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!

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.

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:)