Today is a day of my summer vacation! I’m taking off of bakery work to chill out in this air conditioned home. Even though my family didn’t use AC too much either when I was little (especially upstairs), something about AC makes me think of summer at home with my mom, watching Oprah and Full House after being out in the hot sun or at the pool.
Believe it or not, last night was the hottest I’ve been all summer! Not because of the weather, but because I swear fans in windows pulling in cool air is cooler than AC at night. I would have gone downstairs to turn off the AC and open all the windows but I was too scared of bugs! Instead, I splashed cold water on my wrists and neck and got back in bed. HOTness.
This morning I went with a no cook breakfast – a stuffed Dakota bun!
Mashed banana, sliced peach, sunflower butter, chia seeds!
Blackburries on the side
Even though this breakfast was nutritionally comparable to every other one I eat, it didn’t quittte leave me full enough. Bread is weird like that for breakfast. Like it doesn’t coat my stomach like yogurt, oats, smoothies, and pancakes do. Same with EGGS, which is why I never eat them for breakfast! I have noticed that it’s not that I’m really still hungry..just not full. It’s just a different biochemistry I suppose.
Cool coffee (from the bakery! half decaf)
Today’s agenda
Make lavender mint tea
Make dinner before lunch
Pick vegetables from my friend’s garden
Write 2 blog posts I’ve been procrastinating for 6 months
DANCE CLASS!
Ready, set, cool!
Does the nut butter taste okay with the peach? Some fruits weird me out with nut butter, but then I try it and it’s good. Dried mango in almond butter is fab!
Everything tastes great with nut butter!
Agreed! Try grapes and nut butter, mmm.
I just had to tell you that with all your posts about using lavender salt and everyone’s comments about how good it must be I bought some food grade lavender and I have my own lavender salt in the preparation stage. Can’t wait to try it.
Last night seemed hotter to me too! My husband and I waited until late to go for a walk, thinking it would cool off, but it seemed hotter to us. Now I know why.
How nice- I hope you enjoy your summer vacay 🙂
I have to try a Dakota bun… they look amazing!
Good for you for taking a vacation day! It’s got to be tough to pull yourself away but you seem to have a great work/life balance. Enjoy!
I totally agree with you on bread and eggs – if I don’t have oats for breakfast, I’m hungry an hour later. It’s not just in my head!
Enjoy your well-earned day off 🙂
That’s one good looking breakfast sandwich!
That breakfast looks so yummy and filling! I need to experiment with putting other fruit (besides bananas) on top of my nut butter toast – will have to try peaches!
It’s toasty here in Philly, too. I walked the 2-miles to work today and was a sweaty mess by the time I got here! Def staying indoors the rest of the day – keep it cool & enjoy your day off!
I want to start a movement for adults to get summer vacation. I bet job satisfaction would increase 100x! 🙂
Count me in! 🙂
I would *like* this comment if i could
I usually do not feel full after one or two eggs either–not sure why! I still eat them occasionally, though, for protein.
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Your breakfast looks yummy! It’s funny, now that I think about it, smoothies leave me pretty full too. They me the perfect amount of energy to make it to mid-morning snack! They really are the perfect breakfast.
Lavender mint tea sounds delightful!
I have peaches and sunflower butter at home.. and I am totally pumped to see how the two will taste together. Afternoon snack? yes please!
I feel the same way about breakfast! I’ve realized that I need some kind of dairy for breakfast: yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. to stay full. Now that I’ve realized that, I can stay full for four hours—previously unheard of for me!
I’m the same way when I have bread with breakfast — unless it is paired with eggs, then I’m good to go. The most filling breakfast for me is a big smoothie though. Even oatmeal doesn’t seem to stick with me for too long.
Enjoy your summer vacation 🙂
I love an egg + bread pairing for breakfast, it’s when my breakfasts don’t have protein that I don’t really feel satisfied. That’s why plain cereal or toast + fruit just doesnt really cut it for me in the morning!
hmm lavender mint tea!? sounds yummy! well, so does everything on todays post 🙂 haha
Sorry your breakfast didn’t fill you up–it sure looks great!
I’m the say way with bread and breakfast. Enjoy your vacay, Sweet Kath!
Just curious–why were you scared of bugs? i.e. do they come out at night on your main floor?
Yeah. The roaches and spider especially
Don’t you have window screens? Wouldn’t those keep them out?? Roaches freak me out! I’d say thankfully all I’m dealing with is ants, but man they are driving me mad.
Oh yeah! If we didn’t have screens our whole house would be crawling. I just think bugs are nocturnal. I never see them during the day – only at night when you flip on a light!
A house without air conditioning is unfathomable to me! We have the AC on year-round. We go from house to car with AC to gym/work/etc with AC. I guess that’s what happens growing up in Texas! Sometimes I am jealous that you live in a more natural environment where you can be outside more than us, but our winters are quite mild.
Haha…I have similar summer vacation memories…but for me, it was The Price Is Right and The Young and the Restless after swim team in the morning 🙂
Make dinner before lunch? Oye – one meal at a time Kath! 😉
I read recently that placing a bamboo sheet/board under your mattress can really help with cooling down when your sleeping when it’s humid. Can’t remember why – but it’s supposed to work!
I have been known to get up out of bed when super hot and grab an ice pack from the freezer to place on the back of my neck just so I can fall back asleep! Gotta do what you gotta do 😉
Enjoy your day off – I hope this tea is a success after that batch of chai (and I can’t believe you drank that whole thing! you’re a better woman than I, I would’ve just tossed it all!)
sleeping w the a/c on and thick blankets totally reminds me of my childhood.
Nothing makes me full like oats in the morning. I just think it’s so satisfying! The sandwich looks so fresh and delicious though.
Enjoy your day off. I’m afraid of how hot it’s going to be today. I want to go outside, but I have a feeling the heat index of 103 will keep me inside.
funny, eggs are like the only thing that fill me for breakfast! Trick is… 3 eggs and avocado, for me. I also had the worst night sleep thanks to the heat. Had to get up to get an ice pack to sleep with!
I get so nostalgic during summertime too…everything reminds me simpler times during childhood and pre-teeen years.
I’m still holding out on the AC! But, full disclosure: I live in a high rise with a very cool breeze, so it’s not as boostworthy (or crazy) as it sounds!
Have a fun vacation day, Kath!
Have fun at dance class! Your breakfast looks so delicious and healthy!
I have the same experience with bread for breakfast: no full feeling, hungry again after an hour.
Oats do amazing things with my stomach! That’s why my daily breakfast always consists oats, hot or cold (overnight). Mmm!
Enjoy your day off!
I hear you on the bread for breakfast thing. Oatmeal totally fills me up and leaves me satisfied until lunch, but things like peanut butter toast do not.
Enjoy your day off! I’m taking a dance class today too, they are such a fun workout!
My family never used AC when I was a kid unless it was a dire circumstance. You know it would be hot if my frugal dad turned it on!
It’s really cool to hear what fills you up and what doesn’t for breakfast because you and I are very different in that respect! For example, I eat EGGS every day for breakfast because I find they are the perfect amount of food to fill me up AND keep me going…where as oatmeal? I have to eat usually half a serving size because it feels like so much food to me & I get full really quickly…but then I am hungry two hours later. So interesting to see the differences in people!
I like that dance class part….have FUN! 🙂
i feel the same way about eggs for bfast. i need oats of some sort to make me feel full. enjoy your day off!
I want that plate!! Any chance it’s new and from pottery barn? lol
It’s old from Pier1
Love your breakfast sandwich!! Makes me want one for breakfast 🙂
Enjoy your day off 🙂
I’m the same way if I only have PB toast or a bagel, but if I have a half cup or so of yogurt with it I’m full for 5 hours! try some yogurt on the side 🙂
I completely get the whole ‘fullness’ thing. If I have an egg sandwich with grapefruit in the morning, or PB and toast, I’m hungry about 3 hours later. But if I have oats/yogurt with PB and fruit, BAM! Full for hours, even if I worked out before breakfast. Crazy!
Enjoy your summer vacation!
The sammie may not have filled you up, but it was a gorgeous looking meal!
Kath? Where is relax on your list???? You should add it! 🙂 I do love the dance class portion a lot!
In the evening!
My parents never had AC in our house growing up, but they did a great job of keeping it cool most of the time!
It is amazing how well a fan can cool you off!
What’s the climate of Charlottesville?
It’s been like a sauna here too. MISERABLE! Hope you have a great day in the AC! 😀
Full House and Oprah are 2 shows I could watch allllll day!! Your breakfast is making me SO hungry for lunch right now!
That bun looks heart shaped. 🙂
I would haven’t gone downstairs either if there could be bugs lurking. Eek!!! With my luck, I’d end up stepping on one with my bare feet.
“Write 2 blog posts I’ve been procrastinating for 6 months” Looking forward to these !
I know what you mean about being hot at night – sometimes I think the best plan is to turn on the A/C before bed to cool things down from 85 to 80 or so, and then turn it off and use the window fan during the night.
That is such a good plan to use a vacation day today to hide out from the heat! I am at work but am thinking about leaving early (yay for flexible hours) to check out Faith’s dance class – I was just reading her blog and saw your recommendation for including choreography, and that totally hooked me. And when I realized it’s open for non acac members, it seems like too good to pass up! I’ve been thinking about joining that gym, and this way I can check it out before committing to a membership. So hopefully I will see you there!!
TOTALLY DO IT!!!!!!!
So happy to have BOTH of you in class! 🙂
I’m the same way with bready breakfasts! I made French toast once and I was hungry only 2 hours later. 😛
Mmmm your no-cook breakfast looks fabulous!
That is a different breakfast for you! I know what you mean about something not necessarily leaving you hungry, but not feeling satisfied. That’s how I feel if I eat cereal in the morning.
I have a question about growing veggies. I’m growing my first veggie patch, ever (I’m so excited!), but the bugs- most specifically aphids are squicking me out! It seems they really love my lettuce. I obviously wouldn’t want to use a bug killer (poison), and I’ve heard soap and water works well for plants, but I’m unsure with them being veggies I eat. Do you just let them be and wash before eating? I’m finding I’m spending WAY too much time pouring over every square cm of every leaf to wash them off, it’s kinda taking the enjoyment out of the process. But I’m terrified of the thought of accidentally eating one. 🙁
I really don’t have any experience with this, so I can’t answer. We’ve been lucky at this house to be pretty bug free on the lettuce.
You should try ladybugs for the aphids. Check online for a company that carries them and other deterrents (sp?). My neighbor even bought Praying Mantis eggs that have hatched in her garden. I can imagine the soap and water thing gets old. Gardens Alive is a great catalog to look for non-toxic solutions too. Good luck!
I can always appreciate a good nut butter sandwich in the morning! Esp when fruit is involved.
I am totally the same way about breads and eggs for breakfast…I rely on “stomach stickers” like oatmeal or yogurt, or even smoothie blends to coat my insides…otherwise I eat too much in order to feel full! My favorite breakfast is eggs benedict, but I can’t have it very often because I have to eat too much of it to feel full…calorie overload! 🙂
Hooray for dance class!! What kind of dance is it?
Modern + lyrical
Sounds like a fabulous day! Have fun. Lavender mint tea sounds so good & refreshing.
Oh YAY!!! DANCE CLASS!! I bet you’re super excited!! Have a blast. I can’t wait to read about the lavender tea too… sounds fantastic.
Sometimes you need a day off to just enjoy the summer because before you know it, it’s cold again. My fiance and I have taken up walking since running is way too painful for me these days.
Happy Vacay Day!
Find refreshing things to eat on hot summer days. Fruit is always great!
Full House!! YEssss!! Lavender mint tea sounds divine!! Can you make a lotion recipe with those ingredients next!? 😉
I totally agree. I feel like some form of oats is the only breakfast that fills me up!
I know what you mean about not being quite full from bread products for breakfast, I particularly notice it from bagels. Eggs do work for me in the morning, though often I do need a 10am snack afterwards, so I guess you’re right about them not filling you up like oats or yogurt. Stay cool today and enjoy your mini vacation! 🙂
I feel the SAME way about eggs in the morning. I know I should feel full, but I don’t. If I could only smother them in PB somehow … 😉
Nice to see a change for breakfast! 🙂
i feel that way about smoothies and cold cereal – neither leave me full. 6 bowls of cereal later and i could still keep eating.
That breakfast looks really good. I’ve never had nut butter with a peach before. I definitely need to try it! Enjoy your day off 🙂
I hope you enjoy your day off 🙂 The breakfast looks totally delicious. I think I write in every comment that I’m jealous of your access to all that fresh bakery goodness. And the fruit looks like the perfect add in.
I like your summer vacation.
Kath, please post the recipe for lavendar mint tea! That sounds divine!
I’m happy you get to take a day off. You’re so positive, but I’m sure that opening the bakery has been a busy and tiring experience. Enjoy your time off!
I miss your NERD KERF posts, btw! I hope you will do more when you have time again. 🙂
Not gonna lie- I’m jealous of your agenda! Sounds like a lovely day!
Come on home and we can watch shows again!
sliced peach, sunflower butter, blackberries…nice!
writing 2 posts that you’ve put off for 6 mos?! That’s a big day to knock TWO of those kinda posts out. Can’t wait to read what they are!
i didn’t realize you had window air conditioners. that’s what my grandma used in the upstairs of her house, and it was fine. makes you seem much less crazy to me 😉
i’m not a fan of oatmeal anyway, but it feels too heavy for my stomach for breakfast. eggs and toast and a bite of fruit is the perfect meal for me to be full but not too full.
Oh we don’t have window units – Central Air!
i assumed you meant that you turned central air on, but what does “fans in windows pulling in cool air” mean? i figured that meant window units. just curious! 🙂
When the air is off, we have a fan that we put in the window that we run at night. It works to pull in the colder air outside and remove the hot air from our bedroom. Works really well!
It’s funny – but if I want to be sure that I’ll be full after breakfast I almost HAVE to eat two pieces of whole wheat toast (sprouted is best) with some sort of nut butter and almond/soy milk. It’s the only breakfast certain to work and I hate eating a pretty large breakfast and not feeling completely satisfied. And I definitely hate it when I’m hungry for lunch in an hour!
Good for you! You deserve a day off!
(that Dakota bun looks heart-shaped 🙂 )
Our central air is broken and our landlady won’t fix it, so this is the first summer in my whole life without AC! Considering I’m like a penguin, this is a major feat. I agree that fan in the window at night is soooo cool. I woke up FREEZING the other morning. I’m with you on AC reminding of you when you’re little. It just says summer to me. That and baseball on TV. 🙂
As much as I love bread, I share your sentiments! It doesn’t satisfy me like a big bowl full of oats or yogurt!
That breakfast sandwich looks so good! I think it may be an inspiration for my breakfast tomorrow morning 🙂
Okay, I s’pose I can admit that that kind of heat is unpleasant! I still hate the winter cold here more, though!
Sounds like a great day!! I’m the same with toast, but I do find eggs fill me up like no other. Your stuffed dakota roll looks just beeeeaUtiful!
Heidi xo
The sandwich looks great! I think I agree, nothing fills me up like oats in the morning. Even if I add oats to something, I never feel as full as having a bowl of hot oatmeal. I think I’ll try your sandwich for lunch or dessert!
Thanks!
Hi there, I’m new to reading your blog. Definitely love the upbeat posts filled with great ideas! So I keep seeing this sunflower butter pop up in your posts and now I’m hearing it elsewhere. Where do you find it? How does it compare to peanut butter (the only nut butter I’ve ever had)? I now eat the Smucker’s All Natural (two ingredients: peanuts, salt) and I’ve grown to like it, despite being a Skippy-Creamy girl growing up. Wondering if I should branch out more. Thanks!
It’s the best nut butter there is and I have no idea why. I think the roastedness? I buy mine at Trader Joe’s (hoard it since we don’t have one here). I am long overdue to try Sunbutter and see how that compares, but it’s pretty widely available. Give it a try!
Sounds great! I’ve been meaning to check out the Trader Joe’s a few blocks away from me… I used to go when I lived elsewhere, don’t know what’s taking me so long. Thanks for the tip!
I’d have to agree with you- bread never seems to fill me up! Try adding milk or yogurt on the side as well 🙂
I am the total opposite about eggs! I didn’t have them with my pancake breakfast this morning and I’m already hungry!!!
I love lavender tea. I love mint tea. Lavendar + mint tea = perfection! Sounds heavenly.
Oh my goodness gracious! What a delicious looking breakfast! The colors are SO crisp on this. You’re using a 35ml lens right, Kath? Amazing!
ps. Agree with Christina above! Will you show us how you make yours (like which tea brand/flavor you prefer)? 😉
ever try ezekiel (sprouted grain) english muffins? to me they are much more filling than regular bread. <3 the cinn-raisin ones especially… i eat 'em toasted w/ a nut butter + sliced bananas almost every morning =)