One Down, Five to Go

I successfully made it through my first week after spring break...only a few more weeks until summer! I am ready for the warm weather and more importantly the fresh fruit and vegetables! In my opinion, there is almost nothing better than spending a morning at the local farmer's market. Until then, I will make do with campus fare...

Here is another glimpse of the offerings at some of the eateries at my university:

This is the Bean Taco Salad, ordered sans cheese and ranch dressing. I always request black beans instead of refried a) because the black beans are vegetarian and b) because black beans are probably more healthful than the refried. This restaurant has a great salsa bar with several different homemade varieties. You can bet I get my money's worth out of that! For this salad I chose pineapple salsa, pico de gallo, and classic red salsa. All spicy, the way I like it! Underneath the beans are some lame iceberg lettuce and tortilla chips that are always too soggy by the time I get to them. To round out the meal, I had an orange and a few pistachios.

Thursday

As I mentioned in my last post, I had another meeting last night from 6 to 11...well, let's just say I didn't get back to my dorm room until approximately 12:30. Despite the late night, I was well-fed due to a little planning. I packed my dinner for the second night in a row. Thanks for all your suggestions--I will keep them in mind for next time:)




I packed a pretty simple spread: two whole wheat mini-pitas with natural PB and jam, a tiny can of low-sodium V8, a baggie of roasted soy nuts, and an apple. Tasty treats! A note on the jam: I just discovered this brand at Whole Foods called Bio Naturae--no added sugar or chemicals, and each tablespoon (of the raspberry variety) provides 48% of your daily needs for vitamin C!


Friday
I visited another campus eatery today for lunch. This cafe specializes in Asian cuisine, although it offers a random assortment of American dishes as well, such as omelets, smoothies, and burgers. Typically, I order off the Asian menu, however, and I always take advantage of their fresh fruit offerings. Today I ordered some steamed vegetables with garlic-shiitake tofu. I added some Bragg's Liquid Aminos when I got back because I wasn't really feelin' the duck sauce or insanely salty soy sauce.


Well, now I am off to enjoy my Easter weekend. Unfortunately, my university does not give us a break from classes for the holiday, so I will be away from family again this year. I am sure I will find a way to celebrate...What are your favorite dishes to prepare for Easter or for spring in general?

Busy Day

I have busy day ahead of me, but not as busy as it could have been. I got an e-mail this morning from one of my psychology Teaching Assisstants, saying that discussion section is cancelled for today...score! As a result, I have a little time to compose a blog post...

Tuesday
My breakfasts have been pretty boring this week...just haphazard bowl meals that aren't very pretty to look at but tasty nonetheless. I had a good-looking meal yesterday though for dinner. I picked up a Greek salad from an eatery on campus and then supplemented with a few things in my dorm room.

The Greek salad is a mix of field greens, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onion, and sprinkling of feta cheese..oh my! This is one of my favorite things to get on campus. Speaking of feta, has anyone tried soy feta? I see it in the store all the time, but I have never tried it. Anyway, along with it I had an Ezekiel pita and a generous glob of tomato-basil hummus.

Wednesday

This evening I have a commitment from 5:00 until 10:00, but I have to be ready to go at the bus stop by 4:30! Sheesh. So...looks like I must pack my dinner--you know how much I HATE that ;) I have a strange love of lunchboxes, so I am excited that I get to use my Fit & Fresh Tupperware today!

What you see here is a pita sandwich with a banana, salted cashews, and banana-carrot juice (more on that later). Inside the Ezekiel pita are Italian Herb tofu, spinach, and salsa. Kind of a strange assortment of flavors, but I didn't have any fresh tomatoes, so we'll call this Italian-Mexican fusion cuisine. I hope it doesn't get too soggy by the time I eat it!

As you may have noticed on the sidebar that I added recently, I am a food product reviewer. I frequently receive free samples of foods from companies that want me to feature their products on VegFamily. Yesterday First Juice sent me a few bottles of their lower-sugar fruit-vegetable beverages (yay for no artificial sweeteners!). It's really meant for young children, but I am sure I will enjoy it just as much. Plus, look at the cool bottle it comes in! I will definitely be saving the container for future use.

Well, I must go to my Cognitive Psychology class now. I will leave you with a few questions: do you pack your lunch/dinner? What are your favorite things to pack? I am always looking for fresh ideas!