Monday, December 1, 2008

Temporary Escape

Well, Thanksgiving break has officially come to a close, and I have returned to reality. I fully enjoyed my 6 days of relaxation and recuperation; sadly, it was just a temporary escape. I now have final papers and exams to deal with, but at least I'll be back home f in a mere 11 days, just in time for my sisters' graduations (Lea has earned her MBA, and Katie has just completed nursing school). In addition to celebrating their scholastic achievements, I am sure there will be some holiday festivities as well:)

Here is a culinary perspective of my last few days at home...Enjoy!

Friday
I made a vibrant smoothie on Friday evening: blueberries, strawberries, soymilk, and hemp protein made for quite the nutritious treat.
Saturday
I squeezed in a quick workout and breakfast before heading out to run some errands with my dad. Nothing is quite as quick and portable as a smoothie...so that's what was on the menu for breakfast. I made a simple strawberry-almond milk-almond butter concoction and served it alongside a mini bagel with my new honey butter. WHAT A TREAT! That little tub of spreadable joy was definitely a wise purchase.
Among our multiple errands, we managed to squeeze in a trip to the health food store, where I picked up a tub of lentil dip. I spread about 1/2 cup of this deliciousness onto a wrap and stuffed it with mushrooms, tomatoes, and yellow bell pepper. I also had a salad and an apple with cashew butter before heading out the door for more shopping...
Dinner was a simple affair, but I managed to reinvent my Turk'y roast in yet another fashion. I chopped it up, mixed it with mozzarella cheese and dill weed, and placed it atop a leftover baked potato. On the side, I had a salad with currants, and a bowl of homemade tomato-spinach soup.
My final shake of the vacation was downright delectable. I combined chocolate hemp protein with a frozen banana and strawberries, plus the usual soymilk. I topped it off with some chocolate syrup, but yet again it sank to the bottom before I could get a good picture. Oh well--it made for a nice surprise at the bottom of the cup:)
Sunday
I made a batch of overnight oats on Saturday night so that I could get to church on time yesterday. I soaked 1/2 cup oats in almond milk and added pumpkin and almond butter in the morning. That's a mug of gingerbread tea on the side. Yum.
After being dropped off at the Atlanta airport, I dug into my packed lunch: a Turk'y sandwich, cherry tomatoes, a clementine, and a few cashes. Sorry for all the crotch shots...I was trying to be discreet.
When I finally arrived back home at the apartment, I was starving! My dinner was inspired by a conversation I had earlier in the day with my dad. He told me that one of his favorite "snacks" back when he was at Duke consisted of a hamburger, peanuts, and chocolate milk. Accordingly, I had a Bistro burger (with organic K+M), chocolate rice milk (rice milk with special dark cocoa and stevia), and peanuts...plus a spinach salad and squash for some extra nutrition.
The smoothie last night was another winner: frozen banana, peaches, soymilk, Nutribody protein, and ginger granola.
Monday
Since I was so dissatisfied with my last Banana Bread Blender, I made another attempt today. This time, I used spelt flakes, soymilk, almonds, cinnamon, and a frozen banana of course. Much better.
I had to evaluate an on-campus eatery today for the dining committee. Since this particular location is a nation-wide chain that serves only "chikin" (can you guess which one?), my options were limited. The coleslaw didn't look all that appealing, so I opted for the garden salad and picked off the chicken strips and cheese. When I returned to the apartment I added my own black beans, plus the packet of sunflower seeds that came with it. To round out the meal, I also had a cup of broccoli soup, crackers, and a tangerine.
The soup ended up being quite comforting...What's your favorite comfort food?

Now I must get some work done. It's the end of the semester...hang on tight!

Be back on Wednesday!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

My favorite comfort food would for sure be split pea soup! I love it, especially for breakfast. =)

I love how simple yet creative your meals are. I always use recipes but you just wing it and it always looks delicious!

Anon said...

your wrap looks phenomenal!!!! so creative :) my fav comfort food is brown rice + tofu + veggies + soyaki sauce = yummyyyy

Maggie M. said...

Most breakfast foods are comfort food for me - french toast and waffles especially.

I love all of your smoothies!

Anonymous said...

Hey girl, I'm just wondering why you measure your peanut butter. Don't take this comment as being critical; I'm actually a recovered anorexic myself. But if you want to get on track to be an intuitive eater, you might want to think about not measuring ;)

Erica said...

Honey butter and lentil dip both soup awesome! Loved this recap! Favorite comfort food hmmmmm stirfry, pancakes or grown up mac and cheese (made with squash!)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Ahhh, I hear ya on break being a short, "temporary escape" - good luck with the upcoming finals and papers!!

Lentil dip?? Yes, please!!

You know I love your smoothies!! :-)

I'm sorry, but the "crotch shots" comment made me laugh out loud, haha :-D



**Favorite comfort food = my "B-S-Cubed" dish (black beans, sweet potato, spinach, spicy salsa). The one that YOU inspired me to create!!

Danielle said...

Love the daddy-inspired meal! What a yummy combo! Best of luck with finals and papers :)

HangryPants said...

What brand is the Bistro Burger?

The lentil dip sounds so delicious!

HangryPants said...

What brand is the Bistro Burger?

The lentil dip sounds so delicious!

Anonymous said...

i hope your next 11 days flies by and is as painless as possible! good luck :)

Anonymous said...

I feel you on the countdown to go home - I haven't been home yet this year and I fly back on the 11th!! I lucked out and all my finals are the week before finals week.. so I get to peace a weak early!! My sister is graduating too!

Annnd.. I LOVE Oassis dip!! I legit would go through a container/day over the summer.. which I quickly had to stop because it's also pricey!! (The black bean one is amazing too btw!)

I'll answer your question before I get to mine! Favorite comfort food = mashed winter squash with cinnamon. K.. my turn. Do you get paid for doing your eatery reviews? Do you live on or off campus? Do you have a full kitchen and everything? I have a full apt, but I also have a 10meal/week meal plan this year. I'm trying to figure out what is most budget friendly for next year.. but I LOVE our caf!

Unknown said...

Good luck with all of the upcoming school work girl...I TOTALLY feel you on that one...only a few more stressful weeks, then it's CHRISTMAS!! :0) I LOVE to drink chocolate milk when I eat my "burgers" too...kinda reminds me of the milkshake/burger meal...but HEALTHY.

Hmm, my favorite comfort foods would have to be pb&js, sweet potatoes, and cereal. Oh, and dark chocolate!...not all together of course ;0)

Anonymous said...

They actually make ricemilk that's already chocolate :)
Most grocery stores carry it. It's called Rice Dream, and it tastes fabulous. Then you wouldn't need to make your own. You should definitely check it out. It even comes in little juice box sized containers, which are perfect for on-the-go. Seriously check it out!

lol I promise I don't work for the company!

Anonymous said...

Good luck with finals. Two questions. I read your post about wheat germ. What is the benefit of using wheat germ versus an actual whole grain? Also, since there is only 1 gram of fat why does the bottle of wheat germ say refrigerate b/c of oil content?

My second question is I know you love wheetabix. I was looking at the nutritional panel and shredded wheat squares seem to have more fiber- why is it that everyone loves wheetbix. It looks unsatisfying? I own way too many boxes of cereals to keep trying them randomly, so that’s why I’m asking-haha!

ChickPea said...

Shelby: Hmm I'll have to try that soup for breakfast one day.
Haha...I am glad you appreciate my simplicity!
Andrea: Thanks! Yummy comfort food.
Magpie: Breakfast foods are comforting to me too!
Anonymous: You're right about the measuring...it seems that nuts and nut butters are especially difficult for me to eat intuitively. I'm working on it;)
Erica: Mmm do you have a recipe for that mac and cheese?
VeggieGirl: Trust me, the lentil dip is AMAZING.
Haha glad you enjoyed my crotch comment!
Danielle: Yeah, I guess he's good for a few ideas every now and then..hehe. It's great to hear from you!
HangryPants: The Bistro burger is by Amy's Kitchen, in the frozen food aisle.
LoveofOats: Thanks...me too!
RunRoamRecycle: Ooh where do you buy your Oasis dips? The only place I can find it now is at this one health food store. They used to sell it at SuperTarget but stopped, sadly.
I get paid by some of my reviews but not all. CalorieLab and Iateapie paid me, but VegFamily (and the random reviews I do on here) are unpaid; the only compensation is the products themselves. I live in an on-campus apartment, that is about a 15 minute walk from campus. I do have a full kitchen, with a stovetop, full fridge, oven, sink, and countertop appliances. All on-campus students must have a meal plan, so yes, I do have one, but it is the lowest level available. I use the points at an on-campus grocery store for random odds n ends like an emergency stash of tofu or a couple boxes of cereal. I hope that helps!
Allison: You're so right about the chocolate milk being a "pseudo shake." Love all your comfort foods!
Megan: Thanks for the heads-up. I have bought regular Rice Dream boxes before, but I didn't know it was available in chocolate too! *adds to shopping list*
Leslie: You're right, you can get the same benefits of wheat germ from whole grains--but you'd have to eat a whole lot more of whole grains to get the same nutrition. While there is only 1 gram of fat per serving, the whole jar likely contains a couple tablespoons of oil, which would definitely go rancid if you didn't refrigerate it.
I like Weetabix because they have a different texture than shredded wheat sqaures--I love all things soggy! Weetabix are a lot more "absorbent" so they soak up the milk/whatever else you combine them with much more quickly. Shredded wheat and Weetabix are both fantastic choices nutritionally, so choose whatever works for you.

Anonymous said...

Yay I’m excited to see what meals you’ll drink them with. Love the blog!

Erin said...

I used to looooooooove honey butter before I went vegan! I forgot all about it until reading your post.

The Turk'y topped potato looks especially scrumptious, yum.

A hamburger and peanuts? Odd :)

ChickPea said...

Megan: I was bummed that they don't sell those rice drinks at my local WF. I'll look for them at my home WF, which is much bigger and offers greater variety.
Erin: I had never heard of honey butter until I visited this place. It's a nice indulgence, but a little too sweet for regular consumption!
Haha, yes the hamburger-peanut combo is weird, but it's tasty, I promise.