Compass & Coffee Spoons

Weekend Brunch Special: Non Carb Zombie Edition

 

I love weekend breakfast/brunch. If I had to pick one meal to eat for the rest of my life, it would be breakfast. This is, of course, due to my being a carb addict. So many breakfast foods are carby, sugary goodness. The problem with this (yes, I said problem) is that your blood sugar crashes after eating a heavy pancake breakfast and you're a bump on a log for the rest of the day. Unless you have nothing to do, this is a problem.

Oatmeal pancakes to the rescue! I first discovered this recipe when I tried the South Beach Diet (which works great, but for me, is too difficult to sustain--the carb thing). These pancakes use oatmeal which has a low glycemic index and cottage cheese along with egg whites to create a pancake with high protein and no sugar crash later. This fact would also probably make the recipe a better choice for diabetics.

I found this recipe submitted by The South Beach Diet on Allrecipes.com. I've gotten between 4 and 6 pancakes from this. That's 1 serving, or 2 small servings.

1/4 c cottage cheese (or tofu--I've never tried that. I HAVE used ricotta, which also works nicely.)

1/2 c. old fashioned oats

4 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla extract

(You can also add cinnamon and/or nutmeg or other spices as desired. The recipe calls for 1/4 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg. I've put more, I've left out--it's up to you!)

Couldn't be easier. Heat a pan as in making pancakes. Put all the ingredients into a blender (maximum easyness is a stick bender or Magic Bullet...I'm sure a small chopper/food processor would also work). Blend. Make as in making regular pancakes. Serve.

I eat these with regular maple syrup, because I don't trust sugar free stuff. But, the real South Beach thing of course requires that you don't use sugar. I should also note that I've made these with 3 egg whites--this makes them slightly thicker (see below for pictures of that time). I imagine you could also get creative and do some mix-ins: dark chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry, pecan...whatever you like with regular pancakes. The pancakes don't taste like regular pancakes...but in some ways, I like them MORE. They're very substantial. And I'm not catatonic afterwards.

 

 

 



WOWZA! It's been a long time!

Yeah, so it's been awhile. It's not that I don't think of you. Or this blog. I do. I just haven't been able to devote enough energy, mental or otherwise, to it.  I've thought of transferring my blog over to Blogger. Thoughts? Paying seems stupid. I used to have a Blogger blog. Actually still do, I guess, just not active. [Edited: Upon trying to "fix" the fonts...I ended up with a big mess...sorry. I don't understand why Typepad does this. And I pay for the privilege of a messed up blog]

I've been on a bit of a "product" kick lately. So, I thought I'd share a few of my material discoveries (also note that I've played with the image here in Picnik):

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 55 Liquid Sunscreen ($12.99 at Drugstore.com)

This stuff is 'da bomb. I had always wanted to heed the "wear sunscreen daily" mantra, but I HATED how the stuff felt greasy on my already oily-tending skin. This is one of the only ones I'm actually comfortable wearing. It's very light and non-greasy. As far as I can tell, it isn't clogging my pores. Another bonus is that this stuff goes pretty far, but is in a small enough container that you could pack it in your carry on!

Biore Enliven Cooling Eye Gel ($9.49 at Drugstore.com)I can't back up the claims it makes about making me look more awake (I'm sure those who have seen me in the mornings lately would beg to differ), but the stuff feels great.

Crest 3D White Vivid Toothpaste ($4.29 at Drugstore.com)I have used those strips before, but really hate having them in my mouth. Whether this "removes 90% of surface stains within two weeks" remains unseen, but I could tell within one use that it was doing something. That was enough for me. Their snappy ad with the chick getting the photoshoot and drinking wine against the orders of her manager didn't hurt.

The next thing I have "discovered" lately isn't a beauty product but a food. I bought a watermelon at Harris Teeter that was  bit mushy, but still sweet. Overripe, I guess. So, I decided to do what I'd seen on the streets of Taipei: make a sort of batido--blended watermelon juice. Basically took the chunks and blended them. Yummy and very refreshing. Today, I amped that up a notch. I froze the remaining chunks then blended them with pinot grigio for a fancy grown up slushee:

Big. Yum.

New Collection at Holland Cox

Valerie's at it again, with a great selection of bags for Spring!

 

Fantastic Handmade Handbags

I don't think I ever blogged about my friend Valerie's fabulous handbags. Valerie is the owner of a company Holland Cox, which she named after her grandmother. She creates bags from original designs and has an impeccable eye for great fabric combinations. I think this Fall's new colorways are some of the best! I own a few already, and just ordered another (and have another one that I'm still deciding on). The craftsmanship on them are as perfect as the colors, believe me. For example, if I were to sew a bag, it would look "homemade" in a cute, kindergarten kind of way. That is SO not the case here!

She creates limited quantities of her bags, so that each is unique and unlikely to be seen carried by someone else on the Metro. You can find different styles and colors at a cool bricks and mortar showroom Dekka on U Street in DC, a collaborative effort with several local indie designers, as well as on her web site. She is also the writer at one of my regularly-checked out blogs, Insatiable Need.

Here are a few of my fall favorites:

     

    

     

Check them out! (And buy!)

Favorite Things: Natalie Silitch

When I worked in Annapolis, one of my favorite things to do over lunch was to explore Natalie Silitch's delightful boutique on Maryland Ave. in Annapolis. Natalie makes folk art with delightful painted fabric mermaids (see photo), angels, snowmen, bunnies, you name it. But, what I loved about the shop was how it combined her art, other new things, natural items like shells and stones, and antiques. It was one of those places you go, and the arrangement of everything is so nice you'd like to eat it just so you could take it with you!

I don't own one of Natalie's pieces myself, though I did get my mom a rabbit for Easter. I have, however, bought many fun things at the shop. I got Liz a bunch of shells there. I also bought myself a cute paperweight with robin's eggs on it and a vintage 5 franc french cafe dish (and probably other things I'm forgetting). These are some of my favorite things! Both of these things, I "visited" for ages before buying. I finally bought the paperweight when it migrated to the sale section. The cafe dish I only bought after they were offered singly (there had been a set of 3...too many dishes for me!) I'll share pictures of these lovelies later! (Not near them at the mo').

Definitely, if you're in Annapolis, check her store out on Maryland Avenue. There are several other cute shops nearby, including a fancy pet shop, a tea shop, other home decorating/antiques shops, City Dock coffee, and some art galleries. 

If you can't make it to Annapolis, Natalie's art is sold direct from her web site.