Parental Invasion

This weekend is Duke's annual Parents' Weekend, so as of about 1 PM today campus has been swarming with the "50+" population. Everywhere I look, there's a proud dad toting around a bag from the University Book Store, or a beaming mom snapping zillions of pictures. Gotta love it.

My parents arrived this evening, after multiple flight delays, but they landed safe and sound (albeit a little hungry!). We have plans to go to the basketball game tomorrow (my mom's first!), and to make a trip to Banana Republic. Aah, two of my favorite things in the same day: Banana Republic and basketball.

I plan on catching up on some much needed sleep tonight, so I better get crackin' with the last few days' food.

Wednesday
As a study break on Wednesday evening, I decided to take the time for a real meal, rather than slapping together a PB&J as I had been planning. With the help of my trusted friend George Foreman, I grilled some eggplant slices that I had rubbed with garlic. Once adequately charred, I drizzled the slices with tahini and served them alongside a mound of whole grain couscous. I also had a salad which consisted of spinach, chickpeas, soynuts, and sliced mozzarella.
I called it a night with a frozen treat: blackberries, chocolate rice protein, soymilk, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.
Thursday
When I am in need of a one-bowl breakfast, I consistently turn to CCV's Banana Bread Blender. This time, I used pecans (rather than almonds or walnuts), plus my usual rice milk, vanilla extract, bran flakes, and frozen banana. So yum.
I started out making sloppy Joes for lunch with lentils and tomato sauce, but it took on a decidedly Italian twist when I added wilted spinach, garlic, and oregano. The Italian version still ended up delicious--I enjoyed the mixture atop toasted whole grain bread and served it alongside an apple with cashew butter.
My Thursday nights are now occupied by RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) meetings, so I kept dinner simple last night: Chef Salad with Romaine, Tofurky, carrots, mozzarella, and honey roasted peanuts. I also had a pear and some crackers.
For last night's shake, I used up the last of my strawberries along with cocoa powder, soymilk, chocolate rice protein, and chocolate chips. I apologize for the monotony, but I don't have many options until my shipment of hemp protein arrives.
Friday
I have been having major back pain lately, so I had to do some low-impact cardio today and use the elliptical rather than go for a run. I returned to the apartment for a quick breakfast of a peach-banana smoothie and a bagel with Sunbutter. Afterward, I darted off to campus again to do some promotional stuff for my sorority's "Mocktail Blendoff." Sounds like my kind of event, no?
I also made a Whole Foods run today (of course). Here's a look at the loot:
I needed something to warm me up after my errands in the cold, so I made a bowl of lentil chili for lunch. I combined tomato sauce, water, lentils, corn, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and ground red pepper and let it simmer while I did my laundry. On the side, I had a salad with a new salad dressing (Annie's Woodstock) and a beautiful Fuji apple that was just too pretty to slice.
Once my parents finally arrived, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in town, Taverna Nikos. We ordered an eggplant dip for an appetizer (although it was not labelled baba ghanoush). I thoroughly enjoyed the "herby" flavors that shone through in this dip; plus, my parents let me have the olive:) For my entree, I ordered the Vegetable Souvlaki, which consisted of vegetable skewers served with pita and tzaziki dip, plus a bed of rice. I practically licked the plate on this one.
We made a much-needed Target trip after dinner, and now I plan on settling in to some TLC before bed. Wild and crazy Friday night, right? Hope you're having fun tonight, wherever you are.

I will leave you with a pic of my mom and me at dinner. Love you, Mom!