On Pondering Peanut Butter

As I am sure you all are aware, peanut butter has been a prominent topic in the news lately. Due to a Salmonella outbreak, several companies are issuing recalls for peanut-containing food products, ranging from cookies to dog food. (For a full list of recalled products, click here).

As an avid lover all things peanut-butter, this news saddens me. After checking and double-checking, I have come to realize that I have a PB Cookie Larabar and a few Clif minis that must be discarded. I have held onto these tainted goods for the past few days for the following reasons: 1) I already ate several of the other PB Clif minis from the same box and did not suffer any adverse side effects, and 2) I keep reading about fellow bloggers who have taken the risk of eating the allegedly contaminated products and survived with no harm done. What do you think? Is it worth the risk to hold onto these peanutty pleasures? I'll probably hoard them for a few more days, in case the folks at Larabar and Clif magically decide to cancel their respective recalls. Otherwise, they'll find a new home in the trash.
My peanut butter dilemma continues, this time due to product unavailability. Many of you are lucky enough to regularly enjoy the wonders of Peanut Butter & Co.'s products. I have no problem locating them in Birmingham, but they have proven to be much more evasive here in Durham. Not at Whole Foods, SuperTarget, or WalMart. Sheesh. Any ideas on where to purchase these jars of decadence?

Alright, now that I have bored you with my peanut butter obsessing, let's get onto the grub:

Wednesday
Dinner was at an on-campus eatery (The Loop), where I ordered my continuing favorite, the Crunchy Broccoli Salad. Fortunately, this one had plenty of walnuts:) I also had a side of fruit.
Despite all that roughage and fibrous fruit, I was still hungry when I got home, so I made a quick grilled two-hummus-mozzarella sandwich. For the hummus, I used the last of my tomato basil, plus a scoop of traditional hummus. For the bread, I used a few slices of light 100% Whole Wheat, a generous gift from Rena at Arnold Bakeries. While I am not trying to lose weight, these reduced-kcalorie slices come in handy when you just want a small sandwich or toast and PB for a light snack. Look for a product review in the future...
The smoothie of the night consisted of one of my favorite but often ignored combos: blueberry-banana. Delicious.
Thursday
I made another Banana Blender concoction yesterday morning, this time with GoLean and almonds. Using GoLean really improves the pudding-like texture. Observe:
For lunch, I had to evaluate another on-campus eatery for the dining committee. I ordered Garlic Veggies and Tofu with the sauce on the side. I also picked up some awesomely ripe melon. Here it is all boxed up:
But, I decided to prettify it for you and add some cashews and crackers to the mix.
Before heading out to a church group meeting, I scarfed down some peanut butter noodles with zucchini, salad, and pineapple.
I was feeling indulgent again last night: the shake included chocolate rice protein, dark cocoa powder, banana, strawberries, coconut, soymilk, and dairy-free chocolate chips. I was really sad when I reached the bottom of my glass.
Friday
Vegan banana pancakes were on the menu this morning. I enjoyed them with almonds and spiced pumpkin.
I headed out to Whole Foods, and picked up some good loot:
Highlights include a new jar of Sunbutter, Peanut Butter Pows, and blood oranges. Yum.

Next up on the agenda was an afternoon of tutoring. I packed a quick lunch before running out the door: Corn Thins with hummus, carrots, trail mix (pepitas + cranberries), and an apple.
For dinner, I used up some white beans by making a white bean stuffing/dressing with whole wheat bread, white beans, garlic, pecans, oregano, basil, and S + P. I also had some broccoli, salad with Annie's Raspberry Vinaigrette, and leftover melon.
This post is getting monstrous! Before I go, check out what finally came in the mail yesterday:
Ta-ta for now!

Just Call Me Aunt Bethany

"I should say hello?"
"Hello everybody!"

Can you guess from which Christmas movie I selected that quote?

Just as Aunt Bethany would, I am dropping in to say hello to everybody...I have been diligently working on my paper that is due on Wednesday. Classes have ended for the semester, so the only things that separate me from Winter Break is this paper and a stats exam on Friday. Woohoo! I wish all you students out there the best of luck during finals week!

Anyway, I better get to it, if I want to be able to take a study break to watch the basketball game later today. Here's a glance at my grub:

Wednesday
Just before the Rockefeller Christmas special came on, I decided to whip up a quick dinner to enjoy while watching all the performances. I was craving cashew-ginger tofu from ED&BV (my favorite comfort food) but realized I had already eaten tofu for lunch, plus I didn't have any cashew butter. So, I improvised and made peanut ginger veggies. I had some couscous and pineapple with wheat germ on the side. Hit the spot!
The smoothie of the evening was fabulous--peach and banana with Nutribody protein and soymilk.
Thursday
I woke up for my last day of classes (on time!) and made an Apple Pie Parfait. I alternated layers of plain yogurt, applesauce, and spelt flakes, then topped it off with wheat germ and almond butter.
For lunch I made a quick mock tuna salad wrap with chickpeas, vegan mayo, a dash of mustard, kelp granules, and some lemon zest. In case you can't tell, I am really into zesting things lately. Check out my spiffy microplane. It's great for finely grating cheese/soy cheese as well. I also had a salad with peanuts and more pineapple.
After lunch, I baked a loaf of pumpkin bread for a sorority study break. Here's what it looked like, fresh out of the oven. The smell of baking pumpkin bread always makes me think of my mom--she used to bake triple batches of the stuff so that my sisters and I could give loaves to our teachers. Do you have any special food memories to share?
For dinner, I went out with the dining committee to an Italian restaurant in Raleigh called Vic's. It was family-style dining, so I chose a little of this and a little of that: Kalamata olives, caprese salad, fresh rolls, an eggplant roll up with ricotta cheese, and some sauteed vegetables. I also had quite a few glasses of wine...perhaps too many. It was a great way to spend the evening! Sorry, no pictures.

Friday
I had a little bit of silken tofu in the fridge just begging to be made into vegan French toast...so you can guess what I had for breakfast...Tofu-Banana French Toast. This time I topped it with banana slices and a few dollops of PB, kind of like a more complex banana-PB sandwich.
After my last trip of the semester to Whole Foods (the Durham location, that is!), I came home and made some coconut black beans. I was so excited to use the coconut milk that I picked up at the store, I couldn't wait to use it. I combined black beans, mango, cumin, garlic, red onion, and coconut milk and served the mixture alongside a pita and a salad with Woodstock dressing.
I was a lame-o last night and worked on my paper. After a little Frosty the Snowman action on ABC family, I decided to make a simple supper: hummus-salsa sammie, zucchini, spinach salad, and an apple with almond butter.
Well, I should get back to work. Ciao for now...be back soon!