My Little Rewards

With my torturous lab test completed, I have been rewarding myself for the past 24 hours. I settled in last night to read a back issue of Clean Eating Magazine, and today my mom treated me to a few items on our shopping trip; I came home with two pairs of shorts, a dress, two summery shirts, and some underthings from Aerie. Plus, when I got home, there was a free sample of Kashi Vive in the mailbox. Cute underpants and free food in the same day?! A rewarding day, without a doubt.


Despite my little celebration today, I have some studying to do this weekend--two tests next week. Ugh. At least one of them is in my nutrition class, so studying won't be too painful:) Yes, I know I am a dork.

Well, I have lots to discuss today since my last post was earlier in the day, meaning Wednesday's lunch and dinner have yet to be divulged.

Wednesday
Talk about a random (and lazy) lunch. I dumped some things that had been lingering in the fridge onto my plate: leftover turnip greens, tofu cutlet (Helen's Kitchen brand), spinach with sliced almonds and balsamic vinegar, and Ezekiel pita and a bowl of sliced peaches.
My mom made chili for dinner, so I decided to follow suit--especially since I had some leftover canned tomatoes and pinto beans in the fridge. I added a few spices (cayenne, chili powder, lots of cumin) and topped it off with mashed avocado. A vegan cheddar muffin and salad finished it off right.
My snack was something out of the ordinary: not a shake, not snack mix but...dessert oatmeal! I've always wanted to try a chocolate-oatmeal combo, but I figured it would be too sweet for morning. For my evening oats, I prepared them with a cup of soymilk, topped them with dark chocolate chunks, and mixed in a mini Clif bar (chocolate brownie flavor). Let's just say that I burned my tongue several times with this one...I couldn't wait to shovel that melty goodness in my mouth!
Thursday
Quick breakfast again: Kashi GoLean with soymilk and strawberries with walnuts. Good stuff.
I packed my lunch to eat on campus again. This time my feast included a hummus and spinach sandwich, juicy grapes, raw veggies, and a few raw almonds. I think this tasted OK, but I was far too busy cramming in last minute study time.

I just needed a quick dinner, so I turned to Dreena's sandwich section in Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan. Tamari chickpea spread was the lucky winner...I dipped an Ezekiel pita into the mixture. Snap peas and a side salad added some more nutrients. Afterward I had a small frozen cherry-soymilk smoothie.
After 5-days of shake-free living, I returned to my addiction last night. The impetus was a packet of S'mores flavor Spirutein that arrived in the mail yesterday. (It had been on back order when I purchased my last round of packets from Lucky Vitamin). I mixed it with chocolate peanut butter So Delicious and almond milk. I dipped a few Whole Foods brand graham crackers in it for authenticity:)
Friday

Whenever I have some spare time in the mornings, I inevitably cook up some scrambled tofu. The combination today consisted of tofu, vegan cheddar, and caramelized onion, along with the usual spices. I attempted to eat it as a burrito but ultimately used a knife and fork. A not so tasty kiwi added some balance to this protein-heavy meal.

I was in no mood to cook lunch today (weird, I know). I just topped some Ak Maks with almond butter and a few dried cranberries. A salad and an apple added some fiber.
I was so psyched for my snack today because I finally bought some Annie's Goddess Dressing. As a recent convert to the wonder of tahini, I am quite enamored of this tasty goop. Aside from the veggies and dip, I also had some blueberry soy yogurt.

Dinner was rather free-style again: I threw some leftover chickpeas, jarred pasta sauce, and fresh eggplant into a pan; cook up those broken pieces of pasta at the bottom of the package, add a salad with jarred olives, and you've got a tasty meal!

Enjoy your weekend!

Major Spill

...and no, I am not talking about a cooking accident. I wiped out on the sidewalk yesterday while on my run. These crazy old sidewalks are pretty cracked and uneven. I got scraped up badly on my hands, knees, and my shoulder, of all places. When it happened, two things went through my mind: 1) Is my iPod OK? (sick, I know), and 2) Did anyone see me? Needless to say, I am fine, just a little bruised and bandaged.

Later in the day, I had my anatomy quiz. It was not fun. Nuff said.

As a result of my no good, very bad day, I was looking for a little comfort these past few days. As per usual, I turned to my food!

Thursday
Immediately after my clumsy run, I enjoyed a breakfast of overnight oatmeal. I used instant oats, plain soymilk, and cinnamon; I had a sliced banana with almond butter on the side. As my grandfather would say, "hits the spot!"

Lunch was pretty hurried--I lost track of time while I was reviewing my notes before lab. I whipped up something quick--curried tofu salad (or pseudo-chicken salad). This version consisted of extra-firm tofu, Nayonaise, Grey Poupon mustard, curry powder, raisins, and walnuts. I also gobbled up some Ak-maks and crudites.
For dinner, I dug up one of my favorite cookbooks: The Imus Ranch Cookbook by Deirdre Imus. My uncle gave me this way back in my earlier days of vegetarianism, and I never really appreciated how great it is until now. I decided to make the Mesa Meatballs, which include soy sausage, thyme, fresh oregano, and a few other flavorings. These were stuffed into an oat bran pita and smothered with tomato sauce. Delicious! I need to use this cookbook more often. I also had some some salad, steamed squash, and a blueberry soy yogurt.
The smoothie of the evening was peaches 'n cream: peach Spirutein, plain soymilk, frozen peaches, and Nature's Path pumpkin granola.
Friday
No fancy breakfast dish this morning: just a whole wheat mini bagel with Sunbutter and a strawberry-soymilk smoothie.
After running some errands with my mom and sister, I made a quick lunch out of some freezer staples. I decided to make V-con's ever-popular corn and edamame salad--so simple and tasty! I also had a salad of Romaine, roasted red peppers, rice vinegar, and sliced almonds. Mango cubes balanced it all out.
Back by popular demand, some snack pics. Today I had some of Enjoy Life's trail mix and a small dish of plain soy yogurt.
While we were running errands today, my mom and sister stopped at McDonald's for lunch. Although I'm not a fan of the Golden Arches, being there did spark a craving for a cheeseburger. Truthfully, I've never had a real cheeseburger, even in my meat-eating days. Anyway, this craving inspired my dinner: Boca burger on whole wheat with ketchup, vegan cheddar, and Romaine. I also had some a squash-turnip greens saute and a salad with perfectly ripe avocado. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this meal:)
Quick question for you all: would you be interested in a list of my favorite cookbooks? I could add a sidebar listing the contents of my cookbook shelf. Let me know what you think!

Now I'm off to watch an episode of What Not to Wear. Have a good weekend!