Running in Heels

All I have to say is that I better have killer legs by the end of the semester.

Allow me to explain. Duke has 3 campuses: East, West, and Central to which students are transported via buses. Most of the time, I choose to walk to class from Central campus because it's a mere 10-15 minute walk, and I am far too impatient to wait for buses. However, with the recent dip in temperatures, I have been relying on the bus with far more frequency. Somehow I never seem to get the schedule right though and find myself running to catch the departing vehicle. It wouldn't be such a big deal if I actually wore sensible shoes now and then, but my unhealthy appreciation of heels prevents that from happening...Sexy calves, here I come!

Here's what I've been using to fuel my dashes to the bus stop:

Monday
I made coconut black beans again, which was inspired by this recipe from VegWeb. I obviously didn't have a lot of the ingredients on hand, so improvised. On the side, I had couscous and a salad with cashews.
I had my weekly dining meeting in the evening, so I made a pit stop afterward at the salad bar, where they had...steamed edamame! Clearly, that was the highlight of my day. When I came home, I added some of Annie's Shiitake Vinaigrette and added some crackers and cantaloupe as accompaniments.
The smoothie of the night was another berry bonanza with strawberries, blueberries plus the other usual suspects. Oh, and an extra-large dose of granola:)
Tuesday
Due to the crap-tastic weather we had yesterday (i.e., cold and rainy), I knew I needed a hot breakfast to start out the day. Steamed rice milk poured over crumbled Weetabix and a banana with the scraps of the Sunbutter jar did the trick. PS Why is it that all my nut butters run out at once?! I can't afford to replace them simultaneously!
Yesterday's lunch shall be labeled this post's FOOD FUGUE. It was fan-freaking-tabulous. Here's what spawned the fugue: sweet butter lettuce topped with steamed asparagus, tofu cooked in soy sauce/vinegar/garlic/ginger, cashews, and blood orange segments. I had some of those addicting crackers on the side.
After an afternoon of tutoring, I returned looking for relaxation...so I cooked dinner, of course. I made Lindsay's Spicy Teriyaki Chickpeas. I didn't have any pineapple salsa (again!), so I subbed chopped pineapple. That's couscous, broccoli, and a salad with peanuts on the side.
The smoothie last night was pretty awesome. Let's just face it, I'll love anything with mango it. Here's what went in the blender: frozen mango, frozen peaches, Nutribody protein, and soymilk.
Wednesday
Today's breakfast consisted of a trusty time-saver: overnight oats. Last night I combined oats with rice milk, stevia, and cinnamon; I added warmed & spiced pumpkin and almonds this morning. I had another blood orange on the side.
For those of you who eat overnight oats regularly, do you enjoy it hot or cold? I always assumed it was meant to be consumed cold, but I'm up for a little variety.

As I mentioned above, I have found myself in a sudden nut butter dearth. If you could choose just one nut butter to enjoy forever more, which one would you choose?

Alright, I suppose I should get ready for my Faulkner class now. Ta-ta for now!

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.

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.