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

Things I Learned {Including a Recipe!}

Hey peeps! Ready for Fourth of July? I am, I mean come on, check out my toes :)

My friends and I went to a local fireworks show; Have you been to one yet? Or do you set off your own (technically they are illegal in NC but everyone just goes to SC to buy them because it's only about 30 minutes away)

I can't take the photo credit for these; they were taken by my friend Jillian 

So I'd like to share some of my latest revelations and creations of course!


Well first I learned that Matcha powder is EXPENSIVE! Like seriously, almost fifteen dollars for this little gem.

But I have been using it lately and lovin it(: Check out this recipe I came up with;

Double Green Macho Smoothie

1/4-1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (or Water)
1/3 Frozen Cooked Sweet Potato (I cubed mine) or Bananas work too
1 T Matcha Powder
1 T Espresso Powder
1 scoop Incredible Greens
1/2 t Vanilla extract
1/8 t Stevia Extract (adjust to taste)
1/2 t Cinnamon
Pinch of Salt
Ice Cubes (adjust to taste; I like mine icy so I use around 7-8)


Optional: Protein Powder (I have played around with Vanilla and Banana Cream)


Instructions: Blend it all up! I would suggest putting the liquid in first so it's easier for your blender (actually powder first and then liquid so the powder doesn't fly up everywhere


I topped mine with blueberries, a crumbled rice cake, peanut butter hummus and a little love grown(:


I've learned that my braiding skills are better than I thought (If I do say so myself)

I just did pigtail french braids and then twisted them up and bobby pinned to mi cabeza(:


I found out that my dog will rip any UPS package she finds to shreds; good thing she didn't get to my foodie pen pal package!

#yikes

I've found that these nutty protein bites make the perfect fuel for a gym seesh or a Cardio Funk Class

This song is a great high energy tune that always comes on my Pandora Station #lovinit

I found a grr face; great for heavy lifting :)

That colorful plates are the tastiest!

Sautéed Spinach, Rainbow Tahini Slaw, Peach Salsa and Pork Tenderloin

That too much Xanthan Gum doesn't sit well with my stomach; anyone else?

I made Shannon's protein cinnamon rolls with 1/4 tsp of Xanthan Gum and I was feeling it! Also there was way too much cinnamon (read: spicy) Sorry girl :( I had high hopes! But I'm going to try again; and I'll let you know how they turn out

And finally that Vinaysa Yoga rocked my socks; A little bit faster paced (thankfully), great breathing techniques and some great stretches!


 What have you learned recently? Any good food combos worth sharing?

Let's Do This; WIAW (My First Day of Summer!)

Yay for summer!!! It's so weird that I will never be going back to my high school again; Okay so maybe that's a bit dramatic, haha but at least not this year, because graduation practice isn't even at school. So heres my eats from today, since it's summer I can actually post them from this wednesday, May 23rd(:

Thanks Jenn for hosting!

9:15 am snack en route to a yoga class at the YMCA. Grapes on a skewer, haha it was cool! dipped in this ah-mazing Peanut, Cashew and Almond Butter I got a target (it's delish and theres not added oils or sweeteners! yay for target and their awesome prices!)

9:30 am I soooo thought that today was Tuesday (I mean really who keeps track of the days of the week in the summer!) So I thought that the yoga class started at 9:25, oops. It started at 9:45, so I decided to get a mini snack from the vending machine, to hold me over since I would be getting home later and bought some animal crackers to dip in my remaining PB

12:00 pm Some unpictured samples from the grocery store; corn nuts (soooo addicting!), watermelon and pineapple (I'm so glad it's melon season! they are so juicy!) Plus my mom treated me to a starbucks drink, see if you can figure out what it is from all the writing, haha, yuup I am complicated(:

So it was a grande blonde roast with one pump mocha and one pump coconut with soymilk (no whip, no foam) yuup I went there(:

2:00pm Mango Coconut Vanilla Protein Overnight Oats
I based it off this recipe, but here's what went in:

1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk (from the can)
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (i use this brand, not my favorite, I actually like Trader Joe's Vanilla Soy Protein Powder better but we were out)
1 large mango, cubed
1 frozen banana
Toppings: grape nuts, freeze dried bananas (I'm obsessed!) and toasted coconut flour (We are out of coconut flakes)

Night before: Make sure you freeze a banana and then combine the rest of the ingredients and place in a refrigerator.
Morning: Process the banana to make banana soft serve and layer the overnight oats from the fridge with grapenuts, banana soft serve and top with the toasted coconut (If you are toasting the coconut make sure you watch it so it doesn't burn because it cooks super quick), more grapenuts and the freeze dried bananas Enjoy!

P.S; does anyone have any tips on how they make their banana soft serve? I made mine in a mini processor and it took forever! Plus I'm afraid I'm going to burn up the motor because it was blending for so long...Do you guys use a food processor? Or should I try a blender?

5:00 pm I must have been on the computer for a few hours editing my blog; do you like the new banner and icons? And I sorta forgot to eat, haha oops, then I was faced with a wave of hunger. I went downstairs to the basement and grabbed a burrito from the freezer. Um shah, and it was delish. While it was in the microwave cooking, I snacked on some carrots and my favorite hummus (yes I was that hungry haha). This burrito was actually quite good! It had a great sauce filling and some veg, it was weird though cause I didn't even tast black beans..maybe it was in the sauce?

Before dinner I snacked on some random raw okra. No I am not crazy. Yes it is amazing and I may be currently on a kick of raw okra (oh and goat cheese, i'm loving Trader Joe's creamy goat cheese right now!)

7:30 pm I actually wasn't even really hungry due to my prior burrito, but the fam was ready to eat so I made a salad to go with our grilled pork tenderloin, which I actually didn't honestly finish. It had everything but the kitchen sink; roasted broccoli, toasty kale chips, spring mix (lettuce), cucumber, mushroom, broccoli slaw, wasabi peas, pork,  sprouts, roasted cauliflower (Mama Pea's tasty recipe that I freezed a while ago), all drizzled with tahini dressing, bbq sauce and spicy mustard. Random yes, but also very good.

9:30 pm After I walked Maia with my dad I made up my favorite frozen cottage cheese mess. This time it was a silken tofu, cottage cheese, pumpkin, applesauce, cinnamon/nutmeg/almond extract, frozen raspberry and frozen cherry mess, woah that was a mouthful. Topped with strawberries, blackberries, goji berries, cacao nibs, chocolate square, triple chocolate vitatop; yeah I was craving chocolate I guess(:

So if you made it this far; Thanks for reading haha(:


Have you ever tried freeze-dried bananas? What is your favorite freeze dried fruit? I also love Trader Joe's freeze-dried raspberries(:

Are your Starbucks orders complicated? Baristas are always telling me that they have heard worse but I doubt it :P