weekly haul, pt. deux, and tasty meals!

I spent $33 at the Farmer's Market this morning, and came home with the following:



TWO POUNDS of asparagus, rhubarb, tomatoes, mixed field greens, buckwheat honey, maple syrup, and basil! All local (MN or WI,) and all delicious!

When we arrived home, I made lunch:



I finally got around to making the "Chickpea Cutlets" from VCON, and also made the mustard sauce to accompany. Deeeeeeeeeeeelicious! (Especially that mustard sauce! Dan would have licked the saucepan had I allowed him to.) :) Sauteed chard and roasted sweet potatoes on the side.

And later, I made dinner:



I put many of our Farmer's Market finds to good use, tucked away in a fantastic pizza! Half-wholegrain crust as a base, with homemade peso, local mozzarella, parmesan, asparagus, sliced tomato, and sliced garlic to top. (I made a quick side salad of local spinach, local cherry tomatoes, and nonlocal cucumber to accompany.)

It has been one heck of a delicious day! Asparagus may be one of my new favorite pizza toppings.

So here's a question . . . what are some of your favorite pizza toppings?

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P.S. Attention all Twin Cities vegans and dairy-intolerant folks -- I noticed this week that the Wedge co-op has started carrying Teese. I've never tried it myself, (since I do enjoy dairy cheese on occasion,) but I've heard fabulous things. I may pick some up for a pizza sometime soon, though, just to see what all the fuss is about!

the weekly haul, part 1 of 2

Since growing season is slowly getting started 'round these here parts, I've found my list for the co-op is becoming shorter each week, and my list for the Farmer's Market lengthens! Here's what I picked up this afternoon at the co-op:



BULK:
organic chickpeas
organic walnuts
organic, whole-wheat fusilli
locally-roasted, organic, fair-trade coffee

CHEESE:
local fresh mozzarella

PACKAGED GROCERY:
organic coconut oil
wild capers
Crystal hot sauce
organic no-stir peanut butter
"Red Zinger" tea
"Moroccan Pomegranate Red" tea
Seventh Generation TP

PRODUCE:
organic bananas
organic mangoes
organic green chard
organic cilantro
organic green onions
organic red bell pepper
organic sweet potatoes
organic fuji apples
organic cherry tomatoes

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
Vegenaise
Watermelon Chill "Naked Juice" smoothie

AND, add on a package of Earth Balance to the list, (not pictured,) since I FORGOT to pick some up and had to run back later in the afternoon. Baking crisis averted!

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Meal plan for the weekend:
Friday dinner: out (we have free coupons!)
Saturday lunch: chickpea cutlets with mustard sauce from VCON, baked sweet potatoes, sauteed greens
Saturday dinner: PIZZA!

I'm also planning on making the quinoa and black bean salad from VCON, and a toss-together pasta salad to have on hand for work lunches/dinners.

I've been musing about how my meal planning will change in just a short period of time . . . Dan moves in in two weeks! We'll have to figure out how many meals per week we'll be home for at the same time, and plan for plenty of leftovers!

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Stay tuned for part 2, Farmer's Market edition, of the weekly haul! Until tomorrow.

breakfasts.

I forgot about this one!



Dan's generally a big fan of sleeping in on the weekends, so he surprised me when he got up about fifteen minutes after I did on Sunday morning! Cause for a mini-celebration, no? Vegan, wholegrain, blueberry pancakes, topped with sliced bananas, walnuts, and maple syrup. Made having to go to work on Sunday ALMOST bearable, with a belly full of pancakes. :)

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I'm glad it's finally smoothie season!



Today's blend: 6 ounces of organic, local, plain yogurt, a couple of handfulls of fresh spinach, 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseeds, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 a banana, and enough orange juice to make it liquid.

This is totally hitting the spot this morning, especially since I'm in one of those sleepy/crabby moods where I don't feel like chewing anything. :)

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Here's a question: what are your favorite "sneaky" ingredients to put in smoothies?

so stuffed.

After my friend Ann and I went for our usual Tuesday walk tonight, we decided to hit up the Bad Waitress for some dinner. Ann wanted breakfast food, I didn't know what I wanted, so there we were!

I ended up ordering a quesadilla, which allows you to customize any three additions from their VAST menu of ingredients -- I chose mushrooms, red peppers, and asparagus. YUM, YUM, YUM, and they weren't skimping on the veggies! My quesadilla was served with healthy sides of guacamole, sour cream, and salsa, too! (I must admit, I did stick to the salsa and guac -- full-fat sour cream still kinda scares me!)

And after dinner? Well, we had dessert . . . a banana split, in fact! Can you believe I've never in my life enjoyed a banana split, until this very evening? The single dessert was too large for the two of us, but we managed to "take it down" anyways -- two scoops of vanilla, one scoop of chocolate, a banana, fresh strawberries, chocolate and caramel syrups, whipped cream, and THREE cherries! (Ann "forced" me to eat all three cherries, since she doesn't care for them. Wee!)

Color me stuffed. I'm nursing some peppermint tea right now. I don't make a habit of overeating, but sometimes, you just gotta enjoy a major dessert!

exercise woes.

Since I've started working full-time at the kitchenwares store, (due to my layoff, blah blah,) I have lost almost all motivation to exercise. I think I forgot how physically demanding being on my feet for 8 (or sometimes 12!) hours per day can be!

Because I've been so physically exhausted when getting home from work these days, I've been feeling mentally exhausted as well -- not a good combination when you're trying to stay positive about being underemployed and searching for a new job! So, I decided to do something about this problem tonight -- I walked home from work, (took about an hour, but I did run one errand on my way home,) and I also did 30 minutes of yoga later in the evening.

You know, I've really been missing the yoga lately. I should try and get back into the habit of daily (or nearly daily) yoga that I developed in March! It's good for my whole self, and I should really make it a priority.

Guess what else I'm excited about, exercise wise? My BIKE!! Weeee! I love to ride my bike! In my opinion, the best part about biking is flying past cars in a traffic jam. Ha, ha, there I go, greener and faster!

So, I guess in the end, these aren't really exercise woes. Just ramblings.

Farmers Market finds, turned into dinner

Dan and I started our Saturday at the Farmer's Market. We had planned on picking up whatever looked good, and then meeting up with his family for brunch afterwards. However, Dan's brother, Ryan, ended up meeting us at the Farmer's Market, so the boys could pick out some plants for their mom for Mother's Day! They chose raspberries, chocolate mint, orange thyme, nasturtiums, and alpine strawberries. In-between the careful plant selecting, I managed to score the following:

Local, whole-wheat egg pasta, and BASIL!!

After brunch, we stopped at the Franklin Street Bakery, and I picked up a lemon vanilla bean cupcake to be enjoyed later:


Much later on, I made dinner:

Greek salad, artichokes, and pesto covered pasta! I practically licked my plate clean.

Dan and I shared the cupcake for dessert:

And we each added a scoop of mango-banana sorbet on the side. :) Yum.

Off to watch a movie . . . enjoy the rest of the weekend!

deliciousness, vacay

Friday night dinner:

Barbecued tempeh, sweet potato fries, and artichokes! Vegenaise for dipping my fries, lemon and Earth Balance for dipping my artichoke. Nummy. (Oh yes -- and I made iced blueberry herbal tea to drink. Very refreshing!)

Friday night dessert:

The affordable organic strawberries made me think, "hmm . . . fondue! Yum." So, there you have it. Nothing like tons of fresh fruit and melty, creamy, rich chocolate to dip it all in.

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After dinner last night, Dan and I sat down and mapped out/started planning our vacation we plan to take in June. Woo! I'm so excited -- we're going to see several places I've never been! We plan to hit several state parks for camping, do some hiking in the Boundary Waters, and also return to one of our favorite Minnesota places. I can't wait -- only five weeks away!

another "short list"

I thought I had another "short list" for the co-op this week! Boy, was I wrong . . .



BREAD:
organic 100% whole-wheat

BULK:
organic dried cranberries

CHEESE:
local part-skim mozzarella

FROZEN:
mixed berry sorbet
banana mango sorbet
organic OJ
organic peaches
organic pineapple
organic mango
local, organic blueberries
local, organic strawberries

PACKAGED GROCERY:
"Red Zinger" herbal tea
"Moroccan Pomegranate Red" herbal tea
organic whole-wheat couscous
organic pasta sauce
barbecue sauce
Seventh Generation TP
Seventh Generation toilet cleaner

PRODUCE:
organic cucumber
organic bananas
pineapple
organic artichokes
organic sweet potatoes
local, hydroponic cherry tomatoes
organic strawberries

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
organic whole-wheat tortillas
organic three-grain tempeh
local, organic heavy cream
local, organic plain yogurt

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I don't have much of a meal plan for the week/weekend, although we are going to have barbecued tempeh, sweet potato fries, and artichokes for dinner tonight. We have plans to go out for brunch with Dan's family tomorrow, and we're going to decide what to have for dinner based on what we find at the Farmer's Market tomorrow. (I bought some mozzarella just in case we thought pizza sounded like a good idea!)

And all of that frozen fruit? I've been in the mood for smoothies lately . . . !

little did he know . . .

When Dan and I were talking on the phone tonight, he mentioned he had ridden his bike to the Hampden Park Co-op this evening to buy some granola, since he had run out of my homemade stuff. Little did he know . . .



I was a busy baker this afternoon! I made a double-batch, loaded with tons of good stuff: oats and puffed kamut, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, blueberries, golden raisins, apricots, apples, and craisins! (Sweetened with maple syrup, and stuck together with Earth Balance.)

I love making granola -- it's so easy, tasty, and nutritious!

P.S. The cookies I made this afternoon are HEAVENLY! They are just the right combination of crispy-outside, chewy-inside, with wafty brown sugar aroma. (Is "wafty" a word? Eh, who cares!)

OH -- one more thing. Remember that gigantic bag of spinach I bought at the Farmer's Market on Saturday? I finally got around to stemming/washing it tonight, and decided to weigh it, just to see what kind of a deal I got. The spinach I bought weighed in at 14 ounces, (just under a pound,) for $2. I don't know about you guys, but spinach bulk at my co-op can be more than $7 a pound! What a deal!

One more reason to shop from your Farmer's Market!

treats!

Since Dan and I finished the cupcakes over the weekend and I ate the last of the coconut sorbet last night, it was time for more treats. (Is it strange that I seem to be unable to function without dessert in the house??)



Oatmeal-Cranberry-Walnut Cookies

makes about 18

Cream together:
1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar

Whip together, then stir in to above:
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
3 tablespoons warm water

Stir in:
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour (AP or whole-wheat pastry)
1 cup regular rolled oats

Stir in:
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes at 375.

I am really pleased with these -- they are not too sweet, but still a very satisfying treat! Enjoy!

a decadent day!

Today was absolutely a day of treats . . . both food and non-food treats! Even though I'm really watching the budget lately, given my recent layoff, sometimes you've just gotta buy a few things, eh?

My morning started with a quick trip to the Farmer's Market with Courtney. I spent $10, and picked up the following . . .

Non-local, non-organic, but Dan's favorite, BLACKBERRIES!

(This carton of berries was ONLY A DOLLAR! What a deal! Courtney bought three packages.)

Local fall wildflower honey:


And, the hugest bag of local spinach:


After the Farmer's Market, Courney and I unloaded bags and bags of stuff at the Goodwill, then went over to Half Price Books, where I earned $17 by selling CDs and a few books of piano music that I haven't opened in YEARS. (Sometimes I fear I will never play the piano again. Boo!) I then turned around and spent that $17 (and an extra 6 cents) on TWO new cookbooks: The Moosewood Cookbook, and Classic Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East and North Africa. (You may or may not remember the feast I prepared for our New Year's Eve dinner this past year, but the recipes all came from that second cookbook -- so glad to add it to my collection!)

After our morning adventures, Courtney dropped me off and I made lunch for Dan and myself:

Egg salad, lettuce, and sprouts on 100% whole wheat, with Greek salad on the side (tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta, and hearts of palm. Yum!) I had a cupcake for dessert. (Dan had, ahem, TWO cupcakes for breakfast???)

After lunch, Dan and I headed out -- we made a quick stop at the library to return some books, and then had a nice hike at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. After our hike, we headed over to REI to take advantage of their anniversary sale and the 20% off coupon I received as a member. I bought a new bike helmet, Dan bought a MN atlas (which we, lamely, used the coupon for,) and we also bought a rubber tent stake mallet. Woo.

After REI, we picked our way through AWFUL traffic, (hate the suburbs and road construction!), and headed over to Midwest Mountaineering, because I had my eye on a new daypack. (I've been using a Timbuk2 bag for years, but it's not really working for bike commuting -- there's not enough room, and it tends to slide around more than I'd like.) REI carried the same daypack, but not in the color I wanted, and for $22 more! Sheesh! I was glad I got the better deal AND was able to support a local business at the same time. (And the best part? I mentioned the whole REI thing to the cashier, and he offered me 20% off my daypack if I signed up for their email list! Sweet!)

I have to tell you about the daypack that I bought -- it's an Osprey, from their ReSource series. The pack is made from 76% recycled materials! How amazing is that?!? Plus, it was freakin' affordable, and has just the right number of pockets -- enough, but not too many. The waist strap was detatchable, which I liked, since I hate extra straps and buckles flapping about. Roomy enough for my lunch, rain layer, water, and planner, even. The pack even accomodates a hydration "bladder" (like a CamelBak,) so it will be great for summer day hikes, too!

Ok. I love my new backpack -- I think that's well-established. :)

Anyhow, we made a quick stop at the Seward Co-op for ice cream, (Dan was wanting some,) and then finally headed home.

All of that running around made us hungry! I made dinner:

I was debating artichokes vs. asparagus with dinner, then asked Dan, "would it be too decadent to have artichokes AND asparagus?" His reply, in a very straightforward tone, was, "there's nothing wrong with decadence." So, artichokes AND asparagus it was! Frozen ravioli and jarred sauce to round out the meal.

Damn. I think artichokes and asparagus might be tied for my favorite vegetables of all time. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!

Hope you all enjoyed your Saturdays -- I'm off to clean up the kitchen, flip through my new cookbooks, and watch a movie with Dan. Happy weekend!

a few meals, groceries!

It's been a busy week, but I have a few tasty meals stored up on the camera to show!

Poached eggs, hashbrowns, and a banana:


Apples and maple syrup over broiled polenta:


Grilled cheese and tomato soup:


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And, I FINALLY made it to the grocery store yesterday! Wee!



BULK:
organic walnuts
local slivered almonds
locally roasted, organic, fair-trade coffee
local, organic rolled oats
organic dried cranberries
dried blueberries

CHEESE:
local, organic medium cheddar

FROZEN:
Rising Moon organic artichoke and olive ravioli

PACKAGED GROCERY:
tomato paste
organic low-sodium tamari
organic creamy tomato soup
Seventh Generation TP

PRODUCE:
local, hydroponic romaine
organic cucumber
organic banana
organic avocadoes (88 cents each!!)
organic lemons
organic artichokes
organic asparagus
organic eggplant
jalapeno
local, hydroponic tomatoes
local alfalfa sprouts
organic dAnjou pears

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
organic whole-wheat tortillas
Naked Juice "Green Machine" smoothie

Almost a third of my purchase was local this week! Woo!

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Meal plan for the weekend:
Friday night: grilled cheese and tomato soup (see above)
Saturday lunch: egg salad sandwiches, green salads or fruit
Saturday dinner: ravioli, asparagus and/or artichokes

I also picked up many ingredients to make fantastic sandwiches, homemade refried beans, and big salads for work this week. YUM.

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I'm off to the Farmer's Market with Courtney (and possibly Ashley) this morning, and then we're headed to the Goodwill and Half-Priced books to make the big purge! I'm excited to get all of these bags out of my living room. :)

Daring Bakers Challenge -- cheesecake!

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

My spin on the challenge recipe was a slightly lightened lemon-blueberry cheesecake:



I was considerably creative with this month's challenge! I'm glad we had the opportunity to think "outside the box" (springform pan?)

~ I chose to lighten the recipe by using all Neufchatel cheese in place of the full-fat cream cheese, and half-and-half instead of the heavy cream

~ I chose a shortbread crust (from Joy of Cooking) instead of a graham cracker crust

~ I added the zest of one lemon to the cheesecake batter (I would zest two lemons and add more juice next time for more lemony flavor)

~ I chose to forego the waterbath method, and followed the baking instructions for the New York Style Cheesecake recipe in Joy of Cooking (I tend to prefer a more dense, almost cakelike cheesecake, and this resulted in fantastic texture!)

~ I topped the baked cheesecake with 2 cups frozen blueberries cooked with 1/4 cup sugar for 10 minutes

Delicious, despite the overly-browned crust. I think I need a new springform pan . . . drat. Perhaps I'll buy one of those watertight Kaisers, and try the bain marie next time?

happenings in my kitchen

I did manage to squeak out a little cooking yesterday, in-between a trip to the Farmer's Market, some yoga, getting Dan's hair cut, picking up Dan's new glasses, etc. When you only have one weekend day off a week, you have to make it count, right?

I made, in my opinion, a very visually-appealing batch of granola for Dan to take home for his breakfasts this week:

Sweetened with locally-harvested maple syrup, and chock-full of almonds, sunflower seeds, dried apples, dried blueberries, and dried cranberries, I think this might be one of my tastiest batches yet!

Dinner:

I ignored recipes this time, and made a simple saute of onion, garlic, chard, mushrooms, and chickpeas, seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil, za'atar, and plenty of freshly-ground black pepper. A delicious puddle of polenta hiding underneath, and a sprinkle of feta on top. Yum.

You know, polenta is another one of those foods, like couscous, that I have a tendency to forget about. Love them, but hardly ever make them. Hm. Curious.

Treats:

Cupcakes! I swear to you, the Moosewood Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe is the best cake I've ever had. Tender, moist, and TONS of rich chocolate flavor. (It's also the most ridiculously easy thing I think I've ever thrown together.) I topped the cupcakes with vegan almond buttercream, and Dan was in charge of the sprinkles. :)

Friday Night Indian Feast

Dan's brother, Ryan, came over for dinner tonight, and this is all I have to show for all of my hard work:



I guess this is a good thing? ;-)

I made spinach and tomato dal, matter paneer, a basmati rice pilaf with golden raisins, almonds, and spices, a simple raita made from plain yogurt, cucumber, onion, and salt, jarred mango chutney, whole-wheat naan (from the store,) and frozen samosas.

I'm still WAY full, and we finished eating an hour ago, at least!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Have I written about oatmeal lately?

Here's the thing: in the past, I haven't much cared for oatmeal. I always THINK I like it, make myself a big bowlful, enjoy the first few bites, then have to "choke down" the rest. (Also, I have that weird problem that oatmeal doesn't keep me feeling full for very long.)

I must confess -- like everything else, I'm an oatmeal snob.

Recently, I've discovered a way to make oatmeal that I actually look forward to in the morning!



My basic recipe is as follows:

Bring to a boil:
1 cup almond milk (or water in a pinch)
pinch salt
1 piece whole fruit, cut up or sliced (I usually use an apple or a banana)
spices, if desired

Stir in, and cook for five minutes, stirring a lot:
1 cup regular rolled oats
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

Stir in before enjoying:
sweetener to taste (I prefer brown sugar)
1 to 2 tablespoons peanut butter (or other favorite nut butter)

I think the magic in this recipe is the flaxseed cooked in with the oats -- it changes the texture significantly, which I find very delicious. :)

busy, busy, busy.

I think I am the busiest laid-off person I know. :) All of this busy-ness (job applications and interviews, working at the store, bussing all over town, etc.) has lead to some blog neglection on my part . . . sorry 'bout that! I will now make up for lost time.

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I made this for lunch on Sunday last weekend:

Cauliflower-Chickpea Tagine, from urban vegan. Isn't purple cauliflower fun? This was good right out of the pot on Sunday, but WAY better today for lunch -- this is a dish that needs time for the flavors to get all happy. :)

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A couple of nights ago, I made Jennifer's "Everything" Granola Bars, which are FAN-TAS-TIC! (No photo . . . sorry!) I added a few more rolled oats and a few less nuts/seeds than she called for, (since I always feel like I could use a bit more whole grain in my life,) and would probably add even more dried fruit next time, but these bars are a tasty, healthy, quick burst of mid-afternoon energy or early-morning get out the door breakfast. I've been needing food like this this week -- thanks, Jennifer!

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I hit the co-op tonight for a very few items:

I walked into the co-op with a very short list and $27 cash, and left the co-op with most of what was on my list, and $2 still in my wallet.

The meager loot:

BULK:
locally-roasted, organic, fair-trade coffee

FROZEN:
coconut sorbet

PACKAGED GROCERY:
Seventh Generation recycled plastic kitchen trash bags

PRODUCE:
organic bananas
organic Murcotts (they are aparently like clementines?)
organic Italian parsley

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This weekend's meal plan:

Friday Night: Matter Paneer and basmati rice
Saturday Brunch: eggs/chard/hashbrowns (we never ate this last weekend, so I still have a big ol' bunch of chard waiting for some happenin' action!)
Saturday Dinner: Herbed Seitan and Dumplings

And I have to work all day on Sunday, so no fun food for us. :( Oh well! (I'm still thankful for all these hours, don't get me wrong!)

Earth Day Resolutions -- 2009

Happy Earth Day, everyone! (I wish I was teaching right now . . . those kids would be picking up trash all morning long! Rats.)

As long-time followers of my blog know, I avoid New Year's Resolutions if I can, and choose instead to make "Earth Day" resolutions. Here you are:

REDUCE: I plan to reduce my consumption of non-local foods. I hope to buy larger quantities of some in-season fruits and veggies this year, and even though I have zero canning experience, I can make use of my freezer, right? I also plan to investigate tofu-making, so I can use local soybeans and my Soyabella to make my own tofu.

REUSE: I have tons of spring cleaning/purging I need to do, and hope to make several large donations to places like the Goodwill. I have a twin-sized mattress and boxspring set, and one or two other things, that I will post on Twin Cities Freecycle, in the hopes that someone else can make use of these things that I no longer need!

RECYCLE: I'm kind of a militant recycler, so my goal this year is to install that behavior in my soon-to-be housemate and partner in crime/life. :) He does well, but I still find recyclable things in the trash from time to time . . . I pull them out, of course!

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So, what are your green goals? And don't forget to leave the car at home today -- walk, bike, or take public transportation if you can!

strangeness.

So, I gave myself the weekend to process my layoff and everything, be angry and the works, and started job searching today. I updated my resume and references, and hit the web. I found four jobs to apply for!

Here's the strangeness -- I was already contacted about one of the positions, and have an interview on Wednesday morning!

Now, I'm not getting ahead of myself here -- I'm just REALLY surprised. That's all.

super-simple saturday night dinner

With the warmer weather we've been enjoying these past couple of weeks, I've really been wanting salads. Greek-inspired salad of romaine, chickpeas, cucumber, artichokes, red onion, tomatoes, olives, and feta. Yum! We had Dr. Kracker flatbreads with hummus on the side.

Once I get sick of green salads, you can bet I'll move on to pasta salads!

really crap news.

I had this super-fun post planned out for you all, about how to survive 14-hour days while eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner away from home, but since I'm not going to have to DO that any more, it seems sort of pointles.

Why? Because I was laid off yesterday from my full-time job.

I was offered some severance pay, which I took, and immediately found myself with 40 hours at my "part-time" job beginning next week, (thank you, Mike!), but I'm still in shock, my feelings are hurt, and I'm a little angry, too. (The way this whole thing went down was just . . . lousy, to say the least.) I didn't get much sleep last night, (I may allow myself an unusual second cup of coffee this morning, to get through my 4-hour shift at the store this morning,) and am not looking forward to going in on Monday to pick up all of my stuff (mostly books) and explain why I'm not going to be their teacher any more to the kids. That's going to be the hardest part.

My budget is going to take an even bigger hit than anticipated originally, so we'll see how creative I can get. Thank goodness it's nearly Farmer's Market season, where the produce is fresh, local, and most importantly, CHEAP.

Wish me luck. Off to apply for health insurance now.

weekend meal plan

I'm realizing I forgot to post our weekend's meal plan when I posted the grocery shop last night! Whoops.

Friday night: "Matter Paneer Made Simple," basmati Rice
Saturday lunch: Dan's on his own, since I'll be at work
Saturday dinner: Cauliflower-Chickpea Tagine, whole-wheat couscous
Sunday lunch: eggs, kale and mushrooms, and hashbrowns
Sunday dinner: big salads, probably of the Greek-inspired variety

I also have some baking to do this weekend -- granola of course, probably muffins or scones, and my Daring Baker's project! I'm excited for the cooking frenzy to begin!

800th post: a BIG SHOP, and salad ecstacy

I was hoping something awesome would come around for my 800th post -- grocery shopping is pretty awesome, eh? I'm sure glad I took the time to take a picture tonight!

Oddly, I kept thinking my grocery shopping would be a piece of cake tonight, since I "didn't need that much." I promise you everything I picked up was on my list:



This was, indeed, a BIG SHOP. And feel free to call me the cheese monster.

BULK:
organic raw almonds
local, raw slivered almonds
organic "gold & white" flour
localy-roasted, organic, fair-trade coffee
organic granulated sugar
organic golden flax seeds
organic dried apples
organic dried cranberries

CHEESE:
local Neufchatel
local pepper Jack
local "St. Pete's Blue"
"Treasure Cave" Feta

FROZEN:
organic blueberries
organic green peas

HERBS & SPICES:
local ground cumin
local, organic vanilla bean
kava kava

PACKAGED GROCERY:
Brianna's French Vinaigrette
quartered artichoke hearts
organic kamut puffs
organic light agave nectar
local, organic maple syrup
harissa
organic tomato sauce
organic, fire-roasted, crushed tomatoes
organic double-roasted salsa
organic chipotle lime salsa
two boxes "Dr. Kracker" flatbreads
Seventh Generation paper towels
Seventh Generation TP

PRODUCE:
local, hydroponic romaine
organic cucumber
organic bananas
organic champagne mangoes
organic lemons
organic blood oranges
organic (purple!) cauliflower
organic rainbow chard
organic fennel
organic white button mushrooms
organic red onion
organic yellow onions
local, organic red potato
organic gala apples
organic strawberries
local, hydroponic cherry tomatoes

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
Earth Balance buttery sticks
local light sour cream
two Naked Juice protein smoothies
local, organic half-n-half
local, organic, free-range eggs

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I have three favorite salads of all time. All three salads begin with romaine and/or mixed baby greens, and then add either beets and goat cheese, a host of Greek-type veggies and feta, or . . .

sliced apples, sliced fennel, walnuts, and bleu cheese. Heaven in a bowl, in my opinion.

weekend recap, fun mail, and check one thing off the list

I have very few pictures from this weekend, partly because I was lazy, and partly because I loaned my camera to Courtney for the day on Saturday. (She's selling some stuff on Craigslist.) I promise we ate, though!

Saturday brunch was our usual poached eggs, kale and mushrooms, and crispy-delicious hashbrowns. Dan was quite the helper this weekend and tore up the kale, sauteed the kale and mushrooms, and made the hashbrowns! It's tricky squeezing two of us in my teensie kitchen, but we made it work. :)

Saturday dinner was delicious, and I think becoming one of my all-time most favorite meals -- Hot-Sauce Glazed Tempeh (from Veganomicon,) mashed potatoes with my own version of very speedy gravy, and steamed broccoli again. Dan took charge of the potatoes and gravy -- I've never had butterier mashed potatoes . . . and he wanted to add olive oil, too! I have to draw the line somewhere??? ;)

After we got home from church on Easter, I made a rather untraditional Easter Dinner:

Who says you can't have falafel sandwiches for Easter Dinner? Homemade pita, cucumber, onion, tomato, and romaine lettuce rounded out the deliciousness, all covered in a sauce made from plain soy yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and some grated fresh garlic.

Sunday supper was a super-simple whole-wheat pasta with marinara and parmesan, green salad on the side, but I made a fantastic dessert:

I cleaned out my freezer and made a raspberry, rhubarb, and apple crumble, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Dan searched high and low for a store open on Easter selling ice cream, and came back successful . . . eventually! (It made it that much more worth it, right?)

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I got fun stuff in the mail today:

Since I completed the 31-Day Yoga Challenge, I rewarded myself with not two, but THREE new yoga DVDs! (Well, I guess techinically FIVE new DVDs, but three of them are a set, so . . . it counts as one, right?) I chose to skip a new pair of yoga pants in favor of some new challenges. I've been enjoying the sun salutes from Yoga Journal's "Step by Step Session 1," and will progress to Session 2 once I'm feeling stronger and more flexible -- maybe another month? "Yoga for Every Body" seemed very intriguing to me -- it's a highly-customizeable DVD, allowing you to choose your level (beginning, intermediate, advanced,) length of practice, and specific target areas, such as back or neck pain, improving balance, etc. "Stress Relief Yoga for Beginners" is an old favorite I had on VHS, that REALLY needed updating.

Between all of my new DVDs and the practices I downloaded at the end of last month, I'm going to feel challenged (at least in the yoga department) for a LONG time! Woo!

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Last, I'm pleased to report that I will officially mail away all of my paperwork to renew my teaching license TOMORROW! (I would mail it tonight, except that I don't have enough stamps -- that sucker is heavy!) Now that I've finished that project, I can move on to bigger and better (and more fun) things, like cleaning out my apartment to prepare for Dan moving in this summer. Woo!

Friday night pizza feast, take 2

I made pizza again this week:

I had several odds and ends type leftovers lingering in my fridge, including a cup of cheese from last week's pizza, which I thought would translate very well into a pizza repeat this weekend! We weren't disappointed: half-wholewheat crust again, (based on Artisan Bread's "Light Whole Wheat" dough,) the last of the artichoke marinara, leftover mozzarella, parmesan, sliced mushrooms, kalamata olives, leftover red onion, leftover spinach, and leftover goat cheese!

I'm impressed, since I'd never consider myself the queen of using up leftovers, until very recently. Lack of funds translates into creativity in the kitchen, I guess! ;-)

Happy Friday Night!

creature of habit.

I am, without a doubt, a creature of habit. This week has been a perfect illustration . . . I took Monday off from work, so yesterday totally felt like Monday. (Coupled with doing laundry last night, which I usually do on Mondays, REALLY reinforced the whole Monday-concept.) Today, however, feels like Thursday -- since I went grocery shopping! I'm so darn confused, and working tomorrow night will throw everything off even more. :) (Don't even get me started about the ADDITIONAL load of Monday laundry I did tonight!)

If I make it to the weekend in one piece, we'll call it a good week. :)

Anyhow, here's the loot:



PACKAGED GROCERY:
organic chunky tomato pasta sauce
Seventh Generation TP

PRODUCE:
organic broccoli
local, hydroponic romaine
organic cucumber
organic bananas
organic lemon
organic kale
local, organic white button mushrooms
local, hydroponic tomato
local, organic shredded cabbage mix
organic apples

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
5-grain tempeh (2)

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This weekend's meal plan:
Friday night: more homemade pizza, with side salads
Saturday lunch: poached eggs, kale and mushrooms, and hashbrowns
Saturday dinner: hot-sauce glazed tempeh, mashed potatoes, and broccoli
Sunday lunch: pasta with side salads
Sunday dinner: falafel sandwiches!

Sunday in the kitchen

What's new?

Lunch:

"Carrot Bisque" from Vegan with a Vengeance. Coming from somebody who doesn't really like carrots, this soup was GOOD. And bright orange. Made me feel all healthy. (I made some rolls from Artisan Bread to go with.)

Ashley did come over and made a fantastic batch of granola all by herself, and I was so wrapped up in chatting, I forgot to take pictures! Well, you know what granola looks like, right?

I do have a shot of the army of beans, however:

Add these black and pinto beans to the nine cups of chickpeas I cooked yesterday, and I think I'd call my freezer well-stocked, at least in the bean department!

Dinner:

Vegan spanikopita! Amazingly delicious, and Dan told me he didn't think he'd guess it was made with tofu if I hadn't told him. (Double bonus!) Recipe here. (I used mostly dried herbs this time, since I have to wait a LONG time still for fresh herbs in giant bunches from the Farmer's Market!)

Dessert:

I felt compelled to use the rest of the package of filo. :)

Hope you all had wonderful weekends!

food from today!

I woke up ridiculously early this morning, (like, before 7 AM) and couldn't get back to sleep, so I finally gave up on sleeping in around 8:00, got up, and got busy in my kitchen!

I started the morning by doing all of the dishes from last night, (WHY do I think it's a good idea to leave the dishes until the morning???), cooking up a big batch of chickpeas for the freezer, (9 cups total!), and baking off a quick double-batch of granola -- I used pumpkin and sunflower seeds this time to switch things up a bit. Yum!

While I had the oven on, I whipped up a batch of Raspberry-Almond Scones (based on the basic Scone recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance,) and we enjoyed them with the rest of brunch:

Frittata experiment again this week, made with onion, mushroom, spinach, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese, with a side of fresh pineapple, too. I referred to this week's brunch as "fancy hotel brunch." :)

Dan and I had a busy afternoon of walking, enjoying the conservatory at Como Park in St. Paul, and a few errands. Consequently, when we arrived back at my place, we were both HUNGRY. So, we decided to have dessert first:

Rootbeer floats, made with Virgil's root beer and Cedar Summit Farms vanilla ice cream (local!) This was a fantastic treat, even though it was gloomy, cold, and grey outside all day long!

(Pardon that "Elmo's World" DVD underneath in that photo -- the kids I teach get a special treat movie on Fridays, and they love new movies from the library!)

Then, I made dinner:

Jerk Tofu, (from the PPK), "Caribbean Coconut Rice," and "Japanese Asparagus Dengaku" (both from the most recent issue of Vegetarian Times.) This dinner was a winner in both speed of preparation and taste, but I must admit the coconut rice was the home run! The rice was so rich and delicious, and made a perfect pair to the spicy, seasoned tofu. I can't wait for leftovers in my lunch this week!

My friend Ashley is coming over tomorrow afternoon for her granola-making lesson, so hopefully she'll be a great sport and let you all see what she comes up with!

Friday night pizza feast!

When I make homemade pizza, I tend to make one large pizza, overload it with toppings, and it barely fits on my largest cutting board for scooting in and out of the oven, so last night I decided, instead, to make two smaller pizzas. I still overloaded both of them with toppings, but they each fit better on the cutting board, at least! :)

Pizza #1:

Red onion, mushroom, and garlic

Pizza #2:

Artichoke, kalamata olive, and sun-dried tomato

Both pizzas were made on a half-wholegrain crust (based on an Artisan Bread recipe,) topped with an artichoke marinara, fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and a chiffonade of fresh basil on top.

Dan is convinced I make the best pizza he's ever had -- that's pretty high praise, if you ask me!

pictureless grocery shop

I went grocery shopping with my friend Ashley tonight, (thanks for the ride, hon!), and although I was WAY too tired to set up everything for a photo, I thought I'd type up the ginormous haul anyway!

Before beginning, I'm proud to report that, although I spent a FORTUNE, I saved $7.50 using my quarterly member discounts, and had $12.76 in coupons and specials! WOO!

Also, just under 20% of my purchase was local. Not bad!

Here we go . . .

BULK:
organic black beans
organic chickpeas
organic pintos
organic walnuts
local, organic sunflower seeds
organic pumpkin seeds
organic unsweetened coconut
fair-trade, organic, locally-roasted coffee
local, organic rolled oats
organic, fair-trade, dark chocolate chips
dried blueberries
dried apricots
organic golden raisins
organic dried cherries

CHEESE:
local herbed chevre
mozzarella
parmesan

FROZEN:
organic raspberries
B&Js Phish Food ice cream
organic filo

HERBS & SPICES:
local, organic dill
kava

PACKAGED GROCERY:
organic white vinegar
organic peppermint tea
pitted kalamata olives
artichoke heart quarters
organic no-stir peanut butter
Moroccan pomegranate red tea
true blueberry herbal tea
Panda black licorice
organic ginger tea
locally-bottled, fair-trade, organic vanilla extract
Seventh Generation TP
Seventh Generation kleenexes
Seventh Generation dish soap (one for home and one for work)
organic lite coconut milk
unbleached parchment
unbleached muffin liners
organic extra-virgin olive oil

PRODUCE:
organic cucumber
organic bananas
organic kumquats
organic lemons
organic lime
organic minneolas
pineapple
organic asparagus
organic ginger root
organic spinach
organic basil
organic Italian parsley
local, organic mushrooms
organic red onion
organic yellow onions
organic green onions
local, organic yellow potatoes
local hydroponic romaine
jalapeno
organic grape tomatoes
organic carrots

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
organic superfirm tofu
Earth Balance buttery sticks
local, organic eggs

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I have LOADS of cooking planned this weekend, including pizza, more frittata, jerk tofu, spanikopita, a new (to me) soup recipe, granola, more scones, and pounds of dried beans to soak and cook! Ashley's also going to come over on Sunday for a granola-making lesson -- she already has all of her ingredients, from tonight's shop!

If I can find my way to the computer under mounds of dirty dishes, I'll post plenty of pictures, I promise. :)