Read, Run, Repeat

That's all I do these days: read and run. I suppose a heavy reading load is to be expected for an English/psychology major, but I spend most of my time reading journal articles, Middle English texts, and Faulkner novels. Scintillating, no? Anyway, I've also been rather busy with tutoring these days, so when I'm not reading, I'm running around campus for an appointment, with the occasional run on the treadmill as well. Who else is as psyched for the weekend as I am? I am ready for a little break from my weekday monotony...

Perhaps I should enter this contest for a California getaway: Rena from Seven Daughters Winemakers recently alerted me to a contest in which the prize is a three-day vacation to the Hollywood Hills. To enter, simply visit 7daughters.com and explain why you deserve a rendezvous in L.A. If you're interested in tasting the Seven Daughters' wine, it's available at Whole Foods and Target fro $14.99 per bottle.

I've been keeping my brain and body fueled with some old faves as well as a few new additions. Check 'em out:

Monday
I kept lunch simple with another batch of Goddess garbanzos from ED&BV. Note the abundance of kelp granules:) I spread it on whole wheat and served it with a salad and grapes.
I squeezed in a snack between tutoring appointments and my dining committee meeting: a True Delight bar! Due to my healthy appreciation of anything coconut, I obviously opted for the Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut variety. It was quite chewy and sweet, with a very subtle banana flavor. I love the hunks of macadamia throughout the bar. I washed it all down with a glass of rice milk. Thanks to Foodbuzz for sending me these!
Dinner was no complex affair either: I loaded up at the salad bar with lots of veggies (including artichoke hearts!), then headed back here to make a quick English muffin pizza. I also had a big dish of cantaloupe.
I indulged myself a bit with my shake that evening. I combined Double Fudge Crunch Spirutein, strawberries, and soymilk, then topped it off with a handful of Annie's chocolate bunnies. Yep, food fugue.
Tuesday
It had been far too long since I had had a waffle tower, so clearly it had to be on the menu yesterday morning. Van's waffles with cinnamon-spiked yogurt, chopped kiwi, and cashews.
For lunch, I made some beans 'n greens, which were accompanied by a sweet potato, salad with Woodstock dressing, and grapes. That's cinnamon and nutmeg on the SP.
I am just so excited to have my beloved ED&BV cookbook back that I had to make another Dreena dish last night: Orange Sesame Tofu. I consistently have problems with the sweetness of this dish; sometimes it's super sweet, sometimes it's not sweet enough. Last night's batch was definitely the latter case. Sheesh. I served it alongside whole wheat couscous with peanuts, steamed asparagus and mushrooms, and a big orange.

Last night's smoothie was pretty plain Jane but delicious, nonetheless: peaches, soymilk, Nutribody protein, and granola.

Wednesday
Weather.com informed me this morning that it felt like 19* outside. Hot breakfast it was! I heated up some rice milk and poured it over a bowl of Autumn Wheat, which I reviewed here. I also had a big apple with Mighty Maple PB.
Come tomorrow afternoon, I will be relieved from much of this week's stresses. What's your favorite way to indulge yourself after a hard week?

Off to Faulkner class. Ciao!

Another Food-fest Complete

Hello again! I hope everyone had a tasty and restful Thanksgiving yesterday. (For those of you outside the US, I hope you enjoyed your Thursday as well!). I began the day as tradition would predict: I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade with a mug of hot cider. After a bit of lounging, I got around to a bit of exercise and food preparation, of course. There's nothing like having a day to do exactly what you want to do--in my case, cook a fabulous meal and watch Jon & Kate Plus Eight. How did you all spend your Thursday?

Wednesday
Before turning in, I made a quick smoothie with another one of my favorite fruits: cherries! I combined them with soymilk, hemp protein, and PB granola.

Thursday
I kicked off the day with another round of Banana Blender Cereal. This time I used a new cereal for me, Publix's Toasted Oatmeal Flakes; I also used Brazil nuts for the nutty component. I was really bummed that this didn't turn out as well as I had hoped:(

After a morning of parade-watching, exercising, and cranberry-cooking, I made a quick stir-fry for lunch. I made a sauce out of agave nectar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic and combined it with mango chunks, red bell pepper, mushrooms, tofu, and garlic noodles. Chopped almonds topped it all off, and I served it all alongside a salad with sweet Vidalia dressing that I found in the fridge.

Once mealtime came around, I prepared a last-minute appetizer plate for the crowd: sun-dried tomato hummus with fresh cut veggies and Triscuits with cheese cut-outs.
The big meal consisted of a Quorn Turk'y Roast with vegetarian gravy, salad, cranberry sauce, steamed broccoli, and stuffing. The salad was a random creation of mine, featuring field greens, currants, and walnuts. The cranberry sauce was another one of my contributions. Although I normally sweeten it with agave nectar, I opted for brown sugar last night to appease all the palates present; other components include vanilla and cinnamon stick.

The stuffing presented a challenge this year: my mom always prepares it from a specific mix, but I happened to notice that this particular mix contained trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. Not cool. Instead, I suggested the Whole Foods brand (see below). Mom was nice enough not only to acquiesce to my request but also to prepare it with vegetable broth (instead of chicken) so that I could enjoy some. Thanks, Mom!
A few hours later, my stomach had deflated enough to enjoy some vegan pumpkin pudding that I had prepared earlier in the day. I adapted it from CCV's Apple Pie Pudding. Yummy stuff but still second-best to Mom's (non-vegan) version!

I still made room for my smoothie last night. I combined peaches, cinnamon, soymilk, hemp protein, and PB granola.

Friday

I woke up this morning ready for some shopping. I needed plenty of fuel to help me navigate through the crowds, so I prepared a classic tofu scramble with tahini, soy sauce, ginger, turmeric, mushrooms, and red bell peppers. On the side, I had some toast and a sliced kiwi.

We returned home early enough so that I could watch the Duke-Duquesne game on TV. I enjoyed watching another Duke victory while munching on a Turk'y salad wrap, which was comprised of leftover Turk'y, celery, vegan mayo, walnuts, currants, curry powder, mustard, and agave nectar. SO GOOD. Along with it, I had a salad with Clementine segments…and another Clementine.
I don't often share snacks with you all, but I had an exceptionally tasty afternoon snack today: plain yogurt with stevia, cranberry sauce, and raw almonds. So nutritious and delicious! In the spirit of harvest-time coming to an end, I decided to roast an acorn squash for dinner. I seasoned it with herbes de provence and S+P, then stuffed it with leftover stuffing and topped it off with toasted cashews. To round it out, I had some garlic-spiked spinach and cinnamon-y cottage cheese. Doesn't the squash half look a little bit like a heart?
I am off to enjoy a holiday movie, likely Elf or Home Alone. What's your favorite holiday movie?

I will leave you with a few pictures of our oh-so-elegant table setting:

Be back soon!

Boxers and Brazil Nuts!

My first few days at home have been nothing but relaxing! The first half of the week has been filled with my favorite activities, including breakfast at the Original Pancake House, a trip to Whole Foods, and a quick jaunt through the Christmas section at Target...and that was just Tuesday! Today's schedule consisted of a trip to a dog breeder where we visited my sister's future boxer pup (to be brought home in just two weeks!). On the way home, we also stopped into an Amish bakery, where I loaded up on some truly unique goodies. Check it out:
What you see above: sticky buns, caramel cake, real vanilla extract, honey butter (not actually butter), Amish Style PB, Brazil nuts (for the low price of $3.50/lb!), BBQ seasoning, and paprika.

Here are a few shots of the bread aisle and the entire case filled with pies!
I am most excited about this little gem. I love how the labels say "Praise the Lord."
*Sigh* I love being home.

Anyway, here's what I've been munching on lately.

Monday
After I signed off last time, I was happy to discover one last chocolate soy protein packet, plus an assortment of frozen fruit in the freezer. This tasty mixture featured a frozen banana, blueberries, and almond milk, topped with some chocolate syrup (that promptly sank to the bottom). Delish.
Tuesday
As I mentioned earlier, I had breakfast at the Original Pancake House with my dad and one of his students (hi Josh!). I ordered a big bowl of oatmeal and a side of fruit to which I added some brown sugar. No picture this time.

The afternoon was occupied by grocery shopping and running errands with Mom, so I was famished by the time I sat down to lunch. I found a packet of taco seasoning in the cupboard, so I combined a few teaspoons of that with TVP and diced tomatoes; I placed the mixture atop a bed of mixed greens. I realize it looks like a nice plate of up-chuck, but I swear it tasted good. On the side, I had an apple, tortilla wedges, and some cashew butter.

For dinner, I made a simple recipe that I have been meaning to try for a while: Peanut Butter Noodles. I subscribe to the Vegan a Go Go podcasts on iTunes, and I knew I had to try this recipe when I saw it. I'll use any excuse I can to eat more PB:) I added broccoli and a few shredded carrots for some color and nutrition. I also had a salad and a dish of plain yogurt with ginger, cloves, stevia, cinnamon, nutmeg, and wheat germ for dessert. Yum.
The smoothie last night was the return of an old favorite: mango and hemp!! Unfortunately, using the unflavored hemp instead of the Vanilla Spice made this rendition a little less heavenly. Oh well, the peanut butter granola on top made up for it!
Wednesday
Just before heading out to visit the pups, I made a quick breakfast inspired by Lindsay. I spread whole wheat toast with cinnamon raisin PB and homemade pumpkin butter. I also had two clementines and a dish of plain yogurt with more pumpkin and lots of spices. This made for quite the orange meal! Random side note: Does anyone else share my obsessive need to peel clementines in one piece? (see below)
Upon returning home, I made a quick lunch from pantry staples: sun-dried tomato hummus with mushrooms and tomatoes in a hearty whole wheat pita, a salad with Goddess dressing, plus a sliced kiwi.
I was just itching to use some of my new goodies, so I incorporated a few into my dinner tonight. First, I dredged some tofu slabs in my new BBQ seasoning; I used it like a spice rub. Then, I made a sauce inspired by the BBQ sauce from Veganomicon and smothered the tofu with it. After a few minutes in the oven, I had a delicious meal! I served the tofu alongside a salad with my new Brazil nuts, Brussels sprouts, plus a whole grain English muffin. Yum.
I just finished a sweet treat: an apple with Amish Style PB. I Googled "Amish Style PB," and apparently it consists of marshmallow creme and corn syrup combined with good ol' peanut butter. Not exactly nutritious, but tasty nonetheless.
Lastly, I want to thank Flower for giving me a Butterfly Award! I am so honored that you thought of me for this award. Rather than single-handedly choosing 10 bloggers to whom I can pass on the award, I would like to turn it over to you: who are your favorite bloggers and why?

Another marathon post draws to a close...Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!