Foodie Friends

I just spent a fabulous evening with Alanna, my foodie friend and future roommate. At last, I have found someone who shares my passion for grocery shopping and healthful eating! Our outing began with a trip to Target for a few items related to our sorority...although I also grabbed a few items for myself, of course--Target is like the danger zone in terms of impulse buying. Afterward, we headed to Trader Joe's and scoured the aisles for foodie finds. Highlight purchases of this trip included agave-maple syrup, veggie dogs, and low-sodium butternut squash soup. Keep an eye out for those in my future posts! For those of you fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe's nearby, what is your favorite item? I'll keep a list for our upcoming TJ's excursions:)

We wound up the foodie frenzy with a stop at Evo's...stay tuned to see what I ordered.

Rewinding to earlier in the week, I managed to fill myself up with some pretty tasty eats:

Wednesday
With some green beans and pinto beans in dire need of being eaten, I whipped up an Asian bean salad with Annie's Shiitake Sesame dressing. I had some rice crackers and an orange on the side.
Many months ago, I made a recipe from Ellie Krieger, an Herbed Toasted Pita Salad. I made my own version with black beans, TJ's Mini Pitas, green bell pepper, tomato, and avocado. I love the crunch of the pita! On the side, I had pineapple and broccoli.
The smoothie of the evening included cherries, peaches, and Nutribody protein. A unique but nonetheless tasty combination.
Thursday
With my box of Fiber One finally gone, I decided to open up another cereal from my stockpile, Cascadian Farm's Honey Nut Os. I enjoyed a big bowl with rice milk and dates, as well as a sliced banana with PB.
Ever since I became a vegetarian 5 years ago, I have always loved making tofu salads, especially ones that mimic the flavors of egg salad. While I usually just wing it when preparing tofu salads, yesterday I opted to use this recipe for inspiration. It turned out completely delicious, especially atop that pillowy whole grain roll. I also had some greens with Goddess dressing and a Pacific Rose apple. As my Granddaddy would say, "This hit the spot!"
For dinner, I put George Foreman to work and made a black bean and cheddar quesadilla. I dipped the melty mess in some salsa and served it with a salad (with pepitas), peppers, and peaches.
It's been so long since I've had access to frozen cherries (they don't sell them at Whole Foods)--I had nearly forgotten how much I love them! Since I was able to pick some up at Target last weekend, I made a cherry-licious smoothie last night with cherry Spirutein, cherries, strawberries, and soymilk. Absolutely fabulous. I can't wait until fresh cherries are in season again!
Friday
Continuing with my Girl Scout Cookie-themed oats, this mornings bowl was inspired by Tagalongs. I combined my oats with hot cocoa mix (not to be confused with cocoa powder) and topped them with a blob of regular ol' PB. The end result was quite authentically Tagalong-ish. On the side, I had some strawberries with sliced banana.
Here's a look at my weekly Whole Foods haul:
Check out the special edition yogurt flavors! I am also pretty pumped about trying those Odwalla bars.

I worked up quite an appetite cleaning up the apartment and doing laundry. Lunch consisted of baked beans (pintos, garlic, tomato sauce, dijon mustard, and agave nectar), corn, salad with Woodstock dressing, and an apple. Yum.
After our evening of foodie activities, Alanna and I returned to my apartment to dig into our Evo's grub. I ordered the veggie chili with a side of "Airfries," which have considerably less fat and kcalories than standard fast food fries. I also snagged some of their house-made ketchup in the mesquite and cayenne varieties. You all know that I can't have a meal without some fresh produce, so I also had a small salad and a pluot. Now, I am totally stuffed and content:)
Today's random question: Have you ever noticed that workout wear is friggin' expensive? Alanna and I stopped by the activewear section of Target this evening, and everything was way out of my budget. Where do you shop for affordable workout gear? Or am I destined to a lifetime of college t-shirts and Soffe shorts?

Alright, I am off to chillax. Ciao for now.

Change of Plans

Well, I went to the gym on Saturday morning as planned (and it was pretty snazzy), but the lake plans got nixed. My parents have too much to do to the house before the wedding on the 7th, so we decided to save the weekend at the lake for another time. This change was fine by me, because I realized I hadn't been to church since I've been home (due to the lake trip and visit to Fairhope for the past few weeks). I also did some shopping over the weekend--I got a dress for the rehearsal dinner and a new raincoat. Woohoo!

Friday
I have a picture of my smoothie from Friday night, but, honestly, I have no idea what I put in it. So this is my mystery shake:
Saturday
Before the gym on Saturday, I fueled myself with a big bowl of peanut butter oats and a bunch of fresh mixed berries. I used PB & Co.'s Cinnamon Raisin flavor.
I came up with lunch on a whim: breaded tofu with peanut sauce, brussels sprouts, and an apple. For the "breading," I used--get this--Weetabix! It worked really well, actually. I just whirred it in my Magic Bullet, put it on a plate, and rolled the tofu in it. I made the peanut sauce from PB, soy sauce, and a few spices.
Dinner was a perfect summer meal, complete with lots of produce. We had the first corn of the season, and it was deliciously sweet! So much for the saying about corn being "knee high by the Fourth of July." I had broccoli slaw with an agave-mustard sauce I made, lemon scented chickpea-tomato saute, and amazing cantaloupe. Yum!
Once again, I don't really remember what I put in my smoothie. I know it was fruity, and I topped it with pure maple syrup, but otherwise, it's another mystery.
Sunday
Before heading to church I just had a quick bowl of Kashi Heart to Heart.
I think I'm getting better at spontaneous cooking, because this was yet another lunch whipped up without any forethought. I made some more agave-mustard sauce for a broccoli slaw-tofu stir fry. I also had some Thin Cakes with peanut butter and a red pear.

We got takeout from Newk's last night for dinner. I got the Greek salad without the feta. I had an Ezekiel pita with hummus on the side. The smoothie/shake last night was peanut butter flavored: peanut butter, nonfat organic plain yogurt, silken tofu, and pumpkin flax granola.

Monday
On Sunday night, my dad requested that I make him overnight oatmeal/muesli. He asked for his to be made with skim milk, honey, coconut, and raisins. I made mine with almond milk, agave nectar, cinnamon. The two small containers have sliced almonds (his) and wheat germ (mine). In the morning, I had the rest of cantaloupe along with it.
Lunch today was inspired by Ellie Krieger's recipe for Herbed Toasted Pita Salad. I added chickpeas to mine for protein. I had tiny apple with PB on the side.
My dinner wasn't exactly the traditional Memorial Day fare, but I enjoyed it. I had a BLT using smoked tempeh, Nayonaise, Grey Poupon, and juicy tomato. Not pictured are the side salad, organic watermelon, and steamed broccoli.
Here are some 99% vegan brownies I made for Memorial Day dessert:
Now I'm off to watch some Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Happy Memorial Day!