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.

Where's Johnny Mathis When You Need Him?

With the recent nip in the air and the appearance of Christmas wreaths at my local Whole Foods, I was definitely feeling in the yuletide spirit today: "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" would have made for the perfect soundtrack. Oddly enough, I checked my iPod, and Johnny Mathis's Christmas album was conspicuously absent from my "holiday collection." Somehow, I managed to download every Christmas album my family owns onto Nestor the Nano...except for dear old Johnny's. Hmph. I'll be sure to put that on my Thanksgiving to-do list.

I spent the day in the typical Friday manner: gym, Whole Foods, laundry...plus watching Duke win a championship game:) Here are the goods that I ate in between:

Wednesday
I think this smoothie was a strawberry-pineapple-coconut concoction with the usual soymilk and Nutribody protein. I'm sure it was delicious.
Thursday
I had a presentation yesterday morning for my Gender & Language class, so I spent breakfast worrying/preparing for that. My nervousness was temporarily assuaged by some PomegranPlus waffles with pom seeds and a pear with almond butter.
After the gym, I had to meet with a TA to work on my stat paper. As a result, I didn't return to the apartment until later, so my tummy didn't have patience for creative cuisine. I decided to try something that I've heard is popular in Britain: bean 'n toast. Not bad. I also had some broccoli, a salad with Woodstock dressing, and an orange.
At half-time of the Duke-S. Illinois game, I took a break for dinner. Baked tofu with bottled peanut sauce, stir-fried veggies, and whole grain couscous made for a delicious supper.
The smoothie last night consisted of the absolute last of my frozen fruit: a frozen banana, sliced peaches, soymilk, and Nutribody protein. Tasty, although next time I'll add some cinnamon.
Friday
I treated myself to some tofu-banana French toast this morning. I topped the two slices with pom seeds, sliced banana, and almond butter. Yum.
Lunch today was another "hash" meal; I just threw some leftovers/staples into a pan and hoped for the best. This mish-mash included leftover baked beans, spinach, red onion, nutritional yeast, and Bragg's. On the side, I had a whole wheat sandwich thin and an apple with PB.
I just finished dinner about an hour ago due to the evening's basketball game. When I returned to the apartment, I made a quick tofu scramble with zucchini, tahini, ginger, and soy sauce. I served it alongside pita wedges, an orange, and a salad with mozzarella.
Now I am off to fuss with my pedicure for tomorrow. What's your favorite color of nail polish?

Happy Friday!