I came to the realization this week that I really don’t like asparagus. It’s never been one of my favorite vegetables but I buy it from time to time when I am wanting to switch up my veggies or it’s on sale. I bought some last week because it was on sale at Whole Foods and ate it roasted two nights in a row…and didn’t find it especially appetizing on either occasion.
One of the things that I dislike the most about asparagus is the way that it makes your pee smell! This might not be a great lead-in for a post that’s going to be covering what I’ve been eating lately but oh well! 🙂
I did some reading about why asparagus makes your pee smell and learned that somewhere between 20-40% of people don’t smell it! Scientists are split on whether the vegetable doesn’t affect these people or whether they just can’t smell it. Fascinating.
And this would probably be a good time to tell you that when I was growing up we used to eat canned asparagus (gosh, I can imagine the texture of that stuff clear as day!) and put mayo on it! Yes, you read that right. I just googled “canned asparagus with mayonnaise” and it’s definitely not a thing so I’ll have to ask my mom where she got that from. (We don’t eat it any more….)
Quite the tangent there. Here are last week’s eats!
BREAKFAST
Plain 5% Fage with Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter swirled in, bananas, Purely Elizabeth Original Granola, cherries and peanut butter.
There were two mornings this week where it was in the 20s when I woke up…I had a smoothie both of those mornings and even went outside in the 20 degree weather to take this photo. I don’t understand myself sometimes.
LUNCH
Before I left Florida last Monday, my mom and I went out to lunch. I had an avocado stuffed with chicken salad and it was super delicious. Keep this in mind for an idea of how to serve things like tuna salad, egg salad and chicken salad.
I just can’t stop with the turkey sandwiches. This week’s combo of choice was mayo, avocado, smoked turkey, pepper jack cheese and a thin spread of apricot preserves. I put it under the broiler to melt the cheese and warm the sandwich.
I haven’t bought pepper jack in a while and it was a great switch-up this week. The spicy cheese with the sweet apricot preserves was so good!
PJ&J and apple slices on the way to an appointment.
One more turkey sandwich, same as above, but add arugula.
DINNER
Sriracha lime salmon (I do a variation of this recipe but add some seasoning and soy sauce or coconut aminos) with roasted asparagus and roasted acorn squash. For the squash, I just sliced it in half, scooped out the seeds and sprinkled the flesh side with salt and put it down on a baking sheet covered with olive oil. I roasted it at 400 and once it was pretty soft, I flipped it over and added a pat of salted butter and a splash of maple syrup inside and let it cook about 5-10 minutes longer.
This was a desperation dinner. I had leftover squash and asparagus but no protein. Finn was having a meltdown after his six month shots so I scrambled up some eggs really quickly and shoveled this down while holding an inconsolable baby. It was a rough night.
This was weird but it totally worked. It was like a hybrid salad/grain bowl. I tossed arugula in lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt and then topped it with quinoa, feta, a veggie burger and half an avocado. I finished it off with Tessamae’s creamy ranch dressing. I used a Dr. Praeger’s Mushroom Risotto veggie burger.
ETC
Chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting for lunch dessert when I was out with my mom. They called this “chocolate velvet” cake.
Lemon blueberry cheesecake from my new favorite bakery in Charlotte, Villani’s. Everything they make is to die for and they are open until 10 p.m.!!!!! I stopped in thinking I was going to get a piece of cake but the cheesecake just looked so good. I’m not a huge cheesecake fan (I like it but only occasionally) but the staff talked me into trying it. A husband/wife team owns the bakery and the story is that he makes the cakes and she makes the cheesecakes. I have to say it was some of the best cheesecake I have EVER had! It was so, so light and fluffy…almost like a whipped texture and not heavy or dense at all.
Okay, that is all. I hope to actually try some recipes and do some cooking this week rather than throwing random things together…but we shall see!
Do you like asparagus?
Are you one of the lucky ones who doesn’t smell the smell?
Would you choose cheesecake or cake?
Favorite cheese for sandwiches?
I realized this summer, after not being a big fan of asparagus, that I do like it when it’s local and in season. This time of year, I find it stringy and tasteless, but in the summer I love it on the grill!
Favorite cheese for sandwiches: Boars Head three pepper Colby Jack. So good!
I do like grilled asparagus better than any other cooking method. Also, I will have to try that cheese. Yum!
I buy Dr. Pragers’s veggie burgers often. I’ll have to search for the mushroom risotto ones. I haven’t heard of them before. I like cheesecake and cake equally! Your yogurt bowl at the beginning of the post looks delicous!
I am so into yogurt bowls right now! Yum! I also really enjoy this brand of veggie burgers!
Love asparagus, definitely smell it and happens fairly fast after eating it too!
Vegan cheesecake!
Oh…vegan cheesecake! I have never tried that. I don’t even know how you would make that happen!
I like asparagus well enough, but I never really buy it. I’m one of those people who doesn’t smell the smell. No idea what “the smell” even is! Crazy how biology works sometimes.
This is just mind blowing to me!!!
Ha! Growing up we put mayo on asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower and artichokes. I still love it, but don’t add the mayo very often.
Oh I do like dipping artichokes in a mayo/Worcestershire sauce mix! Another one I got from my mom!
Hey Jen,
I only experienced asparagus in the past year. I liked tried cooking it a few different ways. I think I preferred grilled over anything else. I don’t really like the smell and I could smell it in my pee.
I love cheesecake over came any day. Ah my mouth waters just thinking about it.
I make cheese sandwiches with block cheese or shredded cheese. I love cheese so any kind will do.
Have a great day and I look forward to your next post.
omg the asparagus pee smell. i hate it and why is it so fast ?
i LOVE cheesecake !!!! its one of my faves.
It is crazy fast! It’s truly bizarre!
Hi Jen – long time follower here. I started out with Bakin and eggs, and then found this blog as well. I have always been inspired by your eating habits, and was surprised that sometimes you made out of season choices. I am not a person who natively adores veggies – I usually strategize and make sure I am very hungry at lunch so they are very appealing. I started growing asparagus many yrs ago, and I really have to say that it is a completely different veggie when eaten straight from my garden. It’s the only way I can eat it. I way overplanted, and I have many volunteer patches as well, so I give away tons, with the stipulation that it be eaten within a couple days. I’m also a CrossFitter, so it’s nice to introduce my fellow gym members to something other than broccoli (that’s the only veggie most of them eat 🙂
I am so inspired by your present journey. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
Hey Trish – I feel like I do such a better job at eating seasonally during the spring/summer/early fall when I am going to the farmer’s market regularly. When I am not going to the market regularly, I find it a lot harder to do because you can get everything regardless of the season at the grocery store. Definitely something to be more mindful about and I need to get myself to the winter market once I’m in town more regularly on the weekends.
Thank you for the kind words! xo
My pee doent smell from asparagus but I swear I have smelled an ex’s. So maybe its not the smell that some people have but just the pee? Idk!
Im not a huge cheese fan (as in I dont use it often) but I am currently going through a manchengo or Gruyere phase. And goat cheese. ALWAYS goat cheese.
Ha, the pee thing is SO WEIRD! And manchego and goat cheese…so so good!
Next time you’re at Vilanni’s try the chocolate peanut butter ganache cake… best. cake. ever!!
I was eying it last time I was there and told them I was going to have to try that one ASAP!
We got into the asparagus debate at a fancy work dinner last year as it was included in the meal. One of my company’s VP’s said it didn’t affect her. We googled it and saw too that science is split on effect vs. ability to smell. So we conducted our own research lol. She later went into the restroom with another VP (the two are close friends) and still couldn’t smell it even though the other woman could. So strange!!!
This story is AMAZING! Haha!
Asparagus is one of those vegetables that I like in small portions…three or four stalks, and I’m good. But I can’t say that I’ve ever noticed a small, even though I’ve heard about that. Hmm.
Yes! I totally agree!