During Monday’s Girls on the Run practice, the girls were tasked with running (or walking) around the track for 40 minutes…by themselves. The lesson was about slowing down and taking time to relax and get their thoughts in order. (Funnily enough, I still haven’t master this skill at the ripe old age of 30.) The goal was for the girls to be alone with their thoughts and see where their minds would take them.
Apparently, this is not an easy task for 8 to 10 year-old girls… I finally bargained them into running every other lap alone, and at the end of class, we circled up to discuss what they were thinking about.
(you want us to be quiet?!)
Their “deep” answers: “my Halloween costume,” “how I can collect the most candy on Halloween” “if I should be a witch or a princess this year”
Clearly, kids have one-track minds around this time of year. Nevertheless, their enthusiastic Halloween spirit reminded me that I needed to jump into the spirit in my Sometimes Healthy way: with food, of course.
I was up late last night baking some goodies for Friday’s post, and I’ll share a sneak preview with you at the end of this post (lucky you!), but first, let’s dive into breakfast for What I Ate Wednesday (WIAW).
Chobani yogurt bowl, topped with fresh Honey Crisp apples, apple butter, sugared figs, granola and a drizzle of honey.
Post-breakfast, I dropped pup off at daycare to socialize with his doggie friends and headed to a BodyCombat class at my gym. I worked up quite a sweat and was definitely in-need of a small snack after my workout.
Coconut water + a Monster Chocolate Mint Clif Kid Z Bar leftover from snack at Girls on the Run practice. These bars have been a huge hit with the kiddos!
I spent the entire afternoon at my new studying hot spot, Panera, barreling my way through core, balance and plyometric training concepts.
Reading about working out certainly made me hungry, so I decided to order a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a full-sized Roasted Turkey Harvest Wheatberry Salad.
The lady at the register asked me, “Are you sure you want to order full sizes of both?” Clearly, she’s never met me before. As much as I love these cooler fall temperatures, I tend to catch a cold during seasonal transitions, so the chicken noodle soup was a necessity. I must say the best part of the entire meal was dipping my bread into the soup. Mmmm, must get bread bowl next time.
I was at Panera for 5 hours, so I just had to order a Pumpkin “Muffie.”
For those who are curious, a “muffie” is a cross between a muffin and a cookie, and I will definitely be ordering it again. It’s essentially a moist, soft, muffin top and every bit as delicious as it sounds.
Oh yes, and at some point, I devoured this healthy snack as well.
I stopped home quickly for a more substantial, protein-packed snack.
Hardboiled salt n’ pepper eggs, with mozzarella cheese, olives and some Triscuits. Random, I know, but it hit the spot and fueled me through the rest of the day.
After running errands and picking up Cole from daycare, I didn’t get home until nearly 8:00. It’s funny how that time was “early” when I lived in the city, but now that I’m in the country, it feels extremely late!
I immediately got to work in the kitchen, creating a twist on this recipe for Black Bean Squash Chili. I was still craving something warm and hearty to help me fend off the cold. I ended up with enough chili to last me through the week, which will be perfect for many late-night study sessions.
I was very pleased with how the recipe turned out, so I’ll definitely be sharing on the blog in the next couple of weeks. The heat from the adobo chiles was just what I needed to clear up my sinuses.
While the chili was cooking, I roasted up an acorn squash, and I just couldn’t resist serving it up in an acorn squash bowl with avocado and cheese.
For some, this would be squash overload, but not for a squash-loving Sometimes Healthy Girl. The best part was getting to the bottom of the bowl and eating the chili-soaked acorn squash. Acorn squash, the new bread bowl perhaps?
Multi-tasking was definitely the name of the game in my kitchen on Tuesday night, because as all of this was cooking away, I was also at my “witches brew ” Dutch Oven stirring away at a pumpkin butter recipe that I’m going to share with you on Friday.
For those counting, that would be THREE squashes cooking simultaneously in my kitchen. The smell of fall emanated throughout our house, making me feel warm and cozy on a cool night.
Here’s a preview of the end result of the pumpkin butter. When packaged in “dolled up” mason jars, they make the perfect housewarming gift!
Look for the recipe this Friday, ya’ll!
Shockingly, I wasn’t quite finished after all of that squash cooking. Ever since my trip to NYC a couple weeks ago, I have literally been dreaming about this creamy Pumpkin Spice Fudge that I bought at Dylan’s Candy Bar. So for the past week, I’ve been researching how to make fudge and attempted my first fudge last night, Pumpkin Pie Candy Corn Fudge. Go big, or go home, my friends.
For those of you who have never made fudge, don’t be intimidated. There are not many steps involved. HOWEVER, it is very hands-on and there is ample opportunity to screw it up.
Don’t forget the candy corn!
It’s supposed to be bubbly for the record. Oh, and don’t even think of making substitutions for this recipe. Fudge is supposed to be rich and decadent. Plus, it’s a VERY exact science. Change up one thing, and you might as well call it something else.
For my first attempt, I was more than pleased with the results.
Still a couple of things to tweak, but hopefully it will be ready for Friday!
Believe it or not, I didn’t eat any of these creations as I worked away in the kitchen. I sampled to ensure that the flavor was on-point, but that’s about it. Instead, I nibbled on my favorite stand-by treat.
A Goldfish Cocktail! Check out the jar – I decided to rid myself of the many Goldfish bags in our snack cabinet (and give the BF a small amount of real estate in this cabinet) and simply pour all of the flavors into a jar (minus the pretzel). Inside that jar are Strawberry Shortcake, French Toast, Cupcake and Brownie Goldfish. Love the element of surprise!
You would think that I was finished at the fudge, but nope. I quickly baked up a batch of pre-cut festive cookies for the Girls on the Run practice today.
I just couldn’t help myself! I’m sure the girls will be very excited for snack today.
This was definitely a sweet-packed WIAW, but with Halloween approaching, my sweet tooth is raring and ready to go. Today, I think I’m going to eat some extra protein and veggies to balance out all of yesterday’s sweets.
AND, to help balance out all of that sweet talk, I have something exciting to share with you. I was contacted by Esmeralda Cameron on behalf of Verizon Wireless (@VZWEsme) recently, as they are working on a campaign around fitness apps. They asked me about my favorite fitness apps and were kind enough to create this amazing, “pinnable” and “tweetable” graphic with my 5 favorite apps.
These are the 5 fitness apps that help me keep MY healthy living in check AND allow me to indulge my highly overactive sweet tooth.
Happy ALMOST Halloween!
YOUR TURN:
Ever made fudge? Tips please!
What’s your favorite squash and why?
Favorite Halloween candy??
Favorite fitness app?
Pumpkin pie candy corn fudge? OMG I think I died and went to heaven. I am definitely going to be needing that in my life. Immediately. Seriously I’m going to run out and go get candy corn.
Lindsay @ The Functional Foodie recently posted…WIAW at Grub Street
Hope you enjoyed the recipe! I brought it to NYC for my friend, Michelle, to taste, and she loved it 🙂
This is so cool – pumpkins and everything! I have yet to roast my own pumpkin but love the idea for the acorn squash. I love PB+chocolate, so reeses is a given but candy corn will always bring me back to my childhood. I can easily down a bag in a week with no problems (except sugar overload) 🙂
Yes, if only I had the answers to slowing down in life – especially when it comes to my mind and worries going a million miles a minute.
Kaitlin recently posted…Eating and Exploring Brooklyn
Yes I am currently on candy corn overload as we speak!
Yum that fudge looks amazing! I’ve never attempted to make fudge before!
I love Panera’s chicken noodle soup! It’s delicious!
Kacie @ Lace up with Kace recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday #6
It WAS amazing! Making fudge is not as hard as it sounds. Just need to follow those instructions VERY closely. Let me know if you try the recipe 🙂
I would LOVE some pumpkin butter 😉 and that fudge looks amaaaazing!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl recently posted…WIAW: October 23, 2013
Thanks! I should send you some. I have so much, don’t know what to do with it 😉
OMG – you were a super busy lady!!! Btw anything in a mason jar looks fancy!! And candy corn is aaamazing!!
Oh, and one of my favorite apps is my Gymboss…I can use it as a stopwatch or set specific timers based on my WOD! It’s awesome!
-Sammy @ http://www.peaceandloveandicecream.com
Sammy @ Peace Love and Ice Cream recently posted…WOD – October 23, 2013 & some other fun stuff
Oh I love Gymboss too! Yes agreed on the mason jar point. I can’t believe that i got by without them for so long 😉
Wow! Everything looks delicious!! Especially your breakfast! And then again the fudge looks AMAZING as does Panera and all your others posts!! What delicious food! YUM
Cailee @ http://hellohealthyeating.com recently posted…Eating Style- Snacks!
Thank you! The yogurt creation certainly was yummy 🙂 The fudge was great but the second batch turned out even better. Hope you get a chance to check out the recipe!
Jamie recently posted…WIAW: Halloween Health Kick?
3 squashes at once? Absolute machine! Cannot wait for Friday’s post now…so many amazin sounding recipes!
Arman @ thebigmansworld recently posted…He thinks/ she thinks- The comparison trap between friends
haha I’m a mean, lean squash machine 😉
Mmmm, that fudge is making my mouth water just looking at it! What did you think of the Panera salad? I was eye-balling last time I was there, but ended up getting something different.
Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog recently posted…WIAW #52: Can’t Do Everything
I REALLY liked it the first time and was slightly less impressed the second time. Never been a fan of Panera’s chicken on salads because I think it tastes rubbery. I felt like the turkey tasted better but the second time, I didn’t like it much.
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