cake.eggs.tea.

There is chocolate cake in my fridge.

It’s obviously going in my oats.  Obviously.

Just to put the size into perspective, because it looks like a whole piece of cake…this was about 2 fork-fulls of cake that I broke up and topped on the oats. 

Cake or muffin crumbles on oats are amazing.  And you really don’t need much at all, as a few chunks spread a long way as an oat topping.

The textures mesh really well together. 

I was so excited about the cake, that I forgot to whisk in an egg white!  Oh well, these were still creamy and amazing.  I’m just not sure if I’ll ever buy rolled oats again. 

• 1/3c Scottish oats
• 1 1/4c water
• ~1/4c almond milk
• 1/2t cinnamon
• 1t vanilla
• 2 fork-fulls of cake
• ~1/2T pnut butter
• ~1/2T maple cinnamon almond butter
• ~1/2T whole foods organic mixed berry conserve

One of my good friends, Joe, has been trying to get me to make poached eggs for awhile.  I’ve known Joe since my freshman year of college at Ohio State.  We were both in Architecture together and he actually introduced me to the huz!!!  They were roommates, along with 3 other guys and a girl, Michelle…who is now Joe’s girlfriend.

Anywho.  Joe is an awesome cook…as is Michelle!!  You should see some of the meals they used to make back in college.  Gourmet!  I think Joe wins for BEST omelets ever.  We would all come back to their house after a night of frolicking around campus and Joe would start cooking…omelets, mashed potatoes, fried rice, etc.  It was freaking awesome.  Everything was delicious, but the omelets were my favorite by far!  I promise that the omelets were the.best.ever. and it wasn’t just because it was 3am and ??? beers deep!

Needless to say…when it comes to food, especially eggs, I trust Joe.  I’ve been trying to get him to start a blog, because it would be HILarious and amazing, but so far he hasn’t complied. 

Onto poached eggs.  I have been scared of poached eggs. 

It was time to face my fears.  Joe gave me step-by-step instructions and I followed them perfectly.  [imagine that!]

I also decided that I needed to calm myself with a little tea before getting my egg on.  This is an awesome new tea company that resides in Boulder, CO.  Tea Dojo – I found them at the farmer’s mareket the other week and was extremely impressed with the tea they had on sample.  I am just getting into tea.  I really never liked tea, especially cold tea or sweet tea..blegh!  However, I was just not drinking the right tea. 

I discovered I like loose leaf, full-bodied tea, which is exactly what this is!  The awesome people at Tea Dojo hooked me up with 6 varieties to try out. 

I love these little bags.  The packaging is simple and clean looking and they have a flavor for everyone, I promise you!  It sounds like I must be getting paid to say this but that’s not the case.  I love supporting local companies, especially when I highly approve of them! 

I will talk about the flavors in more detail as I keep sampling them.

So far I can tell you that the coconut creme was delicious.  It was really rich and flavorful.  I tried the cinnamon fig this afternoon and really enjoyed it as well.  The cinnamon wasn’t overpowering and the fig gave the tea a nice light sweetness.

I LOVE that the bags have the specific brewing information for each tea.  It tells you how much to use for an 8oz cup, the temp the water should be at, and how long to steep for.  It also lets you know the caffeine level, which is really helpful, especially when you want a mug later at night!

Each bag has about 12 servings and costs $3.  Not bad at all for great quality tea.  I also like that it’s only 12 servings because I am usually ready for a flavor switch at that point anyway!  Their website is super clean and easy to navigate…check them out!

Ooof. Sorry about the interruption!

The trick is to stir really fast with a spoon to create a vortex in the water.  Drop the egg into the vortex and stir gently around the egg. 

Trial 1 – FAIL –> water was not hot enough…the egg fell apart

Gross.

Trial 2 – Success!  It’s normal to see the white floating pieces..and a lot of this was leftover from Trial 1.

Not sure these look that appetizing…but I had to document! ;)

From the bottom up: Trial 1 – 2 – 3

Trial 2 was the best looking.  Trial one, looked like…splattered brains perhaps?  There was no runny egg inside…most of the yolk escaped in the pot because the water wasn’t hot enough.

Ohhh egg #2…I can’t wait to eat you!  Not only have I never made poached eggs….I’ve never HAD a poached egg.  Craziness, being the egg lover that I am!

I think they look better on toast! 

1 slice of toasted fitness bread + 2 poached eggs = Amazing lunch #1

I cooked the eggs 1 at a time and followed Joe’s instructions to roll them carefully onto a towel to drain off the extra water.  I covered them loosely with a piece of foil to keep them hot.  It worked perfectly.

Perfffffffffect!!! Instructions at the end!

Lunch #2

• baby romaine
• 1/2 leftover baked tater
• lots of cucumber
• salsa
• tomato paste
• nutritional yeast
• greek yogurt
• olive oil
• avocado

YUM.

The weather was a bit chilly outside so I layered a bit.  I had my padded bike shorts on under my running pants. 

LOVE the coconut water + plain water combo. 

I was planning on going out for a longer ride but it was cut short from the rain.  I was being pelted and it got quite cold!  I ended up going about 7+ miles in around 30min.  That wasn’t too short, but I felt like I was just getting started!!

I came home and did a little ab work and a much needed 30min hip opening flow yoga session.  The yoga rocked!!  Even with only doing the 30min session about twice per week, I see improvements.  Today, I could touch my forehead to my shins and hold it there comfortably for the first time!  Awesome.

The huz + I also hit up the rock gym for some monkey climbing fun.  :)

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Colorado blogger meet-up #2

Since meet-up #1 was a fabulous success, I want to keep this rolling.  I also know some other CO bloggers and readers have popped up over the past few months and I want to meet more of you!

I am thinking an upcoming weekend in May?  I’ll make a new page soon so we can discuss what works best.  As of now I’m thinking either Sat the 22nd or Sun the 23rd.  I was thinking of a daytime picnic at the park.  More info soon!  Be on the lookout!

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Poached Eggs…straight from Joe!  [I did not use vinegar because I use farm fresh eggs]

I used to use vinegar and thought that was what I was missing in my first failures, now I never use it and think it is more the temp of the water and the swirl that does it. I pull the eggs out of the fridge while setting up so they aren't super cold when I go to cook them, not sure if that really matters or not.

1. Bring water to boil, only need ~3-4" deep.
1A. Salt and vinegar is optional but makes it easier--fresher the egg the less need for vinegar. If using it, any type is fine but will color the egg white slightly, so white or apple cider is best. A few TB or more is good depending on how much water you have. Step 3 helps when not using vinegar.
2. Reduce heat to a slight simmer, water around 190 degrees; Rolling boil is too hot = egg drop soup, no little bubbles at all is too cold = won't come together.
3. Crack egg into bowl or cup, 1 per vessel. Take spoon and swirl the water around to make a strong whirlpool, drop the egg right into the vortex. You can see the white whisk around the yolk, and make it a tidier little ball.
4. Let cook for 3 min, no stirring needed, but you can just stir the water to keep it moving, not the egg.
5. Pull out with slotted spoon, gently ROLL it off the spoon onto bread/plate--I roll them onto a towel if they seem to wet then from towel to plate.
6. Poached eggs will stay hot longer than most other types so I usually make them 1 or 2 at a time, but you can do as many as the pot/you can handle.

Off to bed…I’m meeting up with Emily in the morning at Wash Perk. 

Niiiight

Ashley