The After-Christmas Gift Fairy

It's a running joke in my family that Christmas never really ends after December 25th. Allow me to explain:

My mother is an expert gift hider as a result of my sister's continued attempts over the years to find and peek at her Christmas gifts. In fact, my mother's hiding skills are so advanced, she often manages to hide them from even herself. Thus, in the days and weeks following Christmas Day, Mom bestows presents as she incidentally finds them throughout the house. Thus far, I have received a green sweater as well as a gray dress and a purple turtleneck.

In addition to my mother's after-Christmas gifts, I also received a few presents in the mail today from fellow food bloggers. My Secret Santa package arrived from Sarah. Judging by the plentiful Z bars, Spirutein packets, and Kashi products, Sarah has got my taste preferences pegged:) Thanks so much, Sarah!
I also found a package from Futter's Nut Butters on my doorstep this afternoon. Inside I found a lovely gift basket from VeggieGirl! I am super-psyched about trying these almond butters. Thank you, VeggieGirl!
I spent my weekend catching up with friends and relaxing, but I managed to create a few tasty dishes along the way:

Friday
I busted out my fave cookbook, ED&BV for dinner Friday. White Bean-Walnut Bruschetta was on the menu for the evening, but I didn't have any bread (!), so I improvised with an Ezekiel pita. I also had broccoli and a salad with pom seeds.
My love of cherries continues to plague my tastebuds with a vengeance. Yep. It's another cherry Spirutein smoothie. Delicious, as always.
Saturday
I went out to breakfast with "the girls" at Original Pancake House on Saturday morning. My mom, sisters, and I met up with some family friends for a morning of chit-chat and pancakes. Since cutting eggs out of my diet, the OPH has limited menu options for me, but I am always happy to order their phenomenal oatmeal. Somehow, oatmeal prepared in restaurants and hotels achieves a wonderful glue-y consistency I can never re-create at home. Anyway, since I have ordered this before, I didn't bring my camera along. Check out pics of other OPH visits here.

We spent the afternoon shopping the post-Christmas sales but returned home empty-handed...and hungry. I made a simple Tofurky-Peach-Walnut Roll Up with vegan mayo; I also had a salad with dried cherries and an assortment of crudites. Recipe for the roll-up is from Rudi's here.
I've had an acorn squash staring at me on my counter for the past few weeks, so I finally put it to good use by creating a squash-kale saute with navy beans and herbs de provence. I also had salad, broccoli, plus an apple with PB for dessert.
The shake of the evening was a chocolate-covered strawberry, in liquid form: strawberries, soymilk, unsweetened chocolate Spirutein, and chocolate syrup.
Sunday
Before heading to church, I gobbled down some overnight oats, topped with Brazil nuts and chopped dates. The travel section made for excellent reading:)
I reunited with an elementary/middle school friend at Starbucks for the afternoon. I am so glad we re-connected--we still are very compatible! Anyway, as a result of our lengthy chat, I didn't eat lunch until 3:30. I scarfed down a taco salad with chili beans, a snack pack of guac, salsa, and corn tortillas; thats a dish of clementines and pom seeds on the side.
In an attempt to use up more of that squash, I made a leftover vegetable casserole with squash, kale, navy beans, low-sodium V8, and a topping made up of bread crumbs and ground walnuts. Delish.
I had another chocolate-covered strawberry shake last night, this time using hemp protein instead of Spirutein. Yummers.
Monday
Following an intense and chilly run this morning, I fired up the griddle and made some vegan banana pancakes. I spread them with chocolate PB--just like chocolate chip pancakes! Check out my awesome winter spatula and my uber-girly polka-dot plates.
Due to a busy day of errands with my dad, I didn't get a chance to eat lunch until nearly 5! Needless to say, I was rather famished. Here's what I gobbled up: black bean burger (from frozen) on whole wheat with guacamole, squash fries with organic catsup, and a clementine with grapes.
I just hopped out of the shower before typing up this post. I used my favorite shower gel ever, Child. I reluctantly retired my Candy Cane body wash (by Philosophy) for the year:( What kind of shower gels do you use?

Ciao for now!

Stocked Pantry Satisfaction

Today has been yet another full day, despite my not having classes. How does that happen?! The day's schedule included a workout, banana pancakes (!), Whole Foods trip, tutoring, Target trip, laundry...and other such wildly adventurous activities.

I got it all done though, so now I am left with a feeling of accomplishment, combined with a feeling of satisfaction--with 2 grocery runs today, my pantry is pretty well-stocked. I scored some good produce, Sunbutter, and organic yogurt at Whole Foods, while I loaded up on frozen fruits/veggies, canned beans, and a few odds and ends at Target. I am such a foodie/dork--new groceries excite me so to no end.

Despite my collegiate chaos, I have managed to churn out a few interesting dishes these past few days...

Wednesday
I finally got a chance to try VeggieGirl's smoothie recipe! For months now, I have been meaning to experiment with her favorite comination: banana, berries, hemp protein, and spinach. I didn't have any hemp milk on hand (as her version requires), but I think the soymilk served as an adequate substitute. This was my first time adding spinach to a smoothie, and I think I'll continue adding it in the future--it adds lots of nutrition without any difference in taste. Plus, you get cool green flecks throughout the beverage. Sweet. Thursday
Breakfast yesterday was pretty simple, but it included lots of my favorites: butternut squash and almond butter (although not together). On whole wheat toast, I spread the last of my almond butter (a tragic event, as I am too poor to replenish my supply). I also combined a container of plain yogurt with butternut squash, cinnamon, and stevia--this was by far the best part of this breakfast! A juicy peach made for a nice end to the fiberful feast. Pre-run snack was just a simple chocolate chip Clif bar. Tasty and effective, as always. For lunch, I got creative with the most recent secret ingredient, apples. I decided on a vegan tempeh apple sandwich, an idea inspired by a recipe from Whole Foods Market (I am a loyal subscriber and reader of their newsletter). I didn't use the oven as the recipe suggests, but rather used the stovetop for convenience and speed. I *might* have forgotten about the apples simmering, thus their slightly charred appearance. Anyway, that's agave mustard on the bread beneath the apples and tempeh. I was doubly ambitious in the kitchen yesterday, as I tried a Baked Eggplant Moussaka from the Imagine Soups website. Clearly, I didn't follow the recipe precisely, as I did not have all of the ingredients on hand, so I just ended up with a layered vegetable casserole dish. On the side, I had some couscous, salad with kidney beans, and kefir with peanuts. An odd combination, but tasty nonetheless. I discovered yet another tasty flavor duo for my smoothie last night: strawberries and peaches. It was a discovery out of necessity rather than experimentation in that I didn't have much frozen fruit left. The texture on this concoction was perfection, likely due to a greater proportion of fruit. I used the Nutiva Berry Pomegranate hemp for this one. Friday
After a workout at the gym this morning, I treated myself to a batch of banana-chocolate chip pancakes, using the Sweet Eats recipe as a guide. I don't think there are many dishes that can match the euphoria of banana-chocolate chip pancakes. So sweet. So indulgent. So YUM. Before heading out to an afternoon of tutoring appointments, I made a basic TLT: Tempeh Lettuce Tomato (wrap). I cooked the last of my tempeh in Bragg's and garlic, then rolled it into a whole wheat tortilla with lettuce, tomato, vegan mayo and mustard. I served it alongside a salad and a sliced Rome apple (a new Whole Foods purchase).

Following the Target run, I was hungry and not in the mood for a laborious recipe...so leftovers it was! I combined Annie's Mac & Cheese (whole grain, organic) with broccoli and garlic. I also had a basic salad with peanuts for crunch.
Well, I am off to relax with Kristen and catch up on What Not to Wear episodes. G'night all.