Tag Archives: okra

Rainy Daze

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Today’s weather was a strange mix of torrential downpour and beautiful blue skies; on the whole it left me throughly confused.  I felt like I muddled about in a bit of a daze all day.  The only thing I didn’t muddle through was my sociology test – 24/25 😀

Breakfast, on the go, was delicious.

Applemon Funky Monkey.  It was like a grown up version of those caramel apple chips that used to be around when I was a kid.

After class I did ~1mile of my walk home, stopping at the Spot to study.  While I was there I ate a vegan peanut butter chocolate chip muffin for lunch.

It was during that time that the skies really opened up.  Fantastically, Adam randomly got off work early and came to pick me up in the car.  When we got home we had to plan a couple of things for the rest of the week and I begged him to lay on the bed and cuddle with me while we talked.  —> enter 2 and 1/2 hour nap!  It was way too long to be asleep in the middle of the afternoon and left me totally disoriented; still worth it though.

Dinner was one of those meals that was so simple and so tasty.

I went ahead and made leftover for tomorrow as well so the amounts listed are for 2servings – 2cups frozen okra, 1.5cups frozen corn, 1cup black beans, paprika, s&p.  Perfect.  I topped today’s bowl with green salsa pinched from Moe’s.

On the side I had one of my favorites, beer bread.

My mom always makes this (and save the ends for me!) when I’m home but this was my first time making the recipe on my own.  Also definitely the first time it was made with a vegan butter substitute 😉  It was so fantastic I ended up going back for a second hunk, spread with a bit of Smart Balance Light.

This bread seriously takes less than 5minutes to put together, make it!

What is your favorite food recipe that involves booze? 

Lots of New Things to Try

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I got the second day of Vegan Month off to a good start by trying out some new finds for breakfast.

1cup of Barbara’s Vanilla Almond Shredded Oats with 1cup So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk and 2 chopped nectarines.

I knew to expect a lot from So Delicious, but I was pleasantly surprised by the cereal.  The squares were nice and crunchy and just sweet enough.  I would definitely keep eating them once this month is ever.

I was in Sociology from 10:30 – 12:40, apparently we are going to have a pop quiz pretty much every day.  Also – quick rant – the class is 2hours + 10minutes so we can take a 10minute break, not so he can blather the entire time; grrrrr!

I had to go to the bookstore afterwards so I brought along a Primal Strip to try to hold off my hunger.

Tasty, tasty!  The texture wasn’t as hard as normal jerky (a good thing) but had the trademark chew, and the flavor was a good balance of sweet and salty, even though it was a bit sticky.  I bought a peanut version as well that I’m excited to try now.

When I got home I ate some yellow tortilla chips (less than 1 serving),

to keep from starving while I cooked up lunch.

I’m glad I didn’t eat too many chips, I would have hated to have been full for that bowl!

A small neon eggplant + ~3/4cup chopped okra + (too much)marinara.  It is definitely the end of okra season up here, I had to pick through the bin just to find that much.  I had never tried okra before this year and now it is one of my favorite veggies.

I was feeling unsatisfied after lunch still – I hate having to get so hungry because my schedule is thrown off – but I found the perfect thing in the depths of my freezer –

These Yoo-hoo popsicles are thankfully (disturbingly?) dairy-free, and two of them perfectly satisfied me.

On the agenda for today?  Some blog e-mails, picking up the husband, National Running Day, school reading, dinner…..

Down in Lunch Lady Land

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Why yes, I am posting at midnight.  Is it possible my sleep schedule needs a wee bit of work?  Perhaps I should grow up a bit and learn to not watch Buffy the husband all night prioritize?  I will keep this quick though.  Like super quick.

We had lab check out today, I ate a Cookie Dough Balance Bar during final exam review.  (18words, speed it up, Emily!)

Good God I love those bars!  Did not really dent my hunger though.  And my plan was to swim afterward but I didn’t so I ended up stuck at campus waiting for Adam.  I did a 40minute swim on Monday and my ears have been hurting, better safe than sorry so I’m not swimming again ’till this weekend.

While I waited I did hit up Starbucks.

Tall, non-fat, iced, cinnamon-dolce latte.  I literally had to tell the barista that I was aware that “my drink has too many adjectives!”  I almost was starved into an item from the display case but I was too excited about my planned lunch.

I decided to bring back taco salads.  This guy had a lettuce base with black beans, crushed blue tortilla chips, 2% colby jack, low fat sour cream, and homemade pineapple salsa.

Do that not just sound/look like the best salad ever?

Well it WAS NOT.  Holy yuck!  The lettuce was so bitter that I seriously gagged on it.  I did my best to pick off the toppings but I ended up having to throw most of it away.

Not surprisingly, I was still hungry, so I popped a frozen mac and cheese into the microwave.

Much better.

Whilst hanging out this afternoon I snacked on too much some of this Divine candy bar.

It had crunchy, but yet still juicy, pieces of dried strawberry all throughout, so yum!

Dinner looked like this –

I used a Cooking Light recipe for Almost Meatless Sloppy Joes.

The sauce was more Joe’s cousin James than full on, but still very tasty.  I used ground turkey meat, of course.

And for our side I did a quick saute of chopped okra, frozen turnip greens, and chopped turkey bacon.

Dinner was good, but Adam and I were mostly excited for dessert.

What’s that?  Oh, not much, just a toasted marshmallow milkshake!

The recipe comes from Rachael Ray Magazine, and yes it was amazing.  I did sub in reduced fat varieties though.

It is undeniably bedtime.  Sweet dreams!

What’s your favorite Adam Sandler song?  When his stuff was popular my parents wouldn’t let me buy the cds, which was ironic because I owned several Jerky Boys cds!

Simple but Stunning

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We obviously didn’t eat dinner at 2pm so I guess this will be a two-post-day, yippie!  Most of the day so far has been spent at the hospital getting my bone scan done.  I had an initial appointment at 9:30 so that they could inject the tracer, and then a second appointment at 1:30 so they could image my legs.  I could tell just by looking at the monitor that there is bone regrowth in the area that hurts, but I’ll know more after I speak with the doctor next week.

My head hit the pillow after 2am last night but even then my mind didn’t want to stop working!  Does anyone else have to mentally review their to-do list before falling asleep?  Sometimes I think out our weekly meal plan just to calm myself down!  Obviously I stayed in bed as late as possible today and made breakfast an on-the-go affair.

I pretty much love all Cliff Bar flavors but Peanut Toffee Buzz holds a big piece of my heart.  It’s sweet without being too much and incredibly filling for 250calories.  Plus, as much as I know I should be getting my gotta-have-’ems from fruits and veggies, I always appreciate products with added nutrients.

I had a ton of phone calls to make in between doctor’s appointments – I have some issues to work out with summer school, financial aid, etc – but I did find time to make a stunning lunch.  I love this combination –

Kale + eggplant + okra = awesome goodness.

I cooked my veggies in evoo and worchestire sauce for ~10minutes, then poured some marinara into the saucepan for the last few minutes.

YUM!  This is pretty much my favorite dish of all time, the combination is just too fantastic.  Plus it’s so gorgeous!

The plan for the rest of the day includes Anthropology reading, a grocery trip, and dinner.  On my like-to-do list is also a light strength/stretch session and watching the latest episode of Bones.  I’ll see you for dinner!

What food discoveries have you made through the healthy blog world?  I don’t think without Meghann and Kath I ever would have tried okra and now it’s pretty much my favorite thing.  I love the fact that blogs allow us to expose each other to myriad of amazing options.

Another Recipe Tease

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Alrighty, I’m here for a sour-puss post, as promised.  I got my Chem score back and let’s just say I will be working my butt off for the rest of the semester.  I actually still have an A in the class overall, but I’d like to make sure I keep it.  I didn’t get my Anthro test back yet because class was canceled.  That would have been more exciting had I known before I sprint/limped through the rain to get there.  My leg hurt a lot, but I took advantage of the “found time” and gave myself 45minutes to read a magazine 😀

I also had time to do some Chemistry reading while I waited for my next class.  I snacked on a package of Strawberry Pomegranate Teather while I worked.

The fruit leather was hard-core delicious, but I was starving by the time I got home.  Hunger coupled with major leg pain lead me to the peanut butter M&M’s.

I ended up having three handfuls!  I would have been better off sitting down with a small plate of real food.

Dinner was a healthier situation.

I wish I could share this recipe, Italian Style Gumbo, with you but it’s for another contest!  It was delicious though, and I promise to make a recipe page soon.

When I get up tomorrow I’ve got to pack for our PA trip and I’d like to squeeze in a workout too so bedtime is in order.  I hope everyone else had an irritation-free day!

The South in a Can

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I hope my readers get to this post late because they were out drinking green beer, there was certainly no Irish mischief in this house!  Opening up a Wonka Bar was about as much excitement as I had time for.

I ate half a serving and really liked it.

Then I ran a few errands with the husband and hit up the Spot for a 5:30 – 8:30 study session with Caroline.  We bombed all of our practice tests, I’m a little worried about this Friday.  While I was there I split a pizza bagel with Adam.

My delicious half –

I resisted the green milkshakes with green whipped cream that were floating around, but just barely!

My dinner plan was a 1 cup leftover serving of Cocoa-Coconut Chili pulled from the freezer, so I pulled out this can of okra and tomatoes to jazz it up.

I bought the can on a whim a while back because the nutritional stats were good but it took me forever to open it.

Tonight I put 1/2cup on top of my chili.

As well as a bit of 2% sharp cheddar.

The bowl didn’t exactly knock my socks off but it was healthy and filling.  I have 1 more bag (1cup) of chili in the freezer and I’m already excited about my planned toppings for it.

My pm goal is shower + magazine reading before 10:30 bedtime, I’ll see you in the am.

How did you celebrate St. Patrick’s today?

Sandwiches, Smoothies, and Schedules

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Hello again, happy Monday!  This will definitely be the longest recap post I’ve done in a while – Friday through Monday.  Physically things have been low-key but mentally there’s been lots of drama – my flight was canceled!  And since I’m in St. Thomas it could have meant getting into Buffalo on Tuesday and not having a ride and missing class.  I was freaking out a bit.  Thankfully 45minutes on the phone + my firm but calm voice got me on a different flight that leaves/gets in on pretty much the same schedule.  And now my layover is shorter and in Philly and not Charlotte.  🙂

I’m a big proponent of the firm but calm voice.  I was polite, and said multiple please and thank yous, but unwavering.  I didn’t ask whether or not I could get on another flight, I simply said “I will be leaving St. Thomas tomorrow, what can you do to help me make that happen?”  And it worked.

Anyway, back to Friday.  My mom served me a slice of cake,

which promptly got stripped of it’s icing because I don’t eat cake.

Then I moved on to greens, a small container I put together at the salad bar we stopped by.

Lettuce, beans, corn, cheese, 1 hard-boiled egg and a drizzle of light Cesar.

I also made myself some frozen coffee – coffee, ice, skim milk, and 2T sugar.

Soo much better than Starbucks could ever do.

Dinner was all about the leftovers.

Oven baked okra is kind of my favorite.

And I served up some leftover baked tofu on toasted rye with hot pepper raspberry preserves and sharp cheddar.

Friday night I did end up going out to meet some friends.  We had a good time and I had a few drinks but photo-taking was abandoned in favor of trying to keep my balance on one leg!  I don’t know how on earth I managed to stand on one leg past 2am but a fun time was had by all.

For Saturday morning breakfast my mom and I hit up one of my favorite places on earth – Barefoot Buddha.  I had fresh-made lemonade,

and a Bigfoot Bagel Sandwich.

Frittata, smoked turkey, turkey bacon, cream cheese, spicy sauce…

I love these sandwiches so much I ate them on my wedding day!  I know most brides say they are too nervous to eat but I was just nervous my friends would devour them before I got any 😀

We hung out and studied for a bit and I had a passionfruit, banana, coconut smoothie.

We laid low the rest of the day before going out to a fabulous dinner at The Cellar.  We did a lot of sharing and the lighting was low so let me apologize for the picture quality in advance.

There were way too many things I wanted off the drink menu but I finally settled on the Caribbean Champagne.

Champagne with coconut rum and key lime juice.  GREAT combination.

We split a cheese plate that was kind of out of this world.  The goat cheese was my favorite but the stewed plums were pretty fantastic as well.

My plate –

And at The Cellar the chef always sends out an amuse bouche.

Ahi wontons.

Plus homemade bread and butter.

For my meal I got the Vegetable Cutlet – panfried, potatoes, peas, carrots, eggplant and pickled papaya, and tiki masala sauce.

The cutlets were delicious but my favorite part of the entire meal was the eggplant wrapped papaya.  I ate one cutlet and took the other home, and I had a few bites of my dad’s tamarind mahi as well.

We were stuffed, but couldn’t not order a dessert plate to share.  It came with little forks,

because we got four little desserts!

NY cheesecake with fruit sauce and bananas foster,

cinnamon creme brulee and chocolate mousse.

Yum, yum, yum; I wished I could have had a BIG serving of the bananas foster.

Sunday morning I made a nice green monster for breakfast.

My mom and I got our nails done (green again, I’ll show you later!) and then I picked up nachos for lunch from the bar I used to work at.

Yum, but I think it’s time to be fully done with any sort of nachos for a while.

We saw a matinée of “Our Family Wedding,” during which I munched on a box of Nerds.

I would like to show you dinner but it was so dark at our table I never could get a picture.  I shared green bean fries with my parents and ate half of a tamarind turkey burger.

When I got home I had 2 maple pecan sticky blondies for dessert.

Dreena would be sad to know I deveganized these, but at least I made the recipe for my parents!

This morning (Monday) I’m hanging out at school for a bit before I head home to pack.  I brought a pineapple Chiobani for breakfast,

but that didn’t begin to cut it.

I ended up also having an egg and cheese biscuit from Wendy’s.

It is 100% time to stop eating like I’m on vacation!  Especially because I’m not sure what the workout situation with my leg is going to be like.

I had fabulous spring break but I am more than ready to get back with the husband and back on a schedule.  I get in late tonight so I won’t be posting today’s eats but hopefully Tuesday my sleeping, eating, and blogging will all be back on track!  I can tell you now though, that I have a Greek Gods honey yogurt in the freezer for a pre-packing treat!

When you get to the end of a vacation are you sad it’s over or ready to get back to business?