Full Friday

I am still beyond perplexed how my Fridays become so busy, even when I don't have any classes. Today alone I had my workout, a dining evaluation at an on campus eatery, a psych experiment to participate in, a trip to Whole Foods, a tutoring appointment, a mega-laundry session, and another Target run. Sheesh. Never mind even trying to get a head start on studying for stats...instead I plan on watching a movie with a friend. A much better use of time, in my opinion:)

I have been on-the-go recently due to more tutoring appointments as of late; the freshmen live on a separate campus, which doesn't leave much time for lengthy meal preparation. Here are the goods anyway:

Wednesday
I got creative with my butternut squash soup again. This time, I baked some tofu slabs in the creamy goodness and topped them with walnuts and cinnamon. On the side, I had some couscous, salad, and cranberry sauce. Quite the fall feast.
The smoothie of the evening featured blueberries, strawberries, acai hemp powder, and soymilk. Love that ginger-y granola on top.
Thursday
More fall flavors appeared on my plate for breakfast the next morning. I made a pumpkin-banana smoothie with ginger and cinnamon and rounded out the meal with a whole grain mini bagel with Sunbutter.
I prepared a quick lunch before heading off to an afternoon of tutoring: baked sweet potato topped with refried beans and salsa, brussels sprouts, and that mess on the side is applesauce with ground flax.
Before heading off to RUF, I made a quick burger out of an Amy's Bistro patty, organic ketchup, mustard, lettuce, and a whole wheat sandwich thin. I served it alongside a salad with veggies and chopped almonds, plus a little dish of grapes.
Last night's shake was phenomenal. I combined chocolate hemp protein, soymilk, banana, strawberries, and a few dairy-free chocolate chips for a big dose of chocolate-y goodness.
Friday
To adequately fuel myself for a busy day, I made a batch up vegan banana pancakes this morning...while listening to Jack Johnson's song "Banana Pancakes." Yes, I am that cool. I topped the hotcakes with agave nectar and chopped hazelnuts.
I stopped by the apartment amidst the chaos for a quick shower and a meal. I tossed some cubed tofu into a pita with lettuce and Annie's Woodstock dressing. On the side, I had a big salad and a perfectly ripe pear.
Once we returned from the mecca of convenience shopping (aka Target), I was too hungry to think of anything creative for dinner. I settled on a Sunbutter and apple butter sammie with broccoli, and some plain yogurt with a fruit cup.
I am off to enjoy a movie (likely a sappy chick-flick). Happy weekend!

The Comforts of Home

I arrived safely in Birmingham Thursday evening, and I have been soaking up the comforts of home ever since. Yes, it's nice to sleep in my own bed, spend time with my family, and catch up on sleep. However, I never thought I would be so happy to see a dishwasher in my life. Seriously. Suddenly having access to a dishwasher has made me realize just how much time I spend washing my dishes by hand while I am at school. I will for sure enjoy this simple luxury for the weekend:)

As a result of my traveling and off schedule, my meals are a little atypical for this round, but I think they're still moderately healthful. Enjoy!

Wednesday
Thanks my recent discovery that peaches may act as an acceptable mango stand-in for my vanilla hemp smoothies, I have been using the ingredient more often. After all, sliced peaches are a heck of a lot cheaper than frozen mango chunks. Anyway, this concoction included soymilk, sliced peaches, vanilla hemp, and pumpkin flax granola.

Thursday
Before heading off to a meeting, I fueled up for a busy day with yet another smoothie. This Bullet creation included pumpkin, frozen banana, rice milk, and cinnamon. Hello, liquid nirvana. I savored this beverage for several minutes, in contrast to my usual frenzied pace for the consumption of breakfast. On the side, I had another one of my never-ending whole wheat mini-bagels with freshly ground almond butter.

I had to leave for the airport at 12:30, so I packed a quick lunch to eat while during my layover. Remember that sweet mustard dill dressing I have been obsessed with lately? Well I had the genius idea to use it in my tofu salad. I packed a container of that deliciousness with an Ezekiel pita, sliced squash, grapes, and cashew-cranberry trail mix. Pardon the lame pictures--I haven't quite mastered the art of discreet food photography.
Upon returning to Birmingham, my sister picked me up and took me out to dinner with her husband. We decided that we were all in a Chipotle kind of mood (aka I was craving fresh guac!). I ordered the vegetarian taco salad with black beans, peppers and onions, fresh salsa, and a big ol' blob of guacamole. I never thought I would be so enamored of green goop. I also snagged a few of Ryan's tortilla chips. They were still warm!
After much digging around in the kitchen, I finally found one last hemp protein packet for my evening shake. Phew! This one was of the Nutiva chocolate variety, so I combined it with soymilk, cocoa powder, frozen strawberries, and a touch of chocolate syrup. Incredibly delicious.
Friday
I woke up this morning still full from an evening of good eats, so my mom and I headed to Publix so that I could load up on "my food." I'm pretty pumped about my selections (pears! tofu! pecans!). Anyway, I came home to make a big bowl of apple pie oats. I heated up oatmeal, unsweetened applesauce, water, and apple pie spice and let it thicken for several minutes. Once cooked, I added cinnamon and a big blob of almond butter. I also had a plain yogurt with apple pie spice mixed in.
I spent the day running errands; my hair is now freshly trimmed and I have loaded up on Target essentials (mini Clifs on sale!!). Lunch was extremely late but delicious nonetheless. I made a wrap out of sun dried tomato hummus, organic greens, and baby bella mushrooms. On the side, I had a salad and a banana with cashew butter.

I had a quick snack before heading out to the lake house: cottage cheese with walnuts and dried cherries. It made for an unusually tasty combination.

I just now arrived at the lake...only to realize that I forgot my camera. Fortunately, my sister is headed down later tonight after her shift at the hospital, so she agreed to bring my camera for me. Yes, I am officially an obsessive food blogger. Anyway, in the meantime, I prepared a simple sloppy Joe supper out of Heinz sloppy Joe sauce (which is surprisingly HFCS-free) and Boca crumbles. I also had a salad and some berries with lots of ground flax. This is a camera phone pic, in case you can't tell...
I will leave you with a few pictures from the weekend thus far. Happy Saturday!