Spaghetti Squash Egg Sandwich

Tonight was all about experimentation in the kitchen (obviously inspired by Mollie Katzen's recipes)! (P.S. I'm having some bizarre cravings lately!)

Tonight's experiment: Spaghetti Squash Egg Sandwich with Buffalo Cheese Dip/Spread. (Bizarre, I tell ya!)

Spaghetti Squash Egg Sandwich

Makes 1

Ingredients:

1 English muffin (toasted)

1/3 cup spaghetti squash

1 tbsp whole wheat flour

1/2 cup liquid egg whites

1/4 tsp baking powder

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients.

2. Heat fry pan and coat with olive oil.

3. Pour mixture into fry pan.

4. Heat each side until fully cooked.

Buffalo Cheese Dip/Spread

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ricotta

1/4 cup shredded cheese

1 tbsp buffalo sauce

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in microwave-safe bowl.

2. Nuke in microwave for 30 seconds.

3. Stir well.

If you desire, spread Buffalo-Ricotta Cheese on each side of English muffin before adding Spaghetti Squash Egg. This sandwich is most definitely an exciting mix of flavors!

Dessert: My new obsession...

I'm off! I've got a hot date with Target tonight! Let's hope I "behave" myself! :)

Little of This, Little of That

So, I've discovered something new about myself: If I don't make my lunch at night, it is difficult for me to "get it together" in the morning. I'm too tired (and lazy) to actually make a lunch-- instead I grab some random foods, bring them to work, eat them together, and call it lunch. Here's what my morning brain prepared today...

One leftover Spaghetti Squash Pancake...

You see, if I had prepared this the night before, I would have taken Mal's suggestion, and melted cheese on top, which would have made an amazing lunch. Next time!


Lunch also included Chobani Greek Yogurt (a cheaper Fage alternative) and a dark chocolate Adora.


I ate the Chobani with some sliced strawberries. (I actually prepared the strawberries on Tuesday night for a snack yesterday, but since I didn't have time to eat them yesterday, they became part of today's lunch... I'm glad it worked out!) Chobani and strawberries together...


Another grab-and-go item for lunch: Cinnamon Roll Larabar. Very delicious, but it kind of tasted like some of their other flavors? Anyone else experience this?


Afternoon Snack

Meal preparation can't get much easier than a banana and a jar of peanut butter! I'm really looking forward to my afternoon snack today. I'm seriously craving peanut butter!


Question of the Day

Do you have an eating schedule? If so, what is it? If not, do you just listen to your body's hunger cues?

Me: During the work week, I sure do have a schedule! Otherwise, I'd snacked at my desk all day long. I need some sort of "structure!" Breakfast is at 7:30, lunch at 11:30, afternoon snack at 3:00, and dinner is between 6:00-7:00. However, if I am truly hungry (not just bored or stressed), I will just eat something. On the weekends, my eating schedule is never the same. I tend to be so busy that I only eat when my stomach is growling.

An Hour to Spare

Good morning!!!

At 10:00 this morning, I have a doctor's appointment to get a tetanus shot (I haven't had one in like 15 years) and a second Hepatitis A shot, which is for our travels to Turks and Caicos (our honeymoon destination). Somehow, I woke up, worked out, showered, got dressed, and made breakfast before I realized that I have a whole extra hour to kill before I have to leave for my appointment... which is wonderful (because I can relax and blog) and disappointing (because I could have slept for another hour). Oh well, carpe diem, I guess.

Breakfast this morning was similar to yesterday's: pumpkin oatmeal with dried apricots, but no walnuts today (we're all out).

Instead of topping my pumpkin oat bran with dried apricot pieces, I cooked them into the oat bran-- they were sweeter and softer than yesterday's apricot topping. Also, before my workout, I ate a good-sized bowl (approx. 1.5 servings) of Puffins PB cereal. My stomach was grumbling when I woke up!

Reception Place Cards

Mal and my arts and crafts project came out surprisingly well last night! Neither of our crafting skills even come close to those of Martha Stewart, but our place cards turned out really nice-- sort of stylish, but in no way perfect. I think they'll be perfect for the reception though. :)

Here's Mal stamping away... On my turn, he thought it would be "cute" to call me a "stamp tramp." Hilarious, Mal [insert sarcasm].

Iced Coffee Recipe

A few readers have asked me how I make my iced coffee. Here is how I make it: Homemade Iced Coffee. Enjoy!

New Camera Fun

A view from our balcony...

I'm still getting the hang of it.

Spaghetti Squash Pancakes

If you didn't know already, Mollie Katzen is a cooking genius. I made her Spaghetti Squash Pancakes tonight. Wow. They were such a unique (and fun) way to eat spaghetti squash. 

I topped my spaghetti squash pancakes with salsa and sour cream, but while we were eating, Mal suggested melting cheese on top. Mmmmm... such a great idea! I didn't add cheese tonight, but I definitely will next time I make these! 

Here's a shot of a spaghetti squash pancake without the sour cream and salsa... 

The spaghetti squash pancakes had an onion-y, omelette taste to them, but the consistency of a pancake. The spaghetti squash pancake was a little stringy (not in a bad way) when I cut into it, but not while I was chewing it. Overall, it was a very delicious meal! Again, Mollie Katzen is a genius! 

Dessert was a repeat from last night: Peanut Butter Puffins and peanut butter and chocolate chips. It takes me awhile to eat each of these small pieces, so I can enjoy dessert for almost an hour. I love this new sweet snack! 

New Camera

Mal and I decided to invest in a new, nicer camera. With the wedding and honeymoon coming up and the blog, we figured it would be a good idea to upgrade. Hopefully, you guys will be seeing some better quality food photos on carrotsncake soon! 

We just received our new Nikon D40 SLR this afternoon, so I am still figuring out how to use it, but here are a couple of shots of some of the flowers on our balcony. 

I can't wait to really learn how to use our camera! It has a zillion features! 

Arts and Crafts

Mal and I are making our reception place cards tonight! We're using a rubber stamp and ink to decorate the cards with a hydrangea image. Let's hope they don't turn out too goofy! :)

Multitude of Meetings

Super fast afternoon post... lots and lots of meetings today!

Lunch today was green pepper pizza on French bread (I made it last night), baby carrots, and a Cherry Pie Larabar, which was amazingly delicious-- it's now a new favorite of mine!


Up close...

I used the last of our gruyere cheese on my green pepper-French bread pizza. Mmmmm... I love stinky cheese!


In between lunch and another meeting, I ran out for a quick pick-me-up: D&D iced coffee with milk and sugar. I typically order decaf iced coffee in the afternoon (otherwise it keeps me awake all night), but I decided that I need some extra (caffeinated) energy for my last meeting of the day.


Afternoon Snack

I don't think that I will have time to post about my afternoon snack, so I snagged an image of Kashi's Heart-to Heart instant oatmeal (Golden Brown Maple flavor) to use as my snack photo. I keep a box of instant oatmeal in my desk for busy days when I don't have time to enjoy a snack. Today is one of those days! Instant oatmeal takes no time at all to prepare (just add hot water) and is very filling.


Only a couple of hours of work to go! Wish me luck! TGIW!

Mal Reviews Fizzy Lizzy

Since Mal drank the last 2 bottles of Fizzy Lizzy, I asked him to review the flavors that he tried for my readers. Happily, he agreed to write a little something on the blog. Thanks, Mal!

Wow! My first post on carrotsncake.com! Seeing as this is my first time blogging this may not be a review that is Tina caliber, but I am going to give it a shot. I'll keep it short and sweet. Here it goes: Fizzy Lizzy is GREAT! I had both the grape and pineapple flavors and they were equally fantastic! What I liked most about Fizzy Lizzy was that it did not taste fake. It had the feel of soda without being bad for you. There was something great about picking up the pineapple flavor and seeing that you needed to shake the bottle to get fruit pulp off the bottom. We're talking all natural here! I love it! I also liked that neither flavor was overly sweet. It doesn't leave you with that "my teeth are coated in sugar" feeling that you get after drinking soda. I highly recommend Fizzy Lizzy to all carrotsncake.com readers. It is a wonderful and delicious alternative to your daily, weekly, or monthly soda fix.

On a personal note, Tina keep up the good work! Your blog is wonderful! Thanks to all the dedicated carrotsncake.com readers. You have helped Tina embrace a true passion in her life: food and healthy living!

Hungry Hump Day

I'm super-duper hungry today! Breakfast this morning was a big bowl of pumpkin oat bran with walnuts and a couple of chopped dried apricots on top.


The dried apricot pieces and walnuts gave my pumpkin oat bran some wonderful flavor variety. I especially enjoyed the sweet and crunchy mix of ingredients.

I ate my breakfast on the balcony this morning while reading the most recent issue of Boston's Stuff at Night magazine-- it was the Food Issue. Lots of good articles inside!


Just before heading out the door to work, I grabbed a dark chocolate Adora. Wait, how did those peanut butter and chocolate chips get in my hand?! How bizarre.


It's a beautiful day in the city today-- iced coffee was a must this morning! I made mine with soy milk and the other half of yesterday's French vanilla Splenda packet.


My pre-workout snack was a bowl of Puffins with soy milk. The milk really enhanced the peanut butter flavor. Delish!

For the record: I ate a similar bowl of Puffins last night after shopping. I worked up an appetite walking around the mall!


Question of the Day

What's your junk food weakness?

Me: Cake (obviously) and nachos. I love, love, love these foods! I used to have zero willpower around them, but I've learned to control myself and just have a small serving... most of the time! :)