As I mentioned last week, my time was split this weekend between the lake house and our house in Birmingham; it ended up being a nice balance between tranquility and activity. While I enjoyed sipping tea by the lakeside, it was also nice to get to do some shopping with Mom:) How did you all spend the weekend?
Due to constantly being in transit these past few days, I didn't put together many elaborate meals. Nonetheless, I prepared a few things outside of my at-school repertoire...
Friday
My sister hadn't yet arrived (with my camera( by the time I broke out the blender, so I don't have a picture of Friday's smoothie. Don't worry--it was very blah. I didn't have any hemp protein around, so I just grabbed some random protein packets I've had lying around for a while. This one consisted of Super Blue Pro96 Soy Protein, frozen blueberries, soymilk, and cinnamon raisin granola. Not tasty at all.
Saturday I rummaged around for some acceptable breakfast victuals and finally stumbled upon some Kashi Heart to Heart. I poured myself a bowl of that with soymilk, plus an banana with PB. 
After a trip to the grocery store and a little girls' afternoon out with my mom and sisters, I returned home to a simple lunch of refried beans and salsa wrapped in tortillas, salad, and an apple with almonds. 
The family was having chili con carne for dinner, but since I just had chili last Sunday, I decided against making a veggie version and instead made some baked beans. I used tomato sauce, maple syrup, sauteed onions, and just a touch of mustard. On the side I had corn, salad with sunflower seeds, and surprisingly tasty strawberries. 
We returned home that night, so I prepared a late-night smoothie with Alive! rice and pea protein, apple sauce, cinnamon, and soymilk. Odd color, yummy apple-pie taste. 
Sunday I took my time for breakfast yesterday and made pumpkin pancakes. My first attempt was free-form, not using a recipe--and it failed quite miserably. As a last resort, I actually looked up a recipe and that batch turned out much better. I hate to waste my precious pumpkin though:( I topped these baby pancakes with chopped almonds and dipped them in...more pumpkin. I sweetened the pumpkin with maple syrup, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
After my breakfast debacle, I decided to keep it simple for lunch, so I just made a simple veggie-tofu sandwich with tomatoes, mushrooms, guacamole, and garlic rubbed tofu. I also had salad and an apple. 
Last night for dinner, my dad decided he would prepare a ratatouille omelet for everyone. As a lacto-vegetarian, I don't consume eggs, so I decided to prepare something a little different. I topped ratatouille with baked polenta rounds (along with some spices) and served it alongside a Health Is Wealth Chicken-Free Patty with melted mozzarella and some cubed watermelon.
I was leaning in a more decadent direction last night when I prepared my shake. I needed chocolate--badly. I used a frozen banana, soymilk, chocolate soy protein, peanuts, and chocolate syrup. Total yum. 
Monday After a trip to Whole Foods yesterday, I was excited to eat some vegan Van's waffles this morning. I topped them with the same pumpkin mixture I used yesterday morning. I also had a sliced apple with Dark Chocolate Dreams PB. These waffles were good, but I am always looking for alternatives. What brand of waffles do you buy? I prefer egg-free varieties.
I gave the Blogger Secret Ingredient another try today. I baked a few polenta rounds and topped them with sun-dried tomato hummus; I also had a snap pea-tomato mixture and peaches with cinnamon and chopped almonds. 
As my vacation draws to a close, I just wanted a comfort dish for dinner. So of course I made Cashew Ginger Tofu from ED&BV. I never get tired of it. This was delicious of course, but (as you can see), the sauce got a bit pasty. I had it with some noodles, salad, and an assortment of freezer veggies. 
Whew. I am off to stuff a few last items into my bulging suitcase before I head off to bed. Be back soon!
