Stress Fest, Round 1

How is it that it is just the second week of classes, and I have already managed to have stress out? It all started yesterday afternoon when I realized that I could feasibly graduate early (Dec. 2009 rather than May 2010). This would be a great way to save some tuition dollars and get a head start on my nutrition classes. However, then I considered all the things I would be missing if I skipped out on second semester senior year: sorority formals, walking at graduation, just being with my friends. Just thinking about missing those things makes me tear up as I type. I talked to my parents about it, and they gave me the exact wrong answer: "it's up to you, honey." They're letting me make the decision. How dare they! You mean I actually have to be an adult?! Anyway, I think my strong emotions ought to be heeded; I don't want to look back on my years at Duke with regret.

Academic rants aside, let's turn to a topic that keeps me on an even keel: food...

Saturday
When I was uploading photos on Saturday, I accidentally deleted some of my breakfast photos. I did manage to salvage one (below). I enjoyed a blueberry-soymilk smoothie with a dish of PB Puffins and almonds. Great way to cool down after a morning at the gym.
After a very necessary Target run, I settled down to a lunch of revamped leftovers: spinach salad with (local!) organic cherry tomatoes, kidney beans, and tofu. Another peach and toast points with cashew butter are what you see on the side.
Dinner was another spontaneous creation: sliced zucchini, chickpeas, garlic, red wine vinegar, basil, and oregano went into the pan. I had some couscous and chopped broccoli on the side, plus a yogurt with peanuts for dessert. Odd, but good.
I made a smoothie that evening, using some of that Alive! rice and pea protein powder. I snagged a few pouches of the vanilla flavor to last me until my order of Nutiva HempShake arrives. Anyway, this concoction featured frozen cherries (courtesy of SuperTarget), soymilk, and pumpkin flax granola. SO GOOD. The texture of this protein powder is such that it really puffs up once whizzed in the blender. It's like crazy good-for-you Cool Whip.
Sunday
I woke up bright and early on Sunday morning, thinking I needed to be at Chapel in an hour or so. I had gotten all dressed and made up, when my roommate looks at me and says, "why are you up so early?" I had gotten up an hour earlier than necessary. Oops. I took advantage of the extra time by making some stovetop oats with whipped banana and Target brand crunchy natural PB. I am normally very much a creamy girl, but this crunchy stuff isn't half-bad--it provides a nice change of texture. PS Does anyone know a good trick to get rid of PB smell on your hands? I made quite a mess while trying to stir the jar of PB, and my hands smelled quite peanut-ish for the entirety of the church service.
Lunch came together quick again. Inspired by V-con's Corn Edamame Salad, I combined frozen corn, edamame, cherry tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, and ginger. I didn't have time to chill it, so I just ate it hot. That's a sliced white peach with cinnamon (NOT an apple), spinach salad, and pistachios on the side.
Dinner was on campus, just before my first chapter meeting. We went to The Loop again, so I got my Crunchy Broccoli Salad and a bowl of black bean soup. I have a sneaking suspicion it wasn't vegetarian, but no use fretting over it now.

Another Alive! smoothie last night, this time with frozen mango. Please pardon the green color--I promise it tasted good!
Monday
I made overnight oats for breakfast today. I combined soymilk, oats, and dried cranberries last night and added almonds and blueberries this morning. I had forgotten how good this is--perfect for the girl who likes everything soggy:)
My pre-run snack today was a baggie of roasted soynuts and a local "ginger" apple. It was a tasty snack (especially the unique flavor of the apple), but I am not sure it fueled me well for a run. My pace was good, but I just didn't feel top-notch. Maybe less protein for tomorrow's fuel?
I came home for lunch: Goddess Garbanzos in an Italian Herb flatbread, plus a spinach salad. The herbs in the flatbread and the Goddess dressing complemented each other quite nicely.
I finally tried the snack you all have been raving about: a broken up Z bar in yogurt. My budget does not allow for Greek yogurt, so I just used regular plain yogurt and an apple cinnamon Z bar. Quite the treat!
After a dining committee meeting tonight, I just grabbed a quick salad from the salad bar for dinner: mixed greens, red bell pepper, mushrooms, kidney beans, bulghur wheat, and chopped peanuts, plus a cup of melon. The melon tasted like wood, but the salad (especially the bulghur) was excellent.
Wow. This is really long. I apologize for my excessive verbiage.Enjoy the rest of your evening!

Caroline's Recent Faves

As part of my new Sunday Feature format, I'll devote an occasional post to product reviews. As far as I can tell, blog readers are divided on these reviews: either they can't get enough product recommendations, or they have become entirely bored by them. To satisfy both camps, I'll give my opinion on select food products only sporadically. Enjoy!

This past week I have been favoring a few products: Clif Z Bars, Futter's Nut Butters, and a new kind of hummus.

Clif Z Bars
If you read food blogs at all, then you have likely seen these familiar blue wrappers before. While they are marketed toward schoolage children, my fellow bloggers and I have found them extremely convenient for on-the-go snacking, although I've been known to eat them even when I'm lounging at home.

Z Bars are certified organic with generally nutritious ingredients, including oats and flaxseed. There are a lot of added sugars (evaporated cane juice, brown rice syrup), which contribute to the 10-12 grams of sugar per bar. In addition to the ingredients already mentioned, Clif also includes a vitamin/mineral blend. I find this addition helpful to vegans and non-vegans alike, because a single bar provides 30% of your RDA for calcium, 10% for iron, and 10% for B12, all nutrients that may be elusive to some. All this for 120-140 kcalories and 2-5 grams of fat. Not bad.

Current flavors available include Peanut Butter, Honey Graham, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Brownie, Apple Cinnamon, and Blueberry. I have yet to try the Honey Graham, Apple Cinnamon, and Peanut Butter varieties (don't worry--it's on my to-do list).

-Thus far, my favorite is the Chocolate Brownie--it really does taste like a brownie. I bet warming it up and enjoying it with a glass of milk (soy or cow's!) would enhance its "browniness."
-The chocolate chip was decent, although I much prefer the regular Clif version of this flavor.
-The Blueberry made for a nice change of pace--it's not your typical snack bar flavor. It mimics a blueberry crisp in taste, which would make it ideal for a portable breakfast. It makes a great pre-workout snack as well.

Another plus (especially for poor college kids like me): only 69 cents at Trader Joe's! At Whole Foods they are still a reasonable 99 cents.
Futter's Nut Butters
I would never have discovered these nut butters had it not been for VeggieGirl. In my search for hazelnut butter, I had asked her what brand she used, and she provided this link. One visit to their site, and you'll soon realize that if there's a nut (or seed) out there, Futter's likely makes a nut butter out of it. Think: pistachio butter, pumpkin seed butter, Brazil nut butter...the possibilities are endless. Anyway, as I do not live near any of the locations that sell Futter's, I ordered some as a treat for myself.

Perhaps one of the best things about these butters is the fact that they are just nuts. No palm oil, no salt, no sugar--just ground up nuttiness. While its simple composition is ideal for overall health, spreadability can be a problem. I recommend using it as a dip for sliced bananas or apples, or you can warm it up a bit to use it as a spread on toast.

The nutritional information varies according to the nut used.. kcalories and fat are not listed on the website, but they do arrive with the nut butters once ordered. Generally speaking, a two tablespoon serving may contain 160-220 kcalories and 15-20 grams of fat, plus a host of vital nutrients such as vitamin E and magnesium. Don't be scared of the fat--it is health-promoting fat, which may help reduce cholesterol.

Futter's Nut Butters are pricey, but if used in moderation, one tiny jar may last for a few weeks or more (depending on your nut butter addiction).

Also, if you're interested, Futter's also sells dried fruits and nuts.

What you see below is Brazil Nut butter, almond butter, and hazelnut butter. I can't wait to try the other flavors!
Market Pantry Hummus
Imagine this scene: thousands of parents and students scrambling to SuperTarget over a single weekend. With list in hand, I search for that ever-so-versatile spread, hummus. I find Sabra in the produce section and cringe a little upon seeing the price. The hummus gods smiled upon me and showed me a better alternative in the deli section, the Market Pantry (aka Target house brand) hummus.

With stats almost identical to those of Sabra hummus, I decided it was worth a try. I first tried it in a hummus sandwich last week and was surprised at the depth of flavor and richness it provided. Then I remembered that each serving has 6 grams of fat. Fat is an amazing thing when it comes to flavor. Ideally, I would prefer a lower fat hummus, considering I usually use more than the prescribed two tablespoon serving. Also, I wish there were more protein per serving as well--2 grams seems a bit paltry for a meat alternative in sandwiches.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this much cheaper hummus, especially due to its addition of caramelized onions. I am not certain as to the price, but I think it was within the vicinity of $2-3 for an 8 oz. container.

I've spent a lot of time evaluating hummus. For more information, read my article here.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Snack Bar Bounty

I am a little embarrassed to admit how many snack bars I have been consuming in the past few days. They're just so darn portable! As much as I would like to have toast with jam or agave as my pre-run snack every day, toting around a toaster with me to class might prove difficult. Plus, I have quite a stash of these various snack bars--imagine a gallon-size Ziploc brimming with the likes of Clif Z, Gnu, and Larabars. What are your favorite (portable) snacks? I need inspiration!

Lucky for you, snack bars are not the only thing I have been consuming lately.

Monday
As is typical, my sweet tooth came on full-force Monday evening. So...I tried another Clif Z bar. This time it was the chocolate chip variety. I won't say much about it until my product review, but for now, let's just say that the regular Clif chocolate chip is superior, in my opinion.
I also made a smoothie that night (like I said, I just can't get enough sweet!). This one was a new combo for me because I combined strawberries with chocolate HempShake and soymilk. I'm not the biggest fan of fruit with chocolate, so this was an experiment for me (that, and I didn't have any of the berry HempShake left...). The verdict: success! It tasted like a chocolate-covered strawberry. Imagine that.
Tuesday
One of the things I didn't like about living in a dorm last year was that I couldn't have a toaster--how's a girl supposed to enjoy her frozen waffles without a toaster?! (I tried microwaving them--it's not the same). I didn't hesitate to take advantage of my new-found toaster access yesterday morning: GoLean waffles with mashed banana/cashew butter and plain organic yogurt. Love it.
My pre-run snack was a Carrot Raisin Odwalla bar and an apple. You may remember these bars from earlier posts. I ran about 4 miles on the track again; I followed that with some arm strength work.
Afterward, I grabbed one of my favorite on-campus salads, a Greek salad with Romaine, artichoke hearts, olives, feta, and sundried tomatoes...I never seem to tire of it.
By the time dinner rolled around, I was famished, but I had no idea what to make. It was one of those "maybe staring into the cupboards will give me inspiration" moments. I finally just started throwing things into the pan: leftover kidney beans, tofu, salsa, chili powder, and garlic salt. I stuffed it into a pita and served it alongside a salad and a few almonds. This was so tasty! Sometimes the best dishes are the spontaneous ones.
Wednesday
I needed something fast this morning, so I made a breakfast mound of deliciousness: Fiber One cereal, Corn Bran, almonds, fresh blueberries, wheat germ, and soymilk. This took a lot of chewing, but it was worth the effort.
Snack today was great: blueberry Clif Z bar and a banana. Blueberries and banana were meant to be together.
I picked up another favorite campus specialty today for lunch: Bean Taco Salad from the 'Dillo, which consists of a few tortilla chips, lettuce, tomatoes, pineapple salsa, traditional (cooked) salsa, and raw salsa. I added guacamole, which is quite possibly the best add-on ever--fresh taste and only 30 cents!
I spent dinner this evening with the dining committee for a casual get-together at Baba Ghannouj. I ordered the Baba Ghannouj Veggie Platter, which comes with falafel, baba ghannouj, hummus, tzaziki, pita, Greek salad, and stuffed grape leaves. The dips were awesome, but the falafel was bit too hard for my taste.

Before I go, I wanted to request some more meal suggestions: quick breakfasts. I am getting bored with my morning meals, so I am looking to expand my repertoire. If you have a favorite, I'd be delighted if you would share it with me.

PS Happy Birthday to my sister Lea!