Wednesday, April 2, 2008

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!




18 comments:

Matt said...

favorite bedtime snack- ICE CREAM. i am also a big cereal person too.

favorite mojo bar- not sure what its called, but it has nuts and dried cranberries. its godly. i bought two new flavors today so they will be put to the test this week. i'll let you know how they are.

Anonymous said...

Yay!! I love farmers markets. There's something special about knowing where your food came from and who's selling it. =)

run-roam-recycle said...

I LOVE farmers markets, and I LOVE the magic bullet!!

I didn't know it was farmers appreciation week, but I'm loving the local produce that's in season right now! My goal for this summer is to do the 100-mile-diet for all our produce!

BTW, can I add you to my blogroll?

J said...

You are awesome for encouraging us to buy locally!

We should appreciate farmer's and farmworkers MUCH MUCH more than we do, without them we wouldn't have food!

That produce looks so good! I'm a sucker for sweet potatoes, squash, OH, and tomatoes and greens too!

It's so nice to be able to meet and know those who grow your food. It makes eating a more special occasion. You can really feel good about what you are putting into your body. Yay for the farmer's market!

Matt said...

do you go to uab in birmingham?

ChickPea said...

Bama: Ice cream is def a good choice...I'm actually looking for ice cream suggestions right now...got any recommendations? In response to your other question, no I go to Duke in NC, but I will be taking classes at UAB this summer; my dad is also a professor at UAB.
Romina: Farmers' markets have a special place in my heart--it makes food shopping so much more personal.
Run-Roam-Recycle: The Bullet IS amazing...That's not a bad goal for the summer--maybe I'll join you on your quest for local food! Oh, and of course you can add me to your blog roll!
Jennifer: I agree that farmers go unnoticed these days. It's kind of odd how excited I get about produce!

Matt said...

if you want "light" ice cream, i recommend edy's chocolate chip cookie dough or cookies n creme. both are awesome. for "real" ice cream... ben and jerry's all the way- smores or oatmeal cookie chuck. i can eaily down a pint without thinking!

oh, i added you to my blogroll! hope thats alright!

Anonymous said...

Cute sticker! I can't wait for the farmer's markets to open up around here... only a few more weeks!

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

mango sorbet~!

p.s. thank you for encouraging "buy locally, think globally!"

you're awesome!

Matt said...

i love the nike+! you use it too?

Anonymous said...

Looks like you eat really healthy. Do you mind me asking how much you weigh?

Anonymous said...

I know this sounds silly but my favorite night time snack is a frozen mashed banana w/ a tsp of crunchy pb mixed in :)

ChickPea said...

Bama: Isn't Nike+ amazing?? It makes me want to run all the time, especially when Lance Armstrong comes on and says "Congratulations, you just ran your best time for the mile."
Tina: Farmers' markets are one of my favorite things about summer!
HH: Mmm mango sorbet sounds excellent. I think I've only had raspberry and lemon--how lame is that?!
Anon: I don't mind telling you how much I weigh, but bear in mind that maintaining my weight is always a struggle. I haven't weighed myself in a while bc I have a history of anorexia, but I hover around 110.
Loveofoats: That's not silly--that's tasty!

Alicia said...

I love your food because you keep it simple, and I really think keeping it simple is the key!
I don't have bedtime snacks, but sometimes I eat oatmeal, even if I don't think it's a good idea because you go to bed full of energy!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for being honest :o). At 110, don't worry at all about treating yourself to a big piece of cake every now and then (or even every day, at your low weight haha)

Love the blog.

ChickPea said...

Alice: Yes, for now my food is pretty basic--but I enjoy it! Sometimes I wish I could make my meals a little more complex, but my dorm kitchen doesn't really facilitate that. Glad to hear you appreciate my food, despite its simplicity!
Anon: Yeah, these days I allow myself a little more "fudge room," especially since I started running. Thanks for your concern!

Anonymous said...

Hey, I just found your blog and saw this post, so I was wondering, would it be ok if I emailed you with some ED-related questions? I don't want to take up your blog with them.

ChickPea said...

Anne: Sure! My email address is cwy4@duke.edu.