TFG: the movie star.

Sleepless in T-town.

It's a new movie, featuring TFG with her lack-of-a-voice and a cough that keeps her up at night. 

Quite the annoyance. 

Not the voice part, because I still manage to speak as much as I usually do, if not more. My classmates kept telling me to stop talking today. They also told me I sounded like I was crying. Thanks, guys. 

This morning, I woke up unable to swallow. Quite the inconvenience, considering I can't survive without eating breakfast. So I did the logical thing. I blended my breakfast.

I simply prepared my overnight oats (oats + milk + chia seeds + frozen blueberries) last night, and this morning, I added more milk to the bowl and blended till smooth. I stirred in some cinnamon and topped it all with a nice dollop of SunButter.

It was thick and tasty. The last time I blended oats was during my spinach challenge. I prefer today's oat smoothie to the spinach oat smoothie. Something about spinach for breakfast is kind of strange, even for me.

Not to worry, I did consume my spinach quota for the day!

Just a plain spinach salad with some balsamic. I had this for dinner, along with this:

One of my "gourmet-to-go" meals I picked up at the store yesterday! (I was requested to call these frozen meals "gourmet-to-go" meals instead--haha!).

I'm usually skeptical about pre-made Indian food. It just doesn't taste the same as homemade Indian food! But this sounded way too interesting to pass up.

Plus, I got a chance to eat something with my raita!

What did I think? It was great!! It was filling, healthy, and just the right amount of spicy. The best parts were that it had very little oil, and it tasted like MANCHURIAN! (I'm sorry if you've never had manchurian. You need to try it ASAP).

I'm two for two so far. Let's hope the rest of these gourmet-to-go items are just as good!

Frozen foods and (VIDEO)!

Before you read the rest of this post...

When I went to the doctor, I was told to eat soup, mashed potatoes, and ICE CREAM. I asked her a million times if she really meant that. She said, "If eating ice cream makes you feel better, then sure. Why not?" 

I was excited. {I just stopped writing to go eat some ice cream}.

I was so excited, that I took the excitement to a new level and went to the grocery store and picked up all kinds of "comfort food." I'm not cooking this week. At the very least, I'm not cooking anything very extravagant. So...this is what I left with:

Lots of frozen stuff, crackers, and a bag of spinach. Who am I? I don't even know anymore. 

But really, the thought of chewing and swallowing carrots is quite unpleasant. And the thought of opening up a box and microwaving it and eating it 1 minute later is just delightful. #Dramatic.

I'll also have you know that I spent 20 minutes in the frozen section debating about which items to get. And then went to the other side of the store and came back to the frozen section to make sure I bought the right items. I'm sure the other customers at Sunflower Market thought I was a complete weirdo. I'm just thorough when I buy things. Too thorough.

Anyway, I put one of my frozen purchases to use for lunch today.

If you are skeptical about the ingredients in this, don't be. I checked them, and they are entirely legit. The ingredients are all natural and all organic.

And it was tasty.

The only downside is that pre-packaged food does not fill me up like my own food does. I have to do something about this.

So I obviously had to eat some dessert afterwards. Dessert and ice cream are not the same thing, by the way.

Sort of like a cinnamon roll...but with chocolate instead!

This week, I'll be documenting a lot of my eats rather than giving you recipes. I'll also make sure to add in a joke or two. :) But in all seriousness, for those of you who are short on time and wouldn't mind purchasing frozen foods, hopefully the next few review posts will be helpful to you. 

I received an interesting comment from Liana in yesterday's post. She requested, since Passover starts tomorrow night, that I come up with some filling recipe ideas for Passover. According to Liana, this means "meals without bread (and bread products, anything leavened), barley, wheat, rye, oats, rice, beans (and other legumes), corn, pasta, soy." When I first read that, I couldn't think of ANYTHING that would fit that criteria! Since then, I've come up with a few ideas. However, I may have to start this challenge later this week when I get to cooking again. 

I love all of your ideas! Keep them coming!

Cucs, coughs, and soups. Oh my!

Update: my voice not only sounds low, it also sounds phlegm-y.

Yum.

Let's back up a little bit. A couple of days ago, I mentioned a crazy cucumber recipe that I was planning on sharing. Sometimes, my experiments fail. What I can say for this one is that it turned out quite pretty looking.

Cucumber-strawberry lemonade!!

It was too sour and not sweet enough. That might have been because I only used three strawberries and no sweetener. The texture was pretty awesome though, and the foam on top was a nice little bonus!

In other updates, I woke up this morning with a horrible, uncontrollable cough. I've mentioned how I hate taking medicine. (If not, now you know). I'm not that extreme in that I won't take anti-inflammatory if I have a fever and have to finish writing my Master's report that's due the same day.

#Mylifetwodaysago.

But when it comes to a cough, I'd rather not take cough syrup, because not only does it taste bad, but to me, it's unnecessary. So I did some research and found that (along with honey) some breathing techniques can be used to subside a cough. Strangely, it worked.

It could be psychological. All I know is that I do not need cough syrup or cough drops. #Score.

Where I was going with this is that I wanted something smooth, hot, and delicious to eat for lunch to subside my throat that had become coarse from coughing so much.

Doesn't it just look healthy?! The soup was a slight modification of the creamy vegetable soup (made by Mario in Costa Rica--if you haven't seen that post, it's worth your while to see it!) and the eat your veggies soup. I used carrot, tomato, garlic, cilantro, turmeric, spinach, and peas in my soup today.

To finish off cucumber week, I made cucumber raita. It's a refreshing snack, perfect for a warm day.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/3 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• salt/pepper to taste
• cilantro for garnish

In a small pan, toast the cumin and mustard seeds over medium-high heat. The cumin seeds will brown and the mustard seeds will start to pop.

In a bowl, combine the yogurt and cucumber.

Add the toasted seeds.

Season with salt and pepper and garnish with cilantro.

I like this plain. Or you could eat this with a chappati to make for a more authentic Indian dish. :)

Later this evening, April and I went to Choice Greens for dinner. I really like this place because you can customize your salad to your liking! There are way too many choices--both for veggies and dressings. We both stared at the menu card for at least 10 minutes before making our decisions.

My salad:

Spinach + kalamata olives + artichoke + beets + chickpeas + jicama + cilantro dressing.

Even though that salad looks small, it was quite filling. And it included beets. What is there not to like?

See you tomorrow! (Any recipe/vegetable of the week requests?)

Food processor fun.

I made the executive decision to get off the couch today and make my newest pop'ums flavor.

I was in the experimental mood, so this is an interesting flavor. I also kept calling today "food processor fun" day. Err...actually, maybe that was in my head.

5 healthy ingredients and a food processor. That's all you need!

Choc-aroon Pop'ums (Nut Free)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup uncooked oats
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil*
• 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup

*I added the coconut oil for a more coconut-y flavor. The addition of coconut oil makes this a higher calorie snack! If you prefer to leave it out, I suggest adding at least 1 more tablespoon of brown rice syrup. 

The ingreds:

First add the coconut to the food processor and blend until clumpy.

Then add the oats and cocoa powder. Blend.

Add the coconut oil and brown rice syrup.

Blend, blend, blend until the mixture is smooth. Form into balls!

The coconut oil really helps keep the shape of these. I recommend sticking these in the freezer to allow them to harden a little!

They resemble macaroons. (Hence the name)! Also, they are quite filling--I ate one and it was the perfect afternoon snack!

[If you are interested in the other pop'ums flavors, refer to the recipes page!]

You're probably wondering why I referred to today as "food processor fun" day. Well...while I was waiting for my pop'ums to harden in the freezer, I made some almond butter.

But not just any almond butter!

...Chocolate chip almond butter!!!

(If you haven't noticed, I love chocolate).

Toasted almonds + honey + drop of vanilla + handful of chocolate chips

I don't have a proper recipe because this was completely an experiment. An experiment that turned out beautifully! And I loved how the chocolate melted when I blended everything together. SO YUM!

Since we're on the topic of sweets, I might as well show you the treat I had tonight. My roomie, Alyssa, and I walked to a nearby gelato place. Keyword: walked. That means we earned it. :)

Watermelon (top) + rose (bottom) gelato.

If you haven't been to Allegro Gelato, I HIGHLY recommend it. If you're wondering how gelato can be rose flavored, it can be. And it was great! Allegro uses all natural flavors and ingredients, none of those sugar syrups. Guilt-free gelato. It exists.

Tomorrow I'll be back with a crazy cucumber recipe I've been wanting to make all week. Let's hope it turns out well!

WIAW: Influenza edition.

There are few things that make being sick an okay experience. Food is not one of them.

Do you feel me here? Or am I the only one who loses my appetite when ill? 

Anyway, one of the few things I like is being able to lie on the couch for hours on end watching mindless tv. My tv show of choice today was Brothers and Sisters.

...Don't judge. I'm sure you would be doing the same thing. Plus it's a comforting show with just the right amount of drama to keep me engaged for 10+ hours.

I think it's obvious that I hardly left the couch today. And I think it's obvious that I did not cook any elaborate meals. However, I still ate my three square meals.

So without further ado, my eats of the day. Influenza style. 

Breakfast: overnight oats + gigantic mug of green tea. (This is what I eat for breakfast most days).

Overnight oats: 1/2 cup oats + frozen berries + 1 tbsp chia seeds + walnuts + milk stirred and left in the fridge overnight.

Lunch: a la Guilin. (P.S. THEY DELIVER). If you haven't heard of Guilin, it's a small Chinese restaurant, and half of their menu is vegetarian items. And they have items that include wheat gluten instead of tofu. And they eliminate oil upon request. 

Steamed brown rice + mixed veggies with "veggie chicken" (wheat gluten) + hot and sour soup + egg roll

Let's take a closer look at that wheat gluten. So. Good.

And about that egg roll? Very little oil and yet so delicious. I don't know how they do it.

Too bad my appetite wasn't up to it's usual ravenous standards, otherwise I would have enjoyed it 1000 times more. 

Snack: chocolate chip "ice cream."

Blend: frozen banana + splash almond milk + chocolate chips

Fun way to get your nutrients in!

Dinner: easy sammich.

Toasted baguette + melted swiss + spinach + tomatoes + cucumber & carrots mixed with rice vinegar + jalapeno cilantro hummus

Dessert: a spoonful of honey. My mom informed me that honey is a natural way to reduce a cough (even better than a cough drop!).

And I rounded out the night with another gigantic mug of tea.

And now I will finish my last episode of Brothers and Sisters before heading to bed. Goodnight!

Cool as a cucumber.

I know I promised you guys cucumber stats for yesterday. I know, I let you down.

I hope you accept my apologies. Or as I like to say in real life, "My b."

Anyway, I taught TurboKick last night for the first time in three weeks! It was awesome. Screaming and jumping around for an hour is where it's at.

Except...I woke up this morning sore from head to toe. I really thought it was because my class was that amazing. Little did I know I was heading for a little somethin' a.k.a. an attack on my immune system. I think I'm destined to stay away from the gym? So now I have a super low voice, a throat cold, and body aches which are clearly unrelated to last night's workout.

The bright side? The super low voice. I think it sounds cool.

I packed some pretty nutrient dense meals into my day, including this not-so-nice-looking-but-definitely-tasty-and-filling rice bowl.

I like to call it a roasted veggie rice bowl. It included cucumbers. That was my crazy idea of the day.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 can kidney beans
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled
• 1 carrot
• 1 tomato
• 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• hummus
• handful cilantro
• olive oil
• black pepper

Chop the veggies and combine them in a bowl with the beans, olive oil, cilantro, and pepper.

Note to self: use bigger bowl next time.

Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet and then place the unpeeled garlic on the sheet.

Bake at 350F. The timing is a bit tricky because...kidney beans explode in the oven. Check it out:

Who knew?!

I found that pretty hilarious. So I took the kidney beans out after 10 minutes, but let the other veggies roast for about 20 minutes total. Afterwards, I scooped them into a bowl with the rice and topped with chipotle hummus. (Really good hummus flavor, by the way!)

I bet you're wondering how roasted cucumbers taste. They are definitely sweeter than raw cucumbers, but they lose their distinctive crunch. I think I prefer them raw.

Okay, here are your long-awaited cucumber nutrition facts!

• The peel is full of fiber, while the flesh is full of water. Fiber + water = a good combination!
• The skin also contains beneficial minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
• Cucumbers are a good source of vitamin C.
• Cucumbers are often used for curing skin problems and for improving skin health due to the silica found in the skin.
• Two compounds found in cucumbers prevent water retention, which is why cucumbers are helpful for swollen eyes.

Stay tuned--tomorrow is What I Ate Wednesday, and I know you are extremely curious about what I eat in one day!! (Cucumbers will be included).

TFG Sandwich Deli.

A few years ago, I had my first vegetarian banh mi (aka vietnamese baguette) at a small restaurant called Asian Sandwich Deli. (A few YEARS ago?! That makes me feel so old).

It was my first and last time there because soon after, they closed. Fortunately, I found another restaurant that sold vegetarian banh mi.

Anyway, even though I've only had banh mi a few times, each time, I've been seriously curious about this sandwich.

I decided to recreate it Tulika-style. ...And now I want to make this every day.

Easy, healthy, and TASTY. And you don't have to leave your house (except maybe to get the ingredients, heh).

Vegetarian Banh Mi

Ingredients:

• baguette
• 1/3 block tofu
• 6 small mushrooms
• 1/2 cucumber, thinly chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• pinch salt
• cilantro
• mayonnaise (I used olive oil-based mayo)
• chili sauce

Chop the tofu and pan fry it in vegetable oil.

After the tofu have browned, set aside. With the leftover oil, cook the mushrooms.

Discard the excess oil, put the tofu back in the pot, and combine with soy sauce.

In a separate bowl, combine chopped cucumber, shredded carrot, rice vinegar, and salt. 

Toast the baguette in the oven for about 5 minutes or until at desired crustiness. 

Assemble the sandwich!

Mayo:

Tofu mixture:

Cucumber mixture:

Cilantro:

A little more mayo:

Add chili sauce and ENJOY!

Hearty to the max. 

And thanks to a reader request, this week is cucumber week! I'll gather some cucumber nutrition stats for you guys for tomorrow. In the mean time, make this sandwich!!!