First and foremost, thank you all for your amazing support on my quest to stop biting my poor lil’ fingernails! In fact, your well wishes kept me from gnawing away at my nails several times today, and for that, I thank you. I do have to give a special shoutout to my friend Tracey, who told me via Facebook that she appreciated the linkage between Jungle Red and IMDB’s page for Mrs. Doubtfire. Love you Trackey!
Anyways…I only have 11 precious minutes to write this post, so let’s get crackin’.
Three Things That Made Me Happy Today
Thing #1: Hot oatmeal for breakfast, which hasn’t happened in a verrryyyy long time. Downed with a hot cuppa joe, I was almost sweating when I was done eating it.
1/2 cup oats
1 cup water + 1 egg (scrambled in)
1 diced apple
cinnamon
maple syrup
sunflower seed butter
But I didn’t.
So worth it.
Thing #2: Foods that are mashed to a baby food-like consistency, including the ultimate vegan mashed potatoes + sweet mashed butternut squash. Like my 4-Ingredient Pizza Dough recipe, I have to give credit to my friend Steph on the mashed ‘taters. She is the genius behind that idea; the other one I proudly claim as my own.
For the mashed potatoes, simply boil 1 lb. red potatoes until fork tender. Add 1 T minced garlic, 1/3 cup Tofutti Better than Sour Cream and 1 t salt. Top with sliced leeks (or green onions), and devour this vegan masterpiece. I swear, they will be the creamiest taters you’ve ever had.
For the mashed squash, simply roast 1 butternut squash at 400 degrees until fork tender. Scoop out the insides, add 1 T pure maple syrup, 1 t cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg, pinch of ginger and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Scarf.
Thing #3: Presents from generous people like Brett’s friends Garet + Bertz (you may recognize them from this post), who sent me a bottle of the world famous Arthur Bryant’s BBQ sauce. It is apparently a Missouri food institution and out-of-this-world delicious.
You can expect to see this regularly on the blog from here on out – especially since the ingredients list ain’t too shabby either.
Real ingredients? Me likes.
My lovely friend Lauren (also known as the sweet, caring and inventive mastermind behind the blog Say What You Need to Say), sent me the cutest dang card ever…
…alongside a six-pack of Zevia!
She somehow remembered that I like this stevia-sweetened soda and shared this variety pack with me. Thank you SO much Lauren! Seriously, if you haven’t already, check out her blog. She has some of the most inventive food combinations ever; I have a list of them written down somewhere to try.
There you have it: three things that made me happy today.
I have to admit that there is one thing that made me truly ECSTATIC today…
The return of Glee!
I LOVED it.
And I can guarantee one thing that is going to make me very happy tomorrow: rewatching it and having a Lady GaGa sing-off between Rachel, Sunshine and myself.
Bring. It. On.
{ 24 comments }
I missed Glee oh so very very much. And yes, every person who lives in a 150 mile radius of Kansas City knows Arthur Bryants is where it’s at. I need more KC BBQ in my life.
nice zevia and note from a sweetie :)
and coffee is kinda only hot enough in my book if when im done drinking it, i truly am sweating LOL
xoxo
Oh nice! That bowl of oats is sweet! Right now Sunbutter is my favorite.
BBQ sauce goes on anything. Try it in a sweet potato sometime!
Mmmm, I miss oatmeal! Today’s the first rainy day I’ve encountered in Amman; I’ll definitely be having a cup of tea when I get home. And the next time I’m at a grocery store, I’ve decided that I’m going to suck it up and buy the one little jar of peanut butter they stock. I miss it too dang much!
Glee was awesome last night :)
Awww, you are so sweet and so very welcome my darling friend! :) I hope today, there are 3000 things that make you happy because you deserve it! :)
Isn’t Lauren just the sweetest? Love that girl! The mashed goodness looks amazing. And comes at an AWESOME time- as I have a whole BN squash sitting in the fridge and I was trying to figure out how I wanted to use it. Thank you thank you.
I just discovered sunflower seed butter! Did you use Sunbutter? MMMMMMMMM….so good :)
Looks like you had a really great day. Happy for you!
The “Telephone” piece was by far the best of the night. And I seriously cannot wait for the Britney Spears montage. Incredible.
I was studying all last night, so I couldn’t watch Glee. I wanted to truly appreciate it and not watch it distracted! Still made me happy that it’s back on. I wish I could make custard oats in my dorm! Le sigh.
Lauren is such a sweetie! :) She and I live in the same area and have been wanting to do a meet up for awhile now! Glad these things could but a grin on that cute everythingitarian face of yours!
Glee was amazinggg! I can’t wait for next weeks episode :)
totally passed on Glee for the new One Tree Hill! I’m going to have to switch it up each week or just keep up online :)
Oh my word, I want those mashed-baby-foods side by side so badly. Those vegan mashed taters look out of this world. I will definitely be making those sometime soon. I was also ecstatic about the return of The Biggest Loser last night…like giddy all day. Is it sad that TV plays such a role in my life?
Hope your day is happy today, too! :-)
I love baby-edible foods, so your lunch is one of the things making ME happy today.
Glee was indeed delightful! I can’t wait for the Britney episode!
Thanks so, so much for you wonderful comment this morning my love! It absolutely made me as happy as can be. You are such a great blog friend and we will indeed someday meet and it will be harmonious! I will say that barring some potential life changes there’s more than a 50% chance I’ll be at Foodbuzz this year. I really hope it happens!
Have a wonderful day!
Seriously. Cinnamon apple oatmeal is like crack during the fall. I made some last week and wondered why I hadn’t ever made it before. With a little melted nut butter on top… doesn’t get much better!
Come visit Kansas City and you can have all the great BBQ your heart desires… including Arthur Bryant’s. We’re really good at the not-so-healthy stuff, so Stroud’s fried chicken is a must-visit as well. I have two crazy dogs and a spare bedroom…
ZEVIA MAKES ME PISS MY PANTS WITH HAPPINESS!! lol YUMMMM
ahh ur fall breakfast is delicious!! love the nutty drizzle ontop <3
xoxo
Food mashed to baby food like consitancy is the BEST!! espescially if it’s cereal….. maybe that’s just me! oops xx
I just wanted to say “YOU’RE AWESOME!” That’s all for now :)
I love BBQ sauce! Especially with hot squishy bread and or sweet potatoes. :)
I recently discovered Zevia for myself (gingerale) and LOVE it! Glad you had such a wonderful day :)
Fellow Zevia-lovin’, mashed butternut eatin’ Gleek here.
Whoa – scrambled egg mixed in with your oatmeal? Never heard of that before but now am dying to give it a try! Thanks for the idea!
I haven’t had oatmeal in such a long time. It looked delicious with the apple and cinnamon, not to mention the sunflower seed butter. Mr Quaker look out… here I come!
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