Category Archives: Comfort food

vegan quinoa and cheese

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DSC02088Ok, this little bowl of delicious was quite a hit on my Instagram (@thatfoodiegirl).

Some wanted the recipe, but I can hardly call it a recipe. It’s a mishmash of ingredients. Here’s the ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

sauteed vegetables of choice (I used zucchini, bell pepper & asparagus)

handful of vegan “cheeze” of your choice. (I used Daiya shredded mozzarella)

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Cook the quinoa as instructed. Sautee vegetables in olive oil or coconut oil, sea salt and pepper to taste. When quinoa is done, add cheeze and stir until melted and combined. Add vegetables. Enjoy!

You might even have leftovers…I didn’t have the self-control though.

As you may or may not know, my Bachelorette weekend was last weekend. My bridesmaids and I enjoyed a fun-filled weekend in Sonoma, California (Healdsburg to be specific) hopping around vineyard to vineyard, enjoying delicious local wine and food. Healdsburg, CA is on the top of my favorite cities list. What a cute town. I can’t wait to show you all what we had! Until then here’s one of my favorite photos of us at Trentadue Vineyard in Alexander Valley.

DSC02365As far as my bridal plan goes, I did a juice cleanse the day before my bridal portraits this week (more on that later) and I’ve been eating well post-Bachelorette… Workouts haven’t been according to plan, but life is busy 4 weeks before my wedding! This week’s workouts were the following:

Thursday: free weights (arms + abs + thighs), 1 mi run , 1 mi treadmill incline workout that left me extremely sweaty

Friday: 1 hour vinyasa

Hope everyone is doing well! Has anyone else been to Healdsburg, CA?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Our Christmas Eve

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Hi everyone! I wish I had more time to blog, but my excuse this time is that I was spending quality time with my family. And I had my fiancé here with us for our first Christmas together!

Let’s start with Christmas Eve.

DSC01545We spent the day running errands, last minute wrapping and baking, etc. We headed to church for the 5pm service and got back in time for a glass of champagne before dinner. The gifts began to multiply under the tree as the night went on.

DSC01548My sister and me after church on Christmas Eve. Please note the leaning angel…

This year I cooked Christmas Eve dinner, minus the turkey. My dad prepared the turkey. And I made sure to snap a photo of each dish.

DSC01583Side dishes included roasted asparagus,

DSC01560roasted sweet potatoes and onions,

DSC01558roasted brussels (are you starting to see a pattern?)

DSC01559quinoa broccoli bake,

DSC01579and a side salad of arugula, cucumber, honeycrisp apple & sliced almonds with balsamic.

DSC01561All in all, it was a pretty tasty meal. I decided to keep it mostly healthy this year with lots of vegetables and greens. Next time, I think I can try out some new recipes and get a little more creative. But for the time I spent, I’d say this meal turned out pretty well.

Do you eat out for Christmas Eve or cook at home?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Visiting home

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Hi everyone! I’m still here. I can’t believe I’ve gone a whole week without blogging. Let me tell you, I miss you all! This past week has been filled with work, being sick and a trip home to Austin.

Let’s begin with the journey to Austin. It was an ominous drive…lots of clouds and few rain showers.Once I got there, the weekend was so beautiful.

I’m a little spoiled to be able to call this my backyard. Coming home is like going on vacation. And this time my whole family was home for ACL! The lake was calm, weather was perfectly warm and a nice cool breeze too. But you came here to see some food, right?

My first night home we decided to cook. My twin brother and I made the side dish: broccoli quinoa “bake”. Not to be confused with casserole. Because Travis hates that word. So we went with “bake”. This was so easy to make and even more delicious. I will post the recipe soon!

Pumpkin chocolate chip bread with a cinnamon glaze. Sooooo tasty.

And finally, one of the highlights of my weekend was getting to see one of my very best friends, Stephanie. We brought our pups along for a walk and a smoothie at Whole Foods.

Adorable.

And back to the being sick thing..if you recall in my last post I had a cold. That turned into actual sickness that required antibiotics, so I’m just trying my hardest to get back to feeling 100%. I’m so behind on my training and this Saturday is my 9 miler! Hoping I’ll be able to do that!

Bon appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Fall time grocery haul

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Topping my list of things I’m most excited about for fall would be honeycrisp apples. And I know I’m a food blogging cliché, but I’m ok with that. Honeycrisp apples dipped in almond butter. Nowwww we’re talking. As you can see, my neighborhood is looking pretty green and the temperatures are in the high 90′s. Hard to feel like fall when that’s the case! Soon enough.

Another great part about fall is the pumpkins! Especially cute mini ones! I had never seen a white mini pumpkin, so you bet I spent too much on these at Whole Foods, but they make me happy.

It was time to get stocked up on the essentials at Whole Foods. And since it was a lazy Sunday, I enjoyed strolling each aisle and deciding to try some new things. I took a long time finding a cereal with low sugar and high fiber. These wheat squares have 0 sugar, and this morning I paired it with almond milk, sliced bananas and strawberries. It needed a little sweetening.

One of my other “new” items was this Elmo soup. Laugh it up, go ahead. But there’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of alphabet soup on a cool day. I’m waiting for that cool day to comfort myself but I seriously looked everywhere for alphabet soup. (I am 2 years old). It was on the bottom shelf. Perfect reach! For a 2 year old.

This combo sounded incredible..and it was. I don’t feel an ounce of bad about myself when I eat a square of dark chocolate. I read about food bloggers trying to fight chocolate cravings, but why not give in? There are worse things!! (like ice cream…that happened on Friday…and Saturday).

This is the most exciting product I picked up yesterday. I was so excited to see that my favorite kombucha (brewed in Austin, Texas!) Buddha’s Brew is now sold at my Whole Foods on Lemmon! I got 2 bottles of honeydew and let me tell you this kombucha is a TREAT.

For all you kombucha skeptics, you could hardly taste the vinegar aspect and you certainly didn’t notice any of those “cultured strands” you may be afraid of. It’s very sweet and tastes divine. My only problem with this particular flavor is that they added organic cane juice. I’d rather just have the kombucha + real fruit juice. But it’s so tasty, I don’t mind too much.

And to catch you up on my training:

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Ran 7 miles in 1:12!!! I was so proud of myself and I definitely felt it in my knees and ankles later that night.

Sunday: Rest Day

Today: I will be running 3 miles…most likely on the treadmill since it’s blazing hot out

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

A hearty breakfast

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This morning I woke up sore and starving. Welcome to training day #4.

Enter large first meal. I don’t usually wake up hungry, but this morning I was craving vegetables and protein.

See? There are veggies under there. I sautéed zucchini and orange bell pepper in coconut oil with a bit of sea salt and cracked pepper. 2 fried eggs on top for protein. Side of Seeduction toast (from WF) with a smear of Earth Balance.

Holy moly this red plum was the BEST fruit I’ve had all summer long. WF only had about 5 left and I snagged 3 of those. I don’t think I’ve ever had a red plum before but this thing was perfectly ripe, tart, juicy with a touch of sweetness.

This breakfast was the perfect balance. I could eat it again today.

So back to training. Last night I was very sore. Today is cross training day and I will be going to yoga in place of the elliptical. I hope yoga counts as cross training. It’s going to be a lovely stretch and sweat session.

What do you usually crave first thing in the morning? Sweet or savory? I usually have an internal battle every morning trying to decide what I want.

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Lazy Sundays

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Happy Lazy Sunday everyone!

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. A day with absolutely no expectations. A day to worship God. A day to sleep in. A day to snuggle with your loved ones (this includes pups!). A day to make waffles and sip on coffee. A day to do nothing. A day to be productive. Whatever your Sunday includes, be sure to soak it up!

Just in case you’re wondering, this Sunday (as in today) I slept in way past breakfast and got to enjoy lunch with my fiance.

This waffle was enjoyed Friday morning right here at my desk. Sometimes making waffles during the week makes your entire day feel special. This waffle was made with a mix plus a scoop of Juice Plus Complete for extra staying power, topped with a dollop of plain Voskos Greek yogurt and sprinkled with chia seeds. Berries on the side. Dab of PB on the side for good measure. This had me full for hours.

Bon Appetit,

That Foodie Girl

Shiner Ruby Redbird, veggie pizza and Starbucks Refreshers

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Greetings from Austin! I spontaneously decided to drive home and spend a few days here. Because it’s my vacation and it’s so nice to be here! Today I have snapshots of what I’ve been up to. This first one is getting some work done out on my porch with little Molly.

We also went on a 1 mile walk together. We’ve been sticking together.

As soon as I got home yesterday, I headed to our pool with my brother and enjoyed a Shiner Ruby Redbird. One of the many perks of summertime. Then we decided to make a veggie pizza. We chopped up veggies, rolled out the whole wheat dough and topped it with marinara, some light mozzarella and cheddar and dashed it with goat cheese. It turned out really well. With caprese salad on the side.

We also had a few friends over for a glass of wine.

And finally, a drink I had been wanting to try, I got it on the way to Austin. The Starbucks Refresher. I tried the very berry Hibiscus and wasn’t a huge fan.

I like that there were blackberries “muddled” in there, but the overall taste was a tad artificial.

Has anyone else tried it?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

My love for Daiya

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Go ahead and pump this jam for the rest of the day/week/month/year. I know it’s not exactly a new one, but this song never fails to make me happy. So get listening!

And it’s Wednesday, so it’s time for What I Ate Wednesday!

This month’s theme is Fun, Food + Fitness.

But I’m going to go straight into the food.

I’ve been getting great use out of peach season this year. This was paired with grilled chicken and quinoa on the side and the salad was later topped with balsamic. Peach and balsamic is a winning combo. Try it.

Enter my obsession with Daiya “cheese”. This is quinoa “mac & cheese” with sautéed veggies. AKA a bowl of heaven. I have made this almost every single day. It’s super easy to make.

Take 1/2 cup of quinoa, add 1 cup water, cook 14 mins covered. Meanwhile dice any veggies you have on hand (I used zucchini, bell pepper, grape tomatoes) and sautee them in oil of your choice (I used coconut oil). Once the quinoa is done, add as little or as much Daiya as you want, mixing over the stove top until completely mixed and melted in. Add veggies. Enjoy.

Another favorite this past week has been spelt spaghetti (the texture is awesome) with tomato sauce and…Daiya! Surprise.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with cheese. I’m by no means vegan, but I try to avoid dairy when possible, with the exception of yogurt lately. If it’s cheese and I’m cooking at home, I’ll substitute with Daiya. It’s kind of an acquired taste, but I love the flavor.

Any Daiya fans out there? Vegan or not vegan?

And finally, some birthday roses I received from my uncle:

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Happy Birthday America!

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Happy 4th of July everyone!!

Today is such a great holiday because it includes:

  • grilling out
  • good food
  • family & friends
  • festive baking
  • fireworks

I hope you all are getting to enjoy this mid-week holiday! Did you all notice the new header?? TFG facelift!

Now, let’s launch into this weeks What I Ate Wednesday!

Whole Foods had GIANT containers of strawberries on sale for $3.99, so it was hard for me to pass that up. Hence the first photo of this post…I’ve been eating strawberries galore. And I’m ok with that since they’re all perfectly crisp and plump.

I had this fun little lunch a few days ago. It took me right back to my childhood. I used the Whole Foods brand mac & cheese, “chik’n nuggets” and a side of strawberries and cherries. The chik’n nuggets were Quorn brand, meat-free and soy-free. They were really good.

Mmmm fruit. And finally, my workout yesterday:

I just did 2.22 mile run around my neighborhood right before sunset. I was dodging everyone on the sidewalks walking to the bars to celebrate the 4th. I felt very dedicated even though I was just making up for a lack of workouts lately. I was pretty proud that I ran my first mile in 8:30. Pretty good for not even trying to run as fast as I could. Yay! I really am interested in signing up for a race. I should look into that…

Hope you all have a great day today!

Bon Appétit,
That Foodie Girl

roasted brussels sprouts, fried egg and chocolate cake

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Step 1: Slice brussels sprouts in half, place on baking sheet, drizzle coconut oil, salt & pepper. Roast for 10 mins on 400 degrees, flipping over half way through.

Step 2: Fry 1 egg, place over brussels, poke yolk to let the egg run.

There you have it! Roasted brussels sprouts with fried egg and the natural egg yolk sauce. For some of you, you may be repulsed. But for other egg lovers out there–you know this is the good stuff.

I had seen this particular dish on food blogs and fit blogs and I knew I had to try it. It was filling and nutritious. My other dish last night was a baked sweet potato topped with plain Greek yogurt and a dusting of cinnamon. I usually roast my sweet potatoes and dip them in ketchup, so I thought this would be a new fun way to enjoy sweet potatoes. For some reason, this way was much too sweet for me, I could only take a few bites, then threw the rest out. BUMMER.

So it was dessert time. I made a 3 min chocolate cake in a mug!

I found this recipe in an US magazine while getting my toes done. I would have cooked this in the microwave for only 2 minutes as this ended up being too dry.

Have you ever made a chocolate cake for 1?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl