*I had planned to talk about my running issues tonight, but I had one heck of a hard workout today and I’m exhausted!!!  So you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to read those insightful words :)  I’ll also be sharing an ammmazing butternut squash soup recipe*

I got up, I ate breakfast, I went to work, I ate lunch, I finished work and went to the gym.  It was a whirlwind and I don’t know that I even remember what happened!  Three cheers for productivity!

So let’s start from where I can remember…

When I got back from the gym, all I could think of was, EASY.  You can’t get much easier than pre-grated coleslaw!

I mixed  about 2 cups of this with a Tbsp of 1/2 fat Hellman’s, 2 Tbsp of white vinegar, 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar, a shake of garlic powder, a few turns of cracked black and a couple shakes of salt.  Yum.  Look at that, doesn’t it look fresh, crisp and tasty?? Well, it was.

To go along with the easy theme (as my body was telling me it was time to start replenishing some calories stat!), I cut a couple slices off of this loaf we picked up on the weekend.  This also makes up for the bread I forgot on the counter this morning…(boy was I disappointed when I opened up my lunch).

This is a treat for us, and get it once every couple of months to satisfy that craving.  Just check out those jalapenos!

And to make the meal complete – 3 zucchini roasted carrot patties.  I made these last night, and what’s easier than leftovers that just need to be reheated!?  I ate these with the side of ketchup you see – they’re also good with sour cream, Greek yogurt or even a little bit of white vinegar.  The recipe is at the end of this post.

After eating, cleaning up and getting my things all ready for tomorrow morning (I like to be organized when I wake up), I realized that I was feeling more than just peckish, I was downright hungry again.  I wasn’t sure what I felt like (as I’m not really a dessert person – the horror!), but when I saw the container of cereal in the pantry, I knew I’d found a winner!

Todd and I make our own cereal mix.  We use 3/4 of a bag of puffed millet, 3/4 of a bag of puffed kamut and a box of Nature’s Path Multigrain flakes.  It’s the perfect mix of flavours and crunch, without all of the unnecessary ingredients.  This way I can add my own, better ingredients.  Today was PB, walnut pieces, dried cherries and kefir.  Yum.

This was perfect, not overly filling, but satisfying.  And now as I sit here typing and watching Iron Chef America, I have to think: how did I stay away from the blogosphere for so long???  But perhaps the better reason is why…  But, I digress…

Hope you had a great day today and that your day is even better tomorrow!

Zucchini and Roasted Carrot Patties

This recipe is very easy and absolutely delicious!

Before you begin, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  First up, grate approximately 2 cups of zucchini.  I saw yellow zucchini at the market the other day and couldn’t resist its’ beautiful colour.

See, isn’t it pretty?  Kinda looks like cheese actually…

Next up, grate or mash (depending if the peel has been left on them) 3/4 cup of roasted carrots.  This is a great way to use up those leftover carrots that you roasted earlier in the week.  True story ;) 

Add approximately 1/3 cup of your favourite cottage cheese.  If there is a lot of liquid in the cottage cheese, throw it in a colander and let the excess drain out.

Toss these ingredients into a bowl, along with 1/2 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs, 1 large egg and one egg white.  I also added ~1/4 cup of grated parmesan – just the stuff that you shake out of the container because that was what I had on hand – I’m sure actual parm would have made this even better!

Mix it altogether to incorporate everything and to make sure that the egg and cottage cheese coat everything.

After I mixed everything together, I said a big fat “Duh!” out loud and realized that I had forgotten to put the seasoning in!  I added 1/2 Tbsp oregano, 1 Tbsp chopped garlic and salt and pepper to taste. *This was actually a little more oregano than the 1/2 Tbsp I intended… I inadvertently opened the big end of the spice container.  Good thing I love oregano!*

Now allllll of the ingredients are accounted for and you’re ready to form your patties!

I find that using parchment paper crisps up and prevents sticking for just about everything in the oven.  Unfortunately this was the end of the roll and just didn’t want to cooperate.  Not to worry, I showed it who was boss ;)

You should end up with 6-8 patties, depending on how big you make them.

Look at the pretty colours!

I added a couple shakes of parm and a couple turns of cracked black before I put them in the oven.

And twenty minutes later, Voila!!!

Mmmmm, crispy on the outside,

And soft and fluffy on the inside…

Zucchini and Roasted Carrot Patties

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. *talk about easy…*
• Form the mixture into 6 – 8 patties.  Place patties on a baking sheet that is sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper.
• Sprinkle small amount of parmesan and black pepper on top of patties if desired.
• Place in oven and flip after 10 – 12 minutes.
• Place back into the oven for another 6 – 8 minutes.

Enjoy!!!