Adding a Little Color

You all know that I am an adamant proponent of eating by color (especially in oatmeal!), but this love of color also extends to my wardrobe, writing utensils, and, most recently, my decorating. My on-campus apartment boasts a nice shade of blah on the walls, floor, and well, on every square foot of the unit. Although I was sure to add plenty of red pizazz in the kitchen as soon as I moved in (as I spend much of my time there!), my roommate and I had not gotten around to infusing the rest of our apartment with color until...last night. Here is a glance at a few new details on the walls, plus a glimpse at my ever-colorful bedding:
I promise my room at home is much more sophisticated...but I'll save that for another post:) How would you describe your decorating style?
This is a food blog, so I suppose I should get to the eats:

Monday
After I last posted, I prepared a delicious and simple lunch out of tofu, veggies, and a cashew sauce I whipped up. On the side I had couscous and clementines. I swear, things taste better when eaten with chopsticks.
I had a busy evening of unnecessarily long meetings, so I satisfied my aforementioned salad craving with a prepared creation on campus. I opted for one of my faves, the Crunchy Broccoli Salad to which I added chickpeas for protein. (There are walnuts hidden beneath all that glorious broccoli). I also had a fruit cup and some pita. I'll try all your creative ideas ASAP!
The smoothie of the evening was a cherry-berry delight consisting of cherries, strawberries, soymilk, and Nutribody protein. I am running low on granola...suggestions for the next box?
Tuesday
I have an early class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I kept the morning meal simple: Fiber One with dried cranberries, and rice milk, plus an apple with cashew butter. Quick tip: Fiber One contains 10% RDA for calcium per half-cup but also contains a small amount of aspartame.
Lunch was a rushed affair, so I just quickly combined spinach, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, and cumin and served it alongside some flatbread and a few clementines.
After a busy afternoon and evening, I relaxed in one of my favorite ways...cooking, of course! I made a simple chili out of TVP, canned diced tomatoes, onions, chili powder, cumin, and ground red pepper. I served this hot pot of goodness with a Rudi's English muffin, a salad with Woodstock dressing, and peaches. This was one of my most enjoyable meals in recent weeks.
The smoothie last night marked the return of my favorite smoothied combo: mango and vanilla! I combined mango, Nutribody protein, soymilk, and topped it with the usual granola. It made my nightly blog reading even more enjoyable:)
Wednesday
This morning's breakfast was a strawberry-banana "waffle tower" as Sarah would say. I topped two waffles with cottage cheese, strawberries, and a broken up Banana Bread Larabar (courtesy of VeggieGirl). Quite delicious, although the banana was not as pronounced as I would have preferred.

I am headed to class now, but I'll leave with you another question to ponder: what's your favorite hot beverage? I just downed a cup of Mighty Leaf orange dulce, and it was pretty amazing.

Be back soon!

Hummus and Soynuts...Repeat

Hello all! I've been busy this past weekend, alternating between bursts of work and play. As a result, I've been relying on two of my pantry staples: hummus and soynuts. Lame, I know, but sometimes even opening up a can of beans is just too much of a hassle. One week from today, I will be at home for the Thanksgiving holiday, gearing up for a week of fun in the kitchen. So rest assured that this mealtime monotony is not permanent--my culinary prowess will resurface eventually:)

I'll fill you in on the weekend's activities as we go along, so let's take a look at the hummus and soynuts...

Friday
With a productive evening behind me, I celebrated with a repeat smoothie: Nutribody protein with pineapple, soymilk, and ginger granola. Delish.
Saturday
I didn't have much time for breakfast, as I had to attend a "recruitment workshop" for my sorority from 12-4. Sheesh. Anyway, before I headed out the door, I scarfed down a sandwich thin with almond butter and pumpkin butter, plus a raspberry-strawberry smoothie. I ended up gulping the smoothie while checking my e-mail half-naked--it was one of those mornings.
Upon my return from the workshop, I was ravenous, so I grabbed the first thing I saw in the fridge: the hummus jar! I made a quick sandwich and served it with carrots and an apple with PB.
Dinner was another simple affair, this time with microwaveable mac & cheese from my friend Annie. I added some broccoli for a nutritional boost (and color!); I had squash and a salad with soynuts and Woodstock dressing on the side.
We went to an on-campus showing of The Dark Knight that evening. It was my first time seeing it, and I really enjoyed it. I especially liked getting to watch Christian Bale on screen for 3 hours:) Definitely a dark flick though--I had a little trouble sleeping that night! Anyway, before I headed to bed, I made a quick smoothie out of peaches, Nutribody protein, soymilk, and ginger granola.
Sunday
Pre-chapel, I made a piping bowl of blueberry oats, topped with almond butter. In case you can't tell, I am aiming to make a bowl of oatmeal for each color in the rainbow. Anyone got ideas for green?
I hopped over to the stadium for another basketball game, with a cherry pie Larabar, Mighty Bites, and soynuts in tow. Once I got to the door, however, the security guard noticed my little snack stash and made me throw them out: "No outside food or drink allowed." I think a little part of my soul died when I had to throw my precious Larabar in the trash. As a result, I didn't eat "lunch" until about 7 that evening. Yeah, my eating patterns were way out of whack yesterday. This is what I shoved down the gullet once I returned to the apartment: salad with soynuts and Goddess dressing plus an apple. Then I dashed out the door to chapter...
...Dinner part B commenced once I arrived back home. I had a baked sweet potato topped with "smoky hummus" (aka regular hummus to which I added cumin and chili powder), brussels sprouts, and peaches with wheat germ.
The late-night shake was quite the treat: I combined strawberries, soymilk, fruit-sweetened dairy-free ice cream, and Nutribody protein. Tasted just like a strawberry shake!
Monday
Last night, I prepared some overnight oats by combining oats with rice milk. This morning, I added chopped almonds and pumpkin. I had an apple on the side.
Lunch today was inspired by an eggplant that has been hiding in the crisper for far too long. I grilled eggplant on the GF, drizzled it with tahini, and served it alongside some hummus pizzas and peaches. Those are sundried tomatoes on the pizzas.
Check out what came in the mail today...I am super psyched to review these products for VegFamily!
I had my dining committee meeting this evening, where we received free food again. I nibbled on some grilled veggies and focaccia. Nonetheless, my tummy was not satisfied after our 2-hour meeting, so I grabbed a salad on campus and added some soynuts. That's an orange and a handful of crackers up top.
I gotta get crackin' on some stat homework and a bibliography. I'll leave you with a picture of Shen and me before the game on Sunday:
Ciao for now!

Keep on Chuggin'

As of 9:45 this morning, I let out a sigh of relief--my stats test is over! Only one more until the end of the semester! Ordinarily, I would be in total relaxation mode right now, but it's that time of the semester when assignments and projects just keep coming. Oh well--my workload is not keeping me from attending the basketball game tonight:) Consequently, I am posting now rather than later so as to avoid another "hiccup" (see Sunday's post).

Due to my weekend of playing and working, my diet became, well, random and uninspired. Here are the goods anyway:

Friday
Following a late-night chat session with one of my close friends, I whipped up a delicious smoothie at 2AM. This one included blueberries, peaches, acai hemp protein, soymilk, and delectable ginger granola.
Saturday
After a leisurely workout at the gym, I returned home to a still sleeping roomie, so I kept breakfast simple and minimally noisy in preparation. I combined pumpkin with flax, cinnamon, and agave nectar and spread it on a whole wheat sandwich thin. On the side, I had some plain yogurt with sliced grapes.
I spent much of my afternoon waiting around for someone to return a text about studying--he never responded, and I missed the last home football game of the season as a result. To add insult to injury, he was the one who wanted to study together in the first place! As Stephanie Tanner would say, "How rude!" To assuage my grumpy mood, I decided some lunch was in order. I made some refried bean fajitas with bell peppers and salsa. I also had an apple with cashew butter.
I had had quite enough waiting around, so I headed to the mall with my friends for the evening. After a few impulse buys, we decided it was time for some fuel and headed to California Pizza Kitchen. I ordered my favorite Smashed Pea Soup plus a half Mediterranean Salad. My favorite thing about that salad is the little bed of hummus waiting for you at the bottom. Delish.
Oh yeah, Kristen wanted me to show you what she got: mushroom-sausage-pepperoni pizza. No tofu for her!
We spent the evening hanging out on campus with some Navy boys (Kristen is in NROTC). When I returned, I made another 2 AM blender concoction: chocolate hemp protein, banana, strawberries, soymilk, and dairy-free chocolate chips. Repetitive, but oh-so-good.
Sunday
After seeing similar ideas on other blogs, I decided to make myself a bowl of raspberry oats. In addition to the main ingredients, I also included cinnamon, vanilla extract, and chopped almonds. My roommate thinks my oatmeal creations are so odd--they're either bright orange (pumpkin oats!) or bright pink (berry oats!). I like to "taste the rainbow."
The afternoon was spent at a mandatory sorority event at which the offerings were pepperoni pizza and soda. Boo! I made a leftovers sandwich instead: refried black beans, tofu, and salsa on the last two pieces of my whole wheat bread. On the side, I had a salad with honey-roasted peanuts and an orange.
Dinner was completely random but still tasty: I combined corn, tomatoes, a Sunshine burger, and dill for an impromptu salad. I also had some snap peas and an apple.
Once my studying had reached its conclusion for the evening, I made a big, tasty shake. It was almost the same as Saturday's, except I added a hefty dose of coconut to the mix. I was really sad when I reached the bottom of my big green cup:(
Monday
As I put some finishing touches on my stats studying, I gobbled down a bowl of Kashi Mighty Bites with sliced banana, rice milk, and wheat germ. I also had a side of GORP (good ol' raisins and peanuts).
With my classes and responsibilities behind me, I settled in for an easy lunch of tofu scramble. This tasty mess included tofu, tahini, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and broccoli. On the side, I had toast and a rather seed-tastic orange. Despite the messy orange, this meal was so comforting, as always.
Now, I am off to shower and maybe squeeze in some studying before my dining committee meeting and the basketball game. Happy Monday!