Tag Archives: vegetables

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

Posted on February 15, 2012 | 5 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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Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Posted on January 16, 2012 | 3 Comments

I was born into a family of white wine-drinking cheese lovers. However, the gene seems to have skipped me, and I got the dark-chocolate-and-red-wine tooth. It wasn’t until I went to Italy in 2010 for a masters course on the Mediterranean diet (best 6 credits ever) that I realized I actually do like cheese—I’m just picky.

Still, I grew up eating boxed macaroni & cheese, which barely counts.I consider Kraft’s iconic orange cheese sauce to be more of a “cheese-like” product. However, that’s what my taste buds think of when it comes to mac & cheese–bright orange, salty soup with limp pasta. Consider it some kind of inverse mac & cheese snobbery. I don’t care if you dress it up in truffle salt or add lobster and baby peas and charge twenty bucks—I’d still choose the blue box.

When I was working on articles about healthy recipes for kids last fall, I came across a few recipes for  macaroni and cheese made with pureed butternut squash, which gives the sauce that vibrant orange color while stealthily adding a lot of nutrients. I was intrigued, but never got around to making it myself. My mac & cheese cravings are rare, but one of my goals for this winter was to try some new recipes, since I have the time, and this was near the top of the list. Continue reading →

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Slow Cooker Eggplant Chickpea Stew

Posted on January 13, 2012 | 6 Comments

When I had no cooking gas last week, I decided to get reacquainted with my slow-cooker by making this eggplant chickpea stew. All I did, honestly, was throw in a bunch of ingredients I had that needed to get used up that I thought would taste good together. Turns out I was onto something—this was great! I served it with steamed kale, brown rice and a little goat cheese on top. You can also add other veggies like roasted cauliflower, like I did when I had leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 eggplants, cubed
  • 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained
  • 1 15-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2-3 drops liquid smoke
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • red pepper flakes (optional)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups water

Directions:

  1. Combine ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on high ~4.5 hours.
  2. Serve hot

Do you have a favorite slow cooker recipe? 

tk

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