Merry Half Christmas!

Yep, we're exactly 6 months away from my absolute favorite holiday of the year. Aside from my yuletide obsession, my birthday also happens to be December 24, so I am officially 20.5 years old. Eeek! FYI, my annual Christmas/birthday countdown doesn't start until September.

I am posting earlier in the day today due to that persistent nuisance otherwise known as anatomy class. I have a 160-question midterm tomorrow at 1:00, so I will be spending much of my evening after class studying rather than blogging. Trust me, I'd rather be blogging. Anyway, here are a few pics of my eats over the past few days.

Monday
For my evening snack, I opted for a big bowl of organic popcorn with a few dark chocolate chunks thrown in. For those of you who don't know I am taking a temporary hiatus from my nighttime smoothies and shakes. I'm just trying to switch things up a little. By the way, I love this popcorn! The only ingredients on the label were organic popcorn, organic vegetable oil, and salt. Short and and sweet, er, salty.
Tuesday
Squeezing in a run before a 10 AM class necessitate speedy breakfasts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was feeling tropical yesterday-- I threw some oats in a bowl with pinenapple chunks and cashews.
Lunch consisted of a Tofurky-avocado-spinach wrap in a whole wheat tortilla. I used salsa as a dressing on that spinach salad, and I balanced it all out with an apple. No shortage of fiber in this lunch!
Snacktime! This is another typical snack for me: lemon soy yogurt and red bell pepper strips with hummus. It really bugs me how some soy yogurts aren't fortified with vitamin B12...So Delicious is the only company I've encountered who does this service for vegans/vegetarians. Oh, and let me know if you'd rather I not post snacks. I'm looking for some feedback because I know they're a tad boring.
Red beans and rice for dinner last night. Well sort of. I stole some brown rice from my parents' dinner and mixed it with no salt added canned tomatoes, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and leftover pinto beans. Not traditional by any means, but it was tasty nonetheless. I was still a little hungry afterward, so I whizzed some almond milk with cocoa powder and enjoyed it with some fresh blueberries. Amazing.
Owing to the surplus of bananas around here, I made some vegan banana pudding last night. I got the recipe from VegWeb. Can't wait to try it:)
For snack last night I ended up making another bowl of hot cereal. This time I used that Quaker multigrain cereal I've been enjoying so much lately. I mixed in some pumpkin flax granola and topped it off with a Medjool date.
Wednesday
This morning I tried a few new products. I made a smoothie using Fruitein this morning (as opposed to Spirutein). One of these packets provides 600 mg calcium; I think these are vegan, if you're interested. I blended it with frozen blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries and slurped it out of my nifty new smoothie receptacle (for lack of a better word). Along with it, I tried a new Kashi cereal, Honey Sunshine. This was pretty good, but I think I like Puffins and Corn Bran better, mostly because the "pillows" of those cereals are much bigger. The squares in these were about the size of corn kernels. Now I'm off to review muscles + bones for the thousandth time. Soon I'll be dreaming (or having nightmares) about condyles, processes, and the rectus femoris. Ugh.

Prep Day

Today was all about preparation for me. In the next 8 days, I have a few important events: my mom's birthday, my first day of classes, and, of course, my sister's wedding. So I spent most of today in a constant state of preparation: picking up my mom's present, touring the campus to figure out where my classes will be, and trying on my bridesmaid dress...The present pick-up was successful, but I went to a wrong building on campus, and my dress was too long. Oy.

As per usual, cooking has continued to be a source of pleasure in the midst of this craziness. I have had several successful dishes in the past few days, which makes me and my tummy quite content.

Wednesday
The evening smoothie consisted of cherry Spirutein, frozen cherries, nonfat organic plain yogurt, and pumpkin flax granola. I wasn't expecting much from this smoothie, but it ended up being delectable and the perfect consistency. Two nights in a row with successful smoothies--I'm on a roll.
Thursday
This breakfast changed my day. Seriously. I was in a good mood all day because of it. I tried the vegan banana pancakes recipe from Sweet Eats. The original recipe includes chocolate chips, but I didn't want that much of an indulgence yesterday morning. I enjoyed mine with some sliced peaches with cinnamon and a mug of chai green tea, which was a gift from a neighbor. This one gets two thumbs up.
Lunch was intended to be a pasta salad, but I think it ended up having a 2:1 ratio of veggies to pasta. This dish included broccoli, yellow bell pepper, carrots, mushrooms, tofu, and some whole wheat pasta in a light balsamic vinaigrette. I also had some apple slices with melted peanut butter.
I made an attempt at a "pulled seitan" BBQ sandwich for dinner yesterday. The texture wasn't exactly right--it felt more like a sloppy joe than a pulled BBQ sandwich. I made the sauce out of tomato sauce, mustard powder, a little agave, and apple cider vinegar. I enjoyed mine on a whole wheat bun with a salad and some almonds.
Friday
I had another decadent breakfast this morning using my new PB & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams PB. I was sweating buckets after my run this morning, but that didn't stop me from making a piping bowl of banana oats (check out that steam!). I topped it with a spoonful of said PB, and it was out of this world. This PB is like not-so-bad-for-you Nutella. My dad dipped into the jar after dinner this evening to use it as an ice cream topping. Not a bad idea...
Lunch was supposed to be a Mexican pizza, but ran out of time, and I got hungry, so I rushed through the preparation. I had intended to crisp it up in the oven, but ultimately I just nuked it in the microwave to warm it up. Here's what went into this concoction: a whole wheat tortilla, sweet vidalia salsa, mashed avocado, and cubed tofu dusted with chili powder. I think it was tasty, but I was in a rush to get to the alterations place. I also had a side salad and a big apple.
Dinner tonight was inspired by those Chinese Chicken Salads I see on so many restaurant menus these days. Mine included a random bunch of leftover veggies: lettuce, yellow bell pepper, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, water chestnuts, and seitan (which was simmered in ginger, rice wine vinegar, and garlic). I also had watermelon and some rice cakes with apple butter. Random but good.
That's the extent of my culinary adventures for now. Be back Monday!

Snooze-fest Weekend

Not only did I get plenty of sleep this weekend, but I also was extremely bored. Campus is a bit eerie when no one but you is around. It reminded me of when I had to stay late for choir practices in high school: the classrooms seemed so empty at night. Anyway, I am well rested and ready to be back in 'bama!

Food this weekend was a bit of challenge, as I had predicted in my last post. So if some of the meals below strike you as random or odd, please understand that I had limited options.

Friday

After my last exam on Friday, I was famished. It started at 7, which is usually when I eat dinner, so I really wasn't hungry beforehand. However, by the time I turned my test in (about 7:50), I was ready to eat my answer sheet! I grabbed my favorite crunchy broccoli salad from The Loop and headed back to the dorm to supplement it with some of my grub. I slathered some hummus on whole wheat bread and made a quick smoothie out of frozen strawberries and almond milk. Yum! It was a great way to bring my exam week to a close.

That night I got hungry for a snack (in the midst of my Amazon surfing), so I had some more of that soy pudding, this time in the vanilla flavor. Dark chocolate chunks made their obligatory appearance.

Saturday

I woke up fairly late on Saturday, so I just grabbed a quick snack to tide me over until lunchtime. I chose one of my favorite snack bars: Odwalla Carrot Raisin. I discovered these in Colorado a few years ago; my aunt put them in welcome baskets for all of the out-of-town guests to her son's wedding. They've been one of my on-the-go faves ever since--my mom even sends them to me in care packages! They taste like healthful carrot cake.

My lunch on Saturday was a bit of a failure, thanks to my stubborn vegan mozzarella. It refuses to melt! Sheesh. I attempted eggplant Parmesan with an organic eggplant that I picked up on Monday. It still tasted good, despite the unmelted cheeze.

Sunday

Yesterday's lunch was a conglomeration of leftovers and available campus fare. I made a Dagwood sandwich out of thick tofu slices, lots of salsa, and lettuce. I also had a delicious cranberry-walnut salad that took me forever to eat, which is probably a good thing. I have a tendency to scarf down my food when I am hungry...

Snack yesterday was an attempt to use up the cold stuff in my fridge; I defrosted the fridge just after taking this picture. I had some plain soy yogurt with wheat germ and a fresh fruit cup. Unfortunately, I still had to throw away a few items, which seriously pains my frugal soul. Oh well.

I cobbled together dinner last night from what remained in my dorm pantry and some greens that I picked up from the on-campus convenience store. Surprisingly the greens were from Earthbound Farms, so they were organic--score! I topped them with roasted soy nuts, and I made a simple peanut butter sandwich to go with it. I also had a big shiny apple.

Monday

For breakfast this morning, I managed to hunt down some soy milk, so I was able to have cereal. It turns out that my favorite eatery, The Refectory, is open all summer! While I was there, I got some vegan blueberry muffins for the road and a container of vanilla Silk. Once back in the dorm, I used up the last of my Cheerios, and I had a Granny Smith with PB.

I just finished lunch here. Much to my surprise, The Loop was open today, even though it was closed all weekend. Go figure! Anyway, so I picked up one last broccoli salad (I love it!). I had another hummus sandwich to go along with it, and I had some cantaloupe too. Sorry I'm so boring/repetitive!

Now I am just waiting for my parents to arrive; they're supposed to get here around 4 or 5. We have a long road trip back tomorrow (about 8 hours), so I was thinking about what kind of food will be available on the road. While I have my stash of dorm food (almonds, Larabars, oatmeal), I was wondering: what kind of foods do you eat when traveling? Recommendations for healthful fast food or your favorite snacks to pack are encouraged!

Next time I post, I will probably be home!

Chuggin' Along

I am still in the midst of finals week here, although I haven't had another exam since the last time I posted. As a result, I am bored. Granted, I could be studying all day, every day, but who does that? I'll be glad to get these last two exams out of the way. My parents come to pick me up on Monday, and that seems like an eternity from now! Nonetheless, some of my boxes to be shipped are being picked up tomorrow between 1:00 and 5:00, so I had to do some packing this evening before I could post. Packing things in boxes is a great way to procrastinate!

Tuesday

Tuesday morning I had the last two biscuits in my opened box of Weetabix. I specify opened because I have seven more unopened boxes--those went into one of the boxes I am shipping. That'll teach me not to order things in bulk... Anyway, I'm sure you'll be glad to see that Weetabix will take a hiatus from my morning menu for the next week or so. Oh yeah, back to the breakfast--I also had the remainder of a bag of frozen peaches and a few strawberries, plus some almonds.

For lunch yesterday, I made some chili from leftover lentils. This was not a very chili-like, actually, because I didn't have any cayenne or other fun spices with which to experiment. I sprinkled some raw onion from my salad onto the chili for fun...my bad breath for the rest of the afternoon was not so fun. Ak-maks and cantaloupe completed the meal.
My snack yesterday was really tasty--plain soy yogurt with wheat germ and cinnamon, plus a juicy plum on the side. Plums are so good when they're ripe!

I made a snack mix yesterday evening out of Cheerios, dark chocolate chunks, and the last of my dried fruit. Slowly but surely, I am making a dent in my food mountain. Anyway, this was a great snack to nibble on while I studied for abnormal psychology.

Wednesday

This morning was a bit of first for me--I had never before tried peanut butter in my oatmeal. I know, it's crazy that I've gone this long without tasting it, but I just love the texture of nuts in my oatmeal that I never bothered switching them out for nut butters. Well, that was a big mistake, because peanut butter oatmeal is so delicious! I'll be sure to experiment with peanut butter again in the future. I had an orange on the side for good measure.

Tonight's dinner turned out a bit oddly. I tried to make a tofu melt with some vegan mozzarella slices I picked up on Monday. The mozzarella tastes fine, but it didn't exactly melt. I have no experience with vegan cheese, so I guess I will just have to cook with it more often to get the hang of it. I also had some more of that squash-mango soup, with a dash of cinnamon. I had originally intended to put the walnuts on top, but they sank to the bottom--I improvised by placing the walnuts on the spoon as I ate. Yum! It was quite the autumnal flavor combination--still tasted good in April though:) I had a big salad too. Interesting fact: this vegan meal alone provided more than 900 mg of calcium!

My mother reminded me today on the phone that I need to defrost my fridge before they arrive on Monday afternoon. Ugh. So, that means that I will have to live without a microwave or a fridge for Sunday evening through Monday afternoon, and most campus eateries will be closed already. Yikes! Do you have any meal ideas that require no refrigeration or heating? Dry cereal and bananas don't sound very appetizing...

Well, I should review my notes for a bit. Enjoy your evening!