Snacks in a Sack

As of 11 PM this evening, the last round of recruitment has come to an end. Tomorrow is Bid Day, so I will be able to return to the blogging world...and I guess return to the world of homework and responsibility.

Anyway, as a result of my crazy schedule these past few days, I have become an expert on packing portable nibbles for between-party snacking. I apologize for the boring nature of my diet this week--I tried to avoid repetition and to maintain a minimal level of nutrition in my on-the-go meals. Check it out:

Wednesday
After I signed off last time, I prepared a quick lunch of scrambled tofu, complete with some of my favorite veggies. Spinach and mushrooms went into this tofu scramble, in addition to the usual tahini, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. I had some toast and a few clementines on the side.
We had the night off from recruitment parties, so I happily used my free time to attend the Duke basketball games. I arrived in line at about 5:30, with a Prana Bar carefully concealed in my pocket (no outside food is allowed, as I discovered here). Not long after I arrived, torrential rain took over campus; the winds grew stronger and hail descended upon us. The temperature was also a toasty 20*F. Oh, the things I do for the Blue Devils. I was one of the last few people granted entrance into the game. Weather troubles aside, we won the game, and I was able to thoroughly enjoy my coconut acai Prana bar. I will be reviewing this in the future! Afterward, sorority duties beckoned for a late-night workshop, so I grabbed a quick Greek salad on campus. A few of my my roomie's Swedish fish assortment *might* have swum their way into my mouth as well...
The smoothie of the evening was delightful--I used two of my favorite things: cherries and Nutribody protein (which I reviewed here).
Thursday
With still limited groceries available in my apartment, I made a simple breakfast out of toast with mashed banana/almond butter and a dish of plain yogurt.
For lunch, I threw together a simple chickpea salad wrap, made with vegan mayo, a touch of mustard, and kelp granules. I also had a salad with pecans and clementines.
I prepared another on-the-go dinner for the evening: a snack mix consisting of GoLean, soynuts, currants, and peanuts; I also had an apple and a Larabar.
It turns out that my sorority provided sandwiches from Panera between parties, so I saved my PB&J for later in the evening. I also grabbed a bunch of grapes.
Friday
After a blissful night of sleep, I prepared an awesome bowl of oats: oatmeal, banana, vanilla extract, a crumbled pistachio Larabar, and dried cranberries all went into this little bowl of heaven.
I then restocked my pantry and refrigerator with a trip to Whole Foods. When I returned, I made a quick tofu hash with mushrooms, corn, and red onion, as well as garlic, oregano, and Bragg's for flavah. On the side, I had a spinach salad with wheat germ and raspberry vinaigrette, and a dish of peaches with flax and cinnamon.
When I returned, I discovered that I had a package waiting for me at the post office:
VeggieGirl was kind enough to send me an assortment of Larabars. She and I arranged a little food exchange, and I requested a few Larabars, selected by the expert herself! Thanks, Liz!

Dinner was yet another "moveable feast." I packed tomato basil hummus to be enjoyed with pita and carrots as well as an apple, PB Bumpers with peanuts, and a string cheese for snackage.
I am headed to bed in a bit--I aim to get about 8 or 9 hours tonight. What is your ideal amount of sleep? In high school, before the academic rigors and social opportunities of college life had entered my life, my body would naturally awake after precisely 9 hours of sleep. Is your sleep schedule consistent? Do you make sleep a priority in your life?

I will update you on the rest of the weekend in Monday's post...ta-ta for now.

Catching Up

Hello again! Sorry for the delayed post--my usual Friday post was postponed until after the craziness of moving in had settled down.

After much indecision, I finally decided on a format for the next 9 months or so. I posted my plans in the comments section from the "FEEDback" post, but I'll copy it here so that everyone can have the heads up:

Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate your suggestions. I have decided to keep a similar format to my current one--after all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? I'll be photographing as many meals as I can, with a new emphasis on snacks, especially pre-workout snacks. I will try to mention the workouts themselves throughout the week too. In addition to the three posts during the week, I will devote one post per week to a special topic: articles, product/restaurant reviews, or my food philosophy. I hope you all like it!

With that said, I need to catch up on my meals through Friday. While I didn't get a chance to photograph all my meals throughout the road trip, there are several examples of (relatively) healthful road food for those of you interested in that sort of thing.

First, I must backtrack to my final days of cooking at home.

Wednesday
I tried a new protein powder for my smoothie on this night--Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer, berry flavor. I hate to admit it, but I actually had to pour this down the drain. I simply could not stomach it. Something about the aftertaste seemed to "supplement-like." Basically, I ate the granola, plus a few spoonfuls of the smoothie, but I called it a night after that. What a waste of mango!
Thursday
To make the most of my last day at home, I wanted to start it off right with a bowl of banana oats. This version included a healthy blob of cashew butter and lots of wheat germ. Heaven in a (girly ruffled) bowl.
I made another breakfast favorite for lunch: scrambled tofu. This time, however, I added mushrooms and wrapped it up in a whole wheat tortilla. I love me some tahini.
Dinner was spent out with my brothers-in-law, my sister Lea, and her brother-in-law (if that makes any sense). I chose Nabeel's, where I ordered lentil soup and a peasant salad. The salad was excellent, but when I tried the soup, I kept reaching for the salt shaker. I didn't bring my camera to this one, so you'll have to use your imagination.

Luckily, my final smoothie was a success. You just can't go wrong with cherries. Also, note the different variety of So Delicious. It's not the fruit-sweetened variety I usually buy, but it's still a less "junky" form of ice cream...and on sale!
Friday
We hit the road early, so, true to form, I stuffed some cereal in a baggie with a few mix-ins: GoLean, sliced almonds, and raisins. I nibbled on this as I drifted in and out of sleep.
For lunch we hit up one of my favorite semi-fast food places, Panera. I usually get the You Pick Two option, so that's what I did this time, not even considering the portability factor--big mistake. I got a half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with a bowl of Garden Vegetable Soup. Neither soup nor salad ranks high on the "grab and go" meter. I ended up gulping the soup at a traffic light and stuffing lettuce leaves in my mouth once we got on the highway. Oops. PS. Aren't they supposed to give you bread with soup? They gave me some lame potato chips instead. I felt a little cheated, going to Panera and not getting any bread.
Aside from its inability to be transported and easily eaten, my lunch was not especially filling either. I relied on my good friend Dr. Weil to satisfy my hunger. I've had this Goji Moji bar before, and I still say it tastes like the inside of a Fig Newton (probably due to the abundance of fig paste in the ingredients list). Good, but I didn't notice a lot of Goji or cranberry flavor as proclaimed on the package.
For dinner we went to Ruby Tuesday, where I completely gorged on the plentiful salad bar. They even had edamame! I also ordered the most ginormous sandwich on the planet, aka the Veggie Burger. I am not sure if the patty itself is vegan, but I ordered the burger without cheese or mayo. No pics here, but you'll see leftovers later...

After a SuperTarget run and a few hours of unpacking, I said goodbye to my parents. I'll miss them, but I'll be back for a visit soon enough:)

Be back later today with one of the aforementioned "feature" posts.