Lame Leftovers

I’d like to tell y’all that I went out for a drink to celebrate, but I’m still sick (still!) and frankly that sounds pretty horrific.  Instead I worked on notecards and watched some tv.  And the husband already had poker plans with the boys so I didn’t even get my ice cream!  😦

Instead I ate some lame Ravioli Lasagna leftovers.

I shouldn’t call them lame, my bowl was super tasty and healthy, but it was certainly no ice cream sundae!

I haven’t been eating enough veggies lately so I “beefed up” my bowl by putting down a fresh layer of arugula and marinara sauce before I microwaved.

Not ice cream, but cheesy at least.

My dinner wasn’t super big (each portion of the lasagna has ~360calories), and minutes after eating I thought I was going to die of hunger if I didn’t get more food immediately.  But a few painful minutes on the couch later and I got distracted by MemeBase and totally forgot I was ever hungry.  I think all that coffee messed with my appetite.

I’m off to read a book in bed.  What, isn’t that what everyone does on Spring break?!

Dunchfast

Dunchfast = this post covers breakfast, with dinner snack (yesterday’s) and lunch (coming later today) thrown in as well.

Yesterday after dinner, I enjoyed a snack while I studied for today’s metabolic pathways quiz.

That’s a half serving of Fiber One Caramel Delight Cereal, with soy milk and a few vegan marshmallows.

After I prattled on about being recharged from my lazy weekend, I had another terrible night’s sleep!  Probably part studying until after midnight and part being so cold that I actually got up at 2am to add another layer.

Breakfast needed to be good.

It was goooood,

and pink!

On the stove top, I cooked 1/4 cup of oats with 1 cup of water and 2/3 cup (frozen, defrosted) strawberries.  In the last few minutes I stirred in 1.5 Tbsp chia seeds, and I topped my finished bowl with 1 Tbsp each chunky peanut butter and maple syrup.

I’m not sure I’d try fresh strawberries in oatmeal, but the mushy texture of frozen ones is perfect.  Strawberries add this great tangy and sweet back-flavor.  Just be carefull; they hold a lot of heat so your bowl stays really hot!

I’m heading to school early to look over past quizzes before my first big nutrition test this week.  Since lunch is pre-packed, I thought I might as well pre-post!  A serving of leftover Tempeh Hashbrown Casserole,

with a juicy D’Anjou pear.

Just for fun – apples or pears?  Peanuts or almonds?  Broccoli or cauliflower?

I’m apples, peanuts, cauliflower 🙂

Stimulating Conversation

We are mere hours away from Friday!  Thursdays I have my morning lab and (sometimes) an evening Nutrition class, which is why I was on-campus, and not blogging, all day.

Adam and I both tossed and turned all last night, making Starbucks at absolute necessity this morning.

I got a grande soy latte with cinnamon dolce syrup.

For lunch I brought my corn and black bean pizza leftovers,

and a temple orange.

I stayed on campus for my 4+hour break to get work done, but I definitely also chatted with a friend for a long time.  Since we talked about memoirs, bipolar disorder, and bezoars, among other things, I’m going to count that time as educational 🙂

Adam couldn’t pick me up until after 7:30 and then we had to go to Wegman’s to do something about our empty larder situation.  We ended up grabbing hot bar and having a cafe booth date.  Random assortment of (Asian style) green veggies and tofu,

with a brown rice veggie sushi roll.

The husband and I talked about micronutrient absorption on our “date,” so I’d say I’ve covered my intelligent conversation quotient for the week!

We got groceries (good), drove all the way home before we drove all the way back to get the almond milk we forgot (bad), came inside and chipped my tooth removing my retainers (worse), and made this dessert (great).

Stonyfield Vanilla Soy Yogurt topped with peanuts and marshmallow topping.  Marshmallow topping is vegan; I’m not sure how I’d classify that new fact.

On the agenda for tomorrow is a 2-week late trip to the gym, please keep your fingers crossed for me that we don’t get the 10inches they’re predicting?

What’s your town’s weekend weather prediction?

<3 <3 <3 <3

Every moment spent on the computer I’m not cuddling with my valentine, so I’ll keep this quick.  Especially since I wasn’t the only one with a surprise to give today –

Lunch today was 7-Layer Casserole leftovers.

This recipe just got better and better as it sat.

My quiz went ok, but it was a busy busy day.  We had “fancy” dinner plans originally, but when I saw how much work I had to do in the evening we decided to do take-out instead.

In addition to a ton of chips, I also had a vegetarian burrito.

A little bit of rice, plus black beans, sautéed onions and mushrooms, corn salsa, guacamole, and cilantro.

Yum, yum.

And for dessert, we tried out Mama’s Peas Vegan Blizzards.

We layered in a vegan Snickers-style bar, and added some pink food coloring for the holiday.

Festive, festive.  P.S. Two hints – 1) make this recipe but 2) cut the measurements in half, we didn’t even come close to eating our portions.

Now we’re off to do couple things, and that totally doesn’t mean what you think it does!  You’ll see tomorrow….

Happy Valentine’s Day!

These Photographs

My title is both one of my favorite songs (Joshua Radin, woo!) and a nod to the fact that my eats today were not at all pretty (in any sense of the word).

I’m not sure why I keep trying to pack breakfast when I’m leaving with Adam in the morning.  My plan is always smoothies and my plan always falls through sometime between the 2nd and 3rd alarm clock snooze.  My lack of packed breakfast leads me to talk to you all about pretzels.  Have you talked with your kids about pretzels yet?

Let’s talk Snyder’s of Hanover Honey Mustard and Onion Pretzel Pieces.  1st, what they are not – vegan.  Also not – a (not vegan either) candy bar.  But they are – the only non-candy bar food available on campus before my 9:25 lab.

I ate them.

I did pack a lunch, but it wasn’t pretty.  Inside this ugly photograph lies a tasty lunch.

A Multi-Grain Sandwich Thin with an eggplant burger and a bit of Stubb’s BBQ Sauce.

I also packed a pair of clementines.

Sadly within three minutes of eating lunch I was starving again.  That’s approximately one hour into my five-hour break if you’re keeping track.  I’m pretty gosh darn glad I ate the pretzels, otherwise I might have chewed off a leg.

When I got home from my final class dinner was the first thing on my mind.

That will be my final bowl of Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup.  It was still delicious, but enough is enough.

My plans for the evening include a shower, hopefully starting a new book, and dessert.  If dessert is just ok then I’ll mention it in the morning.  But if it’s as good as I think it’s going to be – it’ll deserve its own post!  Keep your fingers crossed!

What is the ugliest thing you eat?

L-O-O-O-N-G Long Day

Welp, my long day was exactly that – loooong!  Even though I’m not in class the whole time, being on campus from 11-8:40 is definitely rough.  I think having a snow day last Wednesday made it seem even harder, so hopefully next week will be a little easier!

I was running late this morning so lunch was simple, but it got the job done.

A big serving of unsweetened applesauce with red hots,

topped with (3/4 serving of) Maple Brown Sugar Mini Wheats and (1/3 serving of) Multi-grain Cheerios.

It actually ended up being a pretty great lunch.  FYI – Mini Wheats aren’t actually vegan (they contain gelatin, I’m an idiot), but we are going to finish what we bought.

I also packed a 2nd snack for my 2hour break before my final class.

This Blueberry Muffin Lara Bar actually wasn’t as good as the first one I tried.  It was almost grassy tasting?!  I was hungry though so I still ate it all.

I ate my snack at 5pm and then five hours later I ate dinner.

Holy god was I ever hungry for dinner!  I couldn’t eat right away when I got home because I had to complete a lab assignment for tomorrow, pack my bag, make Adam dinner (he’s obsessed with peanut sauce and not so obsessed with the soup so I made him a fresh batch of sauce to eat on tofu for dinner)…..

By the time I got around to eating dinner – on my feet, over the stove, cooking Adam’s lunches for the rest of the week – my Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup was more of a mash, but it was still delicious.

Hands down, best soup I’ve ever had.

Just to give everyone a head’s up, I won’t be able to post until dinner time tomorrow.  You know, because people will be crying their eyes out if they can’t read my morning post 😉

How many meals a week would you say you eat standing up?

Off the Map, Into the Oven

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?

Delightful Dippables

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?