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!

A Full Year as a Bloggerina

Hello, everyone! I have returned from a fabulous weekend in DC, just in time to celebrate my one-year blogiversary. It all started as a fun way to spend the afternoon during spring break of last year...little did I know that I would find a new hobby, a side career, and, most importantly, a warm community of health-minded foodies. I've learned a lot about myself in the past year, largely due to your thoughtful comments--thanks for reading, commenting, and providing much needed support.
Now, what should I do to celebrate this milestone?!

I have much to share from the second half of my weekend adventure. Check it out:

Saturday
We awoke to a beautiful morning on Saturday--as well as rumbling tummies. As a result of our beckoning appetites, we decided to dine in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. I satisfied my never-ending craving for mango and ordered the Mango Oatmeal, which consisted of Irish-cut oats cooked with mango pieces and topped with fresh berries. Much to my surprise, this dining room offered soymilk as an accompaniment, so I enjoyed a glass of that on the side, along with a mug of Lemon Lift tea. I also got my dad to snag a few spoonfuls of sliced almonds from the breakfast buffet. Delish, but totally overpriced.
Then we headed to the National Gallery of Art for the morning. Points to anyone who can identify the artist of the painting with which I am posing:
For lunch, we headed to an eatery called Teaism. Given my infatuation with tea, I was quite excited to discover this place. I ordered the Veggie Bento with roasted vegetables, sweet potato, tofu, edamame, and brown rice. To drink, I opted for the Jasmine Pearl tea (just for you, Rosalie!). Everything was superbly delicious--I wanted to lick my plate!
We met my cousin and her husband as well as a family friend for dinner. The family friend (Judy) actually owns the restaurant at which we dined, Rock Creek, an establishment devoted to "mindful eating." (Check out the link for details!). Anyway, for my salad I ordered the Butterhead Lettuces with Exotic Mushrooms (sans cheese). Then the bread basket arrived, with a subtly sweet focaccia spread with a garlicky eggplant dip. For my entree, I ordered the only vegan entree on the menu, Hawaiian Hearts of Palm with Red Quinoa and Squash Puree. I've never had hearts of palm aside from those that come from the can, and this fresher preparation was clearly superior. The palm had a texture that was oddly similar to meat! Once again, I cleaned my plate entirely, gobbling up every last kernel of quinoa and smear of squash. The dessert menu arrived, and I found that I still had room for a little sweet something, so I ordered the pomegranate sorbet. A perfect ending to a perfect meal.
My bottomless pit of a stomach called to me again later that evening, so I satisfied it with a cherry pie Larabar...good, but not as tasty as my usual smoothie:)
Sunday
Before heading out to church services, my dad made a run to Cosi, after I had suggested that we try it--I've seen so many of my fellow food bloggers enjoy their relatively healthful offerings. He returned with a sack full of parfaits, egg croissants, and...oatmeal! Can you guess which one I chose? The oatmeal was slightly sweetened with maple syrup and topped with raisins and brown sugar. It was fabulous--it reminded me of the Cream of Wheat my mom used to make me when I was a child. I supplemented the superstar oats with fruit, tea...and a packet of airline peanuts. What? I was still hungry, and I knew fats would do just the trick.
For lunch, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory. Not exactly as unique and sustainably-minded as our other dining locales, but they always have something for everybody. After pigging out on their fluffy brown bread (is anyone else as obsessed with this stuff as I am?!), I ordered the Luau Salad, sans chicken and dressing on the side. The crispy wontons make the salad a bit of challenge to eat, but I really like the chopped macadamias and sweet citrus glaze with which they are covered. Plus, this salad also features more of my recently preferred fruit--mango!
After an afternoon of shopping in Georgetown, we headed to the airport, where I snacked on some carrots with almond butter, one of my all-time fave combos.
When we finally returned home to Birmingham, I looked to the freezer for dinner. I heated up a vegan chik patty and stuffed it in a pita with whole grain mustard and vegan mayo. On the side, I had a salad with Woodstock dressing, Brussels sprouts, and a dish of peaches.
I was blissfully reunited with my nightly smoothie last night: blueberries, chocolate soy protein (Whole Foods brand), soymilk, chocolate syrup, plus a few animal crackers for fun. One word: heavenly.
Monday
Following my refreshing run (in 70* weather!), I whipped up a quick breakfast of a smoothie and an English muffin. The smoothie included mango, cherries, and soymilk, and I spread the English muffin with White Chocolate Wonderful PB. I topped both with a dusting of coconut. I thoroughly enjoyed this while browsing the latest Crate & Barrel catalog--check out those cute plates!
I ran a few errands with my mom, then returned home to make homemade hummus for the very first time. I opted to use the Pumpkin Hummus recipe from Everyday Dish TV (my most recent podcast obsession). I got some strange looks from my mom as I was preparing this tasty mess with my hand blender, but I promise it's a delicious combination! I served it with whole grain flatbread, a spinach salad, and an apple. I can't wait to whip up another batch of homemade hummus...what are your favorite variations?
Afterward, I went to Whole Foods with my dad for a big shop--I didn't get a chance to photograph the haul due to the warm weather--it needed refrigeration ASAP! Anyway, some highlights include two new flavors of PURE bars, Graham Bumpers, Rachel's flavored cottage cheese, Earth Balance (I've never tried it), radicchio, and a baby watermelon. Keep an eye out for those in the coming week!

For dinner, I prepared Mock Maryland Crabcakes from Toni Fiore's Totally Vegetarian. I've never had a real crabcake, so I can't tell you whether these tasted "authentic," but I can say with certainty that they were delicious! I dipped them in some tsasiki sauce and served them alongside a salad, and Greek yogurt with cashews and dates.
Now, I am off to do a bit of reading--some for school, some for pleasure (hello, Clean Eating).

Be back soon!