Back to Be Babied

I have returned to Birmingham for Thanksgiving, and I am so glad. My weekend presented some unexpected emotional escapades, so I was ready for a big hug from Mommy. Hopefully, a week of family and food (two of my most favorite things!) will prove to be just the remedy for my wounded heart.

The past few days have been filled with last-minute meetings before the break, basketball games, and delayed flights. As a result, my meals continue to consist of simple standards. Let the week of culinary creativity begin!

Friday
A peaches 'n cream shake! I combined frozen peaches, cinnamon, vanilla So Delicious, Nutribody protein, and soymilk. What a perfect way to celebrate Duke's win over Michigan!

Saturday

One of my favorite winter-time breakfasts last year was heated shredded wheat; I stole the idea from a Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats commercial. to indulge this cold-weather craving, I treated myself to a box of Autumn Wheat at Whole Foods on Friday. For this breakfast, I heated the tasty little squares with rice milk, and I served it alongside an apple with almond butter.

For lunch, I tried out a new variety of Amy's burgers, the Texas burger. I enjoyed this one on a whole wheat sandwich thin with salsa and hot sauce. On the side, I had a salad with Annie's Goddess dressing, plus a banana.
Dinner was spent out at a place called Piazza Italia, where I had spaghetti with puttanesca sauce and vegetables. I apologize for the lack of picture, but I assure you that it was delicious!

Sunday
This was my attempt at green oats, but I am not happy with the results--the color is not nearly vibrant enough! I made applesauce oats and topped it with a broken up pistachio Larabar. Tasty, but not quite the taste of the rainbow I had intended.

After another basketball game (and another victory!), I prepared a simple hummus sandwich with a salad and a banana with almond butter. Yawn.
I had several sorority-related events to attend in the evening, but I managed to make the evening meal a tad more interesting than lunch. I cooked red onion and zucchini with ginger and peanut sauce, then added some frozen shelled edamame for protein. I also had some plain yogurt with the rest of my pom seeds--gotta use up those leftovers!The smoothie of the evening was a classic: strawberries, banana, Nutribody protein, and soymilk. Can't go wrong with that.
Monday

My cereal this morning ended up being an alternative form of raisin bran: I combined spelt flakes with currants, rice milk, and wheat germ. On the side I had a banana with almond butter.

I had to work quickly for lunch; my cab was coming at any minute. A sliced apple, Sunbutter, pita, carrots, and a blob of hummus made for the perfect mix-and-match meal. I tried the hummus on the apple, Sunbutter on the carrots, lots of tasty combinations here!

When I finally returned home, I made a quick dinner out of a lonely Sunshine burger in the freezer on a wheat bun, plus steamed veggies, a salad, and a vanilla Greek yogurt. Random, but delicious.
Now, I am off the attack the depths of the freezer for my evening shake. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll find some frozen fruit!

Art on the Rocks

I just returned from an evening at the art museum...but I didn't see any exhibits. The Birmingham Museum of Art hosts events for young adults throughout the summer, (Art on the Rocks) and I made my first venture there tonight. It was a good way to spend the evening, although I think I was by far the youngest person there. I think the definition of "young adult" spans age 22-35ish, so I still have a few more years until I fit into that category. Nonetheless, there was good music, a few snacks and beverages, and even a fun craft!

Tomorrow, the fam heads to Atlanta for some fun shopping at Ikea and H&M, plus a visit to the Georgia Aquarium. One of the things that I am most looking forward to is our visit to the Cafe Sunflower--an all vegetarian restaurant! My dad surprised me last night by announcing that he had made reservations there. Here is the menu....what would you order?

We leave early tomorrow morning, so I'll get to the food already.

Wednesday

I haven't been posting my snacks as often lately, so I thought I would post a few today. Here is one from two days ago: plain Oikos yogurt with Craisins and whole grain graham crackers. Not a bad study snack.

My shake was fabulous--again. I am on a roll lately. However, this shake wasn't perfect; I used chocolate PB Soy Delicious, but I could barely taste any peanut flavor in the shake. Next time I think I'll add a scoop of PB to the mix.
Thursday

On Wednesday evening, I made a batch of muffins from raisin bran cereal, whole wheat flour, and agave as the sweetener. I had two of these for breakfast yesterday with a tall glass of soymilk and some sliced peaches with cinnamon.

My packed lunch consisted of a taco chili sandwich (using a spread by Cool Beans), fresh berries, and carrots with natural PB. I purchased this spread at Fresh Market last weekend--I had never tried it before. It lived up to its label--quite spicy!--but the fresh tomato cut the spiciness so that the sandwich was enjoyable. Contrary to my usual sweet tooth, I had a considerable salt craving yesterday after lab--I reached for some of those BBQ soy crisps, and green bell pepper strips with Goddess dressing.
Last night's dinner was inspired by the Eggplant Fans recipe from the Chicago Diner Cookbook. I didn't end up making the fancy schmancy "fans" that the recipe called for, but I used most of the same ingredients: olives, artichoke hearts, and oregano. I added a Quorn cutlet for some protein, plus my usual side salad.
My shake last night was the best I have had in a while. The addition of a frozen banana and dark chocolate cocoa powder made all the difference. I was seriously a little heart broken when I reached the bottom of the glass:(Friday

Another tofu scramble this morning--note that the salsa is absent from this rendition. Rather than Mexican, I went for an Asian theme this morning: orange zest, grated ginger, and green onions went into this morning's mix. I also had a small kiwi and a slice of whole wheat toast.

For lunch, I picked out a recipe from Clean Eating Magazine (No. 1). This was not just a random recipe; I chose the cover recipe: Quinoa Black Bean Salad. This recipe gave me the excuse to use fresh cilantro from my garden AND my beloved Recaito that I mentioned a few weeks ago. Not a bad look-alike to the original, no? Anyway, I also had a salad with local tomatoes and fresh avocado, plus a big orange. Totally satisfying.

As I mentioned above, I went to a party this evening, so I didn't eat a real dinner. I was told that there would be "great food" at the event. There were platters full of mini ham sandwiches and buckets of queso, but I ultimately feasted on a dinner of chips and salsa with a glass of white wine. Oh, well--can't eat well all the time!

Alright, I will try to check in later this weekend, but if not...be back Monday!

Speedy Post

Hello all--I am taking a quick break from studying muscles (of which there are WAY too many) to post a few pictures. The commentary will be brief...a rare occurrence on this blog!

Monday
The shake of the evening was a winner: Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter So Delicious, Cookies N Cream Spirutein, and Silk soymilk. Heaven in liquid form.
Tuesday
Another tofu scramble, but this time without the tahini. I added some vegan cheddar and sliced mushrooms as well. A whole wheat mini bagel and an orange rounded it all out.
Lunch after class consisted of jarred pasta sauce (Classico brand), farmers' market squash, Gimme Lean sausage, and pasta, all mixed up in a delicious mound. I had some trail mix for "dessert;" there were raw almonds and Craisins.
Since a few of you have asked that I post pictures of my snacks, here is just one example: Oikos Greek yogurt with blueberries and carrots dipped in hummus.
Dinner was whipped up in about 5 minutes--whole wheat couscous, kidney beans, garlic, broccoli, and minced onion. I also had the obligatory side salad, plus an unpictured banana with PB.
For my shake, I combined whole frozen strawberries, strawberry Spirutein, plain soy yogurt, and Nature's Path Pomegranate granola.
Wednesday
I enjoyed a lovely breakfast outside this morning--it was unusually mild today. I had Quaker Multigrain cereal with a half banana mixed in, plus a Nutiva chocolate hemp shake made with almond milk and the other half banana.
Just before heading to class this afternoon, I made a tofu/hummus wrap (using two flavors of hummus!) on a whole grain tortilla. I also had a Greek salad with Romaine, roasted red pepper, Kalamata olives, and balsamic vinegar. The sliced apple satisfied my sweet tooth.
For dinner I made a strange ratatouille out of leftover hearty tomato soup, zucchini, and leftover chickpeas/fava beans. I dipped whole grain bread in this delicious dish, and I had some mixed berries too.
Ciao for now!