My Little Rewards

With my torturous lab test completed, I have been rewarding myself for the past 24 hours. I settled in last night to read a back issue of Clean Eating Magazine, and today my mom treated me to a few items on our shopping trip; I came home with two pairs of shorts, a dress, two summery shirts, and some underthings from Aerie. Plus, when I got home, there was a free sample of Kashi Vive in the mailbox. Cute underpants and free food in the same day?! A rewarding day, without a doubt.


Despite my little celebration today, I have some studying to do this weekend--two tests next week. Ugh. At least one of them is in my nutrition class, so studying won't be too painful:) Yes, I know I am a dork.

Well, I have lots to discuss today since my last post was earlier in the day, meaning Wednesday's lunch and dinner have yet to be divulged.

Wednesday
Talk about a random (and lazy) lunch. I dumped some things that had been lingering in the fridge onto my plate: leftover turnip greens, tofu cutlet (Helen's Kitchen brand), spinach with sliced almonds and balsamic vinegar, and Ezekiel pita and a bowl of sliced peaches.
My mom made chili for dinner, so I decided to follow suit--especially since I had some leftover canned tomatoes and pinto beans in the fridge. I added a few spices (cayenne, chili powder, lots of cumin) and topped it off with mashed avocado. A vegan cheddar muffin and salad finished it off right.
My snack was something out of the ordinary: not a shake, not snack mix but...dessert oatmeal! I've always wanted to try a chocolate-oatmeal combo, but I figured it would be too sweet for morning. For my evening oats, I prepared them with a cup of soymilk, topped them with dark chocolate chunks, and mixed in a mini Clif bar (chocolate brownie flavor). Let's just say that I burned my tongue several times with this one...I couldn't wait to shovel that melty goodness in my mouth!
Thursday
Quick breakfast again: Kashi GoLean with soymilk and strawberries with walnuts. Good stuff.
I packed my lunch to eat on campus again. This time my feast included a hummus and spinach sandwich, juicy grapes, raw veggies, and a few raw almonds. I think this tasted OK, but I was far too busy cramming in last minute study time.

I just needed a quick dinner, so I turned to Dreena's sandwich section in Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. Tamari chickpea spread was the lucky winner...I dipped an Ezekiel pita into the mixture. Snap peas and a side salad added some more nutrients. Afterward I had a small frozen cherry-soymilk smoothie.
After 5-days of shake-free living, I returned to my addiction last night. The impetus was a packet of S'mores flavor Spirutein that arrived in the mail yesterday. (It had been on back order when I purchased my last round of packets from Lucky Vitamin). I mixed it with chocolate peanut butter So Delicious and almond milk. I dipped a few Whole Foods brand graham crackers in it for authenticity:)
Friday

Whenever I have some spare time in the mornings, I inevitably cook up some scrambled tofu. The combination today consisted of tofu, vegan cheddar, and caramelized onion, along with the usual spices. I attempted to eat it as a burrito but ultimately used a knife and fork. A not so tasty kiwi added some balance to this protein-heavy meal.

I was in no mood to cook lunch today (weird, I know). I just topped some Ak Maks with almond butter and a few dried cranberries. A salad and an apple added some fiber.
I was so psyched for my snack today because I finally bought some Annie's Goddess Dressing. As a recent convert to the wonder of tahini, I am quite enamored of this tasty goop. Aside from the veggies and dip, I also had some blueberry soy yogurt.

Dinner was rather free-style again: I threw some leftover chickpeas, jarred pasta sauce, and fresh eggplant into a pan; cook up those broken pieces of pasta at the bottom of the package, add a salad with jarred olives, and you've got a tasty meal!

Enjoy your weekend!