Farmers' Market on the Quad!

The rain finally decided to take a hiatus today, and sunshine has returned! Today was the perfect day for a new event on campus--the Duke Farmers' Market! I was so excited, considering how much I love going to the Farmers' Market when I am at home in the summertime. The motivation behind this event is that this week is Farmers' Appreciation Week. You, too, can celebrate by buying as locally as you can this week:)

Although I wanted to buy everything on the table, I chose just a few items that I knew I would be able to prepare in my makeshift kitchen. I was tempted to get some kale (I've never tried it before!), but I don't know how to cook it. Plus, I wasn't sure if it produces a distinctive "veggie smell" when cooking--my roommate despises anything green, so I don't think she would be too thrilled about the prospect of studying in kale-infused quarters. Anyway, I did buy a few small sweet potatoes, a pair of baby summer squash, a bag of mixed greens, and--my favorite--fresh tomatoes! I purchased everything you see here for a mere $5.50 (on food points, no less!).

Tuesday

Backtracking a bit, I will share some of my stellar meals from the past few days. One of my splurge items from this week's Whole Foods trip was a box of Kashi GoLean waffles. After seeing so many people make breakfast sammies on the blogs lately, I decided to go ahead and buy a box, even though I don't have a toaster. When I opened the box, I was impressed by their size--I had forgotten how big these waffles are! I topped two of them with some natural PB and some thawed frozen berries (thus the presence of juice on the waffles). This was a delish breakfast--just like PB&J but in waffle form. However, I was a little disappointed in the lack of satiety the breakfast provided--my tummy was rumbling in class not very long afterwards (almonds to the rescue!). Oh, and FYI: these are not vegan waffles. They contain milk ingredients.

Last night for dinner, I was famished for some reason. Tuesdays are usually my busy days, with three classes in a row and a 2-hour editorial meeting directly afterward, so I guess I just needed fuel! I had some leftover black beans ( it seems like one can of beans lasts forever), so I decided to put my Magic Bullet to work and make some bean dip. Accompanying the dip were my favorite crackers ever--Ak-Maks. I highly recommend these! They're so healthful, natural, and tasty. Plus, they're only $1.29 per box! I rounded out the meal with a big salad from the salad bar and some watermelon. I decided that wasn't enough, so I poured myself a big honkin' glass of vanilla almond milk.

Last night for a snack, I put together another bowl creation. I simply combined some part skim ricotta cheese with crumbled Weetabix biscuits and cinnamon. It seemed to do the trick.

Wednesday

This morning I had a much more satisfying breakfast: a smoothie with raw cashews. Yet again, I gave my Magic Bullet a workout by blending together a frozen banana, a packet of chocolate Soytein, and some vanilla almond milk. This was my first time to use the frozen banana trick successfully. The last time, I'm embarrassed to admit that I just stuck the banana in the freezer, peel and all. Let's just say that I didn't end up using that banana. Anyway, this smoothie was phenomenal! It kept me full for hours--I didn't even need to nibble on anything in between my morning classes. I will definitely be making this breakfast again in the future.

For lunch today, I really just wanted to get rid of these dang black beans. I nuked them with some frozen chopped spinach and Bragg's Liquid Aminos. On the side I had some Triscuits, an apple, and I sliced up one of those luscious tomatoes.

Tonight, I have to attend an event that provides food. Whether that means a catered dinner or heavy appetizers, I don't know. We'll see--maybe they'll at least have some good veggies and dip? I might need to supplement their offerings with a snack...what is your favorite bedtime snack?

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!