Monday, May 31, 2010

Productive Procrastination

Good Morning bloggies!

Workout
Last night at 9PM I decided to do the Jillian DVD which is weird for me since I almost always do my workouts in the morning. But I gotta say, I felt so much more loose and energized than I do in the mornings. Plus the sliding glass door was like a mirror since it was dark out and I could see myself and make sure I was doing everything right. I guess I had the idea that if I workout in the morning it won't be weighing on me all day. But I shouldn't immediately forgo the idea of working out at night since there are clearly some benefits to be had. By the way that makes for Day 8 on the 30 day shred. Obviously I'm not taking a 30 consecutive day shred haha.

After those peppers roasted and sat in a bowl with their own condensation for a while I peeled the skins off and put them in this jar for later. I think I could have gone 5 extra minutes in the oven with these but they are still going to taste great. It's funny how the skins on the green peppers were really difficult to get off while the yellow ones just popped right off.

Workout
I woke up feeling like I got some good rest so I put on the workout duds and did the Jillian DVD. Having done the workout the night before I really noticed how much more stiff and tight my body felt. I am still learning so much about my body! Day 9, one more day and then it's on to level 2!

Breakfast
For breakfast this morning I made a smoothie with
  • 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
  • handful of spinach
  • 1 small banana
  • green tea
I toasted a bagel thin and had a peanut butter and honey breakfast sandwich.

Later when Savannah woke up she made coffee for the both of us!
Now we are planning to head to the library to crack down on some paper writing. It's all about attitude right? Yes! I am going to get organized and get into it. I mean, it's a paper about the earliest operas that ever existed. This is my thing!

Alright. Enough "productive procrastination". Ta Ta!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Afternoon Buzz

Soon as I got back from work I whipped up an iced coffee with soy milk and stevia. I love that little extra buzz in the afternoon.
I popped these bad boys in the oven at 450F for a little roasting action. I'm totally into roasting veggies lately, have you noticed?
I flipped them after 15, then took then out after another ten. They're not sitting in a bowl where the condensation will help the skin to come off later.

Dinner
This dinner felt more like a very late lunch and I have a feeling that I will be hungry again later tonight because of this whacko eating schedule that happens when I sleep late. I tossed the rest of the left over roasted cauliflower and onions on a bed of spinach with a bunch of grape tomatoes. Also, some blue corn flaxseed chips with hummus and salsa.
For a little european style tea time snack I had the last piece of the carrot cake with a smear of peanut butter (and a refill on the iced coffee!).
I have a new TV obsession: The United States of Tara. I love this show! I have been watching it online all day only to finish the whole first season and power through the second to find that the last two episodes aren't available yet! Baahhh the misery!

I'm trying to decide what to do with myself now... it's a Sunday but it's also a 3 day weekend... so many things to consider!
Hope you're enjoying the time off!

Lazy Bum

Snack
While waiting on the dryer at the laundromat (yes, I finally dealt with the laundry) I went into the Albertson's next door and picked up a few essentials to supplement operation Eat It So I Don't Have To Move It. I snacked on this organic pear in the meantime.
When I got home I decided to make some roasted cauliflower. I set the oven to 425F and prepared this tray which was
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 medium white onion
  • drizzle of olive oil
  • salt, pepper, and dried thyme
I roasted everything for about 19 minutes.

Dinner
I woke up so late yesterday that my breakfast sort of became lunch and now lunch is dinner. I was craving a sandwich made with the bagel thins I just bought so I grabbed my tofurkey and made whipped up a simple one. The roasted cauliflower came out fantastic! So simple and flavorful, this one is definitely a keeper. I also finished the last of my chai cola.
I also bought some green grapes which were so sweet I couldn't resist.

Dessert
A little later I had a little of the left over carrot cake with some coconut frosting I whipped up. Sooo good!

Breakfast
I can't believe how late I slept in today but I guess my body just needed it. I had oats to start my day but it was really lunch time. In the mix today was:
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tsp. chia seeds
  • 1 tsp. milled flaxseed
  • 3 strawberries
  • scoop of peanut butter
I also had some delicious half-caff hazelnut coffee.
I had work today at two but otherwise I have been such a lazy bum today! I love it though, I don't feel like doing anything so I'm not. I have things to take care of tomorrow (Like a paper :/) but it's a three day weekend!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Burritos Happen

Dinner
I don't know how it slipped my mind but I forgot to take a picture of my dinner until it was already all gone! Oops! My friend Chad came over and Savannah, he, and I ate the rest of the lentil soup. I also sipped on a chai cola but only had half of it.
We also had a spread of hummus with toasted pita and carrots for dipping. We just relaxed and chatted for a while before going on a walk towards the ocean to watch the sunset.

Midnight Snack
Sometimes burritos just happen! You know that hour of the night when a burrito from Freebirds just sounds like the most amazing thing you can imagine? That's what happened to me last night. Savannah and I split this bad boy and it was particularly delicious. I think it was the salsa verde and fresh cilantro that did it.

Breakfast
Breakfast this morning was OIAJ! woohoo! I made a double batch for Savannah and I which included:
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 extremely mushy ripe banana
  • 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1 Tbsp. milled flaxseed
  • cinnamon
  • vanilla extract
I added a scoop of boysenberry jam to make PB&J oats. I also made some strong coffee which I enjoyed with soy hazelnut creamer.
I'm currently sitting in the Laundromat (finally) waiting on the dryers. I'm sooo happy it's a three day weekend, aren't you!?

Hope your Saturday has been going well :)

Smoothie Oats

Breakfast
This morning I woke up with a crazy stomach ache. I intended to have this smoothie for breakfast but I was just not feeling up to eating food quite yet. The smoothie had
  • frozen tofu
  • spinach
  • strawberries
  • crushed pineapple
  • green tea
After laying down for a little and talking to my mommy on the phone I was ready to eat food. I used a half cup of the smoothie to make oatmeal with a scoop of peanut butter and a little soy milk.

Lunch
For lunch I made a peanut butter and jelly pita with the last of my cherries on the side and the rest of the smoothie from this morning.
I wasn't full so I had the leftovers from last nights roasty dinner.
Besides the stomach ache my Friday was going pretty well. Hope yours did too!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Roasty

Well...I thought I was being smart by setting up some eggplant and tofu to marinate before I went and did my laundry but what ended up happening was me spending all my time in the kitchen and not doing the laundry. Ah well. Laundry will always wait!

Dinner
I sliced up this egg plant, scored it, salted it to draw out the juices, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
After less than ten minutes the juices started coming out.
Then I made a marinade for the tofu whose recipe came from here:
  • 3 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
I spooned on the sauce and let it sit for about 25 minutes.
I scored the tofu just like the eggplant so it would seep in.
I quartered two small onions and poured on the rest of the marinade. I popped everything in the oven which was at 400F. I checked everything at 30 minutes but ultimately cooked everything for about 45-50 minutes.
I definitely sliced the eggplant too thin because it stuck to the foil :( boo! The tofu was also to thin because the edges got a little black.
But all in all it still came out tasting pretty darn good! The tofu was sweet from the balsamic and the eggplant was very salty. The onion was the perfect touch and everything together was an awesome combo. Just gotta avoid the black parts :/
I enjoyed everything with a mate mojito, yum!

Dessert
For dessert I had some of my Died and Gone to Carrot Cake Heaven with strawberries on the side.

It's almost the weekend y'all hope it's been a good week!

C Words

Lunch
Poor planning lead me to buy lunch on campus today but it's ok because it was money well spent. I got a super loaded salad from Romaine's. They have an everything-you-could-want salad bar as you can see by my random pickings
  • curry lentils
  • hummus
  • tabouli
  • beets
  • cucumbers
  • roasted veggies
  • baby corn
  • kidney beans
  • peas
  • onions
  • two green olives
all on romaine and baby greens. And a free breadstick which I ate about half of.

Snack
After a voice lesson, coaching, and a practice sesh I came home and snacked on some C words: carrots, celery, and chips with guac, hummus, and salsa.
For a little something sweet I chopped up an apple, sprinkled it with cinnamon and dipped it in peanut butter. I also had a can of green tea.
I'm really avoiding doing the ridiculous amount of laundry I have to do but I know I will be thanking myself later if I get it done while there is still some sunlight. Ugh.
BTW, Tina just posted about a Tofu Press...uh, can you say: wish list!! I want one so bad!
This post has inspired my ideas for dinner so it is safe to say tofu will probably be getting involved.

Now I am off to deal with the Kilimanjaro laundry pile. Wish me luck!

Beauty and The Beast Oats

Breakfast
I know it may be hard to believe but I am actually posting breakfast at breakfast time! It's been a while, I know. This morning I decided to make butternut squash oats.
  • about 3/4 cup frozen butternut squash chunks
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • small handful raisins, I got a little excited with the raisins this morning
  • 1 tsp. chia seeds
  • 1 tsp. milled flaxseeds
  • shake cinnamon
  • splash vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • scoop peanut butter
  • soy milk
I put just the frozen squash and the water in the pot first to cook the freeze out. Then I added all but the peanut butter and the soy milk on top and made oats as usual.
I like putting milk on top of my oats because it always makes me think of that scene in Beauty and The Beast where they sit down to eat breakfast together and the Beast just doesn't know what to do with himself. Hahahaha!
Half caff hazelnut coffee, water, and a Women's One a Day to go with my Beauty and The Beast oats.
I can't believe there are only two weeks left of school! I have some big plans this summer and it hasn't really hit me yet just how quickly it's all coming on. My cousin Lindsay is getting married next month (woohoo!!), school ends on June 11, the lease for my apartment ends June 17, and I leave for Isarel for six weeks on June 14! This translates into a few important things that you will be seeing soon:
  • Initiation of the "Eat it So You Don't Have to Move It" operation
  • Cramming for finals and writing a paper or two
  • A trip to Arizona
  • A visit from my Mamma
  • Lots of long skirts, hummus, and Hebrew!
I have recently, um...last night, discovered online shopping!! I can see how it could become addicting but that is why I used my own credit card which is my own hard earned money that only gets replenished if I work. I think I spent wisely. The only think I couldn't seem to find any deals on is Rosetta Stone for Hebrew. I would really like to try and learn a little of the language while I'm in Israel and I have had good luck with Rosetta Stone in the past, it's just so darn expensive. Does anyone know of a way to find a discounted price? Or possibly other language programs that are equally as good? Anyways, all I should be focusing on right now are the papers and finals at hand and maybe also the Kilimanjaro of laundry that is taking over my closet.

Time to get ready for Baroque Music. I actually really like this class and I'm even going to remember to bring my anthology for once, yesss!

See ya later!

Weirdo Wednesday

Dessert
See, I knew I had dessert! No not for breakfast lol this is from two nights ago. Lucky for me I had enough left over ice cream and cake to make a single layer version of my dish for the Green Chef to have at home!

Breakfast
Yesterday morning I started the day with a bowl of mixed up cereals to finish off two nearly done boxes. I topped it all with soy milk, a banana, and some cherries. Oh, and a scoop of peanut butter of course. On the side, half-caff hazelnut coffee with hazelnut soy cream and stevia, water, and a Women's One a Day.I prepared the rest of my coffee from the morning in this adorable thermos that my bestie Lisa got for me back in high school. I started sipping in my tonal analysis class and busted it out again in intro to ethics. When I opened it up though, it started dripping everywhere. ugh.
I had to go wipe everything down in the bathroom and grab a paper towel but then finally was able to just sit and enjoy.

Lunch
For lunch I had some of the lentil soup I made a few nights ago. I didn't think I was going to like eating it cold but it was actually really good. This is one of those soups that flavors itself and continues to get better as it sits.

Snack
I really had no time to eat lunch today which was frustrating but I was able to cram in this apple before work.
After work I had this Cinnamon Roll Lärabar. I love this flavor. Definitely in my top 5.

Dinner
For dinner I mixed some raw zucchini pasta with regular spaghetti, home made pasta sauce, and a vegan italian sausage.

Dessert
I know it probably sounds like an odd combo but for dessert I had a scoop of dark chocolate coconut milk ice cream with chunks of carrot cake. Girl just needed some chocolate!
Yesterday just did not feel like wednesday. Maybe it's because we're getting so close to the end of the school year!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Green Chef

Breakfast
Yesterday morning I decided I really needed some veggies in my life. Plus I have a bunch of crushed pineapple that needs to be used. No better way to do both of these things than a SIAB! I used
  • a small bunch of kale
  • handful of spinach
  • two frozen mango slices
  • 1/3+ cup of crushed pineapple
  • 1/3 cup soy milk
  • 1 banana
  • 2 dates
  • green tea, just enough to get things spinning
I topped it all off with some honey oat granola.

Lunch
I was having a bit of a crisis with my second batch of coconut ice cream and spent most of the afternoon running around, checking in with Dad to get some chef to chef counseling, and cursing google until I finally found the dry ice place downtown. Eventually I did get a chance to sit down and eat lunch which was a bowl of lentil soup, vegan italian sausage, and a sandwich thin with earth balance. This lunch reminds me of my Dad's cooking :)

As the clock ticked closer to go time for the Green Chef I started making the carrot coconut garnish which I got the inspiration for from here. I started by shredding two cups of carrots. I used the spiral cutter to get really fine shreds but I'm sure a normal grater would work. Then I heated to a boil in a sauce pan:
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
Once that boiled I let it simmer for 2 minutes then added the carrots and simmered for 4 minutes.
I removed all the carrots with a slotted spaghetti spoon and laid them on parchment paper. I measured out 1/2 cup of sugar to sprinkle over the top but I didn't end up using all of it. I also sprinkled 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut and mixed everything around trying to keep an even a layer as possible. I heated the oven to 200 degrees and dried the carrots out for about 8 minutes checking half way to make sure they weren't getting too crisp.
They came out perfect! Sweet and sticky with the perfect firmness.

Green Chef!
The competition is finally here! Kelsey came a little early so I was able to give her my camera while I stayed inside and prepared my dish. She got some great shots like this one of the huge line! Wasn't expecting that!

I'm know gunna blow the surprise but I will just tell you, I didn't win. I was sort of sad about it but it was mostly about the challenge anyways not the prize. I have pictures of the winners though so I will try to fill you in!
My campus really is a beautiful one. There's the view of the lagoon from the line.
I was able to snap a few quick shots of my station before the commotion started.
The food was set up so that as you moved from right to let you got savory entrees and moved into the sweets.
This was actually one of the winners: Carrot Barely Soup served in mini bread bowls with carrot garnishes. I got to taste the soup but only in a plastic cup. I was too busy on the sweet side!

Hard at work.
Don't they look cute? I was so pleased with the way they came out. I just wish we could have gotten a clearer picture. People were going after these babies!
Next to me was one of the other winners: Vegan Carrot Cake Ice Cream.

Gettin vicious!
I garnished each one with love! haha
I was having a hard time keeping up with the demand. But I wasn't complaining :)
On my other side was a really sweet girl who made pineapple carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Ahh if only I weren't a vegan for just one minute! I bet they were delicious.
Carrot Pudding
Another winner: Carrot Jam

Carrot Pancakes
Carrot Cake and in those little cups Carrot Milkshakes

Carrot Sushi!
This was the last of the four winners: Carrot and Chickpea Teriyaki Stir Fry. I got to talk to this boy when the food started running out. He was really nice and his teriyaki sauce was home made. Props!

Spaghetti with carrot sauce


Ahh there are my little babies! One boys exact words were, "When I saw them I thought it was going to be plain and then it kicked me in the mouth". Um...thank you??
Kelsey decided that we could make a cake and just cover it with this stuff and that would be fine by her! Agreed, Kelsey. Agreed.

This was the dish of Brooke, the organizer who convinced me to sign up.
Ahhh so cute!!







This was my little bag for people to vote on my dish.



I had to taste my own dish!

When I had finally run out I went around and tasted some of the others. This was yams with honey glazed carrots. Not too sweet and creamy smooth. Can you come over for Thanksgiving pleeease?

I also got to try this Carrot Pudding which was delicious. Very light, not too sweet, the carrot flavor really came through and was well complimented with the raisins and the little bit of chocolate.
I had to go to work but before I ran out I topped my pudding with some of that carrot cake ice cream. Yum.

Dinner
For some reason I thought I would be getting more of a substantial amount of food at the competition but I was wrong about that one. When I got off work I was famish so I quickly cooked up some of my home made veggie patty mix with my home made pasta sauce.
I was so hungry I didn't even care about trying to make it look pretty.
Hmm... I defnitely had dessert so I must not have loaded the photos yet. I'll get to that tomorrow since it is waaaay past my bedtime. I'm glad I got to share the photos of the competition with you finally and hopefully I will not have to type the word carrot ever again! Ok, at least not for a while. Anyways Hump Day is over and it feels weird to be so close to the end of school. My plate is an over flowing one these days but soon I will be away in foreign lands pondering the meaning of life!

More on that to come ;)
Night!