mix it up: pumpkin protein pancakes.

in case you haven't noticed, i've kind of been avoiding posting about my meals these past couple of weeks. why? well, i've sort of gotten stuck in a food rut...which is fine by me, since everything i'm making still tastes yummy to me, but isn't so interested for the blog. i've typically been having my pumpkin cottage oats for one meal, an omelette for another and salad with chicken or a veggie burger for dinner. not too exciting.

so, i decided to switch it up this morning! after yoga and a quick shower, i got to making myself some breakfast. i have a long day ahead of me with 2 model castings and work tonight, so i wanted to make sure i made something with staying power. i chose to make julie's pumpkin protein pancakes. with eggs, oats, cottage cheese and pumpkin, i was sure these would be the perfect breakfast. here's the recipe:

pumpkin protein pancakes

makes three medium-sized pancakes

2/3 cup old fashioned oats

1/4 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (i'm out, so i used allspice instead)

1 tablespoon honey

combine all ingredients in a blender (i used my ninja!) and blend until mostly smooth and well-combined. heat a greased (with pam) pan on medium heat and then pour batter onto pan. you may need to use a spoon to spread the batter out so that your pancakes aren't too thick to cook through. let sit for about 2 minutes or until edges start to get golden and then flip. cook for another minute or so. transfer pancake onto a plate, repeat 2 more times and smother in light butter and maple syrup! or at least that's what i did...feel free to use whatever toppings you please :)

and enjoy with a hot cup of pumpkin spice coffee in a cute mug. the epitome of a fall morning, if you ask me...

xo jordan

vegas vacation.

i'm baaaaack!! in case you missed my last post, i headed to vegas last sunday afternoon to meet up with my mom who was there for business. i got to stay at the mandarin oriental hotel (nicest ever), watch excessive amounts of television, hang out with my mom and engorge myself on obscene amounts of delicious foods. lucky me ;)

and that would be my finger in front of the lens...

here are some food photos from the trip!

fresh baguette and butter from mon ami gabi in the paris hotel

chicken frites! one of the best pieces of chicken i've ever eaten and those fries were out of control.

some hotels leave chocolates, but the mandarin leaves pears and breadsticks that taste like macarons :)

salmon salad sphere. crazy looking, crazy delicious.

banana bread french toast and a hot cup of coffee. too good.

horrible photo of my room service dinner: biggest turkey club of life, fries, side salad and a tiny bit of tuna tartare. yum.

buffet breakfast at the mandalay bay!! my favorite. that's an egg white omelette, smoked salmon, bacon, fruit, grapefruit juice and coffee...add 2 pastries to that and some food i snuck in my bag for the ride home and you have a very happy girl.

and now i'm sipping on some amazing pumpkin spice coffee out of my new mug (thanks mom!) before work. it's kind of hard to read, but that says "cake fixes everything." so true, right? makes me want to bake...

have a good one, y'all!

xo jordan

how to salvage a mediocre meal.

yesterday after yoga, i met my friend elana for lunch in larchmont village, a place i've been meaning to visit here for a loooong time. connor had told me it looks like larchmont on the east coast, and he was totally right. it's a super cute street lined with shops and cafes.

i was really excited to try out a place called the bungalow, which had all kinds of delicious sounding things on the menu including some fancy eggs benedicts and red/blue velvet pancakes, and we all know i'm a sucker for those :) the restaurant itself was adorable with a bakery-like feel in the front and 3 different outdoor seating areas.

i went with a stuffed turkey burger with brie and apples (no bun) plus a mango, papaya and cucumber salad.

elana got a breakfast panini and then we headed out to the back porch, which was complete with a fireplace! we were excited to dig into our lunches, but after a few bites of mine, i realized how bland it was. i really wanted to give it a shot, but it wasn't even cooked well. i couldn't taste the brie or apples, really, and the side salad was whatever. for $15, it was a total disappointment. elana said hers was just okay, too.

honestly, afterwards we were still hungry and had some time to hang out together and walk around. i had spotted a crumbs cupcakes on my way to the restaurant and the second i mentioned it after our meal, we knew we had to have one. we split a red velvet cupcake and it was delicious!!

so, to salvage my mediocre meal (and probably one that cost too much), i first realized that it wasn't a total loss because was in great company, not to mention i was going to want to try the restaurant anyway. plus, i easily fixed my dissatisfaction with some dessert....duh! that last trick always works. orrrr you could totally just make up for it the next day with something yummy like mushroom pizza from the pitfire, courtesy of the roomie...

thanks connor :) hope you're all enjoying your weekends, everybody!! i'm off to vegas tomorrow afternoon to see my momma, but i'll blog to you all from there.

xo jordan

spaghetti squash and an impromptu workout.

hey y'all! apologies once again for disappearing. i'm actually kind of sick with a cold, so it's making me lazier than ever. in any case, i did make myself a delicious dinner a couple of days ago which i forgot to tell you about, so let me do that now...

and that would be spaghetti squash with balsamic, feta, tomato and red onion. it's pretty self explanatory to make and much like most of my "recipes," easily adaptable to your own personal tastes. in case you don't know how to make a spaghetti squash or don't even know what one is, it's a winter squash like butternut, acorn or even pumpkin.

you'll need to cut it in half, lengthwise using a bit of strength and a very large, sharp knife. place it on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt, and bake at 375 degrees fahrenheit for 40 minutes (or until you see it starting to brown). once you take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes, take a fork and basically peel away the squash in strands. it'll look like spaghetti and be super easy to remove. not to mention you'll get a ton of squash in about 5 minutes!

i mixed mine with some pearl tomatoes, small slices of red onion, fat free feta cheese, a touch more of olive oil + balsamic vinaigrette (i know, i know, i put that dressing on everything!) and some garlic salt. so tasty! and one of the greatest substitutes to pasta that i know of.

this could be a main dish or a side. tonight i ate it with some spinach alongside a tomato basil boca burger! with mustard. obviously.

impromptu workout

yesterday before work and after a model casting, i was super pumped to get back to yoga. i figured i'd push myself even though i wasn't feeling great because i knew working out would make me feel better. i grabbed all my yoga stuff, shower stuff and clothes to change into for work, hopped in the car, drove 5 minutes away and then realized i forgot a bra...

sooo i drove all the way back home knowing i'd never make it back to yoga in time but knowing i needed to do some kind of movement! so instead, i did 10 minutes of ab work (combinations of regular crunches, yoga-inspired crunches and insanity-inspired core), 5 minutes of various inner thigh strengtheners, 5 minutes of obliques and then these bad boys for my booty.

let me tell you, my arms, obliques and butt were killing me today. it even hurt when i coughed! that's how you know you worked your ass off the day before :)

that's all for tonight folks. i've got a busy day tomorrow with more yoga, another casting, lunch with elana and then work! blogging to resume post-business. goodnight!

xo jordan

five things you probably didn't know about me [food edition].

1. i eat kiwis like i eat apples - skin and all, in one piece.

2. i absolutely hate ketchup. it's weird because i love tomatoes, but ketchup is way too sweet for me...which is also weird since i have a raging sweet tooth...

3. i eat/drink smoothies straight out of the blender (minus the blades). it's just easier that way :)

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4. i crave milkshakes and cake at all hours of the day. i could probably live off of them if they had, ya know, all the nutrients and stuff you need to actually survive...

5. i eat at least one banana a day. if i have plenty in the cupboard i'll eat two. or three. topped with peanut butter, and chocolate chips, in oatmeal, in smoothies, in yogurt, in cereal, frozen and blended into ice cream, with cinnamon, baked in the oven, with honey, or plain. so, so good.

so now you know!

xo jordan

panko breaded eggplant caprese.

one day last week, i decided to buy an eggplant. i saw it, thought the color was really pretty, realized i've never made anything with eggplant before in my life, and figured i should try! i've also been craving eggplant parmesan lately, and kind of wanted to make that, too. so here's what i came up with:

panko breaded eggplant caprese

makes about 4 small servings or 3 big ones

one eggplant

one egg white

whole wheat flour*

skim milk*

panko bread crumbs*

salt*

garlic salt*

3 tomatoes

balsamic vinaigrette*

olive oil*

*no need for exact measurements for these items, use as much as you need/please!

preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. cut ends off eggplant, peel it and slice as thinly as possible into rounds. sprinkle rounds with salt and place rounds in between paper towels underneath something heavy for at least 30 minutes to draw the bitterness out.

set up three shallow bowls (or tupperware in my case!) - the first with whole wheat flour and garlic salt, the second with a mix of the egg white and skim milk and the third with the panko crumbs and more garlic salt. dip the eggplant rounds first in the whole wheat flour, making sure to cover them fully and tapping off any excess. dip in the egg white mixture letting any extra drip off. finally, coat in the panko flakes making sure to cover them fully.

place on a baking sheet covered in olive oil. bake for 20 minutes on one side and then flip. slice tomatoes and layer with the eggplant when cooled. drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and sprinkle with more garlic salt. enjoy!

xo jordan

busy bee.

sorry for the brief hiatus, folks. these past few days have been busy. the good news is that it was a good combination of work and play, and even when it was work, it was also kind of fun anyway! wednesday night i went to a superhero themed party with the frat boys and i went dressed as catwoman! and last night i went to a party with people from work that was really fun, too. since i've been on the go lately, i've been mixing my usual staples (monster salads, smoothies, omelettes, etc.) with fun treats and some of my favorite foods. here's a quick re-cap!

honey teddy grahams - on sale at target, couldn't resist!

food from the cold bar at wf - mix of pasta salads, a falafel, balsamic strawberries, greens, and mushrooms

carol's cookie from wf. peanut butter chocolate goodness aka heaven in dough form.

cottage cheese double with strawberry, the perfect snack.

sliced banana drizzled with a teaspoon of peanut butter and cinnamon!

sushi platter from trader joe's! ridiculously filling and ridiculously inexpensive.

i'll be back tomorrow after work/yoga with a recipe! on tab for tonight is relaxing and detoxing from the parties. oh, and digesting since i ate one too many of the treats i made for tomorrow night...oops :)

xo jordan

2 ingredient chocolate pumpkin microwave cake.

yes, i know it's a mouthful, but that's really what this is. 2 ingredients. made in all of about 2 minutes. in the microwave. this is just about the laziest dessert you could possibly make for yourself and it ain't even bad for ya!

2 ingredient chocolate pumpkin cake

inspired by this

2 heaping tablespoons* of chocolate cake mix (i prefer duncan hines, or pillsbury)

2 heaping tablespoons* of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix!)

*when i say heaping tablespoon of cake mix i mean this:

*and when i say heaping tablespoon of pumpkin i mean this:

mix all (2) of your ingredients together in a microwaveable bowl until well combined and somewhat resembling baby food.

heat for about 1.5 minutes (or less...or more...my microwave tends to cook things more quickly) or until slightly firm on top. it should be squishy, like a muffin top or sponge. let cool for at least 5 minutes (or you will burn the roof of your mouth). and then dig in!

feel free to top with chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, peanut butter or caramel sauce. i'm definitely going to try one or all of the above very, very soon. enjoy :)

xo jordan

sunday funday.

last night after work, i had the pleasure of going to Saddle Ranch with some of my co-workers. if you don't know what Saddle Ranch is, it's basically a bar/restaurant on Sunset with greasy fried food, a southern feel and an electric bull that you can ride, you feel so inclined...and it looks like this:

it's fairly trashy and touristy, but we really wanted to go and it turned out to be a great place for hanging out. so great, in fact, that we were there for 6 hours. true story.

our evening started out with some complimentary cornbread and biscuits with honey butter that made them so addicting. i'd expected the cornbread to be better, but at least it wasn't spicy, despite the jalapenos in it.

+ a bud light, 'cause it reminds me of home. for my entree i got the buffalo chicken wrap with cheddar, tomato and looots of fries. it's really too bad i don't like spicy food because buffalo chicken is one of my favorites, even though it's painful to eat. i'll keep ordering it, anyway...

and finally, some cotton candy! and by some i mean a ton. monti and i devoured almost the whole thing ourselves and man, was it good. i hit a major sugar high about halfway through and then crashed. by 11pm (6 hours later) i was done for, so we all headed home. all in all, it was a really fun night, but i think the restaurant itself was a little overpriced and the service wasn't all that great. the good company made up for it, though :)

today i knew i needed to make up for my crazy eating last night. my stomach even hurt too much this morning to eat a big breakfast, so i just grabbed a pb&j sandwich thin on the way to dance. afterwards i had my pumpkin pie cottage oats and some other snacks before heading off to a model casting thing (where i got free clothes!). and dinner was this salad the size of my head:

broccoli, spinach, chicken, cheddar, cucumber, light ranch dressing and a pinch of sea salt. so big that it could only fit in a mixing bowl! dessert was this lovely creation:

i know it doesn't look all that special in there, but i promise it's delicious! recipe to come tomorrow...

that's all, folks. tomorrow's another busy day but i'll be back. goodnight!

xo jordan

one bowl, two ways.

is it just me, or does everything taste better when eaten out of a bowl? it's just so much easier to eat and hold that way! plus, if you have a really pretty bowl it makes it even better :)

this week i've been eating almost everything out of a bowl, from breakfast to dinner to dessert! i've recently discovered my new favorite breakfast: pumpkin pie cottage oats.

it's basically 1/4 cup of oats made with water

approx. 1/2 cup of cottage cheese

1/4 cup of pumpkin (or more)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp of maple syrup and

1 tsp of brown sugar

mixed all together and you have one seriously delicious fall treat. i may even find myself eating it for dessert one of these days!

another one of my new favorite meals is whole wheat pasta with a ton of veggies thrown in. you've probably seen this meal on my blog in the past, since pasta is amazing, but the other day i put some of my basil pesto sausage in with the pasta + garlic powder, sea salt, olive oil and carmelized onions. it was so good.

i think garlic and onion just make me happy, but the sausage was the perfect addiction with a little spice and sweetness. plus, adding meat makes it extra filling! next time, when i have some, i'll be adding spinach for sure.

aside from these couple of meals, my eats have been pretty standard the last few days. i actually went out to happy hour yesterday with some people from work, stuffed my face, got cheesecake from the cheesecake factory and went to a movie to stuff my face some more. unfortunately, since i was in the dark, i don't have pictures of either the red velvet or reese's peanut butter cup slices i split with shayan, but it's probably better that way. if i see another photo of them, i'm probs going to want to eat 'em again...

today will be far less indulgent - it's back to yoga and work! have a lovely saturday :)

xo jordan