pantry & freezer week - day 5

Phew! Another day done.  Another day done without a run.  Let's just say I was not pleasant to be around. Sorry Nic!  The knee wasn't as bad today, but still hurt.  I am going to try to get in a run tomorrow to test the waters again - I hate not running!  I turn into a cranky biatch and I don't even like when I am a cranky biatch.

I also worked right up until 4:30 (after leaving the house around 7AM) gathering daffodil orders and getting everything organized and in the system.

After I wrapped that up, I headed to the Y to meet with a high schooler that I will be working with for the next three months as she takes steps to lose weight, gain strength and minimize pain.  I will be working out with her three days a week and really hope we can get some good results!

Today's breakfast was easy peasy - and delicious.  Sometimes you just need to go the simple route.  Toast with PB, orange and a banana.



A coffee was enjoyed on the road, as well as another banana before I made it home for lunch.

Lunch was a mix of leftovers - corn soup with some couscous mixed in and topped with black bean hummus. Served up with a simple salad with hummus dressing - well not exactly dressing, more like the last of the hummus mixed with a little water to thin it out - you can't waste good hummus!





I snacked on a chocolate peanut butter ball from last night and a bowl of Kashi with apple chunks and a blob of peanut butter.



Dinner was another pantry and freezer week winner!  This is what I had in mind when I decided to embark on this challenge.

Lentil Tacos - Kier style

I knew I wanted to use up some of the lentils we've had in our pantry for a while and decided lentil tacos would be a great idea.  I prepared the lentils with a few adaptations from this recipe (I used chipotle chili pepper instead of regular and water instead of stock since we had none).

We did not have any tortillas in the pantry or fridge, so I thought I would mix up some using the corn meal mix we had in the fridge.

In the mix::

• 1 1/3 cups corn meal mix 
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 2/3 cup water (?? forgot to write it down)

Mix everything together and let sit for a few minutes.  Welp, it was a good thought, but this mixture was not really conducive to tortilla making.  My first attempt resulted in a crumbled mess. Instead, I cranked the oven to 450* and created thick cornmeal discs.  I brushed each side with canola oil and sprinkled with salt.  These were baked on each side for about 5 minutes, until browned.

We topped these crispy little discs with mashed black beans (1 can black beans, red onion, garlic and cumin), spinach, lentils, corn, carrots, and onions.



Seriously delicious!  Way surpassed my expectations.

Dessert was another combination of some leftovers and pantry/fridge staples.

Banana Couscous Pudding



In the mix::

• 3/4 cup cooked couscous
• 1 banana - sliced
• 1/4 cup soy
• 2 eggs
• 2 T maple syrup
• 4 T oatmeal
• 2 T sliced almonds
• sprinkle cinnamon
• 1 t vanilla
• dash salt

In a medium bowl combine couscous and banana. In another bowl, mix the next 8 ingredients and then stir into couscous.  Top with another generous sprinkle of cinnamon.  Bake in a greased baking dish at 350* for about 30 minutes.

My idea for this dish was a bread pudding type dish.  It was not as pudding-y as I would have liked, which makes me think I could have left out the 4 tablespoons of oatmeal. I got worried though as it looked a little too liquidy without it.

Despite that - once this came out of the oven I topped my serving with a drizzle of maple syrup and devoured it.  Amazing.  I am looking forward to eating the rest for breakfast...unless Nic steals it and takes it to work.  NIC - are you eating my breakfast??



Time to enjoy a small pour of wine before I hit the hay - talk about an exciting Friday night!