B-day cupcakes, Challenge recap, Three New items to review, Loomis & Lulla caught in the act!

  ****Cupcakes for the Birthday Girl****

We had to cancel. Too bad she didn’t get to eat them. They were good.

****Random Eating****

I love greasy eggrolls. Here is Miss Dottie keepin’ an eye on them for me while they thaw.

Chinese mustard + water spinach + tomatoes + baked tofu. My favorite!

   Vegetarian Egg rolls. Also my FAVORITE!

Breaky was hashbrowns a sunny side up egg, and 3 strips of “bacon.”

Early Grey tea with soymilk/almond milk to start the day.

****Salad Challenge Recap****

Sauteed tempeh, bed of greens & carrots.

Sauteed tempeh, avocado, bed of greens, vegetarian “pork floss,” and morningstar bacon.

My dressing for both salads above was the vegetarian dipping sauce. I also had a glass of orange juice.

My very last salad was a bed of mixed greens, yves deli slices, carrots and homemade potato chips.

I made the potato chips in the toaster oven at ~425 F for ~30 minutes. When it was done I added s+p.

A delicious tofurky sandwich. This time I tried the smokehouse flavor. SOOOO GOOD!

I was also sick. I ate lots of rice porridge….

Rice porridge + sandwich + Theraflu (ack!)

One night we had green beans and tomatoes. I ate it for about 2 days as leftovers.

****New Item of the Week***

Item #1: Tempeh!!

I absolutely loved it! I can’t believe I hadn’t tried it earlier. I love the texture and the fact that it is versatile, just like tofu. I’m definitely going to do some more experimenting. Right now I am thinking BBQ kebabs…..(mouth watering)….

Do you eat Tempeh? If so, what are your favorite ways to eat it?

Nutritional content. Again, loving all of the organic-ness. This brand of tempeh is also made by the Tofurky label.

Tempeh has lots of protein along with lots of carbs. This is why I counted this as two items on my salad for the challenge.

 New Item #2: Larabar, Cinnamon Roll

I actually ate this bar just because I knew I should eat. What is it about being sick that makes you lose your appetite? Initially I was hesitant to try it, but I knew if I didn’t eat it, it’d go to waste (I bought this bar when I still had a sweet tooth).

When I opened the package, I immediately smelled the cinnamon. It was very potent. The white specks are walnut/almond pieces, which of course added a soft crunch. It wasn’t chewy…,but more like a hybrid of chewy and melt-in-your-mouth type. I am guessing all of the sugar from the dates and raisins gave it the latter consistency. Would I buy this bar again? Most likely not. I prefer my cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven with dough.

New Item #3: Pasta Prima All Natural Wild Mushroom and Thyme Ravioli.

Nutritional Content: That’s a lot of calories for such a small meal….

“extra fancy durum flour” uh…..what does that mean? there are lots of cheeses listed. I don’t eat cheese that often, but I do have a preference to aged parm, asiago, and sometimes brie. My least favorite is Mozzarella, whish is listed as the first cheese ingredient here.

I boiled it for about 2-3 minutes until they puffed up and floated to the top. It also came with this parmesan seasoning packet. I used about half in this meal.

I drizzled it with a bit of olive oil and tossed it around a bit before I ate it. I must have cooked it on a too high heat because I found the dough to be very chewy and thick. (thumbs down). The seasoning packet made the already super salty filling even more salty. (another thumbs down). The taste of the mozzarella overpowered the wild mushrooms. If I had an extra thumb, I’d give it three thumbs down. Way down. 

****Loomis & Lulla****

Their daily routine is tearing up stuffed animals/other toys and making a mess. We can always count on Happy to be happy to lose his hat, lose his head and his insides.

The white cloth in front of Lulla used to be her bed. It also used to be three times it size—minus the holes.

I also want to thank those who participated in the salad challenge. I know I wasn’t every helpful/motivating during this round. so sorry! It’s just been so hectic. Dec and Jan are the busiest times of the year for me. Filled with Holidays, birthdayS, New school semester, family visitations…now I have to deal with doctor appointments as well. I should have planned it out better….I do hope that at least some of you found new and creative ways to enjoy your greens.

Until Next Time!