Celebrate

Posted by : Tyler on 1:29 PM | 3 Comments

I waited to add a description to my blog because I actually wasn't quite sure what it was about when I made my first post. But I have since been considering why I am writing this blog. I plan on posting some recipes and sharing nutrition advice I think is interesting and relevant, but I decided the main reason I am writing this blog is to share my excitement about all the food I eat. I don't completely agree with the saying that you should eat to live rather than live to eat. Of course food is very important to give our bodies vital nourishment and energy (this is what I study everyday as a dietetics major), but it is also so much more. It is ingrained in our cultures and traditions. It can be a source of comfort. It can be an art form. And unfortunately, it can also be a source of anxiety and guilt with all the conflicting messages we are bombarded with on what we are supposed to eat.  Since I study and read about nutrition all the time, it is often hard not to become obsessed with it, so through this blog I want celebrate all good food (from fruits and veggies to chocolate cake) and fitness.  


To me, "good food" means real food that is delicious. It doesn't come from a drive through window, but it doesn't necessarily have to be gourmet cooking either (who has time for that everyday?).  The pleasures I get from good food are similar to how a good work out makes me feel, so it made sense to me to include fitness as something to be celebrated.

So in the spirit of celebration I would like to share with you the delicious lunch I had yesterday:

Whole wheat toast with avocado slices, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, and hummus.

Granny smith apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon and a spoonful of chunky almond butter.

Now off to buy some champagne. Happy New Year's Eve everyone!

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End of Holidays + Really Good Seafood!!

Posted by : Tyler on 3:03 PM | 3 Comments

First of all, I just wanted to say that I am loving this 60 degree weather in December! Great running weather! A friend and I rediscovered this gorgeous trail by the river that we used to run in high school, but they have since expanded it a little. Instead of the trail dead ending into a bunch of trees, it now leads you to this area next to some gigantic rocks overlooking the river. It was breathtaking!

Ok, now onto the food...

Before December is over, I would like to share some things I've been enjoying at home over the holidays. My mom was enticing me to hurry home after finals by telling me a had a surprise from Trader Joe's waiting for me. And it was.....


Gingerbread coffee! I've been enjoying this with a generous splash of milk every morning. Great incentive to get out of bed :)

We also have Trader Joe's cinnamon toasted almonds (little brother picked these out...nice job!) and egg nog ice cream!


Topped with whipped cream, freshly ground nutmeg, and pirouette wafers. Yes, Edy's can be gourmet!

Also, over the holidays I heard that Lara bar makes a gingersnap flavor! I went all over looking for one: none at Publix, none at Trader Joes, none at Fresh Market, but I finally found one at Kroger! Still on the search for a pumpkin spice Cliff bar. Haven't seen on of those yet...

Anyway, last night we had a fabulous dinner! We went to the Atlanta Fish Market, which had an enormous selection of fresh fish. They also had a lot of sushi, which we might have to go back and try another time. My favorite fish of all time is salmon (especially cedar plank salmon...oh yes!), but I decided that this would be a great place to try something new.  I had never had swordfish before, so I got the swordfish entree, which consisted of Carolina corn grits, green beans, mushroom, and cashew crusted black pepper swordfish. The waitress smiled when I ordered, which was a good sign.... it was incredible!
My dad got sole sauteed in a brown butter sauce, and my sister got broiled red snapper.


The red snapper.


The sole.

They were all incredibly fresh and perfectly cooked, but I think mine was the best :)
Oh, and of course we got dessert:

Chocolate Mousse Cake!!!! Can't even describe how delicious...omg I love chocolate!!

Ok that's all for now. I could talk about food all day, but now I'm going to go take my bike in to get a tune up! Thanks for reading!

P.S. Check out new pics on the side!!

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Salad Snob

Posted by : Tyler on 2:19 PM | 2 Comments

I love a truly good salad. Essential ingredients = really fresh veggies and a simple homemade vinaigrette. Good quality cheese, fresh (or dried) fruit, and nuts are some of my favorite additions that can add a lot of flavor even when you just use a little.

Things I think do not belong in salads: [Disclaimer: yes, I am a food snob]
  • Iceberg lettuce
  • Low-fat cheeses 
  • Bacon bits (doesn't taste like bacon, unsure of what these really are...)
  • Croutons from a box (homemade croutons = much better)
  • Ranch dressing (or really any commercially bottled dressing)
Once I learned how delicious and easy it is to make my own salad dressing, it became one of my favorite things to make. My default salad dressing that I make at least once a week consists of balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and a squirt of Dijon.  Only 3 ingredients, tastes delicious, and no need to measure. I love it :)

I branched out a little from my usual dressing when I found this great video demonstration while browsing NY Times online. It's made by one of their food writers who lives in a tiny apartment in NY city with a 11.5 square foot apartment. She is cute and funny and makes a simply amazing salad!! I had to make this salad immediately after watching this video, and it was the best salad I have had in a while. (It was also my first attempt at candied walnuts, which was very successful!) The salad dressing had walnut oil, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and Dijon mustard. She also dressed the salad by drizzling the dressing around the bowl (not on the salad) and then tossing it with her bare hands. Awesome!

I wanted to embed the video, but I am a novice blogger, and a little technologically retarded, so here is a link: Tiny Kitchen: Not-Greek Roquefort Salad. Hope you all are as inspired as I was and would love to hear about your favorite salads! And I promise I won't judge (too much) if you like ranch dressing...

Oh, and I am very excited because tonight I taking my dad to the Atlanta Fish Market! I plan on taking pictures and posting about it tomorrow :)

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Mmmm....quinoa

Posted by : Tyler on 11:02 AM | 2 Comments

One ingredient I have been trying to use more in my cooking is quinoa. It sort of looks like couscous, but it's so much better (in my opinion...). Its fluffier than couscous and has a nice nutty flavor. Looks like this when cooked:



The interesting thing about quinoa is that it is actually not a grain; it's a relative of leafy green veggies. It's also completely gluten free and a complete source of protein (it has all the essential amino acids, which is very unusual for a non-animal food product). 

Quinoa is sort of expensive and hard to find, so that's why I don't eat it as much as I'd like. The last time I ate quinoa was the night before the Thanksgiving Day Atlanta Half Marathon. My sister found this recipe: Quinoa Cakes with Eggplant-Tomato Ragù and Smoked Mozzarella, and we decided it would be a great pre-race dinner!

Cooking the quinoa cakes and sautéing veggies.


Close up on the veggies: eggplant, cherry tomatoes, onions, and red peppers :)

I dug into my meal before I thought to take a picture of the finished product (sorry!), but it did look gorgeous on the plate. And most importantly, it was delicious. However, I would definitely double the amount of cherry tomatoes next time!

Did it fuel us up well for the half marathon? Well, I didn't shatter any records, but I ran with some of my old friends from high school, and we had a great time chatting the whole way and felt great finishing in just under 2 hours (9 min miles? I'm bad at math...). 

I guess it's time to try another quinoa recipe, as that meal was about a month ago! I've been wanting to try this recipe from NY Times: Baked Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese. I will try to make this before I have to go back to school and will let you know it goes. And if anyone has any quinoa recipes they have tried and like, I would love to hear about it!

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First Post!!!

Posted by : Tyler on 3:24 PM | 5 Comments

Hello and welcome to my blog! 

I have recently become completely addicted to reading people's food blogs to the extent that I definitely need my own. Who knew that reading about what people eat everyday could be so fascinating! Hopefully other people might find my culinary adventures, food fantasies, and philosophies on health and nutrition as interesting as I find theirs :)

I am a senior in college (graduating in May, yikes!) currently studying to become a registered dietitian. I am also a foodie, a runner, a triathlete, and I like to take pictures of my food. This is often awkward in restaurants, but I've been doing it for years whenever I get a dish I am excited about. I am happy to know that there are others out there who share this habit.

This morning when I awoke from a food coma after 3 days of feasting on Christmas meals, went on an easy 5 mile run, and made one of my favorite light lunches: an open-faced avacodo and egg sandwich:

Frying the egg. (I am really enjoying using my parents' kitchen while home for the holidays. MUCH nicer than my apartment.)

Today I also added some slices of Gruyere cheese and sauteed some spinach. 

Avocado on organic nine grain bread.  Avocado = one of my favorite foods! :)

Ta da! All put together with a sprinkle of paprika.

And because I have to have something sweet after every meal (even breakfast...I'm a sugar addict!), here is a cup of Cinnamon Toast Crunch drizzled with plain yogurt and some fresh ground nutmeg:

I was pretty disappointed that we didn't have any Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls left over that my sister and I made for brunch yesterday, but this was actually pretty satisfying. 

Oh, P.S., I am obsessed with cinnamon! I put it on cereal, yogurt, coffee, oatmeal, bananas, apples, and sneak it into every baked good I make!

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

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