My gym:
My bike rack:
Me attempting to hit a racquetball ball:
Suzanne, Cville native, UVA alum, exercise buddy, and stalker, took me to my first racquetball game! Luckily she had the gear (and the skills) to give me a good first lesson at my gym. I really liked playing a LOT. SO.MUCH better than tennis (where an amateur like me spends more time chasing balls than hitting them). I think I had a pretty good first game, although Suzanne totally killed me in points. She knows all the sneaky tricks to catch an opponent off guard!
Here she is smashing one to me. I am obviously not prepared because I’m hovering on one side of the court. I’m sure the ball went towards the other wall!
And here I am wondering why the ball does not want to hit my racquet! Still, a blast.
Thanks to Elizabeth, who was next in line for our court and has a blog!, for taking the photos and sharing some info about the Cville blogging community with me!
After our game we went upstairs to lift some weights together, which was really fun and so much less boring then when I lift alone.
She also brought me some Great Harvest Pumpkin Muffins from Great Harvest Warrenton!!! Right on the drive down from DC. Thanks again Suzanne!!
Pablo, the super awesome owner of GH Warrenton, also sent her home with a Big Kahuna Bar when she dropped a KERF bomb : )
AND some swirl bread!! THANKS PABLO!!
We have some pile of carbs ready for Thanksgiving! Two loaves of bread from Great Harvest Fayetteville (which Karen brought us) plus Warrenton’s gifts and Matt cracks and his delicious looking cheesy rolls!
When I returned from the gym, we assembled the “peanut noodles” on the menu.
A HUGE success!
I asked Matt what he wanted to put on the meal plan this week and he said, “Some kind of fun noodles.” We usually get whole wheat just because they are less expensive, but this week we spent more on soba noodles, which we both love and agreed are worth a few more every now and then.
More info on soba noodles here, which are a Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. In my opinion, they are very similar to whole wheat spaghetti.
Dish veggies: broc, pepper, collard greens. They were sauteed in a big pot with a little olive oil until tender and drizzled with soy sauce.
The SAUCE!!!! It was so good!!!!!
Sunflower Sauce
I shook together in a jar approximately:
- 2 tbsp sunflower butter (or peanut butter if you want – use something drippy)
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp warm water
- 1 tsp Garlic Gold crunchies
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp molasses
There was 1/3 a block of tempeh involved, too, plus roasted peanuts for garnish.
Nutty Soba Noodles
- 1/2 box soba noodles
- Bunch collard greens or bok choy or kale, trimmed and washed
- 1 crown broccoli
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/3 block tempeh or tofu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ~1 tbsp soy sauce for veggies
- 2 tbsp peanuts for garnish
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- Sunflower Butter Sauce (see above)
- Cook sobas according to package.
- Heat a large pot and add olive oil to heat.
- Add veggies and tempeh and sauté until tender. Drizzle with soy sauce.
- Add noodles and saute to a bowl and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with peanuts and red pepper flakes.
Serves two.
This dish was so flavorful and voluminous. LOVED the sunflower butter as a sauce!! Peanut butter would have been good, but the slightly sweet sunflowers really made the dish.
How ’bout a little Big Kahuna Bar for dessert!? This this is MASSIVE and also the most delicious butterscotch coconut cookie bar I have EVER had. Matt proceeded to tell me that it’s also 1600 calories. Not sure I believe that. Ignorance is bliss!
However I did manage keep my portion to a sliver with the looming holiday. Savored every crumb.
Goodnight folks!
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
I love Asian noodles! I wish Dustin liked Asian flavors as much as I do. 🙁
I’ve always wanted to try racketball, it looks like so much fun!! What a great way to get a workout in. So much fun.
mindy @ just a one girl revolution. says
That dinner looks amazing!!
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
What a fun meal! I’ve never had those noodles, but it seems like a great gluten free option!
Amber K says
Just be sure to find some that are specifically gluten-free. Sometimes wheat flour is added as a binder!
Dee says
WOW! I will definitely need to try this soba noodle dish! It’s looks great!
Allie (Live Laugh Eat) says
Mmm sunflower seed butter with soba noodles? I never get to eat peanut noodle dishes since I”m allergic. Using SSB is a great idea for an alternative.
KAHUNA BAR!!! I want a big ol’ chunk.
Jaime says
I just bought Sunflower Seed Butter this past weekend on my first ever trip to Trader Joe’s. This may just help me decide how to use it first. Thanks KERF!
Kath says
I love it when people call me KERF 🙂
Lisa (bakebikeblog) says
What a fun afternoon!!!
Michelle (The Runner's Plate) says
I love racquetball; it is so much fun!! And dinner and dessert look ah-mazing!!
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
My mom use to be really into racquet ball. I, on the other hand, would just get in there and hit the ball around..hoping it wouldnt hit back. 😛 Looks like you were getting into it!
Melissa @ I Never Imagined says
Oh my goodness. It’s like you can see inside my fridge with your special KERF powers! I’ve been trying to think of a use for my sunflower seed butter for ages now, and TA-DA!! You’ve thought of one for me! Thank you!!
Lee says
I’m kind of scared of racquetball. Scared that the ball is going to slam into my head!
Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter says
I have never tried soba noodles! They look so good. I would love to try that soon.
Clare says
I am totally making these. My daughter loves peanut noodles but can’t take them to school in her lunch because of the nut-ban. This is a GREAT alternative for lunchboxes!
Kelly Ann says
My shop sit directly across from GHB Warrenton…and Pablo is an awesome neighbor…I hope that the location y’all have found will garner good neighbors…
holly @ couchpotatoathlete says
Haha Big Kahuna takes me back to Science class in 9th grade — my teacher would call anything large a Big Kahuna. It got old real quick 🙂 But that bar looks amazing!!!
I love peanut sauce. Never tried Soba noodles though, will have to check them out.
Josie @ Skinny Way Of Life says
I love asian meals!! I think stir frys can make any veggie taste amazing, I can’t wait to try the sauce with sunflower butter!! I’ve always used peanut butter but I bet the sweetness from the sunflower butter gave the dish a whole new level of flavor : )
hungryforbalance.wordpress.com says
That’s so great you tried racquetball. It’s such a great wintertime sport! I’m not good at all but I still like to play. And your soba noodle dish looks so good! Don’t you just love sunbutter!
stacey-healthylife says
It looks like an everything bar, so I can imagine it’s a little hefty in the calories. But it looks yummy and a sliver sounds perfect.
Simply Life says
I LOVE RACQUETBALL but can’t find a local gym with courts- so fun!
Krystina says
I would not be able to only eat a sliver of that bar. Your will power is far greater than mine!
Christin@purplebirdblog says
I want to learn how to play racquetball so bad! And I’ve also never had soba noodles!
Amy says
That gym looks super nice! As does your dinner. 🙂
Heidi - apples under my bed says
Oooooh yummy!! Those noodles look fabulous, thanks for the recipe. Peanuty goodness 🙂
Heidi xo
Hannah says
OH MY HEAVENS. This nutty noodle recipe is even BETTER than I was expecting!!!!! ZOMG! I just made my own macadamia butter, I wonder hwo that would work??
Stephanie says
I’ve never cooked with soba noodles before, looks great though!
Katie O says
Those noodles look awesome! I’ve Bren craving noodles like this lately but wan to healthier it by making it myself. I will have to try this. A similar rice dish I concocted for abating sauce that’s similar to this, mix pb2 and stir fry sauce or soy sauce and sweet n low. So simple to make.
Katie O says
Sorry for the typo confusion. Kerf stalking on the iPhone on the plane!
Dana @ my little celebration says
oh my nutty soba noodles! I’m making that dish soon!
Meg says
That dish looks AMAZING! And so does raquetball 😀
Shannon @ Philadelphia Phitness Pharmacy says
Wow that looks sooooo delicious! You are a great cook (from what I can see haha). So creative with your recipes. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
Maddie (Healthy Maddie) says
Dinner and your Great Harvest goods look amazing! I love raquetball. It’s such a fun sport.
Alaina says
Oh-oh man that bar looks so good.
I used to love playing raquetball with my cousins. Until one time while we were playing and I jumped up to hit the ball, came down on my ankle wrong, and boom…sprain. Took a few years of physical therapy to get the muscle right again. Hmm, don’t think I’ve played since then…
Paige @Running Around Normal says
Fun! I haven’t played raquetball for years, but I remember it being very hard.
That kahuna bar looks to die for!!!
Camille says
I thought it might be racquetball!
I love racquetball!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says
I loved racquetball in college. We played all the time! So fun.
Jessica @ The Process of Healing says
Mmmm that sounds amazing!
Diana @ frontyardfoodie says
Drool drool mouth watering……..
I’ve been craving Asian forever.
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
Soba noodles are one of my favorites. I’ve never tried them with sunflower butter (unbelievable ’cause I love sunflower seeds).
Happy Thanksgiving!
Caitlyn (A Spoonful of Life) says
We have always made “peanut-y” noodles, never “sunflower-y noodles.” I’ll have to try it with different nut butters!
Ali says
Check for buckwheat noodles at an Asian supermarket. They’re a staple in Japanese and Korean cooking and are really cheap.
Lauren at KeepItSweet says
those noodles look delicious!
rebecca lustig says
i am a raquetball failure. the coordination just isnt there, haha.
happy thanksgiving! may it be filled with gratitude and joy 🙂
Samantha @ Bikini Birthday says
1600 seemed a bit extreme to me too so I looked it up. According to the GH website a 186g Kahuna bar has “only” 810 calories. Now I guess you have to weigh the bar to find out how many grams it is.
Kath says
810 …no lightweight!! I just weighed the piece we have LEFT and it was 120g, so I’m pretty sure we had an extra large. There’s about 1/3 of the bar left. (Matt had a huge piece 🙂 ) So that would me our leftovers are about 500 kcal – which means the original was 1500! Damn.
MelanieF says
That’s why you should never look up the calories in those kind of treats. Just enjoy! 🙂
Kath says
Agreed!!
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
I love using sunflower seed butter as a sauce for noodles! It’s really good if you mix it with soy sauce, lime juice, and just a bit of water.
Shannon says
I tried playing raquet ball, and I couldn’t keep my eyes on the ball. It moves so fast! I’m impressed. Also, your dinner looks amazing! I’m vegan, and I’m going to make this next week. I hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!
christyn @ All Ways Nutritious says
this dish looks sooo delicious…right up my alley! can’t wait to try the sunflower sauce.
varsha says
I wonder why soba noodles are so expensive in your area. I get an 10oz box at both, my coop and regular grocery store for $2.95!
Kath says
That’s what ours are, but the WW is $1.50!
JavaChick says
Strangely, I’m not a fan of whole wheat pasta but I love soba noodles!
Jil @ Big City, Lil Kitchen says
Ohh, man those Great Harvest goodies look amazing!!
Suzanne @ continuing my education says
Thanks for playing racquetball yesterday! Glad you liked the goodies, I need to remember to buy more bread next time since my family is already devouring the loafs! I think my mom will be your number one customer!
Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!
missy says
Looks yummy!
Guess what I found today… Kodiak Cake pancake mix. At Big Lots, of all places! and it is good until 09/11. It was $3 for the box, which I’m not sure if that is a good price or not, but I bought one anyway. Yours always look so good, I just had to get it. 🙂
Laura Ann says
made this tonight, and it was so good! i used rice sticks and added a little ginger and rice vinegar. that sauce is phenomenal. thank you!
Canadian says
Great recipe — made it today! (Except different, of course, using what I had on hand.) Love soba noodles.
jenna says
that bar looks scrumptious!!
Lindsey says
I made your nutty soba noodles last night and they were so good! Well actually I used rice noodles but followed your sauce recipe. Thanks for sharing it! Your gym looks awesome!