Five o'clock Countdown

Many people spend their days anxiously awaiting the stroke of five; some can't wait to bolt out of the office, while others are waiting for happy hour to arrive. Not me. I get excited for 5:00 because that's when the UPS man makes his rounds on central campus. Sweet.

The past few days have included several deliveries, both expected and unexpected. First up, a package from Mom:
Magazines (including my first Clean Eating issue as a subscriber!), kitchen gadgets, and cookbooks I couldn't squish into my suitcase last month.
A Foodbuzz package:
True Delight bars--can't wait to sample and review these! Chocolate? Coconut? Yes, please.

A mystery package from none other than VeggieGirl (I apologize for the crap-tastic picture):
HOLY PEANUT BUTTER! I was so excited to open up this package! As I mentioned a few posts back, I have had the hardest time locating Peanut Butter & Co. products here in Durham. VeggieGirl came to the rescue with several jars of PB, plus a container of PB pretzels. I have never tried the Smooth Operator or White Chocolate Wonderful, so I am completely stoked to try those out...decadent oatmeal toppings, anyone? I guess this also resolves my nut butter dearth too:)

I also received a package with several varieties of Spirutein that I had ordered last week...no picture, but you'll see them soon enough!

Aside from opening all my foodie parcels, I've been cookin' and chompin' too. Here are the goods:

Wednesday
I just had a small window between class and my tutoring sessions, so I made a quick sammie using Lindsay's Spicy Chickpea Spread. I also had an apple and salad with Goddess dressing.
In celebration of being reunited with my beloved ED&BV cookbook, I made my fave dish evah: Cashew Ginger Tofu. On the side, I had couscous, steamed asparagus and mushrooms, and a dish of sliced peaches.
The smoothie was pretty old-school: strawberry banana with Nutribody and soymilk.
Thursday
My usual 8:30 class was cancelled yesterday, so I seized the opportunity to get more than 6 hours of sleep (yay!) and make a leisurely breakfast. I like the asparagus/'shroom combo so much that I included it in my scrambled tofu. I also had a Rudi's English muffin and a blood orange.
For lunch yesterday, I used up some leftover black beans in a good ol' burrito with spinach, salsa, and mashed avocado. I also had a salad and a mixture of pineapple and mango.
Last night was pasta night for me. I combined whole wheat angel hair with chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, garlic, shredded mozzarella, basil, and oregano. On the side, I had a salad with Woodstock dressing.
The shake choice was obvious: I used my pistachio-esque Nutty Berry Burst Spirutein and combined it with strawberries, banana, and soymilk. So fluffy and delicious.
Friday
I often draw inspiration for my shake concoctions from Girl Scout Cookie flavors (Thin Mint, Tagalong, Samoas, etc.), and today I thought, "Why not make Samoas oatmeal?" So I did: oats, cocoa powder, coconut, rice milk, and almonds made for quite the decadent morning meal. I wish I had some coconut extract to make the oats more coconut-y throughout, rather than just on top. Oh yeah, I had some strawberries on the side for a bit of fruit.
I made my weekly trek to Whole Foods today:
I returned for a quick lunch before more tutoring sessions. Black beans, corn, chili powder, Texas Pete, salsa, and mashed avocado went atop a bed of greens for a Tex-Mex salad. I also had a big honkin' apple.
As I type this post, I am enjoying some of my new PB: plain yogurt with cinnamon and stevia, raisins, and Mighty Maple PB. Perfection. Thanks SO much, VeggieGirl!

Before I peace out for the ChiO crush party tonight, I wanted to ask your opinion on savory oats. I've always been intrigued by them in fellow bloggers' posts, I've been too much of a wimp to actually try them myself. Have you tried them? What's your favorite way to prepare them?

Be back soon--Happy Friday!

Adding a Little Color

You all know that I am an adamant proponent of eating by color (especially in oatmeal!), but this love of color also extends to my wardrobe, writing utensils, and, most recently, my decorating. My on-campus apartment boasts a nice shade of blah on the walls, floor, and well, on every square foot of the unit. Although I was sure to add plenty of red pizazz in the kitchen as soon as I moved in (as I spend much of my time there!), my roommate and I had not gotten around to infusing the rest of our apartment with color until...last night. Here is a glance at a few new details on the walls, plus a glimpse at my ever-colorful bedding:
I promise my room at home is much more sophisticated...but I'll save that for another post:) How would you describe your decorating style?
This is a food blog, so I suppose I should get to the eats:

Monday
After I last posted, I prepared a delicious and simple lunch out of tofu, veggies, and a cashew sauce I whipped up. On the side I had couscous and clementines. I swear, things taste better when eaten with chopsticks.
I had a busy evening of unnecessarily long meetings, so I satisfied my aforementioned salad craving with a prepared creation on campus. I opted for one of my faves, the Crunchy Broccoli Salad to which I added chickpeas for protein. (There are walnuts hidden beneath all that glorious broccoli). I also had a fruit cup and some pita. I'll try all your creative ideas ASAP!
The smoothie of the evening was a cherry-berry delight consisting of cherries, strawberries, soymilk, and Nutribody protein. I am running low on granola...suggestions for the next box?
Tuesday
I have an early class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I kept the morning meal simple: Fiber One with dried cranberries, and rice milk, plus an apple with cashew butter. Quick tip: Fiber One contains 10% RDA for calcium per half-cup but also contains a small amount of aspartame.
Lunch was a rushed affair, so I just quickly combined spinach, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and cumin and served it alongside some flatbread and a few clementines.
After a busy afternoon and evening, I relaxed in one of my favorite ways...cooking, of course! I made a simple chili out of TVP, canned diced tomatoes, onions, chili powder, cumin, and ground red pepper. I served this hot pot of goodness with a Rudi's English muffin, a salad with Woodstock dressing, and peaches. This was one of my most enjoyable meals in recent weeks.
The smoothie last night marked the return of my favorite smoothied combo: mango and vanilla! I combined mango, Nutribody protein, soymilk, and topped it with the usual granola. It made my nightly blog reading even more enjoyable:)
Wednesday
This morning's breakfast was a strawberry-banana "waffle tower" as Sarah would say. I topped two waffles with cottage cheese, strawberries, and a broken up Banana Bread Larabar (courtesy of VeggieGirl). Quite delicious, although the banana was not as pronounced as I would have preferred.

I am headed to class now, but I'll leave with you another question to ponder: what's your favorite hot beverage? I just downed a cup of Mighty Leaf orange dulce, and it was pretty amazing.

Be back soon!

Thanksgiving Is When?!

Somehow, in my clearly defunct mental calendar, I was under the impression that Thanksgiving was three weeks from yesterday, not two. I came to the realization yesterday when I turned a few pages ahead in my beloved red polka dot planner, only to discover the true proximity of Turkey Day. While I am excited to be able to go home (I leave a week from Monday!), my little discovery also means that I have a lot of work to do before then! Nobody likes a cranky dinner guest--which is exactly what I would be if I have work to do over the break. Wish me luck as I set forth on my quest for conscientiousness in the upcoming week!

Other updates in my life:
- I can run again! I was able to complete an easy 2.7 miles today without any pain! Hallelujah!
- My semi-formal is coming up next weekend, an event for which I have mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am really excited, as it will be my first time to actually bring a date to a sorority function (I know, pathetic). On the other hand, I am a little nervous--I don't know what to expect, and I *really* want it to go well. Remind me to show you pics of the dress, etc. in the upcoming week.
- One last thing is that I am done with tutoring sessions for the semester! While I enjoy helping students with their writing (and the $$), it requires a lot of time and patience! I will now have *a little* more time to spend on the activities I love--like eating!

Sorry for the long intro--I have been doing work all evening (lame!), so I am thoroughly enjoying my little study break. Here's the grub:

Wednesday
The smoothie of the evening featured Nutribody Protein again. I think I'll give my seal of approval to this stuff--it tasted great when combined with pineapple and soymilk. Love that ginger granola on top.
Thursday
I woke up yesterday knowing that I wanted something quick and hot...so multigrain hot cereal it was! Unfortunately, this ended up being a bummer of a breakfast. The cereal boiled over in the microwave, so I had to clean up sticky rice milk before I could attempt to eat breakfast. The cereal was kinda chewy and not very voluminous; I made do by adding almond butter and dried cranberries. I had an apple on the side.
Before heading out to a tutoring appointment, I took advantage of a little extra time to make a nice meal. I combined some chickpeas with yellow squash, red onion, and cumin and served it alongside couscous, salad with Woodstock dressing, and a pear.
Thursday nights are RUF night, so I relied on the freezer for inspiration again. I made a Bistro wrap by chopping up an Amy's Bistro Burger and combining with lettuce, sundried tomatoes, olives, basil vegan mayo (I added the basil), and wrapping it all up in an Italian herb flatbread. On the side I had a salad, snap peas, and peaches.
Rememeber by love affair with Spirutein last summer? Well, I have become re-enamored of it recently. I ordered a few packets on an impulse when I was restocking my stevia supply. Last night, I busted out the S'mores flavor; I combined it with two frozen bananas, soymilk, and a little cocoa powder on top. SO GOOD. It kinda makes me want to try stuffing a banana in a s'more one of these days...
Friday
After a refreshing run this morning, I returned to the apartment and made another strawberry-banana parfait! This one had strawberry yogurt, sliced banana, bran flakes, and chopped almonds. Yum.
Following a grueling, rainy trek to Whole Foods, I ate a lightning fast lunch before running out the door to tutoring. I dumped some leftover chickpeas on a salad and added a few soynuts for crunch, on the side I had an apple with PB and a handful of crackers.
I had grandiose plans of making a "meat"loaf of some kind this evening, but work kept me tethered to my desk until I realized my stomach was growling. The idea for sloppy joes suddenly came to me...so that's what I made. Boca crumbles with tomato sauce, mustard, garlic, and agave nectar made for a delicious combination. Plopped on some well-done toast, it was just what I needed! On the side, I had some squash with dill and peaches with chopped pecans and cinnamon.
Another monster post comes to a close. Good night.