Pimped Out Plates

If I've inherited anything from my mother, it's my continuing love of dishes. She and I both could easily spend hours flouncing through the aisles of Crate & Barrel, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over all the elegant plates and cups. Indeed, aside from food and shoes, my favorite thing to shop for is most definitely tableware.

Fortunately, since starting this blog nearly a year ago, I have the perfect excuse to shop for dishes: "I obviously need this set of bowls; I don't want my readers to get bored!" I recently got the opportunity to satisfy my need for dishware shopping while on a trip to Target. I went in looking for a refill on Zicam, and came out with these:
While melamine plates are not likely to last forever, the price is right ($15 for all 5!). I am hoping that they won't wear too quickly since I do not have a dishwasher to corrode them. I am so psyched to use them all, especially the ChiO-tastic owl plate--I swear, I really am 21 years old, despite my juvenile taste in dishware:)

Well, I could discuss the subtleties of plates and cups forever, but I will now return to the main focus of this blog: the food!

Friday
I ended the evening with a blueberry-banana smoothie. I think half of my enjoyment of this smoothie was from the gorgeous hue alone.
Saturday
Last week at Whole Foods, I made a new discovery. Just as I reached for my usual box of Van's waffles, I noticed this friendly little box nearby:
Whole Foods now makes a house brand of mini waffles, available in original, vanilla, and blueberry varieties. Although they are not whole grain, they are vegan, contain more waffles per box, and cost about a dollar less than my typical brand. Plus, they're just so cute. Anyway, I enjoyed mine waffle-tower style, with Greek yogurt, blackberries, and almonds.
I didn't feel much like cooking or being creative for lunch, so I just made a black bean and spinach wrap with salsa, served with extra greens and an apple with White Chocolate Wonderful PB.
For dinner, I used up some leftovers to make a tofu panini with tomatoes and reduced-fat cheddar. Along with it, I had some green beans, peaches, and a salad with walnuts. Delish.
The shake of the evening included a long-forgotten but fabulous combination: strawberries, banana, and chocolate PB Spirutein. As I've mentioned before, strawberries and peanut butter make for a lovely pairing. That's PB Pows and dairy-free chocolate chips on top.
Sunday
This week's Girl-Scout oats flavor: Thin Mint. To achieve this taste sensation, I first cooked my oats in mint tea, then added special dark cocoa and rice milk. I topped off this bowl of decadence with some chocolate-hazelnut spread. While these oats tasted delicious, I wish the mint flavor had been more pronounced--if only I had some mint extract on hand!
After an intense afternoon of studying, I needed a quick lunch to refuel: bean salad with black beans, edamame, green beans, and homemade agave-mustard dressing. I also had some Corn Thins, a salad with Goddess dressing, and a pluot.
For dinner, I relied on the freezer for inspiration. I made a Chik sammie with some more of those soy nuggets, vegan mayo, and whole grain mustard. On the side, I had mixed veggies and some berries with cashews.
Some of you may recall my summertime obsession with mango and vanilla. I rekindled my love of this combination last night with a mango Nutribody smoothie. Yum.
Monday
One of my (many) impulse buys at Target recently was a container of Laughing Cow spreadable cheese wedges. My family used to buy this stuff in bulk at Sam's Club, we all loved it so much. My taste for it faded for a couple years...until now. I spread it on a whole wheat mini bagel and topped it with raisins and cinnamon. On the side, I had a sliced apple with Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB. Yum.
I broke with my vegan lunch habit today because I was majorly craving a tuna melt. I made a mock tuna salad out of chickpeas, vegan mayo, lemon juice, and kelp granules. I plopped the mixture on some whole wheat bread, topped it with reduced-fat cheddar and baked it for 10 minutes in the oven. It came out all hot and bubbly:) Along with it, I had a salad with Woodstock dressing and another pluot.
The dining committee is headed to a Mediterranean place for dinner tonight. What's your favorite Mediterranean dish? I'm thinkin' baba ghanouj may be in my future...

Be back soon!

Drowning in Food Points

Although living in an on-campus apartment is quite convenient, it does have one major drawback: I must purchase a dining plan. As you may have noticed, I haven't been patronizing the university's eateries with quite the same regularity as last year, when I lived in a dormitory setting. The combination of having access to a full kitchen and simply becoming bored with the eateries' offerings, I prefer to prepare meals at home most of the time (with the occasional purchase at the mediocre salad bar). While I am able to use my dining plan at the on-campus grocery store for canned beans, Amy's burritos, and $6 boxes of cereal, it never seems to diminish my never-ending supply of dining funds. The result of this lack of on-campus spending translates into a major food points surplus--due to last semester's excess points and my moderate spending habits this semester, I have to spend $1300 before April 28th. Yikes! If only I were able to use food points at Whole Foods...Anyone else have experience with this?

Alright, now that I have my dining dilemma off my chest, we can proceed to the eats:

Monday
After class, I was surprised to find myself with extra time--now that my tutoring appointments have ended (for now), I don't have to rush around so much. I took advantage of the extra time by preparing some homemade bean stew: pinto beans, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, garlic, tomato sauce, and curry powder made for a tasty dish. (I made a similar soup here). Toast and applesauce with cashews rounded it all out.
As per usual, I had my dining committee meeting on Monday night. Afterward, I was pretty hangry so, I grabbed a salad from the salad bar, then came home to prepare some killer accompaniments. I heated up some of TJ's chickenless nuggets and baked up a quick batch of sweet potato fries. Served up with plenty of organic ketchup, this meal was pretty awesome. That's Woodstock dressing on the salad.
I decided that I have been neglecting my beloved Nutribody protein for far too long, so I made a simple strawberry-blueberry smoothie with it. Yum.
Tuesday
Due to the rapid rise in temperatures, I decided that I could start having smoothies for breakfast again. Yes, I know--it's an addiction. Anyway, this one included peaches, banana, and rice milk; that's a mini bagel with cashew butter on the side.
Lunch was an old standard: scrambled tofu with broccoli. Seriously, what did I eat before I had scrambled tofu?! If you care to reminisce, here is a link to the very first time I made it. This batch tasted especially fabulous--somehow it turns out better when I use a fresh jar of tahini. I stuffed the mixture (well, as much as would fit) into an Ezekiel pita and had some greens and a blood orange on the side.
As I mentioned above, there is an on-campus grocery store where I may use some of my plenteous food points. I often browse the aisles and find some surprising products, such as this one: concentrated pesto. To be honest, I don't think I've ever had normal pesto. Nonetheless, this introduction to the food proved to be relatively pleasant. I squirted a couple tablespoons of the green goo with some whole grain angel hair pasta and squash. I had more greens (trying to use up the bag before it gets slimy!) topped with chopped apricots and a dish of fresh blackberries from TJ's.
For the smoothie last night, I used another Spirutein packet, this time in the Tropical Fruit flavor. Strawberries, pineapple, and coconut made this concoction pretty awesome.
Wednesday
I took the time to make a breakfast parfait this morning, and the end result was decidely berry-tastic. TJ's blueberry Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, fiber cereal, and almonds made for a delicious breakfast treat. Oh Trader Joe, how I love thee. PS Lately, I've been sampling different brands of Greek yogurt (*gasp* venturing away from my beloved Fage?!). For all you Greek yogurt fans, what's your favorite brand/flavor?
It doesn't look like I'll be able to get into the Duke-UNC game tonight, which is a major bummer. I'll likely end up watching it on TV with some buds. What are your plans for this evening?