Just Call Me Aunt Bethany

"I should say hello?"
"Hello everybody!"

Can you guess from which Christmas movie I selected that quote?

Just as Aunt Bethany would, I am dropping in to say hello to everybody...I have been diligently working on my paper that is due on Wednesday. Classes have ended for the semester, so the only things that separate me from Winter Break is this paper and a stats exam on Friday. Woohoo! I wish all you students out there the best of luck during finals week!

Anyway, I better get to it, if I want to be able to take a study break to watch the basketball game later today. Here's a glance at my grub:

Wednesday
Just before the Rockefeller Christmas special came on, I decided to whip up a quick dinner to enjoy while watching all the performances. I was craving cashew-ginger tofu from ED&BV (my favorite comfort food) but realized I had already eaten tofu for lunch, plus I didn't have any cashew butter. So, I improvised and made peanut ginger veggies. I had some couscous and pineapple with wheat germ on the side. Hit the spot!
The smoothie of the evening was fabulous--peach and banana with Nutribody protein and soymilk.
Thursday
I woke up for my last day of classes (on time!) and made an Apple Pie Parfait. I alternated layers of plain yogurt, applesauce, and spelt flakes, then topped it off with wheat germ and almond butter.
For lunch I made a quick mock tuna salad wrap with chickpeas, vegan mayo, a dash of mustard, kelp granules, and some lemon zest. In case you can't tell, I am really into zesting things lately. Check out my spiffy microplane. It's great for finely grating cheese/soy cheese as well. I also had a salad with peanuts and more pineapple.
After lunch, I baked a loaf of pumpkin bread for a sorority study break. Here's what it looked like, fresh out of the oven. The smell of baking pumpkin bread always makes me think of my mom--she used to bake triple batches of the stuff so that my sisters and I could give loaves to our teachers. Do you have any special food memories to share?
For dinner, I went out with the dining committee to an Italian restaurant in Raleigh called Vic's. It was family-style dining, so I chose a little of this and a little of that: Kalamata olives, caprese salad, fresh rolls, an eggplant roll up with ricotta cheese, and some sauteed vegetables. I also had quite a few glasses of wine...perhaps too many. It was a great way to spend the evening! Sorry, no pictures.

Friday
I had a little bit of silken tofu in the fridge just begging to be made into vegan French toast...so you can guess what I had for breakfast...Tofu-Banana French Toast. This time I topped it with banana slices and a few dollops of PB, kind of like a more complex banana-PB sandwich.
After my last trip of the semester to Whole Foods (the Durham location, that is!), I came home and made some coconut black beans. I was so excited to use the coconut milk that I picked up at the store, I couldn't wait to use it. I combined black beans, mango, cumin, garlic, red onion, and coconut milk and served the mixture alongside a pita and a salad with Woodstock dressing.
I was a lame-o last night and worked on my paper. After a little Frosty the Snowman action on ABC family, I decided to make a simple supper: hummus-salsa sammie, zucchini, spinach salad, and an apple with almond butter.
Well, I should get back to work. Ciao for now...be back soon!

Settling In

For the past few days, I have been busy setting up my apartment and preparing for another semester of classes. I'm sure it won't surprise you that my roommate and I fixed up the kitchen, first thing. We both love our food (and cute dishes)! I love my postage-stamp sized kitchen--I just wish it had better lighting! As a result of the poor window placement, my food pictures might be a little blah until I can figure something else out...

Anyway, I have quite a few pics to share today, so I better get started if I want to finish before Jon and Kate Plus Eight comes on!

Saturday
On our first morning in our new abode, my roommate's mother was nice enough to offer to take us to the Durham Farmers' Market. As you might expect, I jumped at the chance! Before we left, I made a quick bowl of Corn Bran cereal with TJ's AntiOXidant trail mix, sliced banana, and soymilk. Remember when the farmers' market came to campus? Well, the actual farmers' market was even better! I loved seeing all the Durham locals selling their vegetables and crafts, plus I met a few cute pooches as well:) I left the market with a sack full of Pink Lady tomatoes and some green and purple bell peppers. Look for them in later meals...
I came back from the market and snacked on this before my run:
After a workout and a trip to Whole Foods, I returned to the apartment famished. I heated up my leftover veggie burger from Ruby Tuesday and dipped it in some organic Heinz. I also had a spinach salad and an apple with cashew butter.
I figured I should use my food points at least once per day, so my roommate and I headed to campus for dinner. It's the return of the Crunchy Broccoli Salad. Unfortunately, this was a rather pathetic example of this favorite salad of mine--not nearly enough walnuts or crunch. Boo. I added my own kidney beans though.
I made my first apartment smoothie! After a few minutes of fiddling with the MB, I finally got it to work in the new location. This one had frozen blueberries, soymilk, and my usual Nutiva HempShake with a granola on top.
Sunday
I had a leisurely bowl of oats before Chapel: banana oats with Brazilnut butter and pumpkin flax granola. Perfection.
I kept it simple for lunch--hummus sammie with tomato, spinach salad, and almonds.
My sweet tooth beckoned mid-afternoon. A Clif Z bar seemed to do the trick. No wonder people love these things!
I was in an experimental mood for dinner, so I made a new version of tofu salad. Shockingly enough, I didn't use any Grey Poupon in this one. Instead, I combine the tofu with cashew butter, ginger, garlic, and chopped purple bell pepper. I stuffed it into a pita and served it alongside broccoli and plain yogurt with wheat germ.
Apartment smoothie, round 2: strawberries, soymilk, HempShake, and granola.
Monday
I was a little anxious this morning due to the start of classes--I always have the feeling that I am going to be late, or I won't be able to find the classroom or something; you'd think I would be over that by now. Anyway, I wanted something comforting as a result of my unease--PB&J! Technically, this was cashew butter and blackberry jam on toast, along with plain yogurt (sprinkled with cinnamon). Note the return of the animal cups!
After my morning classes, I wanted to head straight to the gym (since it's all on the same campus). I didn't want to eat lunch beforehand, however, so I munched on an apple and a baggie of Corn Bran as a pre-workout snack. Once at the gym, I ran about 4 miles on the track and cooled down on the stationary bike for 20 minutes.
For lunch, I hit up the salad bar--lots of veggies with chickpeas and sunflower seeds.
Dinner was another tofu salad concoction: tofu with Annie's Goddess dressing, Bragg's, and a little basil. Spinach, sliced tomato, fresh blueberries, and a baked sweet potato finished it off. No shortage of phytochemicals in this meal!
Whew! Congratualations if you're still reading. FYI, you might have noticed that I featured a lot of new products in this post. I'll be reviewing them in the near future for one of my "feature" posts. Ciao for now.