Squash Fest!

Once again, upon examination of my photos over the past few days, I noticed a trend. This time it was the frequency with which I cooked different kinds of squash. I need to curtail my carotene intake because I have a tendency to turn orange! My hands turn an unattractive shade of yellow if I eat too many carrots, too much squash, or an excess of pumpkin. My dad likes to tease me by calling me "beta carotene Betty." Very funny.

Aside from the plentiful pumpkin, I have also tried a few new food finds over the past few days. I took pictures of the packaging for your benefit:)

Monday
Just after I signed off from my last post, I treated myself to my nightly shake, although this one was more like a smoothie. I used the "tropical" flavor of Spirutein and added some nonfat plain organic yogurt, some frozen mango I found in the freezer, shredded coconut, and a drizzle of agave. It tasted just like a pina colada (I apologize for the lack of tilde over the "n." I can't figure out how to insert that symbol). I love coconut so much--it's so chewy and, well, tropical! Tuesday
Breakfast on Tuesday consisted of the last bran muffin top from the freezer, a raspberry smoothie (frozen organic raspberries + almond milk), and a handful of cashews. This was kind of a "ho-hum" breakfast. Seeds always put a damper on my enjoyment of a smoothie. Lunch was a bit more exciting, at least. I toasted up some more whole wheat tortillas with a sprinkling of chili powder for another serving of tortilla chips, and I added a few more ingredients for a delicious taco salad. I used organic greens, refried pinto beans, lots of salsa, and mashed avocado. That's a sliced Rome apple on the side. For a snack I had a bowl of Grape Nut Flakes, my first new food find. These aren't really new to the market or anything, but I had never tried them before. They're my kind of cereal: really short ingredients list, slightly sweet, and they lend themselves to sogginess. Yum! My dinner was a tad strange last night but tasty nonetheless. I started out wanting a grilled cheese, but I remembered all those tortillas in the fridge, plus I needed protein, and I wanted to try my soup I had just thawed, yada, yada....So I ended up with a grilled hummus and organic mozzarella wrap and a bowl of homemade butternut squash soup. I also had some dried figs and a side salad (not pictured). As predicted, my need for chocolate returned after a short hiatus. Last night's shake was comprised of a frozen banana, chocolate Spirutein, cocoa powder, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. So good. Wednesday
I had an excellent breakfast this morning, mostly because of another new food find. I had a whole grain mini bagel with sunflower seed butter and a peach smoothie (frozen peaches + almond milk + cinnamon). I love this new nut butter! It has a host of vitamins and minerals, it has a great texture, and it tastes delicious! Two thumbs up. If any of you suffer from celiac disease or a peanut allergy, this product is gluten- and peanut-free. I really like these mini bagels too, probably just because they are miniature:) For lunch today, my dad and I made a trip to Johnny Rocket's, mostly because I printed out a coupon for a free "Streamliner," which is basically a souped up Boca burger. We got it to-go because my dad was in his "nasty clothes" (i.e. his clothes for doing chores around the house). Once we were home, I supplemented my burger with steamed spinach and a pear. It was meh. I think I like the texture of wheat buns more than white buns now. Plus, my pear wasn't ripe yet. Bah.
My dinner arose from a combination of spaghetti squash recipes. Lindsay from The Happy Herbivore held a contest a while back for the best spaghetti squash recipe, and Ruby's tomato soup suggestion won. Then I looked at Kath's collection of spaghetti squash recipes and saw her chili. What I ended up with is what Rachael Ray would call a "stoup"--something between a soup and a stew. My concoction had lots of leftover spaghetti squash, diced tomatoes, vegetarian burger crumbles, plus my favorite spices. This was really filling! In addition to what you see here, I had another bowl plus a flatbread for dipping. Whoa. Well,
I'm off to be a slug until this full feeling wears off. Hope you have a restful evening!

I'm ba-ack...

Yep, I've returned from my weekend jaunt down to South Alabama. It was great to meet the groom's side of the family but a tad overwhelming. There must have been at least 60 people at the barbecue on Saturday night, and they were all related. It's kinda cool though, because they all live on one (lovely) street. Grandma, the kids, cousins, grandkids--they're all within walking distance of one another. Part of me is jealous of such a convenient arrangement, but then the other part of me remembers those times when I "need my space" from my family members...

As you might expect, vegetarian options are limited in South Alabama. The bridal shower was held at a place called the Fly Creek Cafe, a local bayside joint that serves fried fish and the like. The view, the weather, and the company were all wonderful, but food was a bit less than stellar. There was a fixed menu for our gathering, and the options were: hamburger, fried fish sandwich, or a shrimp po- boy. Uh-oh. Just as I was about to open my mouth to order, the groom's mother stepped in and asked for a salad for me. I was so grateful to her for remembering my dietary preferences, but this locale's idea of a salad was a small mound of iceberg lettuce, chopped tomato, and shredded mozzarella. I am not much of a cheese person, so I attempted to spear just the lettuce and tomato. When it came time for the monogrammed petit fours, I was hungry enough to indulge a bit by having a few bites. I made up for the lack of calories later by eating an apple pie Larabar.

I was pleasantly surprised at the barbecue by a few vegetarian options on the buffet table. Imagine my delight when I found a delicious bean salad with red onion and green bell pepper (I even went back for seconds!). I also helped myself to some sliced tomato and homemade sweet pickles. My self-control apparently took a hiatus this weekend because I also treated myself to the icing from my sister's abandoned piece of coconut cake (she detests anything coconut!). It was delicious!

I got a lot of teasing as a result of my vegetarianism, and a lot of questions like, "you don't even eat fish?!" It's an understandable question considering we were in a city by the Gulf of Mexico, but the whole thing makes me feel uncomfortable. I fear that my diet makes me seem "picky," "snooty," or "attention-seeking," when really I am just trying to make the most ethical, responsible, and healthful choices I can. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Do you feel alienated because you eat healthfully or because you don't eat certain things?

Onto the food, already! Before I left, I made sure to pack a snack grab-bag which included: Larabars, low-sodium V8, Justin's Nut Butters, vegan jerky, pretzel braids, and a couple Odwalla carrot-raisin bars. I didn't end up needing most of it, but as they say, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Saturday
My only picture from this day is my breakfast, and it's a pretty pathetic picture. In case you can't see through the lovely Christmas themed Ziploc, I had an apple, high-fiber cereal, and some almonds. Picture-taking and riding in the car are not exactly compatible activities.
Sunday
I returned to my own kitchen on Sunday afternoon. After a refreshing run (on which I think I re-injured my ankle...argh!), I refueled with some dried plums and some Thin Cakes spread with cashew butter. I have decided that I love this combination for an afternoon snack. Dried fruit with some nuts/nut butter, and a few crackers keeps my hunger at bay until dinner--which means fewer scoops into the kitchen candy bowl!
We had hot dogs for dinner. On our trip to Publix (very close second to Whole Foods in my estimation!), I picked up some Smart Dogs and a pack of Arnold Whole Wheat hot dog buns. I've decided that I really like Arnold as a brand--whole grain and no HFCS=good buy. After grilling it on my spiffy George Foreman, I dressed my dog with ketchup and mustard (Chi Omega colors!), and I had a side salad with green beans. I also had a strawberry-banana soy yogurt for dessert:)
The evening smoothie consisted of peaches 'n cream: frozen peaches, nonfat organic plain yogurt, vanilla Spirutein, and a generous dose of pumpkin flax granola and agave nectar.
Monday
After much hemming and hawing, I decided to make pumpkin oats this morning. I had a blueberry soy yogurt on the side. Yum!
Lunch was a burrito made with refried beans, mashed avocado, and salsa in a Rudi's Organic Whole Grain Tortilla. I apologize for the poor photo quality--the camera battery was running out. Organic greens and an orange rounded out the meal.
Spaghetti squash was the main ingredient for dinner. I roasted it, then combined it with broccoli, garlic, soy sauce, tahini, and a cut up Quorn cutlet. Delicious! Why did it take me so long to discover tahini? I also had a side salad and some whole grain graham crackers for dessert.
Well, I had promised to write a skimpier post today, but apparently I failed in doing so. I guess I just like to type too much...Be back Wednesday!

A Day in the Life...

Now that I've introduced myself, I thought I would show you what typical day's worth of meals looks like for me (when I have access to a kitchen--I am on spring break right now!). I woke up at 8 this morning and munched on a mini whole wheat pita with rhubarb jam before my workout.

In case you're curious, I did 30 minutes elliptical trainer, 6 miles on the bike, and 10 minutes of ab work. The time really does fly when you have a good magazine to read--I read my Fitness magazines that have been piling up at home while I am off at school. Anyway, after my workout I cooked up some old-fashioned oats; I was inspired by Kath over at Kath Eats Real Foods. I cooked them in 1/2 water, 1/2 almond milk and added sliced almonds and cinnamon.

These were the first fresh strawberries I've had in months, and they were delish! I was expecting them to be "woody," but they were delectably sweet. They were from Florida, so I figured they were semi-local (I live in Alabama). Unfortunately, this breakfast didn't hold me for long--I was ready for lunch when it hit 12:30. I made some chickpea soft tacos with mashed avocado, salsa, and 75% light Cabot cheese. These are corn tortillas, so they're about 6 inches in diameter.

I rolled these up after taking the picture; they were accompanied by a side salad and a juicy peach! After running some errands, I got hungry again around 4:30, so I made myself a bit of an odd snack. Mushrooms are one of my favorite vegetables, even raw! So, I sliced up some of those to dip in hummus (Wild Garden is my favorite brand). I added a light cheese stick and a Florida orange that one of our friends brought us from Florida. Not really a conventional snack, but it got the job done.

For dinner, I tried something I've never tried before--spaghetti squash. I have hearing about the wonders of spaghetti squash for years, but I never got up the motivation to actually try it. Well, I picked up an organic spaghetti squash from Publix the other day (love their produce department!) and decided to give it a try. It turns out that it's pretty simple to prepare: just cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake for 45 minutes in a 350* oven. After that, the strands practically fall onto your fork! I topped mine with some stewed tomatoes and leftover tofu. Afterwards I had some Fage 0% Greek yogurt with some more rhubarb jam.

What a treat! Not exactly like pasta, but tasty nonetheless. This was only half of the squash, so I'll need to use the other half in some way or another later this week...got any ideas? I wish I could make spaghetti squash more often, but I don't see it happening while I am living in the dorms! Not to mention I might get some strange looks from the boys playing Halo next to the dorm kitchen!

Now I am off to read some Macbeth or perhaps The Godfather, the two books I am reading right now (great combination, right?). I hope you all have a restful night:)