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.

Peanut Butter, Basketball, and Sisterly Love

Yep, my weekend consisted of three of my favorite things. The ChiO crush party on Friday was a blast; even though all the juniors (myself included) were designated as "sober sisters," we all managed to have lots of fun. Yesterday, I headed over to the basketball game, where we defeated Virginia, 79-54. Sweet. To top off all this weekend fun, I managed to try not 1, not 2, but 3 additional flavors of my new Peanut Butter & Co. products. Life is good.

How did you spend your weekend?

Although I did consume a healthy amount of peanut butter this weekend, it's not all I ate. See for yourself:

Friday
Before heading out for the evening's festivities, I was sure to adequately fuel myself. As a sober sister, I had to be there for the entirety of the event from 9 PM-2 AM. Oy. Anyway, here's what I cobbled together: Amy's Bistro burger on whole wheat with organic K+M, a salad with tomatoes and walnuts, and a dish of grapes.
When I returned from the party, I was famished from all that dancing...so I made my smoothie at 3AM. Yes, my neighbors love me, I am sure. Anyway, here's what went into my concoction: frozen banana, soymilk, cappuccino Spirutein, and a few dairy-free chocolate chips.
Saturday
I suppose you could call this breakfast, even though I didn't eat it until about 12 PM...yes, I actually slept in for once! I made a tropical parfait: plain yogurt, spelt flakes, mango, coconut, and cashews.
For lunch, I made the best of leftovers my making a two-bean chili: chickpeas, black beans, tomato sauce + water, chili powder, cayenne, and onions. On the side I had a baked potato, salad, and a blood orange.
After some hard-core homeworking, I was ready for some grub. I took the lazy route and just made a big salad with soynuts and served it alongside rice crackers and an apple with White Chocolate Wonderful PB. The apple with PB was by far the best part of this meal--the Cameo apple (which I purchased for 99 cents/lb at WF!) was the perfectly sweet accompaniment for the PB. It was almost like dessert. Almost.
The smoothie of the evening featured one of my favorite Spirutein flavors: bluberries 'n cream. I combined that with blueberries, soymilk, and a bit of granola.
Sunday
Before heading out to chapel, I made my customary stovetop oats, this time with strawberries and rice milk for a super creamy texture. Then I plopped a dollop of Dark Chocolate Dreams PB on top...that's just the tip of the PB iceberg you see below; much of it sunk to the bottom of the bowl, which made for a lovely surprise at the end of my meal. Chocolate-covered strawberry, anyone?
I didn't get a chance to eat "lunch" until after the basketball game at 4:30 PM. Yeah, so I was ready to eat anything in sight. I relied on my freezer goodies this time: I heated up a Tofu Scramble Pocket by Amy's Kitchen. While I much prefer my own scrambled tofu creations, this product is great for occasions when time is short...or you're just too hungry to prepare anything for yourself. I served it alongside a salad with Woodstock dressing and a dish of grapes.
Dinner was another spontaneous affair. I made a hummus pocket sandwich and ate it with some steamed veggies and an apple with cashew butter.
The smoothie last night featured unsweetened banana Spirutein with a banana and a sliced peaches for good measure.
Monday
Inspired by a recipe I found in the Skippy cookbook my dad received for Christmas, I made a PB "quesadilla" except there was absolutely no cheese involved. I spread a wrap with Cinnamon Raisin PB and sliced bananas, then threw it on the George Foreman. I also had some cinnamon-spiked yogurt on the side. It was quite melty and delicious.
Now for a completely random question: What kind of toothpaste do you use? I am squishing out the final bits of my tube, so I need to replace it ASAP.

OK, maybe I'll actually be on time to my Faulkner class today. Whatevs--blogging is worth missing a few minutes of class:)