The Remedy

I am drawing inspiration from Jason Mraz for my title tonight...because I have found the remedy to my illness; I am finally feeling more like my normal self! After a visit to the Student Health Center (at which I received mediocre/verging on negligent care), Kristen was kind enough to drive me to a doc-in-the-box tonight where I finally received a long overdue prescription. Woohoo!

Now I am looking forward to my Saturday--there's an on-campus music festival tomorrow, plus my sorority is hosting a "Western-themed" event tomorrow night. The event is held off-campus at a barn, where we can go on hayrides, makes s'mores and dance the night away. It's definitely one of my favorite events, although I am little disappointed that I didn't muster up the courage to find a date...I'm sure there will still be plenty of fun to be had:)

Anyway, as a result of my blah physical condition these past few days, I have been forced to eat blah food. The only advice the Student Health Center had for me was to sip Gatorade and generally consume only "gentle" and "non-spiced" foods like applesauce and soup. In other words, a foodie's torture! That's like putting an extravert into solitary confinement! I followed their instructions to an extent, but I could not stay away from fruits and vegetables for long...

Wednesday
The shake of the evening featured frozen banana, frozen strawberries, soymilk, cocoa, and chocolate rice protein, along with dairy-free chocolate chips on top. Perfect.
Thursday
Breakfast yesterday was not so kind to my stomach, but it still pleased my tastebuds. I had a simple bowl of Whole Foods brand Cheerios and rice milk topped with wheat germ, plus a Rome apple with cashew butter.
Following my pointless visit to the infamous Student Health Center (yes, I do mean infamous), I picked up some tummy-taming groceries at an on-campus store. Among them was a can of Health Valley vegetable soup, which I served with crackers and hummus, almonds, and melon (which is supposedly a "gentle" fruit). This filled me up, but left me unsatisfied...you know what I mean?
My snack yesterday was fabulous, however--cottage cheese with Sunbutter. The utter deliciousness of this snack made me realize why so many people seem to enjoy the PB/cottage cheese combo in their oatmeal and pancakes. Do you have a favorite recipe that combines cottage cheese and nut butter?
One of the few foods I enjoy that is low-fiber is tofu, so I decided that would be a mild protein choice for dinner last night...although I combined it with a few veggies (mushrooms and spinach) along with a sprinkle of garlic salt. I also had some couscous and a vanilla yogurt with cinnamon. The vanilla-cinnamon mixture reminded me of that oh-so-yummy Creamy Cashew Dip from ED&BV. I *might* have to make another batch soon...
The shake last night was an exact replica of Wednesday's...so no pic.

Friday
Upon my return from my trip to the gym, I tried an all new breakfast. I used Bob's Red Mill 5-Grain cereal, rice milk, banana, and chocolate rice protein powder to make a yummy bowl of chocolate-y heaven. Never before have I tried the 5-Grain cereal, nor have I ever added protein powder to my morning oats; so many bloggers seem to enjoy it though, so I figured it must be worth a try. Deeelish.
Another simple mid-day meal today. More soup and crackers, plus a heaping serving of applesauce. The highlight of this meal was definitely the almond butter on top of the applesauce, a recent purchase from Whole Foods. Despite its $8.99 per pound price tag, I gave in and bought a small container of the freshly ground almond butter. Does anyone know if you're supposed to refrigerate this tasty paste?
I returned from my doctor's appointment this evening ravenous for a real meal--one that would actually stimulate my tastebuds and satisfy my inner foodiness. I decided on a tofu stir-fry with tofu, carrots, green beans, onions, garlic, soy sauce and ginger. Along with it, I had couscous, a Romaine salad with peanuts, and cantaloupe with grapes. Sigh. So good.
Before I sign off, I have another question for you all. My friend from stats class (the scone enthusiast) might be coming over to study on Sunday evening (translation: must provide dinner). He is an omnivore, but he has mentioned that he likes vegetarian food too. Any suggestions on what to prepare?

Wishing you a happy and healthy weekend.

You Mean I Actually Have to Study?

Even though I've been in summer classes for a few weeks now, I am just now realizing that I actually have to buckle down and study for a bit. I have a quiz in anatomy lecture AND lab this week, plus a nutrition project due next week, so I might have to sacrifice a few minutes of Jon and Kate Plus Eight and What Not to Wear in order to study. Boo! I don't really mind studying for the lecture quiz or doing the nutrition project, but the lab quiz seems so silly. I'm not certain, but I'm guessing that as a nutrition I will NOT have to know the origin, insertion, nerve supply, and arterial supply of every single muscle in the human body. Just a guess though.

Anyway, I made flashcards (a process that I oddly enjoy), plus lots of diagrams, so I have a few study aids to get me through these quizzes. The project will be fun--it's on the USDA Food Pyramid. I'll have lots of time to perfect it this weekend at the lake, where there are very few distractions.

Alright, enough jibber-jabber about my boring, academics-engulfed life. Onto the victuals.

Friday
This is yet another mystery smoothie. I don't recall what's in it...Due to the granola topping, I am guessing it was fruity.
Saturday
After a long ride on the stationary bike, I set out to make some pancakes for breakfast. Thanks to the success I had the last time I made them, I whipped up a batch of vegan banana pancakes, based on the recipe from Sweet Eats. They were delicious...again! I enjoyed them with some fresh cut cantaloupe.
Lunch was kinda random, and rather salty in retrospect. I opened up a can of Progresso's Hearty Tomato Soup and dipped one of my vegan cheddar biscuits in it--sorta like the classic tomato soup/grilled cheese combo. I also had a salad with shredded Tofurky and a tiny apple. After a trip to the health food store, I returned with an amazing purchase--39 cent yogurts! They were one of my favorite brands too--Cascade Fresh:) I wish they were organic, but they're rBGH-free, so it's better than conventional yogurts. Anyway, this was a new flavor for me, and I loved it--I seem to be into cinnamon-ish yogurts lately. For dinner, I just threw some items together for a fantastic dish (if I do say so myself). I tossed some leftover spinach, diced olives, a Quorn cutlet, garlic, and organic mozzarella with some pasta--delish. I also had a my usual side salad. Sunday
My parents and I kicked off Father's Day on Saturday morning by taking my dad out to breakfast (even though he technically paid the bill...). We went to Original Pancake House (not to be confused with IHOP). I ordered some oatmeal and fresh fruit. I was hoping they would add some pizazz to the oats, (almonds? blueberries?) but they were pretty plain-Jane. I ended up putting some of my fruit into my oats to jazz them up a bit.
On our way out, I just had to take a picture of the fountain for which Five Points South is famous (well relatively). It kinda makes you feel like you're in a Beatrix Potter tale... Lunch was a conglomeration of freezer goodies and a salad from the Whole Foods salad bar. I made a sandwich out of a Helen's Kitchen tofu cutlet, salsa, and whole wheat bread. The salad had radishes, water chestnuts, sliced almonds, plus all the usual suspects. I also had some more of that delicious melon. I was in charge of dessert for Father's Day dinner, and my dad requested banana pudding. I don't think my dad would appreciate a tofu-laden vegan version, so I just used the Joy of Cooking recipe. It had egg yolks in it, so I didn't have any, but my family seemed to like it. For my dinner, I made a citrus tempeh stir fry with OJ marinated tempeh, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, and zest from lemons and limes. Yum. Corn on the cob and salad added some more veggies to the meal. Oh, and the plate is the china pattern I picked out when I was 14--I still plan on registering for it when I get married. The smoothie for the evening was decidedly tropical, with tropical Spirutein, frozen mango, and plain Silk. I topped it with Nature's Path Pomegranate granola.
Monday
I kept it simple this morning: Kashi GoLean with Silk and walnuts, plus some cantaloupe.
Lunch was equally unimaginative: Tofurky/vegan cheddar on whole wheat with Nayonaise, leftover tossed salad from last night, almonds, and an orange. I finally tried Sunshine burgers! This was the Garden Herb flavor, and I really liked it. I enjoyed it with a salad (mushrooms, Craisins, Romaine, and red wine vinegar) and a baked potato with salsa.
OK, I'm pooped from all this typing...I'm off to study some muscles.