If you assemble your coffee in the morning, there really isn’t too much advantage between coffee machine and French press.

• Both require assembly.
• Both require 5 minutes of time.
• Both require cleaning.

The factor that converted me back to coffee machines was that Karen (my mother in law) assembles her coffee the night before. When we lived together this summer, I had such fun participating in the process with her. She puts the grounds in after dinner, which leaves the kitchen with a faint air of coffee and makes one already excited for breakfast. And when she’s ready for coffee in the morning, she just flips a button.

[Side note - Karen actually doesn't put the water in the night before because she thinks it gets dirty . I say do it - all or nothin'!]

Since I don’t have to be at work by some early hour, it never occurred to me to assemble my coffee at night. Why would I if I had time in the morning? I’m not one of those people who fumbles until I drink my coffee, so there was no problem figuring out how to put it together in the morning. But I never realized how fun the ritual of night making would be. And how easy flipping a button is.

The process of using a coffee machine is now as romantic as that of the French press!

Coffee, perfected

I also like the idea of pulling my pre-made overnight breakfast out of the fridge and digging in!

Remember granola planks!? I think every bowl of oats I ate for 6 months contained granola plank and barney butter the first year I blogged. Honest Foods is now Earnest Eats and their granola planks are back. They sent me a few as a reminder of yesteryear.

Last night’s overnight oats contained:

• ~1 tbsp Nutty’s residue (yeah, I just got this jar – but Matt ate 2/3 of it while I wasn’t looking!! There will be more coming – a fun program I’m working on )
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 banana
• Pinch salt
• Splash vanilla
• Granola plank topping

Gonna be a blue sky kinda day. I’ve got a freelance project that is taking up my morning and a few appts. this afternoon. Get on crackin’!

Afternoon

= more biking in the hot sun! I think I need to affix an umbrella to my bike! We biked to the east side farmer’s market and picked up:

• Eggplant
• Zucchini
• Chard
• Peppers
• Nectarines
• Asian pears
• Apples

Yums! All for about $14 – not too bad.

Yogurt Update

[FYI, I've done this before but have not documented it on KERF]

About 24 hours later we had….

What some call "yogurt cheese." A thick slab of yogurt with the whey pressed out. It’s more the consistency of cream cheese than greek yogurt and still retains the regular plain yogurt tang (so the flavor isn’t as great as greek yogurt) but the texture is super fun

Matt is so disgusting. He drinks tuna can juice, pickle juice…and he tried the whey

He said it tasted like a tart slimy oil. He did not like it as much as tuna juice!

I stored the yogurt cheese for a rainy day

After yogurt, I made breakfast!

Overnight oats in a jar for us both – see you tomorrow!

Then we made dinner…

On the right… roasted eggplant and Twin Oaks Tofu (herbed) simply seasoned with a little olive oil and salt/pepper. Baked for ~30-40 minutes.

Best tofu on the face of the earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It tastes like pizza. Incredible. [I also <3 eggplant]

And on the left side of the plate… a spring mix salad topped with red quinoa and a Yogurt Curry Herb Sauce with a few airplane crushed peanuts. Out. Of. This. World!

For the yogurt sauce, I blobbed in about half a cup of Stonyfield Low-Fat Plain regular yogurt plus about a tsp of yellow curry powder and half a tsp of garam masala (just use a touch of cinnamon if you don’t have any GM)

And then the secret ingredient.. a Napa Valley Herb Rub that I think dates back to last year’s Foodbuzz Festival swag. I’ve carried this with me through the move and I have no idea why. We don’t use rubs that much (since we don’t eat meat all that much at home) but something told me to keep this guy.

SO GLAD I did. The mix is a combo of fennel seeds, dried lavender, dried lemon, dried tomato, dried chile, and spices plus sea salt, which is the secret ingredient in the secret ingredient.

I never thought to use it in something that wasn’t going to be cooked, but it was so good in this (and would probably be excellent in a salad dressing!)

All stirred up

The quinoa warmed the sauce, but the greens underneath stayed room temp. Worked out so nicely!

Feelin’ like a piece of chocolate. Better go get it!

No signs of Fall here……

Or are there?

My fruit bowl:

Mid-morning snack: apple season!

Mentions of plaid and back-to-school shopping

And pumpkin bread on the menus!

More pumpkin talk

AND, and…..look at the weekend forecast!!!

I biked downtown today to have lunch with my new friends Abby and Anna who are both starting as dietetic interns next week. We talked internship expectations and I gave them some of the materials I made during my internship to take with them.

We dined at Eppie’s, one of my fav lunch spots right on the mall. And despite the 97* outside, we ate al fresco just so we could bask in the sunshine

Santa Monica Salads for THREE! We each got the same thing.

This is one of the best salads in town, and I was in a chicken mood today. It’s a base of spinach with corn, tomato, goat cheese, DATES, champagne dressing [that is out of this world]

And a mini pumpkin loaf! Clearly the best part.

BYO water!

Workout part I today was biking there and back (~30 minutes round trip) and I’m going to do it again in a bit as we go pick up some farmer’s market veggies.

Once I got home, I realized Matt’s car was gone and I was locked out.

So I hung out with the Pea Family

And wondered how long I’d have to wait to get some water on this hot day.

Lightbulb! The hose!

[This shot was harder than it looks ]

Ahhhh

And a swung until Matt came home. Only about 15 minutes later.

We just concluded a conference call for Great Harvest and are gearing up to get those veggies!

Three years and counting!!

Every year I totally forget about my blogiversary!! I nearly missed it today. I officially started blogging on August 29, 2007 but I usually just put September 1 in the back of my mind.

First Anniversary

Second Anniversary

I cannot believe three entire years of my life (and food!) are documented on the web. But believe it because it’s true! What started as a fun project has become my job, my life. And I thank each and every one of you for that.

Here was the plan for this morning:

• 6:26 Alarm clock
• 7:00 Light breakfast with coffee
• 7:45 Bike to yoga class
• 8-9 Yoga
• 9:30 second light breakfast

Here’s what really happened:

• 6:26 Alarm clock
• 6:45 Wake up after 3rd snooze
• 7 Re-injure glass-cut finger in bed when hitting it on headboard
• 7:10 Try to poke new blood blister with sanitized needle to relieve painful pressure. Give up.
• 7:15 Realize ravishing hunger
• 7:16 Realize yoga departure time is approaching fast and time has been wasted
• 7:17 Realize coffee sounds reallllly good
• 7:18 Realize there is not time for coffee, a filling bite to eat AND yoga
• 7:19 Cancel plans for yoga and start coffee pot
• 7:20 Get out ingredients for smoothie
• 7:21 Surrender to husband that we can have pancakes instead

Chocolate Hazelnut topped with Nutty’s Peanut Butter Cup

Walnut topped with Mashed Banana and Maple

Granola + Chia + Wheatberry Sprinkles

Have a great KERFDay!

Our afternoon outing was fun and successful!

We had a little time to kill so we ventured into the most amazing antique shop I’ve ever been in (mostly because they had tons and tons of stuff and it wasn’t all breakable!)

But I did recognize some family heirlooms I have already!

Blue Willow

And I have these! Both from my grandmother

I really wanted to buy these, but I resisted:

And these! The KERF colors

When we got home around 4:30 I was very hungry for a snack.

I have bars that are YEARS old. I am such a bar hoarder. Do they even make Clif Nectar anymore!? The Dark Chocolate Walnut was (is) my favorite. Despite being a year past the "best by" date, it was still good.

Also had an Asian pear because I was thirsty!

Afternoon project: homemade greek yogurt. I often buy greek yogurt not just for the thickness, but because I think the FLAVOR is so much better than regular plain. But I had a coupon from the HSL for a tub of Stonyfield regular, so I jumped on it. We’re keeping half as it, and straining the other half to make some thickness goodness.

Big bowl + mesh colander + 2 paper towels

+ another layer and the container for weight = in the fridge overnight.

More thirst quenching – a mocktail around 6:30 of diet tonic

While we made dinner!

Dinner excitement:

Featuring homemade buns by Matt modeled after Great Harvest Dakota (but they are NEVER as good as true GH buns! No offense Matt!)

And local grass-fed beef burgers from Davis Creek Farm!

And of course…lots and lots of collards greens

Our burgers featured yellow tomato, ketchup, mustard, greens and pickle. So delish!

My all time favorite way to prepare collards:

1. Tear leaves into pieces
2. Rinse and spin dry
3. Heat big pot and put in a little olive oil
4. Add collards plus 1/8 cup water
5. Stir
6. Put lid on
7. 2 minutes later, stir
8. Add another 1/8 cup water if they are not wilting
9. Put lid on
10. Wait 3-4 minutes
11. They’re done when they’re bright green and soft
12. Drizzle on 1 tbsp maple syrup
13. Season with salt and pepper and if you’re lucky, Garlic Gold Nuggets

Slightly sweet and savory!

After dinner = Mac. A. Roon.

I have determined that these Hail Merry Blondies tastes like sugar cookie dough!

***

I updated the Running page with INJURIES and SHOES

***

I have having trouble getting through American Wife. It’s just a bit slow, plot-wise. Must charge on!

A wee bit late, but I FINALLY made a running page!! You can find it on the KERF Favorites tab and it contains all of my race recaps (not that I’ve run that many!) as well as a whole spiel of information on my half marathon training like hydration, fueling, mile reports and my Camelbak. I realllly want to run another half….but…you know what I’m going to say…Charlottesville’s hillllls are killing me! I have to get much more used to them first before I pile on more miles.

Nevertheless, after writing that post I was inspired to run run run!

We did a wide 6-mile loop around town. It was hot, so we kept our pace nice and slow – somewhere around 9:30 average. The first half was great in nice neighborhoods and shade, but Matt mapped it through some industrial parts in the bright sun with no trees and I was not a happy camper for miles 4-5! We survived.

My right hip flexor is super tight – I think from biking actually? Need to stretch. Lots. MORE YOGA!

[Thank goodness for Camelbak hydration!]

After quick showers, we assembled a quick lunch. When you have nothing to eat, open a can of worms beans!

We made a Navy Bean Salad with a drained can, cucumber, green pepper, carrot and a sauce made of lemon juice, dill, and hummus plus a little bean liquid. It was totally creamy with no mayo. And very delicious!

On the side, a sample pack of Mary’s Gone crackers from the HLS swag bag. I wanted them all but Matt made me share! Humph!

My favorite glass. Filled with seltzer.

We’re semi-dressed up for our afternoon appointments. And have a super fun dinner planned for this evening!

Tikka tikka tikka.

The sound of little legs on your arm.

Compared to our house in Charlotte, this house has VERY VERY FEW bugs. Except for these guys:

For some reason I’ve been calling them “potato bugs” my whole life, but after some Tweeting this morning, I’m pretty sure that’s a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.

Regardless, I am not very afraid of them (except when they fly – and perhaps I now should be since I found out they are stink and not food bugs!?)

But I did not like waking up to feel one on my arm and had to capture him and take him downstairs in the middle of the night because I kept thinking I could feel him on my arms from the whisps of the fan on my arm hairs!

Break the fast

The Mix

• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp Bob’s hot cereal
• Milk, water, vanilla, salt, chia, cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese, stirred in at end
• Justin’s AMAZING Hazelnut butter (I love this stuff not because of any Nutella connection [I didn't grow up eating Nutella] but because it 1) Tastes like that hazelnut butter I LOVED last year and 2) IT MELTS!)
• Tsp coconut butter
• Hail Merry Lemon Agave Grawnola!

Introducing….Hail Merry Treats!!

There are two “granolas” that are 100% raw real food ingredients made with nuts, seeds, flavorings. I am completely torn which of these two are my favorite:

Lemon Blue Agave or Cranberry Orange

The Lemon Blue Agave is chewy and only slightly lemony – it’s more of a lemon essence than a sour lemon flavor. So it’s still sweet! There are bits of buckwheat groats, almonds, sunflower seeds and little blue agave fruit balls.

The Cranberry Orange has a slightest hint of cinnamon that I have determined is what makes it so hearty – like a baked good. It’s also chewy, with a slight maple-orange flavor and has bits of dried fruit, pecans, walnuts and flax.

The Facts [click to enlarge]. One serving is about half a cup for 180/190 calories, 5 grams protein, 3/4 grams fiber, 9 grams sugar.

And then the sweets…

Blonde and Choco Macaroons are the best I’ve ever tasted. Because they are moist like a truffle and not dry at all. The coconut bits are small enough that they melt in your mouth. I really can’t decide which one I like more, but I think the secret is the Mexican vanilla. We used to have some of it in our pantry and it’s my very favorite vanilla on the earth. A single ball of these makes the perfect dessert! Keep them refrigerated so that they are cool to eat.

The Facts [click to enlarge] – each ball is about 65/70 calories with 1/1.5 grams fiber, 2/2.5 grams of sugar.

There are four flavors to taste. And the best part is I have worked out a sample pack so you can try them all instead of having to buy them in big sizes!

Choices

Hail Merry – Starter Kit

Try  just the Cranberry Orange Grawnola and both macaroons for $20

OR

Hail Merry – Grawnola & Macaroon Bundle + Hat

Try all FOUR flavors [and get a women's Hail Merry hat for free] for $37

As you can probably guess, I love them all as oatmeal toppings!!

Spot on coffee day #2!

Matt would like me to share that the kale and collards that he replanted in cups have sprouted!!

To quote me: “I can’t wait to juice all these plants when they’re big enough!”

Plans:

• AM Blog Work
• Run
• Lunch
• Look at space for Karen to rent (she might have rented her condo, which means she’s movin’ on up!)
• Meeting for Great Harvest location – eeks!!
• Burgers!

I *THINK* my pounding headache is about gone. THINK! It’s weird because I didn’t feel sick today or thirsty – just headache. We had no medicine in the house or I would’ve taken some!

This afternoon I worked away and required a snack:

YIAJJ

Yogurt In A Jam Jar

The last of my Bella Eats blackberry jam, plus Oikos, chia seeds, and almonds. It was awesome!

Speaking of Bella, we met for a walk this evening! We have so many topics to talk about that we’d gone 45 minutes before we knew it! Bella is very cool

I didn’t return home till almond almost 8PM, so Matt and I had a low-key dinner.

And I missed the daylight and had to resort to 100% artificial lighting. Booo! I need a light studio this winter…

But we did break out the cloth napkins!

And we invited a big lamp to share dinner with us!

To munch, we had leftover Smoky Bean Soup topped with avocado, greek yogurt and salsa

Plus a side of local green beans cooked in….coconut butter and Garlic Gold!! OpenSky representin’ – and these are two products that I buy from myself on a regular basis. Both have been life changing!! The coconuty "sauce" was sooo good. I’m obsessed with that stuff.

For dessert…you’ll have to wait till the morning!

I’m working on some enhancements – a new KERF Favorites tab that will link to some of my favorite and noteworthy posts.

Including a whole page devoted to the Bears!! If you don’t know who the Bears are, you can find out all about ‘em there.

I think my headache is back.

Must…stop….thinking…

I’m not doing too well today Too much wine yesterday has made me feel headachy and sluggish. I don’t have the drive or energy to do anything! Luckily, I’ve still managed to get a lot done, but without enthusiasm.

Mid-morning I attempted to correct whatever was off balance in my body with a wheatgrass pack from the HLS swag bag. I had it over ice in my Amazing Grass shaker.

It tasted bad. But it felt good. Serving it over ice helps.

Then I did the second trick in the toolbox: yoga. I had plans to go to a class today, but I just wasn’t feeling it, so I played with Dave Farmar instead. I did this 60 minute flow class and WOW – hardest class I’ve done in a month! Dave is awesome and definitely knows how to make you sweat.

Do you want to know how focused I was? I watched the mailman walk up and down our street in-between the ups and downs of Warrior I and chataranga. I knew it was mail time! I thought I saw him leaving our porch and resisted the urge to go check the mailbox (I LOVE MAIL, bills and all) to keep my focus on yoga (clearly I was so very focused ). I was proud of myself for staying put on my mat.

After my class was over, I skipped to the mailbox only to notice he SKIPPED OUR HOUSE! My outgoing mail was still in there and there was nothing new to tear into

I am sure there is some kind of lesson in this scenario for me about focus and meditation – someone help me out!

***

I felt better after yoga, squeezed in some more work, and then had a late lunch with Matt.

He hard-boiled two eggs to turn into a veggie-heavy egg salad.

Which we served on crispy toast. I believe this had carrots, green pepper, egg, pickle, mustard, mayo and paprika.

I was in charge of kale chips.

A means to serve ketchup, these were some of the most perfectly crisped kale chips I’ve had!

And lastly, this nectarine was like candy.

Hopefully all those nutrients will make me feel better! 

Hey look – I’m a MamaPea!

We have a meeting for Great Harvest this afternoon and I must go put on some nice clothes and a smile!

Third time’s a charm!!!

6 ‘cups’ water = 30 oz in the carafe

A heaping 1/2 cup of grounds

= strong, dark and handsome  

Was very similar in body to French press! It’s funny that many of you commented that the French press is so romantic because I think of the French press as being more of a hands-on messy hassle (stirring and timers) while the dripping, gurgling coffee maker seems to be more romantic to me because it reminds me of coffee in the movies! I think in this case the grass is greener

New oatmeal topping headed your way soon!! This one definitely charmed my bowl this morning.

The Mix

• 1/3 cup oats, milk, water
• Half banana
• Half tbsp chias
• Handful wheatberries
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese, stirred in at end
• Vanilla, pinch salt
• Toppings TBA!

Note the texture here- so creamy it could be pudding! It was a winner for sure!

Have a great day!