Sweatin' Like a Man

Typically, I am not a sweaty girl. Rather, I merely get "dew-faced." I've never had to deal with pit-stains; it's not a big deal if I happen to forget to apply deodorant. Then today happened.

I went to the gym this morning in my yoga pants and T-shirt, as per usual, and remarked to myself, "Geez, it's a little hot out herr." Then I went on my merry way. After my workout, I looked down only to discover that I had oh-so-attractive sweat spots all over my body--the pits, the neck, the back. Eww. Fortunately, I had brought my Puma jacket so I was able to hide the evidence on my walk back to the apartment. Lesson learned: March means it is time to retire the winter gym-wear.

On another note, thanks for all your comments on Wednesday's posts. Rather than endeavor on a potentially restrictive "crap-free week," I am merely going to be more aware of my sugar and sodium intakes for a while--no counting, just focusing on more whole foods. Besides, you know I could never give up my daily Z bar!

Keep those alphabet oatmeal ideas coming! I foresee "I" and "U" being challenges as well...

Now, here's what I've been nibbling as of late:

Wednesday
I had another campus eatery to evaluate for the dining committee--Subway. Call me picky, but I think it's a little absurd not to have a whole grain option for sandwiches. Yes, they have "wheat" and "multigrain," but neither of which is truly whole grain. Thus, I had to make do with a Veggie Delight salad. I didn't even get any apple dippers--the guy in front of me snatched the last pouch. Hmph. Anyway, I returned to my apartment to add a little sustenance to the meal: guacamole and sliced Tofurky, along with a whole grain bagel and an apple.
Snack-time! I had to collect some data for my research methods class, so I brought along a Cherry Pomegranate Nectar bar. It was quite cherry-licious...add another Clif product to my favorites list:) Are you all enjoying the posting of my snacks? I have found that it's motivating me to be more creative with my afternoon noshing.
For dinner, I just made a big pasta salad with whole grain wagon wheel pasta (Hodgson Mill), chickpeas, cucumbers, carrots, celery, steamed broccoli, reduced-fat cheddar, and balsamic vinaigrette. I had a bowl of peaches on the side.
The shake of the evening is a bit of a mystery...I don't quite recall what I put in it. I know raspberries and dark chocolate were involved. That's my Choco-Cherry granola on top.
Thursday
The next installment for Chobani Week: Strawberry Walnut Parfait! Strawberry Chobani, FRESH strawberries, TJ's High Fiber Cereal, and walnuts. Fabulous.
I had to hurry to meet a professor, so I kept lunch fuss-free. I put the rest of my roasted red pepper hummus in a wrap along with some guacamole--it achieved quite a tie-dye effect. On the side, I had a spinach salad and fresh cantaloupe which I cut up all by myself--a first for me. Yes, I am a big girl now.
Snack-time featured some of those Cinnamon Graham Sticks with applesauce and almonds...and a side of Faulkner;)
For dinner, I made my all-time fave comfort meal: Cashew Ginger Tofu. I swear, I could drink that sauce straight...cashew ginger milkshake, anyone? I had some awesome veggies and whole grain couscous on the side.
The shake last night included chocolate rice protein, dark cocoa, soymilk, TWO bananas, and raspberries.
Friday
Breakfast was heavenly today: Tofu-Banana French Toast, another old fave of mine. The best part was the topping: I combined almond butter with that agave-maple syrup--fantastic!
Whole Foods haul:

Highlights: coconut water, Flax & Fig Waffles, tempeh bacon, and Rachel's cottage cheese. Oh, how I do love grocery shopping.
I had another wrapped-up lunch: Goddess Garbanzos in a veggie-wheat wrap, salad, and a chopped pear with wheat germ.
I just finished up today's snack, which featured Crispy Green fruit: freeze-dried bananas! I received these samples so that I would review them for VegFamily...they will get a positive review, methinks. I enjoyed them mixed into plain Greek yogurt with Dark Chocolate Dreams PB.
Reminders!
-Erin is generously sharing her Newman's Own bounty. Enter by March 28th!
-Jenna from Eat, Live, Run is putting together a blogger dessert cookbook! Contribute your recipe to HelpJennaRun@gmail.com by April 1st at 5PM.

Alright, Alanna (future roomie!) is coming over in a bit for some What Not to Wear and toenail-painting action. Later!

Healthy Habits: The Perfect Parfait

Let me tell you a story. About 7 years ago, while on vacation in the fabulous town of Las Vegas, I ordered something called a "Breakfast Parfait" for breakfast one morning. Being the then-unadventurous eater that I was, my breakfast options had previously been limited to Honey Nut Cheerios and Eggo Waffles. Thus, this "breakfast parfait" was a major departure from my habitual morning meal. When it arrived, I was delighted by the eye-catching layers of yogurt, granola, and fruit. I liked it so much, I ordered it again the next morning. I completely forgot about that divine breakfast treat until many years later, when I had been bitten by the cooking bug. Inspired to assemble something more elaborate than toast or cereal, I determined to re-create that breakfast treat. Little did I know that I would soon develop a new culinary obsession.

Breakfast parfaits have it all: they're versatile, nutritious, and beautiful:
-You can adapt any parfait to suit your taste preferences; there are no real rules about what must go into a breakfast parfait.
-If you choose relatively healthful components (i.e., low-fat or non-fat yogurt, plenty of fruit, and whole grains), then a breakfast parfait is a healthy addition to any diet.
-Be sure to choose a pretty glass in which to place your ingredients. Half the fun of eating a parfait is the presentation!

I've had much practice in making parfaits over the years (almost as much expertise as I have in smoothie making), so here are a few guidelines I've created to ensure a maximally enjoyable parfait experience:
*Choose a grain component. I like whole grain cereals such as Fiber One, raisin bran, and Kashi GoLean. Other grain options include VitaTops, homemade whole grain muffins (crumbled), or other baked goods.
*Choose a fruit. There are no real limits here. Go with your favorite...or even a combination of several.
*Choose a wet ingredient. Mine is almost always yogurt, but I have been known to include applesauce or pumpkin as well. Most often I use plain yogurt, but feel free to include flavored yogurts as well--just keep an eye on that sugar count.
*You may like to sprinkle an optional topping as a final flourish. I typically place a dollop of nut butter, a few chopped nuts, wheat germ, or granola for texture and taste.
*Pay attention to the order in which you layer your ingredients. I happen to enjoy soggy textures, so I like to layer in the following order: grain, yogurt, fruit--repeat! That way the muffins or cereal soak up the flavor of the yogurt, creating a texture not unlike a trifle. Feel free to change up the sequence as you please.

I have made MANY breakfast parfaits on this blog, but here is a mere sampling:

For a complete list of all my parfait posts, click here. If you have any questions about any of the ingredients in any of my creations, just shoot me an email!

Happy parfait-making!

Talk to Me

After reading a recent post by Lindsay in which she asked her readers how they preferred to be contacted, I got to thinking that maybe I should do the same. Many of you may not know it, but I respond to each of your comments individually in the comments section of each post. I do this because I want to emphasize how much I appreciate each and every comment/question I receive. However, I fear that many of you never even see my responses. SO...I want to know: how would you prefer I respond to your comments? Should I continue leaving mammoth response comments in my posts, or would you prefer that I send you an e-mail? If it's the latter, you'll have to be sure to leave me your e-mail address.

Now, with all logistics aside, I have some fun dishes to share with you today. I am loving all this leisure time to cook as I please!

Monday
After being prompted to choose my absolute favorite Spirutein flavor by my friend K, I bestowed the honor on the Blueberries N Cream flavor. Accordingly, I made a smoothie with it that night: blueberries, said Spirutein, and soymilk topped with TRUWhip (a natural alternative to Cool Whip), and cashew ginger granola. Dee-lish. I think I have outgrown my liking for whipped topping though--I much prefer the crunch of granola these days.
Tuesday
After a very sweaty run outside in ~80* temperatures, I needed a cool and refreshing breakfast...so I had a breakfast parfait. This one featured Graham Bumpers, Cherry Almond Butter (from VeggieGirl!), dried cherries, and Greek yogurt. I cannot wait for cherry season!
For lunch I wanted another excuse to use my hand blender, so I decided on a soup recipe from Totally Vegetarian, Creamy Cauliflower Soup. The name of the dish is a slight misnomer,as there is no milk or soymilk in the recipe--the creaminess comes from the blended potato! This was a super simple recipe and delicious to boot. I enjoyed it with the rest of my pumpkin hummus, raw veggies, and a few clementines. Perf.
Although I don't normally include pics of my snacks, I thought this one was blog-worthy: Rachel's Cucumber Dill Cottage Cheese. I picked it up at WF the other day on a whim, and I am SO glad that I did. Its flavor was quite reminiscent of tsasiki dip, one of my favorite condiments these days. For those of you counting your sugar grams (Jenn!), these have 75% less sugar than conventionally sweetened yogurts.
I whipped up another dish from Totally Vegetarian for dinner: Pasta with Red Onion, Radicchio, Fakin' Bacon, and Edamame. I love all the colors in this meal! The green and purples are quite eye-catching, no? Unfortunately, this dish didn't have enough flavor for me. Next time I might add some pesto or something. That's a dish of peaches and a salad with Woodstock dressing on the accompanying plate.
Yesterday afternoon, I received a Facebook message from VeggieGirl with a suggestion for a shake recipe. After saving it in my recipe file, I decided to try something similar for my evening treat (I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so I was unable to follow the recipe exactly). I blended strawberries, soymilk, unsweetened vanilla Spirutein, and a couple spoonfuls of PB2. Fabulous! I really recommend the PB-strawberry combo. As soon as I get some hemp milk and vanilla rice powder, I'll try VG's precise recipe:)
Wednesday
After much indecision over what to have for breakfast, I remembered Jenn's recipe for PB2 icing. I topped my toast with a good dose of the icing and served it with a combo of Greek yogurt, pumpkin, and almonds, plus a few clementines on the side.
My lunch today was again inspired by an Everyday Dish podcast. I made the Ginger Peanut Tofu Salad. It turned out pretty well--it tasted a lot like my Peanut Butter Noodles, just in tofu form. Oddly enough, I realized that I had forgotten to add the agave nectar--how unlike me to forget sweetener! Anyway, it tasted yummy just the same. I served the salad with some flax crackers, "carnival" cauliflower, and pineapple.
I didn't get much of a chance to plan dinner tonight, so when I finally returned home, I just slapped together the first thing that came to mind: whole wheat hamburger bun with broccoli, provolone, and sun dried tomatoes, plus a salad with Goddess dressing and an apple. I scarfed this down WAY too fast.
Before I go, I'll let you know about a few giveaways going on:
-Emily from Health Nut is giving away a supah-cute meal planner. Enter to win by March 13 at midnight!
-Jenn from Eating Bender is giving away a few Quaker goodies that I *really* covet. Enter my March 13 at 1 PM CST.

That's all for tonight--be back on Friday!