A Few Nuggets

Hello all, I am not much in the mood to blog tonight for various reasons, so I present you with just a few links. Read and enjoy...

New Diet Guidelines

Top Nutrition Trends of 2008 (I always love these when they come out every year!)

The Economy's Toll on Our Diets

Sorry to be so brief. I will report back tomorrow evening from Birmingham!!

Where's Johnny Mathis When You Need Him?

With the recent nip in the air and the appearance of Christmas wreaths at my local Whole Foods, I was definitely feeling in the yuletide spirit today: "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" would have made for the perfect soundtrack. Oddly enough, I checked my iPod, and Johnny Mathis's Christmas album was conspicuously absent from my "holiday collection." Somehow, I managed to download every Christmas album my family owns onto Nestor the Nano...except for dear old Johnny's. Hmph. I'll be sure to put that on my Thanksgiving to-do list.

I spent the day in the typical Friday manner: gym, Whole Foods, laundry...plus watching Duke win a championship game:) Here are the goods that I ate in between:

Wednesday
I think this smoothie was a strawberry-pineapple-coconut concoction with the usual soymilk and Nutribody protein. I'm sure it was delicious.
Thursday
I had a presentation yesterday morning for my Gender & Language class, so I spent breakfast worrying/preparing for that. My nervousness was temporarily assuaged by some PomegranPlus waffles with pom seeds and a pear with almond butter.
After the gym, I had to meet with a TA to work on my stat paper. As a result, I didn't return to the apartment until later, so my tummy didn't have patience for creative cuisine. I decided to try something that I've heard is popular in Britain: bean 'n toast. Not bad. I also had some broccoli, a salad with Woodstock dressing, and an orange.
At half-time of the Duke-S. Illinois game, I took a break for dinner. Baked tofu with bottled peanut sauce, stir-fried veggies, and whole grain couscous made for a delicious supper.
The smoothie last night consisted of the absolute last of my frozen fruit: a frozen banana, sliced peaches, soymilk, and Nutribody protein. Tasty, although next time I'll add some cinnamon.
Friday
I treated myself to some tofu-banana French toast this morning. I topped the two slices with pom seeds, sliced banana, and almond butter. Yum.
Lunch today was another "hash" meal; I just threw some leftovers/staples into a pan and hoped for the best. This mish-mash included leftover baked beans, spinach, red onion, nutritional yeast, and Bragg's. On the side, I had a whole wheat sandwich thin and an apple with PB.
I just finished dinner about an hour ago due to the evening's basketball game. When I returned to the apartment, I made a quick tofu scramble with zucchini, tahini, ginger, and soy sauce. I served it alongside pita wedges, an orange, and a salad with mozzarella.
Now I am off to fuss with my pedicure for tomorrow. What's your favorite color of nail polish?

Happy Friday!

Pomegranate Crime Scene

After about 2 weeks of hiding behind my wheat germ jar, the pomegranate I purchased was finally put to good use today. I have absolutely zero experience with pomegranates or their seeds, so preparing this mystery fruit made for quite the adventure. After carefully cutting off the top, I began separating the seeds from the membrane...then the chaos began. Those seeds are slippery little suckers! Let's just say that the preparation session concluded with stained counters, a purple-dotted microwave, a speckled T-shirt, and "freckles" all over my body. In short, it looked like a pomegranate homicide had taken place.

Anyway, the hummus-soynut monotony has gladly come to a close. Check out my most recent eats:

Monday
After a failed smoothie attempt using the Vega vanilla chai protein (*gasp* I actually poured it down the drain!), I settled on another strawberry cream shake: strawberries, soymilk, vanilla soy ice cream, and Nutribody protein.
Tuesday
I decided to get creative with yesterday's parfait. I combined plain yogurt (with cinnamon), sliced pear, bran flakes, currants, and almonds. Out of the ordinary and delicious.
In an effort to use up my eggplant, I made a ratatouille with tomato sauce and onions. I served it with couscous, a salad with wheat germ and sweet dill dressing, and a banana with melty PB for dessert.
For dinner, I was craving comfort food, so I heated up some of Amy's baked beans and served them alongside mac & cheeze (based off of this recipe), broccoli, and green beans.
The smoothie last night was a berry bonanza: blueberries, strawberries, soymilk, and Nutribody protein. I am in dire need of frozen fruit! Eek!
Wednesday
Another week, another Banana Bread Blender. This time, I used spelt flakes instead of bran and honey-roasted peanuts for the nut component. Banana with PB...in liquid form.
Lunch today was inspired by a recipe for Baked Bean Stew from Nubella. I omitted the chicken and made a few other adjustments. Toast points and an apple with glorious almond butter rounded everything out.
I just finished a delicious dinner: I made wagon wheel pasta with broccoli and TVP "meat sauce," and I made a killer salad out of greens, sweet dill dressing, pomegranate seeds, and pecans. Whoa.
I promised you pictures of my semi formal outfit for this Saturday:
This is my first time wearing the dress; I hope it will be right for the occasion. PS Anyone have any suggestions on how to do my hair for the evening?

Alright, I am off to do some sorority activities. Ta-ta for now.

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!