Kool And The Gang

by Emily

Q: Do you know what these two things have in common?

A: I used the Kool Aid to (re)dye my hair!

I never captured it in a photo, but over the last week or so I lost 90% of my purple and was left with a lot of white/grey streaks. Since I don’t have an appointment to go back to brown for another two weeks, this wasn’t exactly a good thing. So last night the husband helped me sit with my head in a bowl of concentrated Kool Aid.

It was windy today!

I’ve still got some white but overall it looks much better. We’ll have to see how long the color lasts. I used to dye my highlights with Kool Aid in high school and I remember getting at least a couple of weeks out of it.

The hair photos were taken on my way to work. I woke up this morning feeling a bit under the weather; I had a fever and I was super achy all over. Adam fed me an aspirin and I stayed in bed until the last possible second. I’m feeling much better now {knock on wood}. And thankfully I was only working a partial shift.

I skipped breakfast for bed and was very excited about food when I got home this afternoon.

1/3 cup of Nature’s Path Coconut Chia Granola with Naked Vanilla Oat Milk and tons of chopped dapple plum and nectarine.

Plus lots of tea. A cup of Revolution Tea Lavender Earl Grey,

and a cup of chai with 1 tsp honey an hour or so later.

I carried the lavender theme over to my snack as well.

My mom got these floral candies from a student whose parents are from Japan.

My dad says they all taste like peach, but I swear the ones I tried had subtle differences.

We spent a long-ish time on errands this evening and I got a small plate of hot bar to keep from getting too cranky.

Maple cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes plus sautéed veggies and 3 pieces of General Tso tofu. It’s been ages since we’ve roasted sweet potato fries and we definitely need to make them again soon.

Dinner didn’t take very long to prepare once we got home, but it sure was good.

I had 1.5 servings of Wegman’s Don’t Be a Chicken Meatless Nuggets dipped in honey.

They were great, far more enjoyable than I ever find chicken nuggets to be.

I made use a hot spinach salad for our veggie component.

(recipe to follow) We loved it. The spinach was super creamy and there was such a good mix of textures.

Dinner didn’t really fill me up though, and I ate some Smart Fries while I wrote this post.

Much better.

Hot Spinach Salad, serves 2

1 Tbsp Earth Balance vegan butter
1 pint white mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 pinches salt
3 heaping cups raw baby spinach
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup smoked almonds
1 Tbsp evoo
2 heaping Tbsp vegan sour cream

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown mushrooms with butter and salt.
Add spinach to mushrooms, tossing until greens are completely wilted.
Add remaining ingredients to pan and cook 1 more minute, stirring regularly.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Have you ever dyed your hair with Kool Aid?

15Feb2013

A Valentine’s Giveaway

by Emily

I know it’s a day late, but I still love you guys. So I got you some gifts. Your first present was me not whining on the blog all week about what a bad mood I’ve been in. Adam says I’ve been unbearable, so you’re welcome.

The 2nd is a chance to win a copy of Slow Cooker Desserts.

I was sent a copy to review and I asked if I could share one with you guys as well.

Remember Dump Cake? Well this cookbook has about a zillion variations of that, and they all look delicious. <– I may be exaggerating a bit, but there really are bunches of recipes for cakes, cheesecakes, crisps, brownies, and more. A fair amount of the recipes are even healthy. And since they are all made in the crock pot the hands-on times are minimal.

The recipes we thought looked most exciting? Bananas Foster, Simmered Sweet Plums, N’awlins Praline Cheesecake, and Rice Pudding with Coconut.

Also Pineapple Crisp, which we made tonight.

I used Earth Balance for butter and cut the brown sugar back by a few Tbsp but otherwise followed the recipe.

Delicious! And all it took to prepare was the time to open the cans!

For a chance to win a copy of Slow Cooker Desserts, simply leave a comment on this post before midnight on Monday, February 18th.

13Feb2013

We Can’t All Be Winners

by Emily

I’m only a week away from achieving my 30 days goal, but – – – I’ve decided to quit. I have been so cranky and frustrated the last two days (not for any good reason, I’m just in a funk) and the thought of blogging them was just too much. Important note – all you are really missing out on is 10 bazilion servings of potato chips.

I have really enjoyed everyday blogging the past few weeks though, and I am excited to start trying for the goal again tomorrow.

For now, the winner of my Petite Treats giveaway:

tara says:

February 8, 2013 at 1:16 pm

I love minis – I can justify eating two or three or four, right????

Congrats, Tara! Shoot me an e-mail with your mailing address so I can get you your book.

11Feb2013

And A Class To Go Before I Sleep

by Emily

My mom texted to check on me after I didn’t post last night, but I promise I wasn’t snowed in/buried alive/on a bender – I’ve just been busy! Monday wasn’t quite as crazy as Sunday, but I am getting this post up early before night class so I have some tiny chance of painting my nails this evening. If I miss another holiday colors polish opportunity I will be so sad.

Sunday I ate this Tandoor Chef Vegetable Pad Thai for breakfast.

Not traditional “morning food,” but one of the best frozen entrées ever. It is a little calorie-dense at 490kcal a package, but the texture and flavor makes it taste like a splurge and not a sad frozen dinner.

I tried to take a cup of my latest impulse purchase to work with me, but ended up passing Adam my glass after one sip.

I love Silk’s almond milks but I think I am just not a soy milk girl; this had such a strong aftertaste to me. Thankfully the husband enjoys it so our carton won’t go to waste.

Adam and Webster picked me up from work, and we got this box from the co-op hot bar on the way home.

Vegan “cheesy” pasta and 3 stuffed grape leaves, shared 70-30 my favor.

We also split this Opal apple.

It is fun to try new varieties, but we probably won’t get this one again for the increased price versus “regular” apples.

I was tired from work, and really didn’t want to go to the gym, so I bribed myself with this Justin’s Chocolate Almond Butter packet.

That stuff is just chocolate frosting, I swear!

At the gym, I finished my first week of CT10k workouts. 4 minutes walking/1 minute running, x 8. Except I shouldn’t listen to Fiona Apple while I run because I’m obsessed; I ended up running for 10 minutes straight in the middle of my workout.

Dinner was all over the place, but the components were all good. A handful of baby carrots.

Pizza crusts stolen from the husband.

A bit of Chocolove Currants and Almonds in Dark Chocolate.

Who knew I loved currants? They definitely helped break up the intensity of the bar.

Finally, we made tasty smoothies.

Thai young coconut, frozen banana, frozen blueberries, and a bit of brown sugar.

Adam has recently decided that he is obsessed with Thai young coconuts, so expect to see more of these. Especially since our coconut was so exciting – it was pink!

Apparently it’s a common variation relating to the varied levels of phenol found in the coconuts.

Today I grabbed a Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar for breakfast.

I attended a workshop on TPN in the morning so I got to eat in the hospital rather than my car, which was nice.

Lunch was another tasty black-eyed pea salad.

Black eyed peas with bread and butter corn, green pepper, smoked almonds, and green Tabasco. I made a big batch so my lunch for the next two days is already packed.

With a serving of the dark chocolate for dessert.

And when I got home I ate a pear.

I took care of a few things for school when I got home from the hospital, and sudddenly I was starving.

Dinner was pretty lame, but I’m in a hurry trying to get to school so I can finish some reading before class.

And lame doesn’t mean it didn’t taste good!

A box of Health is Wealth Asian Spring Rolls,

with a dipping sauce of chunky peanut butter and Smart Balance Light.

Mmmmmmn!

P.S. – You can still win! Comment on this post before midnight for a chance to win a copy of the “Petite Treats” cookbook.

10Feb2013

Last Friday Night

by Emily

I spent Friday night getting a little drunk. Mind you, not so drunk that I would actually want to listen to Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night.” We did watch some bad stand up comedy on Netflix though. <– Tim Minchin, not as funny as this joke would lead you to believe. (It’s so dirty, don’t click, Nana!)

Yesterday, Bitchtastic

Friday morning started with a Chocolate Dipped Coconut Luna Bar on the way to the hospital.

I had plans for a morning gym session but when I saw the weather report I decided to sleep in instead. We got really lucky here, the snow was annoying but not anything dangerous.

I had a nice day at the hospital in spite of the weather. I got to chart on several interesting patients and had a little more practice with doing pediatric TPN orders. I love the nutrition support aspect of dietetics but children are really different from what I’ve done with adults.

Lunch was a simple salad.

Chopped green pepper and cucumber with evoo, Sriracha, and some salty peanuts.

What a winning combination!

Plus a GoGo Squeez Cinnamon Applesauce packet.

Great on the go, but not as amazing as the pile of fruit I had when I got home.

Underneath my mounds of blue and blackberries was Naked Vanilla Oat Milk, a little honey, and 1/4 cup each All Bran Bran Buds and Nature’s Path Coconut Chia Granola.

So flipping good. And it was a good thing I got in a healthy snack because my responsible food choices took a downhill turn during the rest of the evening.

I blame the Bitch Bubbly.

A girlfriend came over and she, Adam, and I drank the bottle in mimosas.

The sparkling wine was pretty bad, but our next round was fantastic –

Sips Lavender Lemondrop Sparkling Cocktails! This was so fun, and quite delicious. I described it to my coworker today as “Kate Spade’s Four Loco.” I would definitely buy them again.

But maybe I’d eat dinner first next time. My evening meal ended up being… A slice of bread with Smart Balance Light,

and a huge bowl of popcorn with melted Earth Balance.

Major thanks to the husband for making me two bowls of popcorn; I spilled that first one within a matter of minutes!

Fashion Friday

Today, Tofutastic

Saturday’s meals were a little healthier. Still very tasty though.

For breakfast, Adam and I split a great pb & j.

With a pear on the side.

I worked today, but only a half shift, so I had time to get lunch from Wegman’s hot bar. Some tofu and veggies in mushroom dashi with two pieces of inari.

I did lots of Googling, and as far as I could tell mushroom dashi is just mushroom stock, so I’m still not sure what that yummy sauce was.

We made tofu for dinner too.

A bed of cabbage —a bag of “Asian Slaw” mix cooked with a bit of Earth Balance with caramelized onions tossed in towards the end— topped with walnuts —cooked in a skillet with salt and sugar— and tofu —super firm tofu cooked in the skillet we used for the onions, finished with a sauce of tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, honey, and orange juice.

I was glad I added the nuts at the last-minute to help break up the texture. The flavors were spot on though.

I had Goody Good Stuff Tropical Fruit for dessert.

Adorable, and much firmer than the other varieties.

Was your area hit with this weekend’s crazy weather?

7Feb2013

Petite Treats Book Giveaway

by Emily

Since the giveaway ties in with breakfast, I’m going to post this day in reverse! Also I’m going to do it quickly, since I’m late picking up the husband.

Dinner – Veggie summer roll from Wegmans while we knocked next week’s grocery shopping out of the way early.

Lunch – A tempeh sandwich with Sriracha Nayo and Strawberry Crofter’s on a Sandwich Thin.

A pear.

And more soft strawberry licorice.

Breakfast – A ridiculous coffee in the car on the longish drive to an off-site clinic. Venti soy latte with (half pumps) cinnamon dolce syrup.

And delicious mini scones.

Actually, Blueberry Lavender Skookies. <– squeeee!

The skookie recipe came from Petite Treats; Mini Versions of Your Favorite Baked Delights, a book I was sent to review.

Here is what the publishers said about it –

Good things come in small packages—and now so do all of your favorite desserts!

Introducing “Petite Treats,” an adorable cookbook featuring delicious, bite-sized, reduced-guilt sweets that are sure to charm family and friends at any gathering.

From the authors of “Mini Pies” and founders of the Seattle-based Mini Empire Bakery, “Petite Treats” shows you how to miniaturize everything from tiny fruit scones and mini pies to bite-size brownies and cutesy cannoli—sweet satisfaction guaranteed.

This book includes dozens of full-color photos and easy-to-follow recipes, as well as decorating and presentation tips. Let “Petite Treats” be the star of your next holiday, birthday or cocktail party.

And here are my thoughts –

a good mix of healthy and decadent treats, all in the miniature
the instructions were easy, and easy to follow!
some recipes are vegan (like the skookies)
they included a mini piecaken (a pie within a cake) so you know that the authors must be on top of their dessert game!
the pictures make me drool

They gave me the opportunity to share a book with my readers too. Since you guys like me, I knew that y’all love things that are small and sweet! <– that was so corny I think I made myself throw up.

For a chance to win a copy of the book – simply comment on this post by midnight on Monday (February 11th).

6Feb2013

Ball Of Stress

by Emily

I’ve been trying to let myself sleep in as late as possible this week and bars help me do that. I ate this White Chocolate Macadamia Clif Bar in the car on the way to the hospital.

I’m feeling a lot better from Monday but I’m still making a point of not skipping breakfast.

For lunch I veganized my favorite bean salad by swapping out cheese cubes for spicy Nayo.

Black eyed peas + chopped green pepper + smoked almonds + spicy Nayo.

Nothing is ever as good sans cheese but this was still pretty damn good.

With a Mango Coconut Sparkling KeVita.

And cola breeze and sour mix and match gummies for dessert.

I found these Goody Good Stuff Gummies at 7-11.

They are vegetarian and pretty good, though they are a little soft for my tastes. The husband loved them though; he had one taste and rest of my bags were gone.

I am having a really great time at the pediatric hospital, but I have to admit that I am really stressed out right now. There are a lot of things happening in my school and personal life at the moment that are freaking me out. I can’t talk about any of it on the blog, but I will say that I am a giant ball of stress. My stomach hurts all of the time.

Thankfully I had the afternoon free to decompress. I did some fun baking (and tasting!).

Then I brought a friend some of my baked goods and we had a mutual vent session.

And I walked to and from the gym. The icy patches made the trips take forever, but it was a good way to clear my head.

At the gym, I did another Couch to 10k treadmill workout. 4 minutes of walking / 1 minute running, x9.

I ate these Darrell Lea Strawberry Licorice while I cooked dinner.

I kept it simple.

Adam and I shared a package of Tasty Bite Channa Masala – bulked up with some frozen veggies – over a package of brown rice.

Easy peasy.

What do you do to let off steam when you are feeling stressed?

6Feb2013

Breakfast In A Jar And Dinner On The Lam

by Emily

Adding in exercise is making blogging very tricky this week. When you leave for the gym at 9pm, all you want to do when you get home is sleep. Especially if you have to run errands at Target on your way home from the gym. Especially if you were too busy all evening to eat dinner.

I started my day with packet of Spiru-Tein S’mores protein powder shaken with 1 cup of Naked Vanilla Oat Milk.

I was pretty amazed that the powder was vegan (minus honey which I’m not worrying about for the Vegan 20 Day Challenge). It wasn’t the best tasting thing I’ve ever had, but I was impressed with how thick it got. I shook it up in a recycled jar, making this a very easy to-go breakfast.

I’m having a good week at the hospital; it’s starting to feel like I’m hitting my stride. If there is one thing I’ve learned so far from this rotation it’s this – I knew absolutely nothing about pediatric nutrition.

Lunch was a pear.

A yummy sandwich of 5 grain tempeh on a Sandwich Thin with yellow mustard and Smart Balance Light.

And the other half of my rice milk chocolate bar.

When Adam got home this afternoon he helped me crack open this guy…

I may have had to eat over my work, but I still had a great afternoon snack.

Adam and I shared the Thai young coconut in smoothie form.

With frozen banana, peach, and blueberries too.

And fancy bread with Smart Balance Light on the side.

I’m glad I had a big snack, because journaling took so long that I never had time to make dinner.

I did make it to the gym though. 30 minutes on the elliptical at level 6 random. Certainly not the most intense workout ever, but a far cry better than what I wanted to do (sit on the couch).

And now all I want to do is go to bed!

Eating Chalk

Author Archives: Emily

Kool And The Gang

A Valentine’s Giveaway

We Can’t All Be Winners

And A Class To Go Before I Sleep

Last Friday Night

Yesterday, Bitchtastic

Fashion Friday

Today, Tofutastic

Petite Treats Book Giveaway

Ball Of Stress

Breakfast In A Jar And Dinner On The Lam