A Few of My Favorite Things...

My slacker blogdom has come to a close...it's time for another feature post!

I want to share with you a few of my favorite things, specifically some products that help me make the dishes I eat with the greatest frequency: sandwiches and smoothies!

Sandwiches
Arnold Sandwich Thins
A few months ago, Rena from Arnold Bread was kind enough to send me a few packages of their elusive sandwich thins. These English muffin-sliced bread hybrids make for quite the versatile meal component. You can enjoy them plain, toasted as an accompaniment to a meal, spread with your favorite condiments (almond butter, anyone?), or assembled into your favorite sandwich. They also make a pretty awesome crust for hummus pizza! Arnold's sandwich thins have a subtle sweetness to them, which I find to be a nice complement to savory and sweet items.
Here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy sandwich thins:
Sandwich Thins are available in two varieties, whole wheat, and whole grain white. Each sandwich thin contains 5 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, all for a mere 100 kcalories. Plus, they are free of high fructose corn syrup, which can be rare nowadays in the bread aisle. The suggested retail price is $2.99 for a package of 8. Unfortunately, sandwich thins are available only is select areas of the country

Edited to add: I have been informed that Sandwich Thins contain sucralose, explaining their sweetness. If you would prefer to avoid sucralose, then these might not be the right product for you.

Trader Joe's Reduced Sugar Blueberry Preserves
When it comes to PB & J, are you a strawberry or a grape person? Personally, I am neither--I much prefer TJ's blueberry jam. Why settle for the ordinary when you can have the extraordinary? Although I do not have a TJ's near me, I make it a point to stop in for a jar of this deliciousness whenever I visit Chicago. As the name suggests, these preserves contain less sugar than regular jam...without the addition of artificial sweeteners. It's just berry goodness in this jar (plus a slew of antioxidants!)
While I enjoy this jam in combination with my favorite Sunbutter, you may choose to enjoy it in alternative ways. Consider stirring it into your oatmeal, spreading it on a sandwich thin, or using it as a topper for crackers and soft cheese.
Each tablespoon contains 30 kcalories, all from carbohydrate. You can find this at a Trader Joe's near you.

Smoothies
Nutribody Protein
Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have a particular infatuation with all things blended, specifically evening protein shakes. I am always experimenting with new protein powders so as to avoid boredom in my nightly smoothie-fest. I was fortunate enough to receive a canister of Nutribody Protein a few weeks ago. I'll admit, I was skeptical of this new vegan protein, but after one blended concoction, I was hooked. Nutribody is made from rice and pea protein, so for those of you who limit your soy intake, this provides an excellent alternative.
A generous 4-tablespoon serving provides approximately 120 kcalories and a whopping 26 grams of protein. Yikes! Nutribody is also entirely free of sugars and artificial sweeteners. Although I wish this powder contained some added minerals, such as calcium, overall, I would recommend this to any of my fellow smoothie enthusiasts out there.

Check out the Nutribody Website for more information about the product and about where to buy it. There are some recipes available as well!

Nature's Path Ginger Zing Granola
I'll admit that I was a die-hard pumpkin flax girl in the past, but I think I have been converted to the ginger-y side of granola. Who doesn't love the combination of spicy ginger and crunchy cashews? Ginger granola is a perfect topper to any smoothie of course, but it also makes a great topper for berries, applesauce, oatmeal, and cold cereal. If you're feeling more adventurous, try using it as a topping for spiced pumpkin or pumpkin pudding. Yum!

A 3/4 cup serving contains a 250 kcalories, which is far less than other granola products out there. In addition, there are 6 grams of protein, and 10 grams of healthy fat, along with 4 grams of fiber. I purchased my box at Whole Foods for $4.69. This price may strike you as high, but remember that granola is a food best enjoyed in moderation; a single box will last for an extended period of time.

I hope you enjoyed today's much delayed feature post. What are some of your favorite things?

Itchin' to Run

As I mentioned a few posts back, I've recently been suffering from lower back pain (specifically in the sacroiliac joint). The pesky pain still lingers, and not only does it mean I can't wear high heels (major bummer for a shoe addict like me!), but it also means I can't run (an even bigger bummer). Fortunately, I can do low-impact exercise without any pain, so I've been making do with the elliptical trainer and stationary bike at the gym. However, it's just not the same. When was the last time you heard of an "elliptical high?" While running does have the benefits of cardio training and leg toning, I love it for the way it makes me feel. Once that last mile is completed, the sense of accomplishment simply can't be matched. *Sigh* Does anyone have any tips for treating back pain?

Oh yeah, I'm here to talk about food. Here's the scoop:

Saturday
It was another busy day on Saturday, so I planned ahead with another batch of overnight oats, this time using oats rather than the multigrain cereal. Liquid-y mess successfully avoided. This combination featured oats, rice milk, cinnamon, dried cherries, and chopped hazelnuts (a new nut for me!). I had a dish of grapes on the side. What are your favorite ways to use hazelnuts?
Once I returned from the day's events, I settled down to a long overdue lunch: scrambled tofu with zucchini, a whole wheat sandwich thin, and an apple. Hit the spot.
After getting some essential tasks done (such as blogging and posting pictures to Facebook), I finally got hungry for dinner. A can of bamboo shoots called to me from the pantry, so I made a veggie stir fry with broccoli, peppers, ginger, soy sauce, and garlic; I topped it off with some honey-roasted peanuts. I also had some whole grain couscous, salad, and plain yogurt with cranberry sauce. Holy fiber!
The smoothie of the evening featured blackberries, strawberries, soymilk, and acai hemp protein. Wow, that sounds like a hippie concoction if I've ever heard one.
Sunday
You know what Sunday morning means--stovetop oats! I made a bowl of pumpkin oats with ginger and cinnamon, topped with cashew butter and apple butter. Fall in a bowl. Yum.
After chapel and a few hours of studying, I re-fueled with a delicious tofu salad wrap. I combined silken tofu with my favorite, dill-agave-mustard-vegan mayo combo and wrapped it in a spinach flatbread. Along with it, I had a salad with chopped almonds and a dish of grapes.
My Sundays are pretty formulaic, aren't they? I had another quick hummus-based meal before chapter last night: a hummus and sun-dried tomato sandwich, green beans with chopped pecans, and a big apple.
The smoothie consisted of strawberries, raspberries (a recent Target purchase), soymilk, and berry hemp protein. I finished up the last of my pumpkin flax granola:( I'm not too sad though because I have a new variety just waiting to be busted open.
Monday
I woke up on edge today; my morning agenda included asking a boy to an upcoming semi-formal. As a result, I kept it simple with a bowl of GoLean, topped with banana and rice milk. On the side I had a basic trail mix of almonds and dried cranberries.
For lunch today, I had intended on making a tofu quiche with my remaining silken tofu. However, once I made it home and had finished chopping, I decided I was too hungry to let it bake for the required 30 minutes. Tofu hash it was! I combined tofu, spinach, red onion, tomato, Bragg's liquid aminos, and nutritional yeast for quite the delectable mish-mosh. I served it up with whole wheat toast and an apple with Sunbutter.
I had my usual dining meeting tonight, and Dunkin' Donuts brought us food, in hopes of coming to campus. The coffee and egg sandwiches held no appeal, but I just couldn't say no to the delicious pumpkin muffins. My baked good of choice probably wasn't vegan, but I simply can't resist pumpkin! Although I would like to make a meal out of baked goods, I balanced it out with a trip to the salad bar afterward. I nabbed some field greens, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, chickpeas, and a container of honeydew. Once home, I added some Woodstock dressing to the salad. SO GOOD.
I am off to study for a midterm and listen to Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" for the ten-millionth time. Gotta love Monays. Toodles.