right now. But whenever I am fed up with studying, I take an hour break to head to the gym. Seriously. The other day I was in a PowerPump class (taking a break from studying) and at the end of it I realized that I hadn't thought about the homework I still needed to do a single time. It felt great.

Game Day

What would college be without football?? The first home game of the season was yesterday, and it just happened to be against our biggest rivals.  

Elaine, Kayla, and myself...super excited for kickoff! If you want to ready all about Kayla and how awesome she is, you should check out her blog. :)

Super stoked for the game, I packed all of the essentials: nuts and cranberries, a whole wheat PB sandwich, and my last nectarine--no stadium food for me!

Actually, my food almost didn't make it in.  I totally forgot that outside food wasn't allowed in the stadium, so when I saw the bag checker, I panicked a little.  You know, shoving things into the bottom of the bag, trying to cover my snacks up with non-contraband items.

When we got to the bag checker, he started searching.  And he found a tupper.  Of leftover eggplant!  I had forgotten (that seems to be a common theme right now, right? chalk it up to the fact that I have four--yes, four!--midterms this week) that I had left it in my bag when I didn't eat it at work.

The beautiful thing about eggplant is...well, its pretty darn ugly.  The guy totally made a face and was like, "What is that?!"  Hahaha!  I just told him that it was eggplant that I had forgotten about and that I would throw it out.  And it worked.  So everyone: if you are ever trying to sneak in delicious food, use an ugly food, like roasted eggplant slices, as a diversion.  Works like a charm.

Contrary to my food success, our team sucked. Hard core. It was super tragic and altogether quite painful.  Hopefully they will step it up for the next one... I can't sit through an entire season of insanely sloppy play. :(

Eggplant Panini

You have to make this. Right now. This was seriously one of the best sandwiches I have ever made...seriously fantastic (yes, it is that good that I said seriously twice).  The roasted tomatoes totally make it--they are flavorful and juicy and really kick this thing up a notch.  In fact, I am so addicted to roasting tomatoes right now that I'm tempted to freeze some...I'll let you know how that goes (and if I can fit that in my freezer).  I'm going to have leftovers for lunch, and its sitting in my backpack mocking me, taunting me because it's not lunchtime for another two hours. But you just wait...

Roasted Eggplant Panini
(Mary decided to photobomb my food pic...)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 3-4 tablespoons mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon pesto
• 4 slices whole-grain bread
• olive oil
• salt

Directions:

Peel and slice eggplant in 1/4" rounds. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Toss eggplant slices and tomatoes in olive oil; generously salt. Roast tomatoes and eggplant at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. When the veggies are cooked, take your bread. Spread 1/2 teaspoon over one slice. Cover the other slice with mozzarella cheese. Layer on tomatoes, eggplant, and spinach leaves. Press in a George Foreman Grill for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Serves 2-3, depending on how hungry you are. :)
Calories: 330
Protein: 14g

All Spinached Out!

So I love grocery shopping. The only thing is, I always
end up buying too much produce and have to get creative to get through all of my veggies. 

I got groceries this weekend while I still had a car. It was so nice to stock up for a few weeks...I'm really excited about all the good, clean food I'm going to be eating. :) 

Wanna know how much my momma loves me?? So she came by to pick up the car last Saturday. She showed up on the doorstep with a bag of veggies from my favorite store--Sunflower Market.


Best ever. I was so excited (only I would get excited about a gift of produce)! But seriously, it was the sweetest thing ever. I am blessed to have a mom that supports me. Love her.

Now, what do you do when you buy a ginormous tub of baby spinach that is going to go bad in a week? Make loads of salad!  Here is my favorite salad this week. :)

Fried Egg Salad

**This is a spin-off of a class spinach salad, only warm. and more delicious (mostly because I don't even like spinach salad. shhh...don't tell my mom.).**

Ingredients:

• 1 medium egg
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• ½ cup onion
• ½ tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet on medium. In the meantime, thinly slice the onion into rings. Throw 3/4-1 cup of fresh spinach leaves into a bowl. 2. Melt the butter in the skillet, and then toss in your onions. Generously salt and pepper the onions; cover, stirring occasionally until the onions are caramelized. 3. Take the onions out the skillet and crack an egg into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and let it fry in the leftover butter. 4. Pour the fried egg and whatever butter is leftover into bowl with spinach and onions. Eat immediately.

Serves 1
Calories: 144
Protein: 7g

Inspiring Friends

I went with two of my best friends to Zumba this week. I already go to R.I.P.P.E.D. twice a week and kickboxing, but I wanted to go with them because I LOVE that they are trying to workout more often. Erin is going to try and go to Zumba almost every day, and I think that is just fantastic.

You know, while we were in class, they really inspired me. Nowadays, working out and eating well comes pretty naturally to me. Yeah, sometimes I cheat (see the PB Cookie recipe!) but even then I try to make as many healthy substitutes as possible and watch my portions. So when my best friends are making the effort to work out more often, it reminds me of the beginning of my journey--when it was so difficult to force myself to workout, the frustrating weeks when my weight loss when south, and the adjustment to a healthier approach to cooking. Some days, it was difficult to even get out of bed because I dreaded my day so much (though that probably has a lot to do with hating my summer job...).

So thank you ladies, for being awesome and inspiring me to recommit. 

Love y'all, mean it!

(Just ignore the fact that I look like crap in this picture lol)

Eggplant and Mushroom "Risotto"

So I was food blog creepin' the other day, and I was struck with a sudden idea: I wanted to make risotto.

I know what you're thinking. No, I have never made risotto before in my life. And when I read the instructions and realized how long it takes to make a proper risotto, I will never make one.

This rice dish may have Italian grandmothers rolling over in their graves because of my poor technique, but it tastes pretty darn good!

Mushroom and Eggplant "Risotto"

Ingredients:

• ¾ cups short-grain brown rice
• ½ onion, sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• salt, pepper, to taste
• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Heat a nonstick pot on medium. Melt butter, then throw in onion. Let onions saute in the butter until they are caramelized (and yummy!). Add in sliced mushrooms and saute until softened. Salt and pepper to taste (I like my food more peppery). Toss rice into pot and toast for a couple minutes. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 45-55 minutes. While the rice is cooking on the stove, peel and roughly chop eggplant. Drizzle with olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast your eggplant at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. The eggplant is going to get slightly crispy on the outside while still maintaining the soft "eggplanty" center (for lack of a better word). The rice should be al dente. If you feel like the rice mixture is getting too dry during cooking, add in more chicken broth. To make this as "risotto"-like as possible, its better for your mixture to be too wet than too dry. Toss in roasted eggplant and chopped fresh parsley. This dish is really hearty on its own and totally will fill you up! Serves 4 Calories: 235 Protein: 6g

Whole Wheat PB Cookies

I am absolutely addicted to peanut butter. It is the most fantastic thing in the world! I think I would have a mental breakdown if I didn't get my spoonful of peanut butter in every day. These cookies are a little bit of a cheat, but it was one of those days when I have the overwhelming craving for a cookie.

Cookies are my other favorite food in the whole wide world, as Mom can attest. I can down at least four cookies in one sitting, and then come back ten minutes later! Oh gosh, I think I'm going to need a cookie...

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from Caviar and Codfish

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter
• ½ cup natural peanut butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg

Directions:

Beat together egg, sugars, and butter. Add in dry ingredients and mix until dough forms. Roll dough in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Let cool and serve. **This would probably also be delicious with almond or cashew butter. mmm...**

Makes 48 cookies
Calories: 56

P.S.--totally just went and make some cookie dough. nbd.

Recipe Update

You would think I was trying to trick you. You show up to this site expecting recipes because I have the nerve to call myself the "Cookin' College Girl"...and I haven't posted any in a while!

Truth is, I'm super lazy. Also, I'm in college. I'm busy. So deal.

Ok, ok, enough with the excuses. I'm going to get a few posts up in the next couple days with recipes I have made over the last couple weeks. :)

In the meantime, stayed tuned for my favorite YouTube video of all time (because that's what we college kids do when we are avoiding homework...watch Kittens Inspired by Kittens).

My favorite part: "I'm her mom!"
                                         "No...she's not!"

Rockin' It

Holy cow this has been a big week for me! Meeting goals is the best feeling ever...especially because it means you get to set new ones! I hope you don't mind, but since this is my blog I'm going to brag a little about what I have done the last few days... :P

First off, eight miles. Nailed it. New York is so close I can almost taste it. Its truly amazing what your body can do. Actually, its truly amazing how your body can adapt and become stronger. I'm loving that I can push my body hard and it responds.

P.S.--JCPenney is totally having a fantastic sale on workout clothing! Inexpensive, good quality stuff. I went a little crazy and bought three shirts and two pairs of running tights (for only $70!). I always need most stuff right?...right??

In other news, I also hit another goal this week: 30 pounds lost! Its been really difficult to reach this point because I'm mostly just working off extra fat (ew). I'm still pushing to get another 5-8 pounds before the race, but its definitely going to slower than this summer. And that's ok. I realize that I'm almost done--its scary and exciting. I'm terrified that I'll gain it all back. I don't trust myself that much. But I also am so excited to prove myself wrong--that I can be healthy and fit the rest of my life. I cannot thing of anything more wonderful than being healthy forever. 

P.S (again).--I'm too pathetic to hold this up which is why its sitting happily on the weight rack. Need to work on that arm strength...

Summer Vegetable Chicken Pasta

I love veggies. Seriously can't get enough. So as I was deciding what I wanted to make tonight, I realized that I had loads of veggies in the fridge that needed to get used up before they went bad. And for a girl on a tight budget, I really don't like to waste food. So I threw things together, and it was surprisingly delicious.

Summer Veggie Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1 medium Zucchini, sliced
• 1 medium Summer Squash, sliced
• 7-8 medium Mushrooms, sliced
• ½ Yellow Onion, diced
• 2-3 Tbsp Garlic, minced
• 16 oz. Whole-wheat Pasta
• 1 Cup Spaghetti Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt, pepper, oregano to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. 2. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Once heated, add in diced onion. After a couple minutes, also add in the minced garlic (I just use already minced garlic from a jar). 3. While the onion and garlic are sauteing, cut the chicken breast into 1" cubes. Add into skillet. Season heavily with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Cook until the juices run clear. 4. Remove chicken from the skillet (but leave in the garlic and onion). Add another Tbsp of olive oil into the pan (the rest has probably cooked out by now) and toss in your veggies--zucchini, squash, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper; saute until the veggies have cooked down. Add the chicken back in, the pasta, and 1/2-1 cup of your favorite spaghetti/marinara sauce. Cook over medium heat until everything is hot. Serve.

Serves 6
Calories: 374
Protein: 27g