Cooking for Four

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So, after I got the kayak out of my living room (here’s why a 17-foot long kayak was in my living room in the first place)…

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I got a lot of work done.  :)  It was a good afternoon.

 

I also did a MAJOR grocery haul.  Bless my mother-in-law, she handed over her credit card and told me to buy food for the family.  My mother- and father-in-law stay with us for a week every three weeks and I’m always FLOORED with how fast we go through groceries.  I bought us tons of great food for the next week.

 

Like… the return of Ginger Cats!

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James was very happy.  His favorite treat!

 

And ingredients for fun green smoothies.

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(Please ignore the sad state of my blender; I got it in the break-up with an ex-boyfriend. it’s from 2001 and seen better days.)

 

In the mix:

 

  • 1 cup soy milk
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

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Packin’ in those nutrients!

 

Since I have such a group in the apartment right now, I made a big dinner than can be reheated and enjoyed by all for several servings…

 

Everything you need in one bowl!

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This quinoa mix included BBQ sauce, potatoes, broccoli, carrots, parsnips, and chickpeas.

 

My serving:

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WIth a slice of crusty bread.

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In fact, I’m going for another slice of that bread.  Mmm.

 

Nearly 36 hours until 26.2 miles! :)  Getting excited.

{ 67 comments }

 

  • Susan October 28, 2010, 8:35 pm

    Whoot! Excited/nervous or just excited? I run my first 5K this weekend. I’m excited/nervous!

    I know there are a lot of people who love the cat cookies. I’ve never tried them. I’m about due for a TJ trip – maybe I’ll hit there this weekend and pick some of these up!

    • Caitlin October 28, 2010, 8:42 pm

      good luck on your 5k! your first race is an awesome thing. bottle up that feeling when you cross the finish line.

  • Allie October 28, 2010, 8:36 pm

    Your pictures look great and tasty 🙂 Good luck on your marathon!

  • Sarah @ Sarah's Shaping Up October 28, 2010, 8:44 pm

    Good luck with your marathon! You’re going to do amazing! You’re the reason I started getting into racing and am now looking to run my first half marathon next spring! 🙂

    • Caitlin October 28, 2010, 8:54 pm

      You’re going to do epic on your half!

  • Mary (What's Cookin' with Mary) October 28, 2010, 8:45 pm

    Love that sauce. I need to find some! I had quinoa bowl/ mix of sorts for dinner too. …except mine was Asian inspired 😉 I have really been loving quinoa lately. I’ll take that over brown rice 9 times out of 10. Always have to cook it in broth though… Just can’t help but want that extra punch of flavor.

    http://whatscookinwithmary.blogspot.com/2010/10/tofu-n-greens-quinoa-bowl.html

  • tina October 28, 2010, 8:46 pm

    glad that kayak is ok!!! mmm that quinoa looks delish!!!

    yay, you’re almost there! 🙂

  • Stephanie October 28, 2010, 8:47 pm

    I am SO excited for you and your marathon!!!! I dis my first last weekend after being inspired by healthy living blogs like yours! You will do SO great, I can’t wait to read your
    recap!!!!!!!

    • Caitlin October 28, 2010, 8:54 pm

      Congrats on your race!

  • Allie (Live Laugh Eat) October 28, 2010, 8:49 pm

    I just ate a large dinner followed by a large dessert and ALLLLL I want is soft crusty bread right now. I want to sink my face in that bread…where is it from?!

    • Caitlin October 28, 2010, 8:50 pm

      Trader Joes!

  • Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun October 28, 2010, 8:49 pm

    It always amazes me how fast we go through groceries too. Every time I see that bone suckin’ sauce, I crave BBQ!

  • diana October 28, 2010, 8:51 pm

    i have a hate/love relationship with bread haha

    • Caitlin October 28, 2010, 8:54 pm

      hehe i have a love/love relationship with bread. 🙂

  • Balanced Healthy Life October 28, 2010, 8:52 pm

    That quinoa dish looks great, especially with the broccoli! : ) Countdown begins until the race! How exciting! : )

  • Quirky Jessi October 28, 2010, 8:52 pm

    Why is it that your in-laws stay with you for a week every month? I’ve been reading for quite a while but I must’ve missed the explanation for this somewhere along the lines. Tsk tsk for me sometimes skimming, hehe.

    • Caitlin October 28, 2010, 8:53 pm

      I don’t think I ever really explained it…

      They are transitioning their clinic from FL to NC so they come up here every three weeks and see patients but they need a place to stay so they stay with us!

      • Quirky Jessi October 29, 2010, 1:40 am

        Ohhh!! Well that makes complete sense then.

  • Lauren October 28, 2010, 8:54 pm

    Those Ginger Cats are going on my next TJ list.

  • Lisa (bakebikeblog) October 28, 2010, 8:54 pm

    oooh that quinoa bowl looks mighty tasty!

  • Hope October 28, 2010, 9:02 pm

    hehe I was wondering where the kayak was going to turn up next!!
    Dinner looks yum!
    Not long to go now!!

  • Caitlyn (A Spoonful of Life) October 28, 2010, 9:08 pm

    I can see the headlines now…”Kayaks, The New Sofa.” Or not.

    Enjoy your bread! You are going to have an AWESOME race!

  • Rebecca October 28, 2010, 9:17 pm

    Good luck on the weekend Caitlin, I am sure you will do great.

  • Mrs. Muffins October 28, 2010, 9:21 pm

    I have that same blender! Oh, I need a new one oh so bad. I’m excited for you for your marathon! Exciting!!!!

    xx

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey October 28, 2010, 9:24 pm

    I love it when other people buy me groceries! 🙂 Whenever my mom and I go to COstco, she always says to “pay next time”. Somehow that never happens!

  • Candice October 28, 2010, 9:25 pm

    Yay for groceries!

    I have to say, you’re really lucky that your in-laws will eat the same foods as you. Your meal is exactly like something I would fix myself, but if I tried to feed it to them (or my parents for that matter!), they would probably likely not eat. Actually, they would because they’re sweet like that, but they would think it was weird. Actually, they think everything I eat is weird.

    Anyway. Sorry for the rambling. I’m so excited for your race!

    • Caitlin October 28, 2010, 9:41 pm

      It DOES help to have vegetarian holistic doctors for inlaws 🙂 you’re right – its lucky!

  • Stace October 28, 2010, 9:26 pm

    Caitlin,
    I just want to say thank you for the link to Angela’s blog last night. It helped a little bit. She mentioned in her post on binging that she tried to eat normally (a lot) all day. That’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been eating very big meals and snacks during the day and evening and I include sweets and treats. But I STILL binge at night. Sometimes healthy. Sometimes not (a lot of bloggers eat quite healthy, but I eat halloween candy and other like things with ingredients unheard of!! 🙂
    Anyway, in Angela’s post, she mentioned that she did this too. I know I will gain weight this way (like I said , I cannot exercise cardio at all due to my muscle disorder). But I hope I can be okay with weight gain, no matter what it is. And then perhaps in a few years time, my body will trust itself again and I might ^even^ out.
    I wish I could exercise to deal with it. I wish I didn’t feel so guilty for the chocolate and the treats (on top of normal, heavy daily eating). But I hope I can face it.
    Thank you for the link.

    • Caitlin October 28, 2010, 9:42 pm

      Maybe you should write in a diary or start a blog! It helps to get the feelings out.

      • Stace October 28, 2010, 9:55 pm

        A blog seems like a big committment. I don’t know if I could face that. I never thought about a diary.

  • The Wife of a Dairyman October 28, 2010, 9:26 pm

    Great luck with your upcoming marathon! And what a great treat to have such nice in-laws pay for some groceries:)
    Have a great evening!

  • Sarah-Mae @ Eat, Run, Knit October 28, 2010, 9:43 pm

    Best of luck with the marathon!

    I am a huge fan of mass-cooking and reheating. All my meals are generally cooked for four… when I’m the only one eating them 😛

  • holly @ couchpotatoathlete October 28, 2010, 9:51 pm

    BBQ sauce makes any meal delicious 🙂 Where did you find that bone suckin sauce?

    • Caitlin October 29, 2010, 9:37 am

      regular grocery store!

  • Janae @ hungryrunnergirl October 28, 2010, 10:01 pm

    GOOD LUCK!! That is so exciting! What is the weather supposed to be like for your race? Your dinner looks so good. I don’t think my mother-in-law would trust me with her credit card at the grocery store…I would go a little crazy!

    • Caitlin October 29, 2010, 9:37 am

      It’s going to be a little cold. Bahh.

  • Wei-Wei October 28, 2010, 10:27 pm

    Good luck on your marathon! And that quinoa looks awesome 😀

  • Jessica @ The Process of Healing October 28, 2010, 10:41 pm

    That sounds delicious! You are SO amazing at just throwing things together and coming out with something so incredible sounding!

  • Meaghen October 28, 2010, 10:53 pm

    I haven’t had a green monster in so long. I used to have one every morning for breakfast with a homemade granola bar and just got out of the habit.. time to break out the blender again I think.

  • Kiran October 28, 2010, 11:19 pm

    Yummy crusty bread. I want some with a big bowl of hearty vegetable soup. But the weather here in Orlando doesn’t permit for a hot soup 🙁

  • Mariel October 28, 2010, 11:49 pm

    Oooo those Ginger Cats look delish! Where can I find them?

    …and good luck w/ the race!!

    • Caitlin October 29, 2010, 9:35 am

      Trader Joe’s aka heaven on earth.

  • Lizz @ Leading the Good Life October 29, 2010, 1:09 am

    I used to hate leftovers but now I LOVE making extras so I have a quick meal that just needs reheating later. I’m sure that’s even more helpful when you have a house full of people that may eat at different times.

    And at first I thought that was a picture of carrots, parsnips, broccoli, and …olives. “Interesting…” but it made more sense once I read they were potatoes! 😉

    • Caitlin October 29, 2010, 9:31 am

      mmm olives!

  • Grace October 29, 2010, 4:16 am

    Yeah, you are almost there. I am getting excited too, kind of like a big event waiting for us.

  • Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) October 29, 2010, 6:24 am

    I love that Bone Suckin’ Sauce. I thought it was going to be too spicy for me, but it’s got that perfect blend of spicy and sweet. Love it. 😀

    Your green smoothie looks wonderful! I haven’t had one in far too long.

  • Savvy October 29, 2010, 6:48 am

    Good luck with your race!! I look forward to reading your recap and running it through you 😉 that counts as exercise for me too, right?
    I love your little “breakup blender.” I have some very unfortunate appliances myself – who needs all the gloss and glitz when you have something that does the job?

    • Caitlin October 29, 2010, 9:30 am

      heheh second-hand running totally counts.

  • Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen) October 29, 2010, 7:19 am

    I’d say that blender looks pretty good for being that old! Dinner looks delicious! I have done something like that before and melted cheese (Daiya) is so good on top.

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin October 29, 2010, 7:35 am

    My blender could be your blender’s grandma! It’s ancient! 😛

  • Jessica (Fit and Clean) October 29, 2010, 8:07 am

    I love quinoa. It’s so versatile, you can mix it with anything and it tastes good. I’ve been eating a lot of it lately! 🙂

  • Paige @Running Around Normal October 29, 2010, 8:15 am

    How sweet of your MIL!! 🙂 That’s very thoughtful of her (and much appreciated with two extra mouths to feed, I’m sure.)

  • Dianne October 29, 2010, 8:54 am

    I totally used to have that blender! I’m amazed yours still works…if it ain’t broke, right?

  • Erin October 29, 2010, 9:04 am

    Just wanted to let you know that I was watching the news at work, Fox News, and they had a segment with the redefining beautiful girls and they mentioned operation beautiful. This is such an amazing concept. I don’t wear makeup on a regular basis for many reasons and I hope I can pass this on to my daughter. I feel that makeup should be saved for special occations, like a pretty dress or a cute pair of heels. Just wanted to give you kudos for this concept.

    • Caitlin October 29, 2010, 9:29 am

      so fun! thanks for telling me about the mention.

  • Joanne October 29, 2010, 9:08 am

    I love it when we have visitors. Gives me more opportunity to get creative with food and cook more. I just wish who ever stayed with us would hand over credit cards or cash. Either would be nice. But in the end, it’s just great having the company. The quinoa dish looks so good.

    Getting excited for the marathon?! WAHOOO! Good time 🙂

  • Kristy October 29, 2010, 9:43 am

    I always giggle at the things that you bust out BBQ sauce for 🙂

  • Sami October 29, 2010, 10:13 am

    YUM bone suckin’ sauce! <3

  • Theodora October 29, 2010, 10:19 am

    1. Good luck on the marathon!
    2. I love take 2 of your living room. I’m going to be moving in about six weeks, and I’m excited to rearrange things!

  • Marci October 29, 2010, 10:23 am

    I had a similar dinner of broccoli, carrots, and parsnips. I learned about parsnips from you! Very tasty. And I found that Bone Suckin’ Sauce at Whole Foods here. I’ll buy it next time I need BBQ sauce. We are at no shortage of good BBQ sauce in Texas. Good luck tomorrow, you’re going to rock it!

  • Amber K October 29, 2010, 11:25 am

    Mmmm quinoa. I need to make another quinoa salad soon!

  • Cindy October 29, 2010, 12:21 pm

    I have a question. Are your in-laws vegetarian also, or do you add meat to their portion? I ask because I always feel like I need to accommodate my guests with what they eat.

    • Caitlin October 29, 2010, 12:51 pm

      They are vegetarian but this is actually a very interesting debate! I definitely do NOT feel the need to serve meat to meat eaters when they are at my house for a meal. Honestly, I do not want to pay for meat with my own money or prepare it. If my guests want to bring it and cook it, which has happened before, I am fine with that. My mom (who is also a vegetarian) completely disagrees with me and always provides meat for guests if they eat meat. My thought is that it’s just one meal and they can live without meat for one meal 🙂 What do you think?

      • Cindy October 29, 2010, 1:49 pm

        You are absolutely right! I’ve never thought of it that way. It is just one meal. What a great concept!

  • kathleen October 29, 2010, 12:24 pm

    i’m always shocked how fast my husband and i can go through food. i swear someone must come in and take it when we aren’t looking =)

  • Ellen@FirednFabulous October 29, 2010, 1:17 pm

    Those Ginger Cats always look so good! That quinoa bowl looks pretty tasty too 🙂

  • Dee October 29, 2010, 6:22 pm

    That quinoa mix looks SO good!

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