Posts tagged as:

berry trail mix

Delicious Chowder

by Eating Bird Food on November 13, 2009

The lovely Stephanie told me about a lavender farm right outside the city of Richmond that has “Cooking with Herb” classes. I went to their website to check it out and sure enough they do have cooking classes (which I so want to attend) but they also have recipes! Lots of them looked really good, but I ended up Spring Padding a chowder recipe for later use. Which brings me to the amazing dinner I mentioned on my last post.
Potato & Corn Chowder with Fresh Sage

IMG_2484.JPG

This was so delicious!! I have a thing for potato soup so I was excited to try one with sweet potato and corn mixed in. Both the sweet potato and corn give it just enough sweetness and the thyme and fresh sage add a unique flavor. I had to go back for seconds.

And, in case you want to try one of the best soup recipes I’ve had in a long time, here’s the recipe from the website with my alternations:

Potato & Corn Chowder with Fresh Sage

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 1 cup diced sweet onion (can substitute white or red)
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 medium sweet potato (chopped)
  • 2 medium Russet potatoes (chopped)
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube (I used Rapunzel Vegan- no salt added)
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 4 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
  • 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 16oz bag frozen corn
  • 1 cup 1% milk
  • 2 cans cream corn (or make fresh cream corn)

1. Heat large soup pot on medium temperature.
2. Add olive oil and increase heat to medium high.
3. Add onions and celery.
4. Sauté until lightly caramelized, stirring frequently (about 10 minutes)
5. Add potatoes and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add water, vegetable base and dry thyme.
7. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
8. Add onion powder, sage, salt, pepper and frozen corn.
9. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
10. Add cream corn and milk, cook until potatoes are tender. (5 minutes)

This morning I had to wake up early to attend a Social Media Marketing seminar put on by the Marketing Department of a local university before work. It went well and it was interesting to see how a university used social media to communicate with their students, alumni, the community, and prospective students- however I think I could have spoke as part of the seminar as I knew all the information that they were talking about. Still it’s nice to see things of this nature popping up locally- social media is becoming a big deal and I love it!!

The best part about the meeting is that they provided breakfast. It’s not everyday that I have a catered breakfast (or bagels) so I was excited to have a Panera cranberry walnut bagel with LF honey walnut cream cheese,

IMG_2483.JPG

On the side I had a Panera fruit cup and 1/2 of a Katalyst Kombucha Pure Essence brought from home.

IMG_2481.JPG

I like the Katalyst Kombucha a lot- it seems to taste less like vinegar than the Synergy Kombucha drinks and it’s cheaper!

I had 3 meetings at the office so my day was pretty packed but I did end up coming home for lunch. I couldn’t resist having another bowl of the Potato & Corn Chowder.

IMG_2480.JPG

Just as good as last night!

And a handful of berry trail mix for a snack.

IMG_2485.JPG

While I was off eating chowder, the office ordered pizza for lunch. There was quite a bit left over so I ended up taking a few veggie slices home. I popped a slice and a half in the toaster oven and dinner was served!

IMG_2489.JPG

Can’t get much easier than that on a Friday night. I’m going to do some yoga and then Isaac and I are taking yet another friend from out of town to Balliceaux to get a drink- we love this place! We then plan on coming home and playing board games. Sounds good to me as it’s another rainy night here in Richmond.

I hope the weather is better in your neck of the woods- do you have any big plans for the weekend?

- Brittany

{ 15 comments }

Getting Back in the Groove

by Eating Bird Food on November 2, 2009

And I’m not talking Monday, work related stuff. I’m talking back to healthy eating and working out. Over the past few weeks I’ve been eating whatever I want, whenever I want and not really challenging myself at the gym. I was on twitter last night chatting with a couple ladies and we all decided to get back on track (or “Get Our Glow Back”, as Ange would say). It’s evident that many of us in blog world are feeling the same way as just last week Caitlin declared she was having a Back On Track month. As we all gear up for the holiday treats, parties, and cold weather comfort foods, it’s important to get back to healthy eating habits now. Here’s my plan:

  • Eat more fruits and veggies, home cooked meals,
  • Less processed foods
  • Drink plenty of water!
  • Stick to one afternoon snack between lunch and dinner (instead of say, 3)
  • Drink alcohol in moderation (I’m not limiting it completely, because I know I’ll want to enjoy the cocktails at the Foodbuzz blogger festival this weekend)
  • Incorporate more strength training and yoga into my workout routine

In light of this new plan, I woke up early for a pre-work gym visit. I thought it would be easier to rise a the crack of dawn with the time change and all. Nope, it was still hard but I managed to get my bum out of bed and make it to the gym for a 10 minute warm up on the treadmill and some arms and back strength training. Upon arriving home I took my meds- 2 digestive enzyme capulses (for my belly), lysine (for my mouth), and glucosamine/chondroitin (for my knee) and whipped up a green smoothie (also for my belly).

IMG_2094.JPG

I bought these digestive enzymes when I was having tummy troubles a while back and I still take them every so often to aid my digestion. I figured since today was the start of my getting back on track I should help my digestive system out a little bit.

IMG_2251.JPG

Green Smoothie

  • 1/2 tablespoon ground flax seed
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 cup kale
  • 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 4 cubes of ice

Place everything in the blender and blend on high until all flakes of kale have disappeared, giving your smoothie a lovely green color and tons of NUTRIENTS! So simple, yet delicious.

I have to admit that I was freezing while drinking this. It’s pretty chilly in our house since we haven’t turned on the heat. I drank it with two jackets on. haha

I also portioned out a bit of my favorite trail mix- berry trail mix from Good Foods Grocery.

IMG_2252.JPG

I had forgotten, but today was Marketing team lunch day, which means we all go out to eat. I was super excited because we ended up going to an office favorite, Ginger Thai Taste! I ordered the vegetarian spring rolls for an appetizer.

springrolls.jpg

and the vegetable Tom Yum Soup, which is a Thai hot and sour soup with onion, cilantro, tomatoes, lemongrass and lime.

IMG_2253.JPG

So warming and delicious. I simply love Thai cuisine.

I came home from work, put a sweet po in the oven, and took a brisk walk with my main squeeze (Isaac, not Olive).

I put a little Artisana Coconut Butter on the sweet potato a la the lovely Katharina.

IMG_2256.JPG

and then proceeded to top it with Isaac’s veggie chili. It was such a good combo. I know it kind of looks disgusting, but I promise you that it tasted much, much better than it looks.

IMG_2257.JPG

So there you have it, DAY 1 of getting back my groove! I’m currently sipping on a little Katalyst Kombucha and starting to my pack for San Fran- only 4 days left!

Oh, but I also wanted to share this with you:

The Bolder Mat Company sent me one of their mats to review and it couldn’t have come at a better time because as I mentioned, an aspect of getting back in my groove will be to incorporate more yoga into my workout routine. I love the way yoga makes me feel calm and I love the strength training and stretching aspect of it. I hope to do more core flow and power yoga sessions in the near future. Yogadownload here I come!

IMG_2250.JPG

As for my Go With The Flow Turtle Yoga Mat (pictured above), I LOVE it! It’s much thicker and stickier than my old mat. Plus, it much cooler- just check out the design! It makes me feel like I’m back in the Cayman Islands, plus I’ve always been a water girl so I love the wave design.

Please feel free to join in on the getting back your groove and your healthy glow! It’s going to be fun and many bloggers have already joined in. Read Ange’s post here and be sure to check out Caitlin’s Back On Track month as well.

- Brittany

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

{ 23 comments }