Dinner was another “pasta” plate, this time black soybean spaghetti. Now that I have leaned into the single ingredient alternative noodles, you can expect to see lots more of them in my rotations. I do this with most new ingredients that I get into…potentially eat it too often…but I’m reminded why so many people are drawn to making and eating pasta. Obviously, actual, real, good pasta is also amazing, but pulling a meal together with a base of pasta is SO easy and fast. The bonus with the alternatives is that you get the plant protein you want, the downside is that none of them are pasta.
The packaging is a little deceptive on this one in that it says black bean on the front, but the black beans that come to mind don’t have the protein content this product boasts about. It’s because the noodle are actually made from organic black soybeans, so be wary if you are sensitive to soy. I’ll say it a little louder for the people in the back…ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIENTS! Sorry, I don’t mean to be so aggressive about it. Anyway, at the end of this month long challenge, I will do a whole taste test comparison of a few varieties to actual pasta. The soybean ones have a little chew to them versus the chickpea noodles, but I really like most of the varieties that I have tried.
Tonight’s plate had the noodles, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, sea salt, and dried thyme. I cooked the noodles in salted water, drained them, and mixed them in a small bowl with 1tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. I heated a sauté pan over medium heat and added 1/2tbsp avocado oil to it. Once that was hot, I added the sliced raw mushrooms. I let them get a bit dark and wilty and then I added the carrots and gave it a stir. I cooked them for a bit and then added the zucchini, salt, and thyme. You can obviously add whatever you have a taste for or whatever needs using from your fridge drawer and then cook each veggie as much or as little as you like. Once everything was cooked the way I wanted it…I enjoy it really crunchy, so just a few minutes later…I added the EVOO coated noodles, stirred everything to bring it together while reheating the noodles, and then it went onto the plate. I love the texture variation on this one.
It was in the low 80’s this morning and the beach was lovely. We walked with a neighbor and her dog for about a mile and then hung out like riff raff under the pier for a bit. On the way home, Codee found something that he just couldn’t get close enough to…
Boys Are Gross – Codee Rollin’ It Atlantic Beach, FL – August 5, 2021Camouflage Codee Atlantic Beach, FL – August 5, 2021
In The Gardens:
The balcony plants get a pretty decent amount of really direct morning sunlight this time of year and because they avoid the blistering heat of the afternoon sun, they do pretty well. I’m excited to see if this pepper comes all the way through ripening.
Potted Pepper Plant Upcycle Balcony Garden, The Condo Atlantic Beach, FL – August 5, 2021
I don’t typically get any squash up here, but I think the plants are fun so I grow them anyway.
Honey Nut Squash Flower Upcycle Balcony Garden, The Condo Atlantic Beach, FL – August 5, 2021
Just waiting on the last two little seeds to sprout in this lot of tomato plants….
Tiny Tomato Sprouts Upcycle Balcony Garden, The Condo Atlantic Beach, FL – August 5, 2021
Speaking of seeds…I give you The Ultimate Seed Spreader!
The World’s Cutest Seed Spreader – Codee Atlantic Beach, FL – August 5, 2021
Sweating It Out:
By the time I got around to hitting my five miles for the day, we were just starting our daily storm, so back to the treadmill. I am really grateful that I bought it though I need to stop filling my living room with recreational gear. It was a walk/jog combination holding 3lb dumbbells for 4 of the 5 miles.
What I Watched:
What a fun soundtrack! I mean, the whole movie is pretty glorious, but the orchestrations and songs are everything you want in a musical. Also, I confess that Hugh Jackman is pretty awesome workout motivation for me. A girl can have day dreams, right?
On The Plates:
Should I start posing my brunch Green Drink in random places around the condo so you don’t get bored with it? That’s the thing…it’s not exciting and, I repeat, it’s an acquired taste, but at 215 calories with 25g of protein (important albeit, not complete protein), my concoction takes about an hour to drink and is more interesting to me than plain water. Plus, it’s full of all sorts of things that are really beneficial (for most people) that I definitely wouldn’t consume most days if I didn’t intentionally try, like chlorella and spirulina.
My brunch plate was the greatest example of a silver lining to being single and only cooking for myself. It’s also a reminder that I would never ever recommend that anyone follow my eating plan because it is very specific to my…let’s say…uniqueness. I’m not saying that what was on the plate wasn’t delicious and remarkably nutritious, but who in their right mind wants to eat a plate of roasted beets and steamed broccoli?…Besides me, that is because I really enjoyed it. 🙂 I used a bunch of champagne vinegar and sea salt and the beets I cooked in the Ninja the other day were perfect! You have to be a big beet and broccoli fan for this one. I get it if you aren’t.
Dinner was another “pasta” plate, this time black soybean spaghetti. Now that I have leaned into the single ingredient alternative noodles, you can expect to see lots more of them in my rotations. I do this with most new ingredients that I get into…potentially eat it too often…but I’m reminded why so many people are drawn to making and eating pasta. Obviously, actual, real, good pasta is also amazing, but pulling a meal together with a base of pasta is SO easy and fast. The bonus with the alternatives is that you get the plant protein you want, the downside is that none of them are pasta.
The packaging is a little deceptive on this one in that it says black bean on the front, but the black beans that come to mind don’t have the protein content this product boasts about. It’s because the noodle are actually made from organic black soybeans, so be wary if you are sensitive to soy. I’ll say it a little louder for the people in the back…ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIENTS! Sorry, I don’t mean to be so aggressive about it. Anyway, at the end of this month long challenge, I will do a whole taste test comparison of a few varieties to actual pasta. The soybean ones have a little chew to them versus the chickpea noodles, but I really like most of the varieties that I have tried.
Tonight’s plate had the noodles, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, sea salt, and dried thyme. I cooked the noodles in salted water, drained them, and tossed them in a small bowl with 1tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. I added my veggies and dinner was served.
Cronometer:
Time restricted eating saved me from myself again. I had entered in double of my dessert peanut spread and was still in the calorie range, but I was right up to the edge of 10PM with what I actually ate that I didn’t have the second serving. The calorie count wasn’t really the point, but I had already had a TON of food and really didn’t need to eat it. The genesis of that spread is that I was trying to find something to replace, or at least mitigate, the amount of my beloved peanut butter that I eat. I bought what is effectively peanut powder. It is a single ingredient product, but clearly HIGHLY processed. See? I have a bunch of exceptions to every rule, too! The protein powders and supplement powders, and coconut milk that I use fall into the exception category, though I do try to keep them single ingredient items, like the NorCal Organic Peanut Protein Powder. But here’s where my addiction shines through. I have taken to mixing it with full fat coconut milk instead of water completely negating the lower fat, lower calorie feature of the powder. Of course, when you mix it with water, it’s not nearly as yummy, but it’s dangerously close to higher in calories than peanut butter this way plus, the fat from the coconut milk is predominately saturated. At this point, I might be better off with actual peanut butter, but I have MAJOR portion control issues there so it’s never just one serving. With this spread, one is enough.
Garmin Says:
A fairly consistent day which translates, in my mind, to a win. A decent amount of calories burned and steps taken, according to the algorithms.
I had most of the components of this dish already ready to go. It took under 15 minutes to get all the bits together and the pasta cooked. The package directions stated 7-9 minutes, but with only one serving, they were a little overcooked at 7. I would check them at 5, if you aren’t making the entire box. The sauce was leftover in the fridge next to the roasted veggies and the sautéed/portioned ground beef that I prepped the day before. The chard was from the freezer, but…I forgot I was going to need some greens….so I used the heat of the pot lid while the pasta was cooking to defrost it just enough to get it out of the Ziploc (I’m working on getting them out of my life) and break it up. Once the pasta was cooked, I killed the heat on the stove, drained the pasta from the pot and then added everything back into the same pot. I put the whole thing back on the still warm, but off burner, took my quick post run shower and when I returned everything had come to a pretty even warm temp. I turned the heat back on for a minute because I am still luxuriating in hot meals and two minutes later…voila! a super quick and easy dinner.
