On The Run

by Emily

This morning Adam, Webster, and I headed to the park. They went frolicking and I went running. I started the Couch-to-10k plan, again. I refuse to go back to week one (I’ve started the plan four times in as many months, it’s embarrassing at this point) so I did the first day of week two – intervals of 4 minutes walking / 1 minute running, x 8. Plus 5 minutes of straight running at the end as I hurried to find a dog and husband who are bad at following directions! I was great to be outside.

The rest of the day included schoolwork, a shift at work, and an evening of tv. In fact, we are mid-Bones right now so I’m keeping this short.

Here’s what I ate… An Alter Ego Mini Dark Velvet chocolate bar.

This stuff was amazing, the perfect blend of milk and dark chocolate. It had dark’s tang with the creaminess of milk. Total love.

Soft pretzel.

Vegan chicken nuggets with some sharp cheddar.

A Salty Peanut Awesome Bar.

This would have been awesome, but the whole flax seeds kind of ruined it for me. Nonetheless, this Yumvelope (the source of the bar and the candy) was a good one.

Hot bar (two of the wontons were Adam’s).

Two kinds of sautéed veggies plus a piece of sweet and sour chicken.

.15 lb of gummi candy.

A giant slice of Buffalo chicken pizza with blue cheese for dipping.

I am, in a word, stuffed.

9Apr2013

Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwiches

by Emily

Recently Naysoya contacted me with the opportunity to try their newly reformulated Nayonaise line. I’ve enjoyed their vegan mayo in the past during my Vegan Month challenges, so I happily accepted. Pretty soon, a box showed up in the mail.

They sent me 2 free jars to sample – Vegan Nayonaise and Vegan Nayo Whipped.

Here’s what they had to say (product information): “Nasoya recently perfected Nayonaise for a smoother, creamier texture and it now comes in new distinct varieties. Original Nayonaise is an excellent alternative to traditional mayonnaise reformulated with a more delicious flavor than ever before. NayoWhipped, the line’s newest variety, has a tangier taste for those who prefer a whipped sandwich spread. The entire line is vegan, a good source of vitamin B12 and made from expeller pressed oil. All products are also fortified with Omega 3 ALA for added nutrition.”

And here’s what I have to say (disclaimer): I was provided these samples free of charge. I did not receive compensation for writing this post, I just really wanted to share my tasty recipe. All opinions are my own.

I haven’t tasted the whipped product yet (in non-vegan life I prefer Miracle Whip to regular mayo so I’m quite looking forward to it) but I’ll be sure to share my opinion when I do. I was impressed with the reformulation of the Nayonaise. The new product is in fact smoother than the previous version.

I’ve seen recipes in the past {on those Mayo tv commercials?!} where mayo is used in place of butter when grilling a sandwich and I figured that application would be a great way to taste out the Nayo. I also used it as the binder in my vegan chicken salad. I think the recipe turned out quite well; the Nayo gave the toasted bread a great crisp texture.

Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwiches, serves 2

7 oz vegan “chicken” nuggets (I recommend Wegman’s Don’t Be a Chicken line if you have access to it)
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 celery ribs, cut in half vertically then sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp plus 2 tsp Vegan Nayonaise
4 slices bread of choice

Cook nuggets according to manufacturer’s instructions. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then dice.
Combine cooled chicken, almonds, celery, green onions, salt, lemon juice, and 3 Tbsp of Nayo in a large bowl and toss to combine.
Divide salad evenly between two slices of bread, then sandwich with the remaining slices. Spread 1/2 tsp Nayo on the outer side of each slice of bread.
Preheat a large grill pan over medium-low heat. Cook sandwiches until toasty, 1 – 2 minutes on each side.

To my vegetarian readers: Nasoya has teamed up with Vegetarian Times to celebrate the vegetarian lifestyle by having people share their Veg-iversaries. By sharing the day you went veg, you can enter to win a Nayonaise Party Pack for 10 people + a $100 Visa gift card!

Do you follow (or have you ever followed) a vegetarian or vegan diet?

6Apr2013

Weekend Welcome Back

by Emily

Hello again! I know I kind of dropped off the face of the earth. This semester has been busy. I don’t have a lot to say tonight, and my pictures are poorly lit and blurry, but it was a good day so I wanted to share.

I slept in this morning; we’ve got a serious stayed-up-too-late-watching-Battlestar-Galactica-every-night-this-week sleep deficit going. I ended up eating “breakfast” during the afternoon at work. Chobani Vanilla Golden Crunch Flip.

I love most of Chobani’s flavors but I have really disliked the Flip line*. This was my 2nd try with this flavor and both times the vanilla yogurt was so tangy I was actually a little afraid it had gone bad. *the Honey BeeNana one was really freaking good

I also drank a Dr. Pepper 10.

The first in a fun line-up of beverages today.

After work I met up with a friend for bubble tea; strawberry green tea with both kinds of boba.

We hung out for the rest of the evening and had a fun night. Next was drinks at a bar in Allentown. I enjoyed this Genesee Cream Ale more than I was expecting to.

It was basically water, but at least it was quite refreshing. Plus it is locally made.

Finally we headed to Seabar for a late dinner.

I was very disappointed that they were out of the (the) lobster ramen bowl, but I rallied with three small plates.

Seaweed salad.

Pickle cucumber salad over sushi rice.

Udon noodle bowl served with tempura shrimp.

All three were quite tasty but the cucumber salad was my favorite.

I brushed my teeth the minute I got home and now I’m actually blogging from the bed! Sweet dreams!

18Mar2013

I Forgot A Title Again!

by Emily

It is problematically late, but tomorrow’s exhaustion will definitely be worth it. I spent the first half of the day cuddling in bed with husband. Literally, the first half. It was fabulous. Then we went to lunch and ran a few errands, and I spent the remainder of my day working on a giant project for my internship. I am 100% finished with it, wahoo!

Brunch from Pano’s.

Chicken slavaki wrap,

with french fries.

I ate half of each. I’d been craving french fries like crazy but the sandwich wasn’t as exciting. Not bad, but I’m just not that into chicken; the feta made it.

Iced coffee with Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk and sugar.

The coffee was salted caramel flavored from Wegmans and it was yummy. I have a little bit of my cup left and I’m looking forward to it for breakfast.

A giant bowl of Lays’ Chicken and Waffle Chips.

This finalist flavor was pretty good; the flavor was definitely “chicken.” Embarrassing sidenote – I was talking with Adam about the dog and I heard “I usually just shake my bag of chips at him,” come out of my mouth. The juxtaposition of usually with my bag of chips may have been my come-to-Jesus moment about how fat I’m getting.

At least nibbling does help me focus on work; I am 80% more productive with food next to my laptop. Final snack plate.

Honeycrisp apple,

with ~1/2 serving of Alter Ego Quinoa Dark Chocolate.

The chocolate was fun. I’m excited to have Adam try some because he adores quinoa.

Dinner was a bit of a failure. I sautéed frozen carrots and Wegman’s Japanese Stir Fry mix with a packet of Naysoya Shirataki Fettuccine in canola oil, then tossed in a serving of my peanut sauce and let it get nice and crispy.

Sauce was great. Veggies were great. “Noodles” were slimy and terrible. I ate ~half then gave a bite to Adam who promptly spit his chewed-up mouthful back in my bowl.

It ~~was bedtime two hours ago~~ is time for bed!

11Mar2013

Almost Spring And Almost Celebrating

by Emily

Today has been just fantastic, one of those days that reminds me how happy I am with my life. I felt totally blessed.

First, lunch. I was too busy for breakfast but I did have a nice noon-time meal. Dannon Oikos Cafe Latte Greek Yogurt. So smooth and creamy, and the flavor was better than any other coffee yogurt I’ve ever had.

Cascadian Farm Crunchy Oats & Honey Granola Bar.

GoGo Squeez Cinnamon Applesauce.

’twas a good lunch.

But the news I got just before lunch was even better – Adam is going to be a surgeon! Ok, so it wasn’t surprising news, but it was good to have things confirmed. Today is the first half of Match Day and on Friday we’ll learn where (and if) we’re going to move. So exciting! I opened the e-mail and burst into tears, right there on the Neuro floor. Apparently I’ve been a little bit stressed. But I can’t stress enough, how proud I am of my husband!!!

I got home before him this afternoon so I got him a few congratulation gifts.

I may have stolen a few bites. 2 dumplings,

and 2 big bites of frosting.

Yum!

And I got more good news this evening – my night class was canceled! This meant I had free time to celebrate the real news with Adam. The past two days have basically been Spring so we took a long walk up Elmwood, in sandals natch.

My taste buds are even more ready for Spring than my feet. We wanted to get take-out so we could go home and watch “The Nanny” and I had the hardest time choosing food because I had to have something fresh. I couldn’t stand the thought of cheddar, popcorn or runny eggs, my usual favorites!

I ended up getting a green juice for our walk.

And bringing a salad from Ashker’s home.

I added banana peppers, tomatoes, and kalmata olives to the Roasted Turkey, Apple, Walnut Salad; which also came with spring mix, feta, craisins, and Vidalia onion dressing. It was exactly what I’d been craving.

Dessert was something amazing.

I’ve been stalking local freezers for weeks and I squealed with joy when I finally spotted Ben and Jerry’s Liz Lemon Greek Frozen Yogurt last night.

Three things you should know:

I adore both lemon and lavender in dessert
I have a legit problem with Ben and Jerry’s ice creams
I recently decided that Liz Lemon is my spirit tv character

I had 1.5 servings and loved every bite.

Buffalo people – I found my pint at the Elmwood Tops.

Have a great night!

5Mar2013

Cider House Run

by Emily

Let me apologize in advance for what is sure to be a post riddled with typos. I’ll do my best, but I can’t make any promises. I’m two days in and I’m going to have to agree with my friends who were in the previous rotation – this placement is exhausting.

Breakfast was a Pirouette Cinnamon Pecan Barre.

This bar was in my Yumvelope shipment. The ingredient list is great – dates, walnuts, pecans, agave nectar, hemp seed, rolled oats, hemp protein, ground flax-seed,brown rice protein, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, peanuts – but I wasn’t a big fan of the final flavor; too much date.

Plus hospital coffee with 2% milk.

We get free soda and coffee at this hospital so expect to see a lot of caffeine breaks!

Lunch was an easy assortment. A Pear Chobani.

A Honeycrisp apple.

And 70% dark chocolate.

I also packed this blue algae nut butter packet but I threw it out one lick in.

Much too gaggy.

At the end of the day, Adam texted me that he and a friend were at a bar near our house so I met them for a quick drink.

The McKenzie’s Seasonal Reserve Hard Cider was great. It had notes of cinnamon that were quite tasty.

I headed straight from Cole’s to meet my friend for a gym visit. I’m back to the Couch to 10k plan, right where I left off, though obviously I’ve got to stick with it this time. 2 minutes of running/3 minutes of walking, x 10. I am fat, I am out of shape, I was still a little drunk – my workout was so flipping hard!

In spite of my extreme tiredness and Adam’s messing up our meal plan by eating while I was at the gym, I managed to cobble together a good dinner. I was worried about not having enough to eat, but I think I ultimately went a bit overboard!

My favorite black-eyed pea salad,

green beans with shredded parmesan,

and 1.5 servings of Wegman’s vegan “chicken” nuggets with sweet and sour sauce.

Everything was delicious. Those nuggets are awesome.

Have you ever done the inebriated workout?

3Mar2013

And We’re Off!

by Emily

Today was officially my first day off (from both school and work) since January 20th! 42 days straight!!! I didn’t even work full shifts for most of those days but it was still nice to have 24 hours all to myself for a change.

We didn’t do anything all that exciting with our newfound free-time but it still felt pretty damn nice. We did a major grocery trip, started watching Battlestar Galactica (please tell me that the episodes are faster paced than the movie?!), and Adam currently has the guys over for poker.

Breakfast was a bowl of peanut butter and bananas, squared.

2% Banana Chobani Greek Yogurt topped with a sliced banana, 1 tsp of melted peanut butter and 1 crumbled Cascadian Farm Crunchy Peanut Butter Granola Bar.

So flipping good.

Lunch was even better.

I took enough Pho home last night for Adam and I to both have lunch with the leftovers. I beefed mine up with some roasted broccoli and a soft-boiled egg. Plus more Sriracha, of course.

The entire bowl was delicious and the egg yolk melting into the broth was so amazing that it almost made me cry.

For dessert we shared this plate of samples.

Oh Nuts! offered to send me their Passover Cake & Cookie Sampler and I happily accepted.

Neither of us liked the brownie piece (too dry) but we thought that the jam in the sandwich cookie and raspberry jelly roll was nice. By the by, everything was gluten-free and kosher.

I also had an Adora calcium disk.

I am going to try to remember to take one every day for the next while, but I probably won’t blog about it again.

Dinner ended up being a (giant!) container of hot bar.

A little bit of mac and cheese and brussels sprouts and a bunch of chicken. Apparently I was in the mood for protein.

I made the poker players some Mac and Three Cheese Cups but they were gone before I could snag one. That’s a good sign!

What’s your longest run without a day off?

25Feb2013

Day One Of Thirty? {Again}

by Emily

Complaints first – The chance for 8-hours of sleep passed before I even started this post. All of my end of internship assignments are due on Friday and I’m freaking out. I ate two snacks after dinner and I am still flipping hungry.

Complaints aside, it wasn’t a bad day. We got lots (and lots) of shipments at work so I was nice and busy.

The morning started with smoothies.

For two: 1 Thai young coconut, ~1 cup frozen blue/blackberries, 1 medium frozen banana, and 2 Tbsp Hey Shuga! <– don’t forget, you still have another ~hour to enter my giveaway!

I didn’t have a lot of time for lunch so I kept it simple. A Garuka Bar (from my yumvelope).

The sweet peanut butter coating was addictively good; I planned on snacking on it throughout a task but every time I tried to walk away I took another bite instead!

I also had a Fage 0% Greek Yogurt with Cinnamon Apple Raisins.

The flavor isn’t listed on the Fage website and I’ve only seen it at Target. The apple compote was good, but nothing can really compare to the pure decadence of the honey and strawberry flavors.

I only had an hour between work and night class so Adam and I cashed in a coupon for Subway for dinner.

6 inch turkey with lettuce, tomato, green pepper, banana pepper, red onion, and honey mustard on Italian herb and cheese bread.

I knew my sandwich wouldn’t quite fill me up and I shared this peanut butter spoon with Webster when I got home.

Then I also had a plate of baby carrots with the last of some smoked gouda spread.

And a bag of Smart Fries.

I ended up dipping my “fries” in yellow mustard. And then I had a big glass of water; methinks I’m a bit dehydrated!

Eating Chalk

Tag Archives: product review

On The Run

Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwiches

And here’s what I have to say (disclaimer): I was provided these samples free of charge. I did not receive compensation for writing this post, I just really wanted to share my tasty recipe. All opinions are my own.

Weekend Welcome Back

I Forgot A Title Again!

Almost Spring And Almost Celebrating

Cider House Run

And We’re Off!

Day One Of Thirty? {Again}