So Long Sandy // Grape Nuts Pancakes

So long Sandy, you were one heck of a storm!  Thankfully, we never lost power, no trees or branches fell on our house or cars, and we didn’t have any flooding…  We were very lucky.  Unfortunately, not everyone else was as lucky and there’s lots of clean-up to be done.  My thoughts and warm wishes go out to everyone on the east coast that was affected by Sandy.

Source

On a sweeter note, I woke up this morning in the mood for pancakes.  Surprising, right?!

For some unexplained reason, I’ve always thought of Grape Nuts as the cereal for grandparents.  Was there ever a commercial with older people eating Grape Nuts?!  I don’t know…  Maybe it’s because of the high fiber content?  Or because of the small pebble-like “nuts” that don’t require much chewing?  Again, I don’t know…

Source

What I do know is that my nutty idea to combine pancakes + cereal was a hit 🙂 These ‘cakes are fluffy, hearty, full of fiber, packed with protein, and will keep your belly full until lunch!

Grape Nuts Pancakes

¼ cup white whole wheat flour

¼ cup Grape Nuts cereal

1 teaspoon stevia

a few shakes of cinnamon [as much or as little as you’d like, I like a lot]

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg [or 2 egg whites]

¼ cup water

1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients. 
2. Whisk the ingredients together until combined.  Note: There will be some lumps because of the Grape Nuts.
3. Spray a medium-sized skillet with non-stick cooking spray and place over medium heat.
4. For each pancake, spoon 2 generous tablespoons of batter into the pan. 
5. Cook each pancake until a few bubbles form and burst, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. 
6. Flip the pancake and cook until browned on the underside, about 1 to 2 more minutes.
7. Serve the stack of ‘cakes with your favorite toppings!

toppings: coconut Chobani + maple syrup + chopped dates

XOXO,

Allison

Question:  Do you ever relate food with age?

Question:  Have you ever tried Grape Nuts?  I think they’d be a tasty yogurt or ice cream topping!

Marvelous in My Monday [MIMM] #3

Welp, as expected, we woke up to rain and wind.  Thankfully, it’s not too bad but according to the news, Sandy is just getting started.

For breakfast I made a stack of pumpkin oat pancakes and offered to share them with Sandy [hoping to bribe her to stay out at sea] but she didn’t accept my gracious offer…  How rude!

After breakfast I swung by Whole Foods, the post office, and snuck in a sweat session.  The thought of being stuck inside all day makes me super antsy…  I prefer to be moving > sitting.

Sandy may not be so marvelous but many other marvelous things have happened over the past week 🙂 Marvelous in My Monday [MIMM]…

Marvelous…  No work.  The federal government is closed today and tomorrow = no work for me!  My agenda includes baking, cuddling with Charlie, reading, watching the news, and keeping dry.  Maybe a few canned goods bicep curls?

Marvelous…  Customer service.  A couple of weeks ago I made my first visit to Wegmans.  Holy moly, that store is glorious, it’s like a grocery store + a restaurant + a home goods store all in one!  Unfortunately, I picked-up some spoiled Chobani but didn’t notice until I opened the tub and it smelled sour.  I checked the date and sure enough it had expired 4 days before I purchased it.  Bummed that my money went to waste, I hopped onto Twitter and within minutes, both Chobani and Wegmans responded apologetically and were happy to refund my money!

Marvelous…  VitaTops.  In honor of Halloween, VitaTops offered an awesome BOGO deal earlier this month that I happily took advantage of.  Our freezer is now sufficiently stocked and we should be set for a few weeks!

diced pear + plain Chobani + cinnamon + stevia + Apple Crumb VitaTop

Marvelous…  Coffee catch-ups.  Saturday morning I caught up with a girlfriend at Starbucks.  The past two months were pretty busy for the both of us since we both got married in September!  As you could imagine, we had a lot to talk about and before we knew it, 2 hours had passed.

Marvelous…  Free bike.  While I was chatting away at Starbucks, Ryan was busy at home working, or so I thought until I received this picture…

Ryan said he saw one of our neighbors wheeling the bike out to the dumpster so he went to check it out.  Our neighbor said that she had no use for it anymore so she was giving it away.  Winning!  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Marvelous…  Belated birthday bash.  Saturday night I celebrated my belated birthday at Legal Sea Foods.  I didn’t take many pictures but I did enjoy a tasty dinner with great company.  I started with a glass of champagne and a house salad, shared a shrimp cocktail with Ryan, and ordered grilled scallops for my entrée.  Dessert was enjoyed at Pinkberry!

Marvelous…  Wedding gifts.  Last week Ryan and I received my momma’s wedding gift, a 10-piece knife set from Cutco!  My momma swears by Cutco and has used them for years [ever since I can remember cutting my own meals] and I am psyched to have a set of my own!  Sunday afternoon Ryan and I used a few wedding gift cards to purchase a pizza stone, a pig egg pan, and a pumpkin stew starter- a few “essential” kitchen items [haha]!  

Marvelous…  Blog updates.  I’m so excited about all the updates happening on LAB!  I really would like to share them with y’all but I’m trying my best not to spill the beans.  I’ve never been good at keeping secrets when it comes to exciting things [i.e. Christmas and birthday presents].

Marvelous…  Pumpkin spice bran eggie cups.  Last week I match a batch of veggie eggie cups and this week I made a batch of sweet eggie cups.  Regardless of whether they’re savory or sweet, eggie cups are great to pack in lunches or to grab on-the-go!

Pumpkin Spice Bran Eggie Cups: TJ’s bran cereal + egg whites + pumpkin spice + stevia

Marvelous…  TNT training.  Ryan and I are scheduled to start TNT training tomorrow night [assuming it’s not cancelled].  I hope after 13 weeks of getting my butt kicked, I have some meaty muscles on my bones!

XOXO,

Allison

Question:  What’s marvelous about your Monday?

Question:  What’s your favorite rainy day activity?

Ready, Set, Sandy

Yesterday was absolutely marvelous!  I’ll recap in more detail tomorrow but I had a successful sweat session, did a little shopping, spent time working on some blog stuff [received some exciting news!] and enjoyed a belated birthday bash with friends 🙂

Today Ryan and I have been tackling a rather lengthy to-do list in preparation for Miss Hurricane Sandy.  I truthfully and wishfully am hoping that Sandy is more hype than storm but the surrounding counties have already cancelled school Monday and Tuesday.  Regardless of what actually ensues, we’re prepared, or so I think…

Our kitchen is stocked with nonperishables i.e. apples, bananas, beans, crackers, power bars, soup, and tuna fish…  As well as coffee, chocolate, peanut butter pretzels, and Annie’s spagehttios [aka the “essentials” haha].  We have extra batteries, a pile of firewood that could last us a few days, and two cases of water.

Bring it on Sandy!  But not really, stay out at sea.  Please and thank you!

XOXO,
Allison

Question:  Are you preparing for Sandy?  If you are, stay safe!

Question:  What nonperishables do you always keep in your cupboard?  Trying to think of what we should get, Ryan and I realized that we favor perishable products > nonperishables.  Our fridge and freezer are stocked with meal essentials such as fruit and vegetables, dairy, and meats, while our cupboards store meal fixings such as condiments, flours, and nuts.