Sweatin' Like a Man

Typically, I am not a sweaty girl. Rather, I merely get "dew-faced." I've never had to deal with pit-stains; it's not a big deal if I happen to forget to apply deodorant. Then today happened.

I went to the gym this morning in my yoga pants and T-shirt, as per usual, and remarked to myself, "Geez, it's a little hot out herr." Then I went on my merry way. After my workout, I looked down only to discover that I had oh-so-attractive sweat spots all over my body--the pits, the neck, the back. Eww. Fortunately, I had brought my Puma jacket so I was able to hide the evidence on my walk back to the apartment. Lesson learned: March means it is time to retire the winter gym-wear.

On another note, thanks for all your comments on Wednesday's posts. Rather than endeavor on a potentially restrictive "crap-free week," I am merely going to be more aware of my sugar and sodium intakes for a while--no counting, just focusing on more whole foods. Besides, you know I could never give up my daily Z bar!

Keep those alphabet oatmeal ideas coming! I foresee "I" and "U" being challenges as well...

Now, here's what I've been nibbling as of late:

Wednesday
I had another campus eatery to evaluate for the dining committee--Subway. Call me picky, but I think it's a little absurd not to have a whole grain option for sandwiches. Yes, they have "wheat" and "multigrain," but neither of which is truly whole grain. Thus, I had to make do with a Veggie Delight salad. I didn't even get any apple dippers--the guy in front of me snatched the last pouch. Hmph. Anyway, I returned to my apartment to add a little sustenance to the meal: guacamole and sliced Tofurky, along with a whole grain bagel and an apple.
Snack-time! I had to collect some data for my research methods class, so I brought along a Cherry Pomegranate Nectar bar. It was quite cherry-licious...add another Clif product to my favorites list:) Are you all enjoying the posting of my snacks? I have found that it's motivating me to be more creative with my afternoon noshing.
For dinner, I just made a big pasta salad with whole grain wagon wheel pasta (Hodgson Mill), chickpeas, cucumbers, carrots, celery, steamed broccoli, reduced-fat cheddar, and balsamic vinaigrette. I had a bowl of peaches on the side.
The shake of the evening is a bit of a mystery...I don't quite recall what I put in it. I know raspberries and dark chocolate were involved. That's my Choco-Cherry granola on top.
Thursday
The next installment for Chobani Week: Strawberry Walnut Parfait! Strawberry Chobani, FRESH strawberries, TJ's High Fiber Cereal, and walnuts. Fabulous.
I had to hurry to meet a professor, so I kept lunch fuss-free. I put the rest of my roasted red pepper hummus in a wrap along with some guacamole--it achieved quite a tie-dye effect. On the side, I had a spinach salad and fresh cantaloupe which I cut up all by myself--a first for me. Yes, I am a big girl now.
Snack-time featured some of those Cinnamon Graham Sticks with applesauce and almonds...and a side of Faulkner;)
For dinner, I made my all-time fave comfort meal: Cashew Ginger Tofu. I swear, I could drink that sauce straight...cashew ginger milkshake, anyone? I had some awesome veggies and whole grain couscous on the side.
The shake last night included chocolate rice protein, dark cocoa, soymilk, TWO bananas, and raspberries.
Friday
Breakfast was heavenly today: Tofu-Banana French Toast, another old fave of mine. The best part was the topping: I combined almond butter with that agave-maple syrup--fantastic!
Whole Foods haul:

Highlights: coconut water, Flax & Fig Waffles, tempeh bacon, and Rachel's cottage cheese. Oh, how I do love grocery shopping.
I had another wrapped-up lunch: Goddess Garbanzos in a veggie-wheat wrap, salad, and a chopped pear with wheat germ.
I just finished up today's snack, which featured Crispy Green fruit: freeze-dried bananas! I received these samples so that I would review them for VegFamily...they will get a positive review, methinks. I enjoyed them mixed into plain Greek yogurt with Dark Chocolate Dreams PB.
Reminders!
-Erin is generously sharing her Newman's Own bounty. Enter by March 28th!
-Jenna from Eat, Live, Run is putting together a blogger dessert cookbook! Contribute your recipe to HelpJennaRun@gmail.com by April 1st at 5PM.

Alright, Alanna (future roomie!) is coming over in a bit for some What Not to Wear and toenail-painting action. Later!

One Scatter-brained Sister

For some unexplained reason, I have been quite the scatter-brained sister lately. On Wednesday night, I failed to set my alarm for the next morning. I awoke approximately a half-hour late, to the considerate questioning of my dear roommate:
"Caroline, did your morning class get cancelled?"
"What? Aw, crap."
I was quite appreciative of her awakening me--I had to turn in a paper that day!
Then, today I was daydreaming in the shower until I discovered that I had shaved the same leg three times. Hmm. It seems I need a little assistance in maintaining focus these days.

On another note, I have been visited by the sample fairy several times these past few days. First my personalized granola from MixMyGranola:
There's still time to enter my giveaway...you have until 11:59 PM tonight to enter!

I also received a few goodies from McCann's:
Any tips on how to prepare Irish oatmeal?

Finally, I also received this book from the people over at POM Wonderful.
It provides an insider's perspective on starting a business and marketing it successfully. I can't wait to read it...however, it will likely have to wait until after school is over.

Despite my recent flightiness, I have not been so distracted that I have forgotten to eat. Here's what I've been chowing on lately:

Wednesday
My mom has this really awesome (and really easy!) recipe for pizza dip for which I have been having an intense craving. So, I called up my mom, got the recipe, and set to work. The recipe calls for cream cheese, but I had the "genius" idea of substituting homemade tofu cream cheese. I whipped up the tofu concoction (which was quite tasty), then spread it in the dish and added the other layers (tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and veggie toppings--I chose artichoke hearts). Twenty minutes later, I had a bubbling mess. Although it tasted alright, the tofu cream cheese had totally disintegrated in the baking process. Lesson learned: stick to the real stuff next time. Those are baked blue corn chips and a salad with balsamic vinaigrette on the side.
For dinner, I had sorority ceremonies to attend for several hours, so I brought my dinner along: a Tofurky-hummus sandwich, an apple, raw veggies, and almonds.
Once home, I whipped up a delicious shake: cappuccino Spirutein, frozen banana, non-dairy vanilla ice cream, and soymilk with a few chocolate chips for garnish. Who needs Starbucks?
Thursday
Yesterday morning was the day of the "absent alarm" incident. After scrambling to put on a T-shirt and yoga pants, I still managed to make breakfast. My roommate remarked, "Hey, you still managed to eat breakfast!" Of course. Breakfast before beauty. I made CCV's Banana Bread Blender again with GoLean, soymilk, frozen banana, almonds, cinnamon, and a little coconut. OK, so my version really doesn't much resemble the original recipe, but it was tasty, nonetheless.
For lunch, I drew inspiration from the most recent issue of Clean Eating magazine. There is a recipe for a Caribbean Tuna Salad, which sounded delicious, but I made significant substitutions to make it vegetarian- and time-friendly. I used chickpeas for the tuna and used prepared peanut sauce with lime juice and jerk seasoning to make the dressing. That's mango and bell pepper in the salad and pita on the side. I'll include the magazine pic too, just for fun.
More sorority ceremonies that night, so I brought by dinner again (in my eco-friendly sack): asparagus-avocado-tomato wrap, grapes, and soynuts with dried apricots. I also brought some little PB cracker sandwiches for snacking.
My shake last night was...weird. I combined strawberries, dark cocoa, chocolate rice protein, soymilk, and non-dairy ice cream then topped it off with a bit of PB2 and high-fiber cereal (I need that crunch!). Not my best effort.
Friday
After a blissful 8-hours' sleep, I prepared a filling breakfast favorite: scrambled tofu. I switched it up this time and put it in a wrap. The green you see is asparagus and scallions. I also had a perfectly ripe orange on the side.
Following my Whole Foods trip, I came home to prepare a simple lunch: hummus pizza. I used leftover Greek hummus (from Tuesday), tomatoes, and an Ezekiel pita. Due to the oregano, olives, and tomatoes, it really did smell like pizza in the apartment! I had some greens with raspberry vinaigrette and an apple on the side.
Another night of sorority ceremonies, another sack dinner: PB & apple butter on whole wheat with grapes, and raw veggies with this bean dip. For snacktime, I brought a Jamfrakas bar and almonds.
Whew! I am pooped. Sorry for the monstrous post...but before I go, a friendly reminder:

Time's a-tickin'...enter the MixMyGranola giveaway before it's too late!