PB Jenny

HAPPY WIHBEBFTSYW, honey bears! As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t do the whole “food diary” thing, so rather than featuring a day’s worth of eats WIAW style, I’m going to post “what I have been eating but forgot to show you” (aka, WIHBEBFTSYW) Just rolls off the tongue, huh?

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grilled cheese and tomato with chicken, avocado, carrots, and kettle corn

english muffin with egg salad,avocado, popcorners, carrots, and sugar snap peas

Katie’s vanilla ice cream with crushed grahams and dark chocolate crumbles

chocolate chip cookies for one (recipe’s coming atcha later!)

snackplate: cottage cheese, raspberries, pretzels, honey bunny grahams, almond butter

seasoned cod, salad with ranch, string cheese, spaghetti mixed with hummus and a pat of butter

Looking back through these pictures makes me realize how completely random some of my meals are and I love it. i’ve really been striving to honor my body and focus on it’s cravings rather than creating the “perfect meal”. Admittedly, grilled cheese and popcorn or pasta with fish and string cheese is a little out of the norm – but really? normalcy is so lame. Perhaps my meals weren’t the perfect ratio or carbs/protein/fat. Perhaps they weren’t comprised of 100% whole, unprocessed foods. I’ll tell you one thing, though, they were tasty.

I found this article the other day about “The Perfect Diet” and I really think that it brings up some valid points in terms of people’s tendencies to judge other’s food choices and the fact that there is definitely no “one standard of eating” that is appropriately applicable to everyone. I’d love to hear anyone’s feedback about the article!

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Do you follow dietary guidelines or try to honor your bodies cravings as much as possible? I know some people’s bodies respond a lot better to high fat diets, some high carb, etc. etc. – and I think that’s awesome! if, in fact, it’s appropriate for you. That being said, those dietary lifestyles aren’t appropriate for everyone and I think it becomes dangerous when we follow these guidelines because we’re bombarded with messages telling us we should. i’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve tried all of the diet trends. High fat, low fat, high carb, low carb, high protein… etc. etc, and have found that my body responds best when I provide it with what it’s craving. Plain and simple.

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Time to be productive so I can enjoy reading up on my favorite WIAW posts later. Have a good one!

 For more, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com

Oh Friendlets, have I got a fabulous breakfast recipe for you this morning!

Pistachio and Raspberry baked french toast souffle for one.
(adapted from Lauren’s Blackberry Soufflee recipe)

• 1 medium sized whole wheat bagel (broken in to pieces) **
• 1/2 cup milk (I used vanilla coconut)
• 1 T oat flour
• 1 T wheat germ
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• handful of raspberries

Directions:

Tear bagel in to pieces and place in a greased ramekin*** Mix together the milk, oat flour, cinnamon, extract, and sweetener. Pour milk mixture over the bagel pieces and add raspberries. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Notes:

**You can really use any bread you please but the bagel added a really hearty and doughy texture.

***Lauren actually blender her bread in to the milk mixture for a creamy souffle which sounds phenomenal. I’ll be trying out her version too. Probably like, tomorrow. Or in 5 minutes.

****Lauren also uses cornstarch in her recipe but I omitted because I didn’t have any. I don’t know if it made much of a difference but it tasted just fine to me!

I opted to top mine with pistachios because I have been lovin’ on them like crazy as of late and I think they’re the best nutty counterpart to raspberries.

Aside from being easy peasy, this recipe was so good. Crunchy on the outside, soft and doughy on the inside. I swooooooon.

I’ve actually never had soufflé before (le gasp!) so I can’t say if the texture if it’s aptly named in terms of texture and taste, but Lauren deemed hers to be comparable to one and I trust her

I can’t wait to try out other variations!

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What’s one food that you’ve always wanted to try but never have? I’ve been looking in to a ton of soufflé recipes but damn, they’re intimidating! I would go out and get one from a restaurant but the closest thing we have to french cuisine in my little hum drum Connecticut town is Mickey D’s french fries. Fabulous in their own right, though, of course.

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For some reason I’ve caught the cleaning bug today. First project: my car. I haven’t opened my trunk in months. I’m scared.

For more posts, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com

…and mine always was

HAPPY DADDY’S DAY, MY FRIENDS!!! I’ve spent the last few days wracking my brain for the words to articulate how much I love and adore my father. Since I was younger, my dad and I have always shared a really special connection. He’s provoked so many passions within me and always been such an incredibly supportive force in my life. I feel as though the only appropriate thing I can do to commemorate him on this special day is to just thank him for all of the beautiful blessings he’s provided me with.

My love for English? Thanks dad.

My passion for photography? Thanks dad.

My dry sense of humor? Thanks dad.. I guess.

My striking good looks? Thanks mom.

Dad, if you’re reading (which is unlikely considering It’s crossword puzzle day), I just want you to know how much I love you, how much I cherish our relationship, and how much I can’t wait to beat your butt at tennis this summer.

Here’s to my best friend…

It’s impossible not to love him.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

For more, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com

Now that i’ve officially come out of the proverbial carnivore closet, I think it’s time I introduced you all to my significant other.

chicken, almond butter, and raspberries. Aka, my afternoon snack for the past week.

What’s that I hear? The producers of My Strange Addiction calling to enlist me for their next episode? I’m down.

Here’s some other gals that have been getting their culinary freaks on as well who just so happen to be three of my absolute favorite bloggers. Actually, they’re just three of my favorite people in general.

Amanda’s sweet and savory oats

Jess’s peanut butter and BBQ tofu sandwich

Heather’s PB&J hummus balls

Do you have any “strange addictions” (food related or not!) Remember, PB&Jenny is a judgment free zone. Get down with your bad strange selves!

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I just wanted to thank you all again for the incredibly wonderful (and respectful. yay!) comments on yesterday’s post. Who knew that meat could spark such in depth conversation?! I think all of your opinions were really valid and I enjoyed reading each one (from the veg heads and non-veg heads) tremendously! Love y’all!

Now go on and enjoy your Friday !

For more posts, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com

A vegetarian, I am not.

last night’s dinner: burger with jack cheese, sugar snap peas and beanito chip crumbs

But I’ve considered becoming one.

Not because I don’t like meat.

Not because I have any strict moral or ethical beliefs in regards to eating meat (I realize that sounds awful, but it is what it is).

But because all of my blogging friends were doing it.

I realize that in blog world vegetarians are most definitely the majority, which has always left me feeling like a bit of an outcast. In fact, there have been many occasions when I felt a tinge of guilty posting a picture of a burger or chicken out of fear that my “vegetarian readers will judge me”.

So, like I said, a few months ago I considered dropping meat from my diet for no reason other than I felt like I should

…and because all of my blogging friends were doing it.

I started eating morningstar veggie crumbles by the bagful, double doses of protein powder, cottage cheese, yogurt, yada yada yada.

and then there was tofu.

Guys, I hate tofu.

Like, really hate it.

But I ate it anyway

Because all of my blogging friends were doing it.

Then I came home for the summer. I started eating dinners with my family. I had access to my mom’s credit card (and thus, all of the expensive protein that I crave. Shrimp? Scallops? Gimme). So I started eating meat again.

Because I craved it.

Because I enjoyed it.

Because my body thrives on it.

Perhaps I am an outcast, but at least I’ll have my burgers and chicken to keep me company.

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I realize this is a slightly controversial post and as I always say, I never judge anyone for their personal dietary preferences. I admire vegetarians TREMENDOUSLY but my considerations for becoming one were rooted solely in an attempt to be “accepted” rather than a genuine desire to stop eating meat. The purpose of writing this post is most certainly not to shove my carnivore ways in your face, but rather, to make the point that any decisions you make in your life should be your own will, not because all of your friends are doing it.

**I don’t have a specific question for you today, but I’d love to hear any thoughts you may have on vegetarianism, the pressure to follow blogging food trends, the pressure to follow ANY trends, learning to make decisions for yourself. Let’s just chit chat! (respectfully, hooookay?) **

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Off to the nutritionist then running some errands. Happy Thursday, friends!

For more posts, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com

My afternoon yesterday was filled with a whole ‘lotta newness. Accordingly, I had originally planned on entitling my post “newbie”, until I realized that it was Tuesday, availing me the opportunity to play the word hybrid rhyming game.

Thus, [news]day.

Now that we’re on the same page, care to see the new things that integrated themselves my life yesterday?

new food swag

vanilla coconut milk and vega smoothie

which promptly made their way in a new [to me] recipe.

2 minute chocolate mug cake
(a de-veganized adaptation of the Fitnessista’s recipe)

• 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 Tbsp vega shake & go smoothie mix
• 1 egg
• 1 T cocoa powder
• 2 T coconut milk
• 1/2 Tbsp tropical traditions coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• cinnamon and sweetener to taste*

*The protein powder and coconut milk sweetened the batter up a lot, so I didn’t need to add any extra sweetener, but it may vary depending on the ingredients you use and your preferences.

I didn’t have any chocolate chips on hand so I made my own.

Improvisation is my game.

Mix dry, mix wet, combine – and top with chocolate chips

I actually only microwaved it for 1 minute 30 seconds, but “2 minute chocolate mug cake” sounds so much better than “1.5 minute chocolate mug cake“, no?

This was more like a fudge than a cake. The former being much more preferable in my opinion.

On the side I drank (drunk?) er...sipped upon some warm frothy milk mixed with stevia

My soul was so comforted.

after the fact I went out to score some new duds

but we’ll talk more about these later…

came home and grabbed a new snack

is it just me or is french toast exponentially more enjoyable when eaten in stick form? (and topped with peanut butter.. but everything’s exponentially more enjoyable when eaten with peanut butter. ‘Tis a fact of life)

and later in the evening indulged myself with the new episode of Pretty Little Liars which certainly did not dissapoint. Spekaing of which, did anyone else watch? Let me know if you want to chatski about it

Oh, and of course, the highlight of my [news]day was reading all of the new comments from my new readers. Okay that’s a lie, the highlight was definitely the chocolate cake.. which just speaks volumes to how good it really was.

Seriously though, thank you to all of the readers who have been “delurking” lately. It’s so nice to “meet” you Let’s be friends?!

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What’s “new” in your life? Any recent new purchases?

New favorite recipes?

Any good “news” ?

Sharing is caring!

For more, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com

One sure fire way to beat the Monday blues?

Start your day off with pizza…
 

breakfast pizzert with apples, PF sauce, and almonds

…and end it with pizza.

Any Chicago natives mind if I come stay with you for a few days? I’ll buy you dinner. Hope you like Italian

For more, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com

You know that stereotype that all women are bad drivers?

Yeah, I’m the reason why that stereotype exists.

if you wanna come and take a ride with me…[I'd think twice]

Since becoming a licensed driver at the ripe old age of 16, I’ve gotten in to one serious accident that was completely 100% my fault, acquired a few nicks and dents, and although I’ve been declared to be the slowest driver on the planet on several different occasions, I’ve also wracked up two speeding tickets (one of which was $300. Apparently New York State doesn’t actually support living life in the fast lane)

Although I [not so] secretly envy my sister’s ride..
 

….I’ve grown to love, err… accept, my charming little 1996 Toyota Corolla.

and to be honest, I don’t know if I’d trust myself behind the wheel of anything that wasn’t free (I inherited my car from Grandma, which makes me so grateful!)

Do you consider yourself to be a good driver? It’s funny, whenever I tell Gingie how bad of a driver I am, he always laughs and says that “driving is the one thing that everyone thinks they’re good at”. It’s so true. I’ve learn to accept my shortcomings though.

What kind of car do you drive?

What’s your dream car? I’m not picky really. In fact, I’m a total dud when it comes to car and probably wouldn’t know a Mazaradi from a Ford. I would just kill for anything with automatic locks and windows. Ah, dare to dream.

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Off to do the breakfast thing

For more posts, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com

I’ve been in a huge nut rut as of late. I think my body may be rebelling against my decision to stop drinking almond milk because for the past few days all I’ve wanted to eat are almonds.

I’ve been trying to expand my horizons with other nuts…

pistachios

banana oatgurt with soy nut sprinkles

But can’t shake my almond craving. Case and point…

Lunch: salad with tomatoes, scallops, bloobs, almonds, english muffin with cottage cheese

berries, pretzels, AB, dark chocolate

Seriously, today was a little too hot to handle so I opted out of makeuping my face and brushing my hair.

For anyone who’s ever complimented me on my hair, feel free to take that back now.

I did get dressed though in an attempt to salvage an ounce of dignity.

• peach ruffled top (Forever 21)
• floral denim shorts (Walmart)*

*So many people knock Wally World but it really has some [cheap] hidden gems!

I miss writing up fashion posts like crazy, but have opted out of showing pictures of myself because I’m a total skeletor right now. I would HATE for any readers to think that I look “okay”, or, more importantly – to think that I THINK I look okay. So, for now the random shots of my outfit on my dining room table will suffice. Unless any of you beauts want to come be my personal models? Please?

**What’s one food you’ve been loving on lately?

**Favorite nut? Besides me.

Oh god, that was embarrassingly cheesy. Sometimes I really don’t like myself.

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Jeeze, this was such a random post, hm? My thoughts are everywhere today. Well, except for on responding to emails – which is where it should be. I’m so behind…

For more posts, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com

In a perfect world shoes would be optional.

Peanut butter would also be it’s own separate food group and every day would be Friday, but I suppose I can only ask for so much.

While I prefer to live my life barefoot and pregnant, conformity and my desire for social acceptance necessitate that I wear shoes. I suppose if I have to wear them, they must at least be cute – right?

Which is why I was ecstatic when my love friends over at Wantedshoes.com offered me a free pair of my choice. While browsing their wide selection, I completely felt like a kid in a candy store (or a blogger in Whole Foods. Same difference, really. Hours later, I finally decided upon these.

Although they’re a little out of season right now, I couldn’t resist.

The dark brown leather.

The zipper.

The fabulous back lace detail

I can’t wait for Fall to come so I can wear these.

Okay, I take that back. I can most definitely wear for fall – but knowing that I’ll be able to rock these boots will certainly serve as a much needed end of summer pick me up.

**Thank you so much again to the gorgeous individuals at Wanted for the opportunity! Love you guys!**

What are you favorite shoe styles? Heels? Flats? Boots? Flip Flops? I’m a flats girl all the way. While I adore sandals and flip flops for the sake of comfort, my feet are so awkward looking and it makes me self-conscious. You know, because everyone is naturally staring at my fight.

Do you have a “go to” favorite pair of shoes?

Oh, and care to know a secret? I think I’ve only worn heels once in my life (well, if the 1/2 inch heel I wore to my Holy Communion qualifies). I’m fairly vertically gifted so have just always avoided heels. I think I like to use the fact that I’m already tall as an excuse, but I’m pretty sure it’s just because I know I really won’t be able to walk with them.

I have serious feet issues.

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I was lucky enough to score a day off from work today which is awesome, but now I have absolutely no idea what to do with myself. Hmm…

p.s. Just saw that wantedshoes.com is offering $20 off your entire order when you spend $100 or more. Do the damn thing, ladies.

For more, please visit www.peanutbutterjenny.com