Pepper Crusted New York Strip Steak

On my way home I picked up a New York steak from Whole Foods. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. High heat, crust both sides, pop in the oven for a 2 - 3 minutes. Served with a baked sweet potato and some veggies...that's dinner.

Larabar Peanut Butter Cookie Snack Bar

I've been looking for a snack bar to take with me on fishing/hiking trips, something natural and made with fruit/nuts...So I found the Larabar. The stats are very good. It's gluten free, dairy free, soy free, non gmo, vegan, and kosher. Larabar tastes very clean.  Mostly of dates and peanuts since that's all it's made of. There really was no "Butter Cookie" taste to it. Regardless, the quality is far superior to anything I've seen or tasted. Ingredient list from the Larabar Peanut Butter Cookie; Dates, Peanuts, Salt. That's it. I also have with me an Apple Pie Larabar and it reads...Dates, Almonds, Apples, Walnuts, Raisins, and Cinnamon. This one had more dimension then the Peanut Butter Cookie, but I loved them both. I'll still keep an eye open for new snack bars but Larabar is here to stay.

A Farewell to Udon Noodles

Today I woke up early and had no appetite to eat. Got on my exercise bike for 30 minutes, lifted some weights, 200 sit ups later...I need to eat. After workout, a protein shake always helps rebuild muscle, so I had that. For extra carbs I ate pumpkin flax cereal. Here's a picture of what I had for lunch; It's basically Udon noodles tossed in a ginger scallion sauce with chili garlic chicken and roasted vegetables. I sauted the chicken and vegetables separate to keep them from overcooking, then tossed it all together with the noodles. Garnished with Sriracha and toasted sesame seeds. So good. Quick and simple to make, I had many of the components ready in the fridge. The chicken had been marinating for over a day. Vegetables where leftover from yesterdays roasting, and I already had the ginger scallion sauce (made from scratch). Total of 15 minutes to prepare, made 2 servings. On a side note, I'm trying to stay away from using wheat products and this will probably be my last Udon noodle dish I make at home. At least the whole wheat version. I hope to find them made with sprouted grains, quinoa, or something along those lines.

Think Thin Creamy Peanut Butter Protein Bar

I was at my local Vitamin Shoppe picking up some Pro Complex when I saw this protein bar. Think Thin makes "natural" meal replacement/snack bars, full of protein with no sugar (sugar alcohols 11 grams). So I grabbed one to try out. To be honest, this bar is pretty bad. Not sure what part of this bar they consider creamy. It's the opposite of creamy...it's grainy and tastes nothing like peanut butter. The entire bar has a strange aftertaste I can't describe. Must be from the pyridoxine hyrdochloride or maybe the copper gluconate. I should have read the label before buying. And just because it's labeled natural, doesn't make it good for you.

Winner Winnner Chili Garlic Chicken Dinner

Tonight dinner was fairly simple. Marinate some chicken breast in a chili garlic sauce, serve with a salad or whatever vegetable I had in the fridge. I do the marinating the night before. This is necessary to give bland chicken breast FLAVOR. My chili garlic marinade includes sliced onion, sliced garlic, chopped cilantro, lite olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, Spiracha hot chili sauce, and chili garlic sauce from Tuong Ot (maker of Spiracha). This chili garlic marinade is great for a thai or Vietnamese type menu. It's tangy, spicy, and umami all the way! I love to grill this chicken and serve over a Thai herb salad, but I didn't have enough herbs and was out of fish sauce. Let's just keep it simple. Toss asparagus and sliced sweet potatoes in oil and seasoning. Place in a hot oven for about 20 minutes. Dinner is served.

Elvis's favorite recipe

Elvis probably hated oatmeal. But he did love peanut butter & banana sandwiches. So in honor of that useless fact, i present to you...Elvis Oats. The recipe is very simple to prepare, healthy, and it's great for those cold mornings. Elvis Oats starts by preparing steel cut oats cooked with soy milk (you can also use almond, rice, or moo milk). West Soy unsweetened organic soy milk is what I use. Cook oats for about 15 min, add sliced bananas, vanilla, and spice (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg). Simmer on low for another 5 min or until oats are tender. The bananas will break down into the oatmeal, giving it a nice thick consistency. Sometimes the bananas aren't sweet enough so I add a little honey or maple syrup to taste. When it's ready, pour into bowl, slice some more bananas on top, a spoonful of almond butter, some chopped almonds, sprinkle cinnamon (for pam beesly).

 














Elvis Oats
1/4 cup Steel cut oats (Country Choice organic Irish style)
1 & 1/3 cup Soy milk (West Soy organic unsweetened)
1 Banana (large, organic, sliced thin)
1/3 Tsp.Vanilla Extract (organic)
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon (dry)*
1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg (freshly grated)*
1/4 Tsp. Ginger (dry)*
Salt (pinch, course sea salt)*
Almonds (chopped, unsalted organic)
Almond butter (Barney Butter)
Honey (optional)

*The spice or any other seasoning should be added to taste. Also remember to add a little spice at a time, let it cook then taste. You can always add more, don't over season.

Cooking Directions
1. In a small non-stick pot, bring 1 cup soy milk (or water) to a slight boil.
2. Add steel cut oats. Cook on low heat for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remember that oats are notorious for burning, so you must stir frequently.
3. When the liquid is absorbed add in 1/3 cup soy milk, sliced bananas (save a few for garnish),  vanilla, salt, and spices. Simmer another 5 minutes or until it's the consistency you like. I mash the bananas so they become one with the oats, this is optional.
4. If mixture gets too thick, add a 1/4 cup more soy milk or water.
5. Taste for seasoning. If it's not sweet enough, add a tablespoon or two of honey.  Let simmer another 2 - 3 minutes, then taste again. If it tastes good in the pot, it's ready for the bowl.

Toppings:
1. Sliced bananas
2. Chopped almonds
3. Spoon full of almond butter
4. Sprinkle cinnamon 

This recipe is very simple to make. Serves 1 - 2.

Almond butter and jelly sandwich attack!

I love AB&J sandwiches. To me it's better then PB&J because i love almonds...plus they provide much more health benefits from what i read. Anyway, my favorite almond butters is Justin's Maple Almond Butter. It's all natural, heres the quick ingredients list; dry roasted almonds, maple sugar, organic palm fruit oil, sea salt. It's very good on toast, oatmeal, with an apple or banana. I like to buy the individual packets rather then a jar, because It helps me control my portions. On this day I tried a new brand called Barney Butter. The only difference in ingredients, evaporated cane juice vs maple syrup like Justin's has. Honestly I rather consume maple syrup, but ok, let's try something new. I can say it's alot smoother then Justin's which has a bit of a grainy texture. Barney Butter is much smoother and somewhat runny, similar to melted peanut butter. But the flavor is great. I spread some on sesame bread (Ezekiel sprouted grain) with a little strawberry jam and gulp!