Today was all about chai. The spice of life!
I came downstairs after getting ready and had my hand on the oatmeal when the Great Harvest bread caught my eye. Something about doughy bread hit a craving deep down inside! I also had a deep down craving to NOT wash any dishes for a change.
Game plan change!
I prepped up two mini slices of Great Harvest Whole Grain Goodness and topped them with 1/4 a mashed banana each, Nuttzo PF and coconut butter. I seriously could not live without these two products these days!!
I knew if I wanted to be full all morning I needed something to go with my toast. Since I had carbs and fats on my plate, I decided on something with protein.
Again, I went to open the fridge for a yogurt when the Vega sparked my mind. I considering making a lite green smoothie but didn’t want to clean the blender. At the Brendan Brazier event last week they had mixed the Vega Vanilla Chai just with water, so I decided that would be a good option for my no-wash breakfast.
1 scoop of Vega Vanilla Chai with 1/2 a cup of organic cow’s milk and half a cup of water. It was not all that different from a Carnation Instant Breakfast and tasted pretty good! I think the Vega powder is a little too sweet for plain mixing – I like it best in smoothies -but this did the trick for today.
Guess what!? I DIDN’T GET A COFFEE HEADACHE!!! So thrilled. Guess my step down to caf tea worked!
Today I blended Green + Chai tea from Golden Moon basket. Going into OpenSky this week!
Delish! Today I used a make-your-own teabag bag (see the white ghost in there?) but I really need a better infuser. It’s messier than my French press to make loose leaf tea and I’m not happy about that!
Since this was a new breakfast for me considered the nutrient value – I think it’s about 500 calories with a good amount of PRO + CHO + FAT so it should hold me over as well as any other breakfast I have. We’ll see about that!
***
Morning News
Looks like I’m a finalist for the NC Sweet Potato Sweet Bytes Blogger Recipe Contest! Goooooo gnocchi!
And I also wrote a guest post about sweet potatoes that I missed: Sweet Orange 🙂
A few days left on the Auroae yoga mat coupon (Code = 5forYoga) and the Danskos 15% off at Clogs Central goes through the end of April (Code = kerf). (Going on day 3 of my Danskos and am still amazed!!)
Look what Matt’s been up to this AM:
Have a great day!
Freya @ Brit Chick Runs says
Such a cute bear!! Congrats on being a gnocchi finalist too 😀
And banana mashed with PB..so heavenly! I heat mine through in the microwave so the banana is melted, it doesn’t come much better!
Have a good day 😀
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says
Matt is so talented. 🙂
That breakfast combo sounds so good! I don’t have Nuttzo but I may try something similar on my toast tomorrow morning!
Whitney @ Lettuce Love says
That bear is so cute! Adorable 🙂 Awesome in being a gnocchi finalist!
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says
Aww, cute bear! I like that vega chai powder best in smoothies too. It is pretty sweet, actually.
Go, gnocchi, go!
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine says
The Nuttzo + coconut butter combo sounds delicious, I really need to restock my Nuttzo cause it’s SO DANG GOOD!! Matt’s bear is too cute…it’s a cinnamon roll, right? Looks delish!!
zestycook says
Coll looking bear Matt!
zestycook says
I mean Cool 🙂
Simply Life says
what a fun and creative use of chai!
Hannah says
Ahhh, his cutest baked good animal yet! You should really sell these in your Charlottesville bakery, I”m sure they’d fly out the door!
Amelia says
Congratulations on the contest!
That bear looks so delicious! I want to rip him apart. 🙂
Food Makes Fun Fuel says
Hehe the bear is too cute
Marla says
Hi Kath
The brewing basket I have used for years and LIVE is the Finum Brewing Basket(made of stainless steel mesh so easy to rinse after dumping leaves in compost 🙂
http://www.finum.com/permanent-tea-filters.htm
It is awesome(I use the lid NOT on top of basket(not necessary with water so hot in tea while brewing) but to rest the basket in after so no drips)
They used to have a small size I use but I see on site it looks like medium only now.
Anyways here is a link with a photo(great item for Open Sky!)
Anyways I am not affiliated ,just a daily green tea lover and a bit obsessed about my tea paraphenalia 😉
Kath says
Will check it out!
Gracia says
Wow the little bear looks delicious! I wish I could find coconut butter here in Spain, it sounds so yummy!
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
A Cinnamon Roll Bear!!!??? Looks perfect to me right now 🙂
Congrats on the contest!
Have a wonderful day!
Daniel says
Nice job on the contest~
The bear is adorable too! – give Matt a hi-five for that one. Lmao. :p
Marla says
PS make sure to scroll down to tea brewing basket (NOT the floating basket item)
Emilie @ One Mom in Maine says
My kids would LOVE that bear-shaped bread. Wish there was a Great Harvest near us!
Marla says
PSS sorry forgot to mention I use the one that fits in mug ,that you see in diff colours(not teapot version)
Joanne says
Great breakfast but I missed your oatmeal combo. It satisfies my hungry eyes when my bellies full. 🙂
Have a super day on the “medical team”. So cool 🙂 🙂
Off topic: You might be interested in a short 6 + min. video from Newton running on Optimizing Running Form. The first part of the video is interesting the second part is promotion for their shoes but it’s useful info. The link is on my site if interested.
Courtney says
Kath,
I had to share with you the easiest way to steep tea and, in my mind, the best way besides a traditional cast iron: The Teavana Perfect Teamaker! You have to get your hands on this – it will change your teamaking days forever. I bought one for myself and then went on a spree buying them as gifts for everyone.
http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/Tea-Makers-Infusers/Teavana-Perfect-Tea-Maker-16oz.axd
Kath says
Cool! Checking it out..
Annie@stronghealthyfit says
Wow, a real live bread bear! So cute!!
Looks like a yummy breakfast.. it’s nice to change it up sometimes 🙂
Kelly says
Kinda reminds me of a koala bear!
That breakfast looks yummy. I miss a good homemade bread in my life. It’s just so much better than the alternative.
Any news about the house showing yesterday?
Kath says
Buyer did not like it 🙁 : (
Ann @ Appalachian Appetites says
Congrats on being a finalist! And Matt, the bear is very cute! Is that icing on top?!! Yummy!
Heather (www.runningwithsass.com) says
oh the bear is so precious!
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
love the little bread animals i’ve seen on here lately 🙂 and your breakfast sounds perfect…good doughy bread is something i ALWAYS crave 🙂
Jenny says
He needs to make those bears order-able! i want one:)
Erin (Travel, Eat, Repeat) says
I love chai — good tip on mixing powder with water. I really hate drinking my calories (seems like a waste when there’s so much good food to be eaten!) so I rarely make a proper chai with milk and all.
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
Oh yum! What a nice change of pace! I need to get some VEGA soon! Have a great day!
Abby says
That little bear is adorable (and probably very tasty)!!!
Cassie @ A Very Busy Mind says
mmm…Great Harvest bread…mmm…
Angela (Oh She Glows) says
I could not agree more about loose leaf being MESSY!!!!!! It is my least favourite part of my day (cleaning out my loose leaf pot!!!)
kalli@fitandfortysomething says
what a great breakfast! have you ever thought of using a magic bullet blender for you smoothies? so much easier to clean then a regular blender! i could not live without mine 🙂
matt is so cute!
Kath says
I’ve almost bought one a handful of times but can never justify it since I have a blender (and a good one now!)
jaclyn@todays lady says
Yaayyyyyy! Congrats on being a finalist!! That gnocchi did look amazing so I’m not surprised at all 🙂
That toast looks so so good!! I NEED to try coconut butter!!
Heather @ Side of Sneakers says
Congrats on being a finalist!!!
Maggie @ Fit.Fun.Food says
Congratulations on being a finalist! I randomly ran across your name as I was doing a search for sweet potato recipes on Google! You’re famous! Have a great day!
Jen says
Kath! You should use your collapsible tea strainer! OR, use your french press for the tea. Put it in there just as you would the coffee, and press down when steeping is done. I use mine all the time!
Kath says
Never thought to French press it!! But that would mean washing.. 🙁
Jen says
True! I also use Teavana’s perfect teamaker – and numerous other companies have them now. I just dump the tea leaves in my compost and rinse out the teamaker…
Andrea says
The bear is adorable! I’d love to nibble his belly right about now!
Sarah says
Congrats on the contest 🙂 I’ll have to give gnocchi a try one of these days.
And that bear is ridiculously adorable!!
Lauren @ Eater not a runner says
Haha love the bear. Sounds like a great breakfast to me!!
Cynthia (It All Changes) says
I love tea. I still use my french press when I’m making large quantities. But my grandma had an old fashioned mesh tea ball that I learned to use too.
Tara says
I love Matt’s koala bear! Not sure if it’s just supposed to be just a regular bear, but it’s a darn good koala bear if you ask me 🙂 Congrats on being a finalist! I still need to make your recipe for sweet potato gnocchi, it looks delicious!
Ally @ Sweet & Savory says
Hmm…I’ve never mashed up my banana on my toast before, just usually slice it. Great idea!
Marla says
I have found the Finum basket so much easier and quicker to clean than the Teavana(which I tried while staying at a friends)But luckily Kath might get both to sample from companies to compare and see what works best for her 😉
Julia (Taste of Living) says
Your posts always put a smile on my face Kath, thank you for that!
I love the fact that you’re so enthousiastic about nutrition and about Great Harvest of course!
Kath says
🙂
Lauren says
I sure hope that breakfast keeps you full. Being hungry is so miserable. Good luck on the contest, and I love Matt’s bear!
Stacey@http://stacey-healthylife.blogspot.com/ says
Wow I want some of that bear, it’s so cute, soft, and yummy looking.
Jenn (www. j3nn.net ) says
I need to get some coconut butter, it looks soooo good!! 🙂
Cute cinnabear! (I think? looks like a cinnamon bun) 😀
Jenn
Carolyn @ lovinlosing says
That bear is totally giving me a sugar craving!
Laura @ youngDCliving says
Koala?? So cute. It looks like a cinnamon roll, or is it just bread?
Tracy says
Hey Kath! I just opened my Peanut Free Nuttzo….yum! Worth every penny!!!
Diana says
Aw, cute bear 🙂 Funny, today I went with bread for breakfast too and I rarely do that. 🙂
Christina says
I love your bee mug. Adorable!
Johanna B says
Love the bear…
Rose says
Haha! That bear is so cute 🙂
Shawna @ Balancing Me says
I love the bear!
How do you make the “homemade tea bags”?
Kath says
I got a sample of these little empty tea bags that you just put the tea in
Mara @ What's For Dinner? says
AAH! Can i put that teddy bear on Cute Food Saturday??
Kath says
SURE!
shannon (the daily balance) says
How do you make your homemade tea bags? I use…COFFEE FILTERS! they work like I charm, I just twist the tops to prevent the tea from spilling out!
Kath says
Oh good idea!!!
Kacy says
That Great Harvest breakfast is calling my name! I’m not a big fan of mixing protein powders without a blender, but that sounds pretty tasty.
Marina says
I hope you’ll win with that recipe!
Matt’s bear looks adorable, and I would really much like to eat it 😀
Kellie says
I think I am going to have to jump on the coconut butter band wagon and give it a try. I am still learning to embrace foods that have good fats in them.
Maya says
Did you see GLEE last night? They had the BEST beatles cover ever!! & next week theme is Madonna!
Kath says
Not yet!
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
cinnamon bear!
Mama Pea says
I can’t stop singing, “Won’t you take me to…a funky town?!” after that post title. And it’s making Sue Sylvester’s “Vogue” sound like a masterpiece.
Shannon says
For most loose tea, I could not live without my ingenuiTea
http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html?SID=9957aa44262f7b0ed5feb2148976d64b
And for really fine blends, I prefer the in mug baskets. You just dump the old tea out and rinse. https://secure.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?from=catalog.asp&itemID=AS31&begin=0&parent=Accessories%3ETeaware%3EInfusion+Aids&category=Infusers&sortMethod=0&categoryID=82
Rose-Anne says
Your breakfast sounds D-R-E-A-M-Y! I too am in love with coconut butter–just bought my first big jar on Saturday! But it might have to move into the fridge soon to protect it from a Texas summer 🙂
Shawna @ Balancing Me says
Shannon – you just reminded me! I haven an ingenuiTea. It’s AWESOME!! I’m gonna have to go dig it out. 🙂
Jil says
Oh my gosh, that little bear is too cute!! and that Vega Vanilla stuff sounds really good – love it in the Sam’s glass.
Suzanne says
Bodum makes a french press tea maker. I bought my husband one a couple of years ago and he loves it. This is it: http://www.bodumusa.com/shop/line.asp?MD=2&GID=7&LID=296&CHK=&SLT
Laura says
You need to track down some British Kath- your American ‘small’ house – our laaarrrge English house! I’m psyching myself up to start drinking tea to save my teeth from being eroded completely away by my diet coke habit- but I don’t like the taste ;(
Oh, I have a really big special request for Matt- if he is that way inclined again, please will he make a hedgehog next time? With raisins for eyes? My favourite animal! Pretty please 😉
Kath says
Request noted!
Lisa says
yumm i lovee pb& banana toast. i agree it doesnt hold you over very long by itself (altho i feel like it SHOULD! caarbs, protein, fiber! gah!!) i usulaly have a big glass of milk or greek yogurt with it 🙂
and that cute bear- is it ICED? it looks decadent! you have a great husband- JE AL OUS!!!!!!!!! 🙂
Karin says
Kath
I have the vanilla vega chai whole health food optimizer. How can I make that into a nourishing and comfortable breakfast? I need to gain weight. Someone recommended that I use 2 full scoops (240 calories) with water or milk, oil, fruit or something.
Someone else warned 2 full scoops would mess with my stomach since it is fiber and hemp rich.
What do you think would make a good nourishing meal or breakfast. Blend it with what? 1 or 2 scoops?
Kath says
Karin,
I don’t think this is a question I can answer not knowing more about you or your preferences or history. Sorry!