Keep on Chuggin'

As of 9:45 this morning, I let out a sigh of relief--my stats test is over! Only one more until the end of the semester! Ordinarily, I would be in total relaxation mode right now, but it's that time of the semester when assignments and projects just keep coming. Oh well--my workload is not keeping me from attending the basketball game tonight:) Consequently, I am posting now rather than later so as to avoid another "hiccup" (see Sunday's post).

Due to my weekend of playing and working, my diet became, well, random and uninspired. Here are the goods anyway:

Friday
Following a late-night chat session with one of my close friends, I whipped up a delicious smoothie at 2AM. This one included blueberries, peaches, acai hemp protein, soymilk, and delectable ginger granola.
Saturday
After a leisurely workout at the gym, I returned home to a still sleeping roomie, so I kept breakfast simple and minimally noisy in preparation. I combined pumpkin with flax, cinnamon, and agave nectar and spread it on a whole wheat sandwich thin. On the side, I had some plain yogurt with sliced grapes.
I spent much of my afternoon waiting around for someone to return a text about studying--he never responded, and I missed the last home football game of the season as a result. To add insult to injury, he was the one who wanted to study together in the first place! As Stephanie Tanner would say, "How rude!" To assuage my grumpy mood, I decided some lunch was in order. I made some refried bean fajitas with bell peppers and salsa. I also had an apple with cashew butter.
I had had quite enough waiting around, so I headed to the mall with my friends for the evening. After a few impulse buys, we decided it was time for some fuel and headed to California Pizza Kitchen. I ordered my favorite Smashed Pea Soup plus a half Mediterranean Salad. My favorite thing about that salad is the little bed of hummus waiting for you at the bottom. Delish.
Oh yeah, Kristen wanted me to show you what she got: mushroom-sausage-pepperoni pizza. No tofu for her!
We spent the evening hanging out on campus with some Navy boys (Kristen is in NROTC). When I returned, I made another 2 AM blender concoction: chocolate hemp protein, banana, strawberries, soymilk, and dairy-free chocolate chips. Repetitive, but oh-so-good.
Sunday
After seeing similar ideas on other blogs, I decided to make myself a bowl of raspberry oats. In addition to the main ingredients, I also included cinnamon, vanilla extract, and chopped almonds. My roommate thinks my oatmeal creations are so odd--they're either bright orange (pumpkin oats!) or bright pink (berry oats!). I like to "taste the rainbow."
The afternoon was spent at a mandatory sorority event at which the offerings were pepperoni pizza and soda. Boo! I made a leftovers sandwich instead: refried black beans, tofu, and salsa on the last two pieces of my whole wheat bread. On the side, I had a salad with honey-roasted peanuts and an orange.
Dinner was completely random but still tasty: I combined corn, tomatoes, a Sunshine burger, and dill for an impromptu salad. I also had some snap peas and an apple.
Once my studying had reached its conclusion for the evening, I made a big, tasty shake. It was almost the same as Saturday's, except I added a hefty dose of coconut to the mix. I was really sad when I reached the bottom of my big green cup:(
Monday
As I put some finishing touches on my stats studying, I gobbled down a bowl of Kashi Mighty Bites with sliced banana, rice milk, and wheat germ. I also had a side of GORP (good ol' raisins and peanuts).
With my classes and responsibilities behind me, I settled in for an easy lunch of tofu scramble. This tasty mess included tofu, tahini, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and broccoli. On the side, I had toast and a rather seed-tastic orange. Despite the messy orange, this meal was so comforting, as always.
Now, I am off to shower and maybe squeeze in some studying before my dining committee meeting and the basketball game. Happy Monday!

Exciting News

Happy Friday, everyone! It's the weekend, finally! I had a busy week that included a few important decisions. First, my roommate and I figured out our living arrangements for next year. We will be living in an apartment--with a kitchen! I am so excited to have access to a full size refrigerator, a stove, and a toaster. Trust me, you won't realize how much you miss your toaster until you don't have it. I am so jealous of all you bloggers out there making those delicious looking waffle sandwiches for breakfast!

The second bit of important news is that I have been considering my future in the past few days, and I have decided to pursue a career as a registered dietitian. I have been interested in nutrition since high school (I did an independent study on it during my senior year). However, I was scared off by the science aspect, and my university does not offer any nutrition-related classes. My interest in the subject has obviously persisted, so I decided to take the plunge into nutrition. I still plan to graduate from my current university with degrees in English and psychology, but afterward I plan to return to Birmingham and get a bachelor's degree in nutrition. Ideally, I would like to incorporate writing--it is most certainly one of my passions. Perhaps someday I'll be the next resident nutritionist on staff at Self Magazine?

Wednesday
OK, now that I have babbled on enough about my future, I'll share some photos. On Wednesday evening, I was really not in the mood for campus food. So I pulled out a box of Annie's microwaveable macaroni and cheese, something I had never tried before. I loved it! I think I will have to eat these more often when I don't feel like enduring the tedium of tweaking campus fare. This was the white cheddar flavor; I added frozen chopped spinach for nutrition and color. I also had a huge salad from the salad bar with mushrooms, tomatoes, and artichokes, but the picture turned out blurry:( You can use your imagination though!




Thursday
For breakfast one day, I started off fairly old school--a bowl of Cheerios. True to form, I added some less conventional toppings: unsweetened almond milk, sliced banana, and wheat germ. Not the typical way to enjoy Cheerios, but it was tasty, nonetheless.




For a snack last night I dug out a box of Kashi Mighty Bites that had been hiding in my "dorm pantry" (aka the top shelf of my closet). I consider this cereal more of a "snack" cereal than a breakfast cereal; it is sweeter and less fibrous than some of my normal breakfast selections. I think it is technically geared toward young children, but clearly that never stops me from sampling a food! I mixed it with some plain Stonyfield yogurt, Stevia, and cinnamon for a bedtime snack.

Friday

Today's high temperature is 82*, so for my breakfast this morning I chose to whip up a smoothie with my Magic Bullet blender (yes, I have two--one at home and one here!). I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and frozen mixed berries. I thoroughly enjoyed it--except for those pesky seeds! Along with the smoothie I had a Cinnamon Raisin Gnu Bar and some raw cashews. I definitely recommend Gnu Bars if you have never tried them--very high fiber (12 grams!)--and whole grain. This variety tastes like a healthy version of a cinnamon raisin bagel--I bet it would be tasty with cream cheese on it!




Inspired by Jennifer over at Veg*n Cooking, I decided to make a Mexican-themed lunch. I guess you would call these tostadas. I had intended for them to be tacos, but I piled too much yumminess on them, so I ate them flat with a knife and fork--they lasted much longer that way! I used organic corn tortillas, chopped spinach, light string cheese, and salsa. It was good, but I wish I had some more spices on hand--some chili powder and cumin would really have hit the spot! I had some of the ubiquitous melon and water in my lovely Sigg water bottle.

I have been looking for good (vegan/vegetarian) cookbooks lately. Even though I have quite a collection at home, I have none at school. I decided I need a little motivation to get through these last few weeks before summer, so I was perusing Amazon's offerings last night (er, this morning--I think it was 1:30 AM...). Has anyone tried The Student's Go Vegan Cookbook? To go along with it, I was looking for some good dorm room cooking gadgets, but I couldn't decide among so many options. So, what are your favorite cookbooks and kitchen gadgets? Any and all recommendations are much appreciated!