Friday, February 20, 2009

Light My Candle

Ever since reading this article in the NYT today, my favorite song from Rent, "Light My Candle," has been playing incessantly in my head. As I walked to the gym, as I waited in the check out line at Whole Foods, even as I was chopping garlic--I could hear Roger and Mimi singing their duet. Quick, someone get a different song stuck in my head! What songs tend to linger in your mind?

Aside from repetitive humming, I have had a busy few days. Here's what I ate along the way:

Wednesday
I looked to one of my Food Network faves for lunch inspiration: Ellie Krieger. Her Chickpea and Spinach Salad with Cumin Dressing sounded intriguing to me, so I made my own version for my midday meal. I simply placed chickpeas on a bed of spinach and dressed it with a sauce containing vegan mayo, ground red pepper, cumin, and lemon juice. On the side, I had some corn thins and an apple with almond butter.
I was craving a hearty dinner that day, so I made an Italian Sub: TVP with tomato sauce, oregano, basil, and garlic on a whole grain bun. Messy, but oh-so-delicious. I also had some broccoli, a salad with Goddess dressing, and a pluot.
The smoothie of the night contained strawberries, peaches, soymilk, and Nutribody.
Thursday
Yesterday seemed like a parfait kind of day, so I made a quick layered concoction with Honey Nut Os, TJ's Honey Greek yogurt, cashews, and sliced banana. Not to toot my own horn, but this was pretty fabulous.
For lunch, I made my tasty Asparagus Salad again, since it spawned a pretty intense food fugue the last time I had it. This rendition included mixed greens, orange segments, tofu (cooked in soy sauce, ginger, and garlic), peanuts, asparagus, and mushrooms. YUM. I also had some rice crackers on the side.
Dinner was spent out with my new "little sister" in Chi Omega. We ate at a campus eatery (the 'Dillo) while we watched the Duke basketball game. I ordered the Black Bean Taco salad (with guac, of course!). Here is a recycled picture from the last time I ate there.
I concluded the evening with a peach-pineapple smoothie.
Friday
After facing the frigid temperatures this morning, I was ready for something hot before heading out the door to run errands...so made some warm oat bran. Yep, I, too, have hopped on the oat bran wagon. I made mine with all anti-oxidant rich superfoods: pomegranate (POM juice), almonds (almond butter), and dark chocolate (dairy-free chocolate chips). It turned out to be quite the morning treat. Thanks so much to Janny from POM Wonderful for sending me samples!
Here's the loot from a rather nippy trek to Whole Foods:
Highlights: Greek Gods yogurt (on sale!), bok choy, BBQ sauce (finally, I can try Jenn's humbecue!), baked blue corn chips, and more Odwalla bars!

After getting a little homework done, I took a break for lunch. I combined chickpeas with broccoli slaw, garlic, tahini, and curry powder; I sopped up the goodness with an Ezekiel pita. That's a sliced Golden Delicious apple and a simple salad with mushrooms on the side.

Several errands later, I returned home for a lovely dinner of White Bean and Walnut Bruschetta from ED&BV. I've made this several times before (yep, that's 4 times), and it never ceases to satisfy. I had a salad with red bell pepper and mozzarella on the side, as well as a dish of grapes.
That concludes this evening's post--hopefully next time I type, I will have managed to rid my mind of the Rent soundtrack. Happy weekend!

14 comments:

Hungry Hungry Dancer said...

yummmm that bruschetta looks amazing!!!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE that song- my friends and i used to belt it in the car! And that GG yogurt is the best too! I HIGHLY recommend the Cinnamon-vanilla-orange flav :D Yes, very long, but delish! I think I bought it on accident haha. That's sweet of you to hang with your little sis, me and mine are still SO SO close even after I graduated! Love it. Night girl!

Anonymous said...

Delicious oat bran! I'm getting those pom juices in the mail too so I can't wait to try this combo.

Anonymous said...

"Keep your love LOCKDOWN, your love LOCKDOWN, keepin' your love LOCKDOWN, your love LOCKDOWN"

I don't know much more of that song, but it always gets stuck in my head!

You are going to LOVE the hummbecue. Do it! Do it!!!!

Little Miss Sunshine said...

Caroline, I have ONE word for ya - your are AMAZING~ how did you go about making SO MANY DIFFERENT nutritious and yummy meals in ya hectic college schedules??!! Do you plan ahead/it is spontaneous ... please gimmie some tips!! Hahaha, thank you!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Oh man, TOO many songs linger in my mind, haha :-D


Love Ellie Krieger recipes!!

Anonymous said...

I love seeing new & fabulous meals (to me, anyway). I think it's time I invested in that cookbook (ED&BV). Variety is the spice of life & you're SPICY! (or sweet? definitely not rancid or sour)
I hope you get a NEW song in your little head... what about from your last post & get in touch with Jack Johnson?! oooh, hottie-alert!
Your lil' sis is lucky to have such a great role model & friend!! Have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

I love that Ellie! Toot your horn all you want because that parfait sounds pretty fabulous :)

Usually the songs that get stuck in my head are those HORRID jingles from commercials - like the free credit report ones, gag me!

Have a great weekend, chicky!!

Anonymous said...

Love that Rent song and LOVE all things Ellie Krieger!

Your eats look delicious as always! Happy weekend!

Ruby Red said...

Ooh, Caroline's oat bran looks marvelous! Almonds (or almond butter) and chocolate and oats are soooo incredible together.

Haha, some songs from Rent annoy me but I love other ones. Sadly, "Light My Candle" is on the disliked list... I hope it doesn't get stuck in my head! ;)

Anonymous said...

I need to hop on the oat bran wagon soon! And try it with POM juice, too :o) Those samples are great!

I'm so excited for you to try humbecue - thanks for the shout out! And your bruschetta looks incredible, as always!!

Anonymous said...

Great parfait, as always. It seems like such a fun breakfast :)

Casey Lewis said...

Aw, I'm a longtime lurker but I never knew what sorority you were in - I'm a Chi Omega too!

ChickPea said...

VeganOnStage: Thanks! It's a great cookbook.
CarolineBee: Ooh! I have never tried any of their flavors! That's great to hear that you and you little are still close.
Shelby: Enjoy the POM--can't wait to see what you come up with!
Sarah: I did it--and the humbecue is friggin awesome!
Cecilia: Haha, thanks. I do pick out a few recipes every Sunday. That helps keep me organized and healthy!
VeggieGirl: Isn't Ellie awesome?! I kind of want to *be* her. I never get to see her show though.
OrangePop: It's my fave cookbook, for sure. I think one day I will have made all the recipes...then I'll start over again. Haha, I am a combination of all of those: spicy, sweet, occasionally sour.
K: I get commercial jingles stuck in my head...then I proceed to share them with friends. (e.g., Double Mint).
Courtney: Ellie is such a role model for me--she has such a great outlook on food and a fab career.
Ruby: Thanks! I really liked the superfood oats too!
Haha, I can see why "Light My Candle" might not be a favorite, but I embrace its cheesiness. What songs do you like?
EatingBender: Oat bran is pretty good, but I haven't decided whether it's as good as oatmeal yet...time will tell.
Marianne: It is fun-fun to assemble and fun to eat! The combinations are endless!
Casey: Great to hear from you--thanks for delurking. Gotta spread the ChiO love!