The Beauty-Nutrition Connection

Last night, in one of my typical random AIM conversations with my dad, he sent me a link to this recipe: Smoothie for Your Skin. As both you and he are well-aware, I have a special place in my heart for smoothies and shakes, so this recipe quite piqued my interest. Looks like I should add a little flax to my smoothie routine:)

I am a firm believer that nutrition can cure most ills, including matters of physical appearance. As I've mentioned before, a diet rich in healthy fats can do wonders for hair.What foods do you eat that offer beauty benefits?

Perhaps I should take a closer look at my eats for any inadvertent beauty-boosting fare...

Wednesday
Just before heading out to my last few tutoring appointments, I whipped up a quick tofu salad, which I dressed with my homemade sweet dill dressing. I added some pecans and raisins for texture. The whole mess was place atop a bed of greens and accompanied by Corn Thins and kiwi.
That night, I watched a very disappointing Duke basketball game while simultaneously studying for my exam the next day. I also used making dinner as a procrastination tool...where is my motivation? Anyway, I made a grilled cheese with onions and tomato and served it with butternut squash fries, salad with Woodstock dressing, and peaches.
I kept the smoothie relative nutritious that night with blueberries, strawberries, soymilk, and vanilla Spirutein.
Thursday
My 8:30 AM class was cancelled again this week, so I once again seized the opportunity to make a leisurely breakfast. Vegan banana pancakes were on the menu this time, spread with Dark Chocolate Dreams PB. Let's face it. Bananas, chocolate, and PB were meant to be together.
After my exam, I made a simple wrap using a white bean spread from ED&BV which includes cashews and nutritional yeast. I added some spinach and served the wrap with a few peaches.
Then I received an e-mail alerting me of a package at my PO Box. What's this?! I didn't order anything...POM Wonderful!
Does anyone else find these little bottles incredibly appealing? Can't wait to try it--thanks, Janny!

For dinner, I kept it simple and made a pasta salad. I used whole wheat angel hair, sliced mozzarella, chickpeas, tomatoes, steamed asparagus, and carrots, all sprinkled with garlic salt and raspberry vinaigrette.
The shake last night featured strawberries, banana, soymilk, chocolate Spirutein, and dairy-free chocolate chips. Yum.

Friday
I had some leftover butternut squash lying around this morning, so I decided to use it up by making Hungry Girl's Butternut Squash Hash Browns. Basically, the only part of this recipe that tasted reminiscent of hash browns was the ketchup. Bummer. Anyway, I served the squash mess with some scrambled tofu, toast, and kiwi.
By the time I returned from Whole Foods, got my laundry done, and cleaned the apartment, I was famished. I made a quick version of ED&BV's Thai Chick-Un Pizza. I say "quick" because I cheated and used prepared peanut sauce for the base. I also left out a lot of the other suggested toppings, but I was still quite satisfied with just the bell peppers and chickpeas. On the side, I had some more asparagus, mixed greens, and, yes, another dish of peaches.
For dinner this evening, due to my position on the dining committee, I got to evaluate an on-campus eatery (the same one I evaluated here), this time evaluating the delivery service. I ordered steamed veggies with garlic sauce on the side and steamed rice (sadly, brown rice is not an option). I added my own cashews and supplemented the meal with a blood orange. I pulled my usual "prettifying" technique and took everything out of the containers for your viewing pleasure!
My sister and her husband arrive for a weekend visit tomorrow, and I am super-psyched; I love visitors! I think a basketball game and a trip to Trader Joe's may be on the agenda:) Anyway, I'll still try to put together my usual "feature post" on Sunday after their departure. Any topic requests?

Enjoy your weekend!

Stocked Pantry Satisfaction

Today has been yet another full day, despite my not having classes. How does that happen?! The day's schedule included a workout, banana pancakes (!), Whole Foods trip, tutoring, Target trip, laundry...and other such wildly adventurous activities.

I got it all done though, so now I am left with a feeling of accomplishment, combined with a feeling of satisfaction--with 2 grocery runs today, my pantry is pretty well-stocked. I scored some good produce, Sunbutter, and organic yogurt at Whole Foods, while I loaded up on frozen fruits/veggies, canned beans, and a few odds and ends at Target. I am such a foodie/dork--new groceries excite me so to no end.

Despite my collegiate chaos, I have managed to churn out a few interesting dishes these past few days...

Wednesday
I finally got a chance to try VeggieGirl's smoothie recipe! For months now, I have been meaning to experiment with her favorite comination: banana, berries, hemp protein, and spinach. I didn't have any hemp milk on hand (as her version requires), but I think the soymilk served as an adequate substitute. This was my first time adding spinach to a smoothie, and I think I'll continue adding it in the future--it adds lots of nutrition without any difference in taste. Plus, you get cool green flecks throughout the beverage. Sweet. Thursday
Breakfast yesterday was pretty simple, but it included lots of my favorites: butternut squash and almond butter (although not together). On whole wheat toast, I spread the last of my almond butter (a tragic event, as I am too poor to replenish my supply). I also combined a container of plain yogurt with butternut squash, cinnamon, and stevia--this was by far the best part of this breakfast! A juicy peach made for a nice end to the fiberful feast. Pre-run snack was just a simple chocolate chip Clif bar. Tasty and effective, as always. For lunch, I got creative with the most recent secret ingredient, apples. I decided on a vegan tempeh apple sandwich, an idea inspired by a recipe from Whole Foods Market (I am a loyal subscriber and reader of their newsletter). I didn't use the oven as the recipe suggests, but rather used the stovetop for convenience and speed. I *might* have forgotten about the apples simmering, thus their slightly charred appearance. Anyway, that's agave mustard on the bread beneath the apples and tempeh. I was doubly ambitious in the kitchen yesterday, as I tried a Baked Eggplant Moussaka from the Imagine Soups website. Clearly, I didn't follow the recipe precisely, as I did not have all of the ingredients on hand, so I just ended up with a layered vegetable casserole dish. On the side, I had some couscous, salad with kidney beans, and kefir with peanuts. An odd combination, but tasty nonetheless. I discovered yet another tasty flavor duo for my smoothie last night: strawberries and peaches. It was a discovery out of necessity rather than experimentation in that I didn't have much frozen fruit left. The texture on this concoction was perfection, likely due to a greater proportion of fruit. I used the Nutiva Berry Pomegranate hemp for this one. Friday
After a workout at the gym this morning, I treated myself to a batch of banana-chocolate chip pancakes, using the Sweet Eats recipe as a guide. I don't think there are many dishes that can match the euphoria of banana-chocolate chip pancakes. So sweet. So indulgent. So YUM. Before heading out to an afternoon of tutoring appointments, I made a basic TLT: Tempeh Lettuce Tomato (wrap). I cooked the last of my tempeh in Bragg's and garlic, then rolled it into a whole wheat tortilla with lettuce, tomato, vegan mayo and mustard. I served it alongside a salad and a sliced Rome apple (a new Whole Foods purchase).

Following the Target run, I was hungry and not in the mood for a laborious recipe...so leftovers it was! I combined Annie's Mac & Cheese (whole grain, organic) with broccoli and garlic. I also had a basic salad with peanuts for crunch.
Well, I am off to relax with Kristen and catch up on What Not to Wear episodes. G'night all.