Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

In the midst of this miserably rainy day, I cannot help but channel my inner Jack Johnson; I am sitting, waiting and wishing--for spring break. In precisely 15 days, I will be headed for a weekend of fun in DC (where I will dine at Nora and Rock Creek), plus several days of relaxation at home (where I will participate in this 5K). My motivation for schoolwork is waning, but I've still got two tests and a paper separating me from my freedom. Wish me luck in the upcoming weeks!

What are you looking forward to these days?

At least I have my cooking to distract me from the monotony of classes...

Monday
Although the dining committee had intended to dine out at a local Mediterranean place, that plan somehow crumbled. To be honest, I was a bit bummed. Instead, I grabbed a quick salad from the salad bar to which I added my own navy beans. I also made a pesto potato salad, as inspired by Ellie Krieger. I used that pesto in a tube again, and my love for pesto grows each time I use it. Anyone have a good recipe for homemade pesto?
I opted for a classic combo for the smoothie: strawberry-banana. Never fails to satisfy:)
Tuesday
I found myself with a little extra time yesterday morning before class, so I decided banana fingers would be a good breakfast option. I dipped banana in plain yogurt, then rolled it in crushed Peanut Butter Pows cereal. That's Sunbutter on the side--perfect consistency for dipping!
For lunch, I tried out one of my new TJ's finds, Low-Sodium Butternut Squash Soup. This soup tasted notably sweeter than others that I have tried, likely due to the absence of salt. I played up the sweetness factor by adding a dash of cinnamon and handful of pecans. Along with it, I had a grilled hummus sandwich, greens, and peaches.
Last night was pasta night for me. I made a quick puttanesca sauce out of tomato sauce, basil, oregano, minced garlic, ground red pepper, and olives. I added white beans for protein and poured the goodness all over some whole grain angel hair pasta. I had a salad with red bell pepper strips as well.
Last night's smoothie was a new delicious combination for me: strawberry and mango. Let's face it: I'll eat anything with mango in it.
Wednesday
In contrast to yesterday morning, today I was running short on time, so I whipped up a quick Banana Bread Blender. This rendition included frozen banana, GoLean, spelt flakes, soymilk, cinnamon, vanilla, and cashews. I just love this stuff--it's like good-for-you pudding! You're a genius, Katie.
Given the present weather conditions, all I feel like doing now is changing into my H&M lounge pants and red fuzzy slippers. What's your relaxation uniform? Are you a fan of sweats or yoga pants? We all have our individual lounging preferences, I think:)

Enjoy your Wednesday!

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.