Cool today and Hot Tamale

(Ok, I know this line is cheesy, but it's the truth - aside from the fact that I did make tamales today, it is also cool today with a forecast to be warmer tomorrow... but I digress!)

For whatever reason, getting up early today meant that I was STARVING all day!

I left you last after snacking on some watermelon...... I had a midmorning snack of a Larabar around 9am. I wanted some more fruit, but I had to run to Home Depot to get a part for our ceiling fans (which were in the middle of being installed) and a Larabar was more convenient to take in the car.

The Larabar flavor was spectacular!!! I would definitely give it an A, and it is tied with the "cashew cookie" flavor for being my two favorites so far. Love this - it was so good that it took every ounce of my self-control not to scarf down another once once I got home. Salad was great, but nothing super interesting....... I was running low on veggies so it was just some Romaine, an avocado, and homemade dressing.

Sticking with the "starch" category of food combining,dessert was this ('Zeke bread with Earth Balance).........

And it was so good that I had a THIRD piece, (-) the Earth Balance but (+) syrup instead. It made me feel a bit nauseous - I think my stomach is used to not having such sweets and it was a bit too much.

I spent much of the afternoon making tamales for the first time! A few years ago my mom started making tamales on Christmas Eve - she's a fantastic tamale maker! - and I've always wanted to try my hand at it.

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Turns out it is not hard by any means, but it is a bit time consuming. First you have to soak the corn husks so that they are more pliable. I made my own "dough" made from masa flour, EVOO, warm water, and seasonings, since traditional tamales call for a cup or two of LARD, which I'm not a fan of.

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I made most of them for Mike with beans and cheddar cheese, and made a few vegan ones for me. After making the dough, you unroll a corn husk, put a dollop of the dough into the middle, some more filling on top (beans, meat, veggies, etc), and then wrap up the corn husk like you are wrapping a present and lay them with the tucked undersides on the bottom. After doing a few, I found that it was easy (and less messy) to roll a ball of the dough in my palms and then to flatten it into a pancake shape before putting it into the cornhusk.

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The nice thing I found is that you can do the most time-consuming part - wrapping the tamales - ahead of time, throw them in the fridge, and then make them later that night. I love make-ahead dishes like this!

These were some goodies that arrived today from Heart Thrive! I can't wait to try them soon!

Here is some info they came with:

I'm not sure what that last one means, but the rest of the stats look good :)

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I had a super-loungy day which was part nice, part boring. I was started to drag (probably from the early wake-up call this morning) so I made myself a wheatgrass shot to perk myself up. I made it with almond milk this time, which definitely improves the flavor!

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Once Mike got home from work, I ran/he rollerbladed 6 miles along the gorgeous Chicago Lakefront. It was a very pleasant run! There was a great breeze and we had a great pace going. Mike just got new rollerblades so I'm excited to do this more often with him like we used to :)

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Right now I'm eating tamales like it's my job........... they are pretty awesome I must say ;) I learned a few lessons for the next time I make them (I will use more seasoning and more filling, for example), but overall they turned out great.

*** I'm exhausted from the run and lack of sleep so I'm off to bed soon... I'd love to know, what is YOUR favorite make-ahead meal?? I am in a rut of making lasagna when having company over because it's so easy to make ahead of time, but I'd love to get some new ideas!