Tag Archives: frozen meal

Happy Hanukkah!

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I know I’m a day late on the holiday wishes but 2nd-out-of-8 is not so bad.

I’d love to tell you that I’ve been in a flurry of studying, but in fact I worked almost 22 hours between Friday and Saturday.  I am exhausted, cranky, and not as prepared for tomorrow’s exam as I’d like.  But it is what it is and I’m just glad I have a job.

Some Friday/Saturday Highlights

I made another round of eggs with seitan.

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And had a mug cookie both days.

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Also pizza both days…

I had my first Starbucks red cup.

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A gingerbread latte (I didn’t love it!) while forcing myself to study with a friend after work.

What I Was Up To Today (Sunday)

Other than oversleeping and wasting some time in the morning, today was nice and productive.  Apparently my body just doesn’t want to study before noon!

I was excited to try this Oro Blanco for breakfast.

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Whenever I spot something I haven’t heard of before at the grocery store I just have to buy it.  Adam and I used to love Ugli fruit when we lived in the city and I was hoping this would be similar.

The Oro Blanco had a very thick layer of skin and pith like the Ugli fruit, but the flavor was not my favorite.

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It was bitter in a way that made my stomach hurt and I ended up throwing it out after three segments.

Instead I split a Mike’s bagel sandwich with a friend.

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The Mike’s sandwich is a bagel topped with cream cheese, provolone, and a fried egg.  It is amazing and ridiculous.

We spent almost six hours at The Spot so the sandwich was only the first of three orders.  I also had an iced coffee with skim milk.

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And shared a slice of cheesecake (with a pretzel crust and chocolate ganache!) with a friend.

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I just have to say – thank goodness for my great groups of friends or I would not have accomplished a damn thing today!  We went through the notes as a group and it was so helpful.  Not that I’m feeling all that great about a comprehensive exam in one of the hardest classes I’ve ever taken!

I snacked on baby carrots with blue cheese dressing when I got home.

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Plus a Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale.

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I have 3 pumpkin beers left over from October and I need to drink them before their out-of-season-ness drives me crazy.

I went to my freezer to get a little festive for 2nd night of Hanukkah dinner.

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3 cheese blintzes from Manischewitz.

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Frozen carrot slices and brocoli baked in 1 Tbsp Smart Balance, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, and salt.

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Both of the dinner components were very tasty.  I bought a bunch of frozen vegetables on my last grocery trip and I’m actually looking forward to using them.  And I have half a box of blintzes left that for which I need to purchase sour cream.

Dessert was very unnecessary, but also fun.

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Biscoff Buddies!  I have a special version of “puppy chow” in the works and since I’ve never actually made puppy chow before, I wanted to do a trial run with a single serving batch.

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For this version I used: 3/4 cup honey squares, 1 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips, 2 Tbsp Biscoff spread, and 1 Tbsp powdered sugar.

Who else thinks I shouldn’t be blogging at midnight when I have a giant exam at 7:40 am?  Whoops!

It’s December, Apparently

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Don’t worry, it’s not time to change your calendars; it’s only December in Emily Land.  You see, the other the day at the store I just couldn’t wait.

And today I did something really crazy.

I know that looks more mushy than crazy, but those overnight oats are made with So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog!  Nog in November? Who am I?!

My breakfast was so good it was worth breaking holiday timelines.  1/3 cup raw oats, 2/3 cup vegan nog, and 1 Tbsp chia seeds sat overnight.  This morning I topped it off with a sliced banana, nutmeg, and a little more nog.  Dee-lish-us!

Lunch was more on season with a Thanksgiving classic.

I made cranberry sauce from scratch yesterday!  I used this recipe and it came out great.  Today I ate a bowl with sweet and salty peanuts.

Plus the rest of my peanut butter rice krispie treat from the other day.  {where the heck did this picture go?!}  Maybe a little too much sugar for lunch?  I was buzzing at work.

Speaking of work, I came home from my shift with a present for Adam and myself.

I’ve been eyeing Ghost Blitz for weeks and there was only one box left today so I bought it!  We had such a good time playing this evening.

Adam and I shared a box of Thai spring rolls (with homemade spicy peanut sauce) while we played.

Round two was homemade veggie burgers.  I topped mine with honey mustard.

And the tie-breaker (Adam won!) was 2 servings of Sweet Potato Chips from Food Should Taste Good.

I should have been in bed 3 hours ago.  Boo!

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?

Commercially Yours

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Does it feel like a Thursday to anyone else?  My brain just cannot accept that it’s Monday!  The husband thought it was later in the week too so I’m not alone.

Monday’s lunch was munched in class.  A pink lady apple,

a caramel Oikos,

and a giant iced coffee (coffee, Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk, English toffee syrup).

After class I had a group work meeting and then it was off to work.  My job only lasts for a few more days and I’m definitely going to miss the experience (and $!) when it’s over.

The husband is the man you wish your man would be (is anyone else still in love with the Old Spice commercials?!) so he not only picked me up from school but had dinner waiting when I got home.

A salad of Romaine topped with groats, raisins, ground flax, and Newman’s Own Light Caesar dressing.

And a serving of California Pizza Kitchen’s BBQ Recipe Chicken frozen pizza.

CPK is my favorite chain of all time and this pizza was no slouch.  “White meat chicken with a spicy-sweet barbecue sauce, red onions, cilantro, and smoked gouda and mozzarella cheeses over [their] famous crispy thin crust.”

The flavors were great, but the serving did feel a little small.  I’m going to try to go to bed soon instead of eating more though.  I have a few e-mails to send for clinic and then hopefully I’ll be off to slumber.

What is your favorite commercial?  Mine is Burger King’s Angry Whopper commercial (see below) because it reminds me of the “Broodwich” episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Up All Night

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…well not quite, but I did come close!  It’s possible I underestimated how many statistics problems were due!  Here are the totals –

Hours slept: 3.5; from 5:30 am to 9am

Assignments completed: all

Coffees consumed: 2, with skim milk and sugar

Snacks nibbled: 1 plate of pretzels with yellow mustard

Minutes wasted on Pinterest: too many!

The morning came quickly but I’ve actually felt pretty good all day.

The t-shirt bustle is the fashion industry’s equivalent to caffeine.

Oh, and I had caffeine too.

I shook a packet of Starbucks Caramel Via Iced Coffee with a bottle of water and was very impressed.  Everything went into solution with no grounds left behind and the flavor was great.

I think, fingers crossed, that my statistics exam was a success as well.  I was not as triumphant on the meal front though.  I only had time to pack one set of meals (actually I packed it yesterday, but whatever) and too little sleep and two few calories made the afternoon feel pretty long.  It was a good meal though.  Sliced cucumber.

A Sandwich Thin with Applegate Farms roasted turkey and maple apple chutney.

And the last of my Canada candy.

I shared a gummi bottle with a friend and she was dully impressed.

I ate my packed meal at 4:45 when we finished with clinic and then had to sit through my night class with a growling stomach.  By the time I got home I knew the only way to keep from going crazy was to use one of our restaurant meals this evening.  We didn’t have time to eat in and we aren’t allowed to do take out so we turned to Wegmans.  I was eating this veggie sushi the minute we got in the car!

And ate this frozen meal practically the minute we got in the house.

It wasn’t anything amazing but the nutrition stats were not terrible.

And soon after I tucked into a giant plate of pizza bagels.  No picture because the husband delivered me my plate like an awesome, but I ate two servings worth (~540 calories).  I think I’m all caught up on food now.

And now I should probably try to catch up on sleep!

When was the last time you pulled an all-nighter?

On The Hook

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It’s Friday; two weeks of school are officially done and over with!  And 2 days of Vegan Month in, I realize I need to figure out a new eating plan.  Now that our larders are stocked it should be easier, but I’ve been waiting too long to eat and eating way too much.  Not good.

Due to a looming bedtime and the sheer mass of (uninteresting) food, I’ll keep this quick.  Coconut water was consumed during class.

This Jumanji apple wasn’t quite as exciting as its name, but it was sweet and good.

With 2 Tbsp of peanut butter.  Plus a ridiculous amount of peanut butter (3-4 Tbsp?!) eaten straight from the jar.

This Amy’s Rice Macaroni with Dairy-Free Cheese was good.

The cheese was by far the best vegan cheese you could hope for (it was good even on the just cheese scale, without the vegan modifier!).  But I wish I could find the vegan but not also gluten-free version, because I bet it’d be better.

The rice pasta was a little bit gummy.

Jordan Almonds (x2) were consumed for taste-testing purposes.

If you like Jordan almonds then I have got the recipe coming for you!  I’m baking this weekend and hope to post early next week.

Vegan jerky.

A bagel with SmartBalance Light.

An Earl Gray with soy milk during a monster-shopping trip.

A Red Hood Winter Hook was split with Adam when we got home.

And a big bowl of popcorn (with SmartBalance Light) was consumed while watching “Grey’s.”

Holy crap carbs.  I think I’m going to spend tomorrow embracing produce!

Resolutions Check In: January

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Yoga did not happen, but it didn’t happen by choice.  When I got in bed last night (later than desired but still not all that late) I was so tired I thought I was going to pass out.  My last conscious act was switching my alarm to 8:30 am instead.  It was a good call; those three extra hours were a godsend and I woke up feeling well-rested.

Since a 9 am breakfast feels late now, and lunch doesn’t happen on Tuesdays anyway, for my first meal I had lunch.

This Stoffers Cheesy Chicken Brocoli and Rice Bake was pretty good.

A little too much cheese though.

New Year’s Resolutions Check In: January

A month has passed!  Let’s see how I’ve done on my goals.

1. Workout a minimum of three times per week.

Fail.  But I think this one will get easier now that I’ve got a school schedule to help guide my time.

2. Continue to read at least one book a month, for a minimum total of 30 books this year.

1. Death Du Jour – Kathy Reichs  (f)

2. Deadly Decisions  – Kathy Reichs  (f)

3. Fatal Voyage – Kathy Reichs  (f)

4. Grave Secrets – Kathy Reichs  (f)

5. Bare Bones – Kathy Reichs  (f)

6. Monday Mourning – Kathy Reichs  (f)

7. Cross Bones – Kathy Reichs  (f)

8. Break No Bones – Kathy Reichs  (f)

9. Bones to Ashes – Kath Reichs  (f)

Win.  9 books read this month for a total of 9 this year.  I doubt I’ll be able to spend this much time reading in the coming months, but it sure was fun.

3. Put the time and effort into my school work that I can be proud of each week.

Win.  As of today I’m up-to-date or ahead of the game on everything.

4. Continue working on being a positive person.

N/a.  I need to find more specific ways to benchmark this.  I think for February my goal is – every time I get so mad I want to yell at Adam, I have to do three push-ups first.  And then I can yell!

How are you doing on your NYE resolutions?

Hello, Bob

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So, this morning I looked like this –

and now I look like this –

I like it, I think!

I always sort of hate my hair whenever I get it chopped, but I’ve gone short several times now so apparently that’s not holding me back!  I ended up having 14 inches to give to Locks of Love, which is great.

A friend and I went during a long break between classes and it was fun to see people’s reactions when we got back.  “Wait, didn’t you have a pony-tail this morning?!?”  I surprised Adam too.  He picked me up from school and his mouth fell open when I walked out to the car!

BC (before the cut) I ate half of this Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar for breakfast.

And AC (after the cut) I bought a great green juice.

This was blend of spinach, kale, carrot, and cucumber; from a new spot just blocks from my apartment.

This was so good, and “only” $4.  I predict I’ll be there more often than I can afford!

Adam picked me up after school so we could make a quick grocery trip.  We each picked something from the cookie bar for funsies before we did boring stuff like toilet paper.

I chose cinnamon nut rugala and I’m now on the hunt for a rugala recipe to make at home.

While I was fixing Adam’s dinner I snacked on some canned pineapple over 1% cottage cheese.

My dinner was supposed to be some of Monday’s “leftovers,” leftover.

A heaping bowl of pasta, shredded chicken, and tons of peas, topped with parmesan, cranberry relish, and a drizzle of evoo.

I love this bowl so much more than I do anything I eat on Thanksgiving.  But I got up to do something halfway through and when I came back there was a dog face in my bowl!  Webster’s sort of an asshole.

Instead I ate this Smart Ones Brocoli and Cheddar Roasted Potatoes.

Not as good as the dinner I shared with the dog, but not as bad as it looks either.

Have you ever given to Locks of Love?  If you have long hair – how many times have you gone short?