Hey there! Has everyone had a good week? If not, as my friend used to tell me -never fear as the weekend is here! Cheesy eh? Moving on swiftly lets have a speedy back-track to yesterday’s eats…
An old friend made a reappearance yesterday…
It’s back people! Vanilla tofu. This was of the Banana and Vanilla variety. I made a slight change to my original recipe by using vanilla rice milk as it means that no sweetener or vanilla extract is required. Less work which is can only be a good thing. I topped this dreamy delight with warm fruit compote, mixed seeds and some almond butter. I usually use Clear Spot Organic tofu or Cauldron as I find that these taste the best.
Lunch was straight from the freezer, Jerusalem Artichoke, Parsnip and Celeriac Soup with some oatcakes a plum and an apple.
Later that day I snacked on some Yeo Valley fat free vanilla yoghurt with some lovely fresh strawberries.
I wanted to workout when I got home but “Aunt Flo” as Emma puts it paid me an unexpected visit, leaving me feeling lethargic and in pain…blurrgh! So I decided to lay off my toning workout. For a much needed energy boost I decided that a mammoth green smoothie fest was appropriate for dinner.
This green beauty contained spinach, savoy cabbage, an apple, vanilla rice milk, ground flax, coconut water and xanthan gum. I topped it with granola, mixed seeds, chopped dates. Chocolate is also needed at times like these, especially some delicious raw chocolate. I dived into my raw choccie stash and chose Lavish, and orange dark chocolate made by the Raw Chocolate Company.
This really hit the spot and has such a great nutritional profile to boot! It contains only 5 ingredients people. Yes, crikey I know! I thought the same when I read the ingredients listings at the back of the pack: cacaco mass, sweetener:xyitol, cacao butter, real vanilla and natural orange oil.
I have only just realised that I have been spelling cacao as cocoa for all of this time too…silly me!!!This morning I was still fighting the stomach cramps and back ache so I thought it was best to leave off my usual cardio and ab routine. Instead I enjoyed a rather leisurely oaty breakfast.
This was am-a-zing! Blueberries, pear, oats, vanilla rice milk topped with smooth peanut butter…WoW!!! I loved how the blueberries pooped and turned the oats purple when warmed through. The peanut butter went melted and became all gooey…yumfest! Perfect! :)For lunch I made a very quick salad, basically anything that could go into my salad did. It included watercress, spinach, rocket, artichoke heats, olives, bean sprouts, cabbage, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes and a huge dollop of some Sweet Potato Hummus.
I adore sweet potatoes and I’m in love with hummus so I thought I would marry the two and make one big hummus happy family with a little help from Gena of course.
Ingredients
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1 small mashed sweet potato
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400g of chick peas
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2 tbsp of tahini
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1 clove of grated garlic
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3 tbsp of olive oil
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water
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seasonings
I kept mine plain and simple but you could add all sorts of spices like Gena. I think I will try adding the curry powder and paprika next time.
Basically, I was just looking for a vehicle to eat this hummus and this salad made a very good vehicle!
I also had some sliced kiwis with the skins left on. They wasn’t as hairy as I thought they were going to be!
Mid afternoon I snacked on a pink lady apple that had lots of crunch-ability and my first Kashi TLC Cranberry Walnut Bar that I won in Carrie’s giveaway.
This bar was so good. I wish we could get products like this over here. I would love to try some peanut flour or coconut butter. There’s so many lovely products over in the good ol’ US of A. S’not fair!!! 🙂
After finishing up in the lab I made it to the gym for a light cardio routine. I managed 20 minutes on the cross trainer, 20 minutes on the treadmill interval training and 10 minutes on the bike, finishing up with some ab work. For dinner tonight I roasted a quarter of my butternut squash left over from my Butternut Squash and Coconut Curry and made a topping using spelt grains, cannellini beans, mixed veggies in a tomato sauce.
This was such a quick and simple dish. It was delicious!
I have some butternut squash left over for a smoothie tomorrow and some of the spelt and bean tomato filling for lunch too. You’ve got to love leftovers…happy days! For dessert I had two Avocado Cups with sliced apples.
I’m quite busy this weekend, working tomorrow with a visit to the market to stock up on fruit and veg on my break. Supplies are low my friends and I feel rather lost without a healthy supply of fruit and veg in the house. Although I do have four mangoes that have yet to ripen. Do you guys have any ideas to help them hurry along? On Sunday my dad is visiting and we are going laptop shopping for him. Shopping with my dad is always innn-ter-resting to say the least! I also want to fit in a workout and bake up a red velvet cake- it is St. Vals Day on Monday after all. Oh and preparing for the week ahead.
Do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day? Alfie and I tend not to celebrate it as it is our anniversary the month after, 6 years this year…eeek!
Have a fab weekend lovely people!!! x
Wow – was that porridge really that colour? It’s gorgeous!
I love the Aunt Flo reference too – brilliant 🙂
Yes the blueberries burst when I heated them with the oats. I love the colour! The Aunt Flo reference is great! 😀
Aww glad you took my ‘Aunt Flo’ advice and choccied up! 😀
Wow 6 years?! Well I hope you have a great Valentine’s Day anyway, and that Aunt Flo leaves soon! 😛
You Aunt flo advice was perfect. The chocolate was a great help! 🙂
After 6 years and 2 years of marriage we are a bit past valentines day, I don’t think you should need a day to show each other you love one another, saying that I probably will make a bit more of an effort to make a nice meal! I didn’t realise that the cauldron tofu was organic thats great, I prefer organic tofu – no nasties!
Woah! Major typo. I was only meant to say that the Clear Spot was organic. Thanks for that!
yay! glad you liked the TLC bar.. its ridonkulus how much good stuff the USA has!! SWEET potato hummus sounds awesome!! awww 6 yearss!! that is so so great! have fun!
I’m so jealous of all of the food in the US, but I think I would spend a fortune! 🙂
Wow – some great food there. I’m just getting into making my own hummus and I’m keen to try the sweet potato variety – looks sooo good!
My boyfriend and I don’t usually celebrate valentines, we just try to be nice to each other every day (with mixed success. Lol!) Congrats on the 6 year anniversary!
Thank you! I really like making my own hummus now. There are so many different flavour combinations that you can make up…endless!
Those strawberries look divine, I haven’t had any in ages 🙁 I’m very tempted to run out and buy a carton.
Oh I love strawberries. English strawberries are the best though. I wish they were available for a longer period of time.
Put the mangoes with a ripe banana- the gas from the banana will speed up the ripening process in all other fruits (which is why you are not supposed to put bananas in a fruit bowl with other fruit).
🙂
Lovely looking food too!
Yep, I second this tip – bananas ripen anything! Great eats as usual and I hope you feel better soon. I hate feeling out of sorts but chocolate always helps and it looks like you have a great stash of raw goodies to keep you going!
Thanks! I’m feeling much better. It’s usually the first 36 hours that are the worst. The chocolate was a major help too!
I was also going to say the banana trick!
The sweet potato hummous looks gorge 🙂
The hummus was fab!!! 😀
Thanks for the tip. The mangoes are currently with the bananas as you advised!
I can’t get over how vibrant and colourful your food looks. You’re a great photographer!
I hope the stomach cramps are easing up 🙂
Awww thank you! The camera is doing all of the work believe me. 🙂
That vanilla tofu looks delicious! I always thought you had to use silken tofu for blending it up and have never been able to find some, but if it works with regular tofu I may just give it a try! Also definitely adding sweet potato hummus to my to-do list 😀
I think it would work with both types of tofu really as you are blending it all up. !’m not totally sure though!
I’m intrigued by that vanilla tofu! How exactly do you measure 1/2 a cups worth? Do you liquidise the tofu first?
I measure 1/2 a cup diced in its solid form and then whizz it all up in a blender with the other ingredients.
I have plans to meet a friend for dinner and a couple of drinks. No date with man for the 9th year running so I had to do something to take my mind off it! Ha ha x x
I hope you have a lovely time with your friend!!! x
That has to be the greenest green monster I have ever seen! Mine are always rather sludgy-looking in appearance…I sacrifice appearance for taste by adding either frozen cherries, cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder, which all mess with the colour. I’ll have to try using an apple at some point as you did to give my GMs a makeover…they shall be ugly ducklings no longer!
Hope you’re feeling better today!
xxx