All Wrapped Up

The wedding details are all being finalized as I type. I spent today assisting my mother in wrapping up the loose ends of the blessed event. We went to Sam's to buy bulk items for all the crowds that will be passing through our house: Stouffer's Lasagnas, massive bags of trail mix, and enough beer to intoxicate an army. Oh, and I managed to sneak in a bag of Gala apples and some button mushrooms. The matrimonial plans are not the only things being wrapped up today--my food is too! I subconsciously had a wrap of some kind for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They're all relatively different from one another, so hopefully you won't be too bored with today's pics.

Tuesday
I finally got a chance to try a waffle breakfast sandwich! Over the past few months, I have been coveting the breakfasts of you bloggers with toaster access while I was trapped in my ill-equipped dorm kitchen. At last I have both frozen waffles and a toaster! I made my breakfast sammie with Whole Foods brand organic flax waffles and PB & Co. Cinnamon Raisin PB. Fresh watermelon rounded out the morning meal.
Lunch was an old "lazy" favorite of mine; I have been making "Tofuna" since my first days of vegetarianism. I even wrote about it in my college entrance essay! Anyway, it consists of mashed chickpeas, Nayonaise, a bit of mustard, lemon juice, and sometimes paprika. It's not exactly like the real thing, but I appreciate the flavor for what it is. I had some rice cakes, broccoli slaw, and a big apple on the side. I ended up grabbing a handful of cashews too...
For dinner, I made Lindsay's Mock Meatloaf and Katie's Mashed Cauliflower. The two recipes made for an excellent meal! My mom ended up making regular meatloaf after I mentioned what I planned to make for dinner for myself. I wonder if the family would be able to tell the difference between the two...I made a 1/3 recipe, fully intending to save some for the next day's lunch--I love meatloaf sandwiches--but it was so good, I ate the whole thing! Oh well. By the way, I used Weetabix again for the breadcrumbs:)
Last night's shake was phenomenal. I made my favorite flavor: Samoas (coconut with a touch of chocolate). It consisted of: nonfat organic plain yogurt, organic silken tofu, vanilla Spirutein, shredded coconut, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Yum! I savored every last slurp of this.
Wednesday
I woke up this morning and really didn't feel like running outside in the near 100% humidity (and it was not raining). I used the stationary bike for about an hour instead, then did some strength training on my arms. I am trying to get some definition on my toothpick arms for my sister's wedding (strapless bridesmaid dresses! Eek!). Anyway, my stomach started yelling at me as I did my bicep curls, so I needed a hearty breakfast. Scrambled tofu to the rescue! I love this stuff! I think it's the tahini that makes me love it so much. In case you don't know, I use the Chicago Diner Cookbook's recipe. I wrapped up the tofu in a whole wheat tortilla and had some more watermelon on the side. Delish.
I got inspiration for my lunch from Jen, the VegTriathlete. She posted a recipe for Peanut Veggie Nori Rolls the other day, and the flavors sounded right up my alley: peanuts, pineapple, veggies...I had intended to follow the recipe, but I got lazy and hungry so I didn't soak the veggies, nor did I use fresh pineapple. I used the sauce as a dip, and I used pineapple from a fresh fruit cup (preserved in juice). Despite my laziness, it turned out delicious! I also had the last of the broccoli slaw (tossed in rice vinegar, mustard, and agave) and an unpictured Rudi's Flax English Muffin. Success!
The third and final wrap of the day was pretty boring, as we didn't have a formal dinnertime tonight. My sister and I don't really feel well, my mom was obsessing about some wedding detail, and my dad was at a work function. As a result, I just made a hummus wrap with my new mushrooms and some romaine. I served it along with Acorn Squash Mango Soup, three-bean salad, and an unpictured bowl of sliced peaches with maple syrup.
Now I should probably get myself organized for next week school-wise, since this weekend we'll be celebrating my mom's birthday. Speaking of which, do you all have any birthday cake/dessert recipes to suggest? She likes chocolate and, um, chocolate. I bet Katie over at CCV has a few ideas...Ciao for now!

Study Break

After another day spent with my friend Shakespeare, I am in dire need of a study break. I also have a few food photos to share from the past few days. The combination of these facts tells me that it's about time for a blog post.

Side note: Taking pictures is a bit more difficult to negotiate these days, with my roomie around all the time. I love her (we will be rooming together for the 3rd time next year), but she would not understand the whole concept of a food blog. Thus, "Beyond Tofurky" is a bit of a secret around here. Anyway, I apologize for the dearth of pictures these next few days of finals week...


Thursday
Despite the added obstacle described above, I managed to take pictures of my lunch yesterday. I combined some leftover tofu with lentils and organic squash for a warm dish of goodness. I somehow managed to make a pseudo-gravy with Bragg's, the starch from the lentils, and salt + pepper. I sopped it all up with an Ezekiel pita--tasty! As always, I hit up the salad bar for some fresh fruits and veggies.

Friday

This morning I was simply not in the mood for hot oatmeal. Considering it's 80* here, and I have no AC, a piping bowl of oats was just not in the cards today. Neither was I dying for yet another bowl of Weetabix, so I decided to improvise. I have quite a few packets of those Justin's Organic Nut Butters, so I decided to use up one of those with a simple peanut butter sandwich. This time I tried the cinnamon variety. It makes for a unique flavor combination, but I am not sure I would be too keen on it for everyday use. It would probably be really good on apple slices though. Along with the breakfast sammie, I had some soy yogurt with thawed frozen strawberries. In retrospect, I should have added a dash of cinnamon to the soy yogurt to continue the theme of the meal...Oh, well--next time!

For lunch today, I opened up one of my Whole Foods goodies that I picked up on Monday. Imagine's Acorn Sqaush and Mango Soup (which I purchased on sale!), really hit the spot. Somehow soup is acceptable in 80* degree weather when it's this tasty:) This was another interesting fusion of flavors, but it works well. I have had mango all of twice in my life, so this soup makes me think I should eat it more often! To complement the star component, I had some Ak-maks and a big salad with leftover lentils.
Good news! I was able to run for about 2.5 miles today, so I think my ankle is on the mend. I can't wait 'til I can go home and run around my neighborhood! Plus, I'll finally get to use my new running shoes that have been waiting for me since Easter. I am a morning exerciser, so I like to have a small pre-workout snack before I head out for my run. Recently, I have been having a piece of whole wheat bread with that Bionaturae spread that I love so much (see my post about it here). What are you favorite pre-workout snacks? I'd love some alternatives.

Well, I am off to get a dose of sunshine (and vitamin D) before my next study session (what a lame Friday!). Enjoy your weekend!