Drowning in Food Points

Although living in an on-campus apartment is quite convenient, it does have one major drawback: I must purchase a dining plan. As you may have noticed, I haven't been patronizing the university's eateries with quite the same regularity as last year, when I lived in a dormitory setting. The combination of having access to a full kitchen and simply becoming bored with the eateries' offerings, I prefer to prepare meals at home most of the time (with the occasional purchase at the mediocre salad bar). While I am able to use my dining plan at the on-campus grocery store for canned beans, Amy's burritos, and $6 boxes of cereal, it never seems to diminish my never-ending supply of dining funds. The result of this lack of on-campus spending translates into a major food points surplus--due to last semester's excess points and my moderate spending habits this semester, I have to spend $1300 before April 28th. Yikes! If only I were able to use food points at Whole Foods...Anyone else have experience with this?

Alright, now that I have my dining dilemma off my chest, we can proceed to the eats:

Monday
After class, I was surprised to find myself with extra time--now that my tutoring appointments have ended (for now), I don't have to rush around so much. I took advantage of the extra time by preparing some homemade bean stew: pinto beans, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, garlic, tomato sauce, and curry powder made for a tasty dish. (I made a similar soup here). Toast and applesauce with cashews rounded it all out.
As per usual, I had my dining committee meeting on Monday night. Afterward, I was pretty hangry so, I grabbed a salad from the salad bar, then came home to prepare some killer accompaniments. I heated up some of TJ's chickenless nuggets and baked up a quick batch of sweet potato fries. Served up with plenty of organic ketchup, this meal was pretty awesome. That's Woodstock dressing on the salad.
I decided that I have been neglecting my beloved Nutribody protein for far too long, so I made a simple strawberry-blueberry smoothie with it. Yum.
Tuesday
Due to the rapid rise in temperatures, I decided that I could start having smoothies for breakfast again. Yes, I know--it's an addiction. Anyway, this one included peaches, banana, and rice milk; that's a mini bagel with cashew butter on the side.
Lunch was an old standard: scrambled tofu with broccoli. Seriously, what did I eat before I had scrambled tofu?! If you care to reminisce, here is a link to the very first time I made it. This batch tasted especially fabulous--somehow it turns out better when I use a fresh jar of tahini. I stuffed the mixture (well, as much as would fit) into an Ezekiel pita and had some greens and a blood orange on the side.
As I mentioned above, there is an on-campus grocery store where I may use some of my plenteous food points. I often browse the aisles and find some surprising products, such as this one: concentrated pesto. To be honest, I don't think I've ever had normal pesto. Nonetheless, this introduction to the food proved to be relatively pleasant. I squirted a couple tablespoons of the green goo with some whole grain angel hair pasta and squash. I had more greens (trying to use up the bag before it gets slimy!) topped with chopped apricots and a dish of fresh blackberries from TJ's.
For the smoothie last night, I used another Spirutein packet, this time in the Tropical Fruit flavor. Strawberries, pineapple, and coconut made this concoction pretty awesome.
Wednesday
I took the time to make a breakfast parfait this morning, and the end result was decidely berry-tastic. TJ's blueberry Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, fiber cereal, and almonds made for a delicious breakfast treat. Oh Trader Joe, how I love thee. PS Lately, I've been sampling different brands of Greek yogurt (*gasp* venturing away from my beloved Fage?!). For all you Greek yogurt fans, what's your favorite brand/flavor?
It doesn't look like I'll be able to get into the Duke-UNC game tonight, which is a major bummer. I'll likely end up watching it on TV with some buds. What are your plans for this evening?

Adding a Little Color

You all know that I am an adamant proponent of eating by color (especially in oatmeal!), but this love of color also extends to my wardrobe, writing utensils, and, most recently, my decorating. My on-campus apartment boasts a nice shade of blah on the walls, floor, and well, on every square foot of the unit. Although I was sure to add plenty of red pizazz in the kitchen as soon as I moved in (as I spend much of my time there!), my roommate and I had not gotten around to infusing the rest of our apartment with color until...last night. Here is a glance at a few new details on the walls, plus a glimpse at my ever-colorful bedding:
I promise my room at home is much more sophisticated...but I'll save that for another post:) How would you describe your decorating style?
This is a food blog, so I suppose I should get to the eats:

Monday
After I last posted, I prepared a delicious and simple lunch out of tofu, veggies, and a cashew sauce I whipped up. On the side I had couscous and clementines. I swear, things taste better when eaten with chopsticks.
I had a busy evening of unnecessarily long meetings, so I satisfied my aforementioned salad craving with a prepared creation on campus. I opted for one of my faves, the Crunchy Broccoli Salad to which I added chickpeas for protein. (There are walnuts hidden beneath all that glorious broccoli). I also had a fruit cup and some pita. I'll try all your creative ideas ASAP!
The smoothie of the evening was a cherry-berry delight consisting of cherries, strawberries, soymilk, and Nutribody protein. I am running low on granola...suggestions for the next box?
Tuesday
I have an early class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I kept the morning meal simple: Fiber One with dried cranberries, and rice milk, plus an apple with cashew butter. Quick tip: Fiber One contains 10% RDA for calcium per half-cup but also contains a small amount of aspartame.
Lunch was a rushed affair, so I just quickly combined spinach, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and cumin and served it alongside some flatbread and a few clementines.
After a busy afternoon and evening, I relaxed in one of my favorite ways...cooking, of course! I made a simple chili out of TVP, canned diced tomatoes, onions, chili powder, cumin, and ground red pepper. I served this hot pot of goodness with a Rudi's English muffin, a salad with Woodstock dressing, and peaches. This was one of my most enjoyable meals in recent weeks.
The smoothie last night marked the return of my favorite smoothied combo: mango and vanilla! I combined mango, Nutribody protein, soymilk, and topped it with the usual granola. It made my nightly blog reading even more enjoyable:)
Wednesday
This morning's breakfast was a strawberry-banana "waffle tower" as Sarah would say. I topped two waffles with cottage cheese, strawberries, and a broken up Banana Bread Larabar (courtesy of VeggieGirl). Quite delicious, although the banana was not as pronounced as I would have preferred.

I am headed to class now, but I'll leave with you another question to ponder: what's your favorite hot beverage? I just downed a cup of Mighty Leaf orange dulce, and it was pretty amazing.

Be back soon!

Announcing...Greta!!

Remember when I visited the dog breeder over Thanksgiving? Well, my sister and her husband officially brought home their boxer pup for good on Sunday afternoon, and I have been soakin' up the puppy love ever since. Greta is going to be so spoiled--because her Aunt Caroline is already smitten with her! Here are a few pictures from her first few days at home:
Here's what I've been munching on, between my cuddle sessions with Greta and Christmas shopping:

Monday
I indulged myself a little on Monday by making a Chocolate-Banana Shake with chocolate pudding, frozen banana, soymilk, and chocolate Spirutein. I also had some chocolate syrup on top, which promptly sank to the bottom.
Tuesday
I sampled another variety of Rudi's bagels yesterday morning. This time, I toasted up a cinnamon raisin bagel and spread it with Cinnamon Raisin PB, of course. On the side, I had a peach-blueberry smoothie made with almond milk. Perfect fuel for hittin' the mall!
Amidst my Christmas shopping, I managed to make a stop at Williams-Sonoma, where I got myself a few foodie treats. Oddly enough, I discovered both of these items through food blogs!
For lunch, I made some fajitas with refried black beans, chopped avocado, and salsa. I served those alongside a salad and clementines.
Before heading out for more shopping and a visit with Greta, I made a quick dinner: Coconut Curry Chickpeas from Clean Eating. I made a few alterations, namely the subsitution of broccoli slaw for shredded cabbage. Believe it or not, there are some vegetables I simply refuse to eat, and cabbage is one of them! On the side, I had an Ezekiel pita, salad with Woodstock dressing, and fresh blackberries.
My smoothie last night consisted of a classic combo, strawberry and banana. I combined strawberries, banana, soymilk, and berry hemp protein for a delectable treat.
Wednesday
I was famished this morning after my workout, and nothing fills me up like scrambled tofu. I added zucchini and mushrooms to the usual tahini, ginger, soy sauce, and garlic. I had toast and a clementine on the side. Do you have a favorite meal to prepare when you're really hungry?
Today's lunch was a taco salad, consisting of homemade tortilla chips, lettuce, leftover refried black beans, and Smoky Avocado Sauce from ED&BV. I rounded it out with some mango.
I am off to watch the Duke game on TV with my B-I-L Ryan. Let's go Blue Devils!

Be back soon!