A Little Less Wimpy

I woke up this morning to gray, rainy skies and a temperature gauge that read 47*. Boo. What happened to our summer-like weather? I am quite the wimp when it comes to running in unpleasant weather; I much prefer the constancy of the treadmill. However, I have no treadmill at home, and I really needed to run today. I had opted for alternative (indoor) forms of exercise for the past two days--and I have my 5k tomorrow! So, to avoid being completely unprepared for my first race, I put my big girl pants on--I ran in the nasty weather. My experience ended up being relatively successful: I survived the chilly drizzle of rain and returned home with a feeling of accomplishment. What about you? Are you more of an indoor or outdoor exerciser?

I have been thoroughly enjoying the leisure of spring break by trying some new combinations in the kitchen. Take a looksie:

Wednesday
I ended the day with a favorite Spirutein flavor: Nutty Berry Burst. As I've mentioned before, this variety has a flavor pleasantly reminiscent of pistachios. Anyway, this rendition included strawberries, non-dairy vanilla ice cream, and soymilk, topped with a little PB2 and cashew granola. Fab-yoo-lus.
Thursday
Remember when I re-purposed my French toast batter as a pudding? Well, I've been at it again, but this time I mixed it into my morning oat bran. Once I had prepared the tofu-banana mixture and cooked the oat bran, I combined the two and blended them with my hand blender. The end result was a silky smooth bowl of goodness. I topped the oat bran with wheat germ and Sunbutter.
After an intense day of shopping, I returned home famished. I quickly made a batch of Better Bunny Salad (which I have also made here, here and here) using pineapple, currants, walnuts, carrots, and vegan mayo. I served it atop a bed of greens; I also toasted up a new kind of bagel that I found at SuperTarget. Cherry and pomegranates, in the same item? In a bread item, no less? Clearly, I was destined to try this product. One drawback: as I was waiting for my bagel to toast, I noticed that the ingredients list includes sucralose (aka Splenda).
In response to a recent craving for muffins, I decided to make a batch yesterday afternoon. I drew inspiration from my all time fave cereal, GoLean. Whole wheat flour, bananas, applesauce, almond milk, and agave nectar made for some delicious vegan treats. I am thinking a muffin parfait is in my future...
For dinner, I made yet another recipe from Totally Vegetarian, the Pumpkin Bulgur Chili. I know, this sounds like another odd use for pumpkin, but it has proved to be quite the versatile ingredient this week. This thick stew turned out delicious! I had never used bulgur before, but I now know that its texture is eerily similar to ground beef when incorporated into soup. Anyway, other main ingredients of the chili include red beans and toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). I went back for seconds on this one!
The smoothie last night featured perhaps my second favorite fruit for blended concoctions, cherries. I combined cherry Spirutein, cherries, soymilk, and cashew ginger granola.
Friday
Clearly, after my nippy run this morning, all I wanted for breakfast was a big bowl of warmth. One of Katie's recent posts reminded me of the wonders of her oatmeal creations, so I decided I would make a pumpkin variation of her Oatmeal Raisin Pudding. I made this once before, and it was total heaven then, just as it was this morning. I topped it with walnuts and currants and served it with a bowl of strawberries and peaches.
I spent the day shopping for various kitchen items with Mom, which as you all know, is one of my favorite pastimes. I swear, I really am 21, not 85. Anyway, when we returned home, I made myself a piping hot curry dish with red beans, red onion, tomatoes, garam masala, curry powder, cumin, paprika, and turmeric. I soaked it up with an Ezekiel pita and served it alongside an apple and a salad with Ginger Miso Dressing. My sister Lea has been obsessing over this dressing for months, and I couldn't find it until just recently. It tastes exactly like the dressing they use at Japanese steakhouses. I really enjoyed it, but its texture is a little thick for using on salads. It has the consistency of hummus or peanut butter, making it difficult to distribute among the greens.
Regarding my last post's topic, I have decided to respond to specific questions and comments via e-mail. Otherwise, I'll leave you a note in the comments section. Just thought you'd like to know for future reference:)

Some pretty awesome giveaways are taking place in the blogosphere these days:
-Heather Eats Almond Butter is giving away coupons for Turtle Mountain products, which happen to be personal favorites. I *love* their fruit-sweetened non-dairy ice cream and their cinnamon bun soy yogurts. Enter my midnight tonight!
-If you head over to Lucky Taste Buds, you'll have the chance to win a $20 gift certificate for Mix My Granola. Were I to win or order from the site, I know for sure that my mix would include mangoes, almonds, and coconut. What would you include in your ideal mix? Enter by March 16 at 8AM.

Ta-ta for now, bloggies!

Hot, Hot, Hot

July has officially arrived; those lovely 80 degree days are a thing of the past. The hot weather has been considerably intensified in our house these past few days, however. One of our air conditioning units broke, so I might just break a sweat as I type this post.

Call me crazy, but I've still been cooking up a storm. Do you think gastronomy can be addictive?

Monday
My mom and I decided to make a spontaneous Target trip on Monday evening. I know, I'm such a wild child. Anyway, as a result it was close to 8 by the time we returned, so I just heated up a Helen's Kitchen meal. It was delicious!I don't have much experience with curry but this one made a good impression. Helen's meals are lower in sodium, vegetarian (this one was vegan), and organic--quite the triad if you ask me. I also had steamed zucchini, salad, and two dried figs. Another shake success! I used the Alive! Apples and Cinnamon flavor this time--like (green) apple pie in a glass:)
Tuesday
As per usual, a quick breakfast on Tuesday: GoLean with soymilk, sliced almonds, and a bowl of farmers' market blackberries. So simple, so tasty.
After class, I made a recipe out of my Healthy Vegetarian Recipes cookbook: Savory Sprouts with Avocado. The recipe involved raisins, garlic, parsley, and oregano. I really enjoyed the avocado/raisin combination, but the brussels sprouts kind of ruined the party. I also had a simple salad with chickpeas, cukes, balsamic vinegar, and crackers.
For snack, I tried a new cracker: Dr. Kracker. I wonder if his PhD is in cracker-makin', because I really liked these little guys. Beware--they're quite thick/hearty and require considerable chewing! Kath would love 'em.
For dinner, I made a baked eggplant sandwich (inspired by the Student's Vegetarian Cookbook) with roasted yellow peppers and dijon mustard. Also pictured are a Helen's Kitchen Tofu Cutlet, salad, and natural applesauce with honey-roasted peanuts. The sandwich was winner.
Chocolate has returned! My shake last night was as one might expect when using chocolate hemp protein--phenomenal.
Wednesday
Another simple breakfast today: frozen cherry-soymilk smoothie with a few handfuls of Corn Bran cereal. Oddly enough, this held me over until 2:30! Maybe it was the fiber?
For lunch I made a black bean burrito with avocado and tons of fresh salsa. I had some trouble closing up this one--perhaps I should have used the tin foil trick I read so much about. I also had a salad and a big bowl of grapes. I had quite a hearty dinner this evening.
I heated up the oven tonight, despite our lack of AC, to make Dreena's Orange Sesame Tofu. I was generally pleased with the dish, but I think I was a bit heavy handed with the maple syrup. Sometimes I just can't control my sweet tooth...Also pictured are steamed zucchini, whole wheat couscous with walnuts, and salad. As you might imagine, I am a tad full right now.
I am off to study the cardiovascular system. Be back Friday!