Winner Dinners

by Emily

I thought it would be fun to share a few of our more successful dinners from the past week. Working every day has meant that my lunches have been lame, but somehow my increased work schedule hasn’t killed my dinner motivation yet. There have been some great breakfasts and snacks too (example – we tried the very famous Paula’s Doughnuts for the first time the other day) but my camera hasn’t been handy for those!

~Smoked herring salad with soft pretzels.

I bought these Smoked Herring Kipper Fillets from Trader Joe’s on my last trip to Ohio and they were flipping delicious. I’ve been having a hard time with animal proteins lately (the texture has been throwing me) but these were so smokey good that they went down easily.

For the salad Adam and I split the can, mashed with mayo, pink salt, and green pepper and carrots shredded with the finest side of our grater.

The pretzels were consumed with a copious amount of yellow mustard. We also had pudding for dessert but I didn’t take a picture because we ate it straight from the mixing bowl.

~Hot dogs with ketchup and kraut.

We had our dogs a day later than planned, on Tuesday, because I ended up spending Memorial Day in bed. Literally the whole day; we brought in the laptop and became newly obsessed with both “Arrested Development” and “Fringe.” This meal was worth the wait though.

Applegate Farms turkey hot dogs topped with ketchup and sauerkraut,

served with roasted asparagus and a new Ruffle’s product called Crispy Cheese Fries.

The “fries” were about as good as you’d expect (not very) but the turkey hot dogs were amazing. I did not grow up eating hot dogs so there’s no nostalgia here, but I found this meal to be very pleasing.

~Turkey reubens with roasted broccoli.

We had to use up the rest of the sauerkraut from the hot dogs and what better way to use it than on toasty turkey reubens? Wegman’s bakery rye topped with 1000 island dressing, sliced turkey, slices of provolone (Adam hates Swiss), and sauerkraut, then pressed the sandwiches in our George Foreman grill.

Plus roasted broccoli on the side.

Tonight’s dinner is going to be a, much less healthy, plate of cheesy fries. I’m off to get them out of the oven now!

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?

8Apr2013

Me Jane

by Emily

Doesn’t it feel too late in the week to still be Monday? Anyone else? I have several personal/professional/school things going down at the moment and honestly my head is spinning. This post is going to have to be “Me Emily. Me eat food. Food good.” style.

Coconut Delight Raw Revolution bar from the bottom of my purse for breakfast.

Pear.

Dannon Oikos Cafe Latte Greek Yogurt,

with Justin’s Maple Almond Butter swirled in.

The last of the bbq pop chips (1.5ish serving) with dip.

Also Cheetos.

A new recipe for dinner.

Roasted green beans,

with a vegan chicken salad sandwich. <– me promise to share the recipe tomorrow

Drinks whilst brainstorming with a friend.

Jameson diet coke x2, lemon drop x1.

Bed.

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!

12Mar2013

Shades Of White

by Emily

My 2nd day as a soon-to-be surgeon’s wife was good but busy. I have a gigantic quiz tomorrow and we have to score at least a 90% on it to remain in our program. <– yikes!

No breakfast again. I do have some bars in my cabinet but the mornings are my busiest hours and I don’t remember to eat and even if I did I wouldn’t have the time. Instead I just really enjoy my lunch.

On today’s menu – a (2 Tbsp of) chunky peanut butter and (2 slices of) turkey bacon sandwich (Thin).

A green pear.

And a package of seaweed snacks.

I also grabbed a coffee.

A mix of regular and decaf with hazelnut creamer. I started adding a scoop of ice to my cups – after watching a classmate do it the other day and being impressed with her genius – and it makes my coffees so much more enjoyable. I definitely prefer my “hot” beverages luke-warm.

In the afternoon I snacked on a scoop of 1% cottage cheese with half of a Liberte coconut yogurt and a sprinkle of shredded coconut.

I realize the picture doesn’t really show any of that though; my camera doesn’t do shades of white.

<– Sidenote: I’ve decided that my first foray into fiction is going to be a book titled 50 Shades of White, the pendulum swing from 50 Shades of Grey. It will be 500 pages of a waspy couple having missionary-style sex and peeing with the door closed. You’d read that, right? 😀

Other afternoon snacks included a handful of tortilla chips,

and a stolen square of Adam’s Godiva Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel Bar.

I wanted to snack after dinner too, but it’s better that I didn’t because I already ate enough today. Sometimes nibbling helps me focus on studying but our pantry is looking ruff…

Don’t worry, our dinner was better than that joke.

I had a handful of Terra Thai Basil Curry Vegetable Chips.

A pile of roasted green beans.

And 2 turkey egg cups.

{Inspired by this recipe} We put two slices of turkey inside each of our muffin tin cups / filled the bottoms of chopped sautéed mushrooms and green onions and shredded cheese / topped each cup with an egg / then baked for 30ish minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.

I spent the rest of the evening cramming and I’ve got to get back to it. Tomorrow’s quiz is on the macro- and micronutrient values for the serving sizes per food group for a diabetic and renal diet. Lots and lots of numbers to know; we can’t all lay around on the job…!

4Mar2013

Poor Puppy

by Emily

I had a few silly things to complain about, but the dog had another seizure today so that kind of all pales in comparison. He’s doing ok now but we are going to have to meet with the vet soon and possibly rethink our strategy.

Regardless, it’s been a long day and just want to go to bed. Keeping this quick…

Kit’s Organic Chocolate Almond Coconut Bar.

Pear.

Honey wheat Sandwich Thin with white bean truffle spread and tempeh. (I ate the tempeh raw and I am officially never doing that again – I am still sooooo bloated and sick.)

1/2 serving Green and Black 70% Dark Chocolate.

Dannon Oikos Cafe Latte Greek Yogurt with Cascadian Farm Dark Chocolate Almond Granola. Both are heavenly and the combo was fantastic.

Leftover stir-fry. The last 2 servings each of roasted broccoli, white basmati rice, and copycat CF spicy cashew chicken went into a skillet with 1 tsp sesame oil and 2 large eggs.

Ridiculous cookie.

Please go give your pets a big smooch for me.

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!

25Feb2013

Weekend Highlights

by Emily

Hello, Monday! This is my last week of “break,” but I don’t even care because I had such a good weekend. The past three days have been packed full of fun; we did so much on Saturday that Adam even said I wore him out! Other than some short shifts at work, every moment has been exciting.

I only have time to share the highlights, but I will make this note – we ate like we had the wallets of our future and the metabolisms of our past!

I tried this dark chocolate and soft caramel Nunu bar (from the Yumvelope subscription my mom got me for Christmas) and fell in love.