Lunch

Bonjour!

The french bread turned out great. It’s funny just how much better it is when you make it yourself as opposed to buying it at a store. Another great thing about making your own is that you know for a fact that there’s no preservatives in it at all….just good, fresh bread. French bread is a very lean dough, as referred to by bakers. There’s zero fat added to it and the only ingredients are flour, salt, water and yeast. Amazing how these four little ingredients can produce something so life sustaining and tasty. I just love it! With the dough we made a traditional long baguette, a batard (a smaller baguette) and a fougasse, which is a very rustic, traditional bread from the south of france and Italy that involves adding sun dried tomatoes to the dough and shaping it in the traditional fougasse manner.

I gave my baguette to one of my friends in another class and took home the batard and the fougasse, both of which are safely in the freezer now….but not before I made a killer ham and cheese sandwich with it for lunch!!! I’m telling you…this sandwich was phenomenal. I used 2.5 ounces of the crusty batard to sandwich together 2 ounces of black forest ham and one ounce of Irish cheddar cheese. I pressed it down for a few minutes on a hot skillet to melt the cheese and toast the bread and then dipped it in honey mustard. So.freaking.good. I wish I could share!!! With my sandwich I also had a very ripe delicious nectarine and 4 ounces of fage yogurt. I’m stuffed now!

This lunch was about 468 calories

Oh, and during class today I snacked on an orange that I had peeled and divided into sections last night to take with me. I think actually it was a tangelo…..whatever it was, it was good.

January 15, 2008 By jenna

Cold Morning, Waffles and Jam Early Dinner, Off To Work

Marion

January 15, 2008 at 6:53 pm

Thanks Jenna. Does whipped cottage cheese taste different/better than regular? All the blogs seem to like it so much!

I am trying to eat more natural foods like you (you truly are inspiring). Is there an advantage of oatmeal pancakes over the whole wheat ones you make? I am trying to understand why so many people eat them…..lastly, how do you choose when to eat kashi waffels versus your homemade natural pancakes.

jenna

January 15, 2008 at 7:05 pm

Marion,

It’s not as lumpy as regular cottage cheese…I just like the texture better but I can’t speak for anyone else! When you say oatmeal pancakes which ones do you mean? I preferred the homemade white pancakes I made a couple weeks ago to the whole wheat ones I made a long time ago because the texture was better. …and the reason I eat kashi waffles is because there’s no time on weekday mornings to whip up a batch of homemade pancakes! I wish there was but everyday I’m up at 6 and leave the house at 6:45 for school so I’m already crammed for time as is. Homemade pancakes are more of a weekend treat 🙂

Brianne

January 15, 2008 at 7:21 pm

Marion- I think the “oatmeal” pancakes you are refering to are the oats/eggwhite/baking powder combo. The reason you see so many people eating them is because they are quick and make one serving. Its not really like your standard pancake- and they are really good! I make them during the week because it is so easy but I often make real “regular” pancakes (ie wheat/buttermilk etc.) on weekend because they take more time and don’t make just one pancake. So basically I think people eat them because it is easier not because they are healthier. HTH!

Courtney

January 15, 2008 at 7:26 pm

Yum! Everything you make looks SO GOOD! I was looking into the Nutrition and Wellness consultant program with the AFPA. That sounds like something I would definitely be interested in. I’ve already taken a basic Nutrition course at school, so I think this may be a good direction. How did the at home program go? Was it really hard or fairly easy? Do you have any advice !? Thank you so much, Jenna!

Marion

January 15, 2008 at 7:27 pm

Thanks Jenna and Brianne! Both of your responses make sense.

Jenna, sorry for so many questions last post of the day (promise) but can I substitute milk or yogurt for the buttermilk in your pancakes?

also, from where do you order your jam? is sit expensive to order?

arimcg

January 15, 2008 at 7:34 pm

Hey marion, if you just don’t want to buy buttermilk, you can add about a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk and let it sit for a few minutes…it basically makes buttermilk. I’ve done it before for things like pancakes and cornbread and it always works fine.

jenna

January 15, 2008 at 7:50 pm

Marion,

If you substituted reg. milk in for the buttermilk you would also need to switch the baking soda to regular baking powder. I think I would do a tsp of baking powder. I cant tell you for sure how it will turn out because i havent made them that way…I really liked the other (white flour) pancakes I made much better because I like more of a firm texture as opposed to really soft texture. The firm textured pancakes stood up better to syrup and were just a better mouth-feel. And, I don’t order my jam..I find it at the regular grocery store! If you cant find it, google “bonne maman” and see what comes up. Its imported from france you might have to search it out at a specialty store (fresh market) if you can’t find it.

jenna

January 15, 2008 at 7:51 pm

Courtney,

It really depends on what you actually want to get out of it. I enjoyed the course because I love learning more about nutrition and health and think it will help me down the line doing what I want later in life. The only thing about it is that its quite pricey (if you havent noticed the price already) so make sure this is what you want before signing on! Good luck!

Danielle

January 15, 2008 at 8:02 pm

Oh my gosh baguettes! One of my very favorite French creations, I’d kill to have the one you baked 😉
Anyway, I went to my very first “energizing” Vinyasa yoga class this morning before my academic classes. It has really made my entire day! My body and mind are so happy, thanks so much for the recommendation! I am definitely making this a habit! I have two questions though… For some of the poses my legs were shaking slightly, not both at the same time but I couldn’t seem to make them stop. Is this normal? Do you know of anything that I could do to prevent this? and… Because I leave my apartment around 8:30 and get back around 2:30, I was starving today during my regular lunch time. I ate my bowl of peanut butter oatmeal (still loving it!) around 8 and didn’t bring a snack. (I’m getting used to my new schedule and I guess I haven’t adjusted my eating habits to it yet 🙂 ) To you have any suggestions of a nice, healthy combo that could keep me going until I’m able to make lunch? I’m not sure which food group to look towards because I don’t want to over-do anything and my meals are usually very balanced. Thanks Jenna!

jenna

January 15, 2008 at 8:11 pm

Danielle,

Congrats on yoga! That’s awesome…you need to be drinking tons of water and its normal to be a little shaky your first couple times. I still am sometimes! Its just your muscles working hard. and of course you were starving going from 8:30-2:30 on no food! I could never do that! Why dont you pack an apple and some almonds or some almonds and fiber one (or another whole grain cereal) to keep you going. I love nuts as snacks..maybe half of one of the KIND bars I always talk about would be good fuel. You def need SOMETHING though..you should eat about every 3-4 hours because its best for your metabolism, so tomorrow pack some fruit, nuts or whole grains to keep you going!