Vegan Visit

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A road trip is not an easy time for a restricted diet, but with a combination of preparation and an understanding family I made it work.

I made sitting in the car for six hours work by dressing in comfy-cute clothing.

Plus my driving moccasins.

<– name that show!

Food from home was for breakfast.  A sandwich of tempeh, Smart Balance, and strawberry jam (a killer combination) on a Sandwich Thin.

A small apple.

A piece of leftover Halloween candy.

And a sugar-free Red Bull from a gas stop.

I have been seriously tired lately; I need to make sleep a priority next week or I should basically just buy stock in energy drinks.

For lunch I was jazzed to spot a Sheetz.

I had a medium soy milk latte with marshmallow syrup.

I’m doubtful that the syrup was actually vegan but I’m taking a loose approach to the challenge on this trip.  The coffee was delicious with tons of foamed milk and I was glad I got it, vegan or not.

Plus a veggie burrito.

This was not delicious.  I made myself eat half so I wouldn’t be too hungry for dinner but if there had been other options I probably would have tossed the whole thing.

For dinner we got Italian food with my in-laws.  P.S. We are staying with Adam’s sister and her husband and getting to spend time with my two nieces is making my ovaries hurt; they are so flipping cute!

A piece of bruschetta to start.

The waitress was very nice about bringing me new tomatoes when the first batch came out sprinkled with cheese.

And two slices of veggie pizza (sans cheese) for dinner.

Healthy, vegan, and tasty; I’ll take it.

And I Say Hey…

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…what’s going on?

Well, it’s official – I am a terrible blogger this semester.  I want to blame my hand (and that really has been the problem this week) but mostly it’s that school is freaking busy right now.  Busy, busy, busy, busy, busy <– if you don’t read that in the voice of the magician from “Frosty the Snowman” then you are a communist.  j/k

Things are going to get a little easier for the next two weeks though – I front-loaded my semester with assignments by signing up to go first for practically everything – and I hope to blog a bit more regularly.  I really do enjoy it!

So, what’s going on?

  • my hand doesn’t hurt as much but I’m still not allowed to work out until the stitches are out (next Thursday)
  • Adam has been leaving to go on interviews and I miss him like crazy
  • my final clinical rotation is our first time at a big hospital and the days have been looooong
  • we are going to Philly this weekend!  Like, now.  Adam has an exam to take so we’re going to spend some time with our in-laws and explore the city.
  • I am planning on blogging this weekend

The vegan challenge?  Still on, but there have been a few slips.  Like when Adam came home from DC with macaroons.

I want to give this challenge my best but there was no way I was going to turn down a sweet gift of my favorite treat just because of the challenge.  So I ate them.

And by “I ate them” I mean right then.  At midnight.  And got back into bed without rebrushing my teeth.  And all was right with the world.

Is there anything absolutely amazing that Adam and I should do in Philly this weekend?

Feeling Blue

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My pain pills (which I think I don’t need any more, yay!) have made my appetite all sorts of wonky these past two days.  And some life stuff has made me super cranky.  I hate feeling like I have to post when I’m in a bad mood, but so many of the things I ate (of the very many things I ate!) have been winners that I want the post for my own memory.  This will be detail-light though.

Honeycrisp.

Rockstar Juiced.

Winter outfit.

My downgraded hand bandage.

Organic Rice Divine Mud Pie Ice Cream (1 cup).  This stuff was ah-mazing.  The texture was reminiscent of Italian Ice and peanut butter-chocolate is always a winning combo.  I especially liked the cookie pieces.

A healthy lunch.

Roasted green beans dipped in ketchup,

and Cilantro Lime Bean Burgers with Citrus Guacamole.

An entire bag of bbq Popchips for dinner.

Melted peanut butter with powdered sugar and good cocoa.  This snack is ridiculous good but also just ridiculous.  I need to quit cold turkey.

Chocolate dipped coconut Luna Bar.

Happy Tot Blueberry, Apple, and Purple Carrot squeeze pouch (FNCE sample).

Vegan almond joy.

Supplement sampling at clinic.  Not vegan but also not optional.

Veggie sub – lettuce, tomato, red pepper, jalopeño, banana pepper, pickles, and yellow mustard – from the hospital cafeteria.

Amy’s vegan mac and cheese.

Honey roasted peanuts.  By the by, honey is still on the table, so to speak, this Vegan Month.

Tempeh Brown Rice Casserole.

P.S. I am so flipping nervous about what election results we are going to wake up to tomorrow.  Anyone else?

I’m Typing With One Hand…

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…so I’ll keep this short.  Speaking of keeping things, Adam will have to keep me, my surgery went off without a hitch!

It wasn’t a big deal – I just had a benign keratosis removed from the back of my hand – but they sure were dramatic about it.

I had to wear a gown, and get wheeled into the OR.  And look at my giant bandage –

they called it a “sympathy cast!”  I’ll have my stitches in for ten days and then I’ll be right as rain.  But unfortunatly they told me that I’m not allowed to work out while my stitches are in.  I know I haven’t been working out anyway but I really was excited to start again!  Ten days…

They told me to take it easy after surgery but I actually had to head over to a friend’s house to work on a group project.  At least I got some Moe’s out of the deal.

I got a naked burrito (aka a less expensive rice bowl) with black beans, lettuce, green pepper, onion, mushroom, corn salsa, and guacamole.

Delicious.  Moe’s is a great option for Vegan Month.

Resting up didn’t happen the rest of the weekend either, I worked both Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday morning was rough (on top of everything else we started an hour earlier than usual), but at least my shirt matched my bandage!

I ate an apple on the walk to work.

And a drank a Rockstar to help keep myself awake in spite of my pain medication.

My medication makes me feel pretty funny – nauseous and tired and all sorts of loopy – so I never ended up getting lunch at work.

Dinner was a buffalo seitan wrap from the co-op.

Plus a roasted potato.

Those fries are cut so nicely because the husband did it for me.  He’s been so nice helping me while I fumble around!

I did manage to catch up on some sleep this morning.  Thank goodness for Daylight Savings.  Even with the extra hour, all I managed to accomplish today was a shift at work and switching out my summer and winter wardrobe.

Breakfast was an amazing bowl of cereal.  Blackberries with cinnamon sugar, 1 serving each All Bran Bran Buds and Cascadian Farm Dark Chocolate Almond Granola, and Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond/Coconut Milk.

I had the granola from the HLS and have wanted more ever since!

A very late lunch was purchased at the co-op after work.  Broccoli salad and vegan mac and cheese with veggies.

The mac was so tasty that I almost made Adam walk back and get me more!

Instead I was basically stoned on pain meds all evening and was a total weirdo.  Dinner just didn’t happen, though I did eat multiple desserts.

A bowl of melted peanut butter with powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

A Cara Cara Orange.

And a few pieces of primrose oil old fashioned candies.

It’s been a weird day.

Hello, Hello, Goodbye, Goodbye

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Hello, reader.  I was AWOL yesterday because I had the beginnings of a migraine and put myself to bed at 4 in the afternoon!  Not fun.

Also, Hello to Vegan Month!  I desperately needed to go to store, so yesterday I had to make do with the vegan things around the house.  And of course I was insanely hungry all afternoon.  <– bad timing

Breakfast was a super tasty pumpkin smoothie.

1 cup Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla Almond/Coconut Milk Blend, ~1 cup canned pumpkin, 1 frozen banana, 2 Tbsp maple syrup, and a big shake of pumpkin pie spice.

I did lots of snacking when I got home from clinic.  2 oz of roasted pumpkin seeds,

a giant Honeycrisp with tons of melted Biscoff,

a (FNCE sample) bag of Food Should Taste Good Olive Chips,

and a big bowl of cereal.

Then I put myself to bed with a migraine.  I had a paper due this morning so unfortunately Adam had to wake me up at 10pm so I could write it.

I ate a veggie sub from Subway – lettuce, tomato, green pepper, cucumber, pickles, red onion, and bbq sauce – while I worked.

Breakfast was the last of the pumpkin seeds,

and a green pear.

I got lunch at Wegman’s during my massive shopping trip.

Veggie goyza,

and inari.

I ate half of both then brought the rest home to Adam.  We both loved the inari!

And I ate this candy bar – like a vegan Snickers – while I blogged.

Goodbye to my belly button ring.

I’ve had it in since I was 15 (12 years!!!!!!!!!) and am so sad that it is gone now.  But I’m having a minor surgery this afternoon and they told me I had to take it out.

Also, Goodbye to you guys for a bit.  The minor surgery is on my hand and I sure I will not be up for typing this evening.  I’ll “see” you later this weekend.  Wish me luck!

Webster’s First Halloween

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You can tell that this post was a terrible decision since it’s 2 o’clock in the morning.  I’ll try to keep it quick.

You can tell that tomorrow is the first day of Vegan Month because I managed to eat two yogurts, buffalo chicken pizza, cheesecake, and a milkshake.

You can tell that it’s Halloween since I pulled out all of the stops some of the stops.

Black and orange outside clothing.

Black and orange inside clothing.

And earrings that look like candy corn.

Plus, my exam this morning was positively spooky!  😦

Before the exam, I got up and had breakfast.  A big bowl of Liberte Coconut Yogurt plus 1% large curd cottage cheese.

Plus coffee with skim milk.

When I got home – my exam went ok, my quiz went not ok, our lab activity took forever – I had more yogurt.  Apple Cinnamon 0% Chobani with honey roasted peanuts and a drizzle of honey.

I ran a few errands the afternoon.  The most exciting was the orthodontist appointment; not only am I cleared for 12 more weeks of nights only, but I won a contest!

$30 to Best Buy.  I was so excited, I never win anything!

Lunch was pizza.

I tried to really think about the foods that were going to tempt me during November. A buffalo chicken slice from Zetti’s,

with baby carrots and blue cheese for dipping.

Halloween candies for dessert.

Then it was time to dress my favorite dog up in his first costume.  We went meta this year…

A hot dog in a hot dog costume!

Webster was flipping adorable – several cars honked and gave us thumbs up! – but it was cold and wet and he was so mad at me by the time we got home!

Thankfully Adam’s arrival (he was away on an interview the past two days) cheered us both up.  He came bearing cheesecake!

That was literally the best slice of cheesecake I’ve ever tasted but I already had my sights set on something else so I took a few bites and left the rest for the husband.

My plan for dessert?  Pumpkin Coffee Caramel Chocolate Milkshakes!

Ben and Jerry’s Caramel Coffee Buzz blended with skim milk and pureed pumpkin (with chocolate syrup on the glass).  It was delicious and just what I needed to power through the last two hours of working on a final project.  The perfect way to end my dairy consumption for the month.

Happy Halloween!!

Drink Your Chocolate For Halloween

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Because you won’t have enough sweet stuff this Halloween, here’s a recipe to help you drink your chocolate too.

Do you know how hard it is to get a good picture of hot chocolate?

Very.  This stuff was perfectly sweet and velvety thick, but that doesn’t come through in photographs.  At least not with my camera and my skills.

The sweetness is nicely balanced by the vanilla and the salt.  And using real chocolate instead of just cocoa powder makes it gloriously thick.  FYI – I made a few versions of this recipe with mini candy bars (Caramel Apple Milky Way, etc…) subbed in for the chocolate chips and they were ridiculous good.  Something to think about for your leftover candy.

Drinking Chocolate, serves 2

  • 2 cups skim milk
  • 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 4 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  1. Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat.  Keep a watchful eye on the heat, you never want the milk to go above a simmer.
  2. Whisk remaining ingredients into milk.  Cook 1 -2 minutes until well-combined, whisking constantly.

P.S. In need of a Halloween goodie that you can put on a plate?  I remade my Pumpkin Double Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Muffins recently and highly recommend them!

What are you doing to celebrate Halloween this year?

Roasted Spiced Pumpkin Seed Recipe and Recap

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I have a giant disaster of a test tomorrow and I should not be posting right now.  At all.  But I ate so many good things.  And I made a successful recipe.  How can I not share?

I decided to compromise by just sharing a few things.  And the recipe.

Here we go…

First, a sad story.  I haven’t studied for tomorrow’s giant test because I’m demoralized.  You see, on Monday our teacher took a quick poll to see how many people were feeling good about the exam.  Then she asked how we’d feel about the exam if it was on Monday.  There was a marked difference in answers, obviously.  She told us that if we could come to a unanimous agreement she would move the exam to Monday.  We voted three times, and the end result?  One person wouldn’t budge.  So after all of our hopes were raised, they were cruelly dashed.  And that’s why I’m demoralized.

Now, a funny story.  The weather here was insane on Monday (though obviously quite mild compared to the rest of New York) and we only had a handful of customers during my shift at work.  To keep busy, my boss asked us to set up some demo products.  How do you like my jewelry box?

Next, a little food.  I’ll limit myself to 3 things out of the millions of bites I’ve taken the past two days.  (<– my eating has been a little out of control lately)

1. I do not like the Spiced Pumpkin Pie Clif Bar.  It’s too spicy and gaggy.  I dislike it year after year, and still I keep buying it every fall.  It just looks so damn seasonal when it’s there on the shelf!

2.  The cowboy cookies at Lexington Co-op are amazing.

3. But the co-op’s crazy feta dip is even better.  I don’t even really like feta all that much and I’ve still eaten two containers of it over the past 48 hours!

Vegan Month is going to be painful.  And necessary…

Finally, a recipe.

This was my first-ever time roasting my own pumpkin seeds and they turned out so well!  The roasted seeds were nice and crunchy and I think my spice combinations worked out.  I brought some in to school and shared with classmates who all gave high marks.  Both flavors were good but I think the sweet ones are my favorite.

seed roasting procedure

  1. After your pumpkin has been gutted, pull as many seeds free from the flesh as you can.  Soak the seeds in a large bowl of water to help remove any clinging stringy bits.
  2. Spread seeds on baking sheets and store overnight in your oven (keep it turned off!) so that they dry completly.
  3. Spray dried seeds with baking spray so that they are completly coated, then sprinkle liberally with selected spice blend.
  4. Bake at 350* for 25 – 30 minutes.

my savory spice mix

  • salt
  • onion powder
  • garlic powder

my sweet spice mix

  • cinnamon
  • sugar
  • pumpkin pie spice

Have you ever roasted your own pumpkin seeds?  What is your favorite way to season them?

**My heart goes out to all of those who were affected by Sandy.  Hurricanes and NYC have both been a major part of my life so watching the news coverage this evening was devestating.  My thoughts are with you.**