Monday, June 2, 2008

Weekend Wrap Up

I had a full and enjoyable weekend. I kicked it off right by heading to the farmers' market with my mom on Saturday morning. We got some hefty tomatoes, mixed squash (including patty-pan!), rainbow chard, and oregano and mint plants (Sorry, no pictures!). Later, I went to the university gym with my sister and her husband (we are all attending the same university for our various degrees). I also went to a health food store with my dad that night, where I got a new flavor of Spirutein (Chai Latte), some roasted red pepper hummus, Ezekiel bread, and a few other goodies. Overall, Saturday could be summarized as a health nut's dream:)

Sunday was my mom's big day, of course, and our celebration was a success. We went over to the soon-to-be newlyweds' house for dinner, presents, and ice cream cake. Although my sister hasn't moved in yet, she has managed to get it looking picture-perfect. It seriously looks like a page out of Pottery Barn--Kudos, Katie! To cement her status as a domestic goddess, Katie made her favorite dish: macaroni and cheese. I didn't have any, but it was a beautiful dish that was enjoyed by all who indulged in it. I'll post pics of my plate later in this post, but for now here are a few of the family. No two people ever seem to be looking at the camera at the same time, but such is life:) My brother-in-law Ryan wanted his picture to be on the blog--he's the one staring into an abyss next to the cake.


Rewind: here's what I've been eating, starting with Friday night.

Friday
My evening smoothies have been a lot more healthful lately, mostly because I discovered that adding fruit makes them quite delicious. I'm not a big fan of fruit with chocolate (other than bananas), so I have kept them strictly fruity. Friday's included raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. You know the rest.
Saturday
Before heading out to the farmers' market on Saturday, I had a quick breakfast of whole wheat toast with sunflower seed butter and watermelon. This kept me full for a while.
Lunch consisted of some oven-roasted Tofurky I found in the freezer stuffed into an Ezekielpita with mushrooms and lettuce. I had a yummy salad on the side with chunks of avocado.
For dinner, I made my own lentil dip out of lentils, lemon juice, mushrooms, sauteed onion, fresh oregano, and garlic; I used whole wheat Pitettes as dippers. I had sliced tomatoes (from the farmers' market) with basil and a side salad as well.
The evening smoothie was blue all over, with blueberry Spirutein, frozen blueberries, nonfat organic plain yogurt, and granola--in a blue cup, of course.
Sunday
For lunch on Sunday, I finally tried kale chips! I got some strange looks from the fam when I whipped this one up. "You're eating what?!" I prepared mine with garlic salt and some steak seasoning (how ironic is that?). They were perfectly crunchy--thanks for the recipe, Kath! I enjoyed these as a side dish to homemade lentil-tomato soup, whole wheat toast, and a pear.

As I mentioned above, we were over at Katie's house for dinner. Since the family would be having steak, I picked up some Helen's Kitchen Tofu Steaks. My dad saw these featured on the Today Show on Saturday morning, and directed me to their website. These were a winner! Next time I might try one with marinara sauce though. I also had some of my sister's salad, which had romaine, feta, pecans, and strawberries. I elected to eat mostly strawberries and PECANS, however. I love that combination. We ordered a frozen yogurt cake from TCBY for my mom, as per her request. It was chocolate vanilla crunch flavor, I believe. I hadn't planned on having any, but my mom served me a sliver, so I ate it to make her happy. I was expecting it to be delicious, but it was actually kind of meh. I still managed to polish it off though:)

Monday
Today was another parfait day for breakfast. This one had plain soy yogurt, crumbled Weetabix, and mixed berries. Sunshine makes it taste even better.
Before heading to class, I had a roasted red pepper hummus sandwich and a salad with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, spinach, and walnuts. I spritzed the salad with balsamic vinegar (I keep it in a small spray bottle called a Misto). I also had some apple slices.
Tonight's dinner was inspired by what the family was having: paninis! My mom bought some frozen chicken-mozzarella flatbread paninis at Sam's the other day, so I decided to make my own version. Mine had farmers' market zucchini, organic mozzarella, and a Quorn cutlet in a whole wheat tortilla. I had some freezer burned green beans, a side salad, and a handful of cashews to balance the meal.
Whew! Marathon post again--sorry. If you're still reading (or even if you're not), have a great evening!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

All the food looks wonderful, as usual. I must say that I am partial to the mini pitas, though - they are one of my favorites!! :o)

Anonymous said...

lol that is funny your b-i-law wanted to be on the blog ;)

love the kale side dish combo!! and your yogurt parfair + smoothies, as always, look delish!

Anonymous said...

Glad the kale chips were a success!!

Anonymous said...

Why didn't you have any of the mac and cheese? I'm confused, I thought you weren't a vegan? Or are you one now?

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Things I love in your post:
1.Ezekial Pitas
2.blue/purple food, a-la your smoothie
3.Your sister’s name (!)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

What a fabulous weekend you had!!

Ahhh, more delicious smoothies!! Must you tempt me in EVERY post?!?!?! Haha, keep it up ;0)

Steak seasoning?? Ironic indeed, haha!

Erin said...

Looks like a nice weekend of healthy food!

ChickPea said...

Jenn: The Pitettes are pretty cool. I might make a dip, just so I can use them:)
Loveofoats: Yep, he's a strange one--that's why he fits right in:)
Kath: Thanks again!
anonymous: You're right, I am not a vegan (yet), but I am trying to cut down on my dairy consumption. Dairy dilemma aside, I prefer more healthful foods anyway, and if you saw what went into this mac 'n cheese, you'd know it was no health food!
CCV: 1) Ezekiel pitas rock my world--I should really try some of their other products too 2) blue food is hard to come by--maybe that's why I like it? 3)I know many Katies, and I love them all!
VeggieGirl: It was a great weekend--this weekend will be even better, I bet! Glad you are still enjoying my smoothie concoctions!
Erin: Yep--next weekend (my sister's wedding) might not be so healthy!

Christie said...

Hey i was wondering if you work out on a dialy basis. Also i took your advice and tried to Spirulina and i love it.. do you buy the packets or containers? I tried so far the choc chip cookie dough, and the cookies and cream I had them on the go so i didnt get to blend them, they say to just mix with the fliud but I assumeyou make them into a shake right?

healthy ashley said...

You have got to feel so healthy after that good food weekend!

Anonymous said...

Looks like you had a fun weekend. That is funny your brother in law to be wanted to be on the blog :)

How do you never snack or eat dessert?

Also do you eat your salads without salad dressings? If not, what salad dressings or vinegar dressing combos do you recommend? You know alot about cooking- and I know nothing, so if you wouldn't mind giving amounts on the salad dressings that would be great!

ChickPea said...

Christie: I work out 6X a week; usually I run but sometimes I use the stationary bike.
Glad you like the Spirutein! I buy the packets, just because I would get bored with the same flavor. I always make into a shake; I don't think I have ever tried mixing it with just water.
Ashley: Yep--nothing like feeling healthy after a healthy meal.
Karen: Yes, I typically eat a snack between lunch and dinner, and I graze throughout the evening. I don't photograph everything I eat, just the highlights.
Sometimes I use dressings, sometimes I don't. I like to make simple dressings out of various vinegars (2 tsp)+dijon mustard(2 tsp)+sweetener(1 tsp) (agave nectar, Stevia, etc.)+a little water to thin it out. I put vinegars in a spray bottle for a quick spritz of flavor. Also, I use Bragg's liquid aminos as a salad dressing.