Friday, April 25, 2008

Study Break

After another day spent with my friend Shakespeare, I am in dire need of a study break. I also have a few food photos to share from the past few days. The combination of these facts tells me that it's about time for a blog post.

Side note: Taking pictures is a bit more difficult to negotiate these days, with my roomie around all the time. I love her (we will be rooming together for the 3rd time next year), but she would not understand the whole concept of a food blog. Thus, "Beyond Tofurky" is a bit of a secret around here. Anyway, I apologize for the dearth of pictures these next few days of finals week...


Thursday
Despite the added obstacle described above, I managed to take pictures of my lunch yesterday. I combined some leftover tofu with lentils and organic squash for a warm dish of goodness. I somehow managed to make a pseudo-gravy with Bragg's, the starch from the lentils, and salt + pepper. I sopped it all up with an Ezekiel pita--tasty! As always, I hit up the salad bar for some fresh fruits and veggies.

Friday

This morning I was simply not in the mood for hot oatmeal. Considering it's 80* here, and I have no AC, a piping bowl of oats was just not in the cards today. Neither was I dying for yet another bowl of Weetabix, so I decided to improvise. I have quite a few packets of those Justin's Organic Nut Butters, so I decided to use up one of those with a simple peanut butter sandwich. This time I tried the cinnamon variety. It makes for a unique flavor combination, but I am not sure I would be too keen on it for everyday use. It would probably be really good on apple slices though. Along with the breakfast sammie, I had some soy yogurt with thawed frozen strawberries. In retrospect, I should have added a dash of cinnamon to the soy yogurt to continue the theme of the meal...Oh, well--next time!

For lunch today, I opened up one of my Whole Foods goodies that I picked up on Monday. Imagine's Acorn Sqaush and Mango Soup (which I purchased on sale!), really hit the spot. Somehow soup is acceptable in 80* degree weather when it's this tasty:) This was another interesting fusion of flavors, but it works well. I have had mango all of twice in my life, so this soup makes me think I should eat it more often! To complement the star component, I had some Ak-maks and a big salad with leftover lentils.
Good news! I was able to run for about 2.5 miles today, so I think my ankle is on the mend. I can't wait 'til I can go home and run around my neighborhood! Plus, I'll finally get to use my new running shoes that have been waiting for me since Easter. I am a morning exerciser, so I like to have a small pre-workout snack before I head out for my run. Recently, I have been having a piece of whole wheat bread with that Bionaturae spread that I love so much (see my post about it here). What are you favorite pre-workout snacks? I'd love some alternatives.

Well, I am off to get a dose of sunshine (and vitamin D) before my next study session (what a lame Friday!). Enjoy your weekend!

16 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Aww, I'm sorry that you have to keep your wonderful blog a secret - you shouldn't have to!! Maybe your roommate will be understanding? In any event, DO keep posting, regardless of whether or not you can provide photographs (your descriptions definitely suffice!).

Sometimes, before my workouts, I will have some granola; but my FAVORITE (and most often eaten) pre-workout snack is half of a banana with nut-butter (my favorite is hazelnut-butter, followed by almond-butter or cashew-butter).

Jill said...

I TOTALLY understand the secret thing! It's why I never have all of my food up in my blog either, a lot of people are like "why are you taking a picture...?"

I haven't seen that Imagine soup, but it looks amazing! I had seen those peanut butters and was curious, but figure I can add my owncinnamon i needed.

Anonymous said...

That's too bad your roomie wouldn't get the point of a food blog. Maybe with time she will understand. My parents thought I was crazy for taking picture all the time, then I realized I hadn't told them about it! Haha!

I reallllllly need to get my hands on those peanut butter packets. I want peanut butter everywhere, but it sucks that it gets hard in sandwiches if you don't eat it immediately.

My favorite pre-workout snack is some sprouted grain bread with nut butter and some fresh fruit. Or I like to have a hearty muffin and some fresh fruit.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Before workouts, I love pb and banana. Afterwards, it's all about oatmeal... but smoothies are good too!

Matt said...

yeah i understand about you keeping the blog a secret... my roomie would think i was a freak if he knew i had a blog!

best pre-run snacks- banana, clif z bar, clif bar, wheat toast w/ pb... stuff like that. since you aren't running a whole lot, you can probably keep it light.

Anonymous said...

my fave workout snacks is half a cliff bar (preferably pb-chocolate chip) :)

ChickPea said...

VeggieGirl: I think I will eventually tell my friends about my blog--maybe over the summer or something. Don't worry, I will keep posting--it provides a good sense of release! I will have to try your granola idea before my work-out on Monday--I have some I need to use up by next week!
Jill: If only the world understood the wonderfulness of food blogging. I got the soup at WF, and I ordered the PB from the website, although I think you're right--it's just as easy to add your own flavoring.
Romina: My family thinks I'm crazy even though they know about the blog! The PB packets are def convenient for packing lunches/snacks. They would be perfect for packing with an apple. I might have to start having one of my muffin tops before my work-outs...
CCV: Banana with nut butter seems to be a popular choice...guess I'll have to give it a try!
Bamarunner: Thanks for your suggestions. I feel like I need a snack because in addition to the short runs that my injured ankle will allow, I also do some elliptical and stationary bike, so I'm hungry by the time I get back! BTW, thanks for introducing me to the Nike+ graphs from Nike.com!
Loveofoats: Do you get the Clif builder bars or just regular Clif? They make so many varieties now, it's hard to choose!

Ruby Red said...

My blog is pretty much a secret too - I feel like it's my own little haven to "talk" and I wouldn't feel as free to do so if I knew that (certain) people I know in real life read along.

Your acorn squash and mango soup sounds soooo appealing! Those nut butter packets are such a good find, too.

I always have a meal pre-workout (2-4 hours ahead) and then have a post-workout snack. Lately for my post-workout, I've been combining a couple small portions of foods from different food groups - I've been all about making baby decaf soy lattes after a workout; sometimes I'll have an orange with that; and sometimes I'll have a small bowl of oatmeal with a tablespoon of nutritional yeast mixed in.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Oooh, pretty new blue on your blog. You like red, and I like blue!

J said...

Hahaha! Aw, sorry you have to keep it a secret. If I lived in a dorm, I likely would too. Brett doesn't really care....

I'm loving the new color!

As always your food looks tasty!

ChickPea said...

Ruby: I can definitely identify with you. Having an audience outside of your immediate circle of friends and family is quite "liberating."
The soup is definitely vegan, and I think a lot of Imagine's other varieties, even the creamy ones, are vegan as well. Score! However, some of the PB packets have honey in them, I think. I highly recommend the honey-free flavors though!
I had a schedule like yours in high school--I would have a meal a few hours before working out, which worked out nicely. Ever since college, however, I have grown to love the morning routine. Next year though, I'll switch again since my classes are all in the morning.
How is the oatmeal with nutritional yeast? Is it kinda like cheese grits?
CCV: Yep, I decided to switch it up a bit--trying to make things "pop."
Jennifer: I am so looking forward to going home, because my family really couldn't care less. Just another one of Caroline's "weird food projects."

Anonymous said...

This is maybe an odd comment...especially since you usually have yr cashews as a complement to a meal, but you might know better than I: bout how many cashews would you consider a serving? Or at least, how many (approximately) do you use as yr side?
Anyway, this is my first odd comment here, but I love yr blog. Keep on keeping on, as they say.

ChickPea said...

Foodfeud: Hi! Glad to have another person join the discussion. As for serving size of cashews, I don't count individual nuts but rather measure about 2 tablespoons. This is the equivalent of about 0.5 oz. Hope that helps!

Cassie said...

I love eating 1/2 a clif bar before my workout- for some reason they don't bother me at all during my workouts. Second choice- i would have to agree with VeggieGirl- is half a banana with nut butter!

ChickPea said...

Cassie: Thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind the next time I go shopping...what's your favorite flavor?

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Thin mint shake? Um, yum!

The other day I came across a recipe for a peach cobbler smoothie. While the recipe, itself, didn't sound too appealing (Bisquick in a smoothie?!), I liked the idea, and may try to make up my own version sometime.