The Amazingness That Is Kefir

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Amy's, Back to Nature, California burger, giveaway, Greek yogut, honest scrap award, kefir, oat bran, oikos, peanut butter, pumpkin butter, Quaker, sweet potato fries, Whole Foods

I have a lot to talk about today so I’m going to have to pick and choose and save some for another post, another day

First of all, the forecasted “big snow storm?” Not so much. Nah. However, it has been snowing pretty much since 10 A.M. or so this morning but it’s just slushy outside with a light dusting.  So I went to my morning classes and then once the snow started, the public schools let out, which meant no work for me (woohoo!!!). Every other college around here followed suit and at least canceled evening classes… except for mine. Yep. You got it. The one and only college that does not cancel classes would be mine… because that’s how life works. And of course it would be on the day where I have a night class. I pretty much had decided by this afternoon that I was not going because the roads are wet and slushy and with temperatures dropping tonight, I was not going to risk going to class to sit there and listen to a professor talk about herself (so sorry, but I am not a fan of this professor… and for good reason). But she ended up canceling class at the last minute anyway, even though the college still was on a regular schedule. So very long story short, a night of freedom for me! Yay! AND my only class tomorrow was canceled because the professor said we needed a break (and who are we to argue…). So I only have two classes Thursday morning and then I am officially on Spring Break! Oh the simple things that make me happy…

How’s the weather where you are? Anyone lucky enough to be experiencing some spring-like weather?

Our little visitor is gone But since he is with my grandfather, I will still get to see him so it’s not completely a bummer. Just a tad bit.

And did anyone see the Bachelor last night? I won’t say specifically what happened in case there are those of you out there who have not seen it but I will say, I was happy/not happy about what Jake decided. I do not like who he picked BUT I give him credit for following his heart. I mean, that takes guts. And I really didn’t like Jake all that much anyway and I’m not sure why exactly – he was kinda fake to me for one thing. I am excited about the Bachelorette though!!! What did you think? It also got me to thinking about if it’s possible to fall in love with more than one person. I really think that if you truly love someone, if that is the person you are supposed to be with, that you can’t love anyone else quite like that. Not to say that you can’t love someone else or have feelings for other people but it just seems to me that there should be a difference, you know?

 

Ok, enough about that… on to what you really want to know about. On a cold (and not snowy quite then) morning, I wanted a big bowl of something hot and warm and comforting – enter my love, oat bran.

It was the usual bowl of 1/2 cup oat bran, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 banana, cinnamon, salt, and topped with peanut butter and pumpkin butter.

It’s been too long since I’ve had pumpkin butter. I welcome it back with open arms

 

And then lunch… I experienced the goodness that is Kefir! Holy yum… is this stuff good!!! I tried the plain version, by the way. It is kind of like a mix between yogurt and milk, in my opinion. I tried it first last night with some Quaker Oatmeal Squares… instant love, I tell you. I can’t believe I have gone so long without trying it, what with my love of yogurt and all. And, Kefir has some amazing benefits! As the website says,

With its 10 exclusive live and active probiotic cultures, the good-for-you bacteria, Lifeway Kefir is a creamy and delicious yogurt-like smoothie the whole family will enjoy.  Not only does it keep digestive and immune systems intact, it also helps prevent common side effects from taking antibiotics, helps with lactose intolerance and weight loss. Plus, it’s an excellent source of calcium, protein and fiber.

If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to give it a shot! There are tons of flavors besides plain and I can’t wait to try more!! Have you tried Kefir? How do you like to eat it?

Of course I knew that it was going to be a part of lunch today, as well as the Quaker Oatmeal Squares (one of my favorite cereals of all time) that I picked up yesterday. And so I dreamed up this delicious bowl that I thought about all morning. SO good.

I started with a container of Oikos plain Greek Yogurt that I sweetened with Stevia. I then topped it with 1/4 cup Kefir; this is the key, don’t mix the Kefir and yogurt together. Then, I topped that with a golden delicious apple and 1/2 cup Quaker Oatmeal Squares.

All I can say is you have to try this! If you like yogurt and yogurt messes, you will LOVE this! OMG. It would be even better with chia seeds in the yogurt, cinnamon, and peanut butter (which you WILL see in the near future).

My lunch honestly kept me full all afternoon. I had this bowl of strawberries, grapes, and pineapple this afternoon but I really wasn’t hungry. It ‘twas good, however.

 

And then for dinner, all I really wanted was a turkey burger or meaty bean burger – no go So I pulled this Amy’s California Burger from the depths of my freezer. Loved it! The ingredients were simple, whole foods, great nutrition stats, it had the meatiness of a meat burger with none of the weird texture or flavors of most faux meat, and it was delicious!! Especially with some ketchup and mustard alongside.

This is by far the best faux-meat burger that I have ever had. I love my Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers but they are veggie burgers, no mistaking them for meat. These Amy’s… yum. Amy’s always comes through for me

I also had some sweet potato… fries? Wedges? Whatever you want to call them, they were good. I chopped up a small sweet potato into 1 inch or so wedges, sprayed with canola spray, seasoned with salt and cinnamon, and baked them at 350 for 25 minutes, turned them and baked them for another 15 minutes at 350 and then 10 minutes at 400. This mix of temperatures and times allowed them to cook into this soft, pillowy goodness on the inside and then brown and crisp on the outside. Yum!!

I also had a salad (I was severely lacking in the veggie department pre-dinner) that was a mix of leftovers from the other night (lettuce, tomato, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, red onion) that I added to baby spinach, sliced strawberry, candied walnuts (just a bit), and golden raisons. I dressed the salad in strawberry-walnut vinaigrette. YUM. The candied walnuts MADE this salad. No, not the healthiest salad addition but a little bit goes a long way and they add so much flavor and crunch.

I then had 2 Back to Nature “thin mint” cookies. Delicious.

 

The other day, Gabriela from Une Vie Saine kindly awarded me with the Honest Scrap Award. I’m supposed to fill out a list of my “bests” and then pass this award onto five other bloggers. Here goes!

Best Meal Ever: I can’t pick just one but I would say the best meals that I have ever had were when I was in Ireland. I’m talking the most simple meals ever but the suppleness of them really made the ingredients shine! I’m talking potato leek soup, bread and butter (homemade!!!!!), cheese sandwich… yes, cheese sandwich.  Sounds crazy I know but it was SO freaking good. I have dreamed about those meals ever since

Best Sleep Ever: The night after a long run – such a GOOD sleep. You are so tired and worn out but in a pleasant way.

Best Cup of Coffee: Coffee that was just freshly ground with real cream and sugar..yum!

Best Romantic Moment: I’ve thought and thought about this question and I really can’t come to one answer. A lot of my good memories from my ex are sadly tarnished and aren’t really good memories anymore. But my first “romantic moment” (if you can call it that) was the first Valentine’s Day that actually meant something to me. I was in 11th grade and I had liked this guy in my class for forever. We finally went out on a date one weekend and then the following Monday (which was V-Day), he brought me roses to school! It made me SO happy! While we didn’t last as a couple, we are still friends to this day

Best Childhood Memory: It’s very hard to choose because I honestly have a lot of great childhood memories, most of which involve my cousin. She is one year younger than me and we grew up like sisters. We would spend the night at our great-grandmother’s house every Friday night and have a blast. It’s amazing we didn’t get my grandmother an anxiety attack as we were a tad on the loud silly side but we had some good times playing Pokémon, watching The Lion King, building forts that covered the entire room, spending entire days outside, staying up on New Year’s Eve to “celebrate” by putting confetti on fan blades and then turning it on to send confetti flying everywhere,… good times.

Best Moment of Life: I hate to copy Gabriela’s answer but I also like to think that this moment hasn’t happened. I can’t wait until I meet the person that I will marry and I also cannot wait until my wedding day, both of which I hope are the best moments of my life.

Best Moment of Revenge: I don’t generally try to get revenge on someone… that’s not how I am. Karma is real though, I’ll say that much…

Best Thing You Have Ever Done for Someone: I’m really not sure there is a “best” thing. I would just say that I have always been there when my friends need me, for just a shoulder to cry on or for advice.

Best Life Changing Moment: I wouldn’t say this was a “good” when it happened finally having the courage to get out of a toxic 4 year long relationship with my ex encouraged me to take up running (which completely changed my life) and follow my heart and get out of the teaching program. Sometimes even things that are the hardest end up being the best thing that could ever happen to you.

 

And I now must nominate 5 other bloggers. Really, I’d love give this to you all But if I have to pick…

1. Stef from More to Life than Lettuce
2. Katherine from Faith, Food, & Fitness
3. Melissa from Trying to Heal
4. Lauren from Eat, Drink, and Be Hopeful
5. Lauren from Biochemista

 

Today, I am thankful for…

1. Met someone new today I’m proud of myself for being friendly and outgoing (sometimes I can kind of put up this wall up between strangers and I, which discourages people from approaching me). He was super nice – it’s amazing what a friendly smile and having some things in common, such as a hatred for macroeconomics, can do.
2. No night class!!
3. Twitter. Awesome for advice AND what else would I do to entertain myself during statistics? Pay attention, what?

 

And thank you everyone for the great tips for my dad on yesterday’s post!! You guys are smart! I was also wondering if anyone could tell me one more thing (I know, I know, I’m always asking for advice…) does taking ibuprofen or other pain killers do anything for a stress fracture besides take the pain away? Or is it pointless? I was told to take it to help with the pain but honestly, it’s really not doing anything for the pain anymore. At least I don’t think. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. Thoughts? If you have had a stress fracture or something similar, what did you find that helped you the most? Also, out of curiosity, how long did it take to heal? I apologize for all of the questions but I’ve just had those questions running through my head lately and I can’t seem to find any answers.

 

*I will be starting the giveaway that I mentioned yesterday in the morning, so look for a post in the A.M.! Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one!!!

In the meantime, check out these giveaways:

• Yoga mat Giveaway
• Le Creuset Giveaway

 

“You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter." — Nicholas Sparks

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