Hello, hello there!
Welcome to yet another Wednesday, more commonly referred to around these parts as What I Ate Wednesday – a day where it’s not safe to sit at your computer unless you’re properly fed. I don’t know about you guys, but browsing blogs and seeing everyone else’s delicious eats definitely kicks my appetite up a few notches, so here’s hoping that my eats were tasty enough to do the same to you 😉
A quick note before we get to the food, though… These eats don’t represent what I ate in a single day – they’re my favourite meals/snacks from the past week or so. I usually try to snap a full day of eats for Wednesdays, but yesterday was all sorts of manic (work, errands, furniture shopping 😯 ) and I barely even got a chance to look at my food, much less make it look good and take a picture. So I hope you guys don’t mind me playing favourites this week!
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Breakfast…
Seeing as I’m currently in a prolonged oatmeal-for-breakfast rut groove (more specifically, an AB/honey oatmeal groove), this one was kind of a no brainer…
Eggy oats layered with plain Greek yogurt and cinnamon, then topped with roasted almond butter and honey. BUT!… what made this breakfast stand out was this little gem right here…
Orange.fudge.honey from Beary Berry Honey, a local company that I had the pleasure of coming across on my last trip to the farmers market. Guys… holy.snap. I never thought that I could love honey more than I already did, but I stand corrected. This stuff is amazing, and it seriously takes all my willpower not to just eat it straight from the jar. I only got a sample jar to see if I would like it, and now I very much need a bigger jar.
Morning snack…
Guess who finally found an energy/protein bar that she can eat?! This girl!!
I can’t even tell you how happy I was to come across these Simply Whey bars when I ventured into a new-to-me store the other day – let’s just say there may have been squees and happy dances involved. I try not to depend on bars too much, but I can’t deny their convenience. The only annoying part is that basically any bar I pick up either has peanuts or traces of peanuts – not exactly what I like to see given my allergies. So yeah… the peanut-freeness of this bar definitely makes it a favourite. Oh, and it doesn’t taste half bad either 😉
Lunch…
Oh lunch, how you and I never seem to jive. BUT! I’ve found something that’s helped make my least favourite meal of the day [a little] more bearable…
Fun containers! Which are even better when they’re actually packed with food…
Best lunch from this past little while was an almond butter and blueberry jam sandwich with some veggies and a hardboiled egg. Nothing fancy, but I have to admit that having a sweet element to lunch definitely makes me look forward to it a bit more. This might have to become a regular thing. Oh, and farmers market produce totally trumps veggies from the grocery store. Just sayin’.
Afternoon snack…
Hands down, the title of best afternoon snack belongs to the blueberry scone that I snagged from Duchess Bake Shop this weekend. Holy.snap was it ever good. Prior to a few weeks ago, I never thought much of scones and saw myself as more of a cookie/muffin/quick bread kind of girl, but consider me converted. Subtly sweet and so doughy I could die, I’d be lying if I said that taking a trip to the bakery wasn’t my new favourite Sunday ritual… Yes, I’ve declared it a weekly thing.
Dinner…
The best dinner is the kind that you don’t have to cook yourself…
I’m a baker at heart. I love to eat savoury meals, but when it comes to making them? Eeehhh, not so much. Enter Mom. I go over to my parents’ for dinner pretty much every Sunday, and this past week my mom made a delicious chicken stir fry with veggies (broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, celery, carrot), mung bean noodles, and her secret sweet ‘n’ sour sauce. It’s these kind of meals that make me miss living at home…
Evening snack…
You know those times where you manage to hit a craving dead on, and what you eats ends up tasting like the most amazing thing in the world? Love those… and that’s exactly how I felt after last night’s snack…
It was just a bowl of plain Greek yogurt flavoured with vanilla extract, then topped with homemade applesauce, Weetabix, Rice Krispies, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but it tasted amazing. It may have had something to do with the fact that I was more-or-less starving after a long day, and soggy asparagus probably would have tasted good at that point, buuuuuuut that sounds kind of gross right now, so let’s just go with the idea that cereal is plain old delicious, because it really is…
Happy Wednesday, friends! 😀
. – . – . – .
Do you eat protein bars? What’s your favourite kind?
Do you have any weekly foodie traditions that you always look forward to? Going out to eat? Picking up a special treat? Grocery shopping?!
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Omg, that honey!!! I found some orange date nut honey jelly (I know, what a mouthful!) once at Big Lots and haven’t been able to find it since, but I swear it was one of the best things I’ve EVER put into my mouth! I can only imagine how it would have tasted with a bit of chocolate in it! 😀
I love that you get to enjoy a meal with your family every week! My parents and I have pretty much opposite schedules, so it’s really hard to plan times for us to get together. My mom doesn’t cook a lot anymore (since she works so much) but just seeing your mom’s dishes makes me miss the good ol’ days of enchiladas, chicken pot pie, and roast beef with carrots and potatoes! Great, now I’m hungry! Lol
I like the favorites for WIAW. In fact, I’m pretty sure I did the same thing once a long time ago…hmm, I may have to do it again soon.
This comment from you: “farmers market produce totally trumps veggies from the grocery store. Just sayin’.” I love this! No surprise.
I also think dinner made by someone else can be a wonderfully fantastic thing, especially if they take care of the clean up too. Now that’s total indulgence.
Regular Sunday scones are a great idea; a girl needs a treat to look forward to from time to time.
I tend to only eat Quest Bars for their high protein content. Otherwise I’d almost rather just eat a candy bar. Is that bad? Oops. 😉
My favorite weekly food tradition is Chinese food bed picnics on Sundays. Basically the boy and I order a bunch of Chinese/Japanese/Sushi and veg out with a schmorgas(sp?) board. Since we just paid a pretty penny for our couch, we have been holding this even there. It’s my favorite.
I also have been cooking for Taco Tuesdays, but I’ve branched out lately so any Maxican fare will do. 🙂
AH! I just bought those containers to bring to school with me. They’re going to be great since they’re so portable. I’m a sucker for anything kitchen-related, what can I say!? I’ve recently fallen in love with noodle stir frys like your dinner. They’re something about rice noodles that kick up the stir fry just a bit more than normal rice does.
Why do I always read your blog when I’m hungry! It always gets me craving oats (but with PB, sorry!) and now I want a scone.
This is probably the lamest weekly tradition ever, but on Wednesdays I see my therapist in the city and then have to drive 40 min north to work. My therapist lives RIGHT across the street from a Starbucks (which somehow I managed to get to know all the staff). So on Wednesdays after therapy I pop over to the ‘bucks, grab an iced soy latte (fo free), and hit the road. Yesterday was so nice because the sun was shining and my boyfriend had made me a new CD so I was blasting that with the windows down, coffee at hand. Bliss.
Untill I got to WORK that is… =)
Any tradition involving Starbucks isn’t a lame one 😉 And oh man… iced coffee and a mix CD (remember the days where it was tapes?!) are the epitome of summer. Sounds wonderful.
Love the containers and the simple PB&J sandwich!
Oh my god! That honey has me drooling. It sounds amazing!
I generally don’t eat protein bars, I can’t get on board with the texture of most of them!
Nothing like a good ol’ PB&J! I haven’t actually bought jelly for years, but when I go home I always have it, haha. I’ve been doing PB and honey half sandwiches for snacks. Yummy!
I’ve seen Quest bars all over this green earth, but to be honest, I didn’t think they were that awesome. I make my own protein muffins and bites that taste a gazillion times better. Much more affordable too!
I am the SAME way when it comes to savory meals. I love to eat them, but I hate to cook them.
May be why I love going out to eat so much. haha. (and which explains why I’m drooling over the simple PB&J sammie)
Stoked you were able to find a protein bar that you can eat- with so much choice when it comes to protein bars, its quite annoying that certain people miss out due to allergies or food restrictions. I’ve tried a simply bar once before, and ironically, it was when I was visiting Toronto! I’m loving Quest bars, but find the homemade ones sometimes are abit more hearty and filling!
A weekly tradition involving baked goods? That’s my kind of tradition. Whenever I see blogs discuss scones, I get confused as here, scones are these somewhat dense, plain baked goods which you eat with jam and cream. Clearly stolen from the English :p
That’s what I always thought scones were too! Which is probably why it took me so long to finally try one – I just thought they were boring. The sweet ones definitely aren’t, though 😉 And I really need to finally get around to making my own protein bars at home. On the to-do list.
I LOVE protein and snack bars, but I try to stay away from them too. They’re so good, but they just don’t last long enough. I find that my hunger is satisfied way better with apple slices and/or carrot slices and my eating goes on for a longer amount of time (which is always a good thing). 😉
Mind if I join you for your new sunday ritual? 😉 I think that scone may just look even better the 2nd time around. I was already drooling when I saw it on your instagram the other day.
I don’t have any weekly traditions, but I do like to treat myself to a good coffee or iced refresher at least once a week 🙂
As for protein bars, I’d have to say my favorite is think thin bars. So sorry that so many bars are made in facilities with peanuts 🙁 However, that apple cinnamon simply whey bar sounds quite fantastic. I’ve been obsessed with apple cinnamon everything lately!
Furniture shopping? Didn’t you say you just needed some little random things ;)? What did you end up buying [not like I was nosey]?
Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise I can’t read any blogs at all while at work from 9 to 6? Means no WIAW and ergo no food envy. Sitting in an office with no access to that awesome choice of foods would make it even less bearable :).
Orange Fudge Honey?! Oh, hey, didn’t you mention a little blogger swap recently ;)? Just kidding. Sort of …
I’m happy to hear you found a bar you can actually eat. While I’ve recently rekindled my liking for peanuts I’m feeling your annoyance about the little buggers sneaking their way into many foods. Good to know your favourite bake shop ensures a peanut-free production line for your blueberry scones. I need one of those, too.
Happy Wednesday!
😆 I actually didn’t end up going to IKEA… this was just kind of one of those spur of the moment, drive by, spontaneous decisions. And I just bought a small decorative table and lamp.
Orange… fudge… honey? Holy batman that sounds good!
Other than these new Simply Whey bars, there are literally no nut free protein bars! 😛 But my favourite homemade ones are Fannetastic Food’s 5 minute no bake granola bars using soy nut butter instead of PB. They are SO delicious!
I don’t really have any weekly foodie traditions but I like the idea of going to a bakery! I may have to do that at Kelly’s Bake Shoppe when I’m done working there in a week and no longer get free baked goods haha.
Ooo those bars look great! Definitely going to have to try them out. Thanks girl!
That honey looks delicious!
So glad I found your blog! 🙂 I have been loving oatmeal for breakfast too lately! X
Umm I want that dessert, right now. What a fabulous combination! I also recently bought those stackable containers and they are fantastic. Love them!
That scone just made my mouth water and my stomach growl. At the same time. I’m not even kidding. My favorite weekly food ritual is going to my local farmer’s market! It’s always the highlight of my week, although I just realized I don’t actually eat anything there….It’s still exciting knowing I have food to eat ya know?
Nothing?! But local produce tastes amazing! The atmosphere alone is worth going, though… so vibrant and lively 🙂
Ahhh nonono, I meant I don’t actually eat anything while I’m physically at the market! Of course I’m there for the produce which I bring home and then make food. Definitely needed to clarify that! I <3 veggies, no worries! 🙂
Nut buter sure does something magical to oatmeal!
And yay for dinner at your parents! 🙂
I love kind bars and Larabars – they are not really very high in protein – but I LOVE them!
On most friday nights, my daughter and I curl up with a humungous bowl of Kemps Moose Tracks fro yo and catch up on our Tivo’d shows – thats been a tradition at our home for awhile.
After seeing all your eats – am starving!
There is nothing like a good old pb & j!! Well, AB and J.. but same thing 🙂 Eats look tasty as always! I usually make my own protein bars, so then I have them for the week!
I love Simply Whey Bars! I have no tried that one but I am huge on the Coconut Flavor. Have you tried the simply bars themselves? 😀 They’re delish.
I haven’t tried the normal ones because of the allergy warning on them 😕 I wish I could have them though – they’re so much easier to find!
Oh drat! Is it peanut? 🙁 My mom is allergic to peanut, too. I -thankfully- am not! You should definitely try out the Coconut Whey Bar! Where I work we get BIG (like 18 to a box) sets of them and I eat them like it is my job (in fact today when I went to work we had one of the boxes of the bar you have up there on sale :O)
Have you looked into Zing bars?
http://www.zingbars.com/
Great post girl 🙂
You WIAWs make me want to start, haha 🙂
C.
It -is- peanut 😥 And I was actually debating between the apple cinnamon and coconut – next time I’ll be sure to pick up the latter 🙂 I’ve never seen Zing bars before, but I’m going to check them out. Thanks girl!
So, I just started following your blog (thanks to Christina @theahletarian!) Love it, love you!! And SO happy to see a WIAW that’s normal yummy freaking food!! My fav protein bars right now are the silly gluten free ones called Elevate just from the grocery store however, I sometimes indulge in these yummy little cookies n cream bars from GNC! Look forward to reading more of your excellence!!
Thanks for taking the time to say hi, Amanda! Great name, by the way 😉
My mom loves scones but I cannot get on the train! I think I need to hit up a bakery and try one because I haven’t had one in a while… Always worth a second try, I guess! I tend to stay away from protein bars, but my favorite is the Quest Bars in the cookie dough flavor. I wish SO badly you could try them! Stupid allergies 🙁 I have a daily thing of going to get a mint unsweetened iced tea with my mom and one day a week we go to Wegmans to get dinner and some of their bakery cookies 😀 😀 😀
Love that evening snack! Looks delicious. I’ve never tried those simply whey bars but they sound great. Lately I’ve been loving quest bars. I’m pretty picky with my protein bars and these are the only ones I’ve found with approved ingredients I love and they don’t bother my stomach at all! Winner in my book!