Tag Archives: vegetables

What I Ate Wednesday #46

Posted on February 22, 2012 | 7 Comments

Good morning! How’s your week going? Did you celebrate Mardi Gras?  I think the last time I did was in middle school French class! It’s also been a while since I’ve made any morning-after Lenten-type vows, except maybe that one time in 2008 I thought about giving up alcohol, but let’s never speak of that one again, k? Still, kudos to you if you’re spending the next 40 days trying out a new good habit, whether it’s for religious reasons or just because now seems like a good time. With so many huge changes in the works, I think my goal for the next 6 weeks is to not freak the f*** out, which will hopefully benefit those around me.

Wednesday totally snuck up on me this week, thanks to the long weekend. No complaints, though. Yesterday was my last Tuesday working from home in who knows how long, so I took advantage of the extra time by doing a ton of laundry, stocking up on groceries, and cleaning the hell out of my apartment. I also ran a bunch of errands I’d been putting off.

Because I felt like I was constantly moving, my meals and snacks were mostly quick, thrown-together assortments of leftovers. Sometimes I forget just how much of a workout you get cleaning and rushing around crossing things off your to-do list. So much for that active rest day. I’ll make it up later this week…

In the spirit of What I Ate Wednesday, let’s do this thing.

Breakfast: Oats with plum and chia seeds, topped with fig butter and PB2 sauce (I’ve been won over—this stuff is kinda neat) 

Lunch: Butternut black bean chili over kale; toast w/ hummus & roasted pepper

Snack: Kefir w/ berries & cereal 

Dinner: Spaghetti squash  w/ roasted broccoli & eggplant, kale, Tofurkey sausage, marinara, and parmesan 

Snack: (unpictured) glass of white wine at writers’ group; banana w/ 1 tsp-ish of Biscoff when I got home (I tell myself the potassium will counteract the onset of a wine headache, but this may or may not be true)

As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the link party. For more WIAW from other bloggers, visit Peas & Crayons.

Did you do anything for Mardi Gras? Giving anything up for the next 40 days? 

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Progress

Posted on February 16, 2012 | 6 Comments

While I know I’m hardly the only person guilty of this, it drives me crazy sometimes that I tend to order the same thing at certain restaurants. Case in point: whenever I go to a diner, I pretty much always get an egg-white omelet with spinach and feta. Wheat toast.  True, it’s delicious and fairly healthy, but I always roll my eyes at myself for being so predictable.

Yesterday, I met a friend for lunch at the Renaissance Diner in Hells Kitchen—trying to make time for weekday lunch dates with my girls while I still have a flexible schedule! We were both craving eggs, so of course I thought about ordering my old stand-by. But I didn’t! Instead, I ordered an egg-white vegetable frittata…So okay, maybe it’s almost the exact same thing, but this had mushrooms and tomatoes and broccoli. And it was amazing. I’m a little obsessed with mushrooms right now. Progress.

Pardon the abundance of “what I ate”-type posts lately. I’ve been trying to squeeze in as much bill-paying work as I can while I still have control over my schedule. A lot of people have been asking me how I’m going to handle freelancing once I start my internship, and to be honest, I haven’t totally figured that out yet. I have a few plans in place to help keep me sane, but I know it’s going to be a bit of a balancing act, at least in the beginning.

Still, I’m excited. I’ve been working toward this since 2009, and within a year, I’ll be just about ready to add MS, RD to my business card. Even if the next year is going to be nuts, I know I’m going to learn so much and, because I can never seem to help it, end up with a lot of stories to tell.

Do you tend to order the same thing at restaurants? How do you stay sane when your schedule is crazy? 

 

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What I Ate Wednesday #45: Valentine’s Day Edition

Posted on February 15, 2012 | 4 Comments

For many reasons, this Valentine’s Day was very, very different from any I’ve had in a while. Fortunately, it’s all good—this was actually my favorite V-Day in recent memory. After a satisfyingly productive day, I made dinner to share with some of my lovely lady friends.

The day started off with an energizing breakfast: kodiak cakes (with cocoa powder mixed in because I’m going through a phase) topped with peanut butter and banana. I’m always surprised at how long this actually keeps me full. Since I basically didn’t stop moving all day, this was especially helpful.

Pardon the blurry photo—it was early!

Lunch was a salad I rushed to make but took forever to eat: baby spinach with roasted veggies, olives, canned tuna, goat cheese, and balsamic; popcorn for “dessert” while I attempted to catch up on work emails

After rushing across town to get my hair cut and then to have fingerprints done at the hospital I’ll be interning at, I made a quick snack before I settled in to prep dinner. I’m still not over yogurt with cocoa powder, berries, and cereal. 

Dinner with the girls was so much fun—and tasty. While we talked and drank wine, we enjoyed a salad of arugula with dried figs, chopped plum, parmesan and fig vinaigrette. There was also mushroom lentil bourguignon (adapted from this recipe).

Dessert was mini chocolate red wine cakes in chocolate glaze (adapted from this recipe). There were also some Valentine’s Day candies one of my friends brought from work. Not too shabby.

Did you do anything for Valentine’s Day this year? What are some of your favorite dinner party foods? 

As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the link party. To see more What I Ate Wednesday posts from other bloggers, visit Peas & Crayons!

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What I Ate Wednesday #44

Posted on February 8, 2012 | 5 Comments

Another week, another What I Ate Wednesday. As always, thanks to Jenn for hosting the link party. In honor of this month’s “Love your veggies” theme, I’ve got lots of colorful stuff to share. Not that that’s so different from usual, but hey…

As my internship gets closer and closer, I’m realizing that if I don’t take a few days to enjoy my time off, I’ll regret it, so I spent Tuesday catching up on stuff around the house and then going shopping with my sister. It was so gorgeous out (50 degrees and sunny—crazy), it was hard to stay inside! Here’s what I ate between outings…

Breakfast: Steel cut oats w/ chia seeds, plum & peanut butter

blurry breakfast

Lunch: Greens w/ roasted veggies, tempeh, sprouts,  balsamic; toast w/ cottage cheese & nutritional yeast

Snacks: Fruit; lazy person’s hot chocolate (skim milk heated in the microwave + cocoa powder & stevia) topped w/ frothed milk

Dinner: Kabocha red lentil soup (inspired by Mama Pea) w/kale underneath and goat cheese on top; Ezekiel English muffin w/ Trader Joe’s lentil masala dip & smoked garlic spread my aunt made

Snack: unpictured drink (gin + club soda+ lemon & lime juice) at writers’ group; banana

What’s veggies are you loving lately? 

For more WIAW from other bloggers, visit Peas & Crayons.

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In my arsenal

Posted on February 6, 2012 | 2 Comments

As some of you who’ve been reading a while know, I’ve got a whole list of cold-fighting weapons I turn to when I feel something coming on. One of my favorites is green juice, but forking over eight bucks a pop can be rough on the wallet, so I tend to only buy it when I’m desperate for a last-ditch pick-me-up. Eventually I’ll get a juicer, but I have other priorities right now.

So you can imagine my curiosity when I saw this Super Green Drink Powder at Trader Joe’s not too long ago. While it’s not particularly new, it’s new to me. After a few weeks of talking myself out of trying it, I finally picked up a container last time I was there. When I woke up on Sunday morning feeling a little under the weather (a lot of fun but late nights recently, too much work, not enough rest, etc), I was so glad I had it. Though I don’t believe in miracles, I do believe that a mega-dose of nutrients can help in times of depletion…

The nutrition stats are not too shabby either…

Though I just mixed this with water and drank it down before rushing out the door, I imagine it will be fantastic in smoothies. We’ll see if it helps me feel better, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. A little optimism goes a long way!

Do you have any secret weapons? Are you a fan of drink powders? 

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What I Ate Wednesday #43

Posted on February 1, 2012 | 3 Comments

Hello hello. Welcome to another What I Ate Wednesday! As always, thanks to Jenn over at Peas & Crayons for hosting the link party.

Tuesday flew by. Do you ever have a day (or who are we kidding, a week) where the second your inbox is empty, five (or fifteen) emails magically appear and oh sh!t—don’t you have a meeting in three minutes? Yeah…At least I had some good food to keep me going. Thank god for coffee, cooling eye gel, and morning endorphin boosts.

Breakfast: Steel-cut oats w/ chia seeds, plum, pumpkin, spices, and peanut butter

Lunch: Veggie burger with eggplant and Trader Joe’s lentil masala dip; side salad 

Snack: Plain yogurt w/ cocoa powder, 1/2 a banana, cereal

Dinner: Spaghetti squash w/ kale, broccoli, cauliflower, homemade marinara, Tofurkey sausage and parm

Snack: Frozen waffle topped w/ peanut butter & blueberries

What foods do you reach for when you need to keep your energy up? 

To see more WIAW from other bloggers, visit Peas & Crayons.

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Eating the Rainbow

Posted on January 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

This has been a busy Sunday. Even though I was feeling a little faded (though not enough to regret that second drink)‚ I hit the ground running for a head-clearing workout and more apartment hunting. I’m not looking to actually move to another place for a couple months, but since I have the time now, I’ve been taking advantage of it.

Dorky as it sounds, I do try to practice what I preach when I tell people to “eat the rainbow”—fruits and vegetables, though, not Skittles. For breakfast I made steel-cut oats with chia seeds, pumpkin, apple and pumpkin pie spices (topped with peanut butter for protein and healthy fats). Why don’t I made steel cut more often? Yes, they take longer, but they’re so worth it. It’s also easy to just make a big batch and separate it into single servings to reheat later in the week.

For a late lunch, I enjoyed a 21-vegetable soup and a gorgeous nicoise salad with tuna. Winter produce can be a little sad, but there was so much going on here that it all added up to a very satisfying—and colorful—meal.

Do you try to “eat the rainbow?” What are some of your favorite ways to add color to your plate?

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Butternut Black Bean Chili

Posted on January 26, 2012 | 5 Comments

I cannot believe I made it all the way to January without cooking a single pot of chili. Normally, that’s one of my cold-weather staples. To be fair, the weather in New York has been a little mild for winter this year, last weekend’s snowfall aside. Anyway, I’ve been meaning to get around to making black bean chili for weeks now, and finally did the other day. About damn time.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 tbsp canola or olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 1 large orange pepper, diced finely
  • 1 jalepeno, diced
  • 1 small can diced green chili peppers, drained
  • 1 28-oz can tomatoes
  • 2 15-oz cans (or 2 cups cooked) black beans, drained
  • 3-4 cups peeled & diced butternut squash
  • 3-4 cups water
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp paprika (optional)
  • 3-4 drops liquid smoke (optional)

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in large stockpot.
  2. Sautee garlic, onion, and pepper until soft.
  3. Add rest of ingredients. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover.
  4. Cook on low 2-3 hours.

Do you like chili? Have a favorite recipe? 

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USDA Updates School Nutrition Guidelines

Posted on January 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

For the first time in 15 years, the USDA has issued new school nutrition guidelines. Meals served under the National School Lunch program and other federally funded school meal services, which serve about 32 million children per day, have been updated to reflect the 201o Dietary Guidelines.

New restrictions (according to age group) will be placed on:

  • Calories
  • Sodium
  • Percentage of calories per meal from saturated fat

In addition, half the grains served will have to be rich in whole grains, and while tomato paste and potatoes still count under the new rules as acceptable vegetables, the foods that contain them (such as pizza and fries) will have to comply with the restrictions on sodium, saturated fat, and calories. Some of these changes will be phased in over time, such as those related to sodium and whole grains. Other measures are to be enforced to ensure healthier meals for school children.

The changes will cost $3.2 billion as they are implemented over the next 5 years, with that cost being offset by a 6-cent-per-meal increase and other federal reimbursements.

To give you a clearer idea of exactly how new school lunches will look, here’s a sample menu comparison from the USDA. I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

What do you think of the changes to the school lunch program? 

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In the name of not wasting…

Posted on January 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

Ah, Monday. Did anyone else hit the ground running today? Thank god for coffee and cooling eye gel!

Sometimes busy days call for super-random meals. In the name of not wasting leftovers, I threw together a bastardized version of a quesadilla for dinner, which contained egg whites, sautéed mushrooms, and sharp cheddar. I topped it with 1/3 of an avocado and added a side of kale, roasted broccoli and cauliflower. Whatever works, I guess.

I took an extended break during my day to go check out apartments,  so it’s back to work for me, at least for a little while…

A few things to click on from around the interwebs:

What’s the most random thing you’ve thrown together in the name of not wasting food? 

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