Archive | August 2009

Come and open up your folding chair next to me.

Good Evening!

Today went quickly.

I woke up at 5:30 AM and was out the door (in the dark) by 5:45. The run went pretty well although I was a little uncomfortable since it was so dark out still. No one harassed me though so we’re good.

The plan was 4 miles. I almost made it:
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The pace was 9:15ish. I can’t remember what it was exactly. I kind of felt like I was going faster butttt no. Let’s blame the wild humidity.

I was dripping with sweat by the time I got back. I drank lots of water and had a banana then got ready for work. My shower is way too hot. I had it as cool as it could be and I was still practically sweating when I got out. Not fun.

Don’t worry, I messed with the water heater a few minutes ago. We’ll see what happens.

I had oats with peanut butter and Puffins for breakfast today and then another banana because I was still hungry.

Ohhh I wanted to mention these veggie burgers:
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They’re delicious! I bought them at Trader Joe’s for $3.99 for a four pack. I suppose that’s kind of expensive but they’re way better than Morningstar Burgers.

Here’s the box:
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Not overladen with sodium like Boca Burgers (sorry for the bad picture):
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That man is very serious about these burgers.

No crazy ingredients:
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I give these two thumbs up and will probably purchase them again.

Okay on to the rest of today’s eats.

After a lonnnng meeting in the morning, I was hungry.

I met Andy for lunch. I said that I wanted a sandwich so we went to Bruegger’s. We had a buy one get one coupon! I got a garden veggie sandwich on a whole wheat bagel:
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Love pickles! Seriously love.

Andy had a Leonardo Da Veggie sandwich but I really didn’t take a picture… We both also had Honest Teas.
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Good lunch!

Yogurt snack in the PM:
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And then of course I stopped at the farmer’s market on the way home.

$3.75 bought me this:
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  • 2 zucchini & bell pepper = $1
  • 3 onions = $2
  • round zucchini = $0.75

    My dinner involved the round zucchini but I’ll show that experiment later…

    It’s almost 8 now. I don’t really have much to say. I’m trying to decide what to do tomorrow evening. Maybe a show. Maybe not. We’ll see. I have TONS of stuff to do at work tomorrow. Yay! I love being busy and productive.

    The title of the post is a Regina Spektor lyric if you’re wondering.

    Off to fold laundry!

  • 3 articles related to vegetarianism in the PGH Post-Gazette. Whaat?

    Yes there was also a review of the Rivers Casino Buffet but still, I was pleased.

    Article #1
    Veg Out With Us
    This article pulls several recipes from various new vegan/vegetarian cookbooks.

    This recipe looked particularly appealing to me:
    Potato Spinach Squares
    “Vegan Brunch” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

  • 3 pounds yellow potatoes (such as Yukon Gold), cut into 3/4-inch chunks
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (see note)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 16-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tablespoon dried)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • Fresh black pepper
  • 1 1/4 cups bread crumbs, divided
  • A few pinches paprika
  • Additional fresh oregano for garnish (optional)

    In a large pot, cover the potatoes in water and bring them to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain and place potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

    Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes a bit. Add nutritional yeast and oil and continue to mash until creamy. Press the thawed spinach in a colander to remove some of the water. Combine with the potatoes. Add oregano, lemon juice, zest, salt and several dashes of pepper.

    Mix in 1 cup of the bread crumbs and thoroughly combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

    Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Spread potatoes in evenly, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup bread crumbs and a few pinches of paprika. Spray with cooking spray to moisten the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. The dish is ready when the top is browned and the potatoes are pulling away from the sides of the pan. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing into squares and serving, but a word to the wise: This dish tastes better the longer you let it cool. Sprinkle with fresh oregano if you like.

    Note: Nutritional yeast, sometimes called “nooch,” lends a cheesy flavor to sauces and scrambles. Available in flakes or powder form, it is usually found in the bulk bins of your health food store. It is nothing like brewer’s yeast or any other kind of yeast, so don’t go replacing it.

    #2:
    Book shows a middle path of eating meat but less of it
    This article is a review of a new cookbook entitled “Almost Meatless” by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond. There is an almost meatless recipe included too.

    #3
    Local restaurants hope to appeal to vegans lists restaurants in the Pittsburgh area that are either vegetarian or have a lot of vegetarian options on the menu. Kind of few and far between in Pittsburgh but it’s getting better!

    Alright I just thought those might be of interest to you.

    Another post coming in a little while I’m thinking.

  • Food Ruts.

    I’m really in kind of a food rut this week. All I feel like eating is bread and cheese. Weird. There has been a lot of sprouted grain bread with melted Swiss cheese on top.

    Of course I’ve had oats for breakfast the last two days:
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    I’m been skipping the pumpkin this week and adding about a tablespoon of peanut butter instead. I’ve found that it keeps me full longer. I think I wasn’t getting enough fat in my breakfasts before.

    I had tuna sandwiches for lunch Monday and Tuesday and today I had a veggie burger and a bell pepper for lunch.

    I don’t feel like uploading the lunch pictures.

    I’ve had this for dinner the last two nights:
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    IMG_4040

    What is it you’re wondering?? It is 1/2 an onion sauteed with some tomato, spinach, a veggie burger and egg whites. It’s surprisingly delicious. The veggie burgers are awesome! I think I’ll do a review of them coming up. I’m definitely purchasing them again.

    Alright the laptop is about to die and my bread and cheese after-work snack is not holding me over. Time for some real dinner.

    Adios!