Saturday, December 6, 2008

Just Call Me Aunt Bethany

"I should say hello?"
"Hello everybody!"

Can you guess from which Christmas movie I selected that quote?

Just as Aunt Bethany would, I am dropping in to say hello to everybody...I have been diligently working on my paper that is due on Wednesday. Classes have ended for the semester, so the only things that separate me from Winter Break is this paper and a stats exam on Friday. Woohoo! I wish all you students out there the best of luck during finals week!

Anyway, I better get to it, if I want to be able to take a study break to watch the basketball game later today. Here's a glance at my grub:

Wednesday
Just before the Rockefeller Christmas special came on, I decided to whip up a quick dinner to enjoy while watching all the performances. I was craving cashew-ginger tofu from ED&BV (my favorite comfort food) but realized I had already eaten tofu for lunch, plus I didn't have any cashew butter. So, I improvised and made peanut ginger veggies. I had some couscous and pineapple with wheat germ on the side. Hit the spot!
The smoothie of the evening was fabulous--peach and banana with Nutribody protein and soymilk.
Thursday
I woke up for my last day of classes (on time!) and made an Apple Pie Parfait. I alternated layers of plain yogurt, applesauce, and spelt flakes, then topped it off with wheat germ and almond butter.
For lunch I made a quick mock tuna salad wrap with chickpeas, vegan mayo, a dash of mustard, kelp granules, and some lemon zest. In case you can't tell, I am really into zesting things lately. Check out my spiffy microplane. It's great for finely grating cheese/soy cheese as well. I also had a salad with peanuts and more pineapple.
After lunch, I baked a loaf of pumpkin bread for a sorority study break. Here's what it looked like, fresh out of the oven. The smell of baking pumpkin bread always makes me think of my mom--she used to bake triple batches of the stuff so that my sisters and I could give loaves to our teachers. Do you have any special food memories to share?
For dinner, I went out with the dining committee to an Italian restaurant in Raleigh called Vic's. It was family-style dining, so I chose a little of this and a little of that: Kalamata olives, caprese salad, fresh rolls, an eggplant roll up with ricotta cheese, and some sauteed vegetables. I also had quite a few glasses of wine...perhaps too many. It was a great way to spend the evening! Sorry, no pictures.

Friday
I had a little bit of silken tofu in the fridge just begging to be made into vegan French toast...so you can guess what I had for breakfast...Tofu-Banana French Toast. This time I topped it with banana slices and a few dollops of PB, kind of like a more complex banana-PB sandwich.
After my last trip of the semester to Whole Foods (the Durham location, that is!), I came home and made some coconut black beans. I was so excited to use the coconut milk that I picked up at the store, I couldn't wait to use it. I combined black beans, mango, cumin, garlic, red onion, and coconut milk and served the mixture alongside a pita and a salad with Woodstock dressing.
I was a lame-o last night and worked on my paper. After a little Frosty the Snowman action on ABC family, I decided to make a simple supper: hummus-salsa sammie, zucchini, spinach salad, and an apple with almond butter.
Well, I should get back to work. Ciao for now...be back soon!

13 comments:

Sara said...

i'm pretty sure its from Christmas Vacation? right? good luck on finals...they're definitely rough this semester!

Anonymous said...

Chistmas Vacation...Love that movie. Well, really I love ANY Christmas movie. I love pumpkin bread too..especially in muffin form =)

Anonymous said...

Mmm, your sandwiches always look amazing. And that pineapple dish sounds delicious!!!

Good Luck on Finals! =)

Anonymous said...

MAN! I tried to say it first...oh well - THE GRISWALDS!!! haha, that is my FAVORITE christmas movie! I love Uncle Eddy :)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Best of luck with your paper and final exam!!!

Apple Pie Parfait = truly "parfait"!! (French for perfection - oohhh, I'm so good, haha; and I'm lame!! I apologize).

I have TOO many food memories to recollect in this small comment space - ask me sometime :-)

K from ksgoodeats said...

CHRISTMAS VACATION!!! "Grace? She passed away 30 years ago." Between the two of us I think we could say the lines to any holiday movie :)

Gorgeous pumpkin loaf! Hummus and salsa?! You're speaking my language, lady!

Good luck with your finals!

Anonymous said...

I'm back...just wanted you to know I mentioned you in my blog today! I bought a magic bullet and LOVEEEE IT! Thanks!
-Courtney
www.eatthewholething.wordpress.com

Erica said...

YES Christmas vacation! My Aunt always walks into Thanksgiving/Christmas doing that (in the voice of course).

The pumpkin bread and french toast look very good!

good luck on finals!

Anonymous said...

I love Christmas vacation! Definitely a classic!

Love your eats!

Anonymous said...

nice power post!! Good luck on blahh finals- i DO not miss that part of school ;D yeeaaa I have a microplane too, mine's sort of fatter and wider, but still awesome!

Anonymous said...

best movie ever!

Erin said...

Your pumpkin bread looks fantastic! I'm still working on a vegan, whole grain pumpkin bread.

ChickPea said...

Sara: You are totally correct! Good luck to you too!
Courtney: I love pretty much any Christmas movie too. Pumpkin muffins are pretty awesome as well.
Shelby: Thanks! I have a lot of practice making sandwiches.
grkgrl: Yep, nothing like a Christmas with Sparky;)
VeggieGirl: Ah, you are so clever. I will def ask you about your food memories sometime!
K: Haha, that "grace" line gets uttered at pretty much every holiday gathering with my family. You are so right about the quoting. We should enter a contest or something.
Courtney: Thanks for mentioning me in your post--I feel so cool.
Erica: Haha, it seems to be a trend!
Thanks for your good luck wishes!
strongandhealthy: CV is definitely a classic; not a Christmas goes by that I don't watch it!
Carolinebee: Finals are definitely a big CON about being in school. Oh well, only 3 more semesters!
LoveofOats: I have to agree:)
Erin: Thanks! The recipe I used was not vegan, as I was preparing it for very NON vegan people. However, I am looking forward to experimenting with a vegan recipe when I get home!