Keepin' It Simple

In the midst of classes, meetings, and tutoring freshmen writing students, I haven't had a whole lot of free time today (hence the later post time tonight). Mondays always present such a stark contrast to my weekends; my leisurely weekends come to an abrupt end at the stroke of 7 AM on Monday. Today, for example, I found myself already running a little late to class, only to realize that I forgot a hair tie for my workout--an absolute necessity for me, since I cannot stand the sensation sweaty hair on the back of neck. Anyway, I hoof it back to the apartment (in heels, no less), grab a handful of hair ties, and arrive in class at the stroke of 8:30. The whole day has felt a little something like that.

As a result of my crazy schedule, my meals have been less involved and far from exotic--but I still thought they were tasty! What are your favorite dishes to prepare on hectic days?

Here comes the simple but yummy grub.

Saturday
When I returned from my sisterhood retreat early Saturday morning, all I wanted to do was sleep. So I did. Then I worked out and had breakfast at like 12 PM. My eating schedule was totally higgledy-piggledy all day (yes, I did just find that adjective on thesaurus.com). This brunch-ish meal consisted of GoLean with ground flax, rice milk, plus an apple. I am perfecting the art of uber thin apple slicing:)
Lunch was just an excuse to use of up leftovers: chickpeas and canned tomatoes on a bed of spinach with soynuts for crunch, plus whole wheat crackers (Milton's), sliced banana, and almond butter. I think my favorite part of the meal was the simple stuff--the crackers and banana with AB.
The evening chowfest was yet another lazy attempt at meal preparation: a Boca patty on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, mustard, and organic ketchup, plus a salad, broccoli, and sweets plate with sliced kiwi and raw cashews. That's a lot of food now that I look at it--all healthful though!
The smoothie of the evening was heaven in a glass again. Sorry I am so boring, but the mango-vanilla hemp combination still reminds me of cake batter in some way. Try it, you'll like it!
Sunday
I was a little more creative yesterday morning in that I tried my hand at vegan French toast. I simply dipped whole wheat bread into rice milk sweetened with agave and cinnamon (I don't have any vanilla extract or arrowroot powder!). I also had an apple with more luscious almond butter. AB is definitely my favorite these days.
The afternoon meal consisted of an old easy standby: scrambled tofu wrap. This one featured tahini, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, broccoli, and tofu of course wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. On the side I had a juicy peach and a salad.
I thought I would mention yesterday's afternoon snack since it was so scrumptious and basically the epitome of fallish flavor. I combined a container of plain yogurt with leftover pumpkin, cinnamon, stevia, raisins, and raw cashews. YUM! The inspiration for this concoction was my mom's legendary pumpkin bread that she makes every year from November-December. I can't wait for Thanksgiving!!
Suppertime was super simple (I'm starting to sound like Sandra Lee form Semi Homemade...). I stuffed a whole wheat pita with hummus, lettuce, and tomato and served it alongside a salad, carrot sticks dipped in Goddess dressing, and nonfat plain kefir (drizzled with agave nectar).
Last night's shake was superb! I combined strawberries, soymilk, special dark cocoa powder, and Nutiva hemp (berry pomegranate flavor), and I finished it off with a few dairy-free chocolate chips. The consistency was perfect--not too thick, not too thin. Another winning combination.
Monday
I was rushed this morning (as noted above), so I opted for a simple bowl of cereal: Whole Foods brand organic Os with rice milk and sliced banana. I also had a little dish of TJ's AntiOXidant trail mix on the side. Quick and easy.
The pre-run snack today was a baggie of GoLean cereal. I recently decided that I would like to have bigger lunches after my workouts, so I am cutting down the size of my pre-run snack. Perhaps this will also eliminate my unsatisfactory exercise fueling problems that I have been having.
When I returned home from the gym, I made a mad dash to the kitchen for a simple veggie meal: a baked sweet potato (with cinnamon), Brussels sprouts (with garlic salt), kidney beans (with chili powder, ground red pepper, and cumin), and applesauce with peanuts. This kept me full throughout the afternoon of tutoring appointments.
TGI Friday's brought a few dishes to the dining meeting tonight; they want students to be able to use food points for Friday's delivery program. The offerings consisted of baby back ribs, onion rings, a Bleu cheeseburger, and peanut butter cheesecake--obviously, not my typical fare. I hit up the salad bar instead. I also made tiny almond butter cracker sammies. So satisfying.
Oh, and I got another package today! Yes, I must stop ordering impulse items from iHerb.com, but I really needed some nutritional yeast flakes so that I could make a few things from Lindsay's cookbook. A few other items might have also snuck into my virtual shopping cart...(TVP, Bob's Red Mill 5 Grain Cereal with flax, chocolate rice protein powder, and a little shaker cup).
I am off to study for a quiz and make flashcards! Good night:)

Gimme Some Mo' Cocoa

As promised, today I present you with a few product reviews. I've noticed that the new products I've been trying over the past few weeks have a common ingredient...cocoa! There's just something about that intense bittersweet flavor that keeps me comin' back for mo'. Most recently, I've been satisfying the craving with Jocolat bars, Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, and Living Harvest Chocolate Chili Hemp Protein.

Jocolat
Put simply, the people at the Larabar HQ are geniuses. Every product I have tried has been truly delectable, and the chocolate Jocalat bar was no exception. The flavor was nothing but deep, rich, (dare I say it?) fudginess.

I am reluctant to use such phrasing because I find it hard to believe given the list of ingredients. Larabar has created a name for itself on the fact that its products feature short but sweet ingredients lists, usually consisting of no more than dried fruit and nuts. The Jocolat varieties include a few more ingredients to get that brownie-like taste, but the list is still impressively simple. The chocolate bar that I tried included dates for that luscious sweetness, plus organic almonds, walnuts, cocoa powder, cocoa mass, and cashews.

While many choose Larabars for convenient on-the-go or on-the-job snacks, I enjoyed mine within the comfort of my own home and washed it down with a glass of chilled almond milk. Perhaps eating the Jocolat bar this way enhanced its brownie-ness; I siezed the opportunity to relax with a healthy indulgence.
Healthy indulgence? Isn't that an oxymoron? Not this time. The chocolate Jocolat bar contains 190 kcalories and 10 grams of fat, only 2 of which are saturated. The fats in this bar are derived from all those heart-healthy nuts in the ingredients--there is no need to feel guilty about the fat content on this bar. Additionally, there are 5 grams of protein and a whopping 5 grams of fiber, a combination that will assuredly keep you satisfied for a while. The 18 grams of sugar present in the bar is a bit high, but the sugar content comes not from added sugars but from a natural and whole ingredient: dates.

Other nutritional benefits include 10% RDA for iron, 8% RDA for magnesium, plus 3 grams of Omega-6 fatty acids, and each bar counts as one fruit serving. I can't wait to try some of the other flavors!!
Other flavors currently available include chocolate orange, chocolate cherry, chocolate mint, chocolate coffee, and chocolate hazelnut. What are your favorites?

Warning: Jocolate bars can be pricey--at Whole Foods they cost upwards of $1.79.

Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
In case you haven't noticed, I like to make shakes...a lot. A few weeks ago I was in search of the perfect Choco-nana shake topper when I stumbled upon these chocolate chips. As the package proudly proclaims, they are dairy, soy, and gluten free, making them perfect for allergy sufferers and vegans alike.
I was immediately struck by the short ingredients list: evaporated cane juice, chocolate liquor, and non-dairy cocoa butter. Sounds like a good combination to me. These chips are actually miniature chocolate chips, and each tiny piece packs intense cocoa flavor. They have made a great addition to my evening shake indulgences, but you could also include them in your favorite chocolate chip cookies or mix them into a trail mix.

Each serving contains 75 kcalories, 5 grams of fat (3 gram saturated), and 7 grams of sugar. The saturated fat is a bit high, but the likelihood of my eating multiple servings in one sitting is low, so I think it's alright to live a little:)
Each 10 oz. bag costs just $1.99 at Whole Foods, much lower than other brands that charge as much $4.39.

Living Harvest Chocolate Chili Hemp Protein
Thanks to a recommendation from a certain VeggieGirl, I have a new recent obsession: Living Harvest Hemp Protein. I use this powder in my blender concoctions almost every night. Its taste and nutritional profile are nearly impossible to match.

It wasn't until recently that I got a chance to try the chocolate chili flavor; I had formerly been a devoted vanilla spice fan. All it took was one rendezvous with a frozen banana, and I was hooked on this flavor too. The chili flavor is almost indetectable except for a slight kick in the background; the most prominent component of the taste is cocoa by far.

Yet another pleasantly brief ingredients list for this product: Hemp Protein (100% Organic Hemp Seed), Organic Unrefined Whole Cane Sugar, Organic Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Pure Ground Vanilla Bean and Organic Chilies.

A generous 4 tablespoon serving provides 130 kcalories, 3.5 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein, and a surprising 9 grams of dietary fiber. The sugar content remains low at 6 grams, despite the fact that there are no artificial sweeteners present. Love it!

You can purchase Living Harvest products online at their website or other e-retailers, such as iHerb.com. Some Whole Foods may also carry canisters of the chocolate chili powder.

I hope you enjoyed this second round of product reviews. Happy Sunday!

Friggin', Fraggin' Frugal

As you might expect, I went for my weekly shopping trip to Whole Foods yesterday. Once there, I was amazed to discover price increases--over the span of a week. The yogurt I normally buy (Stonyfield Nonfat) is now 99 cents per cup compared to last week's 89 cents, and I can't even afford almonds anymore. I usually buy a one pound bag, but that would set me back $6.39! Granted, nuts are a high-price item, but last week I am sure they were $5.99/lb. Frozen fruit is of course more expensive these days since berry season is pretty much complete, so it looks like I will be buying frozen peaches and pineapple chunks for a while. At least I got some steals on fresh produce (local eggplant! organic apples!).

These increasing food prices particularly sadden me because generally I am a frugal person, but I choose to spend money on food; I have habitually opted to have high-quality groceries be my "luxury" items. I acknowledge that I could shop elsewhere at places that perhaps have better prices (Kroger, SuperTarget,etc.), but 1) I don't have a car, and these places are not as proximal to campus, and 2) I find that other stores do not carry the quality or brands of products that I like to buy.

I apologize for this rant, but I just became quite irked when I realized that I haven't been able to afford $1.79 Larabars for the past few weeks (I still haven't tried the PB Cookie or Coconut Creme Pie flavors!). Mom, if you're reading this, those would make excellent stocking stuffers for Christmas :)

When I look at my diet over the past few days, I realize that perhaps food that good and good for you is worth a few extra bucks...

Wednesday I have been neglecting my Nutiva hemp protein for a while, so I decided to use that for my smoothie the other night. This one included strawberries, coconut, and soymilk. I love the texture that shredded coconut provides--I used it both within the smoothie itself and on top. Thursday
The love affair with coconut continues...A whole wheat mini bagel with cashew butter and shredded coconut, plus a peach-soymilk smoothie with wheat germ. I was busting at the seams after this one--this breakfast gets two thumbs up on satiety. My last class on Thursday got cancelled so I headed to the gym earlier than usual. An earlier gym time and a super-filling breakfast left me in need of a smaller pre-run snack: the other half of a chocolate chip Clif bar. For lunch, I used a great recipe from VegWeb as inspiration. The combination of spices and tahini, plus the buttery chickpeas made for an excellent dish. That's couscous and a salad with carrots on the side. I got creative in the kitchen that night. What I ended up with was an agave-mustard tofu dish. I simply combined minced garlic, dijon mustard, agave nectar, a little soy sauce, and some water and poured it over some slabs of tofu and baked it in the oven for about 25 minutes, turning once. YUM!! I am definitely on a sweet-tangy kick lately, so I really enjoyed this. Along with it, I had steamed brussels sprouts, red quinoa, and a salad with peanuts, orange slices, and Bragg's. The blender concoction of the night ended up being a thin shake. I used a frozen banana, soymilk, cocoa chili hemp, and coconut. The flavor was awesome, but next time, I'll use less liquid, because this didn't have the right consistency. Friday
After sleeping in a bit and making a leisurely trip to the gym, I decided on a fall-themed breakfast. I made stovetop oats with unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon, topped with wheat germ and crunchy PB. (Note the article about Panda Express on the front page--there are some intersting comments at the end of the piece). Following my depressing trip to WF, I came home to use up some leftovers for lunch. I cooked some chickpeas with canned tomatoes, basil, and oregano. I stuffed that mixture into a pita and served it alongside a salad with balsamic vinegar, a juicy peach, and pistachios. I had a "sisterhood retreat" last night, so a few of us girls headed to McAlister's Deli for dinner. I ordered the Taco Salad with the veggie chili (sans cheese and sour cream). This was my first time to McAlister's, and I think I would return again--they had lots of veggie options, and it's all pretty substantial, not just pathetic salads. I didn't take a picture, but here is what it looked like (from http://flickr.com/photos/lamarstyle/347942406/).
The evening consisted of many goofy games--and much snacking, of course. I managed to find a few healthy options. Someone was wise enough to bring fruit!
So I snacked on lots of grapes, an apple, plus a few pieces of candy. Not quite as nutritious as my usual smoothie, but tasty. Here's a picture of the snack table, post-snackfest: Now I am off to relax and maybe do some stats HW. Enjoy your afternoon!

PS Get excited for product reviews tomorrow!