The Vagabond Mailbox

**Thanks to everyone for your kind words of support and wisdom in response to my last post. That stress fest is officially over!**

After the gym today, I decided to go check my mailbox. I am heading down the hallway, on auto-pilot, turning at the third corner on the left where my mailbox is--or is it? This is definitely the area where my mailbox was last year, except now the numbers are all significantly different. How does that happen?! After wandering around for a few minutes and scanning rows upon rows of numbers, I finally found that elusive 97844. Alas, it was empty.

Despite my mailbox being empty, I did receive not one but two packages today. Score! The first was a box from Amazon--I had a $25 gift certificate just itching to be spent. Here's the loot (don't laugh!): HempShake, berry pomegranate flavor, two big tubs of ground flax seed, and a bottle of Primal Elements Grapefruit Body Wash.

In case you're curious, here's a little quote I liked from the Primal Elements website:
"The folks at Primal Elements make their soap from pure vegetable glycerin, creating scents (and looks) that Dial only dreams of." GQ Magazine, December 2002. Hemp, flax, vegetable glycerin. Yes, these are the types of things that excite me.
The second package came as a surprise. My aunt has been e-mailing me for the past few weeks about what I want for Christmas (she usually sends the gifts before October 1!), so I told her a new blender for my apartment might be nice. That's exactly what I got! It's even red, to match the rest of my kitchenware. I'll still use my MB for food processing, but I think my smoothie time has just entered a new era.
Onto the food:

Monday
I'm really getting into this chocolate + fruit thing. I'm still not so sure I would like orange + chocolate. Anyway, this was another chocolate-strawberry concoction--those are whole grain graham crackers taking a dip in the deliciousness.
Tuesday
If you've ever frequented Dairy Queen, you've probably heard of the Peanut Buster Parfait. My Granddaddy used to get it every time we went (he's the one married to my dietitian grandmother--go figure!). I decided to make a healthful breakfast version with PB Puffins, slice bananas, organic plain yogurt, and roasted peanuts. Definitely spawned a food fugue.
For a pre-run snack I packed a string cheese and a whole wheat mini bagel with blackberry jam. The combination of the soft bagel and the jelly reminded me of a jelly doughnut--I think that's demonstrative of how long it's been since I had a jelly doughnut...While tasty, this was not a stellar snack before exercise. Someday I'll get this exercise fueling thing right.
Lunch was another salad bar special: mixed greens, steamed broccoli, snap peas, 'shrooms, and sliced olives. When I got home, I added cubed tofu, chickpeas, and an agave-mustard dressing. I hate to think how far those strawberries traveled to get to my plate, but they were surprisingly tasty.
For dinner, I threw together a simple lentil salad: lentils, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, grated garlic, dill weed, and red wine vinegar. I served it with pita and a salad. I had cottage cheese with crunchy PB for dessert--not a combo I will repeat. The salt from the PB and the cottage cheese seemed to compete--not enough sweet!
Last night's smoothie was a chocolate-blueberry rendition. I wish I had had some cocoa on hand.
Wednesday
Return of the agave-tahini toast! This time I topped the toast with sliced Ginger Gold apples. I washed it down with a cup of almond milk.
I dug into my bar stash again today for pre-run eats: TJ's Fig Bar, plus a few peanuts.
After my post office meandering, I returned home to make a mountain meal: corn and tofu cooked in chili powder and ground red pepper, topped with salsa and mashed avocado.
Using my new flax, I made a snack of Key Lime Pie yogurt and ground flax. At last, I have a way to get my omega 3s again! PS Has anyone ever noticed that the Stonyfield cow has a different "look" for every flavor? The French Vanilla cow sports a dashing beret, while this one tucks a flower behind her ear. Cute.
For dinner, I decided to bring back my lentil bolognese from last year's dorm days. I added basil, oregano, and fresh garlic to a jarred pasta sauce. Salad, broccoli, and almonds filled me up nicely.
That does it for now...be back soon!

Settling In

For the past few days, I have been busy setting up my apartment and preparing for another semester of classes. I'm sure it won't surprise you that my roommate and I fixed up the kitchen, first thing. We both love our food (and cute dishes)! I love my postage-stamp sized kitchen--I just wish it had better lighting! As a result of the poor window placement, my food pictures might be a little blah until I can figure something else out...

Anyway, I have quite a few pics to share today, so I better get started if I want to finish before Jon and Kate Plus Eight comes on!

Saturday
On our first morning in our new abode, my roommate's mother was nice enough to offer to take us to the Durham Farmers' Market. As you might expect, I jumped at the chance! Before we left, I made a quick bowl of Corn Bran cereal with TJ's AntiOXidant trail mix, sliced banana, and soymilk. Remember when the farmers' market came to campus? Well, the actual farmers' market was even better! I loved seeing all the Durham locals selling their vegetables and crafts, plus I met a few cute pooches as well:) I left the market with a sack full of Pink Lady tomatoes and some green and purple bell peppers. Look for them in later meals...
I came back from the market and snacked on this before my run:
After a workout and a trip to Whole Foods, I returned to the apartment famished. I heated up my leftover veggie burger from Ruby Tuesday and dipped it in some organic Heinz. I also had a spinach salad and an apple with cashew butter.
I figured I should use my food points at least once per day, so my roommate and I headed to campus for dinner. It's the return of the Crunchy Broccoli Salad. Unfortunately, this was a rather pathetic example of this favorite salad of mine--not nearly enough walnuts or crunch. Boo. I added my own kidney beans though.
I made my first apartment smoothie! After a few minutes of fiddling with the MB, I finally got it to work in the new location. This one had frozen blueberries, soymilk, and my usual Nutiva HempShake with a granola on top.
Sunday
I had a leisurely bowl of oats before Chapel: banana oats with Brazilnut butter and pumpkin flax granola. Perfection.
I kept it simple for lunch--hummus sammie with tomato, spinach salad, and almonds.
My sweet tooth beckoned mid-afternoon. A Clif Z bar seemed to do the trick. No wonder people love these things!
I was in an experimental mood for dinner, so I made a new version of tofu salad. Shockingly enough, I didn't use any Grey Poupon in this one. Instead, I combine the tofu with cashew butter, ginger, garlic, and chopped purple bell pepper. I stuffed it into a pita and served it alongside broccoli and plain yogurt with wheat germ.
Apartment smoothie, round 2: strawberries, soymilk, HempShake, and granola.
Monday
I was a little anxious this morning due to the start of classes--I always have the feeling that I am going to be late, or I won't be able to find the classroom or something; you'd think I would be over that by now. Anyway, I wanted something comforting as a result of my unease--PB&J! Technically, this was cashew butter and blackberry jam on toast, along with plain yogurt (sprinkled with cinnamon). Note the return of the animal cups!
After my morning classes, I wanted to head straight to the gym (since it's all on the same campus). I didn't want to eat lunch beforehand, however, so I munched on an apple and a baggie of Corn Bran as a pre-workout snack. Once at the gym, I ran about 4 miles on the track and cooled down on the stationary bike for 20 minutes.
For lunch, I hit up the salad bar--lots of veggies with chickpeas and sunflower seeds.
Dinner was another tofu salad concoction: tofu with Annie's Goddess dressing, Bragg's, and a little basil. Spinach, sliced tomato, fresh blueberries, and a baked sweet potato finished it off. No shortage of phytochemicals in this meal!
Whew! Congratualations if you're still reading. FYI, you might have noticed that I featured a lot of new products in this post. I'll be reviewing them in the near future for one of my "feature" posts. Ciao for now.