Pimped Out Plates

If I've inherited anything from my mother, it's my continuing love of dishes. She and I both could easily spend hours flouncing through the aisles of Crate & Barrel, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over all the elegant plates and cups. Indeed, aside from food and shoes, my favorite thing to shop for is most definitely tableware.

Fortunately, since starting this blog nearly a year ago, I have the perfect excuse to shop for dishes: "I obviously need this set of bowls; I don't want my readers to get bored!" I recently got the opportunity to satisfy my need for dishware shopping while on a trip to Target. I went in looking for a refill on Zicam, and came out with these:
While melamine plates are not likely to last forever, the price is right ($15 for all 5!). I am hoping that they won't wear too quickly since I do not have a dishwasher to corrode them. I am so psyched to use them all, especially the ChiO-tastic owl plate--I swear, I really am 21 years old, despite my juvenile taste in dishware:)

Well, I could discuss the subtleties of plates and cups forever, but I will now return to the main focus of this blog: the food!

Friday
I ended the evening with a blueberry-banana smoothie. I think half of my enjoyment of this smoothie was from the gorgeous hue alone.
Saturday
Last week at Whole Foods, I made a new discovery. Just as I reached for my usual box of Van's waffles, I noticed this friendly little box nearby:
Whole Foods now makes a house brand of mini waffles, available in original, vanilla, and blueberry varieties. Although they are not whole grain, they are vegan, contain more waffles per box, and cost about a dollar less than my typical brand. Plus, they're just so cute. Anyway, I enjoyed mine waffle-tower style, with Greek yogurt, blackberries, and almonds.
I didn't feel much like cooking or being creative for lunch, so I just made a black bean and spinach wrap with salsa, served with extra greens and an apple with White Chocolate Wonderful PB.
For dinner, I used up some leftovers to make a tofu panini with tomatoes and reduced-fat cheddar. Along with it, I had some green beans, peaches, and a salad with walnuts. Delish.
The shake of the evening included a long-forgotten but fabulous combination: strawberries, banana, and chocolate PB Spirutein. As I've mentioned before, strawberries and peanut butter make for a lovely pairing. That's PB Pows and dairy-free chocolate chips on top.
Sunday
This week's Girl-Scout oats flavor: Thin Mint. To achieve this taste sensation, I first cooked my oats in mint tea, then added special dark cocoa and rice milk. I topped off this bowl of decadence with some chocolate-hazelnut spread. While these oats tasted delicious, I wish the mint flavor had been more pronounced--if only I had some mint extract on hand!
After an intense afternoon of studying, I needed a quick lunch to refuel: bean salad with black beans, edamame, green beans, and homemade agave-mustard dressing. I also had some Corn Thins, a salad with Goddess dressing, and a pluot.
For dinner, I relied on the freezer for inspiration. I made a Chik sammie with some more of those soy nuggets, vegan mayo, and whole grain mustard. On the side, I had mixed veggies and some berries with cashews.
Some of you may recall my summertime obsession with mango and vanilla. I rekindled my love of this combination last night with a mango Nutribody smoothie. Yum.
Monday
One of my (many) impulse buys at Target recently was a container of Laughing Cow spreadable cheese wedges. My family used to buy this stuff in bulk at Sam's Club, we all loved it so much. My taste for it faded for a couple years...until now. I spread it on a whole wheat mini bagel and topped it with raisins and cinnamon. On the side, I had a sliced apple with Cinnamon Raisin Swirl PB. Yum.
I broke with my vegan lunch habit today because I was majorly craving a tuna melt. I made a mock tuna salad out of chickpeas, vegan mayo, lemon juice, and kelp granules. I plopped the mixture on some whole wheat bread, topped it with reduced-fat cheddar and baked it for 10 minutes in the oven. It came out all hot and bubbly:) Along with it, I had a salad with Woodstock dressing and another pluot.
The dining committee is headed to a Mediterranean place for dinner tonight. What's your favorite Mediterranean dish? I'm thinkin' baba ghanouj may be in my future...

Be back soon!

Wintry Wonders

Check out what I found outside my window yesterday morning:
Yes, like any good Southern girl, I whipped out my camera as soon as I realized that the novelty of snow had arrived here in North Carolina. Once I got to campus, I continued my photo shoot at various destinations in the Gothic winter wonderland:
The pristine appearance of the snow has now degraded, however, as the campus is now covered in mounds of icy, gray sludge. OK, I'm ready for spring now.

With all this chilly weather, I've been eating nothing but warm eats (with the exception of my smoothies, of course). Enjoy:

Monday
After my dining meeting (at which we sampled salads from here) I was still hungry for a more substantial evening meal. I combined white beans, green beans, tomato sauce, garlic, and oregano for a tasty Italian skillet dish; that's couscous and applesauce with peanuts on the side.
For my shake, I made another strawberry dream: strawberries, non-dairy ice cream, soymilk, and Nutribody protein.
Tuesday
Although all I wanted to do was to go play in the snow, I first prepared myself a waffle tower breakfast: waffles topped with cinnamon-spiked plain yogurt, blueberries, and almonds.
For lunch, I made a simple tofu salad with my favorite sweet-dill-agave dressing with a few cranberries mixed in. I enjoyed it atop a Rudi's English muffin and served alongside a salad with pecans and a few grapes. After enjoying the day's Inauguration coverage, I settled in for an Indian-inspired meal. I made a curry out of kidney beans, onions, and assorted spices and served it alongside pita bread, green beans, salad with Woodstock dressing, and pineapple.
My smoothie last night was delicious: banana, peaches, soymilk, Nutribody protein, and the last of my ginger granola made for a delectable evening snack.
Wednesday
My morning class was cancelled this morning, so I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast this morning. I devoted this extra time to Banana-Tofu French toast...it never gets old. I topped this batch with cashews and spiced pumpkin. PS Is anyone else as fascinated by Michelle Obama as I am? I really liked this article.
Today's lunch included a Waldorf salad (apple, vegan mayo, almonds, and dried currants) along with a white bean dip and crackers.
I am off to (perhaps) get some work done. What are you up to this evening?

Ciao for now.