Category Archives: gluten-free

Accidentally Amazing Pasta Salad

One morning I needed to throw together a healthy lunch to bring with me to work. After surveying my options in the fridge, I decided to throw together this pasta salad. The serving is for one person as a meal but you could expand it to fit your needs as a perfect spring meal or side dish. I had it warm because I used frozen vegetables but it would be equally as delicious served cold!  Feel free to utilize whatever vegetables you have on hand!

Spring Pasta Salad

  • 1 serving cooked brown rice pasta
  • 1/2c black beans
  • 1c frozen spinach
  • 1/3c frozen bell pepper strips
  • 1/8c peas
  • 1T Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • 1T Annie’s Green Garlic salad dressing
  • salt and pepper to taste

Combine the pasta, beans, and vegetables and stir. Heat mixture in microwave for 1-2 minutes. Top with salad dressing, salt, and pepper and mix again. Top with a sprinkle of cheese (optional). Enjoy!

This was the perfect meal to refuel from an intense workout at the gym – it’s full of healthy carbs, fat, and protein! It also didn’t leave me searching for something else after my meal. All around, this was one accidentally amazing lunch!

Lotsa Toppings

Happy Tuesday. How was your day? Time felt like it crawled by a little bit for me but I was able to be productive and take advantage of the day.

Winter was once again upon us when I woke up. My grumbling stomach was ready for breakfast and it was a hot cereal kind of morning. This bowl is half cream of buckwheat and half Mighty GF hot cereal since I used up the last of the buckwheat. On top are blueberries, 2 crushed pecan halves, a few pom arils, 1/2T PB and ~1T of the Maple Bakery on Main Granola.

I loved the crunch of the granola and the flavor – strong notes of maple and not to sweet. As you can see there is a ton of texture!

3 hours later my stomach was rumbling once again and I had some trail mix and Whole O’s, a dried fig, and when that didn’t fill me up, a Fiberful fruit leather with a smidge of peanut butter which did the trick. I’m not sure where that intense snack attack came from but I honored it.

I hit the gym on my lunch break for Total Body Conditioning. After class I cooled down with 15 minutes on the stationary bike (3.05 miles – my legs were tired).

Lunch was a big veggie bowl topped with a serving of Cuban black beans. I also had kale, bell peppers, corn, and broccoli plus a few tortilla chips for crunch.

Snack was 2 clementines and some rice leftover from a meeting.

When I got home I was in the mood to flake out for a bit so I watched 2 episodes of How I Met Your Mother on DVD before my stomach let me know it was once again time to eat. I spotted this recipe for sushi bowls last week and have been craving them since.

I followed the recipe for the sauce and did my own thing for some of the toppings. I sliced and roasted a red bell pepper, sauteed shiitake mushrooms on the stove top in vegetable broth and a dab of teriyaki sauce, and used Trader Joe’s roasted seaweed snacks as my nori.

In addition to all of those toppings I added a fried (in cooking spray) egg, seaweed gomasio, some crushed almond slices, and a [too] heavy dose of sriracha.

I’m currently sipping on hot tea and watching and being inspired by the Biggest Loser to continue the trend of a relaxing night.

What are your favorite sushi fillers / toppings? What about on a bowl of oatmeal or hot cereal? What’s your favorite [morning] snack?

Ladies (and Gent) Who Lunch

For as long as I can remember, my Bubbye (grandmother) and I have had a day where we spent time together, go to lunch, and “piddle” around together. Not a winter, summer, or spring break has gone by where we haven’t made time to hang out for a day. Even though I see my grandparents my grandparents often when I visit home, it’s nice to have a little one-on-one time with them.

My grandmother picked me up late this morning and we headed for one of our favorite past times – the nail salon. We love to get manicures and pedicures together and it’s nice to sit and chat. My Zayde (grandfather) joined us as well so I got some quality time with both of them.

By the time we were done it was 1:45pm and we were ready for lunch! We went to Blue Mesa, one of our favorite Mexican food restaurants, which sounded fantastic to all 3 of us on this cool and gloomy day. I got a Vegetable Sampler plate that had asparagus, a grilled onion topped with mushrooms, carrot, squash, and jalapenos, and a black bean Adobe Pie which was kind of like a tamale. Instead of the rest of the veggies the dish came with I opted for a cup of black bean soup instead, which I loved!

I took home a good 2/3 of the soup and half of the rest. I was comfortably full when we’d finished. It was so nice to have a pleasurable day and lunch where we weren’t rushing back to the office or somewhere else :)

I said my goodbyes for the afternoon and then went on a 50 minute walk around my neighborhood. I covered about 3.25 miles and then took Cody around the block. My feet must have been tired because they were not having any running today. They also appreciated being slipped into my new Merrells that are lined for the winter – a very exciting sale purchase. What a deal!

It’s 6:30pm now and I just had a snack of a pear and some pistachios. My family is headed to a nice steakhouse for dinner later tonight but I knew I wouldn’t last until 8pm without a snack!

Did you get to spend quality time with your grandparents growing up?

On With the Show!

Howdy folks! How was your weekend? While I would love for you to think that all of my weekends are as glamorous as last weekend, sadly they aren’t. However, this weekend was pretty wonderful for its own reasons. I met a friend for a long dinner in Georgetown on Friday night which was the perfect way to unwind.

Saturday was full of activity! I spent some quality time at the gym where I lifted weights and did another 45 minutes of cardio. I took a quick break from trying to eat up all the food in my fridge to pick up lunch at Sweetgreen. I got the Sweet Thanks salad with beets and tofu instead of turkey and sunflower seeds and tried a cup of their vegan and gluten free black bean soup which was amazing!

I spent my afternoon at 2 friends’ housewarming party, did a quick load of laundry, and then hung out for the rest of the night with a bunch of friends as we helped Ben and Rachel pack. Having to say goodbye to them for a while was bittersweet; I know they’ll love Israel but it’s not fun having closer friends move away.

Today has been a productive yet lazy Sunday. I tackled the 30 things on my to do list including packing, cleaning my apartment, and getting my life in order. Now, I have entered the final countdown to my arrival back in Dallas tomorrow!

Breakfast today was hot cereal with a few blackberries and 1/3 of an Asian pear mixed in.

Sick of leftovers (it’s seriously tough to eat a whole stalk of brussel sprouts in 4 days no matter how much you love them!), I employed Amy’s help for lunch

along with an apple

And dinner was an Asian risotto of sorts. I sauteed some chopped onion until soft and then added 1/4c edamame, a few broccoli florets, and some peas and simmered the veggies in veggie broth and garlic powder until the liquid had been absorbed. I added in the last 1/2c of brown rice, leftover roasted brussel sprouts, the last of the veggie broth, and soy sauce, and simmered it until the liquid had been absorbed.

This warm and comforting bowl was a perfect Sunday dinner!

Now it’s time to wrap up last minute things and get on with the show!

How was your weekend? What are you looking forward to this week?