Hilarity & Hummus

I think someone gave the kids a shot of hilarious in their OJ yesterday morning, because, although every day is usually filled with small moments of makes-me-smile humor (they are small children after all…how can they not be amusing?), Monday was off-the-charts in the “did they really just say that?” factor.

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“I think they are exaggerating when they say he killed a bear with his bare hands when he was only three years old. I mean, there is no way that could happen. Well…unless it was a baby bear, maybe.”

Anyways, I started off my day with a new purchase…only bought because it was on SUPER sale (otherwise I never would have splurged). I have been wanting to try this Siggis Icelandic-style yogurt to compare to my beloved Greek yogurt. They are both strained in a similar style, from what I can tell, but this is a helluvalot more expensive (and you thought Greek yogurt prices were high…).
I opened it up to discover quite a separation of liquid and solid, almost like opening up a jar of natural peanut butter. Once stirred up, however, it was the thickest yogurt I have ever eaten. Y’all, I kid you not when I say it was almost the consistency of a really creamy sunflower seed butter.

It did taste sort of weird, but I think that might just be because I’m not used to having anything acai flavored without another fruit mixed in. Have you ever noticed that it never functions on its own? It’s codependent on other tropical fruits or something.

Did that 16 grams of thick yogurt-ness fill me up forEVER? Yes. Good thing, too, because my new schedule means I have FIVE HOURS between breakfast and lunch.

I, of course, can’t seem to separate yogurt from cereal, so I also had a jar of it alongside.Puffed millet, Kashi GOLean, and—whoohoooo!!!–delicious cereal crumblies from the bottom of the Cascadian Farm Multigrain Squares box.
I did manage to grab some juicy watermelon during the morning so I didn’t pass out from low blood sugar or anything.
Lunch was a PVP (personal veggie plate) topped with Penzey’s Bavarian Seasoning (I’m almost out!!!)
I also sampled these Boulder Canyon Sundried Tomato (with, not and) Basil Rice & Adzuki Bean Chips.
Having a slight obsession with the HEB brand of these, I was slightly disappointed in how thin and kind of unsatisfying they were. Or maybe I’m just over chips?

Nah, that’s probably not it.

I also had some leftover Pumpkin Hummus from this weekend’s Pumploitation Celebration Dinner. (There obviously had to be hummus…it’s not a Smart Kitchen party without hummus, y’all.)

Still delicious…and the only part of the dinner that was healthy and nutritious. [The recipe for this Pumpkin Hummus is at the end of the post...don't worry, the other recipes are coming. And yes, the dessert is next for all of y'all who have been stalking the blog waiting for it...]

Made it through the day, and halfway through my workout and then needed to grab the rest of this Cherry Pie Larabar.
There was actually only 1/3 of it left. Why, you ask? Especially since I normally can down a whole bar in 1.2 seconds and then want to eat three more? Well, y’all weren’t kidding about this flavor. It is not the best thing in the world. You know how cherry pie sometimes tastes super syrupy and artificial. Well, they got the flavor right on this one…(Ouch, I said it.)

In other news, I may or may not have almost been late to school on Monday morning on account of “needing” to download Taylor Swift’s new album at 6:00 in the morning and wait for it to sync on my IPod.

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As a side note, I am clearly out of the loop on mainstream music, as I had no idea they’d changed “Tune-In Tuesday” music releases to MONDAYS. When did that happen?

Thoughts of Speak Now? Not nearly as many using-my-fist-as-a-microphone-while-driving-in-my-car moments as Fearless, but I may or may not have listened to “Sparks Fly” and “Enchanted” at least 15 times each yesterday. (I blame it on the fact that I have a long commute.) Hey, Taylor, were you inside my brain the 4,589 times I’ve “fallen in love” at first sight?*

*Yes, I realize this, and every other time I feel like Taylor Swift really taps into my feelings it reveals that I potentially have the emotional maturity of an 18-year-old (or 17, or 16, depending on the album), but whatever. Maybe she’s just wise beyond her years.

I finally made it home. But not before witnessing two twin boys running down my street waving what looked a lot like wizard wands.

Pumpkin Hummus

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (about 1 3/4 cups)

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. curry powder
salt & pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup water, optional

Combine all ingredients, except water, in food processor. Process, adding water in small increments until hummus has reached desired consistency.

Serve with pita chips, wheat crackers, and raw veggies (zucchini and yellow squash are exceptionally tasty with this)!

(Top with pepitas for fun!)