Oh, Puffy Coat, How I Miss Thee

During my freshman year, I participated in the Duke tradition of tenting, so I purchased the very necessary "puffy coat." It was big, red, and served its purpose fabulously. I decided not to bring it to school this year for several reasons: 1) It would have required a suitcase of its own...something I am unwilling to furnish considering the baggage fees that are now in effect. 2) It made me resemble a toasty marshmallow that had been aflame a tad too long. 3) I simply didn't think I needed it this winter. Well, it turns out number three was FALSE. Weather.com informed me that it felt like 6* this morning at 9AM. I managed to survive my errands today with some clever layering, but that puffy coat would have been way more convenient. Sigh. Live and learn. How do you keep warm in the dregs of winter?

I've been enjoying plenty of hot eats the past few days to keep me warm as well:

Wednesday
After I signed off last time, I made a simple lunch: Better Bunny Salad (recipe from Rudi's) atop a bed of greens, and a few mini tomato-basil hummus sandwiches.
I went over to a friend's dorm room to watch the Duke-GA Tech game on TV and to hang out with buds. While there, we ordered from Cinelli's. I ordered the Penne Cinelli, which features white beans and escarole. Delish.
Once home, I made a creamy strawberry-peach shake with Nutribody protein, soymilk, and vanilla non-dairy ice cream. Heaven!
Thursday
With plentiful bananas on hand, I decided to make banana fingers for breakfast: bananas dipped in plain yogurt (with cinnamon) and rolled in crushed spelt flakes. That's almond butter in the center for dipping.
Lunch was an old but simple fave: a black bean burrito. Mine included salsa, mashed avocado, and little lettuce for crunch. I also had a salad and a few clementines.
Just before heading out to a church group meeting, I made an Italian-inspired menu: pan seared tofu (seasoned with garlic, basil, and oregano), tomatoes with squash, salad with Woodstock dressing, whole wheat couscous, and a dish of grapes. Yes, I ate the whole thing.
My frozen fruit supply was running low, so I made an odd smoothie last night out of cherries, pineapple, soymilk, Nutribody, and soymilk. It turned out quite sweet and delicious.
Friday
I needed something hot for my morning meal today, so I made a quick tofu scramble with broccoli and the other usual ingredients. I served it alongside a Rudi's English muffin and some more grapes.
I trekked all the way to Whole Foods, amidst the single digit temperatures, and returned with some good loot:
Highlights include a new flavor of Cascadian Farms granola and...a White Chocolate Macadamia Clif bar! There is no joy like that derived from a new Clif bar.

Afterward, I made lunch: baked potato topped with black beans, salsa, and mashed avocado, plus a salad and clementines.
Dinner this evening was another hot one: grilled hummus/mozzarella sammie with sugar snap peas, an apple, and a salad with Goddess dressing.
What are your favorite warm-up foods? I am always in search of new dishes to keep my body toasty:)

Enjoy your weekend! Stay tuned for product reviews on Sunday...

Rush, Rush, Rush

Today has been all about rushing--I awoke at 4AM to catch my flight to Raleigh-Durham, ran through baggage claim, bolted into a taxi, then scrambled to get back to my apartment and change before I headed to "recruitment" activities for my sorority (a.k.a. rush). After several hours of chatting with the rushees and catching up with my friends, I am starting to slow down. What better way to wind down the day than with a blog post?

Here's a glance at how I spent my last weekend of winter break:

Friday
As I mentioned in my last post, strawberries, PB, and chocolate make an excellent combination--so I made a repeat shake on Friday, except I used chocolate hemp rather than chocolate Spirutein. Just as delicious:)
Saturday
By the time breakfast rolled around on Saturday, I was far too famished for anything labor-intensive. Thus, Van's freezer waffles came to the rescue! I topped mine with some Friendship cottage cheese (not whipped, sadly), blackberries, almonds, and cinnamon.
Afterward, I headed to the mall with my Mom...where I found another bargain that I couldn't refuse: black-leopard pumps for 75% off! Oh, sexy pumps, how I love thee! I also hit up White House Black Market, where I scored this dressy top and silky pencil skirt for a mere $60. I think it's a good thing that I am back at school--this way I won't shop away my entire savings!
Anyway, I refueled with a simple tofu-guacamole sandwich with salsa, plus a salad and the last of the clementines. The peppers and citrus provide a major vitamin C boost--no winter sniffles for me.
For dinner, I headed out to a local Mexican joint with my sister and a few friends. This made for an exciting outing because I got carded for the first time since my 21st birthday. Margs all around! I ordered the vegetarian fajitas--I cleared my plate save for the rice, beans, and sour cream.
Afterward, we headed out to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Excellent flick--it's lengthy, but well worth the runtime. Extra bonus: Brad Pitt gets better looking with each scene. While there I snacked on some Twizzlers. When I came back, I made a luscious banana-cappuccino shake with chocolate syrup.
Sunday
I made a speedy breakfast before heading out for church: GoLean with almond milk, wheat germ, blackberries, walnuts, and dried cranberries. Quite the deluxe breakfast bowl.
I wasn't much in the mood for cooking yesterday (gasp!), so I just heated up a frozen vegan chik'n patty. I sandwiched it between whole grain bread with an agave mustard sauce I made, plus plenty of crunchy lettuce. I also had a salad and apple with almond butter.
For my dinner, I made another hummus wrap, this time with my fave superstar veggie (broccoli!), and a Laughing Cow wedge. I used to have a minor obsession with LC cheese a few years ago--now I remember why I like them so much! Creamy, portable, tasty. I also had a salad and peaches with cashews and cinnamon.
Monday
Before heading to bed last night I packed a snacky breakfast for the airport: Kashi Heart to Heart (from Sarah), almonds, and an apple.
I also packed a lunch to eat while at recruitment activities: cinnamon-raisin PB sammie, soynuts with dried cherries, and a couple clementines.
My friends and I hit up the salad bar for dinner tonight. I didn't take a picture, but it was similar to the one featured in this post.

I am pretty pooped, but I want to ask you a question before I go: what's your "power song?" What do you listen to when you're lagging in your workout or just having a bad day? Although I am digging The Killers' "Human" lately, I am always in search of fresh tunes for Nestor the Nano.

Nighty-night.

PS Sorry for not posting my weekly Sunday feature yesterday. I opted to spend my last few hours at home with my family instead:)

Name that Christmas Movie

"We slept in!"

Can you guess from which Christmas movie I selected today's quote?
Anyway, that was what I was thinking this morning. Of all days, I chose the last day of stats class to set my alarm incorrectly. My roommate kindly alerted me to my mistake about a half-hour before class started! THANK YOU KRISTEN! To top it all off, we had a stats paper due today, and the professor had explicitly stated that it was due promptly at 8:30 AM, otherwise points would be deducted. Fortunately, I made it to class in time and turned in my paper without any crisis. Whew!

Here's what I've been munching on lately:

Monday
I've been jonesin' for a grilled cheese lately, so I made one for dinner on Monday. I grilled up a quick sammie with mozzarella, spinach, and tomato on my George Foreman and served it along side salad (with soynuts and Woodstock dressing) and fresh pineapple.
The shake was pretty awesome: strawberries, banana, chocolate rice protein, special dark cocoa, coconut, and soymilk made a delectable dessert.
Tuesday
While at school, I rarely opt for a savory breakfast, mostly because I wake up earlier here than at home; veggies and protein just aren't nearly as appealing at 8AM as they are later in the day. Anyway, yesterday was different for some reason, and I was craving some tofu scramble. I used silken tofu this time, along with the usual ginger, tahini, soy sauce, and turmeric; I added broccoli...well, because I love broccoli. I made it into a breakfast sandwich and served it alongside a big green apple.
I had no idea what to have for lunch, so I pulled a classic Caroline maneuver: let's just dump a bunch of items into a pan and hope it tastes good! I call this a Rainbow Black Bean Hash: I combined spinach, corn, black beans, red onion, chopped tomato, ground red pepper, and chili powder and let it all simmer in its colorful goodness. On the side, I had some peaches with flax, cinnamon, and a touch of stevia.
Dinner was inspired by Lindsay over at the Happy Herbivore. I made her Spicy Teriyaki Chickpeas with Pineapple Salsa. Technically, I didn't have any pineapple salsa, so I just served the chickpeas alongside a pile of chopped pineapple. The other items on the plates are: whole grain couscous, snap peas with pecans, and a spinach-squash salad.
My shake last night was absolutely fantastic. Seriously, it competes with my favorite mango-vanilla hemp combination. I combined 1.5 frozen bananas with soymilk and a cappuccino Spirutein packet, then topped it with a dash of cocoa powder. Something about the Spirutein makes the drink so fluffy and cloud-like; it was almost like eating mousse! It also reminded me of a Starbucks Frappuccino...but much better:)
Speaking of Starbucks, what is your standard coffee shop order? I don't drink coffee, so I always order a grande hot tea, Tazo Passion flavor. Sometimes I'll spring for the seasonal drinks too...pumpkin latte, anyone?

Wednesday
Last night I prepared a breakfast cookie like all the cool kids have been doing in the blogosphere. Mine featured chocolate rice protein, oats, rice milk, almond butter, and mashed banana. Not only was this a tasty treat but also a quite serendipitous breakfast--I never would have made it to class on time if I had had to prepare breakfast this morning!
I made another tofu salad for lunch today, but I put a new twist on today's rendition. This one took on a decidedly Asian flavor with its inclusion of garlic, ginger, orange zest, and cashews. The other ingredients were pretty standard: tofu, vegan mayo, and agave nectar. I stuffed it all into a pita and served it with some field greens and an apple.
Now I am off to settle in for an evening of studying and watching the Rockefeller Christmas Light Up Night!