A Very Merry Caroline

As of 11AM this morning, I am officially 21 years old! I am very merry today not only due to the holiday activities, but also because I have spent the day enjoying life's simple pleasures: eating breakfast at Whole Foods, taking a refreshing run around the neighborhood, watching Rachael Ray, and reading my new Self magazine. It's been a fabulous birthday:) What have you done to relax today?

As I mentioned in my last post, my family and I celebrated my birthday on Monday evening. We ate dinner at the Silvertron Cafe, and then returned home for cake and presents; I got quite a few "foodie" gifts that you all might appreciate...Here are a few pics:
Check out the new coat!! Oh, how I love colorful outerwear...

Onto the food! We've got a full evening planned!

Monday
At Silvertron, I ordered the black bean hummus appetizer as my entree. I also had a side salad with champagne vinaigrette.
Once home, I snacked on a Christmas cookie while I was waiting on my cake. I don't actually care for cake itself very much...but I love icing. Hence, the heavily frosted cake:) I washed my frosting down with a cup of almond milk, using one of my new glasses. Also note the lovely "Happy Birthday Jesus" plates.
I still had room for a smoothie, although this one was a tad healthier than others due to my birthday indulgences. I had a blueberry hemp smoothie using blueberries, soymilk, and hemp protein.
Tuesday
I tried an oatmeal recipe from my friend Ruby yesterday morning. This bowl featured oats, banana, cocoa powder, cinnamon, almond milk, and maple syrup. I added some chocolate PB to complete the choco-nana theme.
For lunch, I made a simple burrito out of chili beans, avocado, salsa, and a little spinach. I had an apple and a salad on the side.
Dinner consisted of an old favorite: Cashew-Ginger Tofu. I served it alongside some leftover rice, a salad, and pineapple.
My shake of the evening was delish! I combined chocolate Spirutein, frozen banana, strawberries, soymilk, and chocolate syrup.
Wednesday
My dad and I go out for breakfast on my birthday every year. This year, we decided Whole Foods would be the obvious dining locale. I started out with a hot tea, then loaded up on berries and walnuts at their breakfast bar; I supplemented it with a beautiful whole grain roll and a Fage. Perfect.
We tried a new place out for lunch, Maki Fresh. I ordered a veggie roll, which I served alongside some stir-fried veggies and tofu with cashews, and a few clementines. So satisfying!
Now I am off to prepare dinner and get ready for church. I wish you all a happy holiday, and may you all be as blessed as I have been this past year. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

Relaxing with TLC

No, I do not mean tender, loving care, nor am I referring to those ever popular Kashi crackers--I've been relaxing with my favorite channel, TLC. Monday nights are now by far my favorite night of television (Jon and Kate Plus, Eight AND Little People, Big World!), but I never get to sit down and enjoy "my" shows because of meetings, Bible study, and that pesky little thing called homework. However, thanks to my university's autumnal gift to its students, Fall Break, I was able to spend a leisurely evening with my family watching said programs. *Sigh* What a great way to recharge before the second half of the semester.

As I mentioned last week, my time was split this weekend between the lake house and our house in Birmingham; it ended up being a nice balance between tranquility and activity. While I enjoyed sipping tea by the lakeside, it was also nice to get to do some shopping with Mom:) How did you all spend the weekend?
Due to constantly being in transit these past few days, I didn't put together many elaborate meals. Nonetheless, I prepared a few things outside of my at-school repertoire...

Friday
My sister hadn't yet arrived (with my camera( by the time I broke out the blender, so I don't have a picture of Friday's smoothie. Don't worry--it was very blah. I didn't have any hemp protein around, so I just grabbed some random protein packets I've had lying around for a while. This one consisted of Super Blue Pro96 Soy Protein, frozen blueberries, soymilk, and cinnamon raisin granola. Not tasty at all. Saturday I rummaged around for some acceptable breakfast victuals and finally stumbled upon some Kashi Heart to Heart. I poured myself a bowl of that with soymilk, plus an banana with PB. After a trip to the grocery store and a little girls' afternoon out with my mom and sisters, I returned home to a simple lunch of refried beans and salsa wrapped in tortillas, salad, and an apple with almonds. The family was having chili con carne for dinner, but since I just had chili last Sunday, I decided against making a veggie version and instead made some baked beans. I used tomato sauce, maple syrup, sauteed onions, and just a touch of mustard. On the side I had corn, salad with sunflower seeds, and surprisingly tasty strawberries. We returned home that night, so I prepared a late-night smoothie with Alive! rice and pea protein, apple sauce, cinnamon, and soymilk. Odd color, yummy apple-pie taste. Sunday I took my time for breakfast yesterday and made pumpkin pancakes. My first attempt was free-form, not using a recipe--and it failed quite miserably. As a last resort, I actually looked up a recipe and that batch turned out much better. I hate to waste my precious pumpkin though:( I topped these baby pancakes with chopped almonds and dipped them in...more pumpkin. I sweetened the pumpkin with maple syrup, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. After my breakfast debacle, I decided to keep it simple for lunch, so I just made a simple veggie-tofu sandwich with tomatoes, mushrooms, guacamole, and garlic rubbed tofu. I also had salad and an apple. Last night for dinner, my dad decided he would prepare a ratatouille omelet for everyone. As a lacto-vegetarian, I don't consume eggs, so I decided to prepare something a little different. I topped ratatouille with baked polenta rounds (along with some spices) and served it alongside a Health Is Wealth Chicken-Free Patty with melted mozzarella and some cubed watermelon.
I was leaning in a more decadent direction last night when I prepared my shake. I needed chocolate--badly. I used a frozen banana, soymilk, chocolate soy protein, peanuts, and chocolate syrup. Total yum.
Monday
After a trip to Whole Foods yesterday, I was excited to eat some vegan Van's waffles this morning. I topped them with the same pumpkin mixture I used yesterday morning. I also had a sliced apple with Dark Chocolate Dreams PB. These waffles were good, but I am always looking for alternatives. What brand of waffles do you buy? I prefer egg-free varieties.
I gave the Blogger Secret Ingredient another try today. I baked a few polenta rounds and topped them with sun-dried tomato hummus; I also had a snap pea-tomato mixture and peaches with cinnamon and chopped almonds.
As my vacation draws to a close, I just wanted a comfort dish for dinner. So of course I made Cashew Ginger Tofu from ED&BV. I never get tired of it. This was delicious of course, but (as you can see), the sauce got a bit pasty. I had it with some noodles, salad, and an assortment of freezer veggies.
Whew. I am off to stuff a few last items into my bulging suitcase before I head off to bed. Be back soon!