Were you all on the edge of your seat over today’s lunch surprise? :)
Probably NOT since it’s no secret I’ve been after these elusive PB&J Larabars forever! These were NOTHING short of perfection. I have no clue how they do it, but these bars truly do taste just like peanut butter and jelly sammiches. Even the smell when I unwrapped it took me back to my school lunches from back in the day. I’m in love. Good thing I bought a few…these babies were harder to track down than Bin Laden (but much more rewarding, for a foodie at least…).
Hello, loverrrrr.
Quite the lunch line-up, huh! Peanut Butter & Jelly Larabar, TJ’s “Go Rah” Trek Mix bar, dried figs, almond/pistachio/goji berry/raisin mix, and a tuperware of veggie-ful quinoa.
I know I said next time I make this mix I’d leave out the almonds, but without them, the mix doesn’t have enough staying power. Plus, the different textures are 90% of the appeal in the mix. Mmm.
In my veggie/quinoa leftover tuperware: quinoa, red bell peppers, hummus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc.
How is it that leftovers are even TASTIER than the OG dish? This big lunch filled me up in a MAJOR way, which was a good thing since I was super busy all day and in a ton of pain. I was almost in tears at one point, and lemme tell you, my job is impossible to do when you feel miserable. Since I last brought it up on the blog, my back has gotten even worse, BUT I do have good news. I have an appt next week with an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in the spine. Fingers crossed.
After work I was supposed to have a dinner date with my girlies. Unfortunately, some of my girlies have commitment issues, so I found out (an hour before my shift was over) that our dinner plans were off. Bleep that. I was really looking forward to catching up over a fun meal, especially after my crappy shift. I texted Kyle to give him a heads up that dinner was scrapped so I’d be home earlier, and instead he suggested he meet me at the hospital and we could grab a bite together at Pure’s takeaway, One Lucky Duck!
Ummm…best idea EVER!!!
We ordered to-go and took it to Union Square to enjoy.
Well, actually, Kyle sipped his at the table while I waited for the food to be ready…this was the strawberry blonde shake (strawberries, pineapple, banana, coco water, virgin coconut oil, and vanilla). Slurp & enjoy!
It’s hard to take pretty photos of to-go orders with a phone, balancing tuperware on your lap, while eating on a park bench…which is a shame because if there were ever a meal that deserved beautiful pictures, it would be THIS.
I ordered the S+M salad (left) and the sushi rolls (right), with lovely scrubs in the background.
This was the best salad of my life. The dulse is SO salty and offers the perfect contrast to the rest of the lettuce. Plus, they use a TON of avocado, so each bite had creamy green avo goodness in it. And the rosemary crackers! OH. MY. GOODNESS. The size of the salad was huge, too, and as I was half way through it, I said to Kyle “this salad is never-ending!” to which he replied, “it looks as though you don’t want it to.” No words have ever been more true.
The salad was so big, I only had room for a couple of these. I brought the rest home for a later meal. They were great, but then, I already knew what I was going to get since I tried them before here. They didn’t disappoint 🙂
Kyle got the tortilla wraps, which were a bit too small for his liking. He said it was mostly guacamole, which was good, but needed something more (texture-wise) to keep his taste buds guessing. There was a bit of a spicy kick to it that he liked, though. Fortunately, he ordered the shake, too, so he was satisfied. After the food coma had subsided we strolled uptown and eventually hopped on the subway to go home.
Look what was waiting for me when I got home! Dave’s Killer Bread! I am SO SO excited to try this stuff…I ripped into the box immediately and the heavenly scent nearly knocked me off my feet. Thanks so much to Heather and Dave’s Killer Bread for this contest 🙂
Even though I was still full-ish, I obviously wanted dessert (duh!) so I opted for a fresh fruit salad with chopped apples, bluebeezies, and grapes. I was SO tired, my eyes were drooping through Chelsea Lately. Couldn’t fight it. Sleepy time.
I was thinking that Kyle might just be the perfect man until you re-introduced me to Dave. That bread looks so killer (and there is no way I can afford the shipping to try it myself.) Why oh why do I live in Michigan?
Anyway, I think full-ish is probably my new favorite word today. You’re not too full for a little delightful dance with dessert, but satisfied from a healthy helping of…whatever you just ate-ish.
haha EXACTLY!
ahhh one lucky duck looks so good! i wish i had a chance to go there while i was in the city… so jealous of the salad and sushi wraps.. yummm
You ordered my dad’s favorite smoothie!! And my favorite salad (which I’m eating again for lunch today) & sushi 🙂
holy cow I WANT YOUR DINNER. pssssh to your friends who had a major fail because you scored big time with dinner anyway! Kyle’s smoothie is also making me drool BIG time. One Lucky Person eating One Lucky Duck. hahaha oh lordie.
The only thing that would have made it a little better would be seaweed salad out of a aluminum tupperware.
THANK the Lord you found the PB&J 🙂 whew!
woohoo! you found the pb & j lara! and i want to go one lucky duck! everything looks and sounds incredible.
http://cardiovegsular.wordpress.com
I’ve been reading your blog for awhile but never commented- first of all, thank you so much for putting so much effort into the blog. I love hearing about your eats and day to day activities. Also I feel your pain with the back-I’m a nurse in a neuro ICU and my back has never been the same since I caught a patient a few months ago. I hope you start to feel better soon-PT has worked well for me but I am also considering seeing a chiropractor at this point. Ahh the joys of nursing, huh?
Awww…I am sorry your back has gotten worse! Hopefully the doctor will have some suggestions/ideas to help. Physical therapy might help? Or a chiropractor 🙂 Hopefully NOT surgery, though…
Your grapes in your fruit salad always look SO good! And I am not even a huge fan of grapes! What do you do to them?! Seriously–they make me crave grapes like nobodies business. And your carrots on your salad…lame-o question, but how do you cut them like that?! They are not grated, I don’t think, and if you use a knife to get them that small and perfect you have the patience of a saint (and too much time on your hands! hahaha…now I will feel horrible if you really DO use a knife!). How do you get them like that?!??
Courtney
YAY is the PB&J bar not SO good?! You’re so right that even the smell that wafts out is just like a real sandwich. It’s like an astronaut PB&J, haha.
And of course I’m so wicked jeals of your OLD meal. Dying to try the S&M salad – I hear things about that one!
I thought the SAME THING about the Larabars! They taste *just* like a real PB&J sandwich! I love them.
Isn’t is crazy how leftovers are ALWAYS so much better?! That’s why I always cook huge meals instead of cooking for one =)
I friggin hate when people blow you off. Especially friends…but at least you got One Lucky Duck! So worth it! I made that salad at home and while it was the best salad I’ve ever made, your’s looks so much better! YUM!
I wish Chelsea were on earlier. I love that show but when school starts up again, I might just have to miss it =(
I think it will be 2086 (which will be my centennial b-day) before Oklahoma gets the PBJ Laras. Another reason I need to move!
The One Lucky Duck looks effing good. And I’m sooo jealous of your Killer winnings.
i love it when leftovers taste better. it is because they have more time to marinate together and get so yum and good and fab. i have seen the DKB all over! i am going to look for some when i am in seattle. i can’t validate ordering 4 loaves of bread online 😛 love the colorful goodness at the end. have a lovely weekend lady! oh and bah, i cant find PBJ bars anywhere yet.
I FINALLY got my hands on the elusive PBJ Laras and I can not wait to get my hands on that stud!!
Oh my dearest, I’m so sad to hear that your back is still giving you troubles! I hope the surgeon works some magic on your spine 🙁
I see there’s a new love in your life who’s name doesn’t begin with a K….instead it’s S+M (okay that just sounds raunchy but I don’t care).
Hahaha do I win a prize?! 😉 I told you they were there!!
I’m sorry that you’re in such pain… I really DO empathize!! I hope that your appointment yields some answers.
BTW — I examined a bottle of kombucha for the first time today, and I have to tell you, you are one brave soul! 😉
<3 <3
I am soooo envious that you have The Duck in your ‘hood. SoCal has nothing, I repeat nothing, like it. People confuse vegan food with raw, I swear and send me to places where yeah, it’s vegan, but it’s been in a crockpot all day, surely not raw. The food (the unairbrushed, balanced in lap, quick pics that don’t lie) always looks phenomenal. Wow. Enjoy!
As for the PB & J Larabar, I blogged about making homemade larabars and gave a link in my blog to the lady who gave me the jumping off point, and PB & J was one of the flavors. Basically grind dates, peanuts, raisins into flavor/texture you like.
thanks for the sweet comment, it really makes me so happy to know that people enjoy reading…makes all the work worth it. i floated to the neuro ICU once, and it was so interesting…we have a lot in common with our types of patients. anyways, you could not be more right, back injuries are SO common in our profession. let me know how the chiropractor works for you if you do follow through with that. any special tips that your PT has given you? i have done every single stretch under the sun that they have recommended, i have showered with salts, gone to the gym’s sauna, ice packed-it…and yet, all it takes is reaching down to empty a chest tube pleuro-vac and i’m back at square one!!
wow. had did the idea of making my own larabars never occur to me? YOU are a genius! how did you crush the nuts? i have no food processor (the bane of my kitchen struggles). im sorry that So Cal hasnt jumped on the raw vegan bandwagon yet….seems odd since LA is all about the latest food trends. maybe someone should tell sarma to expand her business to the west coast (preferably before i move back home) – haha
haha…i know it can look weird, but i swear they are a gift from heaven. you were right, they were hidden on the non express checkout side (but, in my defense, there was only one half-full box left in the very very bottom)…why do they make PB&J look so similar to cherry pie? i kept getting all excited and then having my hopes dashed when i saw it wasnt the right flavor. sneaky sneaky laras
love me some s+m (twss)!!
the secret to my carrots (haha, that sounds weird) is i buy them freshly grated. the same company that makes the fresh broccoli slaw sells containers of carrots all shredded like that…so, no i don’t have the patience of a saint – far from it – all my meals take 5-10 minutes to prepare bc when i want to eat, i want my food THEN AND THERE. no waiting or im a grumpy girl. im not going to do anything surgical, id rather suck it up and live with pain (or even consider pain pills, maybe) than undergo voluntary surgery.
Hmm yeah the stretches are always the main part of PT along with the heat compresses that always end up burning the heck out of my back?!! Anyway I am still contemplating the chiropractor, especially since I was just put on light duty for the next week-honestly I’d rather stick bamboo shoots in my eyes than watch who “foams in and out” of rooms! I will keep you updated though.
I have floated to our CTIC (I am guessing you are in a cardiothoracic unit or step-down?) and I give you so much credit! I saw an open heart and had to sit down. For some reason when I hear “ventricle” I think brain, so I think it’s best that I stay in neurosurg:) Good luck at work this weekend!
yeah, im the CPCU, but nobody outside the hospital ever knows what the P stands for, so we just go with cardiac step down…haha, i didnt even think about the other ventricle…how funny. when i was floated to the neuro ICU i had a mini freak-out over the high blood pressures until i remembered i wasnt in cardiac and they prob preferred the patients to have perfusion to the brain. duh!?
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