Anyway, I've got some awesome eats to share with you this evening...
Wednesday
After I signed off last time, I made a smoothie in my new blender. I didn't mention this last time, but I discovered that it has a convenient "Smoothie" setting. Plus, it creates a lot less noise than the MB, so I feel a little less guilty about firing up a blender every night at 11:30. Some people live near noisy frat boys, some people must live near a smoothie enthusiast. Anyway, this concoction included HempShake, soymilk, frozen cherries, and pumpkin flax granola.
ThursdayDespite the arrival of my new blender buddy, I have still been using the MB. I used it yesterday morning for a quick strawberry smoothie (that's wheat germ on top). I also had a whole wheat mini bagel with Brazilnut butter. I randomly added a dash of cinnamon, and it turned out to be a great combination.
My pre-run snack was pure carby goodness: pretzel sticks and a banana. I ran well, but my quads were sore.
Lunch was another salad bar creation: mixed greens, steamed broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, cucumber, kidney beans, and sunflower seeds. Boring, I know.
I had to introduce myself to my tutoring students yesterday afternoon, so I didn't return home until later in the day--I was so hungry! I have been jonesin' for chocolate the past few days, so I tried a Jocolat bar (by Larabar). SO delish. Even better with almond milk. In a frog cup.
Last night marked the return of Cashew Ginger Tofu. I know all must be sick of seeing this stuff so often, but seriously, I think this is what they eat in heaven. I enjoyed it with couscous, salad, and more woody honeydew.
Thursday's smoothie was very similar to the previous evening's. The only difference is that I added a frozen banana to this one. It added great texture and taste--cherry + banana = ultra sweet, the way I like it. (I had a little overflow as a result of the banana addition: see cow cup).
FridaySince Fridays are my free days, I took the opportunity to sleep in this morning (til 8:30!). My muscles were still sore, so I used the elliptical and stationary bike today rather than running on the track. It was great--I made a little headway into my magazine stack, but I'm still working on my August Self. I returned home to make a breakfast that I had planned out last night. Just before bedtime, I put a slab of tofu in a baggie with Bragg's, vinegar, and cumin and let it marinate overnight. This morning, I grilled it on my George Foreman (you can't see them but the tofu got some killer grill marks). I placed the tofu on a toasted whole wheat mini bagel along with sliced avocado and salsa. Total food fugue.
I journeyed to Whole Foods this morning and picked up some new items...including quinoa! I wanted to participate in the Secret Ingredient Challenge from Sports Nutrition Living, so I made sure to get some of this protein-rich grain. I had a few issues cooking it correctly--I do NOT recommend the microwave method! The charred cooking container is now in the trash can, and my kitchen smells like burnt popcorn. I finally achieved success, however, and I mixed the red quinoa with lentils, mushrooms, garlic, basil, oregano, and red wine vinegar. Salad, almonds, and an organic nectarine rounded it all out. (PS I always buy organic nectarines because they are one of the "dirty dozen," meaning they easily retain pesticide residue).
After a last minute Kroger run, my roommate (her name is Kristen for future reference) and I returned to the apartment not feeling up to cooking much. I finally got the motivation to heat up some tomato soup and make a grilled hummus sandwich. I added ground red pepper to the sandwich before I put it on the grill. It ended up being a great sandwich--the onion, pepper, and tomato had a little party in my mouth when I dipped it into my soup. On the side I had haricot verts and plain yogurt with cashews and cinnamon.
I am off to watch a movie. Stay safe from the storm!
19 comments:
Hurricanes that hit on a Friday night are lame -- the only benefit of inclement weather is canceled classes! (though my teacher friend back in central Florida had four days off from work for the totally innocuous Tropical Storm Fay... and is now stuck making them up in June. Meteorologists will never get it right.)
And yay for Cashew Ginger Tofu! I picked up a jar of ginger at the market tonight and totally thought of that dish. Such simple, fabulous flavors.
Aww so glad to see you made the Quinoa.. and your recipe and all your other food looks great as well. Do you evrr have to bring meals to school ordo you live close enought to always come home.. I have the biggest cooler I carry with me to school since I commute!
I was just thinking the same thing about the Duke-Northwestern game!! Be safe and hopefully this storm will pass through without causing too much trouble! And if they do end up playing...you're goin' DOWN ;o)
"Some people live near noisy frat boys, some people must live near a smoothie enthusiast." Best thing I've read all day!
I loved those Jocolat bars when I tried them, too. They are definitely appealing to the chocoholic in me!
That cashew ginger tofu never gets old - I still have yet to try it but I really want to since you claim it's what they eat in heaven ;o)
And hurray for the secret ingredient challenge! Your take on quinoa looks great!
Again, be safe - and GO U N-U!!!
Stay safe of course. Here in Florida I am well acquainted with the hurricane scares! I noticed that you eat a very raw centric diet (which I think is very cool since I recently went about 70 percent raw myself) - how do you find it affecting your health and energy?
The red quinoa looks awesome - I will have to pick some up.
Larabars - oh how I love them!
i really need to find the jocalot bars and try one, they look and sound delicious!
good luck with the storm!
Ah yes, Hanna is showing up here as well :0( Hope the game isn't cancelled!!
Hooray for shakes (as always, haha), quinoa, grilled sandwiches & soup (comforting!!), and... LARABARS!! (Yes, I know you had a Jocalat bar - but Larabar makes them, so I can still give them a shout-out, haha).
My BlendTec blender has a smoothie setting - is that the blender that you bought, if you don't mind me asking?
WAIT!! Nevermind - you purchased a Hamilton Beach blender.. sorry, I forgot, haha ;0)
that smoothie looks amazing! How does tofu taste when grilled by the george foreman? I'm sitting out a hurricane too! Haha, stuck in rainy NC :(
I think I may be the only vegan who does not like quinoa!
But seeing it on these blogs so many times makes me wanna give it another try.. we;ll see!
Awesome eats lately, especially that grilled tofu sammie (don't u just love grill marks?)! Stay safe from the storm and enjoy your weekend!
Kimberly: You're so right--I hate it when the weather works around the workweek. Boo.
What part of the store do you find jarred ginger? I just used ground ginger the other night, since I don't keep the fresh stuff on hand all the time.
SportsNutritionLiving: I don't bring meals to campus, just my snacks. I'll buy a salad or something while I'm there, but I haven't packed a lunch or anything yet. Maybe I'll try it this week!
EatingBender: To be honest, I am a little torn for this game...I have ties to both Duke and NU. Note I said a LITTLE torn;)
Nikki: I don't intentionally eat a high raw diet; it just sort of ends up that way I guess. I might have to read up on it. Anyway, I always feel quite energized though--I rarely experience that afternoon slump that so many people seem to have.
Caitlin: Yep, the Jocolat bars are great--I can't wait to try the other flavors!
VeggieGirl: Haha, I knew you would appreciate the promotion of a Larabar product. And yes, it is a Hamilton Beach. Maybe I'll save up some of my graduation $$ and buy a BlendTec after college:)
GrkGrl: Tofu grilled on the GF tastes great! When you close the lid, the weight presses out excess liquid, so the tofu gets q nice dense texture to it. It's even better when your marinate it!
VeganNurse: I don't have much experience with quinoa, but I haven't been totally wowed by it yet. Maybe I need to keep experimenting...anyway, it's a great superfood!
Grill marks are awesome--I am always so excited when I get good ones!
Hope you're having a fun and safe weekend sans Hanna! :)
Danielle: Hanna passed through without much damage...plus the football game wasn't even delayed!
I am so happy to see you're feeding yourself well -- it looks like you had some great food over the past few days! Your cashew ginger tofu looks so delicious, it has me thinking that maybe I'll bake some tempeh in that sauce tonight. We'll see. I haven't used that recipe in forever!
The Jocalat bar and the cherry banana smoothie look incredible too! And quinoa is sooo good with lentils -- it looks so pretty with the red kind of quinoa!
I just made Cashew-Ginger Tempeh for my dinner, so thanks for the meal inspiration! It was so awesome and it baked up a ton faster than tofu. And I made it with Whole Foods chunky peanut butter. YUM! I will definitely be making this more often!
Ruby: Yum! Your tempeh dish sounds amazing right now. I will have to pick up some tempeh next time I go to the store. How long did it take to cook up the tempeh?
I love the red quinoa too. It was just by chance that I got it actually--it was the only kind they had in stock on Friday!
All of your eats look so good that I don't know what to comment on! I love the salad- it is def not boring! I am always looking for new topping ideas for my salads and this looks like a yummy combo! Hanna wasn't rough but just a pain! We got tons of rain here but I'm glad it wasn't too crazy windy! Have a nice Monday :)
Erica: Thanks so much for commenting! I am glad the salad photo served some purpose--I almost didn't mention it because I have had so many similar salads lately.
I agree about Hanna--no damage around here, just annoyingly strong winds. Enjoy your evening!
The tempeh cooked up really fast. It had just finished steaming (I do that to remove the bitterness), then I plopped in right in the oven with the sauce. Since the tempeh was already hot, it took less than 15 minutes to finish. Dreena's recipe says to cover the tofu while baking, but I didn't have any foil so I just had to keep my eye on the oven and remove the pan before tje sauce burned!
Ruby: Sounds like quite the time-saver. I'll have to try that when I get the chance. Thanks for the tip!
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