Well heyyyyyyy there, good lookin’… What’s shakin’? 😉
Err… please don’t ask. I’ve been awake since 4 AM, and although I currently only have one (read: ONE) cup of coffee in my system, it hit me like a truck and I swear I can see through time 😯 I’ll probably be in dire need of a nap as soon as 2 PM hits, but until then, you get to deal with a very hyper me — you lucky buggers, you!
And lucky me! Why? Because today’s the day I get to spend a whole post talking about food. Woot! I suppose I could spend every post talking about food, but that would get a bit redundant after a while. Recipes and meal highlights are one thing, but constantly bombarding you with shot after shot like this?
Yawn. Sorry about that — my early morning must be catching up with me. But I digress. The point is, today is Wednesday, which, if you’re new around these parts, roughly translates to What I Ate Wednesday — a day where we talk about ALL the food! And since I’m a big fan of themed posts, the one I’ve chosen for this week is “This and That,” or, foods that taste better when they’re together. Awwwr.
. – . – . – .
Breakfast…Â [oats AND salt]
You thought I was going to say oats and almond butter, didn’t you? Or even oats and egg whites, bananas, honey, cinnamon… Nay. I mean, yay — those are all fabulous choices in their own right — but they’re made all the more fabulous by a little thing called salt. I always add a pinch of salt to the water that I cook my oats in — the last time I didn’t was when I was road trippin’ and I definitely noticed the difference. Not only does a tiny bit of salt make oats taste 100x better (fact), but it also keeps me from getting too loopy. I have chronically low blood pressure, so my doctor recommends I add a pinch of salt to all my meals. Can do! Can also do plain Greek yogurt, roasted almond butter, honey, and cinnamon.
Morning snack…Â [coffee AND cinnamon (AND sugar)]
I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly announce my love for my new Keurig and simultaneously kick myself for not buying one sooner. If it weren’t for that beautiful piece of machinery (and a milk frother), this homemade latte wouldn’t have been possible, and if this homemade latte weren’t possible… well… I would have been in Starbucks 😆 And, yes, I realize that I could have just brewed my coffee the old fashioned way, but the mess, the time, the effort… too much. Instead, I busied myself by warming up one of these bad boys…
For what they are, these cinnamon rolls from Udi’s Gluten Free are pretty darn tasty. I mean, they’re obviously no Cinnabon, but neither are they 800-calorie sugar bombs that’ll take your blood sugar on one heck of a roller coaster ride. They’re a little dense and somewhat muffin-like, but they still taste of cinnamon-sugary goodness and pair nicely with a hug in a mug.
Lunch…Â [soup AND sandwich toadwich]
Whaaaaat on earth is a toadwich, you ask? This right here:
Just your plain old toad in a hole, which is really just a [somewhat strange] way to refer to an egg cooked into the middle of a piece of toast. What this has to do with toads, I’m not sure, but I do know that it tastes pretty darn good. And when paired with some avocado and a warm bowl of curried apple pumpkin soup? A perfect lunch for the dreary days we’ve been having lately.
Afternoon snack…Â [kabocha AND caramel]
I did it! Remember how I was kicking myself over not taking advantage of the caramel & kabocha combo the last time I had these two delicious foods in close succession to one another? (Did I honestly just type that? Holy.wow, Amanda, tone down the nerdage) No? Because I was (kicking myself, that is). But thanks to a memory that’s basically top-notch when it comes to food, I made up for my previous blunder by dippin’ and dunkin’ this time around, and it.was.GOOD.
Dinner…Â [pumpkin AND hummus]
Lookit! It’s not stir fry! Aren’t you proud of me? I told you I wouldn’t showcase another stir fry for a 4th WIAW in a row, and I actually remembered. Brownie points! Instead, what we’ve got here is a pumpkin hummus tortilla pizza which took all of 25 minutes to make and 5 minutes to devour. I know the combination of pumpkin and hummus might seem a little strange at first (or maybe not… we ARE, after all, talking the HLB world here — anything goes!), but trust me when I say it’s absolutely delicious.
Evening snack…Â [popcorn AND nutritional yeast]
Have you ever had something like this happen to you?… You absolutely love a food, eat it ALL the time, slowly lose interest, forget about it, come across it X weeks/months/years later, and then wonder why it was that you stopped eating it in the first place? Welcome to my relationship with nutritional yeast. While I wouldn’t necessarily call it a substitute for cheese, it does have a pretty unique flavour, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s packed with tonnes of vitamin B12 — maybe it’s all in my head, but I swear that my energy shoots through the roof after eating some. I’ve been sprinkling it on everything… grains, roasted veggies, salads, and, of course, popcorn.
Aaaaand that concludes this week’s version of WIAW. Have a good one, friends! 😀
. – . – . – .
Your turn!!
a) Oats AND _____.
b) Coffee AND _____.
c) Soup AND _____.
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND _____.
e) Popcorn AND _____.
Only one coffee!! Get on that!
Your food pictures always look amazing!
Your posts make me hungry all over again, always! Your photography is beautiful.
Also I don’t know how you wake up at 4am. I was up at 4:30am yesterday (not on purpose, probably a little insomnia) and I felt like I got hit by a truck by the time the afternoon rolled around.
I love nutritional yeast and always sprinkle it on my salads!
I honestly have no idea what’s up with my sleep schedule… I was kind of worried about it at first, but I don’t find myself dragging throughout the day or overly exhausted at night, so I guess I’ll just roll with it. It does make the day super long though 😯
Holy deliciousness, that pizza looks amazing!! I’ve actually never had kabocha but it looks delicious!
I alwaysssss do the thing where I become obsessed with a food, lose interest, become obsessed….it’s a vicious cycle.
Let’s see….
Oats and honey
Coffee and cream. Lots of cream.
Soup and warm bread
Popcorn and butter? I also enjoy chocolate pb popcorn. MMMMM
Oooh dinner looks sooo good!!
Soup and any kind of bread 🙂
Oats and Blueberries,
Coffee and coconut creamer, stevia, and a very happy me
Soup and Sandwich of course! Or bread sticks… yum
Pumpkin and…. hmmm A whole lot of sugar for some cookies
Popcorn and Reece’s Pieces… OOOOOHHH YYYYYEEAAAHHHH
Damn, I was wrong on my guess of kabocha and almond butter….now I need to find some caramel.
a) Oats AND a runny egg!
b) Coffee AND my tears. Because that’s what will happen if you make me drink it.
c) Soup AND toast sticks! Not regular toast, mind you…it absolutely must be cut into sticks.
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND the fridge, because I like it best cold!
3) Popcorn AND M&Ms. The absolutely perfect movie snack.
b) Coffee AND my tears. Because that’s what will happen if you make me drink it. <--- Not listening. LALALALA. Still love you <3
I like this game!
a) Oats AND peanut butter!
b) Coffee AND pumpkin syupppp
c) Soup AND buttered toast
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND urrrr….nothing. Solo.
3) Popcorn AND CHOCOLATE!
I have never thought to add salt to my oatmeal. I also have really low blood pressure so my doctor says salt in moderation is good. For breakfast this morning I had oats and cinnamon, per usual, and as usual it was the perfect start to the day. Popcorn is one of my all time favorite snacks, that I usually forget about for long periods of time. I think I had it, topped with nutritional yeast and garlic powder almost every night last week. Hope you have a fantastic food filled day today, and maybe a nap too!
Oh, salt. Such a simple little guy, but he makes the world feel so much brighter. I add a pinch of salt to everything I ever eat. Jake is actually obsessed with salt. You know how most people add water to Campbell’s Soup, because it’s so salty? Yeah, he adds salt to it.
I always love your WIAW, especially with your amazing photos!
Here we go!
a) Oats AND bananas!
b) Coffee AND coconut milk creamer (french vanilla!)
c) Soup AND croissants!
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND cinnamon? This is a new area for me.
3) Popcorn AND m&m’s – something I’ve always wanted to try!
Well, now I’m officially hungry! That seems to always happen after I read your WIAW posts! 😉 By the way, I did find the Udi’s brand in the grocery store the other day, but they didn’t have the best selection. I need to get to the health food store instead. I bet they’ll have more. I want to pick-up those cinnamon rolls and the ingredients to make your bread pudding. Yum!
a) Oats AND Peanut Butter.
b) Coffee AND a Cookie.
c) Soup AND Salad.
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND Peanut Butter.
e) Popcorn AND _____. Well, I actually am not a fan of popcorn.
I’m pretty sure Whole Foods would have it if you hadn’t checked there… and if you’re not concerned about it being gluten-free, you can just use any sort of bread that you have on hand.
I seriously would like to live with you for a week. All that food looks so fantastic!
Lovely idea 🙂
a) Oats AND apple pie topping
b) Coffee AND hazelnut milk
c) Soup AND garlic bread
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND cinnamon or roasted veggies
3) Popcorn – not for me please
I’ve never added salt to my oatmeal, although once I get home and actually make my own that is the first thing I’ll be trying. Apparently–don’t take my word for it because I’ve never actually tried it–word on the street is that salt and watermelon go together REALLY well. Also completely drooling over your kabocha and caramel. That must taste absolutely heavenly.
Awesome eats! I haven’t had any of those PB puffins for so long! Oooh kabocha, Greek yoghurt and almond butter is one of my must have combos.
a.) oats and raisins
b.) coffee and tea
c.) soup and salad
d.) kabocha and almond butter (though I freaking LOVE your caramel pairing idea!!!)
e.) popcorn and white cheddar
Missing you! We need to chat. Hope you’re doing well <3
Miss you too! We definitely need to chat. You know where to find me 😀 Contact me soon!
a) Oats AND eggs! Eggs rule, and I like mine either cooked into my morning oats or fried and served atop savory dinner oats.
b) Coffee AND half-&-half. I’m a purist.
c) Soup AND crusty bread/butter. Yum.
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND _____. I still need to try kabocha. I know! You’ve definitely convinced me, I just need to buy some.
3) Popcorn AND nutritional yeast. You nailed this one!
Interesting…I’m definitely going to add a little sea salt to my oats next time I have them! And pumpkin and hummus together? Definitely going to try that sometime too 🙂
a) Oats AND peanut butter!
b) Coffee AND a tsp of sugar.
c) Soup AND grilled cheese for dipping.
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND not sure! LOL!
3) Popcorn AND a good movie 🙂
So fun! I love this concept.. okay here I go:
a) Oats AND banana!
b) Coffee AND NOT FOR ME
c) Soup AND toast!
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND hazelnut butter
3) Popcorn AND again NOT FOR ME
b) Coffee AND NOT FOR ME <--- did not see that. Still love you <3
It will stunt my growth! (hehe)
Oats and banana! My favorite way to start the day. I do popcorn and olive oil. Now THAT’s yummy 🙂
Aah I always want oats after reading your blog!
a) Oats AND cinnamon, raisins, grated apple and peanut butter.
b) Coffee AND soya milk, with a slice of apple crumble cake on the side.
c) Soup AND fresh bread, with toasted pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top.
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND hummus.
3) Popcorn AND sugar and salt, with a Pepsi Max.
Yumm, those all look awesome! Right now I’m loving coffee AND pumpkin pie spice creamer. I also love popcorn and parmesan cheese. I’ve never heard eggs and toast called a toadwich, haha! I’ve always heard it called eggs in a basket, which is also weird now that I think about it.
Such a fun post! Love those combos!
a) Oats AND PB.
b) Coffee AND Cinnamon
c) Soup AND Salad/Sandwich.
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND PB, Hummus, cottage cheese, or salsa (I like it all!).
3) Popcorn AND Chocolate. (Or PB here too!)
I need to try your kabocha roasting method. I like the wedge idea. We usually spoon it all out and mash it up with a lot of butter. AHHH. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do with butter – I’m so dependent on it.
a) Oats AND stomach bloat. Hahaha. You know how you get kabocha gut?
b) Coffee AND HEAVY CREAM <3 *swoon* Have you tried this?
c) Soup AND grilled cheese sandwich – the ultimate classic comfort meal
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND MY FACE!!!!
3) Popcorn AND TONS OF BUTTER & SALT.
I haven’t tried heavy cream, but I have tried coconut milk… I need to pick up another can. And yes… yes the kabocha/face combo is a good one 😉
Awesome eats there Amanda! I have to say you have never steered me wrong with your recipes/food combos. We have very similar tastes..would get along well :). I’ve actually been having your pumpkin hummus pizza every day for the past week! And your version of overnight oats (with coconut milk, swoooon) this morning.
Oats and nutbutter
Coffee and chocolate – double wham of caffeine 😉
Soup (tomato) and grilled cheese
Butternut squash and dark chocolate pudding <3
Haven't had popcorn in forever but I'm thinking cinnamon and sugar…
Speaking of similar tastes… you just reminded me that I NEED to try the squash and chocolate combo. Now that I’ve got caramel knocked off the list, it’s time to move on to chocolate 😀
So glad you discovered salted oats! I have been salting my oats for awhile now – it really enhances the other flavors…a little salt on the strawberries/bananas on top of the oats too and my eyeballs roll around in their sockets…and that pumpkin hummus combo is KILLERRRRR!!! You really should copyright it and sell it!!! I used pita bread instead of a tortilla and had to end up banning hummus from the house cos I couldn’t stop eating your pizza combo (and I am not even a big time pizza lover either) thanks for making me divorce my grocery store! GAH! 🙂
a) Oats AND – a pinch of salt, cinnamon, cloves, dark choc and PB
b) Coffee AND I.D. French vanilla creamer
c) Soup AND blue corn tortilla chips
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND …ooh girl – I made Kabocha, pumpkin and honey scones last night!!! Ate them with PB and pumpkin butter this morning-ooh so good – will post recipe soon! I gotta get some caramel pudding and try it on it too…thanks for the idea!
3) Popcorn AND salt :0
Those scones sound phenomenal!! I’ll be checking out your blog! xo
4 am?! geez girlfriend! I need those super powers haha
Oats AND cookie butter 🙂
Soup AND crackers.
Kabocha/pumpkin AND cinnamon (what does kabocha taste like?).
Popcorn AND salt/butter.
Oh geez I’m horrible at describing how things taste. Have you ever had butternut squash? It’s similar to that — sweet and a little starchy.
Ah I have never heard it referred to as a toad in a hole! That is too funny, and you are so right, totally weird! I’ve always known it as an ‘egg-in-a-hole’ which obviously makes way more sense. But you’re absolutely right, regardless of what it’s called, it is one tasty thing to eat! That pizza looks quite interesting…I don’t want to knock it til I try it, but it seems like an interesting combo. Also, I’ve heard such fabulous things about nutritional yeast on popcorn but haven’t given it a shot. It does definitely have my curiosity peaked, so I think it may just be time for me to give it a go! 🙂
Here’s the secret: I drank coffee and ALL the milk on vacation. Yup. ME, the no coffee drinker had at least 3 times caffe con leche! And I liked it! I actually crave a huge Cappuccino now. Who AM I??
Kabocha and chocolate, you knew it.
I am… SO PROUD!!!! 😀
I do that so much with food. So much. I have to say I am very excited about getting my hands on my first squash this weekend with my dad
Oh my, these are some strange food combinations you are digging at the moment. Some of them I love: oats with salt always! and some of them kind of freak me out: kabocha and caramel… hm, I’ll keep my good old topping of coconut oil, honey and cinnamon <3 but the one thing that I take from your post: I really need to get a decent milk frother since both I have don't do what they are supposed to… Are you serious? I can swirl my milk with a spoon, common, I want to froth it!
Oh come on! Kabocha and caramel isn’t -that- strange 😉 It actually reminds me a lot of kabocha and maple almond butter, although that combo might be a little bit better.
a) Oats AND peanut butter and blueberries!
b) Coffee AND a bowl of cottage cheese and fruit. Weird? Maybe. 😉
c) Soup AND a fancy grilled cheese!
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND blue cheese and walnuts in a salad. I’ve been loving squash salads lately. 🙂
e) Popcorn AND salt. Because I too have chronically low blood pressure, and salt does make the [flavour] world go ’round. 🙂
I love this WIAW theme! I’ll have to try the oats with the salt! And yay for finally getting your kabocha and caramel on…I’m still jealous of that caramel pudding of yours! I can’t seem to find any around here without a lot of sketchy ingredients! Boo! I’ve just recently gotten back to using nutritional yeast too since I whipped up those pestos a couple of weeks ago. I swear that is one of my top five foods that I have no idea how I lived without before discovering them through blog world!
Ok, this should be fun! My flavor pairings always change depending my mood, but today I would pick…
Oats and a perfectly runny egg!
Coffee and a chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookie (I know, your favorite! :D)!
Soup and some crusty bread for dipping!
Kabocha and coconut-flavored Greek yogurt (my newest “dip” obsession)!
Popcorn and M&Ms…can’t believe how long it took me to discover this combo! Love it!
Four am and one cup of coffee? Am I the only one who saw that LOL? Anyways now that my coffee radar has gone off, your photos always look so good. That pizza is making me crave a serious pizza right now.
I know, I know… blasphemy. But coffee honestly doesn’t do -that- much for my energy levels — sometimes I actually notice it makes me even more tired. Can we still be friends? 😉
Oats and peanut butter for sure! I’m going to add chocolate and caramel to the list as well 🙂
a) Oats AND berries! (and yogurt) so tasty!
b) Coffee AND bagel with cream cheese.
c) Soup AND salad. Yes I’m greedy. Haha.
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND …Spiced Latte?
3) Popcorn AND butter. I’m the worst. 😉
I like the idea of adding a pinch of salt to every meal! I’m interested to see how much of a difference it makes. Thanks for sharing all your eats!
Salt! Poor little neglected bugger in a society that tells us to go low-sodium all the time but SO good. I can’t remember the last time – or ever? – that I cooked my oats without some. Without it they’re just … bland. I even sprinkle some additional on my finished bowls because oats + almond butter + salt on top = amazing.
Hummus and pumpkin don’t seem strange to me because it’s basically the kabocha/chickpea combination I’m having all of the time. I’d even try hummus instead but I’m usually just too lazy to whip up a batch ;).
Onto your little fun game:
a) Oats AND cocoa. [Leaving some cocoa ‘clumps’ on top for extra intense taste. Mmmmh.]
b) Tea [not a coffee drinker] AND chocolate. [It’s ridiciulous but I swear I can’t have a cup of tea without at least some chocolate chips. Maybe I should stop drinking tea – not really, though ;).
c) Soup AND chickpeas. If we’re talking about smooth soups I need to have some add-ins for texture and chickpeas are the best.]
d) Kabocha/pumpkin AND nothing OR almond butter. [Plain is best if it’s a good kabocha but almond butter never hurts]
3) Popcorn AND salt.
I’ve been seeing so many people trying your pumpkin & hummus pita pizza…. and I just keep forgetting that I want to make it. WHY JESSIE WHY!!!!??!!!!!
Let’s see…
Oats & jelly
Coffee & nothing because I’m not a coffee fan
Soup & roasted Mediterranean veggie sandwich
I love how you got so detailed on your sandwich — it helps me overlook the fact that you don’t like coffee 😛
This is such a fun take on WIAW! I love salted chocolate, but have never tried salt with oats! It sounds incredible I think I would like it! Some of these pairs I do like soup and toast, but some of them I have never tried before like kabocha and pudding! I really want to try pumpkin and hummus, what an awesome combo!