Category Archives: fruit

The Less Conventional Uses of Almond Meal

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Awhile back I made an impulsive splurge and picked up a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal. In reality I only ordered it because I wanted to get free shipping and needed my shopping cart to reach a certain pre-tax amount. Ugh, I’m always prone to spend more money that way. Either way I’ve found quite a few uses for almond meal, some of which are the less common uses of almond meal.

To start off, there is the more conventional use:


However I’m always concerned about the safety of baking almond based products at high temperatures (see reason).

So I’ve experimented with some other almond meal uses such as:

Salad Dressings:

Almond Meal salad Dressing: 1 tbsp almond meal, 1 tsp yellow mustard, 2 tbsp salsa, splash of apple cider vinegar. The tea pictured is Creme de la menthe from DavidsTea. I really like this tea, but I’m not surprised because it reminds me a lot of an old time favourite: Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane.

Yogurt Toppings:



Alligator Stew Ingredient:

Ingredients: 1.5 cups of cold tea, 3 tbsp whey, 2 tbsp peanut flour, 2 tbsp almond meal, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, frozen spinach, frozen apple, 7 ice cubes.

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Are you ever concerned about baking at high temperatures with nut based flours? Do you have any other uses for almond meal? Are you prone to spending more online in order to get free shipping?

Thick as Mud

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It makes sense that one should want an alligator stew to be as thick as mud, doesn’t it? I mean alligators live in a swamp and swamps have mud. Where am I going with all this? Alligator stews are becoming more and more frequently consumed by me, and I thought I would share a few tips for making an alligator stew as thick as mud.

THICK AS MUD TIPS:

•Freeze the spinach before hand
•Add bran or flour (I use 1/3 cup wheat bran, but peanut flour is great too)
•Xanthan gum + lemon = magic thickening agent (Simply an observation, and completly unproven phenomenon)
•Use frozen fruit (I use either frozen apple, or frozen strawberries)

The tea I used was Some Velvet Morning:

Chinese green tea, dandelion root, schizandra berries, lemongrass, orange peel

Although it’s thick enough to eat with a spoon, sometimes a straw makes things a little more fun. Plus that way I get to save the toppings for less.

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When you top things (smoothies, greek yogurt, oatmeal ect) do you like to save the toppings for last, or do you eat them first? Do you have your smoothies with a spoon or straw or cup?

Magically Invisible Tops

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Thankfully I don’t mean invisible clothing “Tops”. The other day I was browsing one of my favourite stores (the university bookstore) and came across a bit of magic…

A pessimist would call it a rip-off, yet an optimist would call it magic. Since I’m trying to be more optimistic (I’m the pessimistic type), I decided to carry on this magic thinking when I ran out of chocolate to melt and drizzle on my yogurt/fruit bowl.

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Are you an optimist or a pessimist? What is your favourite type of store to browse?

Plain and Simple

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I had fun playing I spy with my little eye during WIAW last week, however this week I’m going to keep it plain and simple. Albeit the actually edibles themselves are not exactly what I would consider plain and simple:

In fact the first edible is completely the opposite of simple, so much so that I don’t even remember what went into the mixture. All I know is that I need to learn how to mix my recipes before I stick them in the microwave:

The next edible is an old time favourite: French Toasted Crackers.(Simply crackers soaked in egg, seasoned and microwaved). Instead of using crackers though I used rice cakes. I used Free Run eggs to make them, and was amazed at how YELLOW they turned out.
I ended up topping these with salsa and hummus. Anything but plain.

Last photographed edible was velvet cocoa pudding, while taking a quick study break:
It looks chunky because I over froze it (not so simple). Still delicious though!

Study break is over and back to work I go, you know where I will be ;)

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What would you concider a plain and simple meal? (Toast and Cheeese!) Have you noticed free run eggs are more yellow than regular eggs?

The Solution For…

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The other day I couldn’t decide between a Granny Smith and a Fuji apple. So I had a Granny-Fuji apple! Of course that means later in the day I had a Fuji-Smith apple! It’s a win win situation.

When taking an apple to-go, I always use my apple slicer to de-core and chop, then I put the apple back together again. This way the apple doesn’t go brown when it’s sitting in my bag because the flesh isn’t exposed to the air!

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What two apple varieties would you have a hard time choosing between? Do you have any solutions for keeping fruit from turning brown?

Magically in Colour

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You didn’t think I was missing out on WIAW did you? Just a little bit late for the party but here none the less.

Last week the color disappeared from all my eats, this week they’ve all come back! It’s like that magic trick where the magician has a coloring book that is all black and white, and then they use a magic invisible crayon and bam! Wouldn’t you know it, the coloring book ends up all colorful.

Egg white Oat bran made with Warmth Cinnamon Spice Tea

Spaghetti Squash, spinach, tomatoes, and broccoli slaw with nutritional yeast, hummus, and greek yogurt. Did you notice the headline ” When Eating Bacon is Like Eating Fido”? It’s an article about an advertising campaign (Be Veg) to become vegetarian. They have an interesting campaign, and if you are curious you can check the posters out here.

A recent favorite snack of mine. Can you guess what it is? There will be a whole post about this mystery coming up soon. The only reason I’m holding back on you all is because I have more then just a few sentences to say about this one!

Baked vegetable medley with nutritional yeast, cheese, and almonds

Protein Powder smoothie poured on top of fruit, then topped with peanut flour sauce

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Did you watch magic shows when you were a kid? What’s your favorite trick? Can you guess what my mystery snack in the jar is?

S.C.H.O.O.L W.I.A.W

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Thank goodness it’s time for a party, because these last few days have been anything but that.

This week over at Peas and Crayons WIAW party, I’m going to share what S.C.H.O.O.L has meant for me this first week.

S – Stress

We are allowed to change our courses until the end of September, and being in 4th year I have lots of options. Choosing the perfect 5 courses with the best schedule, good profs, and interesting content has been a huge stress.

Chamomile Citron Oat Bran

{Breakfast} Oat bran cooked with chamomile citron tea, a tiny drop of lemon extract, and mixed with greek yogurt before sitting for the night.Regular sides of grapefruit, watermelon, and coffee

C – Crowds

I don’t like crowds, and the bookstore is a zoo. I have yet to get any of my textbooks. You can bet this just adds to the stress

{Snack} Peanut butter and chocolate topped on crackers. I have been craving chocolate lately like it’s my job. I also had an apple for snack, but it was unpictured, as all three were today.

H – Huh?

Lots of profs have done their intro lectures, and I have only been left with “Huh? Is this for me?”

{Lunch} Spaghetti squash, nutritional yeast, melted peppercorn cheese, greek yogurt, salt, and garlic. With a heaping tablespoon of deliciousness.

O- Office

My study office. Clean, pristine, and ready to be used. Too bad I don’t know what courses I’m taking, or have any textbooks.

{Snack} Reusing a yogurt container for a greek yogurt concoction with fruit, crackers, and peanut flour sauce.

O-Ouch

The feeling in my shoulder after lugging around a days worth of food in my bag. Thankfully I didn’t have to on Tuesday.

French Toast Crackers
{Dinner} Crackers soaked in eggs, and then microwaved, and topped on spinach salad with greek-salsa sauce. Finished with an apple

L- Long

Commuting to class has been out of the ordinarily long lately. Lots of delays, and missed transfers just get me irritated

Hazelnut-Chocolate Mousse
{Snack} Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse: greek yogurt, 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, 1 tbsp flax, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, hazelnut flavor drops. Left to sit in the fridge.

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Are you in school? Pick a letter from S.C.H.O.O.L and tell me what school means/meant for you lately. Are there any foods you’ve been particularly craving lately?

Taking a Tumble

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My favorite time to go for a run is in the morning. I normally love my weekday morning runs, especially the past few weeks where the days have been shorter so I get out in time to see the glorious sunrise.

Yesterday was a different story. You see, during my run I decided to take a nose dive into the pavement…

When I felt my nose hit the ground I immediately jerked my head back. I must have good reflexes because somehow my face managed to get out unscraped. Unfortunately my elbows, hips, and knees were a different story.

I was surprisingly optimistic after the tumble, and ended up completing my run although it was a good 10 minutes slower then usual.

It all turned out though. Nothing that tea, a neck warmer (perhaps I jerked my head a bit to hard), and yummy food can’t fix.

What’s the point of my little story? We all take tumbles sometimes, whether its a bad grade or getting a cold. The good news is that most tumbles aren’t the end of the world.

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Have you ever taken a tumble on a run? or even just walking? Any exciting weekend plans? 

A Busy Blogger's WIAW

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Hello mon petit choux! Since the summer’s end is fast approaching I’ve decided to post a little less often in order to appreciate every moment of freedom before the semester days begin. I still have 1.5 weeks of work left, but then I have 13 days of complete nothingness before classes begin.

Since many American schools begin sooner, I’m sure many of you are starting to get busy. That’s why I’ve decided to share some busy blogger tips that I’ve adopted throughout the summer months of working full time. Don’t worry folks, I will share these tips while we feast at the WIAW party!

***IMPORTANT: 1) I didn’t manage to get a pick of all my fruit/nut snacking. 2) Hover your mouse over the picture for the description (my attempt at trying to make my post less wordy!)***

Breakfast: 

Tip #1: Multitasking

Breakfast is savored while catching up with all my blogging friends. One of my favorite things about the blogosphere is reading all of your posts, and getting to know my friends each and every day. For me, reading is more important then posting!

Morning Snack:

Tip #2: Use notebooks

Often when I go on a run I will think of something incredibly insightful I want to write about, most often then not by the time the endorphins level off I realize that my idea wasn’t that great after all. Sometimes when running I think everything is sunshine and lollypops. For the times I ACTUALLY do come up with something, I write it down in my notebook when I get home. If I’m every stumped about what to write about I can just refer to my list!

Lunch:

Tip#3: Using Features 

If you use WordPress, take advantage of the features. I insert my pictures using HTML because it’s much faster especially to edit the size. I also take advantage of the scheduling button, so I can post at a consistent time.

Afternoon Snack Break:

Tips # 4: Every minute counts

During breaks at work I use google docs to write up my post sans photographs and read through for spelling and grammar errors. That way when in the evening all that’s left is inserting pictures, links, and formatting.

Dinner:

Tip # 5: Don’t do what I do
I’m a compulsive over editor (although I bet I still miss plenty of mistakes). I probably re-read my already edited post at least 5 times before finishing. Perhaps that’s why I try not be so wordy! Either way multiple edits are not worth the time or energy. I enjoy reading your posts more then re-reading mine!

Snack:

Totally fabulous find: protein gelato, at a local Gelato store. Beat that Fro-yo!

It was tasty, but next time I will go for the chocolate or cappucinno flavor. The vanilla bean reminded me of vanilla Rolaids, of which I am not best friends with.

Tip #6: No Stress

Don’t stress if you don’t have time to get a post out!

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Do you think you come up with amazing ideas while running/exercising? Have you had any fabulous finds recently?

Where I Sat (and ate) Wednesday

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First of all: I loved reading your comments on all the things that make you YOU yesterday! I feel like I know you all so much better. Now it’s time for some eats, because it’s WIAW:

Go ahead and use your imagination to envision me sitting in all the empty chairs.

{BREAKFAST} Toast topped with cottage cheese and peanut butter, greek yogurt with cranberries/strawberries, apple, and grapefruit

The type of imagination I’m asking you to do is harmless right? I agree it is. But for me personally not ALL imagination is harmless.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld was very wise when he said “One is never fortunate or as unfortunate as one imagines.”

{SNACK} Green seductions loose leaf tea, mini protein bar, and pistachios

I confess to getting caught in deep and elaborate day dreams whether it’s about excelling in school, succeeding in a race, winning a contest, or having more friends.

Sure they may seem harmless at the time, but it only sets my heart and soul on something that is not even coming close to fruitation. Speaking of fruit:

{LUNCH}Hummus with salad, cottage cheese with soy cereal, apple

When I realize that my dream isn’t reality I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. A slight plunge where hope is lost and I’m all alone. In my experience it is true “that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genisis 8:21 ASV). I don’t need better marks, or more money, or a great race time. Why do I always want more then I have? Why are these things so significant to me anyways?

{SNACK} roasted soybeans

Then I look around me, and see the truth. I am living the dream. I have an amazing summer job, I have a mother who’s trying her hardest to bond with me, I have the finances to go to school, and I have the faith to get me through the dark bits….

{DINNER} Coconut Curry tempeh, cherry tomatoes, turnip, greek salsa dip

…and I can’t forget how fortunate I am for yummy snacks:

{SNACK} Post lifting smoothie poured over cut up apple, watermelon, strawberries and cranberries

So for now I’m going to focus on the things I DO have rather then the things I DON’T have.

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Do ever get caught up in imagining the things you long for? Do you think some imagination can be a bad thing? Do you like tempeh (I loved it!)?

CyberChimps