A Newfound Infatuation and Matters of Probiotics

Tuesdays tend occur in a blur. It’s that odd day of the week where it’s too soon to anticipate the weekend and a bit too belated to call it the start of a fresh week. It’s just another day with no real emotional ties.

Thankfully, I was a bit more together than yesterday. Despite battling a mildly queasy stomach in the morning, I was feeling a lot better on a whole. However, my upset tummy did in fact alter my lunch plans. My carrot soup with kale was just not that appealing around lunch time, so I decided to go home and make something a little more comforting instead. Thank goodness I did because I think I discovered a new obsession- Mashed banana-peanut butter-pumpkin toast! This was derived from a collection of your recipe posts and I was truly inspired to combine 3 of my favorite ingredients into one glorious creation. I first got the idea from Kath (http://www.katheats.com/) as she often tops her bread with mashed banana. Apparently mashing the banana exerts so much more creamy flavor (makes sense). Then, I saw Caitlin(http://www.healthytippingpoint.com/ ) take an overripe banana, mash it up with a little peanut butter and then warm in the microwave for a few seconds to use as a topping on waffles. I thought that sounded wonderful but was thinking of a way to make it even more incredible and since I have been devouring pumpkin butter on pumpernickel lately, I could only imagine how divine the banana combo would be on top of that. Oh and let me tell you it was!!! Here is all I did…

(Sorry I didn’t have time to take a picture but you can only imagine how good it looked)
1 piece of toasted pumpernickel
Smear on a teaspoon of Pumpkin Butter
Mash ½ of an overripe banana and mix with a little PB, then heat this for a few seconds in the microwave
Spread warm gooey banana topping on the toast
Holy YUM! It’s safe to say I will definitely be consuming this one again very soon!

As I mentioned before, I was feeling a little unsettled in the morning (probably because of the spicy foods I had last night for dinner) but none the less, it inspired me to conceptualize a recent health claim on the benefits of probiotics. I am hearing this word used more and more in the health world and have been doing some casual study on the issue. Products with probiotics claim to aid in digestion because they contain beneficial bacteria. Research has shown that certain probiotics may restore normal bowel function and may help reduce diarrhea or stomach pain caused from irritable bowl and constipation. As I am sure that there are many products out there that embellish their authenticity with the good bacteria, I find more mainstream products that speak of this health benefit. I do find that yogurt always seem to calm my upset stomach and I also love eating the Kashi Vive cereal that is loaded with probiotic goodness. Admittingly, after I eat this cereal, my digestion does seem to noticeably better.
So today, I tested out this theory by eating yogurt when I was not feeling so hot and truthfully, I did feel a lot better afterwards. So I guess there must be some truth behind these claims. Give it a try. Next time you get a stomach ache, try eating some yogurt or cottage cheese and see if it has the same calming effect as it does for me.








After the gym, Toly and I came home and got ready for a nice warm and tasty meal. Stir fry sounded appealing to both of us, and since my veggie drawer is overflowing, what a better way to make some space. I made a veggie stir fry for me and a chicken and rice for the boy. Mine was so much prettier, so I didn't even bother to take a pic of his plate.

My combo was....

Peppers (red and green)
Asparagus
Butternut Squash
Zucchini
Broccoli
Sugar Peas

In a sauce of...

Pineapple juice
soy sauce
teryiaki
and a tiny bit of honey

Piled high on top of sauteed kale with sesame seeds and a few peanuts sprinkled on top for some extra crunch.
Delicious!

(During the stir fry process)

(Finished product)

Time to crash for the night. Tomorrow is Wednesday already! Hope you are having a great week!