My friend Taylor took me out on Monday for a little photo adventures and just an hour with her was SO helpful! (She does weddings and such if anyone in RVA is looking!)

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think I knew what I was doing. (Thank you for the pic, Taylor!)

So this was a fun, and challenging post, since I’m still trying to learn my way around my camera. Obviously, I couldn’t snap a picture at work with my camera, so that was my exception in this post.

Breakfast:

Simple bowl of Chobani 0% with vanilla stevia, frozen blueberries, and Udi’s cranberry granola.

Lunch:

Since my barley stew made a bunch of servings, and I’m the only one eating it, I had leftovers at work. I took this picture earlier, obviously (since I get enough strange looks from my co-workers for bringing in things like kale chips and kombucha tea. I don’t need to add a giant camera into the mix.)

I also grabbed some veggies from the salad bar at work, and topped it with some Trader Joe’s Peppercorn Ranch, which I brought from home. I’m normally not a fan of salad dressings (they usually just taste kind of slimy to me) but this dressing is light and delicious.

Afternoon snack:

As soon as I got home from work, I was starving. So I grabbed a slice of homemade wheat bread, and topped it with a smear of almond butter. This bread is really dense, and since it’s made with whole wheat flour and whole grain oats, it’s fiber packed as well! I’ll try to remember to post the recipe soon.

Dinner:

My friend Kate and I went to Xtra’s Cafe in Carytown, specifically for 1/2 off wine night. (I normally go on Wednesdays… for $10 bottles of champagne, but… I’m flexible.) Sadly, I brought my camera, and forgot my memory card… so no photo from there. But you know what white wine looks like, right?

When I finally got home, I wasn’t that hungry, but I knew I needed to eat something, so I whipped up a simple smoothie

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 handful ice cubes
• 1 cup almond milk
• stevia to taste

Do you try to sneak iphone pictures of your food around your co-workers? Do you buy fancy nut butter, or the cheap stuff?

I finally purchased a DSLR camera!

After much deliberation, I went with the Canon Rebel T2i. (Uh, if anyone wants to help me figure out how it works? That’d be cool.) So I’ll be spending lots of hours in the future trying to figure out how it works

Anyways, there was a winter storm warning here in Richmond, and I didn’t need to see snow flakes to decide it was the perfect excuse to spend the day in the kitchen.

I whipped up a huge pot of what was initially going to be a vegetable soup, but it turned into more like an italian stew. This recipe had a mind of its own. Thankfully, it turned out well.

Hearty Barley Stew

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable stick
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce (or just more diced tomatoes)
• 1 cup uncooked, pearled barley
• 1 tbsp italian seasoning
• black pepper to taste
• 1 cup fresh spinach

Start by sauteing the carrots and onion in the olive oil, over medium heat until soft. Add cumin and stir. Pour in your diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, marinara sauce and barley. Turn to high, and bring to a boil. Stir in the rest of the seasonings, and continue to cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the barley is cooked. Just before serving, stir in the spinach so it’s just barely wilted.

I didn’t do the exact “analysis” on this, but each serving is about 200 calories, and that’s for a pretty big serving. (Over a cup.) The barley is super filling, and you’re getting lots of veggie-packed goodness in each serving!

Forgive the photography… I don’t know my settings on my camera yet

Anyone have DSLR tips for me?

This week has been kind of crazy. I think I’ve been a little “edgy” and impatient the past couple of days. I’m pretty convinced it’s because my workout schedule was thrown off track.

I only had 45 minutes to squeeze in a workout over lunch Wednesday, and I decided I’d take the Tai Chi class. Why didn’t anyone warn me Tai Chi takes about the same amount of energy as sitting on the couch watching re-runs of Saved by the Bell? It was seriously the biggest waste of my time, and I was bummed because I didn’t have much time to waste. Thursday was packed with meetings and I had dinner for work, but m ore on that later.

So back to the gluten-free thing. I’m not avoiding gluten, although I’ve gotten slightly more aware of it. I didn’t think it was really helping or hurting, so I’d rather not complicate my diet by cutting anything out completely. What I have added, is Kefir+ Probiotic drink. I bought a bottle of So Delicious Coconut Milk Kefir (because me and dairy aren’t always the best of friends) and a carton of Good Belly.

I’ve been making these every day:

Probiotic Cocktail

• 1/2 cup coconut milk kefir
• 1/2 cup good bell probiotic drink
• 1 cup blueberries

It’s simple, delicious and it’s helping “regulate” my system. I’ve also been adding about 1/2 cup of kefir to my yogurt bowl in the morning. It’s delicious!

And in other news…

I went to Lemaire last night, which is inside the Jefferson Hotel, in downtown Richmond. Of course, I was faced with the common “the fancier the restaurant, the more awkward it is to take pictures” dilemma, so I didn’t snap anything until dessert…

I opted for the molten lava cake… as soon as the waiter mentioned it, I couldn’t get it off my mind. Of course, I had a bite of the cheesecake & the pecan tart, thanks to the sharing of the table! This was the perfect ending to a delicious meal. I wish I could have taken a picture of each course!

The most exciting part of dinner was when the couple right next to us got engaged! The lady was crying, and the restaurant brought out champagne and we all clapped so happy!

Have you tried kefir? What do you think about probiotics? All hype, or truly beneficial?

Does dim restaurant lighting make anyone else sad?

Don’t tell the boyfriend. I don’t think he could deal with another “dietary restriction”

So here is a [mostly] Gluten-Free What I Ate Wednesday!

This is actually Monday’s eats… since Gluten entered my world for Valentine’s Dinner. More on that later.

Breakfast:

I had a bowl of Chobani 0% with stevia and blueberries, topped with Udi’s cranberry granola. The granola was good, but since lots of granola is gluten free, it’s not THAT special. I actually don’t really like dried cranberries in my yogurt, because they get really hard, due to the frozen berries. But I can’t really blame the granola for that.

So it gets a B+. It’s good, but I wouldn’t necessarily buy it every single time.

Morning snack

I had a slice of Udi’s millet bread, topped with a bit of Sarah’s nut butter.

This bread surprised me. I’ve had some nasty gluten free bread, but this stuff was good. It had a really hearty texture, which I liked. But if you’re a wonder bread fan, this is not your thing. It’s not as soft as regular bread, but since I normally toast mine, I didn’t care.

Lunch

I had one of these Trader Joe’s Spring Onion Soups in my cabinet, and since it’s gluten free, it made the perfect packed lunch.

These things are pretty tasty, but it’s a lot of sodium, and not a lot of protein and fiber, so I don’t eat them very often. (and they’re not very pretty to photograph…) I was starving at lunch, so I also munched on an unpictured side salad, which was not very exciting.

Afternoon snack

I packed half an Udi’s cinnamon raisin bagel. I’m sure it would have been better toasted. but I was running from one meeting to the next and I just scarfed it down plain. It really tasted like a regular bagel, so I think it should get a B+, because it didn’t taste gluten free. Again, nothing spectacular, but it was good.

Dinner

Ok, so I don’t think this box of soup is ACTUALLY gluten free. I’m not sure. But since I’m not actually allergic or anything, and I was craving soup, I figured a little gluten would be fine. I also had broccoli + some hummus from Ellwood Thompson. I have a delicious broccoli recipe I keep meaning to post. Maybe Friday? We shall see.

Have you ever avoided gluten, or are you gluten free? Can gluten cause “digestive” trouble?

Sarah from The Smart Kitchen organized a big meet up of Richmond & Charlottesville bloggers (Oh, and Alex from NOVA!)

It was so much fun to meet these girls in person! Sarah and I kept saying how strange it was since it felt like we already knew each other!

The group: Brittany, Gabby, Lauren, Kristin, Kath, Me, Faith, Liz, Jess, Alex and Sarah

(Thanks for the photo, Kath!)

We had a fantastic time eating at Feast! and wondering around the market and spice shop.

I definitely need to spend more time in Charlottesville. I have a feeling I need to dedicate a couple of days to exploration.I mean, the Main Street Market area alone took the afternoon! (And since Sarah is a willing tour guide, I think more trips to C-ville are definitely in my future!)

Maybe G-love could tell I was on a blogger high or something, but he surprised me Sunday afternoon, by voting to make salads for lunch. We went to the store so he could get some chicken to grill (on my baby Foreman) and I prepped the salad fixings.

We did a mexican type salad, with Romaine, carrots, black beans, salsa, tortilla strips and Trader Joe’s light peppercorn ranch dressing (+ grilled chicken with garlic pepper rub, for the boy). He also bought some yogurt and granola, so I can tell he’s really trying to make an effort, which is cute P.S. If you haven’t tried Trader Joe’s Peppercorn Ranch, it’s delicious, and low in calories and fat! Woohoo!

I think these baby steps are working. At least that’s one day where McDonalds didn’t win

What was the best part of your weekend?

I don’t know about you, but this week has seemed particularly long. I mean, it kind of flew by, but I’m just exhausted! I’ll have to scrounge up some energy for the weekend, as it’s going to be pretty busy. (#VAisforbloggers meet up on Saturday!)

Anyways, the awesome folks at Vitalicious sent me a few boxes of their new 50 calorie VitaCakes to review, and since they’re awesome, I thought I’d do a review of the cakes AND the muffins! So let’s begin:

If you’ve never had a VitaMuffin (Kat, I’m looking at you!) these things are delicious! They come frozen, and since they don’t have preservatives, you need to keep them frozen until ready to eat. You can either leave them out for a few hours, or nuke them in the microwave for instant gratification.

I’ve tried both the double chocolate chip and the banana nut flavor and both are excellent.

VitaMuffins and VitaCakes are:

• Low in calories
• High in fiber/protein
• Easy to eat on the go
• Have no artificial additives or preservatives
• A delicious way to satisfy a sweet craving

They also taste really rich. They don’t taste like cardboard cakes, like some “low calorie” cakes do. Really the only downside is the price. They’re not cheap. (Around $5 for a box of 4…) but sometimes they’re on sale, and it’s cheaper than grabbing a muffin at a coffee shop.

That’s the banana nut muffin with a smear of nut butter on top, because everything is better that way.

Or if I want a smaller snack, the new VitaCakes are only 50 calories!

I usually take one with me in the mornings, and it’s thawed by the time I need a snack! (They also don’t smush, because they’re frozen… which sounds silly, but we all know is kind of a big deal.)

There are lots of other flavors I haven’t tried, but I can definitely vouch for these two!

Do you throw a snack in your bag for later? If so, what is it?

I managed to squeeze in getting new tires, taking my first (and potentially last) violin lesson, and $1 pizza night at Stuzzi… and that was just Monday night.

Yeah, I like to stay busy.

Anyways, it’s Wednesday! And not just any Wednesday… it’s a veggie-filled one! Fine, for me… every day is a veggie day. But some days… more than others. So a veggie packed What I Ate Wednesday isn’t too hard But still, I can’t pass up a good challenge!

So in honor of Love Your Veggies Month (Jenn, is that a real month?) I’ve pulled together a veggerific day of eats!

Breakfast:

Greeeeeeeen smoothie! Just a simple: 1 banana, 1/2 cup soymilk, handful of ice, 2 handfuls of spinach, stevia and a little granola!

Lunch:

I actually packed my lunch, but I was swayed by the unpictured tomato soup from the cafeteria… so I had that + the salad below. I don’t know how I didn’t snap a picture of the soup, but it was good.

I know, I know, creamy dressing + croutons = bad salad maker, but shhh. The dressing is so creamy I only need a little and the croutons in our cafeteria are like the best ever. So just get off your salad high-horse and chill.

Afternoon snack:

I worked late last night, so around 6pm, I was glad I had one of these babies in my bag! Vitamuffin folks, the official review is coming on Friday!

Dinner:

What veggie-packed recipes are you loving these days?

I saw a few versions of this around the interwebs, and obviously wanted to make my own because I’m so creative I’m too cheap to buy all the ingredients that the recipes I found called for.

I figured a recipe involving potato, cheese, and pasta couldn’t really go wrong.

Cheesy Gnocchi Bake

• 1 lb frozen gnocchi (I guess you could make it from scratch if you’re fancy)
• 2 tbsp butter (go with real butter on this)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup  almond milk (or any milk)
• 1/4 tsp mustard
• 1/2 shredded cheese (I used an italian blend of parmesan, romano and asiago, but you could use anything from cheddar to mozzarella)
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Crushed red pepper flakes

Prepare the gnocchi according to the package (boil til it floats!) then set in a strainer. While that’s cooking, heat the butter in a sauce pan until melted and then whisk in the garlic, flour, milk and mustard. You’ll need to cook it on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until it gets thick. Then stir in the 1/2 cup shredded cheese. It’ll make a very thick sauce. You can add a little milk to thin if you need to. Then spread your gnocchi in a 9×9 pan, and cover in cheese sauce. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

It should be golden and delicious. Slightly crispy on the top, but soft and chewy on the inside.

And it’s kind of amazing.

Yeah, yeah, it’s not low calories. But everyone needs a good comfort food now and then

As for the weekend, I was fairly lazy on Friday recovering from the flu, Saturday was spent wasted trying to figure out new brakes/tires for my car, but Saturday ended on a good note, with Stephanie & Brittany, ignoring the Super Bowl in favor of hot sauce tasting in the kitchen

What’s your favorite comfort food?

So let’s do this:

1. I’m not that into movies. I like documentaries, and I like certain TV shows, but I don’t really have the attention span to sit down and watch a long movie. Especially if it’s some sort of sci-fi thing. (Twlight, I’m never going to watch you.)

2. I’ll spend hours drooling over fashion blogs, but you’d never know it, considering I wear yoga pants 99% of the time…

3. I’m really passionate about… anything. I usually feel very very strongly about everything. If I want to work out, I REALLY want to work out. If I want to bake, I want to bake 4 kinds of cupcakes. If I hate mayonnaise I REALLY hate mayonnaise. And boy do I hate mayonnaise.

4. I was homeschooled from 1st-9th grade. I always get the “Oh my gosh, but you seem so normal” thing. Yeah, I know. Thanks?

5. I’m a major extrovert and I love meeting new people, any time, anywhere.

6. My idea of a perfect friday night is dinner with a close friend, a party with new friends, and then going home with the man-friend.

7. My desire to be a runner far exceeds my desire to actually run.

8. If I could go back to a moment in time, it would probably be this one:

That’s Annie, Alexa, Laura, Me, & Kelly. BFFs.

9. I’m from Ohio, but I pulled up my mid-western roots to move to Virginia, and I love it here! There are so many fun things to do, great people, and awesome restaurants!

10. Guilty pleasures include: True Life marathons, Cookout milkshakes, and terrible pop-rap music (i.e. the new Joe Jonas and Lil’ Wayne song).

11. My brother and I have always been close, and he’s the main reason I moved to Richmond in the first place.

Me and my brother on his wedding day in Charleston, SC

Then I think I have to answer these questions that were on Meredith’s blog!

1. What made you laugh this week?  The boss-man at work gave me a bottle of champagne, and I was explicitly told “this isn’t the kind to mix in orange juice”… ah… they know me so well.
2. If you were a dog, what breed would you be? I honestly don’t know many dog breeds, but I’d guess something something hyper…
3. What book–any type–do you recommend most right now? I loooove non-fiction books. Particularly ones about the brain, anything by Oliver Sacks. The man is a genius.
4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Ok it sounds lame, but I think I’d say salads, simply because there are ENDLESS salad combinations. (I mean, then I could eat cold pasta and say it’s pasta salad.)
5. Team Gale or Team Peeta?  I don’t know what this means… what?
6. What’s your go-to recipe? For desserts, regular old chocolate chip cookies
7. What’s your favorite color highlighter to use? Pink, of course
8. Are you superstitious? Nope!
9. What sparked your commitment to healthy living (food &/or fitness)? I can remember reading a Health magazine while I was babysitting in 7th grade. I thought everything in it was SO interesting, and things kind of snowballed from there.
10. What was your favorite childhood stuffed animal / blanket named? I had a stuffed brown bear that I LOVED, who was aptly named… “Brown Bear”…
11. What’s your favorite color to wear? Purple!!

Thennnn I get to tag some other lovely ladies, and ask them to answer the following questions:

1.  Almond Butter or Peanut Butter?
2.  What made you smile today?
3.  What’s the last thing you do before falling asleep?
4.  Treadmill or elliptical?
5.  Favorite piece of jewelry?
6.  First thing (not a person or pet) you’d save if your house was on fire?
7.  If you have a smartphone, what’s your most-used app?
8.  Which of your family members are you closest to?
9. Would you rather shave your head or get a tattoo of a baby elephant on your leg?
10. If you work out, what time is ideal for you?
11. Sweet or savory?

And now, for the taggin:

Lauren @ What Lauren Likes

Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli

Helen @ Helen, Naturally

Katie @ Healthy Diva Eats

Happy Saturday!

Sunday is quite possibly my favorite day of the week, and it’s even better when the weather cooperates. Oh hey there 65 degree weather + sun. Did anyone tell you it’s winter? No? Fine by me.

After a lovely service at Redemption Hill, a few of us settled on Kitchen 64 for lunch. (<– that right there is a good sign. Normally there is at least one person who complains that *insert name restaurant* isn’t good.) I’d actually been there before but hadn’t eaten anything, so this time I was excited to really experience the place.

It’s located right off for 64 and 95 which makes it convenient no matter where you live [in Richmond]. We went around 1pm on Sunday, and they were offering breakfast and brunch items, but the brunch items were extensive enough that I’d call it lunch.

I ordered the Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini Sandwich, which also had mozzarella, tomatoes and roasted red peppers (and apparently a vinaigrette, but I didn’t really taste that). It was served on toasted wheat bread and aside from being difficult to eat, was quite delicious. The vegetables tasted fresh, and the flavor was delicious on its own, (instead of those sandwiches that rely on fatty dressing and sauces to deliver flavor). I had this with sweet potato fries which were amazing, but when are sweet potato fries ever NOT amazing? The sandwich + fries was only 8.50, and was large enough that I took half home for dinner. The service was fairly quick, and the restaurant had a diner atmosphere, but didn’t have the “sticky-menu-dirty-restroom” thing that most diners have going on.

Apparently they also have some good happy hour specials depending on the day, so I think I might be making a trip back there before too long…

Eggplant, love it or hate it?