Sometimes I want to Blog, and Sometimes I don't

I always question whether I should write a new post. I get that there are a million blogs out there and that I can't expect mine to get views in the beginning, but it's just frustrating to write a post that won't get any comments. :( Okay, tangent ended. Stick around for a recipe at the bottom, or just skip my Sunday Rambles Thoughts.

Let's start over shall we?
I have a VERY short attention span. I blame electronics. And our generation's need for texting, facebook (which I really despise actually) and tv shows. I mean seriously, watching a movie for me requires focus. And self-restraint. Enter: "No Carly, you cannot check Instagram for the hundredth time to see if anyone has posted any food porn ;)" 

My mom always asks me why I bother sitting in front of the television with my laptop as I am reading/browsing blogs. I mean really? Can I focus on both? No. That's why I didn't know that Finn joined the army. (lol, anyone else out there a gleek?) I watched the season finale of Glee while blogging. And thus, I had to watch it again (with my laptop out of sight) to pick up the details I missed.

Anyways, (wow my ramblings really took over this time), the point of that was to lead into the fact that I actually get bored of blogs quite quickly. I will find a new blog, get all excited because I really like it, then I'll browse through their old posts (Those "you might also enjoy" pictures always just look so intriguing!) and then I'll subscribe to them. But in reality, my Bloglovin' Reader just gets full because I usually just get on a blog-to-blog searching spree for new ideas and reading interesting posts. 

Want to see a timeline?
Some recent blogs I've become obsessed with
first it was, Peanut Butter and Jenny
then came Chef Katelyn
and today I discovered Live Laugh Eat

But hey, there is hope. Because I always look forward to reading posts by these lovely ladies(: Check them out. And while I have you, stay with me for this ah-mazing breakfast recipe I concocted today.


Kiss My Broccoli
Hungry Hungry Hippie
Meals and Moves

Recipe time!

Carrot Cake Egg White Oats

can you believe that's an iPhone photo? gasp; no editing either #lazygirlproblems

Part One: The Oats
1/3 cup Oat Bran
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 Water
Spices; Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Ground Cloves, Allspice
*Sorry I never measure. Just be careful with cloves and ginger those have strong flavors. And always feel free to add more cinnamon(: 

THE NIGHT BEFORE (optional, but recommended)
Mix the above ingredients and place in your fridge to soak overnight. This will make the oats thick and voluminous.

Part Two: The Carrots and The Cake
1 medium Carrot, shredded
1 ripe Banana
3/4 cup Egg Whites (+cream of tartar or lemon juice if you use the kind from the carton)
~1/4 cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped
Blackberries (or fruit of choice, raisins would be good too)

Part Three: The "Cream Cheese Frosting"
Dollop of Cottage Cheese
Dollop of Yogurt
1/2 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder [~10g]
Almond Milk to thin to desired consistency (mine turned out a little more watered down than I would have liked)

Method
Place your oat/water/milk mixture along with the spices into a medium saucepan and leave uncovered on low heat to cook while you assemble the remaining elements. (The longer the oats cook the thicker they will become and I have found that they taste better if they are thick when you add the egg whites). Be sure to stir them as you prep! 
Start by making your "frosting" by placing the ingredients into a Magic Bullet or food processor to make it smooth. Set aside.
Toast your walnuts (don't let them burn; watch carefully) and shred your carrot into the pot of oats (or just place your pre-shredded carrots in). Cut the banana in half and thinly slice one half into the pot of oats and stir until the carrots and banana have thickened the oats. (The banana will break down on low heat and release natural sweetness). 
Measure out your egg whites and cream of tartar/lemon juice (if using carton egg whites) and use a handmixer to whip them until white fluffy peaks form. This step is also optional, but makes the oats much more voluminous. 
While the pan of oats is still on low heat mix in the whipped egg whites (try adding about half of the egg whites at a time). Keep stirring until the mixture becomes uniform and let them cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. 
Transfer your oats into a bowl and top with your cream cheese frosting, chopped walnuts, blackberries and the remainder of your banana. 

Notes
Don't let this long recipe intimidate you. It may take a little bit longer to make them the first time (I suggest a leisurely sunday morning, not when you are starving after a workout). But once you make them once (and become addicted (: ) you will get the hang of it and it will become easier and faster. 
Substitutions
I would not suggest replacing the milk with water because the oats will taste watery (even the 1/2 cup of milk makes them creamy)
Feel free to:

• sub in any fruit or your choice
• top these oats with peanut butter instead of the frosting
• leave out the carrots (you can't take them I promise!)
• top with shredded coconut or another type of nut (pecans perhaps)
• if you don't have time you can just put the egg whites straight into the oats rather than whipping them up
• they will taste just as good if you don't soak the oats over night

Loves(:

P.S I would love to hear any feedback or your favorite type of oats!

Cooking for Your Family

If you are like me, you have crazy family members (I'm looking at you mom and dad!) who let you experiment on them as you make new recipes and try out funky combinations. When most people cook for others, I'm pretty sure the normal smart thing to do is to make a dish that you know tastes good and that you have made before. Enter, your favorite pasta sauce and that awesome salad you've brought to potlucks numerous times. 

But if you are anything like me, (not sure if there are many of us out there ;) ) you make popped amaranth for a snack, make your own ketchup (be on the lookout for a recipe coming soon!) and you serve your parents a panini stuffed with tangerines and cheddar. 

Wait! Don't leave just yet; Check out the recipes and pictures that I took with my mom's DSLR (gasp! good quality photos on Carly Turns Cajun)

I made three types of paninis and some sweet potato fries. I'll post the panini recipes on this post and you can find the technique for making the fries here. (it's super easy if you have a spiralizer, they are kind of pricey, so if you don't you can always just make regular sweet potato fries. This is my favorite way to make regular ones.)<--click the link

Panini #1 Based off this Avo-Dilla Bagel

1 Everything Bagel Thin (any type of bagel really)
~1/2 Avocado, sliced into wedges
Sprinkle of Cheddar Daiya (you could use real cheese, this was just what I had on hand)
Mandarin Orange Segments, drained if using canned

Panini #2 Turkey and Goat Cheese Panini

2 slices of Ezekiel Sprouted Bread
Goat Cheese
Smoked Turkey Breast Deli Meat
Roasted Red Cabbage
Arugula

Panini #3 Apple and Pepper Jack Melt


2 pieces of Cinnamon Raisin Bread
~1/3 Apple, thinly sliced into "sheets"


1 slice of Pepperjack Yogurt Cheese (or any cheese, this is just what I had on hand)

Sautéed Mushrooms and Red Onion

METHOD
Carefully assemble the ingredients and stack them on the sliced bread/bagel. Using a Panini Press (or you could use a stovetop grill pan and flip the sandwiches; it just might get a little messy :P) that has been preheated on high and lightly greased (with cooking spray or oil), place the sandwiches and close the machine until the cheesy becomes melted and you can see grill marks on the sandwiches. 

You can customize these sandwiches by using whatever you have on hand or to your liking. Any of the cheese and bread can be swapped out and these recipes can be used simply for inspiration :) I do recommend that you make the sweet potato fries to accompany your sandwiches however, only because they are simply amazing. And while you are at it, serve those with homemade ketchup (guess you'll have to wait til I post that recipe eh?). I'm so mean ;)

If you made it this far thanks for reading! I hope to have a more detailed post on my triathlon up soon (before I forget the details haha) and I didn't forget about that frozen dessert mess tutorial I swear!!

Loves(:

P.S. I don't know how or why my font keeps changing fonts halfway through my posts (arghh). If you have any ideas PLEASE let me know.

I'll TRI to recap it for you(;

Dear Sophie Rae, 
unfortunately my blog doesn't tell my readers when I respond to their comments (I guess you have to be self-hosted for that handy feature and I'm just a #brokecollegegirl who can't buy her own domain), So I really hope you are reading this, so that I can tell you that I promise to have a post up soon on how I make my frozen dessert(:

So as you probably have heard, (because I'm famous and everything ;) ), I completed my first triathlon today! It was a sprint tri, swimming 750m, biking 16 miles and running 3.1 miles (5k). 

Let's go over some quick stats shall we?


1 cup of coffee
2 spectators (my dad and my personal trainer came! I was soooo surprised)

3 bathroom breaks
20 second stretches

I think the face speaks for itself #pain 

1:50 second average transition time
15.8 avg mph on the bike
19~ the age I'm going to be on December 31st, and thus the age that was written on my right calf
This may have been one of my favorite parts about the tri, which was to see the age of the people passing you, and also the people who you passed!

How weird is it that my bib number and my age were palindromes! #nerdalert

0 showers. Uh oh, did I just post that to the worldwide web (oh, nevermind, just to my 6 readers :) haha I hope I didn't scare you off just yet!) 
I can't believe I'm saying this but I am so exhausted and lazy after the tri that I may or may not have put off taking a shower until tomorrow. ewwww. Don't stress though, I did at least change and hey, I rinsed off after the finish line(:

Seriously though. Triathlons are no joke. You will be sore. You will be dead tired. But you will love it. I felt like I had an endorphin rush the rest of the day!

Post-fueling it up baby(: "Runner's Omelet" (how fitting right!), side of Fruit, a Biscuit, side of Gravy and a Raspberry Coconut Walnut Pancake #tasteslikeheaven


And no folks, I won't pretend I joined the clean plate club on this one, but I did do a pretty good number on it.

5 minutes. The time it will take you to prep this recipe quickie I came up with on the fly. Let's just say I was craving some chocolate. 
And some bad night photos? I guess we could include those too. 


Hazelnut Chip Chocolate Protein Cookie
(microwave) Inspired by this recipe


2 T Vital Wheat Gluten (honestly, I've never used this before so I'm not sure if you can sub another type of flour, sorry! Let me know if you try something though)
2 T Pumpkin
2 T Egg Whites
1 scoop (16 g) Vanilla Protein Powder
1/2 T Almond Butter (or any nut butter)
1 t Baking Powder
Almond Milk to thin (not too thin, I probably used about 2-3 T)
Cinnamon, Salt, Vanilla (I never measure these)


I added in a chopped up Adora disk and 1/4 of a Ritter Sport Hazelnut Square for "chocolate hazelnut chips," but feel free to add chocolate, carob or even peanut butter chips


Spread on a greased plate (it will stick!) and microwave for about 2:15 seconds. I like my goey, so if you want it to cook it longer, I would do it in 5-10 second intervals so you don't dry it out


And of course I used it as my topper for my frozen dessert mess. You know what they say about having a smaller bowl will make you eat less? Doesn't work for me; I always end up overflowing and having to put it in a larger bowl (that was bowl number two) and it was quite difficult not to spill everywhere


P.S; I may have to do a side by side comparison, but that Ritter Sport Chocolate is giving Trader Joe's a run for it's money, and TJs is cheap(:


Oh and did I mention that I found out that the serving size for those Adora disks I've been taking is 2-3 per day! That will not be a problem with this chick right here. #chocoholic




Dear readers, do you have any tips for when there is no daylight to capture your foodie creations? Mine always look yellowy and gross under fluorescent lighting

These are my confessions

So I thought I would do another confessions post and give you guys a little update.


1.) I have a thing for weird combos. Did you hear about that chocolate, berry and corn combo?! Check out the post(;
This one came from Heather, one of my favorite bloggers know for her wacky combos (aka, why I love her :) )
Here's a little play by play:

 Start with a standard PB&J

 Sprinkle on a little love. You know, the standard BBQ seasoning(:

Add some BBQ Tofu while you're at it, I mean come on, go big or go home right?

2.) I may have used crappy iPhone photos for this one ^ 

Bear with me, I'm in summer mode #lazygirlproblems

3.) I have a slight case of OCD (read: crazy). I forgot to put this photo in my WIAW post from yesterday and so I felt the need to show you this before I deleted those food photos off my phone(:

A green smoothie with cereal and coconut macadamia buttah

4.) I'm slightly addicted to cereal #shamelessly

5.) I'm starting to realize that college is coming up quick, yet I have nothing packed. Hmm.. I thought instead of telling you guys what I would miss #thatwouldbewaytoolong , I would list the things I'll be glad to leave behind:

-hearing my dog bark. at everything. in the early morning while I am sleeping #possibly11. all day long.

-my mother's slight obsession with a clean kitchen #sorrymom. I mean I'm not a slob but it will be nice to manage my own habits and not have someone looking over my shoulder at the slight amount of water spillage on the counter

-having to prep all my fresh veggies and fruits, #hellosaladbar

That being said, thinking of those 3 things may have taken me some time, while right now I can probably rattle off about 25 things that I will miss #sigh, it's okay though because I know college is going to be a blast and I'm super excited!

6.) I may still be rooting for Michael Phelps, even though Ryan Lochte may be more attractive #hellohottie, I still have that nostalgic hope for Phelps to live out his last Olympics. Sure he has like a bigillion medals, but I always silently root for him in his races (aka, tonights final for the 100m Fly)

source

  and seriously why does he feel the need to take a bite of his medal? #smh

7.) Random tangent alert; I hate the smell of bleach. ew. and my house smells like bleach right now. tangent over(:

 8.) I can't take pictures like Ashley, but I'm working on it. Which one do you like best? I'm playing around with the lighting..I think I like the bottom one; the colors are sharper.

9.) Even though her obnoxious barking wakes me up most days, I will miss my cute little pup. Especially when she does the most adorable things like sleep with her head under a pillow. Or eat my package #butwait #thatwasn'tadorable

10.) This one's for you, what is your confession? 

Loves(:

WIAW: Finally A Runny Egg Yolk!

So first I wanted to start off by saying, no this is not what I ate in one day, haha, I think some people are surprised to see blogger's posts filled with their recent eats, in thinking that the author ate it all in a day. Anyways, on to another great WIAW hosted by the lovely Jenn(:

I know you've probably read this statement x7 today, but I can't believe it's August! Only 18 more days til I leave for Tulane and only 4 more days til my triathlon #holymoley


I just got back after two trips (Beach trip with my frans and Grove Park Inn Spa Trip with my mom #spoiled) 

 We got up early to watch the sunrise on the beach!

Of course I was excited to workout in their fitness area again (it's awesome!) Plus I always feel so accomplished after working out and it says I burned 237 calories #yeahright

Okay enough ramblings about my travels, let's talk summer staples! 
Some of my favorite summer staples are fresh produce and local eggs and meat. At my farmer's market we always pick up veggies, berries, egg, sometimes fresh meat or fish and even homemade bread (Still have yet to make some bread of my own..)
I use the berries in my oats or nightly desserts

The eggs and veggies for salads and stir-frys 

Salad with salmon, grilled veggies and sweet potatoes

Stir-fry with steamed kale, egg whites, a leftover crabcake and a runny egg

Some tips for the runny egg yolk (aka my post's title) are to put the heat on low and cover your pan so the rest of the egg can cook and then make sure you have everything else ready to plate so that you can just slide it on your dish before the yolk cooks all the way through.
Another thing I've been mixing up with my salads lately is some sort of grain, whether it be quinoa, rice or some bread that I have in the freezer, I've been mixing it with my salads lately and it definitely gives the dish some staying power and great taste. 
Add crunch with wasabi peas, pretzels, rice cakes, chiplets or raw crunchy veggies

As for dressings I use (not all at once ;) )hummus, balsamic vinegar, mustard sesame oil, salsa, sriracha, even goat cheese and I usually put spices like chili powder, garlic powder, nooch, and dried herbs over the top as well. More flavor in every bite! #thatwascheesy


Last summer staples you can't forget? Chocolate and protein smoothies(: mm...tastes like summer 

Summer outfits? May include yoga pants to hide cover my compression socks. Oh and that donut i'm holding, plain delicious

A funky combo you should try? Chocolate, Berries and...Corn? (on the left: chocolate frozen dessert with berries, cornbread, corn nuts, chocolate and cacao nibs)

 Breakfast all lined up; water, oiaj, overflow oats (wouldn't all fit in that little jar ;) ), berries and chocolate

 Guess I'm just good at photo dumps, sorry bout that.

Loves(: