Hiding from Hanna

It's a quiet night here on campus--the effects from Hanna are supposed to roll into town tonight. According to the weather man, strong winds and lots of rain are ahead. Cross your fingers that it doesn't affect the Duke-Northwestern game tomorrow night! Anyway, we're all hiding from the storm tonight. Sounds like an ideal night for a movie...

Anyway, I've got some awesome eats to share with you this evening...

Wednesday
After I signed off last time, I made a smoothie in my new blender. I didn't mention this last time, but I discovered that it has a convenient "Smoothie" setting. Plus, it creates a lot less noise than the MB, so I feel a little less guilty about firing up a blender every night at 11:30. Some people live near noisy frat boys, some people must live near a smoothie enthusiast. Anyway, this concoction included HempShake, soymilk, frozen cherries, and pumpkin flax granola.
Thursday
Despite the arrival of my new blender buddy, I have still been using the MB. I used it yesterday morning for a quick strawberry smoothie (that's wheat germ on top). I also had a whole wheat mini bagel with Brazilnut butter. I randomly added a dash of cinnamon, and it turned out to be a great combination.
My pre-run snack was pure carby goodness: pretzel sticks and a banana. I ran well, but my quads were sore.
Lunch was another salad bar creation: mixed greens, steamed broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, cucumber, kidney beans, and sunflower seeds. Boring, I know.
I had to introduce myself to my tutoring students yesterday afternoon, so I didn't return home until later in the day--I was so hungry! I have been jonesin' for chocolate the past few days, so I tried a Jocolat bar (by Larabar). SO delish. Even better with almond milk. In a frog cup.
Last night marked the return of Cashew Ginger Tofu. I know all must be sick of seeing this stuff so often, but seriously, I think this is what they eat in heaven. I enjoyed it with couscous, salad, and more woody honeydew.
Thursday's smoothie was very similar to the previous evening's. The only difference is that I added a frozen banana to this one. It added great texture and taste--cherry + banana = ultra sweet, the way I like it. (I had a little overflow as a result of the banana addition: see cow cup).
Friday
Since Fridays are my free days, I took the opportunity to sleep in this morning (til 8:30!). My muscles were still sore, so I used the elliptical and stationary bike today rather than running on the track. It was great--I made a little headway into my magazine stack, but I'm still working on my August Self. I returned home to make a breakfast that I had planned out last night. Just before bedtime, I put a slab of tofu in a baggie with Bragg's, vinegar, and cumin and let it marinate overnight. This morning, I grilled it on my George Foreman (you can't see them but the tofu got some killer grill marks). I placed the tofu on a toasted whole wheat mini bagel along with sliced avocado and salsa. Total food fugue.
I journeyed to Whole Foods this morning and picked up some new items...including quinoa! I wanted to participate in the Secret Ingredient Challenge from Sports Nutrition Living, so I made sure to get some of this protein-rich grain. I had a few issues cooking it correctly--I do NOT recommend the microwave method! The charred cooking container is now in the trash can, and my kitchen smells like burnt popcorn. I finally achieved success, however, and I mixed the red quinoa with lentils, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano, and red wine vinegar. Salad, almonds, and an organic nectarine rounded it all out. (PS I always buy organic nectarines because they are one of the "dirty dozen," meaning they easily retain pesticide residue).
After a last minute Kroger run, my roommate (her name is Kristen for future reference) and I returned to the apartment not feeling up to cooking much. I finally got the motivation to heat up some tomato soup and make a grilled hummus sandwich. I added ground red pepper to the sandwich before I put it on the grill. It ended up being a great sandwich--the onion, pepper, and tomato had a little party in my mouth when I dipped it into my soup. On the side I had haricot verts and plain yogurt with cashews and cinnamon.
I am off to watch a movie. Stay safe from the storm!

In the Eye of the Storm

I write to you amidst a severe thunderstorm--there's quite a light show going on outside! Aside from the crazy (and a little frightening!) weather, I have been quite busy this evening--finishing anatomy lab homework, printing out worksheets, folding laundry...Wednesday nights always seem a little hectic. Oy.

Anyway, here are a few pics from the past few days.

Monday
I got a major carby-salty-sweet craving on Monday night. I decided to mix up some Peanut Butter Puffins with a few salted pretzel twists. It was almost like those tasty little PB-filled pretzel nuggets.
Tuesday
I thawed a couple of those bran muffins from last week for breakfast yesterday, but I discovered something that makes them even tastier--almond butter! I also had some more of that never-ending watermelon.
For lunch, I headed to California Pizza Kitchen with a few friends. I ordered the Grilled Veggie Salad (asparagus, avocado, Japanese eggplant) and a cup of vegetarian split pea soup. Super yummy, but when I came home I had a kiwi to balance it all out and fill me up for the remainder of the afternoon. Sometimes my stomach is a bottomless pit.

Dinner was inspired by a recipe in Food to Live By (Does that title bother anyone else? Who ends a title of a cookbook with a preposition?!). I made a Fusion Coleslaw using broccoli slaw, rice wine vinegar, honey roasted peanuts, raisins, and a few sesame seeds. Along with it, I had some sliced tomato, whole grain couscous, a grilled Quorn cutlet, and a peach. Wow, this quite a voluminous meal now that I look at it.
For my smoothie last night, I discovered a great combination--orange Spirutein, orange juice, soymilk, and plenty of granola topping. It tasted like an orange Creamsicle! By the way, that was my last Spirutein packet...expect different smoothie combinations in the near future!
Wednesday
Since I don't have class until 3 on Wednesdays, I had some time to make stovetop oats this morning. Techinically, I used that Quaker Mutligrain Hot Cereal, but it is very similar to oats. Anyway, I combined it with hemp milk, whipped banana, and some flax--holy omega-3s! This was my first time trying hemp milk, and I am not sure whether I like it or not yet. I'll have to experiment with it...got any suggestions?
Lunch consisted of healthy nachos, a side spinach salad, and a huge apple. The "nachos" were made from homemade baked corn tortillas, red beans, guacamole, and salsa. For the guacamole, I just combined mashed avocado with a new supermarket find--Goya Recaito. I love this stuff; just salty enough with a little cilantro kick.
For dinner I made a dish from Food to Live By (again). This time, I made whole wheat rotini with Edamame Pesto. I didn't follow the recipe exactly (shocker!), but I think it turned out pretty tasty, aside from the lingering garlic taste in my mouth. The consistency wasn't very pesto-like; on the contrary, it was quite creamy even though there was no milk, tofu, or dairy-ish ingredients. I also had some broccoli slaw, and a little mug of chocolate almond milk.
One more day until my weekend! (I don't have classes on Fridays). Now I need to go pack my lunch for tomorrow. Enjoy your evening!