Hot 'N Cold

Aside from my recent obsession with Katy Perry (and the super sexy man in the "Hot 'N Cold" video), today's post title was inspired by our wacky Alabama weather. When I went for my run this morning, it was a balmy 63*--yes, I was wearing shorts on December 19th. The cold weather arrives on Monday though, just in time for Christmas:)

In addition to our unseasonably warm temperatures, we've also been having LOTS of rain. My mom and I were greeted by a dark house when we arrived home last night.Ugh. Power outages are such a pain. Not only does it put my precious freezer goodies in danger of spoilage, but it also makes ordinary activities difficult. Have you ever taken a shower in the dark? It's quite a creepy experience.

Alright, that's enough whining from Caroline. Here's what I've been chomping on since Wednesday:

Wednesday
Just before the Duke game on Wednesday evening, I made homemade waffles--for the first time ever! I used a basic recipe that I found here, and let's just say that you may be seeing a lot more waffles at The Broccoli Hut in the future. I can't wait to play with the ingredients (pumpkin? chocolate chips? blueberries? The possibilities are endless...). I think the waffle maker may soon become my new favorite toy. I drizzled these tasty squares with maple syrup and dunked them in a plain yogurt-blueberry combo. Delish.
The shake of the evening featured strawberries and bananas again--but this time with chocolate! I added a chocolate Spirutein packet and soymilk for this creamy nighttime snack. Thursday
When I was reading my Clean Eating magazine on the airplane last week, I came across a tiny sidebar for "English Toffee Oatmeal" which suggested cooking your oats in English Toffee tea. Cooking oats in tea?! Genius! I cooked my oats in gingerbread tea, then added nutmeg, stevia, and cinnamon. After cooking, I added almond butter and dried cranberries.
Amidst more holiday shopping, my mom and I stopped by the house to grab lunch. I made some tofu lettuce wraps with broccoli slaw, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, tofu, and cashews. I had some clemenetines and a handful of garlic herb crackers on the side. By the time our power came back on, I was too hungry to think of anything elaborate for dinner. Hence, I present you with my hummus-salsa baked potato. I had a simple salad with Woodstock dressing and peaches with wheat germ on the side. Yawn.
The smoothie last night was pretty awesome. It's to be expected, considering it featured by favorite flavor combo, mango and vanilla. I used frozen mango cubes, soymilk, vanilla Spirutein, and PB granola. So good.
Friday
I realized today that it has been far too long since I've enjoyed pumpkin, so I made a pumpkin parfait for breakfast. I sweetened up the pumpkin with maple syrup and a few spices, then layered it with plain yogurt, oatmeal flakes cereal, and chopped almonds.
Lunch was pretty simple today: just a veggie wrap, along with a salad and an apple with cashew butter. I sauteed the zucchini and red bell peppers in balsamic vinegar then rolled it up in a wheat tortilla. That's smoked Tofurky on the salad.

My parents and I just arrived at the lake house a few hours ago; we're just here for the night to check on things (and maybe bake some Christmas cookies...). The food situation is pretty limited at the moment, so my dinner was a tad strange: mock tuna melts with veggies and a salad with sunflower seeds. I made the mock tuna the simple way, with just some vegan mayo, mustard, chickpeas, and lemon juice. That's a mozzarella string cheese on top. What do you like to prepare when fresh ingredients are limited?
We finally got around to decorating our Christmas tree this week. Here's a look at the finished product: Now I am off to watch a Christmas movie and perhaps have some fun in the kitchen.