A Real Nice Surprise

To quote Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation, "this is just a real nice surprise!" This past week, I was tapped by Dawn from VeganChick, Jenn from Eating Bender, and Danielle from Around the World in 340 Days for a blog award! I am truly honored that you all have selected me for this award. I am so happy to have discovered the food blogosphere, and I consider it a privilege to be a part of it. I appreciate every one of you who reads and comments on my blog. Foodies are just so uber-cool.

It seems that most of my blogger friends have already received this award, so I'll refrain from tapping anyone in particular to avoid double-awards. Plus, this way I get to skip the painstaking process of choosing just 7 blogs to pass the award--there are so many out there that deserve recognition. Check out my blogroll for a few of my favorites.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone.

Dancing Queen

I have been flouncing around the house for the past hour or so after returning from a matinee of Mamma Mia! I am a total dork for musicals, so I have actually seen the Broadway production of Mamma Mia twice, and I *might* even have the soundtrack on my iPod. You would be surprised at what a little Abba action can do for your workout.

I thought the movie was totally over-the-top, as is apt for a cinematic musical. Anyone else seen it? What did you think?

Anyway, I am also especially in the mood for spontaneous song because I am officially done with anatomy lab! No more poking cadavers for hours on end! Life is good. I'll pick up where I left off in my last post:

Wednesday
Amidst my studying on Wednesday, I paused for a quick lunch to refuel: Tofurky wrap with broccoli slaw, Nayonaise, and Grey Poupon; more broccoli slaw with mushrooms, green onions, and rice wine vinegar; and a good ol' banana with PB. Somehow I never tire of the banana-PB combo.
After class I made a recipe from ED&BV, the White Bean and Walnut Bruschetta. This was such a simple but tasty recipe! It just takes a a whizz in the Bullet and a few minutes in the oven. I also had a big pile of green beans and a side salad.
I altered my vanilla hemp-mango combo a bit Wednesday evening and used frozen peaches. Good, but it doesn't compare to the original...
Thursday
Before my day of testing began, I ate a big bowl of cereal with sliced almonds and soymilk, plus some big juicy strawberries. The cereal combination was Corn Bran, puffed rice, and pumpkin flax granola. Check out my new cups from World Market--each one (of 6) has a different animal on it. I think they're meant for children, but I too think they're pretty rockin'.
My last packed lunch of the summer was a bit on the strange side. My brain was like jelly when I packed it (late Wednesday night--the night before my tests), so I just grabbed a few things from the fridge and threw it all together. I mashed white beans with ketchup, mustard, paprika, and a drizzle of agave nectar. It tasted a lot like my mom's baked beans, actually. I plopped it on a sandwich with spinach, and packed it alongside some grapes and veggies with Goddess dressing.
To celebrate my freedom from the chains of anatomy lab, I made a dinner from ED&BV (can you tell what my favorite cookbook is?). Cumin Lime Tofu features not only my favorite spice (cumin) but also one of my favorite seeds--pepitas/pumpkin seeds! I also had some whole wheat couscous, salad, and broccoli with red onions.
The celebration continued last night with my shake--the return of chocolate!! I used a lot more of the ice cream this time, so it tasted more peanut buttery.
Friday
I had planned on making some pancakes this morning, but I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so I settled for some frozen waffles. I topped them with lots of almond butter and rounded it out with a small orange. Today's cup featured a lovely cow.
The midday meal today consisted of scrambled tofu--in a whole new way. Instead of using my usual tahini today, I scrambled the tofu with the Smoky Avocado Sauce from ED&BV. This was my first time using liquid smoke, but I think I'll be using it a lot more in the future. The avocado mixed with the turmeric-coated tofu makes for a strange color, but I promise it tasted really good! I also had some pita triangles, broccoli slaw, and grapes.
It was past my feeding time when I returned from the movie tonight, so dinner was another "dump and heat" meal. I combined leftover chunky tomato soup with spinach, white beans, pine nuts, garlic, and oregano and served it along with a side salad. I also had a dish of plain yogurt with raisins.
Well, I am off to play with some new goodies that have arrived in the mail this past week--my new cell phone, products to review for VegFamily, and Self Magazine!

Ever-Changing Aromas

I was finally able to go on a run outside this morning (it was a "chilly" 82*). There is one house in particular that I notice every morning on my run, because it always emanates some funky odors. Most of the time it smells like rotting fruits and vegetables--sometimes it's cabbage, sometimes it's citrus-y. Regardless, I figured that they have a compost heap that they use in gardening. Lately, however, this house has been expelling more eccentric fragrances. Last week, I swear I smelled sausage hiding somewhere in the lawn, and this morning, the odor of the day seemed to be pizza crust. Either I am going crazy, or these people are feeding their plants their leftovers.

Anyway, I write to you earlier in the day today, not because I was so eager to rant about stinky landscaping, but because I have two tests tomorrow: a nutrition exam and my anatomy lab final. I'll likely be frantically studying this evening, so I figured I would post now. Plus, it gives me an excuse to procrastinate:)

Monday
After my last post, I got to work on preparing a recipe from my new Cafe Sunflower Cookbook, the Southern Black Bean Cakes. I served them along with salsa, a side salad, and some spinach. Honestly, the recipe instructions were less than stellar; yes, it was concise, but I had to do a lot of guess-work. They didn't even taste that good. Bummer.
For my shake, I (finally) used a different variety of hemp protein: the berry pomegranate flavor. I've decided that I will love anything with frozen cherries in it, so I fully enjoyed this concoction.
Tuesday
Another bran muffin breakfast! I had two of those with fresh strawberries and my beloved almond butter. I want to try hazelnut butter but don't know where to look. Whole Foods? Online? Veggie Girl probably has a few suggestions:)
After class, I wanted something quick so I could get started on studying. With no leftovers to speak of, I turned to the freezer and found a box of Amy's Bistro Burgers. I heated one up in the m-wave and put it on whole wheat with mashed avocado. A side salad with mushrooms and scallions and a bowl of grapes added some cancer-fighting produce to the meal.
Last night for dinner, I made another recipe from the Sunflower Cookbook, the Pacific Quinoa Salad. I didn't have all of the ingredients so I substituted here and there, and I added edamame for some protein. The dressing was great--think pineapple juice+ginger. I also had a salad with raw cashews. In the ancient Northwestern mug is some almond milk with dark cocoa powder and stevia (I know Jenn will appreciate the wildcat pride). Also note my new chopsticks. Ever since my friends taught me how to use them, I love eating with them! I bought them at Crate & Barrel last weekend in an effort to slow down my eating.
My shake/smoothie last night was the return of a favorite: vanilla hemp and mango! This is the combo that tasted like cake batter to me the last time I tried it, so I wanted to recreate it. Pumpkin flax granola makes it quite delectable.
Wednesday
Another breakfast parfait (or maybe more like a breakfast trifle...). This one had two crumbled bran muffins, plain organic yogurt, and fresh blueberries. Tasty, as always.
Well, I guess my procrastination session has reached a close. I will leave you with a picture of Fred chillin' in my mom's duffel bag.

Back from Hot-lanta

That's right--I've returned from my weekend trip to Atlanta. My family and I had a great time getting to know the fishies, doing a little shopping (at Crate & Barrel!),and dining out. You can probably guess what my favorite part of the trip was...eating at Cafe Sunflower! More on that later:)

Here are a few pictures from the Georgia Aquarium. By the way, did you know that they ship sea animals via UPS?! I guess UPS handles more than just my shoes from Zappos! Onto the eats:

Friday
I made a simple banana hemp shake on Friday evening. This was so simple but so tasty. I added some chocolate syrup and coconut at the last minute. Good call!
Saturday
Before hitting the road on Saturday morning, I packed up some snacks for the car: Primal Strips (soy jerky), low sodium V8, Dr. Weil bars, peanuts, and a few snack boxes of cereal. I ate about half of this throughout the weekend.
I managed to eat some breakfast before our departure as well: flax waffles, kiwi, and plain soymilk.

For lunch, we stopped at Moe's Southwest. If you're unfamiliar with this chain, it's like Subway, except for Mexican food. I got a vegetarian salad with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black beans, and guacamole (I asked for extra guac!). I also got a Diet Coke, but ya know, I really just don't like it. (Diet Pepsi is another story). My brother in law, Major, wanted to make his Broccoli Hut premiere, so here he is enjoying his Saturday lunch, a meatball sub from Lenny's. (FYI, he is not a vegetarian, haha).
After a trip to Ikea and checking into the hotel, we went to Cafe Sunflower. This was my first vegetarian restaurant experience, so I was super-psyched. I am so jealous of you bloggers who have this kind of dining available all the time; I would eat at Cafe Sunflower every day if I could! Anyway, here's what I ordered: a blueberry iced tea (unsweetened), starter salad with soy sesame dressing and a whole wheat roll, grilled veggie dumplings, stuffed acorn squash, and carrot cake, which was shared by the table. Whew! Everything I ordered was meat- and dairy-free. Woohoo! I will definitely try to recreate that stuffed acorn squash--the combination of vegetables, cranberries, and walnuts was just amazing! It won't be too hard to recreate this dish--I purchased the cookbook while I was there, and I even got the author to sign it!
Sunday
Free breakfast at the hotel the next morning was a little disappointing. Usually I load up on the free fresh fruit and snack-size cereal boxes, but the offerings at this hotel were a little different: scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and pancakes. At least I got some perfectly cooked oatmeal, lots of watermelon, and I *might* have stashed a few of the Tazo teas...
We went shopping at a few of Atlanta's local malls later that day, so lunch was at the food court. I opted for the Mediterranean place, where I got the 3-Salad Combo: Garden Salad, Hummus ( I guess that's considered a salad?), pita-ish crackers, and Mediterranean Salad. I didn't end up eating the garden salad because I didn't realize it was already dressed with a creamy dressing. Later, I had a big red apple that I swiped from the free breakfast.
Once home in Birmingham, I made a quick grilled Tofurky and mozzarella sandwich on the GF (George Foreman). I also had broccoli, lots of salad (making up for my lack of veggies over the weekend), and Dreena's Banana Cashew Ice Cream for dessert.
For my shake, I wanted something sweet (shocker!), so I made another chocolate one--special dark cocoa is a recent favorite of mine.
Monday
Today was the first time all summer that is has simply been too hot to run outside. It was 86* at 8AM! After a pleasantly cool indoor workout, I made a hot bowl of oatmeal on the stovetop with whipped banana and almond butter. How did I ever live without almond butter?
Quick lunch before class today: absent egg salad (vegan) with Ak-maks, Romaine with raw cashews, and an orange.
Now, I am off to make dinner and study. Enjoy your evening!