Dinner for Breakfast Through Dinner

by Emily

Thanks for all the well wishes for my sick laptop, guys! Adam’s been a sport about letting me use his and for now I’m viewing it as a glass half full situation because it keeps me from wasting so much time on the internet 😉

There was a situation this morning with the applesauce (you so don’t want to know) so my breakfast ended up being a little less breakfasty.

Apparently I like my morning meals spicy and veggie filled.

This vegan Enchilada from Amy’s was pretty great though.

I also had a cup of Eggnog’n tea with a splash of Silk Hazelnut Soy Creamer.

Lunch was random if nothing else.

A plain So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt with some Crofter’s Strawberry Jam,

and a Thai Peanut Primal Strip.

If you’re going to write in and ask “but, Emily, weren’t you hungry after that lunch?” don’t bother. Yes! I was satisfied for an hour or so and then I was starving. I sat through a club meeting after school where everyone was eating pizza and it was pretty torturous.

I was pretty ecstatic that I had time to buy a sandwich before my night class.

I got a 6inch sub with green pepper, red onion, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pickles, black olives, and bbq sauce.

One of the things I’m loving about the vegan challenge is that I’m learning that it’s ok to skip the cheese sometimes. Before I would have automatically ordered a slice of cheddar on this sandwich and it was totally fine without it.

It was a great night because we got out an hour early from my music class, and then it got even better when I walked in the door to dinner.

I set the husband up with the ingredients and recipe for Cooking Light’s Spicy Moroccan Chickpeas, and then he did the rest before I got home.

Go, husband!

The rest of the evening involved the pre-lab due tomorrow and the chocolate-covered strawberries the husband bought for Valentine’s.

Hasta!

Do you automatically put or skip cheese on your sandwiches? What’s your favorite kind for sandwiches?

11Feb2011

I’m Soooooo Hungry

by Emily

So the liquid lunch was a bad idea. It’s possible I said “I’m soooooo hungry” so many times this evening that the husband temporarily stopped loving me. No worries, I’m sure my complaints about the cold won him back 😉

So far the vegan challenge has been easy breezy, but tonight, surrounded by the chicken wings and pizza logs of Wegman’s hot bar, it felt pretty challenging. All I can say is thank God was able to find these (vegan) veggie wontons at the sushi counter.

If I hadn’t been able to eat before we started shopping I’m pretty sure I’d still be at the grocery store, wandering around in a haze and whimpering.

But the beast was not squelched, as my hand found its way (again and again) into this bag of tortilla chips while I prepared dinner.

It got so bad I finally took out another, smaller bag of chips so I’d have some built-in portion control.

Adam shared the bag with me, but not by much, and there might have been some growling.

It’s a good thing dinner was tasty.

It’s also a good thing that dinner was low-calorie and full of veggies, but that’s another story.

A few weeks I ago I was sent some Pace Picante Sauce (for free, via the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program) with a note to create an amazing recipe for a chance to win a Super Bowl party. Clearly I missed that opportunity, but I did make a tasty recipe –

Vegan Seven Layer Casserole*, serves 4

2 tightly packed cups baby spinach
3/4 cup canned corn
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 medium avocado, chopped
1.5 cups pre-cooked, chopped veggies (Use whatever you’ve got leftover, but we used yellow squash and broccoli and that’s what I’d recommend if you’re starting from scratch.)
2 8oz jars Pace Mild Picante Sauce

Preheat your oven to 400*. Lightly grease an 8×8 casserole with cooking spray.
Carefully fill casserole with 7 layers, spreading each layer out smoothly. Start with spinach on the bottom followed by corn – onion – chips – avocado – veggies – and finally salsa on top.
Bake 30minutes.

*Note – this will not come out in squares like a typical casserole, it’s more of a spoon out dish.

I’m finally full, and now I’m (finally) going to get in bed with a book!

8Feb2011

My Indian Name is Runner of Many Errands

by Emily

Would you believe me if I told you we just got home?! Well, sort of. But it has been a busy day.

Adam came home this afternoon and we headed out on errands – H&R Block to file our taxes and SuperCuts so I could get a trim. Neither errand was all that exciting; taxes are sort of a joke when no one in the household has any income, and in the same vein all I can afford is a $13 hair cut. I did find out that when I donate my hair to Locks of Love this spring I can get my hair cut for free, so that’s good news.

We were so cranky with hunger by the time we headed home that french fries with vinegar from ETS were a necessity.

Obviously.

I’m glad we got in some veggies of the non-fry variety for dinner.

We made a big batch of Emily’s Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup.

The soup is full of sweet potato, rutabega, kale, and black beans, then topped with avocado. It was very tasty, so head on over to The Daily Garnish to check out the recipe.

The minute we were done eating (and I use the word “done” loosely here) we head to rush out the door to UPS. Sidenote – Mom, Tiffanys sent me back my fixed bracelet. Sidenote 2 – Don’t ever buy the Tiffany Sea Starfish Bracelet, it’s gorgeous, but the stone falls out of the charm like 8 times a month.

We had to stop at Rite Aid for some things on the way home (um, hair dye, get excited!), and now we’re about to settle in with some Sour Patch Kids and X-Files.

What’s your favorite kind of soup? I actually not much of a soup girl, but this recipe may be a new favorite.

5Feb2011

Wonderful World of the Weekend

by Emily

Welcome to the wonderful world of the weekend! <– said in the voice of the cryogenic lab workers from Futurama

We had a lazy, hazy ~~summer~~ winter day around these parts. Light on the responsibilities and heavy on the tv reruns and being cozy.

Not my healthiest day of eating – I needed more produce – but everything was delicious. Like the Moe’s takeout we grabbed for brunch.

I got a junior burrito, stuffed with rice, black beans, corn salsa, lettuce, mushrooms, cilantro, guacamole, and black olives.

It came with a ton of tortilla chips…..

and I ate them all; whoops!

For dessert I tried out the single-serve cookie dough recipe I’ve seen floating around the web.

The chocolate pieces were a chopped up serving of this Chocolove Almonds and Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate.

So satisfying and delicious, and vegan to boot (butter = Earth Balance).

Yums all around.

It took me until 7pm to get the energy to get off my butt, but I did finally decide to go to the gym. Good thing too, I got it together just in time to get in a short workout before the gym closed. I ran 1.5 miles in 13:40 (my last 1.5 was 14:13, whoop!), with cool down 18 minutes, 1.75 miles. Plus a few planks.

My run killed my appetite, so I bought a Naked juice for dinner.

But it was waaaay too tangy for me so I passed it off to the husband (don’t worry, he loved it).

Instead I had some Amazing Grass Kidz Chocolate SuperFood shook with 8oz of Silk Vanilla Soy Milk.

Not gonna lie, I shook in a glug of maple syrup and served it over ice to make things feel a bit more festive.

Have you tried the single-serve cookie dough recipe yet?

3Feb2011

Off the Map, Into the Oven

by Emily

Lots of excitement in the geek household today, I received a package of samples with dry ice in it.

Might have been the highlight of my week.

My three-course lunch kept me full late into the afternoon, and in fact I wasn’t hungry for dinner until after 8 o’clock! Which was great, because this meant that in addition to watching “Off the Map,” and being a jr. scientist, I also had the focus to bang out the rest of an assignment for next week. Sidenote – Off the Map, it’s like Grey’s Anatomy, but in the jungle. Watch it if you live for dramatic drama.

When I made Emily and Jenna’s beans and potatoes I knew they’d be good, but I didn’t realize how many servings I was getting myself into. We’re on our third day of leftovers! They’re still tasty, but I felt the need to take the meal off the beaten path a bit.

Into my mini casserole went a layer of beans, a layer of potatoes, and 30 minutes in a 450* oven, and out came my version of a single serving Shepard’s pie.

I can’t believe that tomorrow is Friday, having two days off really made the week fly by!

What new shows are you loving this season?

2Feb2011

Delightful Dippables

by Emily

As I mentioned early, today was a snow day, and a glorious snow day it was! Not a lot of work got done, but you know how it is.

I did make a very successful (vegan) lunch.

With a nice roll up (a play on a dish I love that my mom makes with cream cheese for parties). Spread a tortilla with humus – Tribe Roasted Garlic, – chopped green peppers, and radish sprouts.

Tightly roll up and chop using a big scary knife.

Lay out like a fancy sushi roll.

Eat the unsightly ends.

I also ate half of a piece of vegan jerky I split with the husband.

I paired my roll up with some roasted kale.

And dipped everything in some Stubbs bbq sauce.

It was a tasty, tasty lunch.

Later in the afternoon I snacked on 1.5 servings of Newman’s Own Spelt Pretzels.

With a chocolate soy pudding and a diet pop.

Of course, I dipped the pretzels into both the pudding and the soda. Sooo good. Honey wheat pretzel sticks dipped into diet cherry coke is my favorite snack on Earth.

Dinner was a repeat plate.

Leftover baked beans,

leftover caramelized onion mashed potatoes with a dab of Smart Balance Light,

and some sugar-free applesauce topped with a few Maple Mini Wheats and red hots.

Again, delicious, delicious.

What do you like to dip pretzels in? Before you hate – have you ever tried pretzels dipped in diet pop?

1Feb2011

Eat, Live, Garnish

by Emily

Bleck. I’ve been in a crummy mood all day. My retainer fitting properly finally means it’s actually working, which means my mouth is hurting. Additionally I’m irritated with myself for not starting Biochem work. I know the longer I put it off the worse it’s going to be but I’m a week in and it’s feeling a little daunting. Plus I was so excited about these filled Mini-Wheats, but when I ate a small bowl this afternoon they hurt my mouth.

Bleck.

I know something guaranteed to put a smile on my face was a blogger-approved dinner.

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes from Emily at The Daily Garnish,

and Mom’s Sweet and Spicy Barbeque Baked Beans from Jenna at Eat, Live, Run.

The guacamole gravy? That was all me!

It ended up being a very tasty meal.

A time intensive(ish) one as well, the potatoes required a good hour of hands-on time while the beans were baking in the oven. As I was removing the caramelized onions from the pan genius struck, and guacamole gravy was born. I kept a few onions in the pan over medium heat and added a chopped avocado and a bit of evoo. Once everything was warmed through I deglazed the pan with some mushroom broth. A bit more broth and some mashing, and the best potato topped ever was born!

It was great to get back into the kitchen and make my husband a nice hearty (vegan!) meal. Sidenote – that’s not to say the husband didn’t help cook this meal, mashing potatoes is hard!

What is your favorite kind of gravy?

14Jan2011

Some More Than Others

by Emily

Some parts of this afternoon were more successful than others. For example, I did not realize that the gym was already closed for MLK weekend. And since I wasn’t gyming it, I had a hard time convincing myself to go to school just for my errands. Tuesday? Seriously though, I know that not working out the last two weeks was a terrible idea, and my goal for the weekend is to jump back into strength-training.

Lunch was neutral, leaning toward successful.