Tonight I am finally getting a little down-time...that means the first round of tutoring is through until November; I have finished my homework for the evening; no meetings have crept their way into my schedule--it's just me, a mug of Sleepy Time tea, and Jon & Kate Plus Eight tonight. I haven't been feeling well these past few days, either physically or emotionally, so I am seizing the opportunity to just chill before a busy weekend.
As a result of my various responsibilities and less-than-stellar health, I have been keeping it simple in the kitchen. Check it out:
Monday
I tried another Rudi's recipe on Monday evening--Better Bunny salad. Carrots, pineapple, and vegan mayo made for a simple supper. I added a dash of cinnamon since I didn't have the cinnamon bread called for in the recipe. Placed atop a bed of Romaine and served alongside crackers and cottage cheese with cashews, it made for a balanced and tasty meal.
The smoothie consisted of peaches, mango, vanilla hemp, and soymilk. Coconut made its obligatory appearance. 
Tuesday Breakfast yesterday ended up being great fuel before my psychology exam. I made a peach-soymilk smoothie and spread a whole wheat mini bagel with Sunbutter and apple butter (my most recent find at the on-campus grocery store). Maybe I just liked this meal so much because of the Sunbutter--it makes everything taste good:)
Pre-run, I chomped on a mini brownie Clif bar. Decadent and functional. 
For lunch, I just prepared another spontaneous tofu salad and wrapped it in a whole grain tortilla. This version included tofu, vegan mayo, cashews, dried cranberries, carrots, salt, and dill. On the side I had a simple salad and an organic plum. 
Dinner was a bit of a recipe flop. I attempted to make a cheeze spread out of nutritional yeast, tahini, corn starch, water, and ground red pepper. As you can see, it turned out a bit watery. I would have started over, but it tasted so good! Tastiness trumps texture issues in my book, so I drizzled it over whole wheat toast. It made for an excellent accompaniment to tomato soup, brussels sprouts, and a salad. 
My shake last night was one of the best I have made in a while. I used TWO frozen bananas, chocolate rice protein, dark cocoa powder, and rice milk. It tasted so indulgent, but it was actually quite nutritious. 
Wednesday Prompted by a commenter (Sarah), I decided to try CCV's Banana Bread Blender Cereal this morning. I made a few changes based on what I had on hand--I used rice milk and almonds instead of vanilla soy milk and walnuts. I also added a dash of cinnamon for banana bread authenticity. This was SO delicious!! I can't thank Sarah and Katie enough for the recipe!
The pre-run snack today was painfully boring. I just stuffed some Whole Foods brand Cheerios in a baggie this morning...now I wish I had at least thrown some chocolate chips in for interest. 
Lunch was much more engaging for my taste buds. I found a recipe on VegWeb for Coconut Black Beans with Mango. I didn't have any chilies or coconut milk on hand, but I still managed to get the essential flavors into the dish by using shredded coconut and ground red pepper. The contrast of the sweet mangoes with the cumin and black beans made for quite the flavor party in my mouth. I served it alongside baked tortilla wedges and a salad with perfectly ripe avocado. 
I have another interesting snack to share with you all this evening--another scone! I was greeted with this crumbly little baked good this morning in stats class, prepared by my (male) friend, the baking enthusiast. Love those Craisins. 
Dinner this evening was pretty streamlined: just a Boca burger, baked sweet potato, and steamed zucchini with oregano and basil. I also had the last of my kefir with a blob of cashew butter. 
The sextuplets beckon for my attention...be back soon.
12 comments:
Hooray for down-time, apple butter, scones, blobs of cashew-butter.... LOTS of deliciousness :0)
Hope you get some rest... ohh and maybe your friend the baker boy would like to share his scone recipe with the class! hahah Have a good night.. you reminded me I need to buy bananas to freeze they really do make the shake so much better as so frozen cheeries!
Thanks for the link to the Bunny Salad Sandwich recipe! Its sounds really yummy and unique and refreshing!
I hope your Jon & Kate night makes you feel better and perks you up a bit. It makes me sad when you say you're not feeling so hot.
Oh my gosh, the Sunbutter looks so creamy! And aren't CCV Katie's recipes great? I am always telling her she has superb tastebuds.
If the noochy cheese tasted good, then I would totally have gone for it, too! I am not super picky about textures either (some people won't easy some things -- like tofu -- because of the texture), but I do like having a variety of textures in every meal so things don't get monotonous.
My bed is calling...Yours is the last blog for the night. Have a good one, girlie!
Apple butter is so fantastic - you should try pumpkin butter, too!
I really want to try that salad now, it sounds really yummy!
And yay for blender cereal, I love that recipe as well =)
Oh I am so glad you made the cereal! I knew you would like it!
And I am loving the idea of that carrot salad as well. Another thing for me to put on my list to make.
Have a great day :)
-Sarah
Ohmigosh, yay! I am so glad you liked the banana blender cereal!
Haha girl, you are definitely the blender queen—no doubt about it!
VeggieGirl: Hmm all those foods you mentioned would actually be really tasty TOGETHER. Scone + apple butter + cashew butter...sign me up.
SportsNutritionLiving: He actually did give a general idea of what was in it--a very simple recipe of 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk, baking powder, and a few other ingredients. I can ask him for the details on Sunday.
Totally agree on your frozen fruits of choice--cherries and bananas are two of my favorites (aside from mango!)
Ruby: You're so right--the whole reason I tried the recipe was for the novelty factor. Next time I'll try it on some raisin bread if I can find a whole grain variety.
Ruby, you're so sweet to wish me well--I wish we could be "real" friends:)
One of the reasons I love the Sunbutter is for its creaminess--they make a crunchy variety too, but I'm not even tempted to buy it.
Yes, my sister is definitely one of those people who refuses to try tofu: "It looks like a sponge!" Keyword, looks. Of course she has never actually tried it, otherwise she would know it does not taste like a sponge...
Magpie: I have tried pumpkin butter before, and I frequently make my own actually. If you get a chance, you should try the Williams & Sonoma kind--it's made with pecans!
Shelby: Haha, it appears that I am the last one to try the blender cereal recipe...I know I'll be making it again!
Sarah: Thanks so much for the recommendation--you clearly are a good judge of my tastebuds. You can pick and plan recipes for me anytime:)
CCV: As Ruby noted above, you have superb tastebuds. Thanks for the recipe.
In looking at this post, I realized that I did use the blender for the vast majority of the dishes...nothing wrong with that, right?
Nope, NOTHING wrong with that ;o).
Blenders are amazing things... as are hand-blenders (and I've been using mine waaaay too much lately, as I am on a blended-grains kick-- wheatberries, oatmeal, bulgur, hulled barley... it all gets mixed up in the blender until pudding-like).
I could definitely be your recipe-finder. But can you be mine too? Because some of your recipes that I've tried are terrific!
-Sarah
Sorry you haven't been feeling so hot, but you certainly have been making some wonderful meals! I definitely agree that taste can always trump texture, so your cheeze would work for me!
I still need to try Sunbutter!
I need to try that banana blender cereal. I heard from Sarah that it was wonderful, too - so I must see what the fuss is about! Although anything from CCV always looks yummy!
Sarah: Sounds like a good arrangement to me!
EatingBender: Please do try Sunbutter! It's so tasty, and it's actually cheaper than a lot of other nut butters.
The Banana Bread Blender was fabulous...I can't wait to try it again in a new way:)
Post a Comment