More Nor Cal love

For the first time since we arrived in Nor Cal, Kyle was able to sleep in spend the day with me (and not working).

Sleeping in is a thing of the past.

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I made Kyle breakfast first while he got in some baby time.  He misses P so much when he’s gone.

That toast I made him is Semifreddi’s sour batard.  One of the best breads in the Bay Area in my opinion.

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My breakfast was later because I was working on my dandy tea (still no GI upset with it, so that’s good).

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In case you can’t tell, this is a very liquidy bowl of oats.  I used plain almond milk instead of water to cook it and then stirred in a bunch of nutritional yeast.  Then I added a fried egg on top.

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After breakfast we had some family friends come over to meet the newest addition to the fam.

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After our guests left I set to work on a dessert granola.  I wanted something healthy(ish) that I could munch on after dinner or as a late night snack that would satisfy my sweet tooth, but wouldn’t be terribly unhealthy.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola [vegan, gluten free]

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole rolled oats (certified GF)
  • 1 cup steel cut oats (certified GF)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • ~1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste – depending on the type of peanut butter used)

Directions:

Mix all the dry ingredients together (oats through cocoa powder).  In a separate bowl melt peanut butter, then add the rest of the liquid ingredients (syrup & oil).  Add wet to dry and stir until combined.

Spread onto a greased baking sheet (or one that’s lined with non stick or parchment paper).  Bake for 65 minutes at 225 degrees F.

Allow to cool then break apart as desired.

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Is there a better combo than chocolate and peanut butter?

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While my granola was in the oven, I made myself some lunch.

My mom had brought home a sample of one of the [vegan] sauces she had made at her cooking class the previous day so I could try it.

It was really good, so I figured I should share the recipe.

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Romesco Sauce [vegan, gluten free]

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 4 roma tomatoes
  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 10 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup marcona almonds
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 2 slices day old bread

Directions:

Cut roma tomatoes in half, cut de-seeded bell pepper in quarters, and dice the onion.

Toss with oil and garlic and roast for ~15-20 minutes at 400 degrees F (or until skins of tomatoes and peppers can be peeled off).

Pulse almonds in food processor until minced, then add roasted veggies and puree.  Next add the old bread and puree again.  Then slowly drizzle in extra virgin olive oil and vinegar until desired consistency is reached.

Optional: Thin with water as needed.  Spice up with red pepper flakes.

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This is the sample she came home with (it doesn’t look like much in the solo coffee cup but there was plenty for my lunch).

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It tastes like a creamy cheesy nutritional yeast sauce full of tomato and bell pepper flavor.  Super good.  I guess that’s the almonds.  I don’t use marcona almonds much, but maybe I’ll start now.  I’d imagine cashews would be a nice twist on this recipe as well.  Since I love my creamy dijon cashew sauce so much and all…

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I made a rice bowl to feature the romesco sauce.  It had brown rice, spinach, carrots, and half an avocado.

I heated the rice with the spinach and carrots so the spinach got soft and wilty before I added the avo.

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Then I coated everything in savory sauce.

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Pretty bomb lunch if I do say so myself.

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I had some chocolate peanut butter granola for dessert a little bit later.  Kyle joined in as well since he was bummed his NCAA bracket went bust loves chocolate and peanut butter.

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After our dessert, we headed out for a walk.

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For dinner, Kyle and I had a hot date.  Thanks to our babysitter, we took our first outing as a couple without P.

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Beforehand we took lots of family photos.  I think this is the first time I’ve done my hair for real since having a baby.  It’s kinda unruly in the photos since I didn’t get it cut once while pregnant (to avoid chemical/fumes).  The next day my mom gave me a trim though, so it’s much better now.

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We went to Sasa in Walnut Creek, which I blogged about previously.

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It was just as delicious as last time, only this time I could drink!!!  I got bubbles, naturally. 🙂

No photos from the rest of the night because I was just enjoying my time with Kyle.  I did miss P immensely though and felt like a part of me was missing.  As much as I wanted to enjoy my freedom knowing he was in excellent hands and I didn’t need to worry, I still couldn’t wait to get home to him.

We got home to a happy sleeping boy though.  Soon after we all hit the sack.  He slept well for the first half of the night but didn’t want to go back to bed after 5 am, so I held him and rocked him out in the living room while watching Real Housewives of BH (it’s On Demand at my parents’ house so
I’m marathon-ing it up with zero guilt).

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Finally others started waking up around 8-8:30, so I passed off P and took a shower before making tea and a breakfast rice bowl.

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Smooch!

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Breakfast rice bowls are a simple thing to make – you can just treat them like oats and jazz them up accordingly (doesn’t even have to be rice – use any leftover grain you have on hand).

I’ve been making peanut butter-y ones a lot lately.  They’re easy to throw together when you’re one handed.

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All I do is take a hunk of peanut butter, heat it up in the microwave for a bit (20-30 seconds), and then stir in some almond milk until it turns into a nutty sauce.  This was chunky PB (all my parents had) so it didn’t get all the way smooth, but whatever.  Then I add in the rice, re-heat it some more, and then top it off with whatever I’m in the mood for.  Extra granola is a frequent favorite.  This time I added half a banana, fresh blueberries, and trail mix.

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And when I say trail mix, I really just mean the chocolate chips and almonds picked out.  🙂

I topped it with a pinch of salt too.  You can add maple syrup or cinnamon if you want.

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The rest of the day was mellow.  We hug around the house until lunch time.

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Why are there 536,017 ways to hard boil eggs on the internet??  Every single one SWORE by their specific method.  Made it hard to know who to trust.  Mine were fine, but the shells kinda stuck on a few.

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But I still made it work for a pseudo Cobb salad.  I have a special attachment to this salad.  If you know my real name, you know why.  Mine was definitely far from the real deal, but it did have eggs and [vegan] cheese and avocado.  That’s a step.

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Romaine, carrots, daiya cheddar, tomatoes, avocado, and TJ’s balsamic glaze on top.  And Mary’s Gone Crackers on the side.

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Once it’s all chopped up it doesn’t look nearly as good as it tasted.  So just look at this pre-chop photo instead.

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After lunch Kyle and I took P to walk around the reservoir.  It was SO sunny and warm out, it felt more like July than March.  Everyone was out soaking up the rays – lots of BBQing and picnicing and dog walking.

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Post walk snackage was Sabra-tastic.

My mom gave me a hair cut (at long last!!) and then it was time for dinner.

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My sister has been wanting me and my mom to try Oyama sushi for a while now.  My mom isn’t a huge sushi person but the rest of us are mega roll lovers.

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So we got seven rolls.  The bigger the better.

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We also got 2 apps.  The chicken skewers were for my mom, the sunomono salad was for me.

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Definitely like Oyama!  Even though they don’t have brown rice rolls, their sushi is big and they are very generous with the amount of fish and avocado, which I appreciate.  Lots of ginger too.  Mmmmm.

After dinner I packed us up food for the next day’s activities because we were heading off bright and early.  But more on that later!

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Comments (35)

  1. Lee

    That sushi looks really good. My mom doesn’t like it either, which is strange because she loves seafood.

    I’ve read that the egg shells sticking has something to do with the age of the eggs. I have no idea if that’s true but it makes sense, I guess.

  2. Allison

    You are leading my dream life. I am so happy for you 🙂

  3. Carole

    You tell such nice stories. You have a talent for making an ordinary day seem charming, poetic and delicious.

  4. Jenny

    Hey! I’m a blog reader from the past. I’m easing my way back into reading and interacting and writing again, and I just wanted to say congrats on your precious baby! I’ve enjoyed catching up.

    Also, AMEN about the boiled eggs methods…It took me a while, but I feel like I’ve found a method that works for me.

  5. Meg

    I’m definitely making that granola. And then I’ll probably eat too much and try to justify it by saying it’s healthy(ish).

    Cute photos of the little one!!

  6. Sarah

    Elise! Great post. I was curious, have you ever posted a recipe for the cashew cheese you love? I’m sure you have, but I couldn’t find it with an initial quick search. Thanks! P.S. My friend and I do a salad exchange at work every week, and when I’m at a loss I always model mine after whatever you created that week. Like today I did the strawberry situation you posted about earlier this week. Yum. My friend thinks I’m super creative with my salads.

  7. Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries

    Mmm all of your eats look delicious, as usual! I’m so glad you and Kyle got a date night out! That’s wonderful.

  8. Lori

    Perfect post: Food, life & baby P 🙂

    That picture of you giving him a smooch is too precious, but I’m glad you had date night, that is super important! Plus a bubble or too 😉

    Cheers
    Lori

  9. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats

    I’m glad you’re enjoying your time with your family! And your lunch with your mom’s sauce looks so good, I love when I add spinach to something warm and it gets all wilted. Delicious.

  10. Alexis @ Hummusapien

    I’m absolutely dying for that granola. There’s just nothing better than pb and chocolate. PS that pic of you holding P’s hand it to die for!

  11. Lara

    Isn’t the first date weird?! All we talked about was the baby.
    You look amazing! I love all the family photos. It must be so nice to have your mama. And I LOVE Davis. Half my family went to UCD. I see get togethers in our future! Yay playdates!

  12. Lara

    P.S. In case you haven’t gathered this already, I’m only interested in baby and family pictures now…not into the food. Ha!

  13. Shannon R

    Two great recipes in 1 post! I’ve been looking for a new sauce to spice things up and like you I can’t resist chocolate and peanut butter. Yum!

  14. Emily

    I’m so glad that you and Kyle were able to have a night out together! You deserved it. And what a comfort to know that P was in the best hands possible (other than yours!)

    Oh, and nothing beats chocolate + peanut butter. Nothing. (:

  15. mom

    Elise! How did you sneak out of this house before I got to taste the granola??? I was going crazy smelling it. You must have told Patrick to distract me while you packed it up, aired out the kitchen, and got rid of the evidence. Hmmm, you’re a tricky one.

  16. sheila

    loving all the pictures of your little guy, he is totally adorable 🙂 also i’ve lately been eating huge (and delicious) salads with globs of hummus on top and i have you to thank for that! 🙂

  17. BroccoliHut

    You’re so right on the million different ways to boil an egg. I’ve actually had to learn the “correct” method for nutrition classes, and even the various textbooks don’t agree!
    That granola looks pretty insane–maybe I’ll make that this weekend to eat instead of Easter candy 🙂

  18. Sally

    Living the dream! Food looks great too, I’m going to be trying the rice bowl breakfast.

  19. sheila

    ps- making your granola recipe as we speak with some agave instead of maple syrup!

  20. dad/jeff

    Semifreddi’s sour batard rocks! Best bread anywhere. Your Mom rocks! Your son rocks!
    OK, I’m biased – sorry.

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  22. Katrina

    Again great blog. Love all the pics of P and Grandma.
    Recipes look good definitley going to try myself and you gave me great ideas for breakfast. 🙂

  23. Elise (Post author)

    🙂

  24. Elise (Post author)

    here you go!
    http://www.hungryhungryhippie.com/one-sauce-three-ways/

    so cool about your salad arrangement w your friend!

  25. Elise (Post author)

    i recognized your email the second i saw it.

    glad to see you back in the blogging world again, cant wait to read up on whats going on in your life 🙂

  26. ethel

    tell your mom P looks like her grandson for sure in the photo of her holding him with his mouth open. hehehe… slash, e, that’s your baby for suuuuurre!!!!

  27. Elise (Post author)

    haha. i totally get it.

  28. Elise (Post author)

    it hardly survived 1118. i was snacking on it every night. breastfeeding snacks 🙂

  29. Elise (Post author)

    yay!

  30. Shawnna

    Can’t wait to try the granola! Love all the baby pics too 🙂

  31. Haley

    This granola is in the oven right now – my house smells ahhhhhmazing!!!!

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  34. Mimi

    It’s true. The fresher the egg the less air between the membranes and the shell. Eggs are best boiled after about a week. for easiest peeling.

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