Monthly Archives: February 2012

Ombre Umami

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Today’s mood progressed gradually, slowly moving from bad to good.  It felt like I was peeling back layer after layer (probably as I was shaking off sleep!), getting more productive, more happy, more awake.  The visual I kept picturing was the new trend of ombre hair; light at the tips progressing to darker roots.

Sidenote – I’m loving my short ‘do but this look is yet another reason I’m missing short hair.  The main reason being big buns piling on the top of heads.

During the darker morning, as I slumped around the house feeling tired, I ate a big bowl of unphotographed popcorn with Earth Balance for breakfast.  I want to blame popcorn for bettering my mood, but it was probably the long nap I took after eating it.

My dreams have been crazy lately and sleep hasn’t been very restful.  But on an exciting note, I think I might be a sleeper agent as all of my nights of late have been spent as a cop, CIA operative, or other fighter of crime.  After a rejuvenating nap this morning I was ready to take on the day.  Good meals, schoolwork done, peppy attitude.

Lunch was my new favorite sandwich.  A Sandwich Thin with mustard and 3 oz of tempeh.

I had to make a quick stop at the grocery and I rounded out the meal with a few stir fry veggies.

We’re doing another take-out challenge in March and I feel like I’ve got to hit up the hot bar while I can!

Dinner doesn’t look so hot, I agree, but I promise it was delicious.

1 serving of linguine with turnip greens, topped with a drizzle of evoo and a pile of this –

The mushroom sauce ended up even better than I was expecting.  I will totally cop to licking my plate once my pasta was gone.  Yields 16 ounces –

  • 3 pints sliced white mushrooms
  • 2 Tbsp Earth Balance butter substitute
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 Tbsp evoo
  • 1 cup reduced sodium vegetable broth
  1. Melt Earth Balance in a large pan over high heat.
  2. Add mushrooms and 1/4 tsp salt to pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
  3. Drain any excess water from the mushrooms and add 1 Tbsp of evoo and the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt to the pan.  Cook an additional 10 minutes butter the mushrooms are beginning to brown*.
  4. Remove from heat and allow mushrooms to cool 2 – 3 minutes.
  5. Pour mushrooms into the bowl of your food processor.  Process 3 – 4 minutes, until smooth, streaming in vegetable broth and remaining 3 Tbsp of evoo.

Adam’s out getting our taxes done but I’m excited to see what he thinks of dinner when he gets home.  Speaking of the husband, there were more sightings this morning!  My friends in another section of clinic ran into him at the hospital today and he even got to meet one of my favorite teachers.

Now I’ve got to get back to hitting those books!  I finally started the work I’ve been ducking all week and I’d hate to lose momentum now.

What current hairstyle are you digging?

Husband Sightings

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We did not go to the gym yesterday.  It’s possible that when I said “no buts,” I had forgotten that the husband recently stepped on a nail.  When he got home I noticed the little detail that he’s still limping.  I’m a jerk.

Gym or not, today my body wanted carbs.  Time of the month and all that (ew).  The following foods were eaten today, at random intervals approximating breakfast lunch and dinner.  An onion bagel with Smart Balance Light.

Roasted peanuts.

A bowl of cereal with Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk.

An apple on the walk to school.

An unphotographed clementine that my professor gave us at clinic.  We started a new rotation today and I’m actually at the same hospital as the husband for the next three weeks.  We passed each other in the halls twice; swoon.  Plus we had the same patient and when I saw his handwriting in the chart I about died!

Chips.

Vegan fudge from the co-op.

A pile of roasted green beans.

And a big bowl of popcorn with Earth Balance.

Have you ever worked at the same place as your significant other?

What Do Vegan Zombies Eat?

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Graaaaaaaaaaaaains!

<– I heard that joke at Jekyll and Hyde when Adam and I went there our first year in NYC.  The food wasn’t very good and the drinks were overpriced, but that joke has stuck in my repertoire.

After a week of eating takeout (crap) I am more than ready to get back to healthier living.  I’ve got my kitchen mojo back and was ready to bang out two healthy home-cooked meals today.

Lunch was an old recipe that got some needed updates.

Berry Better Than Spaghetti, serves 5

  • 1 cup hard red winter wheat berries
  • 2 tsp evoo
  • 2 heaping cups frozen turnip greens
  • half a large red onion, roughly chopped
  • 14 oz package ground beef style veggie protein
  • 24 oz jar marinara sauce
  1. In a covered pot, soak the wheat berries overnight in 4 cups of cold water.
  2. Place the pot over high heat and set a timer for 50 minutes.  When the wheat berries have come to a boil reduce the heat and simmer for the remaining time.  After 50 minutes, remove from heat and drain any remaining water.
  3. While the wheat berries are cooking, heat 1 tsp evoo in a large pan over medium-high heat.
  4. Place turnip greens in pan and cook 2 minutes, stirring regularly.  Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add remaining tsp evoo and onions to pan and cook 2 minutes.
  6. Add veggie protein to pan and cook 4 minutes, using the side of your spatula to break up the “meat” into smaller pieces.
  7. Reduce heat to low, and add cooked wheat berries and marinara sauce to pan for a final 3 minutes.

The amalgam of textures and flavors was just perfect, wheat berries give great chew.

And this dish freezes well so I’ve got two servings in the freezer for the next week when we don’t feel like cooking.

I walked to school this afternoon and slowly sipped a soda through my two-hour class.  It’s been 12 hours and I’m still overjoyed about not having to wear my retainers during the day.

After class I stayed at school to work on a group project with my friend Kim.  Among other things, we made this –

We’re doing a nutrition lesson at a pre-school in a few weeks and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.

When I got home I had a dapple plucot.

And a toasted bagel with strawberry jam and SmartBalance Light.

I made it to-go because I multitasked and ate while I walked the dog.

Dinner was similar to lunch – grain, veg, sauce – but fabulous in its own way.

Tempeh Brown Rice Casserole, serves 4

  • 1 cup (raw) brown rice, prepared according to package directions
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1.5 heaping cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 12 oz tempeh, chopped
  • 3/4 cup nayonaise
  • 1 cup green salsa
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
  2. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat.  Place nuts in skillet with a pinch of salt.  Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly.  When the nuts are just starting to smell toasty they’re done.
  3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to incorporate.  Pour into a greased 8×8 casserole dish.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes.

Plus a side of roasted zucchini.

This green meal was also great.

My plans for the rest of the evening include a trip to the gym; no ifs, ands, or buts!

Off the top of your head – grain + veg + sauce; what would you combine?

Mouth Freedom

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First this happened –

And then this –

Woot!  I’m not officially done with retainers but we’re doing a three-week trial of wearing them just at night.  I’m not gonna lie; it’s possible I got choked up I was so excited to leave my orthodontist appointment without retainers in my mouth.

My first stop was Dunkin, where they apparently do not have soy milk.  What’s up with that?  Then I went to Starbucks.  The ‘bucks never lets me down.  I got a venti iced coffee with cinnamon dolche syrup and soy milk.  Heaven.  I’ve had some coffee during my last year of teen-style mouth-gear, but now I can finally savor it.  Heaven.

And with that exciting-to-no-one-but-me update, I’m back to blogging!

Since I’ve Been Gone

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Some of the things that have happened over the past few days –

I’ve had Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone” stuck in my head.

Adam and I ate pizza.  Whoops!  We’re going to continue the challenge through the 29th, but I think I can conclude that this Vegan Month was sort of a fail.

I had my first patient in palliative (end of life) care.  It was a unique, humbling experience.

“Once Upon A Time” is my new favorite new show.  Possibly an all-time favorite, except not better than “Buffy.”  I watched all 13 available episodes in one day and cried no less than three times during the first episode.

What have you been up to?

Fail Tally

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Today – I’ve got my first Foodservice Management test tonight and I am not ready.

This Week – Workouts.  I decided to take a week’s hiatus from CT10k because of some mild knee pain (the knee is no big deal but at one week in I wasn’t going to lose any fitness so better safe than sorry).  But that wasn’t supposed to mean no gym time at all, just elliptisizing instead of running.

This Month – Vegan Month.  Which apparently should have been named No Carb Left Behind.

This Year – Organization.  The apartment is a mess.  My binder project is spread over every table-like surface.  And what’s more, I feel like a mess.  And I haven’t blogged consistently since Christmas break, yeesh!

Since you’ll be getting nothing of import from me today, I suggest checking out these much funnier fails – http://failbook.failblog.org/

[source]

My 2nd Weekend

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It’s hump day, but my week is just beginning!  I spent Sunday through Tuesday doing nothing more than eating and watching TV.  Seriously, nothing more.  I stuck mostly to popcorn and “Futurama.”  It was great.  It was a good thing I had my “2nd weekend;” we had Monday and Tuesday off for Presidents’ Day.  But I do have to buckle down now to make it through the rest of the week.

I started today by fueling up with a good big breakfast.  I was super hungry and somehow my morning meal turned into a multiple course affair.  First, Amande Coconut Yogurt.

Made with cultured almond milk, Amande makes the best vegan yogurt I’ve ever had.  Adam is completely obsessed with and swears he’s never eating regular yogurt again.  I topped mine with a crumbled Bananas Foster Bar.

And another bar found its way into my mouth too.

Plus an apple.

And a bun with SmartBalance Light.

Now, what’s for lunch?  🙂

See If They’ve Got Any Chocolate Bananas, Foster

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Did everyone have a fun Friday?  I slept through most of mine, hence the Saturday recap post.

I woke up a little bit late(r than desired) yesterday so I headed to straight to the gym.  CT10k 1.3 called for 10 sets of 2 minutes running, 3 minutes walking.  50 minutes and 3.9 miles.  My workout was great, but I cut the time a little too close.  I had to literally jog – ugg boots, purse, push-up bra and all – part of the way back to school to make it to class on time!

I’m glad I made it, we had a great guest lecturer; a local RD who is certified as a Diabetes Educator.  Once you’ve been an RD for couple of years there are all sorts of specialty certifications you can pursue.  I think one in weight loss counseling could be fun.

When the guest lecturer was gone, I managed to eat breakfast during some student presentations.  Leftovers for the win.

The Seven Layer Casserole just gets better and better!  I also had a Goya Soursop Nectar.

Soursop (aka guanabana) is my favorite fruit; it is too exciting that my Wegman’s recently expanded its Goya line.  A guy friend in class joked that I’ve been a Goya groupie lately, (this was only my 2nd item but I think they are memorable because they’re a little outside the norm for class snacking) but it’s the closest thing to what I grew up with.

I stayed at school for a bit to work after class to work in the Dietetics computer lab.  I have to complete a three-day diet analysis as part of my portfolio and I needed to use a program that is only available on the computers at school.  I think maybe my eats during Vegan Month are a little too obscure for the program though; I had to make my best guesses at product substitutes and the program told me that my average intake for the last three days was 978 kcal/day.  I don’t think so!

For lunch, I opened up this So Delicious Greek Style Plain Yogurt.

No.  Just no.  I knew it was a gamble when I bought it but I took the risk because I’ve adored everything else I’ve tried from So Delicious.  Sadly the yogurt was exactly as I’d feared – straight up chemical.  The texture wasn’t terrible but the taste was like licking a counter in chem lab.

Instead I ate the two plucots that were supposed to top my yogurt out of hand.

I almost shed a tear of happiness at the taste of these.  They were still a little bit too sour, but that means that plucot season is right around the corner.

For the rest of lunch I paced frantically waited patiently for my oven timer to ring.

Bananas Foster Bars!!!  If Seven Layer Casserole was #2, these bars are the #1 best thing from last year’s Vegan Month.  I ate three.

I’m not gonna lie and say that my stomach didn’t hurt, but I’m also not gonna lie and say it wasn’t totally worth it.

But since I ate ~700 calories worth of cookies I did keep dinner on the lighter side.  Or I was going to anyway.  The plan was soup, but apparently my hour-long nap – at noon, on the floor – wasn’t doing it because I fell into bed at 8:30 last night!  Yay catch-up sleep.

This morning Adam and I headed straight out on errands.  Probably not my best idea to skip breakfast when I slept through dinner, but I was a woman on a mission.  I got so hungry that I convinced myself that spending $3 on a Synergy Grape Chia Kombucha wasn’t a waste of money.

But it really wasn’t a waste of money because it was delicious!  I loved chewing through it and the flavor reminded me of a grape Laffy Taffy.  Adam and I shared it and even he was a fan by the end.

Our other share wasn’t quite as healthy.

Five Guys fries make my soul sing.  Seriously.  I’ve made a bigger effort this past week to eat less crap, but we’re doing a different challenge in March that necessitates shoveling in FGF now.

Lunch was healthy and tasty.

I love storing leftovers in tupperware because when you are combining you can shake things together to get a really good mix.  This time I shook barley, roasted broccoli, roasted butternut squash, and Wegman’s Thai Peanut Sauce.  Topped with a few cocktail peanuts.

Delicious.  We’ve been trying new things from the Co-op’s bulk bins lately and it’s been fun branching out.

I made myself a really delicious dinner.

But I only got to eat two bites.  All of the sudden, Webster – in the worst show of behavior I’ve ever seen from him – shoved his entire face into my bowl!  Hello, mess; goodbye, dinner.

[Updated Sunday Morning To Add]

The boys came over to play poker, he got even more crazy, and I got so irritated I ended up just going to bed.  So now I need to find a nice big breakfast.

Stupid dog.

Question of the day, from my post title – Name that movie!