Vegan Challenged

Well. This vegan challenge is off to a rocky start, let me tell you.

Let me put a disclaimer that says I actually ate vegan for Saturday and Sunday, and that was easy peasy. Might have included some polenta of which I got NO decent shots, but came from this cookbook.

(Man even that shot is soooooo blurry!)

But well, yesterday there might have been a non-vegan mini muffin that I didn’t think about until I ate it.

And today well, if I was an all or nothing person I’d say today was a complete bust. But at the same time I sort of knew today wouldn’t go so well.

For one of my classes we’re placed with a community partner. Ours happens to be Urban Aboriginal Community Kitchen, and it is a group that gets together every week and makes lunch together. They try to stick to foods that are historically part of their diet. And if you guess fish, you were right.

I don’t even normally eat fish, but these salmon burgers, were amazing. Not that I have any pervious experience to compare it to, but still I imagine they were pretty good.

Sadly, I guess I’m “failing” at this vegan challenge, but I’m still gonna do my best (minus thursday’s class). And hopefully I can get some vegan related posts and recipes up later this week.

I’ve loved reading people’s recaps so far, it’s been cool to see what everyone says. (PS, Leah at Why Deprive mentioned the best dream about cheese in the comments on Life After Bagels)

Recipe and Review

hmmm, a couple treats for you guys today! A review and a recipe! Ohhhhh I know!

So first up is a product review. Back when I was beyond busy and couldn’t do anything but pretty much cry because, well, I was that busy, the lovely folks at Dempster’s sent me some of their new products to review…

   

Oven Fresh Baguettes
- Come in packs of 2 loaves. Either multigrain or white. They’re partially baked when you buy them from the super market, and then you bake them for 8min (or 12 if they’re frozen) for a feeling of a fresh baked baguette with your meal.

I do enjoy them, and they freeze well, so for those of us who want something a little fresh but don’t have the time for bread, or aren’t patient when we have that fresh-bread craving, these work really well!

Of course I wanted to do something fun with at least one loaf before I reviewed them, but couldn’t think of anything. Then my teammates suggested a get together before our race on Sunday and while I was thinking of what to bring, this popped into my head:

Apple, Spinach and Cinnamon Crouton Salad

 

I started by baking up the bread: (From raw to baked)
  
While that was happening I tossed the following into a bowl:

• 3-4c spinach
• 1/4c raisins
• 1/4c chopped up almonds (could toast these if you want, I didn’t and it was good)
• 2-3 apples
  

In a seperate microwaveable I mixed:

• 1.5tbsp margarine, melted
• 1tsp (or so) cinnamon
• 1/4tsp nutmeg, or other spices that go with cinnamon
• 1tbsp (or just under) sugar
  

When the bread was out of the oven and had cooled for a while I chopped it up into croutons:
 
I then dumped these into the bowl with the cinnamon/margarine mixture and tossed and stirred until they were coated. Popped them back in the over (in an oven friendly tray of course!) for 3-5min… And then onto the salad and voila! A delicious salad for any meal.

This served 4 people as a side dish.

It’s a very “flexible” salad, and number of toppings would do; but everyone loved the croutons. They were sort of like mini cinnamon bun bits on a salad. Yum!

And Yet More School

Well it’s a going, my new semester that is. Off to a roaring good normal start.

So what have I been eating the last few days?

I’ve started a Green Monster habit. I actually had one every day after christmas, and I”m trying to keep the trend going. I’ve been having them for lunch:

• 1-2 handfuls spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 packet of Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer (Vanilla Chai)

I’ve been trying the Vega flavours, since I’m think of investing in a bigger container of them, and want to make sure I don’t waste my money. I want to up my overall smoothie’s goodness, and since I know I don’t get enough protein (I try, but sometimes I just fail miserably) I’m giving these a whirl. Does anyone have any favorite protein or health supplements for smoothies they’d recommend? I know a lot of the blog world likes amazing grass, but I’ve never tried it.

I’ve been having some toast with syrup (I’m out of honey! ). On a makeshift plate: I already want fewer dishes.

 

And last but not least I bring you my new fav recipe (of my own creation!). It’s not too serious a recipe, since it’s sort of a throw together, meant for one…

Chickpea and Squash Curry

• vegetable oil
• some onion (I used maybe 1/4)
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 butternut squash, or other, chopped up small
• some other veggies (Optional) (I used carrots)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon corriander
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/4 c coconut milk
• 1/2 c water
• 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 can chickpeas (drained)

Heat the oil in the pot, add the onion and garlic. Sautee until onion is soft. Add in the squash and other spices. I then added the carrots as well. Sautee for maybe a minute. Add in the liquids. Allow to simmer for a bit. Then take a hand blender, or regular blender and blend. If you want leave some of it out to have a more chunky style curry. Also at this point I had to add more liquid. I added more water, if you want a smoother almost buttery texture add more coconut milk. It probably comes to a cup or more liquid, depending on how thick you want it. Return to stove if using normal blender, and add the chickpeas. Cook till chickpeas are heated, and voila! Chickpea and Squash curry.

This recipe make 1-2.5 servings. I know weird number, but I had a bowl the first night, and a bowl tonight, and there’s a wee bit left.

Alright… I should really go hit the books. Does that seem wrong? it’s only my first week after all! I should be having fun!

Home For the Holidays

Well it’s been awhile. My how time flies when you’re not in school.

Thursday I tried to do my chirstmas shopping. But unfortunately I didn’t quite finish. Dang it. Holiday shopping = not fun.

But now I’m home. Upon getting  home friday I set my sights on some candy making. Fudge!

Here it is cooling. OMG, did that take forever!

This fudge was like WAY too sweet to be honest. Makes my teeth hurt. And yet can’t stop eating it.

Yesterday was super busy. First I went and got groceries. My parents were up late doing Operation Red Nose (driving the drunks home.) and these days you have to hit the stores early to avoid the horribleness that is holiday shopping. Plus I LOVE grocery shopping and when I’m home I use my parents money to indulge in a few things I totally wouldn’t on my own.

Then it was off to the Christmas Tree Farm!

Our tree!

We’ll be setting it up later. After the tree hunting (I did the chopping, hard work!) we went to a little coffee chain Cowboy Coffee for some treats.

Raspberry and Pistachio biscotti. This was delicious! Usually I’m sorely disappointed by store made biscotti. But this was really good.
My mom knows about the blog (I don’t know if she reads it) and upon seeing me photographing my treat, pushed hers in front of my camera…

Pumpkin pecan loaf. Also really good (I had to have a bite!). And then so my dad wouldn’t feel left out I snapped a quick shot of his raspberry muffin:

After this I went to meet my friend for a little catch up and shopping. I had a pita from Extreme Pita but I didn’t take a picture. I still didn’t finish my shopping, all I accomplished was getting my self  a hat.

I went for a run last night, which is slightly dangerous as Kamloops is a valley, and I live at the top of the hill, so all the running is up or down. But I was careful, ran in lit places and watched for icy patches. It was so nice to run around and look at the Christmas lights. Made me all warm and fuzzy.

The night ended with a trip out for some fun and dancing. When we left the bar it was snowing! So far I’ve seen snow and sun in Kamloops. Love it! Even the cloudiness seems brighter then Vancouver.

Alright I’m off. I think I need to do some baking. Hmmm, something yummy. I’m honestly leaving to some biscotti… with an orange and cloves plus cinnamon flavour? Hmmm, think I’ll browse the net before I settle on a final plan.

Ahhhhh

That was what I said right after I got out of my exam today.

DONE!!!!!

WOOT! WOOT!

How did I celebrate?

With a bowl of oatmeal! I was starving! lol. I made it a la Hungry Yogini. Putting my nut butter on the bottom:

Oatmeal + toppings on top:

Then I chilled, watched TV, handed out some Christmas cards to friends. Tomorrow I plan to  get my Christmas shopping done. Sigh. So many presents to buy. So little money to do it with.

Wow, I cannot believe how fast this semester went by! Is it almost Christmas already? Not just this semester actually, where has this year gone? Time just starts to fly as you get older. Guess it’s because a year is worth less? When you’re 5, a year is 1/5th your life, whereas being 22, it’s 1/22 of your life?

Sometimes I’m scared it’s going to fly by me, and I’m going to miss something and wake up thirty… and be not where I’d want to be. And recently the bigger question I’ve had is where do I even want to be when I’m 30? Because to not end up there, I have to know where there is.
lol deep thoughts. :p Let’s just say I’ve been thinking a little too much this semester.

hmmmm. I’m gonna go and relax a little. Aka, continue being the lazy bum I’ve been since my exam ended. Yay freedom!

Uno to Go-oo

Two wee little men greeted me on my exit this morning:

They waved hello, and wished me good luck on my studying escapades today.

I fueled my studying with a few snacks. Two of which to me provide quite the juxtapostion:

Do you see what I see? The difference in the two ingredients list is CRAZY. Sometimes it’s amazing to me how much can go into one thing. Two ingredients vs. a billion. And not just that but have the ones on the coke zero ingrendient list are, gulp, man made chemicals!

Alas, I have not the willpower to resist the sweet caffeinyness. hmmmm.

The Larabar was great too, I’ve only had a few of these before, but I’d love to try and make a homemade “larabar”.

Alright, I’m off to sleep (yoga first!) and then get up and spend one more day studying before my LAST EXAM!!!!!

Too tired to study

Hello lovies! How is the life in the blog world?

I am so busy with studying!

Ugh.

But I did have a rather sweet break today:

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Oodles of decorations, from jelly beans (blah) to chocolate, to M&Ms, to smarties, to reece’s pieces. Yum. yum. The above are just some quick shots I took to give you guys a wee peek, really it was all set up nice, and yeah. It was a residence event.

Speaking of residence, my “boss” told me I should be an RA (residence advisor) next year. There was a time when I totally would have said, nah-ah, no way. But now… I dunno, maybe? I think I might actually be good at it. It’s something to think about for next year anyway.

Exercisewise I’ve been a lazy butt. I am still not feeling 100%, not even 75% really, so I’m taking it easy. I did get out on my bike today to grab some groceries. Felt really good.

Foodwise, been pretty dull. Though my soup yesterday was delicious:

Into the pot:
-garlic
-bit of chopped onion
-olive oil
-broth
- water
-noodles
-frozen veggies
First I sautéed up the garlic and onion in the oil, then added in the broth and water, bringing it to a boil before dumping in the rice noodles. Then I added in some frozen veggies for kicks. On top is a little bit of red chili, just for kicks.

I sat just outside my dorm in a warm sunny patch and ate my soup. It was hot and spicy and the sun was warm and cozy. It was the perfect study break.

Well I’m off to study sleep. I don’t think I’d absorb anything if I did study. I’d rather go to sleep now, wake up early and get more done tomorrow.

Ack, just realized only two + 1/2 days till my first exam.

Scary. I’m gonna have nightmares.

On the Mend

Hello Lovely Blog world!

Well I am on the mend. In no thanks to my current eating. Which has included a lot of:

some…

(hot chocolate, in case you couldn’t tell…)

a bowl of…

I always just want comfort food when I’m sick. I’m not very good at eating super healthy foods that will heal me. Don’t worry though; I’ve had some good ol’ tomato soup a couple of times and maybe a few clementines so I’m definitely getting in some Vitmamin C. I’ve just mixed in the above foods… and maybe a pizza pop or two (*blushes* I haven’t had a pizza pop in goodness knows how long, but I got a strange craving for one yesterday and just gave in…).

Other than that life has been study study study. All my papers are out of the way, my TA for a course I had yesterday was such a dear. We had a presentation to do, and I went with hopes I’d be strong enough, but I just couldn’t go through with it. I asked my group if they’d be okay with me leaving, and they said yeah, that’s fine. And my TA agreed as well, I asked about making up marks and she said she’d let me know. And apparently I don’t have to worry about it, which is great. I mean I did all the work… I just didn’t present it, but my group did.

On another note, since I’m not eating all my produce it’s starting to look like this:

Super ripe! I don’t know how I’ll feel about fruit tomorrow, so in the spirit of procrastination I was proactive and did a bunch of chopping this evening:

And into the freezer they went! I see I caught my shadow, dang university dorm room lighting!

Alright, I can’t procrastinate anymore, I only have the ittiest bit left on this section of physiology, so I’m off to finish it up!

Night.

Another Wednesday. Another Day

Well Wednesday has come and nearly gone.

It started with this:

wasa crackers + pb + fuji apple and some Tim Hortons Coffee. Yum.

Snuck another one since I was still a wee peckish.

Lunch was a Green Monster in A Bowl (a mix of Angela and Kath). And a cracker with cheese:

 

Then off to my three hour class.

Home and ate the following:

 

That there white thing is a Birthday bun. It’s a Chinese treat thing. You steam a white bun, and it’s filled with a yummy lotus paste. A wee bit sweet, but not too bad.

I went to a meeting tonight for a Suite Style musical being held in residence! Oh! Exciting. And I had my council meeting. Apparently in a week and a bit I will be going Paintballing…

Now I’m exhausted, and getting ready for some shut eye. Night all!

Let the Weekend Begin?

YAY! The week is over! It’s the weekend or middle I guess to be honest. But all finished classes, and Remembrance Day tomorrow, so…. Party?

Only a school work party.

Monday was a good day, it started with cereal:

Then tutorial, class, yoga and some scrumptious lunch:

Dinner was leftovers my roommate brought back from a restaurant called the Foundation, for which I’ve heard mixed reviews. It was a super rich peanut sauce noodle thing. It was decent, not the best, not The Noodle Box spicy peanut. But it did the trick. However I inhaled it after my run far too fast to take a picture.

My run yesterday was good, just over 6k, no hurting.

I have a 10k on SUNDAY! AHHH! I’m starting to get nervous.

Today I started with cereal again, and now my box is empty of cereally-goodness!

Added in some raisins for kicks.

Then I had a class, a midterm (Here’s hoping I kicked butt, just so glad it’s done!). I had a Starbucks treat after my midterm: a tall skim milk caramel brule (so French) late and a lemon poppy seed loaf.

Despite that after my last class (wahoo!) and a short 3k run I was famished:

 

I totally had two apples + pb (loads of the stuff ). And crackers with those two slices of cheese. Seriously so hungry. I was just a bottomless pit there for a bit.

Now I’m off to run some errands; buying sweatshirts for my residence and get me some groceries, and maybe a movie for the off night. Though I do plan to do some catching up!

Later all.