Tasty Tidbits

It was a snowy week! And a busy one. So, not much to say except WOOHOO it's weekend!!!!!!!!

We got beat at pinochle twice and won once, but still had fun!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Leanne's Chia Egg Coconut Granola
• The Sweet Life's Vegan Pumpkin Waffles
• Blueberry buckwheat pancakes
• Berry chia oatmeal with almond butter
• Jenna's Elvis Granola - I skipped the chocolate & added coconut at the very end so it got nice & toasty. This stuff is delicious! I love the way adding nut butters to granola makes it so good.
• Baked banana & berry oatmeal
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Black bean burritos
• Bean salad
• Tempeh pad thai
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Toast with mashed avocado
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Homemade pizza (1 with pesto, 1 with tomato sauce, both with onions, mushrooms, peppers, & broccoli)

Sunday:

• Roasted root veggies (potatoes, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes)
• Green salad 

Monday:

• Love & Lemons' Tomato, Chickpea, & Coconut Soup - This was perfect for a cold winter evening. It was flavorful & thick, without feeling heavy.
• Rice crackers
• Carrots sticks

Tuesday:

• Sweet potato gnocchis cooked with onions, zucchini, & eggplant
• Oh My Veggies' Spicy Black Bean Meatballs - These really were spicy! They were super easy to make - no forming little balls & making a huge mess. Instead, they cook in a mini muffin tin. I'd like to try them with other spices...an Italian version, maybe a Thai version...the possibilities are endless! Plus they'd freeze well.

Wednesday:

• Brown rice, roasted root veggies, steamed broccoli, & great northern beans with sriracha sauce

Thursday:

Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Cauliflower & peas with rice
• Black & kidney bean mixture
• Green salad

Friday:

• Mega Salad - romaine & spinach with mushrooms, radishes, kiwi, feta, & seared tempeh

Treats

• Ashley's Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Pie - We loved this! I would double the recipe next time, though. We wanted more!
• Ambitious Kitchen's Flourless Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oat Brownies {vegan, gluten free & healthy} - This is my go-to brownie recipe. They don't disappoint, & they're usually better the 2nd day.
• Angela's Quick 'n Easy No-Bake Protein Bars
• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate
• Top with Cinnamon's Healthy Sticky Chocolate Fudge Cake {Gluten, Dairy + Grain Free} - This really is super fudgy. It's like no other cake I've had before, but it's delicious!

Tasty Tidbits

 

 

I found a fun article for you all about vegetarians. It's The 17 Dumbest Things Vegetarians Have To Deal With and it's so true!  I especially agree with #2, #4, #5, & #14. I think #14 is the one that really gets me on my soap box, though. Don't tell me you're a vegetarian and then follow it with, "but I do eat fish." No! Then you're pescetarian. That's totally your choice, but then don't label yourself otherwise...

 

While we're looking at lists about vegetarians, here's a great list of 15 Basic Recipes Every Vegetarian Should Master. Just looking at those pictures makes me hungry!

 

We're going to be spending the weekend relaxing, cross country skiing (as long as there's enough snow!), eating, & playing games. YAY!

 

 

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Baked berry-banana oatmeal
• Leanne's Chia Egg Coconut Granola
• Gingerbread pancakes (leftovers that I froze & then toasted to reheat) with fig butter
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Grilled cheese with tomato soup
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Pizza
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Veggie chickpea curry

Sunday:

• Vegan cheezy brown rice noodles with mushrooms, cabbage, onion, & kale 

Monday:

• Mega salads with roasted root veggies

Tuesday:

• Grilled tofu brats
• Green salad

Wednesday:

• The Comfort of Cooking's Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash - We liked this but didn't love it. I added cubed avocado & cut way back on the cheese, which was tasty, but overall I think it needed more flavor. Maybe double of all the spices? I think the spaghetti squash soaked up most of what was there.
• Green salad

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Polenta with roasted tomato sauce
• Green salad
• Plum cake

Friday:

• Dinner on the way to the cabin

Treats

• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate
• Christmas cookies
• PB Chip Brownies (made by a friend!)
• Angela's Quick 'n Easy No-Bake Protein Bars
• Banana soft serve

Tasty Tidbits

 

More home projects! This winter the goal is to finish the bathroom. We decided on a grayish lavendar for the walls. Then we're going to paint the base cabinet white to match everything else. We have a piece of new floor laminate to lay down, which is the biggest thing left to do in there. I can't wait till it's done!

 

We're making our own anise extract! Extracts are pretty pricey & when Dad & W make pizzelles, they are always disappointed in the potency. This is just star anise pods with vodka, which we are supposed to let sit for 10 weeks, shaking occasionally. It's already much darker than when we started. I'm making vanilla extract, too, with vanilla beans & bourbon. It's almost done!

 

Happy weekending! It's hard to believe it's already 2 1/2 weeks since Christmas!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Mango, watermelon, & kale smoothies
• Leanne's Chia Egg Coconut Granola
• Katie's Vegan Banana Pancakes for one topped with fig butter & almond butter
• Summer's PB Baked Oatmeal topped with fig butter
• Bananas + pb

Lunches

• Quinoa with roasted broccoli
• Brussels sprouts grilled cheese with tomato soup
• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Salads
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:

• Taco salad - romaine lettuce topped with black beans, onions, peppers, salsa, guacamole, & black bean chia chips

Sunday:

• Vegan Richa's Gluten Free Oat Rice Focaccia Style Pizza Crust  topped with pesto, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, & Gena's Vegan Cashew Cheese 

Monday:

• Leftovers

Tuesday:

• Veggie summer rolls with peanut sauce

Wednesday:

• Cooking Classy's Minestrone - This made a HUGE pot of soup! It seems like a lot of ingredients & chopping, but actually it took less than 30 minutes of hands on time, plus another 15 to finish cooking. And it was super flavorful & full of great textures. It would be easily adaptable with things on hand, too.
• Green salad

Thursday:
Dinner at Mom & Pops' before choir

• Apple Squash Soup
• Green salad

Friday:

• Mega salad - lettuce, spinach, onion, avocado, almonds, & apples

Treats

• Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate
• Christmas cookies
• Angela's Quick 'n Easy No-Bake Protein Bars - I love the intense pb flavor in these. I should have added a bit of almond milk as mine turned out a bit dry. They make a great afternoon snack!

Tasty Tidbits

 

It's hard to believe we're already several days into 2014! I was hopeful that this year would feel a little slower paced, but not so far.

 

 

We were out in western PA for a few days after Christmas. It was lots of fun seeing family & friends. And we squeezed in two trips to Trader Joe's and one trip to Whole Foods. So now our pantry is restocked & we're going to be eating well. :-)

 

 

Tink was very curious about the treats we had for New Year's Eve. She especially liked the bowl of M&Ms we put out. My in-laws always put a bag of the dark chocolate ones in our Christmas stocking, so every year I get my M&M fix. :-)  We gave one to Tink & she was having a blast playing with it. She was kinda mad that I came so close to take this pic. I think she thought I was going to take it away.

 

It was so nice only working a few days before having off again...next week, back to the 5 day work week. Eeeeek!

Here's what we've been eating in the last week:

Breakfasts

• Trader Joe's Bran Berry Muffins with fresh orange & grapefruit juice
• Buttermilk waffles with fruit salad
• Peanut butter granola
• Toast (Trader Joe's Sprouted Multi-Grain Bread) with pb, almond butter, fig jam, & choc hazelnut butter
• Whole wheat pita pockets filled with veggies, egg, sprouts, & gorgonzola cheese
• TeeChia Blueberry Date Cereal - I received this as a sample & was really impressed!
• Bananas + pb

 

Lunches

• Sandwiches
• Leftovers
• Carrots, celery, & bell peppers with artichoke onion dip
• Taking on Magazine's Sweet Potato, Corn & Kale Chowder
• Spinach balls
• Popcorn
• Grapefruit, oranges, apples & clementines

Dinners

Saturday:
Dinner out with friends

• Mushroom ravioli with marinara sauce (me)
• Gnocchi with marinara sauce (W)
• Green salad

Sunday:

• Eating Well's Braised Cauliflower & Squash Penne Pasta - This was essentially a one-pot pasta, which is such an easy way to cook! We used brown rice penne & it worked well. The squash broke down during the cooking, making the sauce kind of creamy.
• Green salad 

Monday:

• Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Pitas with pea sprouts, mustard, & cheese
• Green salad

Tuesday:
NYE fun with friends

• Sweet potato chips with salsa
• Popcorners with warm spinach artichoke dip
• Nut mix
• Cookies
• Chocolate Bailey's cheesecake

Wednesday:

New Year's Dinner

• Mashed potatoes
• Sauerkraut
• Glazed carrots
• Lemon pepper broccoli
• Green salad

Thursday:

• BBQ tempeh
• Shredded Brussels sprouts
• Green salad

Friday:

• Chili
• Cornbread
• Green salad

Treats

• Christmas cookies