Keep on Chuggin'

As of 9:45 this morning, I let out a sigh of relief--my stats test is over! Only one more until the end of the semester! Ordinarily, I would be in total relaxation mode right now, but it's that time of the semester when assignments and projects just keep coming. Oh well--my workload is not keeping me from attending the basketball game tonight:) Consequently, I am posting now rather than later so as to avoid another "hiccup" (see Sunday's post).

Due to my weekend of playing and working, my diet became, well, random and uninspired. Here are the goods anyway:

Friday
Following a late-night chat session with one of my close friends, I whipped up a delicious smoothie at 2AM. This one included blueberries, peaches, acai hemp protein, soymilk, and delectable ginger granola.
Saturday
After a leisurely workout at the gym, I returned home to a still sleeping roomie, so I kept breakfast simple and minimally noisy in preparation. I combined pumpkin with flax, cinnamon, and agave nectar and spread it on a whole wheat sandwich thin. On the side, I had some plain yogurt with sliced grapes.
I spent much of my afternoon waiting around for someone to return a text about studying--he never responded, and I missed the last home football game of the season as a result. To add insult to injury, he was the one who wanted to study together in the first place! As Stephanie Tanner would say, "How rude!" To assuage my grumpy mood, I decided some lunch was in order. I made some refried bean fajitas with bell peppers and salsa. I also had an apple with cashew butter.
I had had quite enough waiting around, so I headed to the mall with my friends for the evening. After a few impulse buys, we decided it was time for some fuel and headed to California Pizza Kitchen. I ordered my favorite Smashed Pea Soup plus a half Mediterranean Salad. My favorite thing about that salad is the little bed of hummus waiting for you at the bottom. Delish.
Oh yeah, Kristen wanted me to show you what she got: mushroom-sausage-pepperoni pizza. No tofu for her!
We spent the evening hanging out on campus with some Navy boys (Kristen is in NROTC). When I returned, I made another 2 AM blender concoction: chocolate hemp protein, banana, strawberries, soymilk, and dairy-free chocolate chips. Repetitive, but oh-so-good.
Sunday
After seeing similar ideas on other blogs, I decided to make myself a bowl of raspberry oats. In addition to the main ingredients, I also included cinnamon, vanilla extract, and chopped almonds. My roommate thinks my oatmeal creations are so odd--they're either bright orange (pumpkin oats!) or bright pink (berry oats!). I like to "taste the rainbow."
The afternoon was spent at a mandatory sorority event at which the offerings were pepperoni pizza and soda. Boo! I made a leftovers sandwich instead: refried black beans, tofu, and salsa on the last two pieces of my whole wheat bread. On the side, I had a salad with honey-roasted peanuts and an orange.
Dinner was completely random but still tasty: I combined corn, tomatoes, a Sunshine burger, and dill for an impromptu salad. I also had some snap peas and an apple.
Once my studying had reached its conclusion for the evening, I made a big, tasty shake. It was almost the same as Saturday's, except I added a hefty dose of coconut to the mix. I was really sad when I reached the bottom of my big green cup:(
Monday
As I put some finishing touches on my stats studying, I gobbled down a bowl of Kashi Mighty Bites with sliced banana, rice milk, and wheat germ. I also had a side of GORP (good ol' raisins and peanuts).
With my classes and responsibilities behind me, I settled in for an easy lunch of tofu scramble. This tasty mess included tofu, tahini, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and broccoli. On the side, I had toast and a rather seed-tastic orange. Despite the messy orange, this meal was so comforting, as always.
Now, I am off to shower and maybe squeeze in some studying before my dining committee meeting and the basketball game. Happy Monday!

The Comforts of Home

I arrived safely in Birmingham Thursday evening, and I have been soaking up the comforts of home ever since. Yes, it's nice to sleep in my own bed, spend time with my family, and catch up on sleep. However, I never thought I would be so happy to see a dishwasher in my life. Seriously. Suddenly having access to a dishwasher has made me realize just how much time I spend washing my dishes by hand while I am at school. I will for sure enjoy this simple luxury for the weekend:)

As a result of my traveling and off schedule, my meals are a little atypical for this round, but I think they're still moderately healthful. Enjoy!

Wednesday
Thanks my recent discovery that peaches may act as an acceptable mango stand-in for my vanilla hemp smoothies, I have been using the ingredient more often. After all, sliced peaches are a heck of a lot cheaper than frozen mango chunks. Anyway, this concoction included soymilk, sliced peaches, vanilla hemp, and pumpkin flax granola.

Thursday
Before heading off to a meeting, I fueled up for a busy day with yet another smoothie. This Bullet creation included pumpkin, frozen banana, rice milk, and cinnamon. Hello, liquid nirvana. I savored this beverage for several minutes, in contrast to my usual frenzied pace for the consumption of breakfast. On the side, I had another one of my never-ending whole wheat mini-bagels with freshly ground almond butter.

I had to leave for the airport at 12:30, so I packed a quick lunch to eat while during my layover. Remember that sweet mustard dill dressing I have been obsessed with lately? Well I had the genius idea to use it in my tofu salad. I packed a container of that deliciousness with an Ezekiel pita, sliced squash, grapes, and cashew-cranberry trail mix. Pardon the lame pictures--I haven't quite mastered the art of discreet food photography.
Upon returning to Birmingham, my sister picked me up and took me out to dinner with her husband. We decided that we were all in a Chipotle kind of mood (aka I was craving fresh guac!). I ordered the vegetarian taco salad with black beans, peppers and onions, fresh salsa, and a big ol' blob of guacamole. I never thought I would be so enamored of green goop. I also snagged a few of Ryan's tortilla chips. They were still warm!
After much digging around in the kitchen, I finally found one last hemp protein packet for my evening shake. Phew! This one was of the Nutiva chocolate variety, so I combined it with soymilk, cocoa powder, frozen strawberries, and a touch of chocolate syrup. Incredibly delicious.
Friday
I woke up this morning still full from an evening of good eats, so my mom and I headed to Publix so that I could load up on "my food." I'm pretty pumped about my selections (pears! tofu! pecans!). Anyway, I came home to make a big bowl of apple pie oats. I heated up oatmeal, unsweetened applesauce, water, and apple pie spice and let it thicken for several minutes. Once cooked, I added cinnamon and a big blob of almond butter. I also had a plain yogurt with apple pie spice mixed in.
I spent the day running errands; my hair is now freshly trimmed and I have loaded up on Target essentials (mini Clifs on sale!!). Lunch was extremely late but delicious nonetheless. I made a wrap out of sun dried tomato hummus, organic greens, and baby bella mushrooms. On the side, I had a salad and a banana with cashew butter.

I had a quick snack before heading out to the lake house: cottage cheese with walnuts and dried cherries. It made for an unusually tasty combination.

I just now arrived at the lake...only to realize that I forgot my camera. Fortunately, my sister is headed down later tonight after her shift at the hospital, so she agreed to bring my camera for me. Yes, I am officially an obsessive food blogger. Anyway, in the meantime, I prepared a simple sloppy Joe supper out of Heinz sloppy Joe sauce (which is surprisingly HFCS-free) and Boca crumbles. I also had a salad and some berries with lots of ground flax. This is a camera phone pic, in case you can't tell...
I will leave you with a few pictures from the weekend thus far. Happy Saturday!

Destination: Relaxation

Pardon the cliched title, but most precisely describes where I am headed. Fall Break begins for me tomorrow--we officially have no classes Monday and Tuesday, but since Fridays are always class-free for me, I get to start my vacation all the earlier. Yippee! As of tomorrow afternoon, I am on my way home for a long weekend of restful enjoyment. My plans include the obligatory Whole Foods run, plus maybe some lake time with the family, and nail polish shopping. What's on the schedule for you all this weekend?

These past few days have been rough; I had a noticeably more difficult second exam in stats today. At least it's over! I'm just sad that I had to miss the debates last night due to studying constraints. Boo! What did I miss? Was there anything particularly revelatory of either candidate?

Hmm, I am especially tangential tonight, aren't I? Let's get to the food before I bring up another random topic.

Monday
As is typical of my Monday evenings, my schedule was packed. Following my dining committee meeting, I hurried to the salad bar and was pleasantly surprised by lots of new goodies. Edamame, bulgur, and walnuts, oh my! Is it sad that I let out an audible "ooh!" when I saw the walnuts? Oops. I also had some perfectly ripe (non-woody) cantaloupe.
I was in a tropical mood on Monday night, so I decided a strawberry-pineapple smoothie was in order. In retrospect, I wonder why I didn't add some coconut.
Tuesday
My parfaits have been especially inspired by baked goods lately. Last week it was apple pie, this week I decided on a blueberry crumble theme. Blueberries, plain yogurt with cinnamon, bran flakes, chopped almonds, and wheat germ made for a perfectly crunchy breakfast rendition of the dessert favorite. I had major overflow on this one--too many ingredients, so little space!
Yesterday's lunch consisted of White Bean Cashew Dip from ED&BV, which gave me the excuse of using both the Bullet and my nutritional yeast flakes. Score! I served it alongside crackers, salad, and grapes.
Amidst my studying frenzy last night, I decided to direct some of my nervous energy toward chopping. I diced some yellow squash, red onion, spinach, and my last Boca burger to make a delicious hash. To complete the diner-esque meal, I had some toast, plus an apple with cashew butter. Yum.
I had to drop off those graham cracker brownies last night, so I decided to check my mail box at the same time, and look what I found:
I am so psyched to try this cookie:)

To treat myself after a tedious studying session, I made my favorite smoothie combo: vanilla hemp with mango, plus I added some peaches in there for good measure. I crumbled some Puffins on top for a change in garnish.
Wednesday
I kept it simple this morning as I crammed some last minute information into my head over breakfast. I opted for a bowl of Whole Foods brand Cheerios, rice milk, sliced banana, plus a little dish of TJ's AntiOXidant trail mix. Excellent brain food.
After a nice, relaxing run (in which I lapped a boy...twice!), I came home to prepare a batch of scrambled tofu with the usual components: tahini, turmeric, soy sauce, and ginger. On the side, I had a baked sweet potato, salad, and more of those ever-lasting grapes.
For dinner tonight, I attempted to re-create the White Bean and Walnut Bruschetta I made a few months ago. The ED&BV recipe calls for tomatoes and walnuts, however, neither of which I happened to have on hand. Improvisation came into play, and I substituted almonds for the walnuts and red onion for the tomato. These alteration produced a decidedly different flavor, although I enjoyed it, nonetheless. Along with it, I had some yellow squash, a salad with my new favorite dressing (mustard/vegan mayo/agave nectar/lemon juice/dill weed). A nice dish of applesauce finished it off. Whew! Lots of food, but I needed it.

I am off to finish packing, then perhaps read a little bit--for pleasure!