Return of Blue Devils Basketball

Sorry to be so late in posting my third installment of the week; I have been busy immersing myself in the joy that is Duke basketball. Upon my arrival to campus in 2006, I developed an intense love for Duke basketball, an odd occurrence for a girl who hadn't taken much interest in professional sports for the first 18 years of her life. Some of you may have heard of the "tenting" tradition at Duke. We students camp out on the lawn in front of Cameron Indoor Stadium for 2 months in order gain access to a single game, the match against our cross-town rival, UNC at Chapel Hill. I was one of those crazy kids, sleeping in a tent in 20* weather in hopes of getting good seats for the much-anticipated game. After an experience like that, it's hard not to remain a loyal fan.

After enduring the torturous summer and fall months without basketball, the 2008-2009 season is finally under way. Last night was the annual "open practice," in which the coach (the legendary Coach K) allows the public to watch the team as they hone their skills. This afternoon I attended the annual Blue White Scrimmage, an event in which the Duke players divide into teams and play against one another. It was great to be back in Cameron--the atmosphere of the stadium is like nothing else. Once you step inside, you can sense the energy bouncing off the walls, and the abundance of team spirit becomes infectious.

OK, now that I have exposed myself as a complete basketball junkie, I suppose I should address the foodie stuff.
Wednesday
I took a temporary hiatus from harvest-time on Wednesday evening and decided on a tropical theme for smoothie time. Strawberry, pineapple, and coconut combined with vanilla hemp and soymilk always make for a winning combination. Thursday
I liked CCV's Banana Bread Blender so much the first time that I gave it another try yesterday morning. Not only is it incredibly delicious, it is so simple too--one-bowl breakfasts are quite the boon when you are without a dishwasher. For lunch, I picked out a recipe from the hummus section of ED&BV, White Bean Hummus with Basil and Thyme. I had neither fresh basil nor thyme, but I made do with dried varieties. I wasn't precise with my measurements as I was ultimately aiming to use up the rest of these never-ending Great Northern Beans, but the flavors ended up spectacular nonetheless. You can hardly go wrong with tahini and garlic:) I spread the scrumptious goop on toasted whole wheat and served it alongside a salad, green beans, and a gorgeous Fuji apple. Kristen and I received a surprise package yesterday: a Halloween tin from the Popcorn Factory! Thanks, Mom and Dad:) Here are a few of the highlights: I whipped up dinner in record time on Thursday. Between Facebook and homework (the two activities that take up most of my time), I completely lost track of time--meaning I had limited time before my church group meeting. I ended up making dinner, scarfing it down, and doing the dishes within the span of about 30 minutes--beat that, Rachael Ray! Anyway, I selected another ED&BV favorite, Peanut Passion Sauce as the star of my dinner. I quickly baked some tofu in a screaming hot oven, steamed some asparagus, and cooked up a serving of whole grain couscous. I added a rather unphotogenic orange at the last minute. I wish I had been able to take my time and enjoy this feast. I realized last night that I have been neglecting the chocolate chili variety of my Living Harvest hemp for far too long. I combined strawberries, chocolate hemp, soymilk, and dairy-free chocolate chips for a chocolate-covered strawberry, in liquid form. Yum. Friday
I have attempted vegan French toast multiple times but never been completely satisfied with the results. After a thorough perusal of my favorite cookbooks, I found a recipe that looked like a winner: Tofu Banana French Toast from The Imus Ranch Cookbook. I blended silken tofu, half a banana, vanilla extract, rice milk, and agave nectar to make a thick batter for the bread. A dip in the batter and a few minutes in the pan made my whole grain bread go from boring to sensational. I topped the slices with cinnamon, pecans, agave nectar, and the rest of the banana. *Food Fugue* PS One great advantage of the vegan French toast is that you can eat the extra batter without worries of food-borne illness...plus it kept my hunger at bay while I waited for the toast to cook! Following a big shop at Whole Foods, I came home to prepare a simple but tasty lunch. I made a grilled Tofurky-tomato sandwich on whole wheat, a Waldorf salad (apple, vegan mayo, almonds, and raisins), plus a salad of mixed greens . Do you like my new fall-ishplacemats? After the open practice, my friends and I hit up one of our favorite local eateries, Elmo's Diner. We have dined there regularly since arriving at Duke, and I have never had a bad meal there. Last night, I opted for the Vegetarian Taco Salad (sans cheese and sour cream) and a side of fresh fruit. The salad was delicious, but a little spicier than I was expecting! I had to get some mint tea to calm down my tastebuds. I didn't get any dessert at Elmo's, but I ended up needing a little something sweet when we returned to the apartment. Kashi cookie to the rescue! I washed it down with an ice cold glass of rice milk. Look for a review in the future:) The smoothie last night was nothing new--just my favorite combination evah. Yep, peaches, mango, vanilla hemp, and soymilk. Whew! I need to actually get some work done this weekend, so I must conclude this lengthy post. Before I go, I'll leave you with some basketball pics.

The Remedy

I am drawing inspiration from Jason Mraz for my title tonight...because I have found the remedy to my illness; I am finally feeling more like my normal self! After a visit to the Student Health Center (at which I received mediocre/verging on negligent care), Kristen was kind enough to drive me to a doc-in-the-box tonight where I finally received a long overdue prescription. Woohoo!

Now I am looking forward to my Saturday--there's an on-campus music festival tomorrow, plus my sorority is hosting a "Western-themed" event tomorrow night. The event is held off-campus at a barn, where we can go on hayrides, makes s'mores and dance the night away. It's definitely one of my favorite events, although I am little disappointed that I didn't muster up the courage to find a date...I'm sure there will still be plenty of fun to be had:)

Anyway, as a result of my blah physical condition these past few days, I have been forced to eat blah food. The only advice the Student Health Center had for me was to sip Gatorade and generally consume only "gentle" and "non-spiced" foods like applesauce and soup. In other words, a foodie's torture! That's like putting an extravert into solitary confinement! I followed their instructions to an extent, but I could not stay away from fruits and vegetables for long...

Wednesday
The shake of the evening featured frozen banana, frozen strawberries, soymilk, cocoa, and chocolate rice protein, along with dairy-free chocolate chips on top. Perfect.
Thursday
Breakfast yesterday was not so kind to my stomach, but it still pleased my tastebuds. I had a simple bowl of Whole Foods brand Cheerios and rice milk topped with wheat germ, plus a Rome apple with cashew butter.
Following my pointless visit to the infamous Student Health Center (yes, I do mean infamous), I picked up some tummy-taming groceries at an on-campus store. Among them was a can of Health Valley vegetable soup, which I served with crackers and hummus, almonds, and melon (which is supposedly a "gentle" fruit). This filled me up, but left me unsatisfied...you know what I mean?
My snack yesterday was fabulous, however--cottage cheese with Sunbutter. The utter deliciousness of this snack made me realize why so many people seem to enjoy the PB/cottage cheese combo in their oatmeal and pancakes. Do you have a favorite recipe that combines cottage cheese and nut butter?
One of the few foods I enjoy that is low-fiber is tofu, so I decided that would be a mild protein choice for dinner last night...although I combined it with a few veggies (mushrooms and spinach) along with a sprinkle of garlic salt. I also had some couscous and a vanilla yogurt with cinnamon. The vanilla-cinnamon mixture reminded me of that oh-so-yummy Creamy Cashew Dip from ED&BV. I *might* have to make another batch soon...
The shake last night was an exact replica of Wednesday's...so no pic.

Friday
Upon my return from my trip to the gym, I tried an all new breakfast. I used Bob's Red Mill 5-Grain cereal, rice milk, banana, and chocolate rice protein powder to make a yummy bowl of chocolate-y heaven. Never before have I tried the 5-Grain cereal, nor have I ever added protein powder to my morning oats; so many bloggers seem to enjoy it though, so I figured it must be worth a try. Deeelish.
Another simple mid-day meal today. More soup and crackers, plus a heaping serving of applesauce. The highlight of this meal was definitely the almond butter on top of the applesauce, a recent purchase from Whole Foods. Despite its $8.99 per pound price tag, I gave in and bought a small container of the freshly ground almond butter. Does anyone know if you're supposed to refrigerate this tasty paste?
I returned from my doctor's appointment this evening ravenous for a real meal--one that would actually stimulate my tastebuds and satisfy my inner foodiness. I decided on a tofu stir-fry with tofu, carrots, green beans, onions, garlic, soy sauce and ginger. Along with it, I had couscous, a Romaine salad with peanuts, and cantaloupe with grapes. Sigh. So good.
Before I sign off, I have another question for you all. My friend from stats class (the scone enthusiast) might be coming over to study on Sunday evening (translation: must provide dinner). He is an omnivore, but he has mentioned that he likes vegetarian food too. Any suggestions on what to prepare?

Wishing you a happy and healthy weekend.