Pass/fail...not necessarily in that order

I woke up yesterday morning in a state of alarm. I realized I went through the entire day on Tuesday without eating any peanut butter. I enthusiastically bounded out of bed to remedy the problem. 

I decided I was going to try the banana + egg pancakes that I've seen all over the blogosphere. But, per usual, I made some changes.

They didn't work out so well.

Basically, I added some coconut flour because it seemed too liquidy and then the coconut flour soaked everything up and they were too thick. So, I finally added some almond milk. Fail. 

They ended up in a heap at the bottom of my mug with peanut butter on top.

 Luckily, this sounds very similar to something Tina makes except mine was much smaller and not quite as much fun. 

It tasted like a warm, mashed banana with a little coconut mixed in. Not bad, but also not a pancake.

Let's backtrack.

I went to yoga Tuesday morning, so I snacked on some grapes before and then enjoyed some homemade granola and yogurt when I got to work.

I purposely do not have the recipe for this granola.

The thing is, my mom makes it. She has offered to give me the recipe numerous times, but I don't think it would taste as good if I made it. 

And mom, I'm almost out.

Lunch was blah.

Roasted spaghetti squash + tomato sauce + chicken sausage.

It was filling, but boring.

Dinner stole the show, though.

Grilled grass-fed strip steaks, sauteed swiss chard, roasted asparagus, and salt & vinegar potatoes!

I found a recipe for the s&v taters that worked really well, but we plan on doing some tweaking next time.

Basically, chop/slice your taters however you like 'em and cover them with equal parts vinegar and water in pot on the stove. Let 'em boil for about 8 minutes, then roast in a 400 degree oven until browned.

We liked these, but thought they could stand to be more vinegary. If you're in the same boat, maybe do more vinegar than water in the boiling phase.

Also, we were getting hungry, so I didn't keep them in the oven as long as I should have. 

They were a little undercooked, but we did not mind a bit!

Also, we had some spotty bananas and the boy was crying for dessert, so I followed an idea I found on Pinterest.

We didn't have marshmallows or graham crackers, but I bet they would have been delicious!

Just the melty banana with chocolate was amazing.

The boy actually thought there was more to the recipe, but I literally cut a nanner lengthwise, stuffed it with mini chocolate chips, and baked it until everything was melty.

Since I've been slackin' in a major way and not blogged all week, I'm going to end this post with Tuesday's eats and bless you all with a separate post for Wednesday's. I know, I'm too generous.

Baked Oatmeal Muffs

As promised, I have a recipe to share. I made these goodies in preparation for my half marathon. Since I've gotten used to fueling up for long runs with oatmeal, I wanted to bring my own pre-race food and not have to rely on hotel grub. These were the perfect solution and my family loved them as well!

I used this recipe, but I halved it because I knew we didn't need many. I also used a little less than 1/2 cup of maple syrup. I knew I was going to make flavors and I didn't want them to be super sweet. I made four of each flavor: banana nut, pb&j, and blueberry chocolate chip.

I filled the muffin tin with a few spoonfuls of batter, put some fillings in, then covered it with more batter.

I did this mainly so I didn't have to bring peanut butter along separately...it was already baked in!

Since I didn't have an extra muffin tin, I made some little mini muffins and topped them with leftover nanner slices and peanut butter and raisins.

I topped the banana nut muffs with walnuts, the pb&j with raisins, and the blueberry chocolate with chocolate chips so I could tell the flavors apart.

Needless to say, these were a huge success. They were incredibly easy to make and even easier to heat, eat, and enjoy.

The blueberries almost completely melted in the middle so I could hardly tell what was blueberry and what was chocolate. A problem I DID NOT mind having.

You can hardly see the banana filling, but the taste was perfect!

Of course, the pb&j was my ultimate favorite, but...no surprises there...

Make these and let me know your thoughts. I finished my batch this morning, so I'll need to make more--STAT! If you think of any other flavors, please share!

DC Food & Fun

So sorry it's taken me so long to post! I'm the worst. Let's recap.

This past weekend, I ran the inaugural Nike Women's Half Marathon in Washington, DC with my family! We had such a good time with plenty of face-stuffing fun and a little sightseeing. Let's recap!

 We found this incredible tapas place with an even more incredible lunch deal: unlimited tapas for $25/person. 

I think they actually lost money on us because, like me, my family can eat.

And we were adding calories to prepare for our race anyway, so this was a win-win sitch for us.

We ate a lot. 

I can't recap it all, but there was some good eats in there. 

We went back for seconds.

 We visited the White House where we could actually see the Secret Service agents on the roof.

So cool and terrifying at the same time.

 I think the Lincoln Memorial might have been my favorite. 

He just seems like my kinda guy.

They had his speeches inscribed on the walls and it was truly incredible to read and imagine what a ground-breaking moment that must have been.

The weather was perfect, so we walked outside a lot and enjoyed it.

I was amazed to see what a green city DC is.

Although I love NYC, DC's greenery is really vast and spread out and it was just nice to relish in all the space.

Sound cray? If you live in NYC, you know what I mean.

For the race, my mom and I planned to run at a comfortable pace since my IT band was killing me (before we even started running) and it was her first race in a while. I finished a little slower than my last half, but I was happy with my results: 2:20. Last race, I finished in 2:16, but I'll try harder next time...

My mom and I stuck together the whole time. Two peas. She was a great coach -- I definitely had trouble running the last two miles and I couldn't have done it without her!

Upon my return, I got right back into my breakfast routine with a batch of oatmeal with a chopped plum mixed in...

...and, of course, a dollop of peanut butter atop.

I also made this banana/peanut butter recipe again and munched on a few for breakfast this morning.

If you haven't tried this incredibly easy and scrumptious recipe yet, you should get on it.

Other recent eats:

 Leftover mash.

Rice & beans + balsamic spinach quinoa salad + roasted chicken + salsa

Looks gross, tastes great.

Like almost anything that's good for you.

 We also attended a Yankees game where a few in our party decided to indulge in this monstrosity.

That would be a bucket of fries topped with sliders. 

 A bucket of fries calls for a shit ton of ketchup.

 Although I know how bad these are, I couldn't help but scarf half the bucket. 

Moderation at its finest.

Coming up next, I have a fabulous baked oatmeal recipe to share, so be on the lookout!

A preview...

It's sad that I have to write a whole separate post for these because of all the pictures I've taken. But, you'll thank me. These little nuggets are amazing and customizable! You'll love me after this -- if you don't already...

Why I'm a bad, bad girl

I just updated my blog font since a reader told me it was hard to read. The only problem is, now all my previous posts look a lil crazy. But, I'm a lazy lady and will not be going back to edit every post. So, sorry for not being sorry.

A few people have asked me why the title of my blog is "Bad Girl Eats." There are so many reasons, I decided to list them.

  

1. I know what I should eat to be optimally healthy, but I don't always do that.

2. I have to make a conscious effort to not insert sweets or dessert into every meal of the day. Some days I'm successful, some days I'm not.

  

3. I am like a bottomless pit when it comes to pancakes. It's a real problem. It's like I just never get full. I wish I was like that with spinach.

4. I really like baked goods. Like, really. I like making real food too, but I could eat brownies, cookies, bars, muffins, and breads all day.

I just.

Can't.

 Stop.

5. My mood and overall countenance peaks when I'm consuming either ice cream (usually dairy-free, but not always...)

...or chocolate.

On the rare occasion that I get both + peanut butter, I am in a STATE OF BLISS.

 6. I will 100% compromise my gluten-, dairy-, and sugar-free ways for the right dessert.

Bread, pasta, and mac 'n cheese have no effect on me.

But chocolate pecan pie? 

Gimme a spoon.

7. I'm fairly certain I couldn't go a day without a hefty serving of peanut or almond butter.

8. I'm trying to rid myself of the notion that small goodies that fit in the palm of my hand are calorie free.

While I know this to be totally untrue, if there are M&M's...

...or ginger chews in the vicinity, they're getting eaten in massive quantities.

My point in telling you this is to demonstrate that "bad" foods can be a part of a "good" diet.

Everyone has bad habits they want to work on, but that doesn't qualify them as part of the unhealthy persons club. Unless that habit is hurting you or others, your guilty pleasures can still be a part of a health-conscious, happy, sustainable lifestyle.

The point of this blog is to show all of you out in the blogosphere that there's no universal, nutritional line between what's "good" and what's "bad."

What is truly bad is being unhappy with your life or your self. 

So, here I am, admitting to the world that this healthy, no sugar, no gluten or dairy, anti-processed food blogger and foodie is, in fact, a "bad" girl with "bad" habits.

And it feels DAMN GOOD.

Bacon Bits & Macaroons

Happy Wednesday! I can't believe it's almost May. This NYC winter just does not want to move on. Thank heavens it's feeling like spring again today. Next week looks springy too, though, so maybe the schizophrenic weather patterns are behind us.

My eats so far this week have been significantly more boring than my eats from last weekend. But, that's life. I had to reign it in a little after filling my body with grease, cheese, and sugar.

Monday's dinner was a quick and tasty one. I can't remember where I got the recipe for this side (maybe Fitness? Blogger fail), but it's become one of our go-to sides.

Baked Lemony Garlic Chicken

2 chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

2-3 tbsp lemon juice

zest of a lemon

chopped garlic (about 9 pieces or 2 tbsp)

1 tsp thyme

1.5 tsp oregano

s&p to taste

Mix ingredients in a bowl & pour over chickens in a baking dish. Bake them (uncovered) at 350 for about 30 minutes, check to make sure it's cooked through, and serve!

Sauteed Kale & Spinach w/ White Beans & Bacon

2-3 cups kale, washed & cut

1 cup spinach
1 can white beans, rinsed & drained
4 slices bacon

1. Cook bacon over medium heat and remove, leaving bacon fat in the pan
2. Cook kale in same pan for 3-5 minutes, then add spinach
3. Once spinach begins to wilt, add beans. Chop bacon and add it.
4. Stir until everything is thoroughly heated
5. Eat!

I'm actually having the leftovers for lunch today. The bacon & kale love affair never gets old.














 Breakfast yesterday was Smurfmeal 2.0. All I did was add a scoop of (no sugar added) jelly. It was much sweeter, which you'll never hear me complain about. It looked more tie-dyed than blue this time, though. So maybe Smurfmeal is no longer an appropriate name...

  I  got nibbly (per usual) around 11am, so I finished the rest of my Salted Caramel Macaroon from Danny Macaroons.

I actually contacted Danny while I was eating this because I realized I hadn't even asked if it was gluten free!

Sometimes I just assume and that can get me in trouble.

Good news, though! Most of Danny's macs are gluten free. Some of the special flavors (mainly the alcoholic bev ones) have gluten, but the ones I got are safe!

Lucky me.

I plan on eating another one of these bad boys shortly.

But the Salted Caramel was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.




 Lunch was leftover sushi. Which looks nasty. I'll spare you the photos.

Rest assured, though, it tasted just fine and I haven't gotten sick. So...we're good!

 Don't you love that ginger dressing that comes with sushi salads?! So glad my man didn't touch his salad from the other night.

More for me.

I bought the PaleOMG cookbook yesterday and figured a random Tuesday in April was the perfect day for bacon-wrapped filet mignon.

My man was beyond thrilled.

Make sure to check out Juli's cookbook! She's got some really great, easy recipes.

 

We couldn't find organic, grass-fed filets at our local grocery, so we just went with another cut of meat that the butcher at Dickson's suggested.

Also, we didn't wrap the bacon. I just cooked it separately in the pan then cooked the meat in the fat (OMGDELISH).

Once I took the grapes out of the oven, I threw in the chopped bacon and it added an incredible flavor.

Definitely doing this again. Thanks, Juli!


I just ate the chocolate almond macaroon. Swoon. Consumed too fast for a snapshot. You'll just have to order your own batch to see for yourself.