Breakfast

Go Blueberry!

Mmmm…I had a delicious new combo for breakfast! Blueberries were on sale last night–2 cartons for 3 dollars so I bought some to switch up my usual breakfast banana. This morning I had steel cut oats (cooked last night in water, cinnamon and vanilla and put in the fridge) with 3 ounces blueberries, 1 ounce dried cranberries, 1 tbsp peanut butter and 2 ounces of skim milk. It was delicious! Chewy, sweet and creamy all at once. I just love blueberries and I get so sad when they go away for part of the year. Now that they are back (and seemingly on sale–they can be $$), you will be seeing a lot more of them in my breakfasts. Blueberries, as we all might now, are a superfood and contain tons of vitamins and antioxidants that your body needs. They are also very low calorie. So check around–maybe they are on sale near y’all as well!

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This breakfast was about 410 calories.

I’m already thinking about my dinner tonight because I bought something I have never bought before at the store last night to have. Its going to take some real inspiration to make and I’m hoping it will taste as good as I think it will!!!!!

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  • Kristin
    January 28, 2008 at 12:40 pm

    Hey Jenna, I left you (specifically) a question on freezing/defrosting bread after last night’s post… did you spot it? No one else has had any suggestions!

  • ana
    January 28, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    ooh!i’m excited! wonder what it is?

  • jenna
    January 28, 2008 at 12:45 pm

    Hi Kristin,
    Sorry! It seemed your question sort of got lost in everything…oops! anyways, about bread. I do freeze entire loaves that I preslice before. When I want a slice with dinner I just take a slice out and leave it at room temp while I prepare the rest of the dinner. By the time I’m done (it really only takes a few minutes to defrost at room temp) I usually just pop the slice in the toaster to warm it up. You could also defrost bread overnight in the fridge. I wouldnt micro it though because theres a good chance that would make it chewy, dense and gross!

  • jenna
    January 28, 2008 at 12:46 pm

    Oh and everyone—-I posted the Homemade granola recipe AND my roommate’s chicken sloppy joes under the recipe section! enjoy!

  • ana
    January 28, 2008 at 12:47 pm

    sry! i commented before i read over some posts and noticed that you don’t like to use artificial sugar. i have to agree w/you. anything that has such a weird after taste leaves me wondering…and there has been research showing that people who use artificial sugar tend to eat more (they aren’t sure what causes it yet-some believe it is b/c it replaces real sugar in diet and that makes the eater feel they can eat more of it, etc.) now that i’ve revealed my stance on the chemicals, i must admit to having used some splenda in my morning coffee, too! and i do really like diet cokes. i have been trying to consciously cut back on both though, and have found that i can drink my coffee just fine w/out, but the diet coke is still too good to give up. i use it as an occasional treat! just thought it was an interesting topic! i’d love to hear about what everyone else thinks. any thoughts?

  • jenna
    January 28, 2008 at 1:01 pm

    Oh and fyi—–has anyone heard of Stevia? its an “all natural” sweetener (not artificial at all) sold at whole foods and other health food stores. I used to use it but its pretty pricey for a box, about 9.50 or something whereas splenda’s only 4.50 for a box. I hate to judge what I put in my body on money but its hard when you are on a tight budget! Does anyone use stevia? I’d be interested to hear what you think…

    oh and also, artificial sweeteners have also been known to cause headaches and stomachaches in some people, which is another reason I try to stay clear. I already get chronic migraines as is and don’t need anything to make them worse!!! In college, there was a time when I would get a migraine about three times a week and so I cut EVERYTHING out of my diet…no caffeine, no meat, nothing artificial…..amazingly enough, my migraines subsided. I slowly added these things once again to my diet but kept out the artificial sweeteners. Now I only get a migraine maybe once or twice a month, which is pretty good for me!

  • Kath
    January 28, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    Hi Jenna! I have used Stevia before – both the powdered kind in the packet and the dropper kind. I really don’t think it has that great of a taste, but I’ve actually been thinking of giving it another go-around in my tea since I’m going through another “on the fence” time about Splenda. I just don’t think it has the rounded sugar taste of Splenda – it’s almost like Equal or Sweet-n-low since it’s so sharp? Do you know what I mean? But perhaps we should give it a try. Being so expensive, maybe it will encourage us to use less sweetener overall and things will end up for the better.

    Have a good Monday – and I want to see the new, new haircut!!

    Kath

  • VeggieGirl
    January 28, 2008 at 1:18 pm

    oh my goodness, I’m quite envious of those beautiful blueberries in your morning oatmeal – they’re still not in season yet, here!! I miss my summer berries!! at least I’ve been able to find a good bunch of cherries – another favorite berry of mine :0)

    here’s some information, regarding Stevia: http://www.stevia.net/

  • jenna
    January 28, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    VeggieGirl,

    Thought of you when I found this site: http://yeahthatveganshit.blogspot.com/

    Some of the recipes look really good and I’m not even a vegetarian anymore! My friend made the sweet potato gnocci from here and loved it!

  • Christie
    January 28, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    Right after new years day I decided to cut out all Artificial sweetners and processed ingredients. I have not had any splenda or really any processed food (mostly anythign that you cant read on a label) since that day. I was a compulssive gum chewer (sugar free) and used splenda in my coffee and tea, it was def a huge transtiion but I feel so much better, and yes I def went through some withdrawel syptoms but last nigth I tried to chew a peice of orbit gum and it tasted like chemicals tome. I have tried stevia but it is less of a sugar consistency. I know whole foods now has many different sweetners like z-sweet etc, I have not tried to buy them b/c they are pricie and i woul dhate to waste the money. For my coffee in the AM i have 2 tbsp of soy creamer from trader joes and it really helps!

  • arimcg
    January 28, 2008 at 3:00 pm

    I’ve tried stevia too and like it, but it is expensive. I kind of like agave nectar, which is about the same as sugar calorie-wise, but it’s much sweeter so you use less. It’s similar to honey and all natural. I also think it doesn’t spike your blood sugar the way that sugar does. It’s expensive too though – but luckily with both of these things, a little goes a long way.

  • Moni
    January 28, 2008 at 3:29 pm

    Hi Jenna,

    I also get chronic migraines like you. Not headaches but migraines as you probably know the difference:( It is tough… I get them less frequent than before though. For me, I feel like it is mainly stress related but I am exploring with eliminating different types of foods to find out if it helps as well. So far stopping artificial sweetners has helped some but not a huge inprovement. We will see how it goes with more time! Not chewing gum helped quite a bit. Yoga lets me relax and it helps too.

    You really do a great job with the blog! Were you surprise with Dana Jacobi left a message?!

  • Amy
    January 28, 2008 at 3:30 pm

    In response to Jenn who asked for tips re: daily schedule rearranging, retraining your body, etc.

    I am in the midst of it now, so I could use the tips as well!

  • Eliza
    January 28, 2008 at 3:30 pm

    I gave up diet soda for my New Years resolution (Of course–I dont drink regular soda either). I dont put splenda in anything either anymore. WOW. Can I just tell you this has brought my cravings for sweets and chocolate down significantly!!
    If anyone feels like they crave high sugar foods (candy, ice cream, etc) more than usual..maybe you should think of dropping soda/sweetened beverages altogether. It has made a huge difference in my cravings.

  • Justy2003
    January 28, 2008 at 3:50 pm

    Hi, Jenna! I’ve been reading your blog for a while, but this is my first time commenting…love the blog, by the way! 🙂

    I use Stevia and have been using it for about a year now. I used to use Splenda all.the.time, but finally gave it up and switched to Stevia. I use the powder kind and I think it’s usually about $11-12 (it does go on sale occasionally!) for the 4 oz. bottle of it, but it tends to last me quite a while! I can’t really tell any difference in taste, but a lot of other people tend to say they can tell. You just have to be sure not to use too much, otherwise it’s kind of bitter tasting. Stevia claims to be 300 times sweeter than sugar, so it doesn’t take as much to sweeten. I find that if I accidentally add to much Stevia to something, it does taste a little bitter, so just don’t add too much!

    Anyway, just thought I’d throw in my two cents about Stevia 🙂 I have no regrets about making the switch!

  • Lily
    January 28, 2008 at 3:54 pm

    Hi Jenna!

    I’m a longtime fan, first time commenter–we’re the same age, I’m in journalism school and I SO wish I had my life together as much as you do! I wish you could see what I call “cooking for myself.” Reading your blog has really helped me–it’s not that I don’t like cooking (or baking!), it’s just that I’m not all that great at it!

    I thought you would appreciate this article about cooking schools banning trans-fats. It mentions the Cordon Bleu as one of the schools, of course!

    Have a wonderful day, can’t wait to see lunch and dinner! 🙂

    Lily

    P.S.
    Here is the article link:
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-diet_28jan28,0,4424573.story?track=rss

  • Lisa
    January 28, 2008 at 4:03 pm

    Hey everyone! I’m sure you have touched on this topic before but I don’t think I was a reader then so I don’t know the background of why you shouldn’t chew gum? I chew gum about 3-4x a day to keep my mouth busy…I know it can cause bloating b/c you are swallowing air but what it is about the sugar alcohols I’ve been seeing you all talk about? Thanks everyone!

  • Amy
    January 28, 2008 at 4:03 pm

    Eliza, is that so about the splenda? I used to be a diet coke fiend, and I rarely drink it now. I have been wondering if I should wipe out the splenda/artificial sweeteners from my diet. I imagine it must be harmful in some way…and I do crave high sugar foods and i probably do consume way too much splenda! I think hearing that cutting out the splenda reduces sugar cravings is enough for me to try it, but can anyone offer more evidence of why I should cut it out? (or defend splenda if you don’t think I should!)

  • Katie
    January 28, 2008 at 4:29 pm

    Thanks so much for the granola recipe, Jenna…it looks yummy (and thankfully easy!) Can’t wait to make a batch!

  • Beth
    January 28, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Thanks for posting the granola recipe! I don’t know about anyone else, but I was craving Nature’s Path PB Granola after your post a few days ago – so I bought some, and this morning made a YUMMY pre-workout snack. 1 banana spread with 1 tbsp PB rolled in about 2 tbsp of the granola….heaven!!!

  • jenna
    January 28, 2008 at 4:37 pm

    http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/

    what do we think?

  • Alison
    January 28, 2008 at 6:31 pm

    Hi everyone,

    I thought this article was perfect considering all of the discussion about artificial sweetners today. It desribes each type of sweetner in pretty good detail without getting too scientific. Hope it helps some of you out.

    http://health.msn.com/health-topics/diabetes/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100184842&page=1

    PS…Jenna, I love this blog!! Keep up the great work 🙂

  • Adrienne
    January 29, 2008 at 3:14 am

    hey everyone…i have enjoyed reading this blog and reading all the comments and discussions going on. A bit ago there was some discussion on binge eating/overreating. I am just going to post an article I stumbled upon about the subject-thought many of you may be interested!
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/change-way-you-think-food