Bienvenue!
I’m sure you’re shocked, but today is Wednesday, which means another WIAW post! Will I ever stop with these? Probably not. People seem to like reading them and honestly, it’s one day I don’t have to come up with a topic for! Makes my life a little easier. If you’re new to What I Ate Wednesday, head on over to Peas and Crayons to see what the link up is all about, and to see the other participating bloggers!
I woke up Monday morning HUNGRY. I knew there was no way I’d get through my run without eating, so I had half a banana (un-pictured) and a piece of cinnamon sugar toast.
I heard about Amaranth from Linz, when she posted about it and included a recipe. I wanted to try it myself so I got some from the Whole Foods bulk bin, but I wanted to make up my own recipe, so I made Apple Cinnamon Amaranth. I’ll have the recipe together and up on Sunday’s post!
I’d already made and packed my lunch the night before (SO proud!) so it was easy and ready to go. I made it with about 2.5 cups kale, steamed in the microwave (easier on my stomach), sliced carrots, avocado and topped with quinoa (1/4 cup dry). I’d also drizzled some Vanilla Fig Balsamic that I bought at Home Goods this weekend (Lindsay and Kelsey got the same bottle) and it made the dish!
As an afternoon snack, I had a Quest Bar and the other half of my apple (un-pictured) that went into my breakfast. After seeing Quest Bars on Molly’s blog (and a few other places), I wanted to give them a try (the flavors sound so good!). Big props to Lindsay who got me a few from her gym!
Um. This was really good. As Molly mentioned, it’s kind of a weird texture, but you get used to it. It really did taste like peanut butter and jelly! I can’t wait to try some more. Warning though, they cost almost $3 a pop so… be weary.
I also had a coffee to get me through the day while waiting for my last class to start.
For dinner I sautéed some carrots, Southern Greens from Trader Joes, and a TJs Spicy Jalapeno chicken sausage. I also had a piece of Udi’s bread with mashed avocado on top.
For dessert, I made a bowl of peach sorbet (peaches, a bit of almond milk, ice, stevia, a bit of salt, & xanthan gum blended in the Vitamix), with my chocolate protein topping (cocoa powder, stevia and protein powder).
And then…. WOAH! Big change! Haha a little bit later I had another bowl of peach sorbet! This stuff is too good.
Creature of habit right here.
Have you ever had a Quest bar or amaranth?
What’s your favorite lunch to pack?
woohoo! glad you got to try the quest bar. they’re an expensive habit i’m not sure i can keep up (especially since i have a pretty big financial goal brewing up in here) but still – a nice treat when you can have them. also i don’t think i’ll stop WIAW posting either – even if i’m terrible about remembering to take pictures, i like to read others so much and it’s nice to have a blog post already set, just like you said 🙂 that cinnamon toast looks so delicious and i can’t wait for the amaranth post. you do no wrong for me in terms of breakfast recipes (helloooooo sweet potatoes and eggs/pumpkin oats) so i’m sure i’ll give that recipe a shot too when you post it. great day of eats!
Haha I’m so bad about taking pictures too! I try and do it way ahead of time but it’s hard!
That peach sorbet sounds so YUM. doesthe xanthum gum just thicken it up a bit?
Do you think a blender would do the same?
A regular blender will not do the same, I feel so guilty for putting these up sometimes. If you do it in a regular blender with no ice and use a frozen banana or mango, then it will be a much thicker consistency, and the xantham gum does thicken it up a bit but don’t put too much or it has a really weird taste (1/4 tsp). Before I got the vitamix I would make the protein ice cream from Heather Eats Almond Butter and really loved that! You can add peach or any fruit to it.
I have not tried a Quest bar yet but they have been all over the blog world! I’m hoping to get to GNC soon to try a flavor! I’m thinking cookie dough 🙂
Oooo they have them at GNC? I should check that out, there’s one near my gym!
You had me at Peach Sorbet 😉 – not like it was warm enough around here but still …
Okay, I guess I might just have to give quinoa another try as your lunch looks so simple but good. My lunches to pack are usually curries of some kind, not-too-soup dal or vegetable stews.
Haha I always have my cold treats even though it’s cold here in Chicago! And a curry sounds so good, I don’t think I’ve ever made one myself!
I’m slowly making my way through a box of Quest bars – I haven’t had the PB and jelly one yet though. I agree that the texture is a little weird, but honestly – stick it in the microwave for 15 seconds. It makes for a huge difference.
And I don’t think I’ll be stopping with WIAW anytime soon either…it gives me a set post during the week and they seem to get good responses!
Hmm maybe I’ll try that, although I tend to eat my bars in class or on the go so a microwave doesn’t work well with that. I’ll have to have one at home to give it a try!
I haven’t tried quest bars. I normally eat a snack at work and make lunch when i get home but I love to bring vegetables, string cheese, and sometimes half peanut butter sandwich.
I really need to buy some string cheese, I love snacking on it. However, I pull it apart when I eat it and always feel like I look weird… haha
That quinoa salad looks incredible!!!
Omg it was sooooo good! And all because of this balsamic, haha I’m so glad I threw it together the night before!
I have never heard of amaranth. For school I pack a huge vegetable medley with carrots, cucumbers, celery sticks, and tomatoes with a hard boiled egg and to go humus. I have class back to back and thank god my professor lets us eat during class! Peach sorbet sounds yummy!
That’s great that you can eat during class, I usually have to and try to be “incognito”!
I’ve been seeing the quest bars everywhere lately. Honestly processed bars like that just don’t appeal to me because I can only imagine all of the ingredients they have. But, again, being honest, I would love to try one if I didn’t think they’d bother me. The PBJ one would be at the top of my list for sure, along with the strawberry (or is it rasberyy?) cheesecake flavor that Meg said tastes like nutrigrain bars… I loved nutrigrain bars.
You made me curious to look up the ingredients (here’s a link: http://www.questproteinbar.com/ingredients/?gclid=CI2P1Jry1rUCFYs7MgodjC8A0g) They actually have way fewer ingredients than I would imagine!
You’re right. Not as bad as I would have thought. The only thing that would concern me (other than the whey with dairy issues) is the splenda. That’s great that they don’t contain aspartame though!
Splenda? I didn’t see that on there, haha and that’s something I’d notice because it’s made with sorbitol and wreaks havoc on my digestive system! (as does aspartame… ick).
Ya, on the Vanilla Bar’s ingredients list there is sucralose at the bottom. Sadly it’s just another name for splenda -_-
Ah okay. Weird that it didn’t bother me, maybe it’s just sorbital and not sucralose? I also didn’t eat the vanilla bar, maybe it’s only in some… I’ll have to investigate! Thanks for pointing it out!
That Quinoa mix looks fantastic!
for lunch I am a salad or sandwich person! haha but im really excited because i have some leftover veggie pizza today!
Oooo leftover pizza is the best! Enjoy your lunch today!
That vinegar is so good- I put it on everything, somethings even directly on my tongue..
Omg I want to go back and stock up. I’m already like 1/5th through the bottle.
As good as a bar is, I’d go broke for $3 a pop! I eat at least one protein bar a day, and I don’t think I could make them that big a part of my budget! Look good though 🙂
I know, I was shocked when I found out how much they were!
I’ve been hearing all sorts of great things about these Quest bars lately, but knowing they go for 3 bucks a pop makes me nervous to try them. Haha. What if I like them a lot and want them all the time?!?!
Haha you should be nervous, I really like them and they have great nutritional stats – plenty of protein and fiber for not very many calories (most come in around 20g of protein and 160 calories).
I’m glad you like the quest bars! That fig balsamic is so good! I used it to roast sweet potatoes and they tasted fabulous!
Like I said to Kelsey, I want to go back and stock up. Seriously, I’m addicted.
Yummy eats!
I spy parenthood in the background! 🙂
Haha I was definitely watching Parenthood! #addicted
mmm all your eats look really good; that peach sorbet looks amazing – such a big delicious looking portion too.
ive never had amaranth before but ive tried a few quest bars; i love them! just wish they were easier to get in the UK
That’s what I love about the sorbet – just a cup or so of frozen peaches goes a long way!
SO many good toast toppings! I love topping my toast with mashed avocado (and salsa!), and cinnamon and sugar toast is theeee best. I have not eaten that in forever, though. Thanks for the reminder :).
Haha I’m all about the toast toppings!
oh man quest bars are amazing, I just can’t find them near me. jealous they were at someone’s gym!
I’ve heard from another commentor that they sell them at GNC, if you have those you could check it out!
Quest bars are my absolute fav and the nutritionals are great. I won some last year in a blog giveaway and ever since I have been hooked. I really love the cashew coconut, but I recently got the sampler pack and have been making my way through. The PB &J is still is still there, so I’m going to give it a try soon. I like the texture…super chewy like nougat.
They do have the best stats, and I really want to try the cashew coconut! Did you order the sampler pack online?
I feel the same way with WIAW. I post them every week, and usually contain similar meals, but I think they’re fun to do and I also love seeing what other people eat.
Exactly, I love reading other people’s so why ever stop?
Vanilla fig balsamic??? Omg have to hit up home good stat to see if they have that! My fav lunch to pack is leftovers haha, like pasta or stir frys since it’s super simple to throw some dinner into a container for the next day 😉
I’m now going to Home Goods for all my cooking needs!
I have yet to try amaranth but you need to write more about it, I can’t wait for the recipe. I wonder how it tastes.
I really like the Quest bars. I don’t like all the flavors though, I tried only like 3 or 4 from GNC, and I really like the chocolate brownie the most. I tastes very close to a brownie but you have to remember to microwave it for 15-20 seconds otherwise your teeth may be broken. I tried a banana nut muffin flavor too (not too crazy about it) and a cinnamon bun (not impressed either). But I wanna try that pb&J flavor!
They have it in the bulk bin at the Whole Foods near North if you want to try it out. Lol and I didn’t microwave mine, but I tend to break them apart with my hands instead of biting in.
I’m a creature of habit too–I have a bowl of fro yo at least 3 nights per week. SOOO good!
Those Questbars do look tasty–I think there is a caramel one? Mmm!
I haven’t jumped on the WIAW yet, but maybe one day I will? I just hate feeling like I MUST take pictures of my food. For some odd reason? Esp since I feel like I eat a bit weird sometimes. HAH! How do you get over that?
I agree – sometimes I hate having to take pictures all day and usually in those cases I’ll try and do a “compilation” of sorts, like best things to eat for… or breakfasts lately, etc. And I eat really weird, which is why I either preface the post with that (like last week’s serious snacking on Saturday) or I choose days where I’m busy all day and have to pack food (like today’s) so I have more set meals and snacks.
I love mashed avo on toast [or rice cakes] – especially sprinkled with some parm cheese! And I got a box of Quest Bars yesterday so I’m psyched to finally get the chance to try them 😀
Oooo now I need to get some parmesan cheese because that sounds so good!
I love taking salads or soups to work. Your lunch looks fantastic!
It was so good, and simple to make! Salads are my favorite to bring.
I tried amaranth a while ago but found it really weird! I couldn’t get away with it to be honest! That sorbet looks yum!
I can’t say it was my favorite grain, but I liked it!
I am really craving quinoa now for some reason. I have a rainbow bag in my cupboard that is begging to be busted open! I also love the pb&j quest bars, definitely one of my favourite flavours.
Bust open that quinoa!! I love having it around to make quick meals.
I wish I had a vitamix! That sorbet looks delish!
It’s pretty much amazing… I wish everyone had one.
I’ve had a baggie of amaranth sitting in my pantry for a while now, but I’m always so iffy when it comes to trying new grains because I never know if I’m cooking them properly 😆 And it looks so small and grainy, so I’m not even sure I’d be big on the texture.
You’ll never know until you try! And if you hate it? Scrap it and make something else!
Those protein bars sound good! I haven’t seen them around by me, but I’ll have to keep my eyes open! I’m loving my steamed veggies bowl with chicken and cheese, or my spinach power salads!
Ooo veggies, chicken and cheese sounds simple but delicious!
Your dinner looks amazing! Also love those Quest Bars!
Thanks, Natalie! And I’m so glad I found Quest Bars!
Lurker here, de-lurking because I love Quest bars and must share with everyone that you can get them on Amazon and iHerb for 25 dollars/ box! That’s only 2 bucks per bar (haha still $$$ but better than $3)!
Ooooo thanks for the tip!!! I LOVE Amazon!
Looks yummy!!!! 🙂 My favorite lunch to pack (and also favorite dinner/lunch to eat at home is roasted sweet potato, zucchini, bell peppers, some chickpeas, spinach all mixed up with some red pesto!!! I like to put tofu or vegetarian soy ‘mince meat’ in too. And I just remembered that I forgot to put spinach in as I’m making it as we speak so thank you for asking that question! 😀
and I forgot to close the bracket after at home I hate it when that happens. 😀
I really wanted to like Quest bars, and I love the stats, but I just couldn’t get over the texture, and I didn’t think the taste was that great either! Just goes to show that everyone’s different! =)
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