Another Denim Tragedy

Today I had to say farewell to another pair of well-loved jeans. This particular pair has been with me for while--my mom bought them for me just before I entered my junior year of high school. They fast became the "favorite" pair because of their perfect length and fit, as well as their wardrobe versatility. Indeed, they introduced me to the wonderful world of designer jeans, and I soon realized that Sevens were just made my body. Do you have a favorite pair of pants? How about a favorite brand of jeans?

Anyway, I realized after last wearing these jeans, that they had become paper thin on the left butt cheek, exactly where my last pair jeans wore out...weird. It will be rough, but I'll have to part with my beloved denim somehow...

Aside from busting my pants, I have done some eating too.

Wednesday
Ever since I picked up these blue corn chips last week, I've been itching to make a taco salad...so I did. Black beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and salsa went into the bowl, with plenty of corn chips to soak up the goodness. I had a combo of grapes and blueberries on the side.

I had an unexpected assignment to complete that night, so I had mucho work to do and not much time. Hence, dinner was pretty simple: Jamaican Jerk Tofu using this recipe (which is also in my new cookbook), sweet potato with walnuts and cinnamon, and an apple.
The smoothie was a repeat combination that might seem odd but tastes delicious: cherries and peaches. I mixed it with the usual Nutribody and soymilk.
Thursday
When I spotted this Apple Pie Yogurt at Whole Foods, I knew I must try it. After all, I've made several parfaits in hopes of simulating the apple pie taste experience. Clearly, it went into the basket, and clearly, I had to make a breakfast parfait. I used Honey Nut Os, chopped apple, said yogurt, and ground flax. Honestly, Stonyfield, I was a tad disappointed by your rendition of apple pie. I think Cascade Fresh makes a better version--if only it were organic! If you're interested, I reviewed Cascade Fresh here.
For lunch yesterday, I was craving more of that yummy bok choy and adzuki bean combination. This time I just steamed the bok choy and asparagus, then added the beans and topped with peanut sauce. Supah-delish. On the side, I had rice crackers, a nectarine, and a side salad.
I bought a cucumber last week for one reason only: so I could make tzatziki. I combined a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt with grated cukes, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dill. Voila! I fabulous sauce for pita! I also cooked up some cubed tofu with Bragg's and oregano and stuffed it into the pita with a handful of spinach. Along with it, I had some squash, more Greek yogurt with sliced banana, and spinach with Woodstock dressing.
The shake last night was a combination of chocolate-covered cherries and chocolate-covered strawberries. Yeah, it was pretty amazing. Cherries, strawberries, chocolate rice protein, special dark cocoa, and soymilk made for a tasty treat.
Friday
I found myself with a rather empty schedule today, so I whipped up some vegan banana pancakes. I topped them with that maple agave blend, and a few almonds. I washed it all down with rice milk (in a frog cup).
Whole Foods loot:
Sadly, nothing exciting this week (except for the new issue of VT).

In an effort to find another use for the Jamaican jerk seasoning I bought for the tofu (see above), I made some Jamaican jerk black beans for lunch. I combined the seasoning with black beans, bell peppers, and onion. Pita was there to sop up the goodness; dessert was an apple with white chocolate PB.
I received a suggestion from my girl over at GlidingCalm today for a post devoted to protein powders. I would be more than happy to do a protein powder post in the future, but it got me thinking...what topics would like to see in my Sunday feature posts? I am always open to new ideas!

Enjoy your weekend!

Parental Invasion

This weekend is Duke's annual Parents' Weekend, so as of about 1 PM today campus has been swarming with the "50+" population. Everywhere I look, there's a proud dad toting around a bag from the University Book Store, or a beaming mom snapping zillions of pictures. Gotta love it.

My parents arrived this evening, after multiple flight delays, but they landed safe and sound (albeit a little hungry!). We have plans to go to the basketball game tomorrow (my mom's first!), and to make a trip to Banana Republic. Aah, two of my favorite things in the same day: Banana Republic and basketball.

I plan on catching up on some much needed sleep tonight, so I better get crackin' with the last few days' food.

Wednesday
As a study break on Wednesday evening, I decided to take the time for a real meal, rather than slapping together a PB&J as I had been planning. With the help of my trusted friend George Foreman, I grilled some eggplant slices that I had rubbed with garlic. Once adequately charred, I drizzled the slices with tahini and served them alongside a mound of whole grain couscous. I also had a salad which consisted of spinach, chickpeas, soynuts, and sliced mozzarella.
I called it a night with a frozen treat: blackberries, chocolate rice protein, soymilk, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.
Thursday
When I am in need of a one-bowl breakfast, I consistently turn to CCV's Banana Bread Blender. This time, I used pecans (rather than almonds or walnuts), plus my usual rice milk, vanilla extract, bran flakes, and frozen banana. So yum.
I started out making sloppy Joes for lunch with lentils and tomato sauce, but it took on a decidedly Italian twist when I added wilted spinach, garlic, and oregano. The Italian version still ended up delicious--I enjoyed the mixture atop toasted whole grain bread and served it alongside an apple with cashew butter.
My Thursday nights are now occupied by RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) meetings, so I kept dinner simple last night: Chef Salad with Romaine, Tofurky, carrots, mozzarella, and honey roasted peanuts. I also had a pear and some crackers.
For last night's shake, I used up the last of my strawberries along with cocoa powder, soymilk, chocolate rice protein, and chocolate chips. I apologize for the monotony, but I don't have many options until my shipment of hemp protein arrives.
Friday
I have been having major back pain lately, so I had to do some low-impact cardio today and use the elliptical rather than go for a run. I returned to the apartment for a quick breakfast of a peach-banana smoothie and a bagel with Sunbutter. Afterward, I darted off to campus again to do some promotional stuff for my sorority's "Mocktail Blendoff." Sounds like my kind of event, no?
I also made a Whole Foods run today (of course). Here's a look at the loot:
I needed something to warm me up after my errands in the cold, so I made a bowl of lentil chili for lunch. I combined tomato sauce, water, lentils, corn, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and ground red pepper and let it simmer while I did my laundry. On the side, I had a salad with a new salad dressing (Annie's Woodstock) and a beautiful Fuji apple that was just too pretty to slice.
Once my parents finally arrived, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in town, Taverna Nikos. We ordered an eggplant dip for an appetizer (although it was not labelled baba ghanoush). I thoroughly enjoyed the "herby" flavors that shone through in this dip; plus, my parents let me have the olive:) For my entree, I ordered the Vegetable Souvlaki, which consisted of vegetable skewers served with pita and tzaziki dip, plus a bed of rice. I practically licked the plate on this one.
We made a much-needed Target trip after dinner, and now I plan on settling in to some TLC before bed. Wild and crazy Friday night, right? Hope you're having fun tonight, wherever you are.

I will leave you with a pic of my mom and me at dinner. Love you, Mom!