Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

After a few stints in various modes of transportation, I have finally arrived in DC for the weekend. Spring break has officially begun, and I have entered relaxation mode. Check out the view from our hotel room today at sunset:
What are you up to this weekend?

Backtracking to those last few days before freedom:

Wednesday
Those frozen artichoke hearts were calling my name again, so I made a quick pasta dish to incorporate them. Whole wheat angel hair pasta, artichoke hearts, pesto tofu, and minced garlic made for a delicious evening meal. On the side, I had some steamed snap peas and lots of greens with tomatoes. Can you tell that I was trying to use up my produce?!
The smoothie that evening was another peach-mango concoction using Nutribody protein. Tasty, as always.
Thursday
As you may know, I have a fondness for vegan French toast, particularly for Tofu-Banana French Toast from the Imus Ranch Cookbook. Indeed, half the reason for my enjoyment of the dish is for the batter itself--I could eat it with a spoon...so I did. (Since it is a vegan recipe, the batter is egg-free, so eating the batter does not present a threat of salmonella). Instead of using the batter for its intended use, I ate it as a pudding, into which I dipped some more of those blueberry mini waffles. I washed it all down with rice milk.
After my last class, I was in a particularly celebratory mood due to not having class for the next 10 days. I kicked things up with a BBQ veggie hash: chickpeas, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, and Whole Foods brand BBQ. I scooped it all up with baked blue corn chips, and I used up the rest of my fresh produce in a salad with cashews and a dish of grapes.
Then I packed up my suitcase for home...I thought you all would appreciate some of my "travelling essentials."
I also packed up dinner and a few snacks for my flights that evening. Dinner consisted of a veggie bologna sandwich, an apple, almonds, and raw veggies. For snacks, I brought along a light cheddar stick with rice crackers and a small container of TJ's trail mix.
Once at the airport, I picked up another small snack to nosh on while reading Shape. Mango? Yes, please.
I arrived home late, but I needed to pack up for DC before bed. Here's a glimpse at my reading material and my "emergency breakfast kit." What are some of your travel essentials for eating healthfully?
Finally, I got to sit down and read a few blogs with my nightly smoothie: Vanilla Alive! protein with blueberries, rice milk and Nature's Path cashew-ginger granola. Ah, the comforts of home.
Friday
Before heading out to the airport (again!), I had a quick breakfast: Rudi's bagel with Sunbutter, apple, and Friendship cottage cheese with apple pie spice. Oh Rudi, how I missed you.
By the time we arrived at the train station in DC, I was starving. Fortunately, there is a "grab and go" Au Bon Pain in the station, so I snagged a few items to eat: garden salad (with sprouts!), mixed nuts, vanilla soymilk, grapes, and whole grain bread. I didn't eat all this...but pretty close.

Next up was dinner at Nora, the nation's first certified organic restaurant. I was surprised to find that the vegetarian options were rather limited (read: only one entree was meat-free). Nonetheless, I had a fabulous meal. I ordered a spicy tofu hot pot with loads of veggies and soba noodles. I drained that bowl clean:) For dessert, I ordered the coconut sorbet, aka heaven in a martini glass. Everything I ordered was completely delicious, and completely vegan, as the waitress assured me.
Whew! I am spent from all that eating. It's so nice to visit a city where eating out is a delight and stress-free for vegan/vegetarians. What are your favorite cities for dining?

Before I sign off, I want to let you all know about a special giveaway over at Blue Plate Special. Anna is offering the chance to win Raising the Bar, a book about the creators of my beloved Clif bars. In case you missed it, I recently did a review of ALL Clif bars (minus the peanut flavors)--check it out here. Obviously, I am one of Clif's biggest fans:)

Good night, all!

True Life: I'm a Carb Queen

Despite the proliferation of carb-counting diets and anti-bread campaigns in the past few years, I have remained a steadfast fan of all things starchy. One of my (many) favorite places in the grocery store is the bakery section--not only is the aroma of baking bread intoxicating, but there are also so many baked goods to examine and explore. Indeed, my kitchen is constantly stocked with English muffins, bagels, and bread. While the fresh stuff nearly always taste best, I've discovered a few packaged gems that I've grown to love in recent weeks.

Rudi's English Muffins
While these little rounds of joy cost a pretty penny ($3.99 per pack of 6), they provide the perfect fresh-baked texture for a variety of applications. So fluffy and perfect for soaking up flavor.
Rudi's produces several varieties: whole grain wheat, spelt, and multigrain with flax. Each variety provides 120-130 kcalories, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein. All except the multigrain variety are whole grain.
Suggested use:
*Crust for mini pizzas
*Accompaniment to tofu scramble
*Base for a breakfast sammie
*Vehicle for loads of PB:)
La Tortilla Factory EVOO Soft Wraps
These tortilla wraps enjoy widespread popularity across the food blogosphere; Hungry-Girl is just one of their well-known fans . While they are available in many major supermarkets such as Publix and Wal-Mart, I have a difficult time locating them in Durham--when I do have access to them at home, I am always sure to stock up. What's so amazing about these wraps? 1) They're big. 2) They're relatively low in kcalories. 3) They're stretchy--meaning that making monster wraps is a breeze!
These, too, are available in several varieties: traditional, multigrain, tomato basil, and rosemary. Each wrap contains just 100 kcalories (for the whole thing!), a whopping 13 grams of fiber, and 8 grams of protein, along with 3 grams of fat. While the ingredients list is a tad long and not as natural as other brands' (e.g., Rudi's Flax Wraps), they're a kcalorie bargain so that you can stuff it full of even more of your favorite ingredients.
Suggested use:
*Monster wraps
*Base for thin crust pizza
*Homemade tortilla chips
Arnold's Light Breads
Ya know those times when you want a sandwich, but don't want a heavy snack? Many turn to "diet" breads for this very purpose, which provide minimal kcalories for a serving of 2 slices of bread. However, many of these breads are not whole grain and lack the texture to make them worthwhile. Enter: Arnold's Bakery.
Arnold's makes three varieties: 100% Whole Wheat, 7 Grain, and Oatmeal. Only the 100% whole wheat is whole grain. Each 2-slice serving contains just 80 kcalories, 1 gram of fat, and 5 grams of protein.
Suggested use:
*Nighttime sammie
*Vehicle for mounds of cottage cheese
*However you enjoy your normal bread!
Rudi's Bagels
When I finally discovered these wonders in my local health food store (after coveting those of my fellow food bloggers'), I practically leaped for joy. Nutritious bagels of a reasonable size that don't taste like cardboard are hard to find. Rudi's delivers the goods once again.

Rudi's produces several varieties of these bagels: plain, cinnamon raisin, sweet wheat, and multigrain. The nutritional stats vary according to variety, but most provide 130-150 kcalories, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein. Only the sweet wheat variety is whole grain.

Suggested use:
*Toasted and smothered with nut butter of choice (the perfect accompaniment to your morning smoothie)
*Spread with Laughing Cow Light, Tofutti, or light cream cheese (especially for cinnamon raisin variety)
*Sliced and baked to make homemade bagel chips
Well, that concludes my list of most recent grain-based faves. What bread products can't you live without?