Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Free at Last, Free at Last!

As of 10:00 AM yesterday, I am officially done with my summer classes. How did I spend my first day of freedom, you ask? Yelling at iTunes in frustration, as I attempted to transfer files to my new computer. Why, oh why, does it have to be so difficult? I ended up losing about 300 songs, which I had to re-load (from CDs). Bah.

Before I forget, I'll post my mom's awesome baked beans recipe. A reader requested it when I mentioned it in my last post, but I thought a few others might enjoy it as well. This recipe actually comes from my great Aunt Winifred's cookbook,
The Southern Hospitality Cookbook, with a few modifications to make it vegetarian.

Easy Baked Beans
-1 (24 ounce) can of vegetarian baked beans
-3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

-1 cup catsup
-1 very large onion, diced
-1 teaspoon prepared mustard
(I use more--you know how I love my Grey Poupon!)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into a greased, flat, 2-quart casserole. Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 1.5 to 2 hours. Yield: 12 (very small) servings

Very simple, but it always gets rave reviews at family get-togethers.

Monday
After my last post, I headed into the kitchen to prepare my lunch. Nothing fancy, just Health Valley canned vegetarian chili with a scoop of guacamole, whole wheat toast points, salad, and melon (picked out from a leftover fruit salad).

Following my anatomy exam, I was drained of mental energy, so I just made a quick grilled hummus sandwich on a whole wheat bun with roasted red peppers; I also had a few asparagus spears, a side salad, and a banana with Sunbutter.
My shake magic has returned! I just can't get over how good the berry-almond combination is.
Tuesday
I woke up a tad late yesterday, so I needed a quick but fulfilling breakfast before my nutrition exam. I decided on a tropical twist: a pineapple smoothie and a mix of Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal, dried papaya, and raw cashews.
I needed fuel after my test and my workout, so I made a hearty lunch: chili topped sweet potato, salad with sliced almonds, and the last of those wonderful cherries.
For dinner, I made some agave-glazed tofu with whole wheat couscous, snap peas, and salad. I satisfied my sweet tooth with a banana and chocolate PB.
My shake was another success! I used the last of the almond-pistachio ice cream and added a new flavor: mango raspberry. No complaints!
Wednesday
Yesterday, I was ecstatic to receive some awesome samples from the people at Bear Naked. They sent me two of their "Naked" varieties, plus the Peak Protein blend. My dad and I tore into the Yumberry Goji Currant this morning. Did you know that there is actually a fruit called "yumberry?" I figured it was just a cute, fictitious berry, but no--it actually exists (according to the Bear Naked package), and it makes this granola irresistibly sweet! In addition to the unique flavors, I really enjoyed the fact that there were plentiful fruit pieces. Check out the size of that currant! As for the rest of my tub of goodness, it included stovetop whipped banana oats, hazelnut butter, and wheat germ. This one definitely cause a Broccoli Hut signature "Food Fugue."
For lunch, I decided on another breakfast-y meal: Greek-style scrambled tofu, Ezekiel pita, spinach salad, and an orange. To make my scramble "Greek," I added roasted red peppers, oregano, and garlic. Maybe I should add olives next time?
I was jonesin' for some pizza, so I made one with...broccoli, of course! Red onion, garlic, basil, and a tad of organic mozzarella also joined the pizza party. I also had a side salad, plus chocolate almond milk and walnuts with a few dark chocolate chips for dessert.
I'm headed to a Bunko party tomorrow night. My sister is the hostess, and she has assigned me to bring the "healthy food." I thought I would bring some fruit with the cashew dip from ED&BV, but I am looking for some other options. What is your favorite (relatively) nutritious party food?

Good night all!

15 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Hooray for being done with classes!! But I'm terribly sorry about the iTunes fiasco :0(

Guacamole + cherries + shakes + sweet potato + banana & hazelnut-butter = all heavenly.

I didn't know that yumberries existed, haha - interesting!

Favorite nutritious party food = the fresh fruit & vegetable platter!!

Danielle said...

yay for finishing classes... if only itunes would cooperate! as for food... what else is new... looks amazingly delicious.

hm, if i were you i would bring crudites, and home-baked chips with a guacamole and bean dip.

Ruby Red said...

Definitely, definitely bring the cashew dip. It is so good, no matter what nut butter you use! I can't think of a healthier party food than raw veggies and fruit. People should eat them if you bring yummy dips!

And the chili-topped sweet potato is a meal I'm definitely going to have to steal. Or, um, borrow... :)

I know exactly how you feel about the iTunes ordeal! When I got my laptop for college, I had to transfer all my songs over by e-mailing them to myself, but only 3 songs would fit in each e-mail. Yeah. That took forever.

And how do you get all these free samples?! Tell me the scoop! I'll keep a secret, ehehe. :)

Anonymous said...

ALl I want is your broccoli pizza. I am such a broccoli freak. I am glad you are done with classes - I took summer classes every year I was in college until I graduated so I would get all the boring stuff out of the way. It was BRUTAL and I was an English/Theatre major! Of course studying Shakespeare in depth for 6weeks, five days a week for 4 hours a day would do anyone in. Thankfully I did love the Bard. Aren't you actually due to start fall classes shortly?

VeganCowGirl said...

Congrats on being done. Enjoy your stretch of holiday time - you deserve it.

The photos and food all look so great.

Kristin said...

I feel ya, I have the biggest love/loathe feelings towards itunes. I, too have lost many songs in the past!

And...
Hummus/crackers, salsa/guac/tortillas, fruit salad

Kimberly said...

Eek, iTunes drama. Once in college I accidentally deleted like 600 songs I'd downloaded. It was traumatic.

I'm not familiar with Bunko, but for parties I like veggie chips, crudite, or Triscuits with fun dips (like Ellie Krieger's red pepper and walnut dip.)

J said...

Congrats on being free!

And bummer about the iTunes that sucks!

Thanks for the baked beans recipe, it sounds tasty, I love baked beans and haven't had them since winter.

As usual I am jealous of all your delish looking fruit, yummy!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on being done with your classes! It's always the best feeling :o)

Ugh, I had the same problem with iTunes when I got a new computer - SO frustrating! I'm sorry you had to go through it too.

I definitely didn't know that yumberries existed - but it's very cool that you got a sample from Bear Naked! I love their granola!

I'd say for a party I absolutely love freshly made guacamole and pita chips!

Anonymous said...

Favorite nutritious party food- veggie and fruit platters, hummus, etc.!

I'm so sorry to hear about your ITunes...it really can be a pain in the bum sometimes! But at least you are done with school! I have to start up so soon and I am going to miss my free summer evenings BADLY.

Once again your tofu makes me drool, but I also love all your banana and PB lates. SO CUTE.

And I think you have me craving chili now!

Take care Chickpea!

Anonymous said...

I want so many of your foods right now. I can't even begin to choose one that stands out above the rest. Although you're really making me crave a nice loaded sweet potato right now.

As for party foods, I'm always a fan of veggies and dip. But I really like your fruit and nut butter idea, that's ALWAYS delicious.

Katie said...

All that food looks great! I love your blog.

I know what you mean about iTunes - it took me 2+ months to transfer my files over...I just got frustrated again and again. You'd think they'd have an easy way to do it since so many people buy their iPods.

ChickPea said...

VeggieGirl: Thank you so much for suggesting the banana-hazelnut combo...it's so uniquely delicious!
Danielle: I took you up on that guacamole recommendation!
Ruby: More and more I realize that most people don't eat fruits and veggies, so I hope by serving them with some yummy dips, the guests will learn to love 'em! Feel free to borrow ANY of my food.
Nikki: Wow that does sound like an intense class. As a fellow English major, I enjoy the Bard too, but that's hard core! My fall classes start the 25th.
VeganCowGirl: Thanks!
Kristin: Great suggestions! I ended up making some guac, as you recommended.
Kimberly: To be honest, I don't even know what Bunko is either, other than it's some sort of board game designed for social gatherings. We didn't play anyway...That dip sounds fabulous!
Jennifer: Baked beans are a great winter food, but it's a nice dish to have at summer BBQs too--I recommend it.
Jenn: I've never had guac with PITA chips, just the usually tortilla chips. That's a great idea for next time.
Gliding Calm: Fruit and veggie plates made the cut--and I hope people liked them! Glad you like the banana PB plates...sometimes I worry that I get too repetitive in my meals!
LighterPortions: Fruits and veggies seem to be the popular way to go on this blog...love it!
Katie: I know! You'd think that they would have a simple way to do it by now but apparently not. What a pain.

LK Sisters said...

The tofu sandwich, tofu scramble, smoothies, and hummus sandwich all look delicious! All your food sounds tasty and nutritious. Are you a nutrition student?

ChickPea said...

lk: Thanks so much! You're so nice to compliment my food. And yes, I am a nutrition student.