Hey Baby!!

Hands down, my favorite greeting I get from my male patient's with Alzheimer's is "Hey Baby!" or perhaps "Hey Sugar!". I love the things they say haha! Work was work. Nothing especially exciting... 

Breakfast also wasn't particularly exciting, I had a big bowl of my oatmeal goodness and washed it down with a big cup o' coffee (splenda & soy creamer of course!) 

For lunch I had a sammy made of Ezekiel 4:9 bread, hickory smoked Tofurkey, veggie cheese, pickles, tomato, lettuce, mustard, mayo- BAM! It was quite delicious, I'm really digging the Tofurkey brand lunch meats, much better than Yves (in my humble opinion). 

I also had some hummus and carrots :)

Dinner was exceptionally delectable, a salmon burger with avocado, sriracha, onion, and mayo (vegannaise) followed by sauteed green beans and eggplant with more sriracha. YUUUUUMMMMMM! 

I must confess, I also had some pretzel chips and hummus as an "appetizer" while I was cooking.  I don't know why I'm so famished when I get home from work every day. 

Mikey has improv tonight so workout, True Blood, and Ghost Whisperer for me!!!!! Woo! 

Oats n'at

I wasn't feeling a tofu scramble for breakfast this week so I made some more oatmeal for Monday-Thursday. Mike's sister's wedding is this weekend so we're heading out to Boston on Friday.  I had to go through the nauseating experience of trying to find a dress and I just absolutely couldn't find anything I liked. Blah. 

Moving on.... 

10 grain oats + chia seeds + peanut butter + cookie butter + vanilla soy milk = heaven

Top is premixed, bottom is after a good whippen'! 

I know the ingredients may sound gross but it's such a yummy treat for breakfast! 

I was super, super busy at work today so all I grabbed was some Italian wedding soup for lunch, bummer. Oh and I had a Clif bar, and alot, alot of water. 

After lunch, one of my co-workers went to Pittsburgh Popcorn Company and got a giant bag of popcorn, and by giant, I mean:  

Luckily she shared! 

This is the Jalapeno popper (I'm pretty sure). She let us take some home too!! 

For dinner I sauteed some green beans with garlic and olive oil and roasted some eggplant. I also had some smoked salmon with onions, capers, and some pretzel chips. Nothing schmancy... 

I am too tired to be witty. G'night 

Foodie's Dream Saturday Part 2

After the expo, we headed over to the Strip District and walked outside and viewed all the outdoor markets/vendors. I bought some dates and prunes from an italian grocer- love me some fiber!

We spent maybe 30-45 minutes doing that before the men headed down to the area and we headed to an outdoor beerfest in the strip (I totally forget the name of it, oh well).  They had East End Brewing Co beer there so I was all set! That is, until they ran out- boo!!

I also had some egg rolls and a veggie dog from the Franktuary truck- saurkraut & mustard = perfection. I snarfed it down too fast and forgot to take a pic- oopsie!

After a beer or two, or three, or four.. Mike wanted to head out to see some Improv shows.  We had an hour or two to kill before the shows started so we stopped at my ABSOLUTE MOST FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH!!!! 

Can you guess? Sure you can!

Kaya 

I started the meal of right with one of their delicious Caribbean inspired beverages, this one's called the Lava Lover. It has Malibu rum, coconut milk, pineapple juice & grenadine in it and was super divine. 

Yucatan Bean Dip = heavenly 

Kaya chips!! 

Aren't they super pretty? Yum yum!

I totally forgot the dinner menu gives you three gigantic jerk tofu tacos and I immediately regretted getting an appetizer. But they were soo delicious I made my way through (for the most part). 

So yummy!! 

Mike got the Kaya burger and wow does this bad boy look amazing... A burger with pickles, bacon, tomatoes, avocado, chihuahua cheese, a sunny side up egg, and Kaya's secret sauce.  He really dug it. 

I was being super indulgent today clearly, and ordered another beverage for dessert, the Caipirinha, a mixture of muddled lime, sugar, and Cachaça. Apparently it's the national drink of Brazil? Who knows but it was fantastic! 

After a wonderful, hilarious show by The Lupones at the Steel City Improv Theater, I was super tired and wanted nothing more than my nice, cool bed with a fan blowing on me. I at least had the forethought to chug not one, but three glasses of water. Woohoo for avoiding hangovers!!!  

I was so stuffed and felt so piggish I'm hoping to show some restraint and modesty in my food for the next week. Oye vey! 

............Another commercial for Magic Mike came on and I think I went brain dead there for a minute or so. 

Ode to Vegemite

***Warning: You must listen to Men at Work - Down Under or you will be deprived of the full experience while reading this post. Be warned. ***

I was packing my lunch for tomorrow, Mike asked, "Do you speak-a my language?" and I just smiled, and made a Vegemite sandwich. For MYSELF! Mikey doesn't like Vegemite. I on the other hand love it. I love it so much I could move to Australia and just eat it forever. See the thing Americans (I say this like I'm not one haha!) don't get is, a little bit, we're talking 1/4 tsp, goes a long, long way and you gotta mix it with some margarine! For those of you who aren't familiar, Vegemite is a savory spread commonly eaten in Australia, it's technically yeast extract. Vegans love it because it adds a great umami flavor to foods, I think it kind of tastes like beef broth personally. 

What a cheery bright label! This jar has been there with me through my ups and downs, the thick and the thin! It's my best friend. I <3 you Vegemite! 

This is how you do it up, Vegemite + margarine with tomato, onion, and avocado. Yummm.. You can see some of the dark bits of Vegemite on the bread, sorry for the poor picture. 

Man, there was a time in college where I literately ate toast with margarine, Vegemite, and avocado on it for breakfast and sometimes lunch for weeks, no I'd say months. So delicious. 

I also remember when I bought a jar of Vegemite back in High School (I actually bought it and had it shipped FROM Australia in that day!) and my mother threw it out because it had been in the fridge for months.  I was devastated, I had paid more in shipping than I had for the stupid little jar.  Little did she know, this stuff never expires. In fact, I don't even bother refrigerating it anymore- it's okay I checked with an Australian, they don't either! 

I also remember the first time I'd ever heard of Vegemite, I was watching Blue's Clues (yes it was that long ago) and Steve got a "letter" from two little girls in Australia telling all about Vegemite and how much it rocks.  For years I pined for this unknown substance. I had a girlfriend who went to Australia for a soccer tournament and bless her heart she brought me back some Vegemite (they have it in restaurants in little packets like we do jelly- awesome).  Clearly I've had a long, clandestine history with this wonderful condiment.

Also, don't be a poop-face and get Marmite. I would not approve. 

Also- if I had a patient with bilateral above knee amputations and hallucinations tell me he just got back from a long run, is it entirely wrong to barely keep from giggling? I am sick, I know... 

Happy Hump Day!!

I absolutely love Wednesday because (as far as the weekend is concerned) it's all uphill from here! Just gotta get through Thursday and woohoo bring it on Friday! 

Breakfast was the standard, Italian tofu scramble and my coffee with soy creamer and splenda. I volunteered to stay 2 hours in clinic this morning and I was super hungry so I grabbed my Lara bar to munch on while I was down there. 

Now I was a little skeptical about how tasty this would be, the ingredients were literately only dates, peanuts, and salt. I was pleasantly surprised- I actually snarfed it down so fast I forgot to take a picture! It was delightfully delicious and I'll definitely be having this again soon. I can't believe how great it tasted, the dates weren't really noticeable it just tasted like, well, a peanut butter cookie! Also cool, they are: vegan, kosher, raw, gluten free, and soy free. True story. 

After I nommed on my delightful Lara bar I pulled out my bag of orange sections I prepped for a snack. I took one bite, spit it into the bag, and pitched the entire bag. I barely like oranges as it is and if it isn't tart and fresh tasting, gag city for me. Couldn't do it. 

I finished in clinic, saw my patients, and then went back to my desk to nib into my lunch box for some hummus and cukes- my last hummus container!!! I need to get to Costco this weekend. 

Lunch was my leftover from yesterday, quinoa topped with baked yam and tofu, seasoned with Bragg's and nutritional yeast. I had to smile because my coworker said it smelled really good but I knew if she knew what was in it she'd cringe. Oh well, Braggs does smell great.

ALSO, I had a healthy.. surprise... waiting for me when I got home. And by surprise I mean I'm surprised it even showed up. I signed up for a subscription to Healthy Surprise on June 5th, they said it would take 3 days from ordering for it to get to my house, and here we are June 20th and it's just showing up. Need we do the math? Now granted this is partially mostly Fed Ex's slow-ass fault, but it also took 3-4 days for them to process my credit card. I am generation Y- I demand instant gratification! Just kidding, and maybe I've been spoiled by my Amazon Prime account, but that is just far too long especially when they say it'll take 3 days. Not a fan. 

I am however a fan of snacks and surprises (regarding food that is) so I was happy as a clam once I got to open the box. 

SURPRISE!!! What's inside?

A whole lotta snacken' that's what! I'm surprised by how much was included and I got the smallest box.

Fruit bar

Apple chips

Super yummy- only one ingredient- apples :)

Oohh.. fruit nut bar

Vanilla maple flavored almonds

Hemp seeds! I'm super excited to try these out!

An energy bar

Gluten free vanilla cookies

Some sort of cinnamony crisp snack

Thai lemon curry flavored nuts- I tore into this bag because I was so curious to try them out. Pretty decent, I love curry so I was a big fan of the flavor, I'm not a gigantic cashew fan though so that was kind of a downer. Mike liked them alot I think. 

I'm nervous I'm going to have an allergic reaction to the cashews though, keeping my fingers crossed. I hate urushiol with a passion.  Lots of handwashing.

Dinner included: strawberries and snap peas from the CSA followed by a veggie burger with tomato, onion, avocado and veganaise. Did you know veganaise (or mayonaise) mixed with ketchup is the ultimate dip for french fries? Yup. Give it a try. 

Another day in the life...

This is the picture I took last night of what was packed for breakfast/lunch for today. Is it weird that I get such a kick out of packing my own lunch? Oh well, here we go : 

For breakfast I had my favorite Italian tofu scramble (top left) with some grapes along with my staple beverage: Seattle's Best coffee with splenda and soy creamer. I don't think I could survive the workday without a steady jolt of caffeine and the creamy soy flavor is addicting. I love Organic Valley soy creamer, it's my fav. Yum yum! 

I started getting a wee bit peckish around 12ish so I went ahead and had my Clif bar but wouldn't you know it, I spoiled my lunch and I was not hungry whatsoever when 1pm rolled around. I just played around on the computer and took out the recycling and what not while the others went to lunch. It was kind of peaceful, a moment just to breathe and keep quiet. 

I went to man the outpatient clinic after lunchtime and I knew I'd probably get hungry so I took my hummus and veggies down with me and snarfed that down while I listened to some Pandora and passed the time. Clinic was super slow today. 

So clearly my actual lunch of quinoa, sweet potatoes, and baked tofu topped with nooch* and Braggs was not eaten, but no worries, it's in the fridge for tomorrow. 

When I got home I was super-famished so I immediately had a low-carb tortilla schmeared with that delicious cookie butter. So freaken good. 

I followed that up with, well, my dinner!! We got these sweet ass Bento boxes from Trader Joe's the other day and I have been super amped to try them out! 

Crappy photo but this is what the box looks like, it's in the frozen section for those of you who want to give it a go!! Oh, did I mention the box is only 99 cents? Yea.. I said it right, 99 cents. I just wanted to compare what the actual product looks like to the photo- typically the comparison is quite comical..

Way to go Trader Joe San!!! It looks just as delish! Oh! Miso hungry! Oh oh miso hungry! 

Starting in the top left box and going across, we have:

Here's what Mike and I thought of the various boxes: 

1. Pumpkin with Shiso Seasoning= Disappointing, flavorless, no trace of shiso seasoning
2. Spicy Long Beans= Yum! Just the right amount of kick!
3. Eggplant with Miso Paste = Eggplant was good but no trace of miso :( Miso disappointed (okay, okay, I'll stop) 
4. Soba Salad with Oyster Mushroom = This was MY favorite box!! I love soba noodles
5. Shiitake Mushroom with Edamame and Carrot = This one was hard to mess up and thus, tasty 
6. Baked Tofu with Teriyaki Sauce= Again, no trace of teriyaki flavor and the tofu was really gelatinous, like they used that vac-pak Japanese style tofu instead of Chinese. We were not fans.
7. Brown Rice with Seaweed & Sesame Seed = I gave up at this point and added soy sauce, no hint of seaweed to be found 
8. Curry flavored Brown Rice = Yum! Mikey's favorite box, you could taste the curry for sure, but it could have used more. 
9. Teriyaki Flavored Brown Rice with Vegetable= Same was 7, no hint of teriyaki noted, soy sauce added.

Verdict: I would say this was a fun thing to try and for 99 cents you can't beat that! I don't think it will be making its way onto my Trader Joe's must have list though, it was just too bland for me.  

Also, since we were thinking the Bento Boxes wouldn't suffice for dinner, we grilled up some eggplant and zucchini that I topped with garlic powder and soy sauce. [Insert Homer Simpson gargling noise here]

Now I gotta go workout.. *groan*... I really hate exercising.. 

Cooookie Butter!

This is the most magnificent discovery of the century. 

If you've ever had those gingerbready Biscoff cookies commonly doled out as your "snack" on airplanes, you'll have an idea of what this tastes like. The texture is super unique, creamy like peanut butter but with crunchy bits of cookie throughout it. I could literately put this on anything. One thing I particularly like to do is make a big batch of oatmeal and put a dollop of this in it. 

And, on days when work is particularly crappy and long, I eat it right out of the jar with a spoon while watching True Blood and Ghost Whisperer. Weee! 

Extra bonus- the jar is indestructible- it fell off the top of my fridge right onto my rock-hard kitchen floor and not so much as a crack- the lid however did not survive the fall. 

Mikey went to the Childish Gambino concert so I'm home alone with the pooch who tends to ignore me when Mike's gone. Fine with me! 

I've been dealing with an upset belly since the beef incident, today I was good though- I had a tofu scramble for breakfast, a Clif bar for snack, and had some of my spinach/sweet potato/tofu mixture but had some tummy troubles so I wasn't all that hungry. I also snacked on some chocolate covered raisins. 

For dinner I had a Praeger's veggie burger sandwich with some stuffing and a pickle. I'm not doing so well on veggies today but good lord at this point I don't care. 

Ahhh... also True Blood was again.. a true dud. I need to just stop bothering to watch it. 

A Lunch in the Life of Lindsey

I don't know what it is about boys and breakfast, but they sure know their way around some eggs! Mike treated me to a delicious omelet this morning with cheese, salsa, and some turkey deli meat. I snarfed it down and relished every bite- the man makes a good omelet. 

For lunch, I had some oatmeal with vanilla soymilk, cinnamon, walnuts, and COOKIE BUTTER in it. Yes. I said cookie butter. I've never had something so fantastic in all my life- I'll be sure to talk about it in more detail at a later time. 

The rest of our day was spent napping, doing laundry, and me preparing foods for the work week. 

I also spent a major portion of the day snacking on this little gem found at your local Trader Joe's:

I had to chortle a bit that it says Trader Joe-San. I love how they name their ethnic foods cleverly. ex. Trader Jose for the Mexican foods..

For dinner I have a major confession to make. For the past month or so I have been trying really hard to stay predominantly meat-free/vegetarian. I've even avoided for the major part eggs and dairy products. But tonight, something got into me and I was really, really craving this Vietnamese steak sandwich that I have a recipe for from one of my Martha Stewart cookbooks. It's a marinated flank steak with a carrot-cilantro asian slaw on a hoagie bun. It's superb and I'm not going to lie it was outrageously delicious. 

I have never felt so sick in all my life, I feel like I had food poisoning. Nuff said. I'm back on the wagon. 

Here's my lunch (and breakfast) for tomorrow: 

Breakfast: tofu scramble (puttanesca style) 

Midmorning snack: Clif bar 

Lunch: hummus & veggies 

cooked spinach, roasted sweet potato, craisins, and baked tofu topped with Bragg's liquid amino acids and nutritional yeast. 

Dessert: 1 prune :) 

I've been in a tofu-y kinda mood- what can I say?  

I'm kind of nervous about tomorrow, a bunch of new units are opening in the hospital tomorrow and we weren't granted anymore FTE's for more staff. Shit's about to get real. Excuse my french. 

Wow....

I am seriously at a loss for words right now- I think I just created something so delicious it is akin to....crack. I guarantee you're going to see me on an episode of Intervention, bowl of this concoction in hand, sobbing  about how no one understands while my mom reads me a letter she wrote about how she feels the banana ice cream is taking over my life. 

Where upon I will break out in a fabulous rendition of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" and be signed onto some major label recording company where I will be madly famous for my soulful voice and upbeat rhythm. I will then move to LA or NY and eat delicious vegan food from here until eternity and never gain weight. See? This stuff is making me hallucinate- it is a drug!!! 

This picture is frustratingly underwhelming- the flavor is so epic I can't even begin to explain... 

Recipe 

Serves 2: 

2 frozen bananas 

2 Tbsp peanut butter 

1-2 Tbsp vanilla soy milk 

1 tsp agave nectar (optional, but if you're using natural peanut butter I highly recommend) 

Toss everything in your food processor or high power blender and blend until well combined. 

Optional additions: chocolate chips, walnuts, dried fruit, peanuts.. skys the limit. 

Enjoy!! You're going to be head over heels I'm telling ya!! 

Sunday

Well for a lazy Sunday, I did a whole lot of nothing besides eat, watch TV, download some new iphone games, and blog (clearly). My percolator was on the fritz so I had to bust out my french press and I forgot how cleverly easy this contraption is- sometimes simplicity is key. I topped my coffee with some MimicCreme and splenda- it was just what I needed to start my day.  

For breakfast, I was a major loser and had crackers and mushroom pate (homemade at least) followed by an Amy's samosa wrap which was in a word, divine. I love samosa anything. I highly recommend these for a quick meal- they're vegan! 

For lunch I showed some initiative and busted out some frozen vegan mac & cheese I had made a month or so ago, I drizzled this in that new truffle oil I purchased, topped with fresh chives, and it was fanastic! The salad was romaine, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion topped with olive oil and dark cherry balsamic vinegarette. Super yums. 

Somewhere throughout the day I had another round of hummus and pretzel crisps which are becoming a highly addicting snack, I should seek help....

For dinner I decided to actually move off of the couch and we (Mike & I) made grilled salmon caesar salads. I love, love, love, did I mention love? grilled romaine hearts. They're the only reason summer should even come around anymore. I'll throw just about anything on the grill. 

I drizzled some of my homemade Caesar dressing on top and tossed on some croutons- quite satisfying, I must say. 

I plan on spending the rest of my evening watching TV, watering my tomato plants, and generally using Sunday for what it is- the day of rest. :) 

Ciao