Author Archives: Emily

Mini Explosions

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I did not have another mimosa last night, but did make a decidedly Northern dessert.

Mmmn.  However, today was NOT feeling as romantic.  It seemed like everything I touched today exploded!  I was cleaning up messes and putting out (metaphorical) fires all over the place.

For starters I was running late for volunteering so I made my breakfast smoothie a bit smaller than usual.

1cup frozen mixed berries + 1cup plain fat free soy milk + 1T fat free sugar free jello powder.

It was super tasty, but I spilled 1/3 of it all over the counter 😦

I managed to clean up the mess and get to the hospital on time though.  And they actually had a lot for me to do at volunteering which was nice.  Not nice, was 30minutes after my shift when I was still there and I started panicking about getting home in time to make my important phone calls.  No worries though, it’s President’s Day, no one was open.  Boo 😦

And I was supposed to submit my college application today but since there was no one to help me override the system I have to wait until tomorrow to imput my Caribbean high school into the online form.  I did some major damage on this bag of chips during the whole 2hours of failure.

At least they were vegan!  Next I tried to recreate last night’s dessert, only to have it explode all over my microwave.

On the plus side, now my microwave is sparkling, and I put it to good use on a late lunch.

Tandoor Chef Vegetarian Pad Thai is seriously my favorite frozen meal of all time and it’s super awesome that it’s vegan too.  If you see it at your grocery store, buy it!

I had hoped to go to the gym today finally but I’m feeling just under the weather enough still that it seemed like a bad idea.  I would kill for a diet soda so maybe I’ll at least get in another walk (I walk to/from volunteering).  Other than that the plan is dinner and bed.  See you then.

Anything explode on you today?  I’m all ears if you want to gripe about it?

A Tropical Getaway

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I may be stuck in Buffalo until spring break but tonight’s meal felt like a tropical getaway!  And what better day to celebrate the sunny Caribbean than a day that’s all about romantic getaways?!

Every single aspect of tonight’s meal was tropical and tasty.  We started with a Uniq fruit as our appetizer.

We have tried Ugli fruits before, but this was our first Unique.  It was a little too bitter/sour for me.  We each ate 2-3slices from the mound and the rest got packed away.

Dinner was much more successful.

Lime Ponzu broccoli with walnuts,

and my Coco Loco Tofu.

Everything together was delicious.

Coco Loco Tofu is my favorite tofu recipe, it is the perfect blend of savory and sweet.  For the side dish I sautéed a big bag of frozen brocoli in clementine olive oil, then added a few walnuts and some Kikoman Lime Ponzu Sauce.

The sauce came from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program and was the perfect addition to our Caribbean night.

Even our drinks were tropical!  We made hibiscus mimosas.

I’ve carried this hibiscus juice from Brooklyn and I was almost sad to open it.

For the mimosas we used a little extra oj because the champagne (from our wedding!) wasn’t cooled, with a splash of hibiscus juice.

Wonderful!

I’ve got to work on my lab before we head to bed, but I’ll probably be pouring a 2nd mimosa!  Have a great night lovers!

How did you celebrate Valentine’s today?

Vegan Grocery Tips

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My grocery trip this morning as a success.  Even with a lot of household items (toilet paper, shampoo, etc) on the list I managed to keep the bill reasonable.  Here are some my tips for successful vegan shopping

  • You don’t have to buy pricey fake meats.  I know those products can be a lot of fun, but it can be cheaper and healthier to stick to traditional non-meat protein sources such as tofu and beans.
  • Go in with a list, and stick to it!  Knowing what produce you need for the meals you’ll be preparing in the upcoming week can keep you from overbuying and throwing out items later.
  • It’s ok to rely on the freezer section.  In winter months it’s hard to find a lot of fresh produce variety.  As long as you stick to items that have no added salt or sugar frozen can be the way to go for fruits and veggies.
  • Pick one or two new items that look fun.  Especially if you are a new or part-time vegan who misses some animal products a new try to get excited about can be a good distraction.

When I got home I used some of that frozen fruit to make an amazing smoothie.

1cup frozen peach slices + 6 ice cubes + 1cup oj + 2T fat free sugar free Jello pudding mix.  I ended up with a little extra which I served to the husband.

This mix was so creamy and delicious.  I got the pudding mix idea from Mama Pea.  Her post was actually about how she has stopped using the artificial sugar stuff but I can’t find gums around here and damn it I want thick smoothies too!

As soon as our smoothies were finished (too soon, I was freezing!) we headed to The Spot to do some studying.  I am officially 80% done with my reading for this week!  I got a China Breakfast Tea to sip while I studied.

It was kind of gross, like dirty murky water, but I drank most of it just to keep warm.

I’m glad we did a date night yesterday, clearly our Valentine’s was sort of a bust.  I did throw on some purple mascara this morning to be festive!

Now I’ve got a fun dinner to make and a little bit of lab homework that I want the husband’s help with.  I’ve talked about earlier bedtimes all year but Adam’s been saying how tired he is lately and the thought of my Valentine feeling run-down will hopefully be enough to motivate my butt into bed!

What are some of your no-fail grocery tips?

2 Week Vegan Challenge

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I mentioned last week that there was lots of fun coming this February.  One thing on the list was my 2 week vegan challenge.  I want to preface this challenge with the fact that I have no plans on going permanently vegan.  I love eggs and Greek yogurt too much and I’m still on the fence about whether or not everyone can survive healthfully on this lifestyle.

That being said –

  • eating more vegan meals each week can be beneficial to your health
  • veganism is kind to our planet and can be a good way to conserve energy
  • while I don’t have a moral issue with consuming dairy, I do have an issue with much of the United State’s commercial dairy

For all the reasons above, and to help mix up my dietary rut, I’ve decided to spend the next two weeks completely vegan.  No meat, dairy, or animal products of any sort (although I haven’t quite made up my mind about honey).  Expect to see me try some new products, try some new recipes, and finally make something other than chili from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan!

I’m off to the store (it seems like all we have in our fridge is yogurt!) but please stop by and offer me advice, recipes, criticisms, whathaveyou.

Eggland’s Best for Dinner

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Dinner tonight was inspired by a coupon I received from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.

I always buy Eggland’s Best brand eggs, but usually I can’t afford to go organic so this was a nice treat.

My recipe was a tweeked version of my spinach ricotta pie.  Serves 3

  • 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed out
  • 1 C frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
  • 5 Eggland’s Best eggs, lightly beaten
  • salt and pepper, to season
  • 15 oz container fat free ricotta cheese
  • 6 t 2% sharp cheddar, shredded
  1. Preheat oven to 375*.  Grease the cups of a muffin pan.
  2. Place first five ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
  3. Carefully pour mixture into the muffin pan.  Top each “muffin” with 1/2 t cheese.
  4. Bake for 20minutes.

Each muffin has 72 calories.

With all my mall food I was pretty full but the husband still needed dinner so I went ahead with my plan.  I had a half serving for funsies and to add a few veggies to my day.

It was a tasty meal and according to the literature I received “Compared to regular eggs, Eggland’s Best eggs now contain –

  • 4 times as much Vitamin D
  • 75% more Vitamin B12
  • 10% more riboflavin
  • 50% more Vitamin A
  • 25% less saturated fat and 3 times the level of Omega 3s”

Thanks Eggland’s Best!

I hope all my readers have a happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow!

Valentine’s Day

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I know it’s not actually Valentine’s yet, but the husband has a big test coming up and we can’t celebrate tomorrow.  Plus we saw the namesake movie today!  I’m not 100% yet but I am feeling better.  I skipped Friday’s post because the day pretty much consisted of clear sodas and my Chemistry test.

Adam was at his preceptor’s office all morning and I was curled up on the couch in all my unshowered glory so imagine my surprise when he walked in the door with this –

Seriously, how handsome is my husband??

I will NOT be posting a picture to explain why loving me makes him a saint but let’s just say it’s a good thing I showered finally before we left the house!

We are not big Valentine’s people but the husband did bring me home flowers and Sour Patch Kids.

After giving the husband plenty of air kisses (my germs and his upcoming test cannot mix!) I managed to do a bit of cleaning and make a grocery list AND take that shower.  I powered through my chores with a protein-packed smoothie for breakfast/lunch.

2 frozen bananas + 1.5T pb +1/2cup skim milk.

Then around 2:30 we were off to the mall for our date!  I’m pretty sick but I did the best with what I had.

The amazing necklace my mommy made me at least got me on theme. 

Sadly, the movie theatre was beyond packed and things kept getting pushed back.  We ended up going to Jack Astor’s for a bit.  I had a Blue Lemonade.

And we split a plate of buffalo chicken fingers.

Then we played some arcade games!

In the movie I ate my Sour Patch Kids and we split a large Coke Zero and some pretzel bites.

Mmmn.  Our movie was less cheesy than our snack, Valentine’s Day was actually really funny and awesome.  It’s like an American Love Actually but a whole lot funnier.

Now I’ve got an easy dinner planned (homemade for a change!) and I’m planning on heading to bed earlyish.  See you in a bit!

What you do think about Valentine’s Day?  Love it or hate it?  I’ve never minded <3’s day, even when single, because I find all the theme candy pretty exciting.  However, Adam and I never make too big of a deal of it.  We just aren’t that gushy, we often don’t even do Christmas or birthday gifts.

Couch Frog

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My tummy was deflated today but apparently I am quite sick.  I woke up this morning 1. on the couch, 2. fully dressed, and 3. feeling like I was hit by a truck.  My glands are all puffed up like a bull frog!

I tried to distract from my couch frog look by finally rocking my snow boots.

Oh yes, those are children’s boots.

And I tried to soothe my throat with a yogurt, Yoplait Fat Free Thick and Creamy Blueberry Pie.

That was delicious.

I got to school a bit early to study and bought the lunch of sick champions.

Lemon Lime G2 (which was actually awesome, not “diet’ tasting at all but way less syrupy and only 50calories in a bottle),

and an onion bagel with cheddar cream cheese.

The test did not go well.  By the time I went to sit for it I could barely keep my head.  My delirium paired with my poor study habits will certainly not be leading to an A.  How am I going to be Temperance Brennan if I don’t do well in this survey class?!?

I actually went out to the parking lot and took an hour nap in the car!  Then I dragged myself up and did my printing at the library and hit up Jamba Juice.

I got a small Cold-Buster smoothie, because I like my denial.

And somehow I managed to sit through Chemistry + extended review for tomorrow’s test.  The plan was supposed to be gym/dinner making tonight but at this point I’m not even sure I’m going to shower.  I think the husband ordered Chinese food so I’ll recap dinner later on.  Could you send *healthy* thoughts my way now?  🙂

What is your favorite thing to eat when you are sick?  All I what is smoothies.  (And I might have tried to con the husband into jalopeno nachos but he wasn’t buying it!)

P.S. Hop over to Anne’s to see how awesome Chiobani is.

P.P.S. or to IGE‘s to check out a shoppping spree.

Want Some Cheese with That Whine?

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Yuck.  This a boring, whiny post; please feel free to skip it.

Before my study date I ate two slices of ww toast with Smart Balance Light.

Then I got the Java Shake I’ve been eyeing at the Spot for months.

Yuck-city, this was way too sweet and abandoned for diet coke in less than 4 sips.

Not too sweet, and totally adorable, was the espresso loaf the husband bought.

I had two bites and they were delicious.  Also adorable was the Valentine we received in the mail today from my niece.

Caroline and I got a lot done studywise (for Chem, which is on Friday) but the 78% and 62% I scored on the two practice tests were less than encouraging.  I was a bit distracted though because my stomach HURTS!  I feel like I have really bad cramps and I’m so bloated I look last trimester pregnant.  What the heck is going on?!?  There’s no way something from lunch is bothering me this much later and I didn’t drink enough of the shake to be a problem.  Needless to say, “dinner” is going to be a big old glass of water.

Tomorrow is my Anthropology test, please send smart thoughts my way!