"It's Not Unusual"...or Is It?

I had a rather "unusual" event happen today while at the gym. I was groovin' away on the treadmill listening to my iPod and simultaneously watching the Rachael Ray Show (one of my fave programs). Today was a big show in that Rachael had invited a special guest, whom she was beyond excited to host on the program: she had invited her teenage heart-throb, Tom Jones. Just as he appeared on stage, what song begins to play on my iPod? (I'll give you a hint: it's in the title of this post). What are the odds of that?!

Have you had any strange coincidences lately?

Anyway, I am getting ever closer to the end. I turned in my two papers today, and I have my final in approximately 36 hours. Based on my calculations, I can get a 78 on the exam and still pull out an A in the course. Sweet.

I've got some super-cool grub to share today:

Monday
The smoothie of the evening featured peaches, mangoes, soymilk, and Nutribody protein. Excellent.
Tuesday
Remember my past infatuation with Weetabix? It's back, but this time I've tried it in a new way: HOT! I poured some scalding rice milk over a few broken up biscuits, then added some nutmeg and agave nectar on top. So warm, so soggy, so sweet--just the way I like it. On the side I had an apple with almond butter.
For lunch, I attempted to revamp leftover lentil soup by converting it into a shepherd's pie. I cooked the lentil soup with some sliced mushrooms until it reduced down to a stew-like consistency. Then I added some garlicky mashed potatoes with dill on top. If I were more ambitious I would have actually baked it in the oven, but I was too hungry for such nonsense. On the side, I had a spinach salad with pom seeds and pecans.
Dinner was inspired by the Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir-Fry from ED&BV. I used peanuts instead of cashews and changed up the vegetables according to what I had on hand. It was delicious, of course; Dreena never lets me down. I served it alongside some whole grain couscous and an orange.
The shake of the evening was one of my favorite combinations: frozen banana, strawberries, soymilk, chocolate brown rice protein, and special dark cocoa.
Wednesday
I woke up famished today! To fill the void, I decided a protein-y breakfast was best. Scrambled tofu to the rescue! This version featured tahini, soy sauce, ginger, mushrooms, and red onion. I had some toast on the side to soak up the scrambled goodness as well as a sliced apple.
After some intense stat calculation, I broke for a simple lunch. I had a baked potato along with some of Imagine's broccoli soup. I also had some carrots with salsa (a la K) and peaches with pecans and cinnamon. I ended up spooning some of the soup on top of the potato, which ended up being quite a delicious idea.
Hummus pizza was on the menu tonight. I split a pita and smeared each half with a good dose of hummus, then topped them with mushrooms, tomato, basil, oregano, and a few tablespoons of pine nuts. Everything got nice and toasty in the oven. On the side, I had a spinach salad with pom seeds and my homemade lemony sweet dill dressing.
Before I go, I have a quick question for you all: What's your favorite time of day to exercise? My roommate and I discuss this topic a lot, weighing the pros and cons of morning versus evening. I am a morning gal myself, but I was just curious as to what your preferences were and why.

Next time I post, I will be HOME!

Toodles.

Wal-Mart Gourmet

If there's one thing I've learned over my past few weekends at the lake, it's that you can eat healthfully, no matter where you are. Unfortunately, I sometimes participate in food snobbery: I eschew trips to the regular grocery stores for jaunts to Whole Foods; I scoff at rural Alabama's culinary tastes. I know, shame on me. This past weekend at the lake, I was able to create perfectly delicious and nutritious fare with a few simple items purchased at the local Super Wal-Mart. Granted, you won't find tofu or soy yogurt at this low-cost destination, but you will find fresh produce, whole grain breads, natural peanut butter, and organic dairy. You might even save a few bucks in the process. While I don't agree with everything that the Wal-Mart corporation represents, I do think they are trying to provide their customers with more healthful options.

OK, now that my musings on food snobbery have ceased, I'll continue onto the fruits of my 'Wally World" excursion.

Saturday
Much to the shock of my housemates, I made a breakfast of scrambled tofu. "You mean you eat soy sauce, tofu, and peanut butter for breakfast?" "I promise, it's really good!" And this scramble truly was delectable: tofu (the shelf-stable kind--I brought it from home), soy sauce, mushrooms, and PB (no tahini at Wal-Mart). I also had a big, shiny apple.

I made myself a big lunch, but when I sat down to eat it, I wasn't all that hungry. Nonetheless, I managed to polish it off eventually. I stuffed refried beans into two whole wheat tortillas, and along with it I had fresh watermelon, a side salad, and some almonds (purchased from the baking aisle!).
For dinner, my sister and her husband prepared hamburgers and hot dogs, Stouffer's macaroni and cheese, and some other traditional cookout foods. I tried to blend in with a Publix brand veggie burger on a wheat bun (I later added LOTS of onions, pickles, and ketchup), some steamed squash, a peach, and a handful of walnuts.
Later that night, my sweet tooth struck, and I needed some calcium...so I made chocolate soymilk! I shook up 12 oz. of plain soymilk (bought at Wal-Mart!) with some chocolate syrup. Not as healthy as my usual cocoa powder/stevia combo, but delicious, nonetheless. I also had a big bowl of snack mix: Fiber One, Honey Nut Cheerios, and a few dried cherries. This big snack cause a bit of a sugar overload! It sustained me through late-night Sex and the City watching with my sisters:)
Sunday
I made my (almost) weekly batch of banana pancakes yesterday morning. I had never used the lake house's griddle before, so I was a little surprised at how hot it gets! My pancakes burned a bit, but they still tasted good--the charring just added a bit of that "creme brulee" flavor. I used the only whole grain flour available at Wal-Mart: Hodgson Mill Graham Flour. (FYI Graham flour is another name for whole wheat flour). It seemed to work just fine! I drizzled it with some pure maple syrup (another surprising Wal-Mart find).
Before heading out the door to return to reality, I made a quick Mexican salad: lettuce, leftover refried beans, onions, mushrooms, and salsa. I also had a bowl of watermelon, a handful of peanuts, and a few crackers.
I went to Whole Foods yesterday after returning to Birmingham, and I picked up some whole grain graham crackers. I tried them with some almond milk. Tasty, but definitely nothing like the Nabisco variety.
For dinner I put together a dish inspired by the Ashram Recipe Book. I used some of those lentils and rice from last week and added lots of spices (including garam masala that I purchased at Whole Foods). It was a wonderful dish. In addition, I made Dreena's Creamy Cashew Dip for my strawberries. I think I found a new favorite food--this stuff tastes like a healthy version of those iced animal cookies I used to eat as a kid (remember the ones that came in a hot pink bag??) I also added some much needed veggies.
For my smoothie last night, I combined peach Spirutein, frozen peaches, soymilk, and lots of granola/granola plank. Tasty.
Monday
I went to the funeral of a family friend this morning, so I needed a quick breakfast: GoLean with almond milk and lots of flax. I also had some watermelon.
I've been having an intense craving for Waldorf Salad lately, so I picked out a recipe from Vegetarian Express (see sidebar). This dish included apples, raisins, and walnuts; I substituted soy-based mayonnaise for a vegan version of the recipe. I also topped some greens with Cranberry and Stuffing Tofurky and balsamic vinegar; crackers added some necessary starch.
I've also been craving taco meat lately--thus the inspiration for my dinner: TVP with cumin, chili powder, garlic, oregano, and paprika. I stuffed it inside some corn tortillas with mashed avocado, organic cheddar, and salsa. Broccoli, a side salad, and a peach balanced it all out.
OK, now I am off to relax--no tests this week! Perhaps I will waste some time on Amazon...Ciao for now.

Cookbook Burnout

I do this quite often: I get really excited about something (an author, a new gadget, a favorite food, etc.), and I become so involved in the novelty that I soon grow tired of it. That is exactly what has happened in the past week or so. Initially upon my return from school, I was so excited to have access to a kitchen and to use my new cookbooks, but I now am a bit "burned-out" on them. While I still plan to use ED&BV, V-con, and The Chicago Diner Cookbook, I think I will give them some shelf time. As a result of my intense recipe endeavors, I haven't gotten a chance beckon my culinary creativity lately, which is something I enjoy immensely. Sooo, starting tonight, my cooking will be more free-style; often cooking without borders yields the best results:)

Rewind to earlier in the week: recipe madness was still gripping my soul, so many of the pictures below are from the aforementioned cookbooks. This will be a long post, so brace yourselves...

Monday
Remember how I mentioned that I was going to give Dreena's Blackened Tofu a try? Well, I did just that, and I really enjoyed it! One minor drawback is that I didn't mix the seasoning well enough, so I had one bite with a lot of cayenne pepper in it. Yikes! I enjoyed my tofu with some steamed brussels sprouts (with garlic) and whole wheat couscous.

For snackage on Monday, I made a good ol' peanut butter sandwich and washed it down with a tall glass of almond milk. I used my PB & Co. Cinnamon Raisin peanut butter on some of my parents' weirdo bread. The package says that it's whole grain, but it's also labeled "sugar-free." I didn't know bread was a big source of sugar, although many brands do seem to include high fructose corn syrup in their recipes. Anyway, this would have been much better on "my" kind of bread. That evening's shake was of the cookies 'n cream variety. Nonfat plain yogurt, vanilla Spirutein, and O'Coco's Chocolate Crisps made this magical treat. I just now realized that all the ingredients are organic too!

Tuesday

My Magic Bullet has been getting some good exercise lately, because the next morning I had another smoothie. This time I used frozen blueberries, almond milk, and a touch of agave nectar. I also had half of a whole grain English muffin.

When deciding what to make for lunch yesterday, I knew two things: 1) I had a bunch of leftover navy beans and 2) my mushrooms were about to go bad. I pored over V-con for some recipe combining the two and finally came across Tuscan White Beans with Mushrooms--works for me! I really used this recipe more as inspiration than as a set of instructions because I didn't have the time or all the ingredients required; plus I don't like tarragon, which is called for in the recipe. I also had some Kavli crispbreads, a perfectly ripe red pear, and organic greens with walnuts.
Last night's dinner was from The Chicago Diner Cookbook (I told you I went insane!). I made the Thai Broccoli Stir Fry. This dish was one of the more labor intensive dinner recipes I have tried in recent history; it required marinating tofu, baking it, preparing a peanut sauce, plus cooking the vegetables. Sheesh. I was pooped by the time I sat down to dinner. Fortunately, the resultant flavors made all that hard work worthwhile. I am officially addicted to any and all peanut sauce. Simple as that. I had a big grapefruit on the side.
My evening shake last night was banana flavored: Spirutein, frozen banana, soy milk, and a few Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips for garnish. This was yummy, but I might add a few chocolate chips into the mix next time--I love my chocolate!

Wednesday

This morning I found some unopened whole wheat pancake mix in the pantry. I didn't really follow the directions (which called for oil, eggs, and milk) and instead used almond milk and some ground flax + water. They still turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. I enjoyed them with some homemade pumpkin butter, sliced organic strawberries, and just a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

Lunch today was something that I have been craving for a while: a bologna sandwich! For practically my entire childhood, I packed myself a (low-fat) bologna sandwich on white bread (eek!) with pickles, mayo, and mustard. I made myself a more healthful version today with Smart Deli meatless bologna, Nayonaise, mustard, lettuce, and whole grain bread. YUM! It took me right back to my brown-baggin' days. I also had a juicy red pear and some raw almonds.
After a long day of wedding-related activities, I returned home famished! I grabbed the first things that came into my field of vision: a banana and a jar of peanut butter! I washed it down with a glass of almond milk.
Tonight was breakfast for dinner in our household. My mom was making waffles, but since I had pancakes for breakfast I opted to make a tofu scramble again. Adding turmeric to the mix really does make it look like eggs! I toasted up a Rudi's whole grain & flax English muffin, and I had some low-sodium V8 since I realized I am low on veggies today!
Whew! That was a lot of ground to cover. I have a quick question for you all: I realized today that I have subconsciously collected quite a few packages of tortillas, flatbreads, and wraps, so I need ways to use them before they go bad. What are your favorite ways to use tortillas and wraps? Thanks in advance! Ciao for now.