Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Long-Awaited Reprieve

Whew! My tests and quizzes are complete (for the time being), just in time for the holiday weekend. My nutrition test went smashingly, but the anatomy test...not so much. The professor posts grades on Friday evening, so we'll see. I probably won't check until Monday though, just so I can enjoy my weekend at the lake! I've been studying non-stop for the wast two weeks, so I am ready for a few days of down-time and maybe a smidgen of aquatic sports:)

I picked out a few recipes to try this week, and most have been a success thus far. Read on to find out the deets.


Monday
After my recent discovery of the wonder that is Annie's Goddess Dressing, I decided to try out Dreena's Goddess Garbanzos recipe. All I have to say is wow. I can't wait to try it again! I enjoyed mine atop a whole grain hot dog bun (Arnold brand), along with my usual salad, some steamed veggies, and a chocolate soy yogurt. I had never tried Stonyfield's soy yogurt before, and I noticed a few unique characteristics. The texture is more liquidy than that of other brands, and this variety (chocolate) was quite sweet. It was a nice treat, but I'm not sure it will go into regular rotation. The smoothie of the evening consisted of raspberry Spirutein, frozen berries, soy milk, and a bit of a broken up Honest Foods granola plank. De-lish. Tuesday
Return of the breakfast parfait! This particular combination was one of the best I have made in a while: vanilla soy yogurt, frozen cherries, and Fiber One cereal. The vanilla soy yogurt totally made this dish. Yum.
After class yesterday, I was so hungry that I just put together the fastest lunch I could think of...taking the test must have gobbled up all my energy. I made a pita sammie with cranberry and stuffing flavor Tofurky, Nayonaise, and spinach. A spinach salad (with dried cranberries!), a juicy peach, and some almonds finished it off.
For dinner, I picked out a recipe from Clean Eating Magazine (the premiere issue): Lentil Salad with Cranberries and Pecans. (I guess I just couldn't get enough cranberries yesterday...). I didn't have any pecans, so I subbed walnuts, and I used cranberries that I had in the freezer. That's a good tip actually: at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I stock up on bags of cranberries and freeze them so that I can enjoy their nutritious goodness all year round. Anyway, this recipe was bad. There was no flavor except for the extremely tart berries and acidic white wine vinegar; it needed a balancing ingredient of some kind. At least it looked pretty.
The smoothie of the evening consisted of tropical Spirutein, frozen pineapple (way cheaper than fresh!), almond milk, and broken up granola plank. In retrospect, this would have been perfect with coconut.
Wednesday
Today for breakfast I treated myself to a peach-soymilk smoothie and a banana-walnut Gnu bar. I went scavenging for cool cups and glasses, and I all I came up with was this hefty beer mug. I need to make a trip to Home Goods...
In the midst of my studying, I found the time to put together a quick (albeit random) lunch. I used up the rest of my tempeh by cooking it up in a Vidalia onion salad dressing I found in the fridge. Onto the greens it went, and along side it I had some crackers with almond butter and some blueberries.
Dinner tonight was phenomenal. I tried Dreena's recipe for Cashew Ginger Tofu. I could slurp this sauce with a straw--it was that good. Accompanying the superstar meal component were some vegetables, whole grain couscous, and a fresh pear.

I have a quick question for all of you: after a discussion with my nutrition professor, I think I might be borderline OD-ing on soy protein. Sooo, do you all have any recommendations for vegan protein powders not made from soy? As you all have seen, I just can't live without my evening protein shakes!

Well I am off to relax...at last!

18 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Congratulations for making it through all those tests!! I'm sure that you aced them all :0)

I LOVE Clean Eating magazine!!


This is the protein powder that I use - it's hemp protein:

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=655972&prrfnbr=708933

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to let you know I made my baked with wheat germ and dijon mustard today and I loved it. I also have been having the protein smoothies at night but was worried about too much soy... I have always been a reader of oxygen magazine as well and in the most recent clean eating (spring 2008) they have an add for morth coast naturals which has rice, hemp and vegan proteins i tried to go to their website (www.northcoastnaturals.com) but it was under construction. Let me know if you find anything on this.

Also when you make the smoothies how much granola do you usally add to yours?
P.S- not sure if imentioned this to you but I am a grad nutrition major as well
Christie

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but I don't use protein powder. I put several tablespoons of pb in my shakes though and that seems to do the trick. Maybe try that?

Why did your prof recommend not to eat so much soy? Is tempeh soy too?

Anonymous said...

That's too bad about the Clean Eating recipe flop. But luckily it looks like you got tons of other great eats in there. Such as that CASHEW GINGER TOFU. Now THAT sounds awesome.

Congrats on finally being finished all the tests and quizzes!
Sorry I can't give ya any advice about the protein powders.

J said...

Oh man, it all looks so good. I'm torn between the parfait and the Cashew Ginger meal (though I would probably use beans, tofu just isn't my friend). Mmmmmmm.

Congrats on doing well on your test and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the anatomy one went well too.

Have a great weekend, take some pictures if you have time!

Danielle said...

Congratulations on surviving all those tests!

I wish I could give you protein recommendations but alas I've never used powders, sorry. Best of luck!

Sara said...

I don't use protien powders either...but I second the peanut butter recommendation. I love those fiber bars too! I espcially enjoy the cranberry orange ones with a soy latte...though the brownie flavor is tasty too! I mean to ask you earlier but I added you to my blogroll. Is that okay with you?

Anonymous said...

Mmm, such good eats! Your parfaits always look so decadent, and food photography is drool-worthy - what kind of camera do you have?

I LOVE Banana Walnut Gnu bars!

Erin said...

So much yumminess! The goddess garbanzos look awesome, as does the parfait. And I like how the smoothie in the beer mug looks like it's frothing. Perfect.

ChickPea said...

VeggieGirl: I know--isn't CE the greatest? I love it, but I really don't need any more magazine subscriptions. Thanks so much for the protein powder recommendation!
Christie: Glad you liked the wheat germ/dijon combo! I think I originally got the idea for using dijon as a "glue" from an old Food Network show that is now off the air. Your protein powder rec is much appreciated! Oh, and I use about 2-3 tablespoons of granola on top of my smoothies. It's nice to meet another nutrition sutdent!
Katie: My prof didn't necessarily say not to eat soy, but that negative side effects may arise if I were using supplements. I'm not sure if the Spirutein is considered as such, but I want to be on the safe side. Moderation is key, after all. Yes, tempeh is a fermented soy product.
LighterPortions: YES! Try the cashew ginger tofu! Even if you don't use the exact recipe I did, the flavors work so well together no matter how you put them together.
Jennifer: You could totally use the cashew ginger sauce on anything. Like I said, I would drink it straight if given the chance.
Danielle: Good to hear from you! I love reading about your global adventures!
Sara: Cranberry orange Gnu bar and a soy latte? Sounds like a match made in heaven!!
Jenn: Thanks for the compliments! I use a Casio Exilim camera. It's pink--I think that makes it work better:)
Erin: Ha! You're right--it kinda looks like a beer/smoothie hybrid. That could make for an interesting morning meal...

ChickPea said...

Sara: Sorry, I forgot to mention that of course you can add me to your blog roll! Thanks for the honor!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

I love those gnu bars! But I've never had them with a beer mug full of smoothie ;o)

(p.s. How do you make your peach smoothies? I'm always looking for new, tasty combinations.)

Anonymous said...

good luck with finding out the test results :) im sure you aced it!

great minds think alike because i had a chocolate stonyfield farm yogurt tonight too and had the same reaction! except mine wasn't soy...

Anonymous said...

Thanks. I guess I was wondering why he thought soy powder is not good. thanks again, enjoy the holiday~

Unknown said...

That yogurt parfait looks absolutely delicious! Now I know that I need to mix my creations up a bit and try mine with frozen cherries on top. Do you have any other favorite bars? I've never tried the gnu bars before...I'm always looking for a new one to try! Have a Happy 4th!
PS...Do you mind if I add you to my blogroll? :0)

Green Eyes, Green Heart said...

Hey girl, I was just wondering whether or not there were any hidden milk ingredients in Spirutein, or if it is 100% vegan?

~Erin

Kimberly said...

Well, I've never tried protein powder, but whenever I want to boost the protein content of my smoothies or soups, I just toss into the blender a few tablespoons of sunflower seeds or almonds. A quick source of protein and minerals, plus the added benefit of pure yumminess :)

Your breakfast parfait looks just divine, by the way. I'll have to try that frozen cherries idea!

ChickPea said...

CCV: The glass in which you enjoy the smoothie makes all the difference...I just used a cup of soy milk, lots of frozen peaches, some cinnamon, and a touch of agave. You might need to thin it out with water.
Love of Oats: I saw your chocolate yogurt on your blog...I'm with on not purchasing it too often due to the sugar content.
Allison: I have tried so many bars, it's hard to figure out where to start. Some of my recent favorites are Dr. Weil bars (banana manna flavor), Larabars, Mini Clif bars, and Nature's Path Optimum bars. Not sure if those are all vegan though, so check the labels. I'd love to be on your blogroll!
Green Eyes: I am not sure if all flavors are vegan, because some explicitly say Vegetarian on them, while others do not. I know that some varieties contain bee pollen.
Kimberly: Good thinking on the nuts/seeds in the smoothies...I am just always afraid that the taste will get lost in the mix! I'll try it and see though.