I’m currently writing this under the influence of caffeine, so apologies in advance if I come across as being a little crazier than normal 😯
I don’t understand it. I only drink a cup a day in the morning, and it’s half-decaf. Either the baristas at Starbucks are messing with me or I’m becoming more sensitive to caffeine in my old age (jokes). Or maybe I’m just in a good mood because the weather is gorgeous (we hit 17C/63F yesterday!) and I can enjoy my delicious chocolate smoothies without shivering uncontrollably afterwards. Winning.
So hey! Happy What I Ate Wednesday! If you’re wondering about the title of today’s post, rest assured that it doesn’t refer to any fiascos involving self-tanner. It also has nothing to do with the book that uses ‘grey’ in place of ‘orange,’ as I haven’t read it and don’t really have any plans to. We’re talking orange foods on the blog today, since I’m apparently somewhat obsessed with them. Yesterday in particular was quite orangey (the fact that this is an actual word boggles my mind), so let’s take a look!
Breakfast… honey & Golden Delicious apples…
Eggy bananafied oats cooked in coconut milk, then layered with plain Greek yogurt and topped with homemade applesauce, honey, cinnamon, and almond butter.
Okay. So I know there isn’t technically anything orange in my beloved bowl of oats, but I’m going to go ahead and argue that golden honey and Golden Delicious apples totally count. I know I could have done something like pumpkin oats, but… ’tis not the season, and to be honest, I’m not really the biggest fan. Ive tried adding pumpkin puree to my oats on a few occasions, and I’m pretty sure my body is just against the idea of eating vegetables before 7 AM. There are those times where I’ll get hit with a craving for carrots at 7:23 AM, but it always happens after breakfast — never at or before.
Morning snack… dried persimmons…
Plain Greek yogurt and dried persimmons.
I’ve only tried fresh persimmons on two occasions. The first one was delicious, and the second one tasted like licking a toilet seat (or what I’d imagine licking a toilet seat would taste like seeing as I’ve never actually tried it myself). That being said, I can’t form a solid opinion of fresh persimmons until I have a few more trials to judge by. Until that happens, I can say that dried persimmons (I keep spelling this wrong!!!) taste sweet and delicious, especially when contrasted by the tartness of plain yogurt.
Lunch… macaroni and cheese… and approximately 5 pieces of chopped carrots! 😀
Classic mad and cheese with some frozen veggies mixed in.
For reasons unbeknown to me, I feel like I’ve been seeing mac and cheese all over the blog world lately. Actually, scratch that — I know exactly why that is. You know how when you want something you suddenly start to notice it everywhere? It was a sign that it’s been far too long since I’ve had a fix…. and I fixed that 😉 I know there are healthier sources of orange foods out there, but not for the soul… Not for the soul.
Afternoon snack… roasted kabocha…
Roasted kabocha with Justin’s classic almond butter.
I’ve pretty much come to terms with the fact that my kabocha addiction will never die. Fall, winter, spring, summer… I crave it no matter what kind of mood Mother Nature happens to be in. I will say that certain squashes are better than others, though. See how that squash up there looks almost flaky? That’s my favourite texture — dry and crumbly. I’m really not a huge fan of the ones that are, for lack of a better word, wetter 😯
Dinner… savoury sweet potato…
A sweet potato topped with mashed avocado alongside some ground garlic/ginger chicken and veggies.
When I broke my savoury sweet potato virginity last week, a lot of people mentioned how amazing it tasted when paired with avocado. Obviously I had to test this out for myself, and I’m going to have to go with the majority opinion on this one — it’s delicious. My only complaint is that I was out of salsa and the only beans I had on hand were chickpeas so I couldn’t make one of the fully loaded Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes that I’ve been seeing floating around the blog world. One day…
Evening snack… chocolate 
…
Green & Black’s Maya Gold chocolate with a cup of warm vanilla almond milk.
I know what you’re thinking… chocolate isn’t orange! But there’s a whole lot more to this little bar than meets the eye. It’s the Maya Gold bar from Green & Black’s, meaning it’s laced with orange extract 😉 Sneaky… and delicious. The nutmeg and cinnamon add a nice touch, and make for a perfectly comforting snack before closing up shop for the night… especially when paired with a warm glass of milk.
And that’s that! I’ll see you guys tomorrow for Thinking Out Loud! 😀
What’s your favourite food that’s…
1) … orange? Kabocha.
2) … red? Watermelon.
3) … green? Broccoli.
4) … yellow? Bananas.
5) … white? Plain Greek yogurt.
6) … brown/tan? Oats.
7) … blue/violet? Blueberries.
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I totally get what you mean with the drier kabocha! They just roast up the best and I love when the skin gets crunchy 😀 I’m also vey much an orange-coloured (and yellow I suppose) food addict. Kabocha is like my favourite thing in this world when it comes to veggies…squash in general is mygo to a lot as it just feels better going down 😉
Favourite ___ food
orange-kabocha, yellow- bananas, purple- beets, blue- bloobs (can’t really think of another blue food?), green- swiss chard, brown- peanut buttaa (chunky allowed only) or if I had to go with savory-mushies, white- can I say cashew butter :-P, black….? Oh cookies and cream quest bars HA!
Oh, Amanda you are so funny! As fantastic as the other foods you listed were, only 1 stuck in my mind.. Chocolate and vanilla almond milk.. Bliss…
Love it! I too have been on a HUGE orange foods kick lately…carrots, sweet potatoes, kabocha, and yes, even PUMPKIN…’tis ALWAYS the season! 😛 Also, I just had a savory sweet potato for lunch yesterday with avocado and peach salsa (ok, so maybe it was more like a sweet and savory potato, but dude, it hit.theeeeee.spot)! I’ve only had dried persimmons once and they were so hard I thought I was going to lose a tooth! Haha! Just can’t beat them fresh IMO, but it makes me so sad that I can’t find them anymore! I swear my favorite fruits/veggies never stay in season long enough! Lol
1) … orange? Kabocha…or persimmons! Don’t make me choose!
2) … red? Apples..
3) … green? Avocado.
4) … yellow? Eggs. – Wait, does that count? Yeah, it TOTALLY counts! 😉
5) … white? CHEESE!
6) … brown/tan? Breaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaduh!.
7) … blue/violet? FIGS! Though blueberries come in close second!
I love the Mac & Cheese. That is all.
Maya Gold is my fav green and blacks flavour, it’s just so different! They had a stand at the London Coffee festival I was at this weekend and the pairing of coffee and dark choc is amazing. Lindt were also there too with every variety of dark choc they make… And you could try them all… Yep it was heaven!
I just realised most of my favourite foods are ORANGE! Carrots, kabocha, sweet potato, um… oranges!? I think it’s my body doing it on purpose to match my hair. Might be why I LOVE that Maya Gold flavour so much too! Clearly influenced by orange packaging 😉
Yo better watch yourself, you’ll soon be turning into a pumpkin if you keep eating all this orange.. and well it’s not fall yet so you may stand out 🙂
Green- Broccoi (or brussels sprouts)
Red- Peppers
Yellow- Eggs
White- Greek Yogurt
Brown/Tan – Protein Powder OR oats
I think chocolate and orange were made for each other, you just cannot go wrong with that combination. I love the orange theme..it makes me excited for…FALL!?!?! TOO SOON!?
😆 A little too soon… I’m not quite sure I’m ready to welcome colder temps again. Unless it could be a warm and moderate fall all year round. I’d kill for that.
All the orange things! This day of eats makes me very happy. I so agree about the kabocha texture. The flakier the better. Or less wet…bahah.
1) … orange? cheddar
2) … red? raspberries
3) … green? avocado
4) … yellow? pineapple
5) … white? coconut Greek yogurt
6) … brown/tan? chocolate
7) … blue/violet? blueberries
Hm, without the first one, I could make one heck of a smoothie. I’ll just change that to orange juice.
Your eats always look so good! And yes – what is it about caffeine? Man oh man!
1) … orange? Kabocha (or sweet potatoes).
2) … red? Watermelon.
3) … green? Brussel sprouts (or asparagus).
4) … yellow? Bananas.
5) … white? Mushrooms
6) … brown/tan? Nut Butter. Any.
7) … blue/violet? Blueberries.
I think we could make a pretty delicious spread of rainbow eats 🙂
I love sweet potato and avocado and yet have never tried them together! That is happening this week! My boyfriend is not a sweet potato fan, but he can just fend for himself that night 🙂
orange – oranges!
red – tomatoes
green – avocado
yellow – pineapple or lemons ( I put lemon juice in everything)
white – vanilla cake with vanilla ice cream!
brown – bread with nut butter….or oooh pumpkin pie (I’m indecisive)
blue- blueberries
You can always try making sweet potato nachos or a loaded Mexican sweet potato with beans, cheese, and salsa! Those are next on my list 😀
So that’s ORANGE blossom honey right ;). Food wise , orange really is The Best. And I looove sweet tater and avocado! Especially when a fried egg and ketchup join the party. Dried persimmons. I’ve never seen such a thing :(. Perfectly ripe, squishy persimmons are like my favourite thing <3. Xxx
I had a terrible persimmons experience too! It turns out I ate it when it wasn’t ripe though – and when they’re not ripe they make your mouth feel super gross and chalky. I wish I’d known that beforehand! 😛
My favourites:
Orange – sweet potatoes
Red – raspberries
Green – kale
Yellow – bananas
White – rich vanilla ice cream
Brown/tan – warm crusty bread right out of the oven
Blue/violet – blueberries
We are totally on the same page about Kabocha texture. When it gets all bubbly with it’s natural juices it’s TOO sweet for me. Blech, dry and flaky all the way!
I am honestly shocked that I haven’t turned orange yet. I LOVE everything orange hahaha. I love crumbly kabocha, too! I haven’t been able to find it in forever. Need.
1) … orange? sweet potato or squash. Too hard to choose 🙁
2) … red? apples!
3) … green? this one’s hard too. spinach probably 😉
4) … yellow? pineapple
5) … white? coconut butter!
6) … brown/tan? nut butter haha
7) … blue/violet? Blueberries.
Yeah … I’ll take orange over gray any day (and no, I haven’t read it)
1) … orange? Mango.
2) … red? Strawberries! Or pepperoni 😉
3) … green? Spinach
4) … yellow? Bananas.
5) … white? Ice cream.
6) … brown/tan? Oats or nut butters.
7) … blue/violet? Blueberries.
I’ve never had kabocha. I’ve never even heard of it until I started reading your blog. I’m going to have to try it this weekend! I notice that you go to Starbucks a lot. Do you ever add anything to your coffee?
Orange: Carrots (can’t go a day without them!)
Red: Raspberries
Green: Edamame
Yellow: Banana
White: Greek Yogurt
Brown: Almonds/Almond Butter
Blue/Violet: Blueberries and Blackberries
I do on occasion. Usually I just go for a Pike with a splash of milk, but sometimes I’ll ask them to add flavour shot, or I’ll grab a cappuccino or iced latte. It all depends on what I’m in the mood for.
So glad you liked the sweet potato/guacamole combination! Here’s my answers to your questions:
1) … orange? Butternut squash.
2) … red? Strawberries.
3) … green? Spinach.
4) … yellow? Bananas.
5) … white? White chocolate (if that doesn’t count as a food, too bad, haha).
6) … brown/tan? Almonds.
7) … blue/violet? Blueberries.
Okay, I’m worried about my kabocha addiction… glad to know I’m not the only one. I just don’t know what to do about it… a day without kabocha has not happened (besides when I was in Nicaragua) in 2014.
I would say that we should form some kind of support group, but I’m not too sure that I’m willing to admit I have a problem just yet…
We were reading a poem in English that was a metaphor using Persimmons (weird) and no one knew what a Persimmon was except for me and my teacher! Thus we went into a long discussion about how it really is hard to find a perfect one and the texture is a bit…off.
1) … orange? Carrots!
2) … red? Apples <3
3) … green? O man this is hard! All leafy greens, snap peas, and avocado!
4) … yellow? Yellow Grape Tomatoes!
5) … white? Coconut Butter
6) … brown/tan? Buckwheat….and nut butter!
7) … blue/violet? PSPs! (Purple Sweet Potatoes)
Haha, good thing you didn’t come over for a kabocha feast this weekend. My last squash was wet and “earthy” tasting. Bleurgh. That’s what I get for being greedy at the store and taking the last 2 kabochas that were clearly not ripe. Rats! I ate them anyway because I refuse to waste food…and it was a struggle…to say the least. *Gulp*
Secondly, I converted BACK to vanilla almond milk after trying to convince myself that watery/thin flax milk was good (don’t believe the lies). I missed my thick lush vanilla almond milk. Anyways, I lost all forms of class this morning and took a swig straight from the carton while making my coffee. Good thing I label my food right? haha, I digress. In my defense, no one was looking.
Totally convincing you to be my future roomie right? 🙂
I MUST say that I love all of these WIAW themes lately. Mac n’ Cheese is such a classic and your recipe looks delicious.
Yum! I would have happily dined on all your meals.
Favorites:
orange: oranges
red: impossible to choose! (strawberries, raspberries, apples, and tomatoes)
yellow: banana
green: two-way tie between broccoli and spinach
white: Greek yogurt
brown: almond butter!
blue/violet: blueberries (Violet, you’re turning violet, Violet! A blueberry for anyone who can name that movie.)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory <3
A blueberry is in the mail.
Hello there friend! Even though it’s been a while, your food still looks yummy as ever :)! Althoughh it’s hardly colorful your evening snack is especially calling out to me- what can I say, I like to end my night on a sweet note! I’m currently obsessed with adding almond butter to my choc- I am almost certain you’d be all over that :)! My answers are pretty much in sync with you although strawberries get my vote for red- can’t get enough lately!
Miss your face! You need to come back soon 😛
I adore orange chocolate. 🙂
Hehe great post Amanda!
1) orange? sweet potatoes
2) red? raspberries
3) green? pistachio gelato
4) yellow? MANGOES.
5) white? hummus
6) brown/tan? maple almond butter/oats
7) blue/violet? blueberries
1) … orange? Sweet Potatoes
2) … red? strawberries
3) … green? fresh spinach
4) … yellow? pineapple or banana flavored candy (think laffy taffy or banana tootsie pops)
5) … white? Greek Yogurt, string cheese
6) … brown/tan? Peanut butter!
7) … blue/violet? blueberries
Seeing as how the hubs and I are both coming off the plague, I have a feeling mac n’ cheese may be on the menu for dinner. As for persimmons, I have to admit that I’ve never tried them. I guess I just forget about them or something.
I absolutely love adding apple to my oatmeal. Doesn’t it give off such a nice texture? I have yet to add honey.
I have been on a greek yogurt kick lately, but I usually add cereal to it. Have you tried that yet?
I love adding veggies to my mac n cheese.. I need some mac n cheese..
Sweet potato is amazing. I haven’t tried it with avocado yet. What am I doing?!
Chocolate is bliss.
Oh girl you NEEd to try adding honey! It’s amazing, especially when paired with a nut butter. And YES to adding cereal to yogurt. I used to make yogurt ‘messes’ all the time, and it’s been far too long since I’ve had one, now that I think about it…