While last week I may have been in rainy Olympia , this week I am working from home in San Francisco! The sun has come out and I feel like my love affair with this city is full blown right now. When we lived in our first apartment in SF, it was much farther out from my office so I ended up working from home the weeks I wasn’t traveling and could sometimes feel isolated. Now that we live in Hayes Valley, I can just pop in and out of the office whenever I please, and also just stroll to so many delicious spots for lunch!
BREAKFAST
I had prepped some overnight oats on Sunday, but didn’t eat them until today. Whoever thought of putting your overnight oats in an almost-empty nut butter jar is close to a genius in my book. This batch had about 1/3 cup oats, a heaping amount of chia seeds (I love super chia-y oats), a bit of soy milk, a Good Belly shot, cinnamon, and blueberries. And of course scraping all of the PB leftover in this jar into every bite! It’s like a treasure hunt. Also had a nice cup of coffee on the side.
I took myself for a run, and I think I finally found my new running route. I ran all the way to Golden Gate Park down the Panhandle, and then meandered through the Haight-Ashbury until I got home. I ran for about 50 minutes, which I’m guessing is a little over 4 miles for me. When I got home, I chatted with my grandfather on the phone who was recently admitted to the hospital. If you’re been reading Dani California Cooks for a while, you’ll know that my Opa and I are super tight and he is probably my most dedicated blog reader. So Opa, since I know you’re reading this, good morning and I hope you feel better today!
LUNCH
After work/calls the rest of the morning, I grabbed lunch with a sorority sister who was in town at Little Gem. She’s still in college, but wanted to meet up and talk SF and jobs and all that. I’ve been wanting to try this healthy eatery around the corner from me - they have an amazing menu that’s gluten free, dairy free, and refined sugar free. Living the dream over here in SF. I had a salad with romaine, pea shoots, asparagus, egg, radish, and salmon with a green goddess dressing. It was so fresh, and I’m so ready for more springtime produce!
SNACK
I had a coffee downtown and then worked from the office for the rest of the day. It was just beautiful in SoMa/Financial District area - continuing from the springtime trend of lunch - it definitely felt like the season has arrived. For a snack, I ate some winter produce (pear) and some honey almond butter and had green tea.
I walked home a little after 5pm and caught up on the phone with some friends. Once home, I sipped on a small glass of ginger kombucha that had a shot of OJ in it. Love the orange/ginger combo!
DINNER
I’ve been having some success in meal planning! I’m going to blog more about that, as historically, I have failed pretty miserably when it comes to meal planning. On the menu for Tuesday was sausage and eggplant pasta. I had prepped a homemade ragout in the crockpot of browned spicy italian sausage, onions, can of diced tomatoes, chopped eggplant, and lots of basil and oregano. I should do a formal recipe for this sauce - it was a good one. I served it with salad on the side.
I RARELY cook pasta, but when I do, I usually use brown rice pasta. I had heard so much about Banza pasta - pasta made from chickpeas that’s also gluten free, high in protein and fiber, lower in carbs - and I finally tried it tonight. I’ll be honest though, I was not a fan. For all of the claims that it was a 1-1 flavor with regular pasta, I definitely disagree. I wish I could describe the flavor, but it was just..off. It wasn’t terrible, but I’ll probably stick with brown rice pasta for the nights that I want to cook pasta.
DESSERT
A couple of pieces of dark chocolate, and some more tea. Then we hunkered down with some House of Cards! Anyone else watching? We’re just starting with the first season.
Check out the rest of the “What I Ate Wednesday” crew over here. Have a great Wednesday, everyone!
Thanks for stopping by! 
I am so with you! You can’t go wrong OIAJ and the hidden nut butter around the place!
Kristy @ Southern In Law recently posted…Travel: New Zealand’s Best Glamping Experiences on the North Island
so much better than just a spoonful in the middle!
Zomggggggggggggg, that breakfast sounds amazing. I still have never done overnight oats!
It totally seems up your alley!!
So I have never put my overnight oats in a pb jar and I think that needs to happen soon..I always forget and throw out the jar! Oh and I watched the whole House of Cards series and it’s AWESOME. You’ll love it.
Next time your PB jar is almost empty, save it for overnight oats!!
I have a few almost empty jars waiting around for me, but I need to get a longer spoon, haha. I’ve seen people pour smoothies in them and that sounds really good to me too! I need to try that soon. Yours looks amazing!
Also I am seriously crushing on that salad! California looks like a dream.
Kate recently posted…What I loved (WIAW)
I actually used a big spoon for this one because I was thinking about how I wanted to scrape the bottom with it 🙂
That salad and salmon looks amazing. You can find similar things all over NYC but I just feel like eating fresh produce and seafood in California, the “fresh” feeling is more there because of the sun 🙂
The sun is definitely a mood and flavor booster around here 🙂
Hope the grandpa is on the mend- That salad looks SO good- Salmon is always a winner!
Arman @ thebigmansworld recently posted…Healthy 3 Ingredient No Bake Cereal Bars
The salmon was perfectly undercooked - just the way i like it. And ill send gpa your well wishes! 🙂
Sorry to hear about your Opa. Hope he is feeling better and on the mend. That salad looks so springy…if that is a word 🙂 I have been too busy to start season 4 of House of Cards but am hoping to start this weekend. I love that show!
Kate @ Kate Lives Healthy recently posted…WIAW #91
I’ll pass along the well wishes! And yes - it truly was springtime in a salad.
LOVE making overnight oats in empty nut butter jars, genius! And that salad looks delicious. Definitely ready for spring and fresh fruits and veggies.
Patricia @Sweet and Strong recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday, WIAW #2
I’m ready for summer produce too! Mmm peaches.
The salmon in that salad looks perfectttt. And at least you’re honest about the pasta - thanks for pointing us in the right direction!
Sarah @ bucketlisttummy recently posted…Sometimes You Just Need French Fries + Feta Tuna Salad Recipe!
Banza company reached out and is sending me a couple of new boxes to try, so hopefully I’ll find one that I like the flavor/texture since I like the nutritional profile so much. I’ll keep you posted!
I actually just tried Banza for the first time at an event last weekend, and I really liked it. I love how much protein it has! I agree that it doesn’t taste exactly like pasta, but I think you kind of have to take it for what it is: a healthier pasta substitute… like zoodles! I like em and eat em, but if I’m craving real pasta, I eat real pasta ya know?
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness recently posted…Healthy Smoothies Made Easy with Green Blender {Review}
I’m going to give it another shot! I cooked it for the BF later and he liked it, so I’m going to give it another try.
That salad screams spring! From someone planning a trip to SF in may/june - this post got me ALL the more excited!! That run sounds just marvelous.
Positive thoughts for you Opa.
Cora recently posted…WIAW: SO I eat a lot of old food..?
I’ll definitely give you some recommendations!
YUM! Oh my gosh Dani! All of these eats look amazing! I’m swooning over your lunch! I just LOVE salmon! It’s the best! Hope that you have a great weekend!
xoxo Cailee!!
Cailee recently posted…Stop and Smell the Roses!