Tag Archives: mushroom

Vegan Month Challenge

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Ugh.  Today was day 3 of no diet soda and I’m seriously cranky.  Also, when I woke up there was no food in the house (vegan or otherwise) and I’ve been starving all day.  It was one of those situations where I waited so long to eat that I never got full, even now.  Oh, oh, oh!  And I’m annoyed because I have projects I want to start and we haven’t been given all of the information that we need yet.  Okay, I think that’s it for the complaints!

Breakfast was a smoothie.

I found this Vega Tropical Tango smoothie mix (HLS sample) in the cupboard and blended it with 1 cup of orange juice and 7 oz of frozen soursop pulp.

It tasted better than it looked.

My classes went well, though I was cranky the entire time.  Thinking about my newest reason to love Kristen Bell helped.  I made sure to run to Wegmans for an emergency grocery stock-up the minute class was over!

I ate this handful of peanuts x 3 when I got home.

Dinner was stir fry.

We stir fried a bunch of veggies – frozen brocoli/carrot/cauliflower mix, plus more frozen broccoli, plus canned stir fry mushrooms, and canned baby corn – with stir fry sauce and topped with a few toasted cashews.

Tasty, but it didn’t even make a dent in my hunger.

Next I had a huge (2 cups, aka 2 servings) bowl of Wegman’s Berry Corn Crunch Cereal with Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk.

And a huge spoonful of Dark Chocolate Dreams pb.

And now I’m going to go have some popcorn.  I swear that all of vegan month won’t be like this, it’s just that I waited to long to eat and I let my hunger get out of control!

February = Vegan Month Challenge

We’ve done this so many times now that this announcement feels like it doesn’t require much fanfare.

During February of 2012, Adam and I will be doing a 1-month vegan challenge.  No eggs, no dairy, no meat, no honey, and no products containing any of the aforementioned.  No, we didn’t choose February because it’s the shortest month.  Yes, we are excited.

Over the years I’ve done three different challenge introductions and three different challenge recaps (see the links above) on my blog and I feel like there’s no new way to explain why we are choosing to do this.  Basically –

While I think a vegan diet can be healthy for some individuals, I don’t think it is healthy long-term for everyone.
I think that everyone can be healthier if their diet includes more vegan meals and less meat.
Adam and I have both been in a healthy diet rut recently and a month of vegan meals will force us to spend some time with vegetables again.
1 month is a good way to remind myself that not every dish needs cheese.

Would any omnivores be interested in joining me for the month?

Day Of Work

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After two very (very, very, very) lazy days, it was time for a day of work. This Sunday was all about getting things done. I –

  • put away two loads of laundry
  • did some dishes
  • ran some errands
  • organized my school binder
  • made all of my note cards from last week’s notes
  • did a case study for clinical practice
  • made a delicious dinner

Breakfast was worth a thumbs up too.

I stirred a Liberte Coconut Yogurt into a big scoop of 1% large curd cottage cheese, topped with shredded sweetened coconut.

The coconut flavor was nice, but the resulting texture was mind-blowing. Too creamy for words.

In between errands and school work was lunch.

I picked up a grab bag-style to-go container from the Co-op.

A salad of yam, corn, and black beans; cilantro tofu; peanut tofu with lots of broccoli; and a little bit of vegan pasta salad.

We took Webster with us on our walking errands and his little sweater was so becoming!

He’s still not 100% down with snow, and shivers like a total wimp.  I tease him mercilessly, telling him that his ancestors in Germany only used to hunt badgers in a climate-controlled living room.

While we were out I found a new M&M variety – Dark Chocolate Mint!

Delish.  These had just the right level of chill to them.

Sometime between the lunch and dinner hours we had salads.

Romaine with chopped cucumbers and a dressing made of the remains of the yogurt Caesar shaken with evoo and cider vinegar.

Dinner was a real winner.

For 4 servings of creamy, cheesy, buttery, vegetarian yet protein-rich pasta, combine –

  • ~ 4 servings of small shape pasta, cooked
  • ~ 1.5 cups peas
  • 2 pint mushrooms sautéed with chopped green onion and 5 Tbsp butter
  • 4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 12 oz 0% Plain Fage

So much yum! I didn’t tell the husband that there was plain Greek yogurt (which he thinks he hates) in the pasta and I didn’t hear any complaints. I think pasta with peas and cheese might be our favorite dish.

I’ve got to get back to work; I’m going to hit with week with running start!

Which flavors of M&M’s have you gotten to try?  I think I’ve had them all – regular, peanut, almond, peanut butter, dark chocolate, pretzel, cinnamon, and coconut – the only flavor I missed with strawberry pb which I never found despite hours of searching!

Mallrat

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Second suitor: if we were making whoopee–

What’s whoopee?

Um, you know, if we were being intimate–

What? Like f**king?

The above is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies, “Mallrats.”  If you have yet to see that 1995 classic I urge you to put it on your to-do list.  That movie is all sorts of fabulous.

I thought of the quote today because I spent my afternoon wandering aimlessly around the mall.  I wasn’t there to shop, I wasn’t there to work, I was just there.  (<– movie tagline)

Backing up to this morning, I discovered that two wrongs can make a right.  The fact that I woke up after 10am made it way less weird that I started my “morning” by popping a Rolo pretzel bite into my mouth.

One of the boys brought the bites to Poker last night, thanks Patrick and Michelle!  I’d be feeling slightly more grateful if said poker game hadn’t run past 1am, but what can you do?

I continued the theme with a Zone Perfect Cashew Pretzel Bar for breakfast.

We were in the car because Webster has chewed through every single one of his toys in record time and we needed to make an emergency run to PetSmart.

Then Adam and a friend went to see a movie and I joined them for a trip to the mall! “Mission Impossible #2,458” took a little over 2 hours so I had plenty of time to mall-walk.  I didn’t snap any pictures, but I do have a couple of take-away tips:

  1. The samples at The Gourmet Chef are out of control while they roll out new products for the new year.  I didn’t snap any pictures for stealth’s sake, but I ate at least a mini meal’s worth.
  2. Bath and Body Works is having a gigantic sale right now.  I snagged some great smelling hand soaps for less than $3 a pop.

After my loop, I settled in with a book for lunch.  Lunch’s location was an unexpected bonus – Five Guys!!!

Five Guys’ fries make the top 20 list of things I miss most about living in Brooklyn.  They did not disappoint today either.  Squishy yet crispy, a proper amount of salt, and with the option of endless bottles of malt vinegar.

I ordered a medium but that bag was basically stuffed to the brim!  I didn’t finish them all, but I did a good enough job to make myself a little ill.  Totally worth it.

I also got a veggie sandwich.

The veggie option is basically just a hamburger bun with any/all of the available toppings.  You can also get it with cheese.  I ordered mine with mayo, lettuce, tomato, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and jalapenos that I eventually admitted defeat to and peeled off.

I passed the lunch hour munching and reading (my fourth Kathy Reichs book this week) and it was just great.  This afternoon brought more of the same, only this time the dog read with me.

Love him!

Dinner was easy.

A salad of Romaine, chopped celery, tomato, and 1.5 Tbsp of peanut sauce, topped with some leftover chicken (cooked in the crockpot with a gooseberry sauce from back home, then shredded).

And an onion roll with a bit of SmartBalance Light.

We watched the impossibly sad returning episode of “Grey’s” while we ate.

And I ate a Pep Bar (the British/Canadian version of a York Peppermint Patty) for dessert.

Now I’m looking forward to cuddling with the husband and catching up on Private Practice and Modern Family as well, with big bowls of popcorn in our laps.

five questions for Friday

  1. Have you seen “Mallrats” yet?  Favorite scene?
  2. Ever been to a Five Guys?
  3. What do you dip your fries in?
  4. Do you partake in store samples?
  5. Have you read any of Kathy Reich’s books?

St. Thomas to Buffalo

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Monday

Yesterday was the perfect last day on island.

I got to see some of my favorite people and eat some of my favorite things.

I tried to eat this honey fig Oikos for breakfast.

The flavor seemed like something I would love but one bite in I was twisting up my face in disgust. Why so sour?!?

Instead I ate some leftover crack pie.

And an old-fashioned strawberry candy for good measure.

My unorthodox breakfast didn’t matter, because I had something good coming for lunch.

Chicken patty!

Pattys (pronounced like pate) are fried dough stuffed with spiced meat.

Amazing. The dough is chewy and the filling (usually beef or saltfish, but sometimes salmon or even veggies) is always tender and perfectly seasoned.

My parents and I spent the afternoon walking around downtown with my visiting aunt, uncle, and cousins. Important note – some of the best foods from my childhood are found in town and I spent the rest of the day eating myself silly.

The #1 best thing I had all vacation was this glass of soursop (guanabana) juice.

I never find soursop in the states but it will always be my favorite fruit. It’s sweet and almost creamy.

A while later I bought a fraco with milk (shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk).

I went with tamarind and passionfruit, more local flavors.

I only could handle half of it but that’s really all you need.

And for my final drink of the afternoon we cracked open a jellynut (aka a green coconut).

The water was more sour than I prefer, but I grabbed a long spoon and scraped out all of the sweet flesh.

That evening my parents and I headed back into town so we could eat dinner at Gladys’ Cafe.

I started with a slice of bread with butter.

And a bowl of callaloo (a thick soup made with spinach and okra).

My meal was the special plate, and it was exactly what I was craving.

Mac and cheese,

cole slaw,

rice and beans,

fried plantains,

and stewed chicken.

I could get past the bones to eat much chicken, but I stirred my rice and beans into the sauce and was in heaven.

We ended our evening with a glorious walk down the waterfront.

For nighttime entertainment I headed back to my high school friends’ apartment.

Vodka/something, x2.

Several old friends were there and I was so glad to get to see everyone. Adrien found his old year book which was perfect and hysterical. They were Adam’s grade, so no pictures of me, but I did see a few great ones of the husband!

Tuesday

Today I had to head back to Buffalo; which did at least mean a rendezvous with Adam.

The food situation today was pretty bad. That’s what 13+ hours in the airport will do!

In the St. Thomas airport I ate a johnny-cake with cheese.

On flight 1 I read this book.

In the Miami airport I wandered.

And got drawn in by this sign –

I actually ended up buying a very healthy sandwich.

As well as a very decadent sounding slice of cake.

The dulce de leche did not disappoint!

When I wasn’t eating on flight 2, I was reading.

After a quick scamper through Chicago I was on flight 3 starting my third book.

And before I knew it, I was home with the husband.

We stopped at Moe’s on the way home to pick up a quick and healthy dinner.

After my carb-filled day week I requested that they go light on the rice and cheese.  Topped with cilantro, green pepper, onion, mushrooms, and corn salsa.

Off to unpack I go!  P.S. It’s our fourth wedding anniversary tomorrow!

STT; Tuesday Afternoon – Wednesday Afternoon

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Tuesday

Yesterday afternoon I ran some errands with my mom during her break.  Including getting me a small square of macaroni and cheese for lunch.

West Indian style mac ‘n cheese is baked with cheese on top.  It’s fantastic, obviously.

Then I went downtown to run errands with my dad.  For this trip I made myself an iced coffee.

With skim milk and 1 Tbsp of gingerbread syrup.

During the afternoon I snacked on carrots,

and chocolate.

Then I made an effort not to be a total loaf this vacation and made dinner.

My parents are wimps so I had to sub two cans of tuna fish for sardines, but other than that I followed my recipe for Sardine Mushroom Tomato Sauce.

With roasted squash and okra on the side.

I never could find good okra in Buffalo this fall, I can’t even tell you how excited I was to spot it here.

I spent the evening baking with my mom, but since my retainers were in no nibbling occurred.

And to my Jewish readers – Happy Hanukkah!

Wednesday

I started this morning with some stewed tamarind.

Tamarind has this unique, tangy yet earthy taste.  It has lots of seeds so whether you are eating it stewed or straight from the pod you have to be careful.  The best way to eat it is to swish a bite around your mouth (without chewing!) and then spit out the seeds when the flesh is gone.  Looking very ladylike I’m sure.

I also ate a leftover serving of whole wheat penne with 1.5 tsp of olive oil, a shake of salt, and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Plus two 7-layer bars,

and more chocolate.

I didn’t realize until I stated writing this post, but I’ve kind of eaten nothing but pasta and chocolate for the past 24 hours!!  I’m heading to the gym this afternoon and I guess I’ll make veggies a priority for dinner!

Now I’m back at school, trying to catch up on e-mails and eating this Greek Gods honey Greek yogurt.

P.S. No Window Shopping Wednesday this week.  With all the wishlist posts floating around it just felt a little tired.  I’ll be back with it after Christmas, next week.

Have you ever tried tamarind?  If you’ve eaten any authentic Thai the answer is probably yes, it’s often used in Pad Thai.

“Leftovers”

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Did everyone have a fantastmic Turkey Day weekend?  (I did!)  We had a great last 1/2 day in Miami, including brunch with one of my best college friends, but got back into town late enough and with enough to do that I knew I was better off not blogging.

I didn’t have it together to pack food this morning but, though I got a little cranky around 1:00, I managed to make it through the school day without food.  Fueled or not, I am so proud of myself for making it to the gym during the break before my last class.  35 minutes, level 6 random, on the elliptical.

I had an after-school errand that made me have to wait longer to eat, but I was ok with it.  I was off to see a boy.

Love him.  And I was so proud, when I went to the vet to pick him up they told me that he was perfectly behaved and everyone was going to miss him.  I took him on a quick walk when we got home and he hadn’t forgotten any of his training during our five-day absence.

He’s a genius.

He’s also shedding like a mad man.  When Adam got home we went out for a lint brush to remedy the winter coat/dog fur situation and also dealt with the food issue.

It’s worth not eating all day to get Wegman’s hot bar for late lunch.  I got a heathy mix of fruits,

and veggies.

Delicious.  I haven’t made brussels sprouts at home in ages but they are always my favorite thing on the buffet line.

Dinner was a winner as well.

Who says you need Thanksgiving leftovers to have a day-after-Thanksgiving inspired dinner?  Into our bowls went a serving of pasta, some shredded rotisserie chicken, peas, a bit of parmesan, and a big dollop of cranberry relish.

I made an extra serving too and I’m excited about having this again as leftovers.

I tried to do some drinking with dinner.

But this Angry Orchard Hard Cider was too sour (it tasted almost rotten!) for me and I only managed a few swigs.

What did you make with your Thanksgiving leftovers?

Delirious Dinner

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I’m going to go ahead and apologize in advance for the plethora of typos that will most likely pepper this post.  Between my 4+ hour sleep deficit and wracking my brain all day for answers to two major tests, I’m a bit off my game.  And the husband was on a 24-hour shift last night and he’s wrecked as well.  Our joint delirium made for an interesting afternoon.

But first, lunch.

Despite appearances, that’s not a yogurt.

It’s also not a 6oz container but a big guy, stocked with last night’s roasted dinner leftovers.

These were still good cold, but I had to shovel them in at 10am which felt a little odd.

I want to think my tests went well, but honestly I’m not sure I even remember.  Thanksgiving break is going to be all about catching up on sleep.

When I finished my make-up exam at 3, I picked up the husband so we could do a quick grocery restock.  My gnawing hunger led me to the gingerbread men.

Such a good idea.  Adam ate his buttons, and thought this was so funny he made me snap a picture.

I told you we’re tired.

Except that tired is the understatement of the century.  Between bad luck, Adam’s distraction, and my complete and utter confusion at life, we went to three different grocery stores and somehow ended up with nothing more than a bag of pears to show for it.  Frick.

Some complaining, more confusion, and lots of aimless driving later, and we managed to end up at a Chinese buffet for dinner.

We were totally drawn in by the bubble tea.

Adam and I split this Taro one.

The food wasn’t necessarily good, but it certainly wasn’t bad either.  Not healthy at all and a miserable lack of vegetables, but overall we had a nice dinner.

Green beans, baked salmon, 2 stuffed mushrooms, and a crab rangoon.

Sushi, chicken with broccoli, and some cheesy crab salad that blew my freaking mind.  It was so rich I couldn’t even eat all of what’s shown but I was seriously in heaven.

Tiramisu, pineapple, glazed banana, pudding, coconut gelatin.

I had lost steam by dessert and shared .25 – .5 of this with Adam, but I did devour the coconut jell-o.

I love buffets because getting to try little bits of lots of things makes my soul happy.  If I could find a buffet with actual healthy options I think my heart would explode with joy.

And sleep in 3, 2, 1 …

How do you feel about buffets?  What dish do you always look for on the line?

Fall Back Into An Hour

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Did everyone remember to reset the clocks for today?  I’m thrilled with DLS this year, it’s been entirely too dark the past few mornings.  Though it does stink to be out-of-sync with my parents again; we don’t change the clocks back home so they’ll be an hour ahead of me all winter.

I needed that extra hour today too.  I had a 10:30 group meeting and I’m not sure I would have made it on time at “real” 10:30.  My friends Janessa, Kim, and I worked on our cultural food project at the Elmwood SPoT from 10:30 to 2.  I bought breakfast to eat while we worked.

A giant fruit cup.

There was honeydew, watermelon, and pineapple in there and I gladly paid $3 for it.

An everything bagel with veggie cream cheese.

This was ok but I’m not sure why they used so much cream cheese.  I scrapped some off after the photo and I ended up losing a lot of the veggies.

And an iced coffee with lots of skim milk.

Iced because we sat at a table in front of a big window and were fricking boiling.

At least the warmer weather meant we could take the dog on a longer walk this afternoon.  We even took him off his leash on the block near our house so he could practice being a “free-range” puppy.

I ate this Stonyfield 0% Chocolate Underground when I got home.

Served in my ice-cream cone bowl because it was eaten as a dessert.  I topped the yogurt with a Tbsp each butterscotch chips and shredded coconut.

Butterscotch chips are way better in yogurt than chocolate because they don’t harden as much in the cold.

Since I’m working from 6-9 tonight we ate an early afternoon dinner.

It was the early bird special, stir-fry style!

Into our wok went:

  • chopped broccoli
  • cole slaw mix cabbage and carrots
  • canned straw mushrooms (<– love!)
  • canned water chestnuts
  • smidge of hoisin sauce
  • 5 Tbsp stir fry sauce

Underneath my serving of veggies was 3oz of cooked whole wheat spaghetti that I reheated in a pan with 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil and a large egg.

It was a very tasty and satisfying dinner.

It feels a little strange to blog before work, but since 9 o’clock will feel like 10pm I doubt I’ll want to eat anything when I get home.  If I decide to snack I’ll update.

Finish this sentence – “With my extra hour today I …..”