Serendipitous Snow

OK, I admit it. I am a weather.com addict. I check it every day in order to anticipate what the coming days might bring, whether it be glorious sunshine or lame wind & rain. As per usual, I checked last night to see what the weather would be at 7AM, the time at which I usually make the trek across campus to the gym. Answer: "12*, windy and icy." Fabulous. A glance down the page indicated that no warming trend was expected throughout the morning. After much deliberation, I decided to deliberately skip my morning class, a transgression I rarely commit.

Lo and behold, I wake up this morning to my roommate rejoicing and announcing that classes had been cancelled! A rather serendipitous blanket of snow had arrived overnight. Hence, all guilt induced by class-skipping was successfully avoided. Sweet.

This weekend was pretty low-key around here; there wasn't much going on around campus, so my friends and I hid from the icy rain and watched a few chick flicks. I also managed to squeeze in another trip to TJ's with Alanna. Check out the eats that kept me going:

Friday
I wasn't much in the mood for cooking, so dinner ended up being a simple veggie bologna wrap with provolone and mixed greens. I'm with Kath--the taste of cheese is never pronounced enough when mixed into sandwiches and wraps, it seems. Anyway, I also opened up a new bottle of Annie's dressing after my beloved Woodstock disappeared. This time, I tried a classic, the balsamic vinaigrette. That's broccoli and a nectarine on the side.
The kind folks at Amazing Grass recently sent me some of their new Amazing Meal protein powder to review for VegFamily. You may remember when I tried (and reviewed) their Berry Greens supplement, but this time I tried out the Amazing Meal original flavor and combined it with soymilk, peaches, blueberries, and strawberries. Fabulous! FYI, Amazing Meal is a combination of hemp and rice proteins (soy-free!).
Saturday
Continuing the simple trend, I had an old fave for breakfast: toast with PB & J. In case you're curious, I used Dickinson's organic all fruit blackberry spread. On the side I had some cottage cheese with banana and cinnamon.
For lunch, I made another Asian Bean Salad, this time using lightly steamed sugar snap peas, mushrooms, green onions, adzuki beans, and Annie's Shiitake Sesame dressing. More of those addictive crackers on the side, plus an orange.
After my trip to TJ's and a very necessary viewing of Bridget Jones's Diary, I made a late dinner out of Mexican Dip. In a glass bowl, I mashed some black beans and added layers of cheddar cheese, salsa, mashed avocado, and finally homemade tofu sour cream. I served all that goodness with some baked blue corn chips and a plate of greens. Definitely spawned a food fugue.
Next up in the Amazing Meal lineup: Pomegranate Mango Infusion. I just blended it with some frozen mango and soymilk, although in retrospect I could have added some POM as well...next time.
Sunday
With my Girl Scout challenge complete, I was left without inspiration for my oatmeal...and then I spied my pretzels in the cupboard next to the oatmeal. Bingo. I cooked my oats in rice milk and vanilla, then topped them with a few pretzels and a blob of PB. Just like those PB pretzels VeggieGirl sent me:)
As per usual, by Sunday I was left with a variety of beans and veggies in the fridge...so I made another veggie-bean stew out of tomato sauce, black beans, adzuki beans, garlic, mixed veggies, cumin, turmeric, and curry powder. I dunked a mini bagel in all that tastiness and served it with grapes and greens with cashews.
I've gotten some great meal suggestions from blog readers, and this one is a new favorite. I stuffed a pita with a Bistro burger, mashed avocado, and melted provolone for a delectable hot sammie. Thanks to Jessica for suggesting this dish! I served it alongside some zucchini, salad, and peaches.
The final installment of the Amazing Meal journey involved a tasty chocolate infusion. I combined it with dairy-free vanilla ice cream (from TJ's!), lots of strawberries, and soymilk. A few Annie's chocolate bunnies decided to join in on the fun. SO GOOD. This was my favorite flavor!
Monday
After sleeping in this morning, I took advantage of my snow day by making a big bowl of choco-nana oat bran. Special dark cocoa powder, oat bran, rice milk, banana, coconut, and chocolate PB made for quite the breakfast treat. I am fast becoming an oat bran convert...
Despite the snow day, I still must venture out to my dining committee meeting tonight. We're discussing some new ideas for eateries to bring to campus. If you're in college now, what's your favorite place to eat on your campus? If you're not college-age, what kind of place would you frequent on a university campus? Outside input is always helpful!

Enjoy your Monday!

Burger Bliss

Five years ago, I announced to my mother that I would no longer be eating meat. After recovering from the surprise, she took me on a very necessary trip to the grocery store, where I bought the essential neophyte vegetarian item: the veggie burger.

They're quick, convenient, and tasty, plus they provide an easy meatless form of protein. While I no longer eat them with the same regularity as my initial days of vegetarianism, I still keep a box (or two) on hand for those times when I simply haven't the motivation nor the time to prepare an elaborate vegetarian feast. Boca was my first brand of choice, but since then I have broadened my horizons. Yes, since my early days as a veg, I have graduated to brands such Sunshine Burger, Health Is Wealth, and, of course, the mistress of veggie burger expertise, Amy.

Sunshine Burger
This past year, in the midst of summer barbecues and grill-out sessions, I was on the hunt for a new variety of veggie burger, specifically one that was both meat- and soy-free. I of course ventured to Whole Foods for the answer to my burger-prayers. After a quick jaunt down the frozen foods aisle, I found these: Sunshine burgers. Made simply with raw ground sunflower seeds, whole grains, vegetables, and a dash of sea salt, Sunshine burgers are the epitome of an all-natural burger. I love that these burgers are completely free of unnecessary ingredients.

Sunshine burgers are available in 4 varieties: Garden Herb, Original, Barbecue, and Southwest. Nutritional stats vary accordingly, but most are between 200-259 kcalories with a moderate (6-8 grams) of protein, and 12-13 grams of fat. Most varieties also provide an impressive amount of vitamin A, ranging from 50-90% of your daily RDA.

While these burgers are tasty any way you eat 'em, I recommend the old fashioned way, in a whole grain bun with your favorite toppings, such as salsa or avocado.

Feel free to eat them sans bun, as well; I regularly enjoy them this way as a fish substitute when my family is having a seafood-centered meal.

Finally, if you'd rather use your creativity, consider slicing one up as a salad component. I especially like them in combination with my homemade sweet dill dressing.

Health Is Wealth Chicken-Free Patties
As a girl raised (mostly) in the South, I've enjoyed a few Chick Fil A sandwiches in my day, and I do occasionally get a craving for a deliciously breaded patty (couldn't care less about the chicken part!). Fortunately, there is a relatively healthful alternative. While many breaded "chik" patties exist on the market today, many still contain high amounts of fat and a few questionable ingredients. Health Is Wealth, however, produces a chicken-free patty that is low in fat (1.5 grams) and breaded with whole grain bread crumbs. Plus, they're vegan--no egg whites are used to provide that breaded crust.
These can be difficult to find, although Whole Foods carries the brand; only large stores carry this particular product. Look for it at health food stores as well. If you can't find the patties, the chicken-free nuggets are just as good!

These patties also lend themselves well to the traditional whole grain bun route. My condiments of choice are a mixture of vegan mayo and mustard, even better if it's agave-mustard! For Chick-fil-A authenticity, you could throw a few pickles on top:)

Try using these in place of chicken in your favorite Chicken Parmigiana recipe. Yum.

These patties can also easily be sliced and used as a salad topper or wrap stuffing. The possibilities are endless!

Amy's Bistro Burger
If you've taken a look at the frozen food aisle lately, you've probably noticed a proliferation of products emblazoned with the notorious "Amy's Kitchen" label. Aside from her delicious burritos, pizzas, and breakfast items, Amy also produces a wide variety of burgers, made from whole grains, veggies, and soy. This particular item caught my eye due to its relatively low sodium content for a frozen food (14% RDA) and abundance of vegetables in its ingredients list.

Each patty contains 90 kcalories, 2.5 grams of fat, and a slightly disappointing 5 grams of protein. I would hope for more protein in a meat alternative. Nonetheless, these burgers provide a satisfying alternative to your regular beef burger. As a bonus, they are made from 93% organic ingredients--score!

Warning: if you do not like mushrooms, you may not like these burgers. The shroom' flavah is strong, which is just fine by my tastebuds, but others may be overwhelmed by its presence.

I like mine best with mashed avocado...

But they're pretty awesome with organic K + M as well.

Just as good in a wrap!

The Amy's website also recommends adding BBQ sauce...perhaps we should try the humbecue combo as well?

Amy's Texas Burger
Speaking of barbecue, these burgers are specifically designed to have that distinctive smoky flavor.

This variety is decidedly less 'shroom-ey and more tomato-ey. There's also some bell peppers and a kick of molasses. Tasty.

Each patty contains 120 kcalories, 2.5 grams of fat, and a respectable 12 grams of protein.

I like mine with lots of spicy salsa!
They're also pretty tasty as a salad-topper...especially with Woodstock dressing to play up that tomato goodness. Best served with some sweet potato fries!
These few burgers represent just a selection of my veggie burger samplings and an even smaller portion of those available on the market. What are your favorite meatless patties? What do you look for in a veggie burger? Let me know...I'm always searching for a new favorite:)

Peanut Butter, Basketball, and Sisterly Love

Yep, my weekend consisted of three of my favorite things. The ChiO crush party on Friday was a blast; even though all the juniors (myself included) were designated as "sober sisters," we all managed to have lots of fun. Yesterday, I headed over to the basketball game, where we defeated Virginia, 79-54. Sweet. To top off all this weekend fun, I managed to try not 1, not 2, but 3 additional flavors of my new Peanut Butter & Co. products. Life is good.

How did you spend your weekend?

Although I did consume a healthy amount of peanut butter this weekend, it's not all I ate. See for yourself:

Friday
Before heading out for the evening's festivities, I was sure to adequately fuel myself. As a sober sister, I had to be there for the entirety of the event from 9 PM-2 AM. Oy. Anyway, here's what I cobbled together: Amy's Bistro burger on whole wheat with organic K+M, a salad with tomatoes and walnuts, and a dish of grapes.
When I returned from the party, I was famished from all that dancing...so I made my smoothie at 3AM. Yes, my neighbors love me, I am sure. Anyway, here's what went into my concoction: frozen banana, soymilk, cappuccino Spirutein, and a few dairy-free chocolate chips.
Saturday
I suppose you could call this breakfast, even though I didn't eat it until about 12 PM...yes, I actually slept in for once! I made a tropical parfait: plain yogurt, spelt flakes, mango, coconut, and cashews.
For lunch, I made the best of leftovers my making a two-bean chili: chickpeas, black beans, tomato sauce + water, chili powder, cayenne, and onions. On the side I had a baked potato, salad, and a blood orange.
After some hard-core homeworking, I was ready for some grub. I took the lazy route and just made a big salad with soynuts and served it alongside rice crackers and an apple with White Chocolate Wonderful PB. The apple with PB was by far the best part of this meal--the Cameo apple (which I purchased for 99 cents/lb at WF!) was the perfectly sweet accompaniment for the PB. It was almost like dessert. Almost.
The smoothie of the evening featured one of my favorite Spirutein flavors: bluberries 'n cream. I combined that with blueberries, soymilk, and a bit of granola.
Sunday
Before heading out to chapel, I made my customary stovetop oats, this time with strawberries and rice milk for a super creamy texture. Then I plopped a dollop of Dark Chocolate Dreams PB on top...that's just the tip of the PB iceberg you see below; much of it sunk to the bottom of the bowl, which made for a lovely surprise at the end of my meal. Chocolate-covered strawberry, anyone?
I didn't get a chance to eat "lunch" until after the basketball game at 4:30 PM. Yeah, so I was ready to eat anything in sight. I relied on my freezer goodies this time: I heated up a Tofu Scramble Pocket by Amy's Kitchen. While I much prefer my own scrambled tofu creations, this product is great for occasions when time is short...or you're just too hungry to prepare anything for yourself. I served it alongside a salad with Woodstock dressing and a dish of grapes.
Dinner was another spontaneous affair. I made a hummus pocket sandwich and ate it with some steamed veggies and an apple with cashew butter.
The smoothie last night featured unsweetened banana Spirutein with a banana and a sliced peaches for good measure.
Monday
Inspired by a recipe I found in the Skippy cookbook my dad received for Christmas, I made a PB "quesadilla" except there was absolutely no cheese involved. I spread a wrap with Cinnamon Raisin PB and sliced bananas, then threw it on the George Foreman. I also had some cinnamon-spiked yogurt on the side. It was quite melty and delicious.
Now for a completely random question: What kind of toothpaste do you use? I am squishing out the final bits of my tube, so I need to replace it ASAP.

OK, maybe I'll actually be on time to my Faulkner class today. Whatevs--blogging is worth missing a few minutes of class:)