Tag Archives: pasta

Going Out with a Bang

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Thanks so much for the encouragement on my last post!  Although, it seemed like many of you thought I was stressed; I was actually being matter of fact.  And I matter of factly failed my test this afternoon 😉 😦

Breakfast at Starbucks ended up being a success.  I got a tall, non-fat latte,

and a slice of gingerbread.

Then I brushed my teeth in the public bathroom and spit Scope in the parking lot like a total creeper 😉

My breath was fresh, but the dentist did give me the bad news that I got my first ever cavity.  I knew it was coming (they’ve been “keeping an eye on” that spot for a year and a half) but I’m still a little nervous about getting drilled.

After my appointment I headed to Wegman’s for a great hot bar lunch.

An assortment of veggies plus a few pieces of sweet and sour chicken,

with fruit for dessert.

I left my car parked at Wegman’s, which meant I got to walk to school for the slaughter (Orgo exam), and then walk back to do my grocery shopping.  I love walking so much, I hope this “nice” weather holds out!

When it was all said and done I ended up with a ‘you shouldn’t grocery shop hungry’ candy bar.

Delish, like honeycomb enrobed in chocolate!

I also ate a bowl of random cereals (Barbara’s Shredded Oats, plus Kashi H2H and Strawberry Flakes) with Silk Almond Milk.

I’m not sure why I was so hungry, but I’m glad I ate because I had a lot to do in the kitchen.

I’m at the point where I transfer my obsessive love from fall foods to holiday foods, and I wanted to end the season with a bang.  There’s no better way to go out than P-U-M-P-K-I-N, pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin!  (Can you tell I watched “Bring it On” during dinner?)

Hello there.

We made Rachael Ray’s Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage.

We subbed rigotoni for penne and vegan crumbles for sausage, but other than that we pretty much followed the recipe.

Delish!

For dessert I went with more pumpkin, (and more Rachael Ray, come to think of it) Cheesecake-Filled Pumpkin Muffins.

I skipped the frosting, these babies are perfect without it!

I had two.

Now I’ve got to go to bed, go, go, to bed!

Were you a cheerleader in highschool?

Be Still, My Heart

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I ended up not going to the gym today, I didn’t want to risk the shower.  I don’t know whether or not we can get hot water when the power is off, but I didn’t want to find out on a sweaty day 😉

I did, however, get in enough movement that I don’t feel guilty about missing the gym (Who am I kidding?  I never feel guilty, that’s how I let weeks go by between visits!).  I walked so much today that my feet actually started to hurt, and that’s a real feat for me!

  • home to school
  • school to home
  • home back to school
  • school to Wegman’s
  • Wegman’s to the Co-op
  • and finally home

My excitement over that much walking time is why I’m trying to calm my heart.  Although I’m glad it’s not too still, I needed him beating for Anatomy today!  We did EKGs in lab and it was actually a lot of fun (aka I’m a nerd).  First we checked my heart rate reclining (70beats per minute), then again after I sprinted up and down the stairs for a few minutes (113beats per minute).

Lab let out early, which is why I had time to make the mid-day trip home.  I couldn’t actually eat any lunch (I couldn’t open my fridge because of the power situation), but I did have a nice snack.

Sahale Snacks Valdosta pecans with cranberries, black pepper and orange zest.  Yum!  These tasted exactly like candied nuts, even though they have way less sugar.  I actually opened these on Tuesday and it was all I could do not to eat them all before I got a chance to blog about them!

I also had a macaroon.

I imagine those wouldn’t keep for too long, but 3 days later they are still damn good!

Food lab today was about grains and starches; my group made saffron rice pilaf, bulgur salad, and creamed toast with asparagus and eggs.  And you’ll notice none of those dishes made it onto my plate….

Hey, we did a good job, those items just weren’t my cup of tea!  I probably ate about 3/4 of what’s shown there, as I said, somethings were better than others.

After class I made my groceries trek to pick up a few items, which left me leaving the co-op at 5pm, starving.  Vegan Thai tapioca pudding to the rescue –

I’m sorry I don’t have a better picture, but I actually ate this on the walk home!  I can’t even begin to describe how good this stuff is – chewy and sticky in the most amazing way.  Be still my heart.

I also had a spoon (x2) of crunchy pb when I got home.

Served alongside a nice portion of heat; thank goodness our power is back on!

Dinner was simple simple, boxed mac and cheese gussied up with broccoli, 1oz of sharp cheddar, and a sprinkle of Sriracha.

I hate to add cheese to mac and cheese but this was a 33cent store brand box and the flavor just wasn’t cutting it.

Much better.

Now I’ve got to make like a banana and split; I have a huge presentation tomorrow morning and I’ve got to go rehearse.  Note – actually first we are returning some cans for cash and using it to buy candy….but then I’ll rehearse!

I Like the Other Kind of Shot Better

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Whoops, guess I do have time for a lunch post!  I decided that since I’m staying for lab tomorrow 12 straight hours on campus today was a bit much….so I went home!  Plus my arm was sore, but more on that in a minute.

Breakfast was the last of my samples from Zone Perfect,

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bar.  I’ll say it again, Yuuuuum!  I was not expecting to fall in love with these, but I totally did; if I see them at Wegmans more will be purchased.  The texture was very pleasing and the pb flavor was perfect.  It was just sweet enough.

I had some time after Library (I always get out early because the assignments are pretty basic) and I manged to get the Orgo notes I missed yesterday copied.  I hate missing class 😡

110’s lecture today was all about MILK.  We learned all about cooking milk, the nutrient properties of milk, and how milk is made into cheese(s), cream, buttermilk, etc.  Nothing about ice cream though now that I think about it.  The lecture was pretty fascinating; I learned a lot more about homogenization and pasteurization.

Pasteurization – or ultrapasteurization which cooks at the highest temp for the shortest time and has the least impact on flavor – is used to kill pathogenic bacteria.  Basically, it takes away all of the bacteria that can make us sick.  The bacteria that lead to spoilage are not affected, which is why you have to refrigerate milk.  Evaporated milk and dry milk powder are processed in a  different way that allows them to be stored for a longer time.

Homogenization doesn’t deal with bacteria – which is why non-homogenized milk is not illegal in most of the US like raw milk is.  Milk is ~ 87% water, and homogenization is the process that keeps the milk solids from separating out.  In the olden days milk bottles had a thicker layer of fat (cream) at the top due to the separation as they sat.  If you are making your own cheese you have to use nonhomogenized milk.

Interesting stuff!

After class I decided to be a responsible adult and get my flu shot for the season.

I think it’s also a responsible adult thing to reward yourself for a sore arm; cinnamon bun latte anyone?

This actually didn’t have a strong flavor (it wasn’t sweet at all), but the scent was delectable!  I sat in the coffee shop near my house and sipped while reading Orgo.

Then I came home and ate my final serving of pumpkin pasta leftovers for lunch.

This stuff just gets better and better as it sits!

I have to get back to Orgo, but I’m going to much on this Paula Red apple while I study –

I have my night class from 4:30 to 7:40 tonight, but I’m hoping we get out early so I can kick of Sandwich Week.

Have you gotten your seasonal flu shot yet?  Do you get a flu shot each year?

Frozen Feet

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Has everyone done the Friday dance?  I’m sure glad for the weekend!  I actually have a ton to do the next few days so I made sure to include some relaxation in today’s plan.

My morning was a little too relaxed; leaving my warm bed feels bad, but running around like a headless chicken trying not to be late feels worse!  After I went to the trouble of buying a banana last night I couldn’t even get it together to make breakfast this morning.  Also, 30minute walk in 40* weather, not a sandals time.  Who knew!  😉  At least my tortured toes gave me a good excuse to buy a coffee before class.

A medium skim latte with sugar-free English toffee syrup. 

We had a guest speaker this morning who works in pediatric nutrition; she was fascinating!  The teacher of my Friday course is super energetic and excited about Dietetics and the speakers she brings in have all been just as enthusiastic.  They make me really excited about my future career!

After class I met up with my group; we have a poster presentation on November 19th and we are already 2/3 of the way finished.  I had ~ an hour between our meeting and Orgo so I made the best use of the time possible – I went to the gym!

I told you guys if I take a day off it turns into a month!  I had been going regularly (and loving it!) and after my I’m sick/I have 5 tests/OMG week I haven’t been in 16 days.  I know that I feel 100% better when I’m working out regularly so I’m going to try really hard to make sure I stick with it.  I didn’t have a ton of time today so I tried to use it wisely on the treadmill –

  • 5minute warm up (walking)
  • 20minutes running
  • 3minute cool down (walking)

In my 28minutes I covered 2.58miles, not terrible!  I’m actually running a 5k in a couple of weeks so hopefully that will keep me motivated.

I didn’t ever get it together to get food so I bought myself a Lemon Lime G-2 post gym.

It kept me hydrated but by the time Anatomy started my hunger had zapped my energy.  My class notes today are baaaaad.

A freezing, sideways raining walk home later, and I was heating up a Chicken Enchillada Suiza Lean Cuisine.

I needed some time to reheat while I refueled so Adam and I caught up on a bit of tv.  Has anyone seen the most recent CSI: Las Vegas?  Terrifying!  I also snacked on some Halloween candies,

a small handful of Southwest Cashews from Sahale Snacks,

and the last honey vanilla caramel apple.

The granny smith was the best yet!  I really, really, really recommend trying these.

Then it was time for business, we got out our fall decorations and finally switched out our summer and winter wardrobes.  My toes were oh so glad to see my Uggs!

Before catching up on “Bones” (love) we did find time to make a pretty snazzy dinner.

That’s Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage from Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals.

We basically followed the recipe, although we used a bit less meat and pasta than called for.  Actually, we didn’t use meat at all; I couldn’t find any turkey sausage without pork casing so instead I swapped in some Gimmie Lean vegan meat substitute.

We also used the big can of local canned pumpkin I bought when I was panicking over the possible Libby’s shortage.

The flavor was spot on, but the texture wasn’t quite as velvety as the good stuff.

But the dish was still damn tasty.

This is one of the recipes Adam and I used to make all of the time when we were living in Brooklyn, it’s an old favorite.

I still have to shower and make our grocery list before bed, but I’m hoping to turn in before 11.  Amid a heap of homework, I signed up to volunteer at a health fair tomorrow.  What’s on your agenda for the weekend?

Pho Sho

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Did getting sucked in by Twitter keep me from accomplishing enough this afternoon? Pho sho.

Did I have a fabulous workout anyway? Pho sho.

Did I use a free sample to make some tasty soup for dinner? Pho pho sho!

Is this post punny in the worst kind of way? For sure!

I didn’t get nothing done, but I didn’t get enough done either.  Still, there’s a limit to how much work I’m going to get done after 6pm, gym or not, so I might as well go to to the gym!  Where apparently there is also a limit to how much I’ll get done after 6:00, because it was packed!  I settled for a quick treadmill workout.

  • 5minutes walking, warm up
  • 20minutes running
  • 5minutes walking, cool down

I covered 2.67miles, a little further than yesterday 🙂  Not an improvement from yesterday was the fact that I had to stop twice during my run to give my feet a break; I have the worst blisters right now 😦

Dinner came in the mail.

Star Anise Foods contacted me about trying their Garlic Goodness Happy Pho and I’m never one to say no to new things.  I’ve never had Pho before, so I can’t comment to its authenticity, but this definitely sparked my interest in trying some at restaurant.

Nutritionals –

Stellar sodium levels for a soup.  Just a head’s up – we found that this made way more than 2 servings (3-4?).

The cooking process was beautifully low-key as well.

We made a hybrid recipe from their traditional and vegetarian options –

Along with the package we did 4cups of low-sodium veggie broth, 8oz of sliced chicken, 4 sliced green onions, a heaping cup of spinach, and cilantro.

The verdict?

Two thumbs up.  This wasn’t very soupy, but that was user error because we let the water cook off while we took a phone call.  The flavors were mild but in a pleasing way, and the use of cinnamon was delightful.  I loved the texture of the noodles too, very soft without being mushy.

Want to try Happy Pho for yourself?  From now to October 5th you can get free shipping when you order online through Amazon.com.  Simply enter this code at check out – ESEFJ7WN.

The Frontal Bone’s Connected to the Parietal Bone’s Connected to the Occipital Bone…

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Oh my goodness, I’ve my first Anatomy quiz in 9hours and I am not ready!  A migraine hit last night and stopped my study session cold.  I’ve got to hurry to bed so I can keep learning in the morning.

Breakfast.

Three local prune plums from the farmers’ market,

and a WW Sandwich Thin with 2T Wegman’s chunky pb and Crofter’s strawberry.

I had an advisement meeting at 11 and then I stayed on campus until I got out of lab at 8; yikes!  All of my not-in-class time got used up running back and forth to department heads and I’ve still barely broken the tip of the iceberg on my transfer credit issues!

Lunch was eaten via snackage.  A single serving of Caramel Cashew trail mix from Target.

The last of the dried apricots.

I got a small coffee (with skim milk) before lab,

and I also got my fall on with a small sample of pumpkin loaf.

We have a new TA which means we have a lot more work – we can’t work in partners any more, we spend more time reviewing procedure – but he seems really excited about Chemistry and I can tell I’m going to learn a lot.  We did recrystallizations in Orgo Lab today and there was an issue so I had to do mine twice, which practically put me in tears.  It was nice to have the walk home to clear my head.

I grabbed a Yoplait Light Thick and Creamy Cinnamon Bun yogurt as soon as I walked in the door.

And dinner was Three Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni from Lean Cuisine.

The husband was my knight in shining armor helping me review Anatomy (for the first time!) for a couple of hours this evening.  While we worked I ate a mini Java Chip Frap. Starbucks ice cream.

And now I’ve got to take the world’s quickest shower and get into bed.  I am so excited to be able to go to the gym after my quiz tomorrow!

If you took Anatomy in school, did you find it interesting or boring?  I think osteopathy is fascinating; I’d love to work as a forensic anthropologist!

Locked and Loaded

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It’s been a full day and my to do list’s not even close to empty!  Thank goodness it’s mostly stuff I enjoy.

Tuesday is my 8am class (library) day so an at home breakfast was not going to happen.  Instead I packed some healthy snacks to eat in between classes.  A Blueberry Crisp Cliff Bar,

and a local apple.

We learned about amino acids and proteins in NTR 100 today and it was totally fascinating.  Did you know that only animal protein sources can provide a “complete protein?”  Vegetable sources don’t have the correct ratio of the essential amino acids.  However, through “complementary proteins” vegetarians can get what they need.  For example, beans and rice are a complimentary protein.  I’m obviously not vegetarian, but we do eat a lot of meatless meals so it’s definitely something to think about.

After class I headed over to the gym.  It’s a 30minute walk from my apartment (1hour roundtrip) so gyming it in the morning this year is just not realistic; instead I’m trying to make my workout part of my on-campus time.  This weekend I picked up a pretty pink lock –

and today I brought a bag full of gym essentials – sports bras, socks, shoes, outfits, scrunchies, water bottle – to store on campus.

Today’s workout was 30minutes on the elliptical, random, level 6.

Adam could even give me a ride home so I didn’t have to walk in the sun, yay!  We had some business to take care of so I replenished with coconut water while I waited for lunch.

Lunch-lunch was a package of Allergaroo Chili Mac.

I ‘beefed it up’ by stirring in 4oz of frozen peas.

Yum.  This packet was still part of my shipment of free samples but I think the chili mac is fantasmic, I’ll definitely buy more with my own $.

I’m still looking for a fruit-dairy component to lunch so I’ll probably have a study snack in a bit, I’ll update the post if I do.

Dinner’s gonna be exciting…..

***Updated to add -I found my dairy-fruit (+ sweet!) snack.
I started with an Oikos free sample, 0% strawberry.
 
I don’t know why I was expecting this to be flavored yogurt, but I was a bit surprised to find plain with jam on the bottom.  In the end I loved it though; it was the perfect amount of sweet!
 
I topped my yogurt with a sliced black plum, a sliced plucot, and part of a crumbled cookie.
I definitely did not need the cookie (this was really sweet), but I had to throw out the last of the burnt granola and I had my heart set on something crumbly!
Do you have a locker at your gym?  Do you bring your stuff for the day or keep a bag stocked at the gym?

When in Random

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I’ve been all over the map today so this post is going to seem a little random.  I didn’t get much any schoolwork done but I did have a lot of fun – lunch at the Co-op with Katie, hanging out with the husband, and a trip with a group of friends to the Buffalo Wing Festival.  It’s sort of essential that I get a good night’s sleep and rock out my work tomorrow so I’ll keep this quick.  Bare minimum description in 3, 2, 1…

This small banana chocolate bar was 33cents at the grocery store.

It was super light and tasted like airy banana cream pie.

Co-op hot bar lunch (for reference, this was the small box, about the size of a novel).

Buffalo-style tempeh,

cashew noodles,

a stuffed grape leaf,

and some pasta with delicious homemade ricotta and marinara.

I also bought the best Hello Dolly (7-layer bar) I’ve ever freaking tasted!

The wing festival was super crowded and really poorly organized (boo) but we had a good time hanging out with the other couples at least.  I only got to sample a few wings, Hawaiian, smoked, and Guinness bbq.

You can assume I ate about half of that; when it gets to close to the bone I get squeamish and Adam finishes them for me.

Crackers with smoked gouda spread, split with the husband.

Yogurt mix bowl – Vanilla 0% Siggi, a chopped peach, cinnamon chips, and tons of cinnamon.

For dinner we cooked up some pizza.

Tandoor Chef caught wind of how obsessed I am with their Pad Thai and graciously sent me some Naan Pizza samples.  I was more than happy to do a review, I think Tandoor Chef products are amazing!  A lot of their offerings are vegan, it is by far the most authentic “ethnic” food I can get in Buffalo, and everything tastes so fresh you have to check the box to remember that it was frozen!  Tonight we tried the Margherita Naan Pizza,

and the Cilantro Pesto Naan Pizza.

Check out the nutritional stats –

Reasonable amount of sodium and saturated fat for a good dose of protein.  I think that a full pizza (as opposed to a half) is a more realistic serving size though.  That makes it a little calorie-dense, but since the ingredient list is just “real” food it’s ok.

Adam and I each tried half of each flavor (he ate some of my crusts though).

Even though our crazy oven caused us to burn them we were still big fans.  The tomatoes on the Margherita tasted fresh and juicy and the cilantro pesto had a great spice kick to it.

I’m getting in bed now, but I’ll probably play Word Feud with Adam for a bit before sleeping.  Good night!

What’s your take on hot wings?