Hello, Captain Random!

I begin this post with some random thoughts from my brain. Skip them if you wish.

Here is a teaser photo of my breakfast to help satiate you visual bloggers in the meantime:

• There was a dragonfly on my wall this morning. Is that a sign of something?

• At 10:00 last night, my mother and sister called to tell me (on speaker phone, their new favorite form of communication) that they were watching The Bachelorette and there were three guys from Texas. Apparently, if the one from Austin doesn’t win, I will then be next in line to marry him. [I have only watched the first 15 minutes of the show...I will catch up via DVR this evening I'm sure. Even though I didn't really like Ali, I didn't like Jake either...but then...OH THE DRAMA. And you know I'm a sucker for horrific reality television.]

• Others may come and go, but Stephen Kellogg (and the Sixers), you will always hold the musical key to my heart. I almost changed my mind about moving to Austin when I found out you were going to be doing two nights in Virginia, playing every song from your past four albums. [I just weeped a little.]

• I did eat the Lemon Ginger Gnu Bar yesterday. It was super gingery, which on any other occasion I would love, but I was really craving chocolate at the time I think. However, it did fill me up forever (forever, ever?).

• I am still working on drinking more water! Siggy and I are constant companions, on a never-ending quest to quench my thirst without carbonation. (But oh, how I love carbonation…)

[Please note that my basil-in-a-yogurt-container is thriving in the background.]

• I do not think the title of this post has any pop culture connection, but I really want it to, because I find myself thinking that phrase a lot. Yes, I know. I am a crazy person.

• The word “random” first seeped into my vocabulary the summer I turned 13, when all the girls at camp started using it in the way that “awkward” is often used now…said to fill gaps in conversations, strange silences, or to cover when someone does something odd, kooky, or ridiculous. Random was that summer’s buzzword. I often want to abbreviate it and just say “rando” (with a long o, like Rambo), but then I feel it sounds too much like randy, a word that, in addition to being the name of everyone’s favorite son on Home Improvement (oh how we all swooned over you, JTT), has amorous connotations that are probably best avoided.

• Last night, I had a dream that a Justin Bieber-like pop star, with blonde hair akin to Ted’s last night on the HIMYM season finale, was trying to date me. We called him Adam Ant, however, and at one point he performed a musical number on an electronic magic carpet. He also gave me lots of pencils. I feel as though this must be a holdover from my teen (and college, who am I kidding?) years of loving the then-most-popular Justin (Timberlake) and must also have a connection to my love for both the movie Aladdin and office supplies (Post-Its make life better.) I am not sure how Adam Ant fits in to the picture. I cannot even name one of his songs. He is a musician, though, isn’t he?

OK, let’s get out of my dreams and into my car….I mean, lunchbox.(?)*

*Do I call what I carry my breakfast in a breakfast box? Technically both are bags…but lunchbox just sounds so much better than lunch bag.

Breakfast today was inspired by the fact that I had packed some frozen mango and grapes for lunch yesterday….and then left them in the fridge.

I ate the grapes when I got home, but used the mango (and it’s yummy juice) to make Mangoji Overnight Oats! (And yes, I did add Goji berries simply so I could create the term mangoji.)

I started with my basic blend of 1/4 c. plain yogurt, 1/3 c. oats, 1 Tbsp. oat bran, and 1/2 banana.

In went the mango and some cinnamon, as well as nutmeg!

And then the Goji berries. (Seriously, mangoji is so fun to say.)

1/4 cup of almond milk…less than my usual 1/2 cup since there was some juiciness from the mango to factor in…

Stir it up, little darling, stir it up…[I sing this in my head every. single. time.]

Ta Da! [Where did that expression come from?]

I also brought along some (Smart) Kitchen Sink Granola [still must get you that recipe/method...] for crunch.

All in all, a DELISH bowl of overnight oats. Seriously, every morning (except for a random two days a couple weeks ago) they are just so satisfying. Food fixation? Yes. Boring breakfast? Never. There are a thousand different ways to make ‘em. I don’t think I’ve made ‘em the same way twice yet!

Do y’all ever get tired of eating the same thing over and over?

Do you get bored of ME eating the same thing over and over? [Granted, it's the same basic thing, but jazzed up in various incarnations.]

I somehow published the post earlier and inadvertently left off everything about lunch. Here it is!

Lunch today was this beautiful creation:

A salad (big surprise) with Romaine, fresh basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, slightly steamed frozen sugar snap peas from the freezer, red and yellow bell pepper (left over from my Spicy Sweet Shrimp Cocktail), and carrots. I topped it off with some cottage cheese and some white bean and basil hummus (more on that in a minute). Since I had just a smidge of Blueberry Ginger Chutney left, I thought, “why not?” and added that to the mess. I had high hopes for the blueberry and basil combo. [And I was oh so right!]

So pretty. So much like a rainbow. This is when I started to think about Kermit the Frog popping up and singing “Rainbow Connection” with me as we sat by the side of a lake and held hands.

No blueberries were harmed in the making of this salad.

Well, except for this one. He was trying to escape…I had no choice.

My salad today featured one of my favorite things from one of my favorite places: White Bean & Basil Hummus from Trader Joe’s! [What am I going to do when I move to Austin? The closest TJ's is in Santa Fe, New Mexico...602 miles away! (Yes, I checked.) Is anyone willing to send me monthly shipments?]

When you open it up it is this delicious lake of olive oil floating on a basil-infused white bean hummus, topped with just a wee bit of sun-dried tomato and a sprinkling of pine nuts.

Be still my beating heart. (or stomach, I guess.)

Oh my goll, y’all. It is so good. And green.

Opened up this box of Kashi TLC Crackers that had been hiding in the pantry.

And some watermelon topped with mint! (This is the tasty treat that started my minted fruit obsession. The first, and the best, although I could make a strong case for minted pineapple.)

Also, some pistachios…it ain’t easy being green, is it, Kermie?

Is it just me, or do pistachios smell really good? I know that is an odd realization to have, but, nonetheless…

Random Aside: Have you ever made pistachio instant pudding? So psychadellically and artificially green. And yet…strangely scrumptious.