Serendipitous Snow

OK, I admit it. I am a weather.com addict. I check it every day in order to anticipate what the coming days might bring, whether it be glorious sunshine or lame wind & rain. As per usual, I checked last night to see what the weather would be at 7AM, the time at which I usually make the trek across campus to the gym. Answer: "12*, windy and icy." Fabulous. A glance down the page indicated that no warming trend was expected throughout the morning. After much deliberation, I decided to deliberately skip my morning class, a transgression I rarely commit.

Lo and behold, I wake up this morning to my roommate rejoicing and announcing that classes had been cancelled! A rather serendipitous blanket of snow had arrived overnight. Hence, all guilt induced by class-skipping was successfully avoided. Sweet.

This weekend was pretty low-key around here; there wasn't much going on around campus, so my friends and I hid from the icy rain and watched a few chick flicks. I also managed to squeeze in another trip to TJ's with Alanna. Check out the eats that kept me going:

Friday
I wasn't much in the mood for cooking, so dinner ended up being a simple veggie bologna wrap with provolone and mixed greens. I'm with Kath--the taste of cheese is never pronounced enough when mixed into sandwiches and wraps, it seems. Anyway, I also opened up a new bottle of Annie's dressing after my beloved Woodstock disappeared. This time, I tried a classic, the balsamic vinaigrette. That's broccoli and a nectarine on the side.
The kind folks at Amazing Grass recently sent me some of their new Amazing Meal protein powder to review for VegFamily. You may remember when I tried (and reviewed) their Berry Greens supplement, but this time I tried out the Amazing Meal original flavor and combined it with soymilk, peaches, blueberries, and strawberries. Fabulous! FYI, Amazing Meal is a combination of hemp and rice proteins (soy-free!).
Saturday
Continuing the simple trend, I had an old fave for breakfast: toast with PB & J. In case you're curious, I used Dickinson's organic all fruit blackberry spread. On the side I had some cottage cheese with banana and cinnamon.
For lunch, I made another Asian Bean Salad, this time using lightly steamed sugar snap peas, mushrooms, green onions, adzuki beans, and Annie's Shiitake Sesame dressing. More of those addictive crackers on the side, plus an orange.
After my trip to TJ's and a very necessary viewing of Bridget Jones's Diary, I made a late dinner out of Mexican Dip. In a glass bowl, I mashed some black beans and added layers of cheddar cheese, salsa, mashed avocado, and finally homemade tofu sour cream. I served all that goodness with some baked blue corn chips and a plate of greens. Definitely spawned a food fugue.
Next up in the Amazing Meal lineup: Pomegranate Mango Infusion. I just blended it with some frozen mango and soymilk, although in retrospect I could have added some POM as well...next time.
Sunday
With my Girl Scout challenge complete, I was left without inspiration for my oatmeal...and then I spied my pretzels in the cupboard next to the oatmeal. Bingo. I cooked my oats in rice milk and vanilla, then topped them with a few pretzels and a blob of PB. Just like those PB pretzels VeggieGirl sent me:)
As per usual, by Sunday I was left with a variety of beans and veggies in the fridge...so I made another veggie-bean stew out of tomato sauce, black beans, adzuki beans, garlic, mixed veggies, cumin, turmeric, and curry powder. I dunked a mini bagel in all that tastiness and served it with grapes and greens with cashews.
I've gotten some great meal suggestions from blog readers, and this one is a new favorite. I stuffed a pita with a Bistro burger, mashed avocado, and melted provolone for a delectable hot sammie. Thanks to Jessica for suggesting this dish! I served it alongside some zucchini, salad, and peaches.
The final installment of the Amazing Meal journey involved a tasty chocolate infusion. I combined it with dairy-free vanilla ice cream (from TJ's!), lots of strawberries, and soymilk. A few Annie's chocolate bunnies decided to join in on the fun. SO GOOD. This was my favorite flavor!
Monday
After sleeping in this morning, I took advantage of my snow day by making a big bowl of choco-nana oat bran. Special dark cocoa powder, oat bran, rice milk, banana, coconut, and chocolate PB made for quite the breakfast treat. I am fast becoming an oat bran convert...
Despite the snow day, I still must venture out to my dining committee meeting tonight. We're discussing some new ideas for eateries to bring to campus. If you're in college now, what's your favorite place to eat on your campus? If you're not college-age, what kind of place would you frequent on a university campus? Outside input is always helpful!

Enjoy your Monday!

Foodie Friends

I just spent a fabulous evening with Alanna, my foodie friend and future roommate. At last, I have found someone who shares my passion for grocery shopping and healthful eating! Our outing began with a trip to Target for a few items related to our sorority...although I also grabbed a few items for myself, of course--Target is like the danger zone in terms of impulse buying. Afterward, we headed to Trader Joe's and scoured the aisles for foodie finds. Highlight purchases of this trip included agave-maple syrup, veggie dogs, and low-sodium butternut squash soup. Keep an eye out for those in my future posts! For those of you fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe's nearby, what is your favorite item? I'll keep a list for our upcoming TJ's excursions:)

We wound up the foodie frenzy with a stop at Evo's...stay tuned to see what I ordered.

Rewinding to earlier in the week, I managed to fill myself up with some pretty tasty eats:

Wednesday
With some green beans and pinto beans in dire need of being eaten, I whipped up an Asian bean salad with Annie's Shiitake Sesame dressing. I had some rice crackers and an orange on the side.
Many months ago, I made a recipe from Ellie Krieger, an Herbed Toasted Pita Salad. I made my own version with black beans, TJ's Mini Pitas, green bell pepper, tomato, and avocado. I love the crunch of the pita! On the side, I had pineapple and broccoli.
The smoothie of the evening included cherries, peaches, and Nutribody protein. A unique but nonetheless tasty combination.
Thursday
With my box of Fiber One finally gone, I decided to open up another cereal from my stockpile, Cascadian Farm's Honey Nut Os. I enjoyed a big bowl with rice milk and dates, as well as a sliced banana with PB.
Ever since I became a vegetarian 5 years ago, I have always loved making tofu salads, especially ones that mimic the flavors of egg salad. While I usually just wing it when preparing tofu salads, yesterday I opted to use this recipe for inspiration. It turned out completely delicious, especially atop that pillowy whole grain roll. I also had some greens with Goddess dressing and a Pacific Rose apple. As my Granddaddy would say, "This hit the spot!"
For dinner, I put George Foreman to work and made a black bean and cheddar quesadilla. I dipped the melty mess in some salsa and served it with a salad (with pepitas), peppers, and peaches.
It's been so long since I've had access to frozen cherries (they don't sell them at Whole Foods)--I had nearly forgotten how much I love them! Since I was able to pick some up at Target last weekend, I made a cherry-licious smoothie last night with cherry Spirutein, cherries, strawberries, and soymilk. Absolutely fabulous. I can't wait until fresh cherries are in season again!
Friday
Continuing with my Girl Scout Cookie-themed oats, this mornings bowl was inspired by Tagalongs. I combined my oats with hot cocoa mix (not to be confused with cocoa powder) and topped them with a blob of regular ol' PB. The end result was quite authentically Tagalong-ish. On the side, I had some strawberries with sliced banana.
Here's a look at my weekly Whole Foods haul:
Check out the special edition yogurt flavors! I am also pretty pumped about trying those Odwalla bars.

I worked up quite an appetite cleaning up the apartment and doing laundry. Lunch consisted of baked beans (pintos, garlic, tomato sauce, dijon mustard, and agave nectar), corn, salad with Woodstock dressing, and an apple. Yum.
After our evening of foodie activities, Alanna and I returned to my apartment to dig into our Evo's grub. I ordered the veggie chili with a side of "Airfries," which have considerably less fat and kcalories than standard fast food fries. I also snagged some of their house-made ketchup in the mesquite and cayenne varieties. You all know that I can't have a meal without some fresh produce, so I also had a small salad and a pluot. Now, I am totally stuffed and content:)
Today's random question: Have you ever noticed that workout wear is friggin' expensive? Alanna and I stopped by the activewear section of Target this evening, and everything was way out of my budget. Where do you shop for affordable workout gear? Or am I destined to a lifetime of college t-shirts and Soffe shorts?

Alright, I am off to chillax. Ciao for now.