What I Ate Wednesday #67

 

Happy almost summer! To all the Americans reading this post, happy Memorial Day.  It is so wonderful to have a special day each year to remember all of the soldiers from the past, thank the soldiers in the present and be grateful to all of future soldiers. Just about everyone knows someone, friend or family who has served in our distinguished military. These brave men and women deserve so much respect and honor, one day a year is a beautiful gesture, but thinking and praying for them everyday is essential!

We had a lovely day with family and friends on Sunday who came over to our house and enjoyed a little feast. I was too short on time to take pictures, so I opted to include our Memorial Day meals from home and at a picnic.

Since I was not sure of the picnic eats, I made us a hearty breakfast and packed us some vegan options to go.

Breakfast:

Tofu eggs with spicy Daiya cheese on a bed of sautéed Tuscan kale, onions, peppers and mushrooms. A side of gluten free brown rice bread toasted and loaded with smashed avocado seasoned with sea salt and cracked pepper. This lovely filling breakfast is under 400 calories and so satisfying.

 

Pictures by the pool…I can’t wait until it is warm enough for me to swim. Mya and her friends have bared the cold water to get some splash time in. I remember being a kid and not minding the cold water, what happened?

We were invited to Andy’s friend’s house for an afternoon of Horseshoes and picnicking. After breakfast we ran around a bit before packing up for the picnic.  I decided to bring fruit, everyone likes fruit, right?  I was exhausted from Sunday’s festivities, so making something to bring was not in the cards.  I packed Andy a leftover vegan hoagie from Sunday, I brought myself some tvp tuna with gluten free rice crackers, and a canister of coffee with coconut creamer. I can’t leave without my afternoon coffee fix!

Andy was looking forward to meeting up with his horseshoe buddies. I did not know anyone who was going be there, but Andy always meets great people through his sports and activities. I was hoping to meet some nice wives or  girlfriends to hang out with for the day and that Mya would have someone to play with while Andy got his game on.  The party was about 25 minutes away. Upon arrival, we made our way back to a beautiful backyard that was full of large trees that blanketed the area with shade allowing streams of sun to peak through.  It was a gorgeous 72 degree day, perfect picnic weather. 

Small World:

As we rounded the corner and made introductions, immediately the hosts wife, Tiffany, said I looked familiar. I took one look into her stunning eyes and my childhood summers flashed before my eyes.  OMG, we grew up spending our summers together from two to sixteen at a very small remote beach community on the Chesapeake Bay more than two hours from our current homes. It had been about 20 years since I have seen her! All the childhood memories came rushing back.  We laughed for hours reminiscing of the simple fun we had as kids with nothing more than our imagination and whatever nature provided. What a small world. Whether we were swimming, catching frogs, or playing kick the can, ghost in the graveyard, or flashlight tag at night, we were never bored. We were constantly coated in a potent layer of OFF to keep the mosquitos away from our Aqua-net sprayed bangs! Those were the days. Twenty years and two hours away, connected to an old friend. Ironically we also have been both with our husbands 21 years, we even got married at the same place! It’s funny how fate brings people back in each other's lives.

There was so much food at the party, even some delicious vegan salads. We had a great time.  Here is a picture of lunch.

I know this looks like not much food, but I refilled on the salads, they were so good.  Since we arrived at noon and did not leave until seven, this plate made a repeat appearance at dinner, only with a scoop of baked beans added. I grazed on salad and fruit all day.  I was pretty happy no junk ended up on my plate. Mya ate some cake for me.  

We had a great day. Andy threw a lot of horseshoes and Mya found a friend to play with all day.

FAST FOOD:

Since there were only two meals from Monday, I thought I would give you an idea what I consider a “Fast Food” lunch. We often have to rush out the door shortly after lunch, so  having some quick options is helpful to have on hand. I always keep bags of frozen rice and Trader Joe’s Enchiladas.

Both take minutes to heat up and while they are heating, I chop up some mix ins for the rice. These awesome enchiladas also only pack 130 calories each. They come two in a pack and when paired with rice and veggies, they are a complete meal.

I season the rice with Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning and a squeeze of real lime juice before adding chopped veggies. Chopped tomatoes, onions, green onions, avocado to add to the rice, then about two tablespoons of TJ’s Cowboy Caviar, which is a thick salsa that consists of tomato, black beans and corn. I put the base of rice on a plate, then add some chopped spring mix lettuce and cilantro from my garden on mine alone! Then, I place my enchilada on top with a shaving of Dayia jalapeno cheese. In less than 9 minutes, lunch is served, and it’s a lot healthier than Mexican from a Bell!

 

The theme of Tuesday seemed to be RUSH. So dinner was another fast food meal. This is pretty much five ingredients  and twenty minutes to a  delicious heaping bowl of pasta.

I boil water for my brown rice fettuccini, and while that starts, I heat up my Dutch oven with some coconut oil before adding half a bag of these amazing tasting “sausage” pieces by Wegman’s. They are not gluten free, so I gave Andy the pieces that ended up in bowl, same goes for the meatless meatballs.

As soon as the sausage bits begin to brown, I add two jars of my favorite organic Bertolli sauce. I lower temp, add a few bay leaves and defrost half a bag of meatless meatballs in the microwave for one minute before adding them to the sauce.  Once the water is boiling, I add the brown rice fettuccini noodles to it, stirring often. Once the meatballs have been cooking a few minutes, I add a can of rinsed and drained white kidney beans to the sauce, That is my protein. The sauce cooks an additional 15 minutes on low before adding the cooked noodles to it.  I mix it to coat the noodles with sauce and it is ready to serve with some vegan parmesan on top!

That concludes the meals in this edition of What I ate Wednesday. Click this link to pop over to Peas and Crayons to see lots of other bloggers meals this WIAW!

I hope you have a wonderful week! I am off to do my workout, holiday’s always throw me off! See you next Wednesday!

What I Ate Wednesday #66

 

Is anyone else Strawberry obsessed right now? Is there really anything as sweet as the first really ripe, perfect strawberry of the early summer season? I was so excited to see the store stocked with baskets of fresh organic strawberries, it feels like so long ago since I had one that was not frozen.  Subconsciously I must have missed them far more than I knew. It wasn’t until I uploaded my pictures that I  realized how many meals these ripe berries made their way into this WIAW. 

Update: Eight weeks, still gluten free! I still have not noticed a grand difference that people say happens when you cut out wheat, but I have noticed minor changes, and I definitely feel like my stomach is much flatter and not bloated since the switch.  The only GF products I have bought, other than things that are naturally GF, are brown rice bread and some pancake mix. Most GF products contain eggs or dairy, so that limits them since I am vegan. I eat so many vegetable based meals that I  really don’t miss it.  It makes it a little more difficult when I cook Mya and Andy meat substitutes, most contain gluten, so just I have tofu or tvp as my protein. But overall, I feel really good and I am happy to have made the switch.  I know I can better serve my nutrition clients that have wheat allergies by having some experience eating GF.

My workouts are steadily becoming even more intense since bathing suit season is weeks away. Lots of cardio, strength training and a new love for yoga. When I was younger I tried yoga and thought it was too slow for me, now I love it and find it is such a great strength trainer and my flexibility increases each day, and I needed that!

Other than that, the count down for school to be done is on. I don’t know who is more excited, Mya, Andy or me.  We love our long summer days and fun day trips. I hope we get to have lots of fun this summer.

Ok, so onto the meals… What I Ate Wednesday 66…

Breakfast for me was one gluten free pancakes topped with chopped strawberries alongside a super thick and creamy mixed berry shake adorned with some gluten free coconut hemp granola. The shake was filling on its own, but I had to indulge in a pancake too, Mya and Andy’s looked so good.  Luckily it was in within my calorie bank for breakfast and I was still recovering after an intense workout.

My every 2.5 week grocery shopping was today.  I had a partner in grocery crime today, my dad!  He accepted my invite to go to Trader Joe’s and Wegman’s for the large orders.  I have very little self control grocery shopping. I love to have everything on hand for any possible recipe inspiration that might pop up. It was quite a trip and I stayed on budget, well almost! Dad helped me with my two carts full at TJ’s and then with my other at Wegman’s.  Three hours later I returned home starving. 

I very quickly put away the frozen items that were quickly beginning to melt. Lunch could not come fast enough, luckily, I thought ahead at the stores and picked up a pack of veggie sushi from TJ’s, and a bag of Asian chopped salad from Wegman’s. Perfect combo.

My mom bought Mya some sushi the night before, and I could not stop wanting some! I like mine with lots of ginger and avocado with a hint of wasabi.

The salad came with a side pack of toppings that included almonds and Asian noodles, since those are not gluten free, I made sure none of those landed on my salad, almonds only. I do not have an allergy, so I don’t have to worry about the flour residue they may have gotten on the almonds. My mom also brought Mya some lo mein last night, it was a big container so I gave Andy some with his lunch.

This lunch hit the spot, it was exactly what I wanted.  It satisfied all my cravings and it held me until dinner. I spent the next hour putting away all the groceries.  I have a tip for any of you who keep their bread frozen and use it by the slice as I do. Since I am the only one who eats it, and I only have one slice a day, the freezer is where my GF bread stash is kept.  Sometimes, the slices do not want to come out so easily, they freeze together, so every time I pick up a loaf, I spend a few minutes keeping that from happening. 

1. Unwrap Bread

2. Insert Cut Up Deli Paper

3. Re-wrap and freeze! No more stuck slices! Works every time, and I even reuse my papers storing in a bag until I buy a new loaf.

I was so excited by all the newly stocked foods in the fridge and I was dying to try the corn on the cob TJ’s had on display.  It was our first corn of the season, and although I was expecting the corn to be subpar, I still based my dinner menu around it.  Wow, was I pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite into the pale small kernels, it was as sweet as August corn! Why didn’t I buy more?

For me, a gluten free bun-less veggie burger with the works, corn, one very small baked potato and a few tablespoons of baked beans on the side. Summer must be coming!

Aren’t potatoes so photogenic?

They are such camera hogs, they try to get in every photo!

Mya and Andy had burgers…with buns!

Following this summery dinner, strawberries made another appearance for dessert, in more ways than one!

Another great Trader Joe item, dairy free strawberry coconut milk ice cream. For those of you who do not like coconut, it only tastes like strawberries and cream, not coconut.  It was perfectly balanced sweet and creamy.

Dessert consisted of a firm ripe strawberry cut into two and filled with a few tablespoons of the strawberry heaven ice cream.   I topped the ice cream with slightly sweetened shredded coconut.  This dessert was a perfect end to a summer meal, small and sweet, no guilt here!

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a great day and enjoy some fabulous meals!