Up early for a workout this AM, and I made it just in time for spinning! My old instructor was glad to see me 🙂 Now that I bike to and from the Y on top of class, turn into quite a workout. My HRM said almost 550 kcal when I walked in the door. *Thumbs up*
I woke up really hungry this morning so I decided to have a little something before I left. I’ve had this Kashi Cinnamon Coffee Cake bar in our bar area for ages and decided to give it a try (I ate half and gave the other half to the hub.). It was just OK. Way too sweet, which probably means sugar alcohols. I took a quick look at the ingredient list. Real food? Not so much. Don’t think I’ll buy it again, despite my love for Kashi products.
Today’s oatmeal was All About Almonds!
We started with the usual base of 1/3 cup dry oats with milk/H2O and half a banana and added a few drops of this almond liquor. I’m not sure how much I can taste it because I have so many layers in my bowl, but it sure tastes good by itself! Kind of like a fancier almond extract.
Then we ground about 20 almonds in our coffee grinder to make almond meal (with a few chunks) and added that to the oats. Again, there are too many variables to really know how this changes a bowl, but I image it changed the texture a little. Kind of like adding flax.
Then I topped my bowl with 2 tbsp Coconut Almond Granola plus a few dry roasted slivered almonds from TJ’s. I decided to try these to save the step of roasting the almonds myself. They are pretty good!
Followed by a spoonful of almond butter! (I actually had the PB out and realized my mistake!)
With Constant Comment Green Tea –
Off to take my Organic quiz!!
VeggieGirl says
Hooray for spinning class, and a big bowl of almond goodness (wow, that was cheesy – oh well, haha 😉 ).
Good luck on your quiz!!!
Erica says
Your oatmeal creations never cease to amaze me! Go Kath! Good luck on your test!!
Erin says
What a cute little bowl.
Nice calorie burn!
Good luck – I’m sure you’ll ace it. 🙂
Megan says
Hope your quiz went well! Your oatmeal looks great.
I agree that the coffee cake Kashi bar is extremely sweet!
ChocolateCoveredVegan says
Oooh that almond oatmeal sounds good. I love dried, slivered almonds.
Betsy in Pittsburgh says
I’m disappointed there were no chocolate chips to truly make it like an Almond Joy! 🙂
faith says
hey kath, i recently asked this on jennas blog, but i figured the more opinions from everyone the better!
i just got all of my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday and was wondering for some food ideas besides smoothies,yogurt,pudding,soups,etc. Im suppossed to be on a liquid diet for the first few days then move to a soft food diet. I dont want to loose any nutrients and its hard to find ways to get in protien (my mom is buying me cottage cheese today though!)
anyways thanks for any help and opinions anyone has in advance!
faith says
ps. im really paranoid about getting dry sockets!
Biz says
I love any type of almonds (or nuts for that matter!) Looks delish!
Rose says
That oatmeal looks delicious, as per usual 🙂 Love the almond theme for the morning – you really took it to a new level with all of those ingredients.
carrie says
Good morning! I am looking for a really good Heart rate monitor to use. Can you recommend one for me? I am hoping to find a good one without the chest strap. Thanks!
ModelBehavior says
Jeez Kath that is some INTENSE oatmeal! Your oatmeal puts my 2 packs of instant oatmeal that I usually have to shame lol!
Faith~
If protein your concern I would suggest adding some silken tofu to your smoothies or even protein powder! My bf just got his out and lived off of smoothies w/ flax and protein add ins, and we added spinach to help him get some veggies, they looked weird but tasted amazing!
alex says
I have to disagree….
I absolutely love the cinnamon coffee cake bar!
I thought that the taste was identical to coffee cake!
oh well, to each their own 🙂
Allison K. says
I find several of those Kashi bars to be dissapointing. So many of their products are FANTASTIC…and then they have a whole line of things with sugar alcohols and fake stuff.
majrhoulihan says
Faith,
You might be surprised how little you feel like eating after oral surgery. Not just that your teeth hurt, but that anesthesia and pain killers often kill your appetite. After my surgery, I literally had to force myself to eat. That being said, the custardy filling of quiche was easy to swallow. Between the eggs and cheese, supplemented with yogurt, creamy peanut butter, beans, cottage cheese, etc. you probably might even end up eating more protein than you need.
Debbie says
You are on the ball as usual over there Kath. And that breakfast of yours looks so yummy!
Wishing you a wonderful day and a delightful weekend!
Sarah says
Hi all–Menu question for you. I am going to a work lunch today at Ruby Foo’s. Any thoughts on the healthiest option here? There are just 2 of us, so we won’t be doing tons of sharing (which is what the menu is designed for). And since it is lunch, I really dont want to have that gross, too full feeling afterwards (aka this isnt a splurge meal). Here’s the link–thanks so much!
http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/menus/RFTS_dinner%207.2.08.pdf
runjess says
I have never seen those Kashi bars.
Such a fancy breakfast.
Amanda says
Hi KERF community,
Happy Friday. I have a question for all of you healthy, happy people. I’ve always been a relatively petite person and thought I was a fine weight. About 5 months ago, however, due to a combination of exercise, eating right, and STRESS, I lost about 13 pounds. When I looked back at pictures of myself 13 pounds heavier, I thought – wow, i looked heavy and no one told me! Now the stress has subsided, and I’ve gained back about 4 pounds. I’m trying to just eat healthy, not obsessively, and exercise and see what happens, but the scale isn’t budging. Should I just accept that I’m at my body’s “happy weight” now? Just keep trucking along and see what happens and if the scale stays put, practice some serious acceptance?
How do all of you decide/know what your “happy weight” is?
Christie says
Looks ymmy and good luck on the organic quiz!
Christie I. says
I was just curious if you are finding yourself more hungry now that you are biking so much?
Good luck on the quiz!
caitlin (see bride run) says
yay for booze in oatmeal!! 😀
Hil says
Amanda–it’s hard for me to judge without knowing you, but I think it’s a good rule of thumb to say that if you have to obsess, restrict, or be miserable/stressed to maintain a certain weight, it is not your happy weight. This is all pretty subjective, but I define a happy weight as one where you feel good in your skin, you know that you are taking care of your body, and where you can maintain your weight within a small range without feeling guilty or deprived. I think you are doing the right thing. Just keep taking care of yourself and see where you end up. If you feel good and are healthy and happy, that is all that matters.
And practicing self-acceptance is a good idea under any circumstances, whether you are losing, gaining or in maintenance. It helped me to practice looking at old photos from when I was heavier without judging them. Rather than saying “Oh, look how heavy I was!” (my first reaction) I practiced saying “Look how happy I was in that picture. That was such a wonderful trip.” Believe me, it’s nice to be able to look at photos of fun times without being focused on your weight.
Becky says
LOL – Caitlin! I love Disaronno! I used to drink amaretto sours all the time because of my low tolerance of alcohol. I wonder what else I could sub now for the sweet and sour?
Kath, your bowl of oats looks yummy! I love almonds!
MWS says
all of those almonds will surely give ya brainpower for your quiz! 😀
what a great workout of biking and spinning! and that Kashi bar looks really good… ah I have such a sweet tooth!
Rachel says
Faith, I’m sure your doctor told you, but remember not to suck anything through a straw. That can create the dry sockets, or was that that it can pull the stitches? Anyway, no sucking! hah. As for soft foods… well, when I got mine out I really had no appetite… I think I ate soup, soy pudding, soy ice cream, eggs… just remember not to drink anything through a straw though. You could probably do some smoothies, with protein powder, pb or soft tofu mixed in. Hope you feel better.
tfh says
Hil, I love that second paragraph. Very good advice that I will try to take to heart myself!
And ooh do I love almond meal…this reminded me of my favorite amaretti cookies 🙂
madison (follow my weigh) says
wow that is one extravagant bowl of oatmeal!! looks so yummy =P
Allie says
I took a look at the Kashi ingredient list as well, since I was worried that snacks I’ve loved have had sugar alcohols after seeing your post. I am pretty sure that they do not contain any sugar alcohols.. soy protein isolate, and lots of other processed things yes, but sugar alcohols no – it seems like they just use fructose and cane sugar, not anything chemically created.
Maybe someone has a better understanding of ingredients? I’d love to hear if I’m confused!
Chelsea says
I miss biking and spinning 🙁 Since I got my iPhone I’ve been listening to music again and I put together spin class lists in my head. Not long to go though! 🙂
It was too hot this morning for oatmeal but I did granola and hemp milk-my new favorite snack!
faith says
thanks so much everyone for your helpful comments! and yes my appetite has decreased majorly, its so weird!! All i ever want to do is sleeeeeep
anyways, thanks so much =)
Kath says
carrie ,
Check the FAQ page 😉
Sarah ,
I’m guessing I’m too late, unless you’re West Coast, but I’d get the sampler – you know I love to try all kinds of things at once! I’d have a bite of each. And I’d pair that with the Thai Coconut Soup and the House Salad with jicama and lime dressing! Skip the sushi – you can get that anytime and it’ll leave you still feeling hungry (my opinion!)
Amanda ,
For me, my happy weight came when I was putting in 100% effort to be healthy, including mental health, which included parties and events probably an average of twice a month. If you’re really putting in 100% effort to eat well, and are enjoying yourself on “worth it” occasions (or with a modest dessert every night, if that’s what you like best) then I’d say you’re there. It’s all so subjective though, so only you can know if you’re really there.
Christie I.,
Not really. I find that my appetite is pretty much the same every day regardless of the amount of activity I get. That works with me if I get more and against me on sedentary days. Only if I do a TON of exercise (like 5 hours of yardwork) do I really see a noticeable difference in hunger. But not just adding 30 minutes or so.
Allie ,
I went back to look at another bar I have by Kashi – the Chocolate Pretzel – and you’re right, there are no sugar alcohols. But fractionated palm oil isn’t anything I want to be eating, and things like chicory root fiber and vegetable glycerin, while they may be natural, I’d rather eat them in the form they came in. That doesn’t mean I won’t ever eat them again (because I will probably eat this bar at some point), and there are much worse additives, but I won’t purchase this bar again. I like to follow Michael Pollan’s outlook of “things that your grandmother would recognize as food.” LaraBars and Nectar Bars do come in a package for convenience, but you could easily make them in your kitchen (as we have started to see on the blogs!!). Hope that helps,
Kath
haya says
i am reading What to Eat (Marion Nestle) and she has a whole bit on Smart Balance and other margarine and butter substitutes and how they are basically just bad oils and additives, even though it makes claims to lower cholesterol etc. i have noticed that you are still eating smart balance. have you reconsidered? from the above it doesn’t really sound like something you would want to be consuming but maybe there is more to it…
Kath says
haya,
You are right – there are some of those oil like plam and soybean in SB. We don’t use it often so it takes us forever to use up a tub, but I have been planning to buy whipped butter for a while. Or some kind of spreadable/softened butter. However, it’s kind of like trading one evil for another. Butter has all the cholesterol and saturated fat, SB has different oils, but no cholesterol. So I really think they are pretty equal when you think about it, except in the “real food” sense.
K
HangryPants says
Amanda, I agree with Hil and Kath. For me, a happy weight is my body natural settles when I am not obsessively counting calories in and out. Not to say this means eating whatever you want, but rather being mindful and enjoying a splurge here or there. I don’t think it should be a daily struggle to maintain a happy, healthy weight.
Heather