Wednesday, December 10, 2008

"It's Not Unusual"...or Is It?

I had a rather "unusual" event happen today while at the gym. I was groovin' away on the treadmill listening to my iPod and simultaneously watching the Rachael Ray Show (one of my fave programs). Today was a big show in that Rachael had invited a special guest, whom she was beyond excited to host on the program: she had invited her teenage heart-throb, Tom Jones. Just as he appeared on stage, what song begins to play on my iPod? (I'll give you a hint: it's in the title of this post). What are the odds of that?!

Have you had any strange coincidences lately?

Anyway, I am getting ever closer to the end. I turned in my two papers today, and I have my final in approximately 36 hours. Based on my calculations, I can get a 78 on the exam and still pull out an A in the course. Sweet.

I've got some super-cool grub to share today:

Monday
The smoothie of the evening featured peaches, mangoes, soymilk, and Nutribody protein. Excellent.
Tuesday
Remember my past infatuation with Weetabix? It's back, but this time I've tried it in a new way: HOT! I poured some scalding rice milk over a few broken up biscuits, then added some nutmeg and agave nectar on top. So warm, so soggy, so sweet--just the way I like it. On the side I had an apple with almond butter.
For lunch, I attempted to revamp leftover lentil soup by converting it into a shepherd's pie. I cooked the lentil soup with some sliced mushrooms until it reduced down to a stew-like consistency. Then I added some garlicky mashed potatoes with dill on top. If I were more ambitious I would have actually baked it in the oven, but I was too hungry for such nonsense. On the side, I had a spinach salad with pom seeds and pecans.
Dinner was inspired by the Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir-Fry from ED&BV. I used peanuts instead of cashews and changed up the vegetables according to what I had on hand. It was delicious, of course; Dreena never lets me down. I served it alongside some whole grain couscous and an orange.
The shake of the evening was one of my favorite combinations: frozen banana, strawberries, soymilk, chocolate brown rice protein, and special dark cocoa.
Wednesday
I woke up famished today! To fill the void, I decided a protein-y breakfast was best. Scrambled tofu to the rescue! This version featured tahini, soy sauce, ginger, mushrooms, and red onion. I had some toast on the side to soak up the scrambled goodness as well as a sliced apple.
After some intense stat calculation, I broke for a simple lunch. I had a baked potato along with some of Imagine's broccoli soup. I also had some carrots with salsa (a la K) and peaches with pecans and cinnamon. I ended up spooning some of the soup on top of the potato, which ended up being quite a delicious idea.
Hummus pizza was on the menu tonight. I split a pita and smeared each half with a good dose of hummus, then topped them with mushrooms, tomato, basil, oregano, and a few tablespoons of pine nuts. Everything got nice and toasty in the oven. On the side, I had a spinach salad with pom seeds and my homemade lemony sweet dill dressing.
Before I go, I have a quick question for you all: What's your favorite time of day to exercise? My roommate and I discuss this topic a lot, weighing the pros and cons of morning versus evening. I am a morning gal myself, but I was just curious as to what your preferences were and why.

Next time I post, I will be HOME!

Toodles.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

haha Tom Jones- love it...I'm TOTALLY a morning gal too, the day just wears me about so after 2 or 3 pm I just wanna veg out! :D Good luck on the studying and finals.

Erica said...

Yayyyyy for home!!

I watched Rachel Ray tonight while I worked out too! I think its so strange that she is in love with Tom Jones?

Lovin those little pizzas!!

I vary but I prefer right after work or right before. I don't like night workouts much(although i do them often because that is when I teach)!

Anonymous said...

I used to eat Wheetabix all the time! I don't know why I stopped =/ Oh yeah...Puffins came along and stole my heart!

Anonymous said...

You have always intrigued me with the Weetabix.. I've seen it at my local Trader Joe's.. guess I must try it sometime soon!

Good luck on your final.. and yay for going home! :-)

I don't normally work out (a bad habit I'm trying to fix), but I usually do it in the midmorning, a couple of hours after having eaten breakfast. It just seems to work for me that way, though there are definitely pros and cons to both times.

What time of morning do you work out? Is it working for you?

Little Miss Sunshine said...

Oh my, that is exactly what I did to my weetabix when I don't want 'crunch' in my breakfast!!! Basically, I heat up some hifibre cereal + weetbix in the microwave with some water until they turn into a thick 'soup' then I top them with some soymilk + banana ... DELISH!!

K from ksgoodeats said...

Oh - that is pretty weird!

CARROTS AND SALSA!!! :D I hope you liked it and thanks for the shout out girl!

Does Wheetabix fill you up? I almost bought it but I figured it wouldn't have much staying power.

I'm a morning gal - I get too tired by the evening and just want to lounge around!

Good luck with your finals!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Haha!! I watched him on RR yesterday :-)

My strange coincidences ALWAYS occur when I listen to the radio - I'll be humming a tune, and it'll come up on the air right after!! Freeeeeaky.

Love your eats!!!!!!!!! I miss eating Weetabix :-(

I prefer to workout in the morning, but I workout morning, afternoon, and evening (with yoga, strength-training, and dance classes, respectively).

SO GLAD YOU'LL BE HOME SOON!! :-)

Anonymous said...

What a crazy coincidence!
I love your trademark sliced apple. :) Have a good day!

Emma said...

I love weetabix too and always have it hot with milk- yummy!

Over here in the UK you can also buy Oatibix (made from oats rather than wheat). Can you buy it in the US? You should try it some time if you can!

It's a little more solid in texture than weetabix (so keeps its shape even when miked and covered in milk) but has a similar taste.

fleur said...

Lentil Shepards pie is such a good idea, I my borrow it.
I love love love cereal with hot milk, its much better that way, glad you tried it.
Good luck with the exams.

Anonymous said...

I'm so jealous of your returning home - I will not be there until Tuesday. But only 1 more exam left!
Hope you did amazing on all of your finals!

ChickPea said...

CarolineBee: I totally agree--once it gets past afternoon, my motivation wanes.Thanks for the well wishes!
Erica: It is kind of odd that she likes Tom Jones, but each to his own...
Night workouts usually get me all energized, when I need to go to bed!
Shelby: Haha, I need to re-stock on Puffins. What's your favorite flavor?
VeganNurse: I usually work out first thing, at around 8 or 9, but when I have the time, I like to eat a leisurely breakfast, let it digest, then head out for a run around 10 or 11.
Cecilia: I will have to add banana next time--it sounds like a delicious "soup."
K: I was trying to decide what kind of veggie to have for lunch, and "carrots and salsa" magically popped into my head. Your creations are infiltrating my thoughts now!
I never had a problem with satiety after eating Weetabix. Try 'em, you'll like 'em!
VeggieGirl: Aww I wish they made a gluten-free version of Weetabix. What are some of your favorite GF cereals, besides Puffins?
Erin: Haha, glad you appreciate my slicing skills:)
Emma: I think I have actually seen Oatibix around here, but I have never tried it. Thanks for the recommendation!
Flower: Let me know if you try the lentil shepherd's pie!
grkgrl: You can make it! Good luck on your last final!

Ruby Red said...

Your Weetabix creation sounds like such a great idea! I love how the blog world comes up with creative ways to enjoy cold cereal in warm ways. :) I heart your hummus pita pizza, too!

It would be nice to be able to work out in the morning. My nightly workouts have become such an ingrained practice that I have trouble making myself do it at any other time of day! I usually switch up the schedule on weekends if I have special plans, though.

Speaking of coincidence...I had the strangest coincidence today! There's a certain boy I really wanted to see again that I was sure I would never run into again (he doesn't go to my school) but we encountered each other randomly today...and he remembered my name too! Hehehe. :) It made my day.

Good luck getting a 78 or above on your final! That should be a snap for you because you seem to have been doing well all semester long.