Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Boxers and Brazil Nuts!

My first few days at home have been nothing but relaxing! The first half of the week has been filled with my favorite activities, including breakfast at the Original Pancake House, a trip to Whole Foods, and a quick jaunt through the Christmas section at Target...and that was just Tuesday! Today's schedule consisted of a trip to a dog breeder where we visited my sister's future boxer pup (to be brought home in just two weeks!). On the way home, we also stopped into an Amish bakery, where I loaded up on some truly unique goodies. Check it out:
What you see above: sticky buns, caramel cake, real vanilla extract, honey butter (not actually butter), Amish Style PB, Brazil nuts (for the low price of $3.50/lb!), BBQ seasoning, and paprika.

Here are a few shots of the bread aisle and the entire case filled with pies!
I am most excited about this little gem. I love how the labels say "Praise the Lord."
*Sigh* I love being home.

Anyway, here's what I've been munching on lately.

Monday
After I signed off last time, I was happy to discover one last chocolate soy protein packet, plus an assortment of frozen fruit in the freezer. This tasty mixture featured a frozen banana, blueberries, and almond milk, topped with some chocolate syrup (that promptly sank to the bottom). Delish.
Tuesday
As I mentioned earlier, I had breakfast at the Original Pancake House with my dad and one of his students (hi Josh!). I ordered a big bowl of oatmeal and a side of fruit to which I added some brown sugar. No picture this time.

The afternoon was occupied by grocery shopping and running errands with Mom, so I was famished by the time I sat down to lunch. I found a packet of taco seasoning in the cupboard, so I combined a few teaspoons of that with TVP and diced tomatoes; I placed the mixture atop a bed of mixed greens. I realize it looks like a nice plate of up-chuck, but I swear it tasted good. On the side, I had an apple, tortilla wedges, and some cashew butter.

For dinner, I made a simple recipe that I have been meaning to try for a while: Peanut Butter Noodles. I subscribe to the Vegan a Go Go podcasts on iTunes, and I knew I had to try this recipe when I saw it. I'll use any excuse I can to eat more PB:) I added broccoli and a few shredded carrots for some color and nutrition. I also had a salad and a dish of plain yogurt with ginger, cloves, stevia, cinnamon, nutmeg, and wheat germ for dessert. Yum.
The smoothie last night was the return of an old favorite: mango and hemp!! Unfortunately, using the unflavored hemp instead of the Vanilla Spice made this rendition a little less heavenly. Oh well, the peanut butter granola on top made up for it!
Wednesday
Just before heading out to visit the pups, I made a quick breakfast inspired by Lindsay. I spread whole wheat toast with cinnamon raisin PB and homemade pumpkin butter. I also had two clementines and a dish of plain yogurt with more pumpkin and lots of spices. This made for quite the orange meal! Random side note: Does anyone else share my obsessive need to peel clementines in one piece? (see below)
Upon returning home, I made a quick lunch from pantry staples: sun-dried tomato hummus with mushrooms and tomatoes in a hearty whole wheat pita, a salad with Goddess dressing, plus a sliced kiwi.
I was just itching to use some of my new goodies, so I incorporated a few into my dinner tonight. First, I dredged some tofu slabs in my new BBQ seasoning; I used it like a spice rub. Then, I made a sauce inspired by the BBQ sauce from Veganomicon and smothered the tofu with it. After a few minutes in the oven, I had a delicious meal! I served the tofu alongside a salad with my new Brazil nuts, Brussels sprouts, plus a whole grain English muffin. Yum.
I just finished a sweet treat: an apple with Amish Style PB. I Googled "Amish Style PB," and apparently it consists of marshmallow creme and corn syrup combined with good ol' peanut butter. Not exactly nutritious, but tasty nonetheless.
Lastly, I want to thank Flower for giving me a Butterfly Award! I am so honored that you thought of me for this award. Rather than single-handedly choosing 10 bloggers to whom I can pass on the award, I would like to turn it over to you: who are your favorite bloggers and why?

Another marathon post draws to a close...Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow you got some great stuff!!!
I hope you enjoy them and your Thanksgiving!!!

I love to peel clemintines like that too =)

Maggie M. said...

That pancake house sounds great :) There's one in princeton (not the same chain though) that I like to go to when I visit my fam.

Happy Thanksgiving! Congrats on the award.

Anon said...

congrats on the award! love your blog!!! you look adorable in that green coat!!

Erica said...

So glad that you are enjoying your time at home! I love Amish food! I went to Penn State and they use to come to the school every Friday with goodies and I would get SO excited! A boxer puppy? Awwww how exciting! Enjoy your thanksgiving!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Scrumptious goodies and meals, my friend!! Sorry about that one smoothie though, without the flavored hemp protein.

I'm with you on the clementine peeling, haha ;-)

So lovely about your sister's Boxer puppy!! Can't wait to see some photos, if possible :-)

Congratulations on the award, girl!! You KNOW you're definitely one of my favorite bloggers, since you've become a great friend. Speaking of which, we need to catch up.

Anonymous said...

Boxer puppy?! You HAVE to post a picture of her - that's the kind of dog I want to get next!

Amish style PB? Sounds interesting! The PB noodles are right up my alley ;) What kind of PB granola do you use?

Love the pita sandwich - I'm obsessed with pita sandos!

This is going to sound like such a stock answer but I love ALL the blogs. Everyone is so unique that I could never choose a favorite! Congrats on the award - you deserved it :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Anonymous said...

look at all those amazing pies! i love how the label says praise the lord too!!

enjoy your thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

I like YOUR blog! What are your favorites?

Also, what noodles did you use? Are they whole wheat? They look really thick.

Amanda

newcitygirl said...

Going home can be so relaxing! Happy Thanksgiving!

ChickPea said...

Shelby: I hope you had a great Thanksgiving as well. Glad I'm not the only one who peels her clementines that way:)
Magpie: Thanks!
Andrea: Haha, thanks for noticing my coat:)
Erica: That's so funny that you went to Penn State. I used to live in PA, so half of my fam went there for college as well. LOTS of Amish up there!
VeggieGirl: I will be sure to post pics of the pup ASAP!
We DO need to catch up!
ksgoodeats: I use Nature's Path Granola.
I will be sure to post pics of the pup when she arrives!
LoveofOats: Hope you had a great holiday as well:)
Amanda: I subscribe to far too many blogs, but some of my faves include VeggieGirl's Eat, Live, Run, and Eating Bender.
NewCityGirl: I totally agree...I hope you had a relaxing holiday as well.