Dear Rain:
That’s enough, I think. You’ve had your fun, but the constant downpours in the morning are wreaking havoc on my breakfast pictures, and the unbearable humidity is wreaking havoc on my running capabilities, leaving me breathless and uber sweaty. Please find another state to annoy.
Best,
IGE
Ok, seriously – I am over the rain! Luckily it hasn’t been starting until after my Mom and I get back from our morning walks, but the insane, over the top humidity levels during the rest of the day is making running pure torture. I was drowning in sweat during my run last night – brutes! It’s supposed to clear up, for at least a couple days, this afternoon. Cross your fingers! 
In other news, you guys are smoothie STUDS. I got so many great ideas from the concoctions you shared yesterday! There are a ton that caught my eye, but the ones involving chocolate especially caught my attention and inspired this morning’s breakfast of a Peanut Butter Mocha Smoothie!
In the mix:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee, chilled
- 1 Tablespoon dark chocolate peanut butter
- 1 Tablespoon almond butter
Served in a stemless wine glass, because everything’s better in stemless stemware. 
This was SWEET and CHOCOLATEY and, if you like dessert for breakfast, this will totally hit the spot. For everyone else? Maybe we reserve it for an after dinner dessert…
I packed the second of my “chop once, eat twice” salads for lunch today – a Kitchen Sink Salad. As in, everything’s in there, but the kitchen sink!
In the mix:
- Mixed greens
- Spinach
- Cucumber
- Roma tomato
- Carrots
- Blueberries
- Green onions
- Peanuts
I’m telling you, peanuts make my salad world go round. My Dad first turned me on to adding chopped peanuts in my salad. They cost, well, peanuts and the flavor bursts through everything else in the mix. Salty, crunchy, yummy.
People always ask if I use dressing on my salads. I do, but never mention/show it because I keep a couple bottles at work to add right before I eat. Right now I’m alternating between Bisignano’s Italian Dressing (local company) and Trader Joe’s Light Raspberry Vinaigrette. I think I’ll go Rasp today!
Rounded out with a cup of crunchy, lightly-sweetened Life Cereal,
and a plum. Fun fact: I used to be allergic to plums! I grew out of the allergy when I was a teenager – thank God – because plums are legit.
In other news, look. at. the. size. of. this. zucchini. 
Indecent I tell you!!! It came from my Mom’s garden and is literally thicker than my thigh! I want to make zucchini bread with some of it – I LOVE this recipe - but do you have any go-to recipes for this versatile veggie?
~~~~~
Giveaway Winners
Fab news – Swanson Vitamins upped the ante and are giving away TWO canisters of Vanilla Whey Protein Powder instead of one - whee! Congrats to:
Maggie: As much fruit as I can pack into my blender is what I like in my smoothies!
allison @ livingoneday: oooooh delish looking lunch!!! i made a smoothie this morning with frozen acai concentrate (from TJs), blueberries, a little cranberry juice, and ice. DELISH and full of antioxidants! so refreshing, too
Email me your address at IowaGirlEats@gmail.com and we’ll get your protein powder out to you in the mail!
~~~~~
Off to start another day. Be on the look-out for a quick, late post tonight, hopefully about the MOST AMAZING EVENING EVER!!!!! DTC (details to come!)
~~~~~
Are you a glass half empty, or a glass half full kind of person? It’s ok to be honest!
In general, I am a glass half full kind of person. When things get rough, I usually have the ability to recognize that they could be much, much worse.
Ok, WOW at that smoothie!! It sounds AMAZE! Must. Try.
80% of the time I’m glass half full – the other 20%, glass half empty. It used to be the other way around though, so I’m getting there!!
That banana peanut butter mocha smoothie looks interesting; may have to give that a try!
Re: Zucchini—Other than just steaming it and serving it as a side, I have two go-to recipes that include it. One is Sloppy Joe Rotini, which I got out of a recipe booklet years ago. It’s not the classiest recipe, but I bump up the health factor by adding extra veg—especially onion and bell pepper. I use Barilla Plus rotini for some extra fiber and vitamins (it’s a compromise with teh husband, who won’t eat the whole wheat stuff). And then … I knock the health factor back down a peg by topping it with 2% cheese. And a dash of chipotle Tabasco sauce.
Next: this Spaghetti with Asparagus, Egg, and Parmesan, subbing summer squash for the asparagus now that squash is in season and asparagus isn’t. I throw in some mushrooms as well. I’m obsessed with this and would eat it every week if I could.
That smoothie looks delicious! I will definitely have to try one with coffee. I like to make iced coffee drinks and your smoothie combined the two, love it!
Your salad and cup of Life cereal reminded me of a restaurant we visited in Wyoming that served Life cereal right ON our salads instead of croutons! It was really good and added a nice crunch!
I totally feel ya on the humidity! It’s craziness and it needs to stop…but it looks like it’s here to stay! Boo.
Really, though, I’m a glass half full kind of gal. A little humidity can’t ruin my day. There’s pretty much always something positive to take away from an experience.
oh man. i think i need to get out more. i legit saw my name as a winner and got super flustered!! this is so exciting bc i am DYING over the last of this protein that i’ve been trying to finish!! thanks so much! also, here is a recipe for my grammy’s zucchini bread – it’s an old church recipe and it’s more savory than sweet, but SO delicious!! http://livingoneday.wordpress.com/2010/05/17/grammys-zucchini-bread/
oh and i’m definitely a glass-half-full person. my poor boyfriend hates it when he wants to complain about something and all i say is, “it’s not the end of the world. it could be much worse. at least you have a job. you’re healthy. you have a lot more than other people,” etcetc. we just all have to put things into perspective sometimes!
We made zucchini-onion bread & butter pickes last year and they were *amazing*! I especially liked them with saltines & colby cheese.
They had a perfect pickle consistency with a little bit extra depth over cucumber pickles.
Here’s the recipe we used: http://www.lelonopo.com/2009/08/as-we-continue-along-squash-highway.html
definitely a glass half full. i have my negative days and my “what am i gonna dooooo” moments but i usually snap back quickly and like you said, KNOW that it could be worse.
zuchini monster!
which do you think is worse running in the humidity or in the HOT SUN? i ran in soup like conditions this am and i honestly dont know if i can pick which is worse!
ps. barbara’s has a cereal very similar to life! i have been buying it at trader joes…soo yummy! takes me back to my childhood. speaking of childhood, your nephew is edible!
soooooo cute!
Glass half full…most days! Especially if one of these muffins are close by – can’t recommend these enough…although I think they are more like cupcakes than muffins…from the great folks @ Penzey’s: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/recipes/r-penzeysChocolateZucchiniMuffins.html
Glass half full! Even when things aren’t going the way we like, I ALWAYS try to find some positive in it and be optimistic. Change is inevitable. The peanut butter mocha smoothie looks amazing! I cannot wait to try it!!
I like to make warm zucchini salad. I slice the zucchini sort of thin, then saute it with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Saute it until it’s tender with a little bit of crunch left.
At the very end, add some fresh chopped Italian parsley and mint.
It’s quite tasty!
I finally put peanuts in my salad yesterday at lunch and I loved it!!!
always, *always* half full…sometime a quarter full if necessary. it’s one of the things i’m most grateful for in life. <3
ps that smoothie looks ridiculoussssss. so hungry right now!
My eyes just POPPED OPEN at your smoothie. I am SO going to the store after work to get a banana and milk, I have everything else already! Anything with coffee excites me to no end!!!
I cannot wait for tomorrow morning now!!!!!!! HURRY THURSDAY!!!
By the way, that zucchini, whoa. Whoa is all I will say.
I love Kitchen Sink Salads! I had one last week and it was awesome! The more stuff you throw in there, the better it tastes! LOL!
1) i second your letter to the rain. hate it. the humidity in the midwest is awwwful!
2) glass 1/2 full. and sometimes it drives my husband nuts
I love zucchini bread! Definitely a glass 1/2 full person. I always try to be upbeat.
Runs seem slower and harder!
Can’t wait for the humidity to go down. I can’t seem to cool down during my runs. The sweat just stays on the skin and clothes because there is too much moisture in the air and it doesn’t want to evaporate. No sweat evaporation = body not able to cool down properly
If it’s any consolation, it’s been just as rainy over here in Deutschland. Ugh.
I bet the smoothie helps… it looks delicious!
I like to think I’m glass half full, but we all have our days…
I hear you on the rain. The only thing that’s been worse than the rain and non-stop humidity was the second month of my high electric bill-OMG-it was over the top!
As for zucchini, let me count the ways, lol! I asked my sister for some vegetables from her garden last year and she gave me a zucchini that was two feet long last year. I had enough zucchini for everything. Here are some ideas:
1) Zucchini/Olive Flatbread Pizza recipe-This recipe is awesome! I skip the olives but it’s basically a thin crust pizza minus the sauce. You make a thin crust pizza dough (I make my own buy you could buy a pre-made one like Mama Mary’s whole wheat which is made with all natural ingredients-go to the website and use the locator to find a retailer near you.) and add zucchini, mozzarella and another cheese along with fresh oregano. You could use dried oregano however I highly recommend getting some fresh oregano-it will knock this recipe out of the park. I can’t tell you how much I love this recipe. You can use this recipe as an appetizer when friends come over or in addition to a salad as a meal. I’ve made it for my friends and they all LOVE it! Here’s the link-it’s by Giada of the Food Network.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/zucchini-and-olive-flatbread-recipe/index.html
2) Barilla Whole Grain Whole Wheat Rotini with Zucchini-Recipe is on the box. For one person, use 1/3 or 1/2 cup of pasta and cook it in the pot. About seven minutes before it’s done, I add broccoli to the pot (I like to throw in another veggie!). Drain, then add in your garlic/zucchini you cooked on the stove and some pasta sauce. It’s delicious. Make a larger portion and you can have another “Cook once, eat twice recipe.”
3) George Foreman Power Burgers- 1 1/8 pound of ground beef ( I use bison but you could use chopped sirloin.) Add 1/2 cup zucchini, 1/4 cup yellow squash, 1/4 cup carrots and 1/4 cup chopped onion, salt and pepper. I usually cook all of my veggies first in a pan with olive oil (onions, zucchini, squash) and cook carrots separately, although you could just use canned, chopped carrots and not have to cook them in advance.
4) Add it to home made pizza as well (I make my own pizza.).
5) Add it to meatloaf (I make it with ground bison.).
6) Add it to sloppy joes (I make my own recipe.)
7) Add it to veggie burgers-I have a recipe I created that uses lots of veggies.
That’s enough for now, lol! Enjoy!
Send some of that rain up to Minnesota! We keep having 90% humidity in the mornings, but my grass is starting to dry up. Love the blueberries on that salad — so many colors!
I think I go back and forth between half full and half empty, depending on the day. Love the idea of a mocha smoothie – love the extra caffeine boost! Hope the skies clear up for you soon!
Half Full! I even have a glass that says “half full” on the side of it. I always drink my smoothies from it!
http://seraph.bigcartel.com/product/half-full-glass
Zucchini boats are great when you slice in half and scoop out the insides. And there is of course chocolate zucchini cake
OK, first of all your smoothie looks fabulous! Maybe a quick trip to Trader Joe’s is in the works for today so I can pick up fixings.
Secondly, zucchini – I absolutely LOVE zucchini in veggie lasagna. It’s my favorite vegetable that goes in the mix (red and yellow or orange pepper, yellow summer squash, mushrooms, and onion), so with a zucchini that big…well, heavens!! You could make four batches of lasagna AND still have plenty to put into the homemade tomato sauce! Yum! Too bad it’s way too hot to turn on the oven, or this is exactly what I’d be making tonight.
Lastly, I’m totally a glass half full person…except when it comes to landing a job. Then I’m a little more of a glass half empty gal. But something has to come along, right? (Ok, maybe I am entirely a glass half full person.)
Totally glass half full!
When I first glanced at that salad I thought it was a bowl of Skittles! Hahaha! Proof that it really is suuuper colorful today!
I make zucchini bread and substitute most of the oil w/ applesauce. You can throw in some walnuts and chocolate chips, too
Yes, I do! My dad made zucchini parmesan with a 4.5# zucchini – recipe posted soon!
Glass half empty. Hard to admit, but I’m working on it. I’m a perfectionist, so I tend to zero in on everything that is WRONG about a situation & then become obsessed with fixing it.
I feel like I’m usually a glass half empty type of person. I hate getting my hopes up only to have them crushed!
A day late but here’s a smoothie I like for breakfast:
-8 oz unsweetened vanilla almond breeze.
-1/3 cup of uncooked oats
-Scoop of vanilla protien powder
-1 cup frozen bluebs
-a couple handfulls of spinach
Warning: Bring dental floss if you take it on the go!
I bought a box of Life this past weekend because I’ve been seeing it on you blog. I usually don’t buy it because it is like crack to me, I’m sure it will be gone in not time!
I try to be a glass half full person. But like you, when the going gets tough, it takes me little to no time to turn into the glass half empty type of person. Something to work on!
Love the smoothie idea!
As a fellow runner, trying desperately to get back to qualifying times for the Boston Marathon, I hear you on the rain! It takes several mental tricks to make myself excited to jog in the rain or humidity. I sometimes can get myself amped up by pursuing afternoon jogs in torturous conditions as a test of my strength. That I am a true athlete overcoming not just laziness at the end of the work day but unbearable conditions as well. It also incorporates some adventure into my life. I LOVED how you have been quoting your mantra lately “Pain is temporary, Accomplishment is Forever!” keep up the great inspiration!!!!!
I am a half full girl! YAY!
Holy moly, I think you’re really on to something with the brewed coffee in that blended mix. I must try it!
I’m generally a glass is 1/2 empty person, or a realist as I like to say. But over the past few years I’m getting closer to being a 1/2 full kinda gal.
holy huge zucchini!!! you’ll be eating zucchini for days!
your salads never cease to amaze me! alway so colorful, vibrant, and…..pretty!
The rain can come here! Here it’s been in the 100′s for the past few days and on into the weekend.
I think I tend to be a glass half empty kind of person, but I’ve been trying to change that lately. There’s not point in dwelling on things I can’t change. Your pictures are always so well done, I love looking at them.
I love your blog!!!
I have tried so many of your recipes out and the hubby adores each and everyone in fact I am making the Bruchetta Burgers again tonight! Thank you!
As for the zucchini I have used huge ones like the one you have in in the past and replaced it for the lasagna noodles in any lasagna recipe you have on hand. Just slice the zucchini into thin slices and use them as you would the noodles.
Good luck and have fun with it. So many ways you can use it!
That smoothie looks to die for. I’m a definitely okay with having dessert for breakfast!
I always tend to be a ‘glass half empty’ person but I’m trying to work around that!
Zucchini on steroids!! Wow!
I am a glass half-empty kind of person, to others. I had a friend point out that I’m a bit negative most of the time but in reality I just find humor in sarcasm a lot of the time. I’d rather talk about my bad days in a humorous light rather than brag and rub the good ones in my friends’ faces. Ha, that made sense to him but it doesn’t seem to make sense now! In reality though, I’m a happy and positive person!
Have you ever tried that peanut butter substitute PB2?? I have been reading a ton about it but wanted the opinion of someone who loves peanut butter as much as I do!
Thicker than your thigh?! OMG, you know I hate you now, right?!.
J/K
Once a guy asked me out on a date by giving me a huge zuch b/c I told him it was my favorite veggie. Strange, but true. I declined.
Ohhh and I’m usually 3/4 full!
That salad looks amazing! I often add sunflower kernels or almonds to salads, but peanuts = awesome idea. I will definitely do that soon!
It’s crazy to me how there is so much rain up there and so much sun (we’re talking 106 degrees) and a drought down here (in Texas)! I hope the rain lets up soon for you!
Healthy Honey, Hungry Hubby
oh my – how awesome does that smoothie look!!!!
Sad to say, we would LOVE some of that rain you are getting, to come here in Kansas! It is so dry, the yard is cracking! Plus it doesn’t help that its been 105-109 degrees for several days now. Oh well, it’s either too much rain, or not enough, love the blog, your posts are great!
I stive every day to have a glass 1/2 full attitude! I’ll admit, some days are harder than others, but at least I give it my best every day.
I have been making this recipe for zucchini bread and my 2 year old who believes its cake. I like that is uses WW flour and some unsweetened applesauce.
http://hiphostessblog.com/2008/07/20/whole-wheat-zucchini-bread/
PS Instead of 2 cups of sugar, I have been splitting 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar. Turns out just fine.
Raising said 2 year old has turned me from a glass-half-empty to a cup-runneth-over type of person.
I love that you are REusing containers! Most Awesome!
I was just reading over your post from today and I think I have a guess about what you are doing tonight. Is it hot air ballooning? I know you mentioned how much you would like to do this! Hope you had fun whatever it was:)
Ran into this recipe yesterday and thought it looked fabulous since I’d just made a huge batch of pesto AND it’s Goat Cheese Month!
Zucchini stuffed with Goat Cheese and Pesto!
http://geniuscook.com/zucchini-stuffed-with-goat-cheese-and-pesto-sauce-recipe/
mmm! i have to try that smoothie!
and i know what you mean about the squash! my gma has been bringing us a few a week that are THAT huge. some actually BIGGER! i’m trying to find new things to make with them!
mmm that salad is so colorful!
as for zucchini recipes, I just made awesome zucchini pancakes that will be on the blog soon…seriously AMAZING! also,i love these little muffins: http://www.thesweetslife.com/2010/06/mini-zucchini-cakes-with-walnuts.html and we love zucchini as a pizza topper