Friday, July 25, 2008

Dancing Queen

I have been flouncing around the house for the past hour or so after returning from a matinee of Mamma Mia! I am a total dork for musicals, so I have actually seen the Broadway production of Mamma Mia twice, and I *might* even have the soundtrack on my iPod. You would be surprised at what a little Abba action can do for your workout.

I thought the movie was totally over-the-top, as is apt for a cinematic musical. Anyone else seen it? What did you think?


Anyway, I am also especially in the mood for spontaneous song because I am officially done with anatomy lab! No more poking cadavers for hours on end! Life is good. I'll pick up where I left off in my last post:

Wednesday
Amidst my studying on Wednesday, I paused for a quick lunch to refuel: Tofurky wrap with broccoli slaw, Nayonaise, and Grey Poupon; more broccoli slaw with mushrooms, green onions, and rice wine vinegar; and a good ol' banana with PB. Somehow I never tire of the banana-PB combo.

After class I made a recipe from ED&BV, the White Bean and Walnut Bruschetta. This was such a simple but tasty recipe! It just takes a a whizz in the Bullet and a few minutes in the oven. I also had a big pile of green beans and a side salad.
I altered my vanilla hemp-mango combo a bit Wednesday evening and used frozen peaches. Good, but it doesn't compare to the original...
Thursday
Before my day of testing began, I ate a big bowl of cereal with sliced almonds and soymilk, plus some big juicy strawberries. The cereal combination was Corn Bran, puffed rice, and pumpkin flax granola. Check out my new cups from World Market--each one (of 6) has a different animal on it. I think they're meant for children, but I too think they're pretty rockin'.
My last packed lunch of the summer was a bit on the strange side. My brain was like jelly when I packed it (late Wednesday night--the night before my tests), so I just grabbed a few things from the fridge and threw it all together. I mashed white beans with ketchup, mustard, paprika, and a drizzle of agave nectar. It tasted a lot like my mom's baked beans, actually. I plopped it on a sandwich with spinach, and packed it alongside some grapes and veggies with Goddess dressing.
To celebrate my freedom from the chains of anatomy lab, I made a dinner from ED&BV (can you tell what my favorite cookbook is?). Cumin Lime Tofu features not only my favorite spice (cumin) but also one of my favorite seeds--pepitas/pumpkin seeds! I also had some whole wheat couscous, salad, and broccoli with red onions.
The celebration continued last night with my shake--the return of chocolate!! I used a lot more of the ice cream this time, so it tasted more peanut buttery.
Friday
I had planned on making some pancakes this morning, but I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so I settled for some frozen waffles. I topped them with lots of almond butter and rounded it out with a small orange. Today's cup featured a lovely cow.

The midday meal today consisted of scrambled tofu--in a whole new way. Instead of using my usual tahini today, I scrambled the tofu with the Smoky Avocado Sauce from ED&BV. This was my first time using liquid smoke, but I think I'll be using it a lot more in the future. The avocado mixed with the turmeric-coated tofu makes for a strange color, but I promise it tasted really good! I also had some pita triangles, broccoli slaw, and grapes.
It was past my feeding time when I returned from the movie tonight, so dinner was another "dump and heat" meal. I combined leftover chunky tomato soup with spinach, white beans, pine nuts, garlic, and oregano and served it along with a side salad. I also had a dish of plain yogurt with raisins.
Well, I am off to play with some new goodies that have arrived in the mail this past week--my new cell phone, products to review for VegFamily, and Self Magazine!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen Mamma Mia yet and I don't know if I will, I'm scared of getting the songs stuck in my head!


Your Cumin Lime Tofu looks heavenly! I had that a while back and I loved it.

Trying To Heal said...

one of my roomies saw mamma mia cause she was psyched about it, but she came back and said she didn't like it. but to each is own, right? i'm glad you enjoyed it!

and your meals look great! the bruschetta you made looks sooooo good; i wish i had the recipe!

oh, and do you make your own broccoli slaw? if you do, how do you make it? and if you don't, do you just buy it somewhere?

have a great weekend!

Unknown said...

I saw Mamma Mia today, too! I was dancing in my seat the whole time...and went to buy the soundtrack as soon as I left the theater, haha. AND I've been dancing in my room ever since :0) After reading this post, I KNOW it's time to whip out my copy of ED&BV and get to cookin'!

PS...I LOVE your animal glasses!

Kimberly said...

As another Broadway nerd, I thought Mamma Mia was a blast - yes, it was terrible, but awesomely so, as was fitting for a 1970s Swedish disco musical. And disjointed as the direction might have felt, the songs still ROCK! (I have been dancing around my apartment belting out the soundtrack for days.) Poor Pierce Brosnan, though... he sure tried, but the darling gorgeous man just cannot carry a tune :( By the way, did you know that Tim Rice actually co-wrote Chess (another fave of mine) with ABBA? Looking back at the musical's style, I guess it's not all that surprising, but who knew that crazy band was so omnipresent in the theater world?!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Yes, Abba songs definitely have a great beat for workouts :0)

Hooray for no more anatomy lab!! Enjoy.

I agree - the banana/nut-butter (HAZELNUT-BUTTER FOR ME!! Haha) never gets old.

That cow glass is too cute!! :0D

Anonymous said...

i see the commercial for mamma mia NON-STOP and continually have the song in my head ;)

Anonymous said...

The cumin lime tofu sounds so good!

LK Sisters said...

Food looks delicious! Especially the avocado sauce, cumin tofu, smoothies, grapes..!

Ruby Red said...

Congrats on the ending of your anatomy class -- what a relief, right?!

The bruschetta looks delicious! I love white beans and ED&BV just has so many white bean recipes, another reason why it's one of the awesomest cookbooks I own.

I love your new cups! World Market is just so much fun to shop at; I could easy blow a lot of money there, but I just look and don't buy 99% of the time. I'm excited to see all the other adorable cup animals in your upcoming posts...

Little Miss Sunshine said...

Ahhh, I watched Mamma Mia about two weeks ago, I liked it though ... despite others who said it was crap :0( I think it is one of those movies that stays with you and makes you feel good (and dancing) the whole day!! I can't stop laughing as well, the casts are hilarious!! :-DD Oh yes, gotta LOVE those Abba soundtracks!! ;0)

Awesome that your anatomy labs are finally over!! I always hated human biology related subjects - I like much much Chemistry better :0/

Oh yum ... the banana and pb side dish looks so yummy ... you can never get tired of them!!

Really?! I'm bookmarking the bruschetta recipe right now!! Thanks!

OMG .. I love your new cups, esp the one with the frog on it *Ribbit* <33333

Hrmm, I might have to try that cumin tofu recipe ... I'm not a big fan of cumin but I love pumpkin seeds ...

Oh yum!! Love the sound of avocado sauce!! I'm not a big fan of avocado (what else ...) but I'm so intrigued by it that I don't care ... yummy!

Ahhh can't wait for the product review!!! <33

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Sent you a message on Facebook :0)

Danielle said...

Haha, I was singing for days on end after I saw that! Good thing you have your usual scrumptious food to fuel you through it ;)

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen Mamma Mia yet, but I really need to! Maybe next weekend :o)

Ah, I love those animal cups! Who cares if they were originally designed for kids? Don't they KNOW that there are food bloggers out there just waiting to take pictures with them?! ;o)

That bruschetta looks wonderful - I always get it in restaurants but never thought to make my own!

I also like the looks of that chunky tomato soup - it has many of my favorite soup ingredients all packed into one!

Congratulations on being done with school! Isn't is such a relief when it's all said and done?

Have a great Sunday!

Emma said...

mmm I love the sound of the shake with lots of ice cream : )

I haven't seen the film Mamma Mia but I am seeing the musical in the West End next Friday- I can't wait!

ChickPea said...

Shelby: The songs stay in your head only for a little while...24 hours at most:)
Just Me: MM was good but incredibly corny. I guess that's how musicals are supposed to be?
As for the broccoli slaw, it comes in a bag from the produce dept. It's just shredded broccoli, carrots, and purple cabbage.
Allison: We must be on the same wavelength--I bought the soundtrack too! Oh, and I'm glad someone else appreciates my animal glasses!
Kimberly: I agree, none of the men really could sing! They sure were nice to look at though:) Thanks for that little nugget about Tim Rice--I had no idea! Chess is another great musical. I've mostly been exposed to Rice's work through Andrew Lloyd Webber--love him!
VeggieGirl: I CANNOT WAIT until my hazelnut butter arrives. I ordered it from Futter's as you suggested, and I am so excited to try it. Whoa. I am way too enthusiastic about food.
LoveofOats: Yes, that is the plague of ABBA--their music sticks in your head for YEARS.
GlidingCalm: Yes! Try it!
lk: Thanks! Now that you mention it, all those foods are green. Weird...
Ruby: I notice the same thing ED&BV has so many white bean recipes--good for me because white beans are a lot cheaper than, say, tempeh. World Market is awesome--I keep telling my mom that she should just get me a gift certificate there when she doesn't know what to get me for my birthday. Exotic foods, cute dishes...everything I love.
Cecilia: I complain about anatomy a lot, but I generally like biology better than chemistry. Maybe that will change next summer when I take a chem course!
Danielle: Happy music and tasty food makes for a happy tummy.
Jenn: It's a little weird, now I just look for dishes that would photograph well with food. Who cares if they're not microwave-safe? I need pretty plates for the blog!
Emma: Ooh, have fun at the show!