Trying to get back on the wagon after too much beer last night.
Lunch today was much healthier, I think…
A big bowl of arugula topped with a red pear, pecans, bleu cheese, pumpkin and kabocha seeds, and black pepper. I coated it with a drizzle of honey and olive oil, perfect!
On the side: tomato soup with a big spoonful of kabocha puree mixed in. Warm and comforting.
I feel good knowing I got my greens in today!
After I moved out of my parents’ house at 18 and had to quickly learn how to feed myself, I relied on a few packaged products to keep me from going hungry. One product that I basically survived on was Stouffers’ frozen macaroni and cheese.
Man, I thought those were delicious back then! Now though, not so much.
I don’t know why, but on a whim at the grocery store the other day I decided to pick up one of these to see if it compared at all to the beloved memory of my frozen mac and cheese.
I really like many of Amy’s products, so I figured it was worth a shot. Also, the ingredient list told me that they use Daiya cheeze, win!
I pulled it out of the freezer for lunch today because I was completely and totally unmotivated to make anything else. However, as soon as I took it out of the box I had doubts.
I immediately thought, “That sure seems like an awful lot of cheeze for such a small quantity of pasta.”
Hope emerged as it started to bubble away in the container. It was even starting to get that crispy cheese edge that you get with the Stouffers’ brand! (You know what I’m talking about.)
I thought I’d be a lady today and not eat it directly out of the cardboard, so I spooned it into a bowl.
Meh. I really didn’t care for it and couldn’t even manage to finish it. The pasta really did taste like rice which was off-putting for some reason. The cheeze sauce had a waxy plastic-y mouthfeel that coated the roof of my mouth with grossness. The flavor of the sauce wasn’t terrible, but still tasted pretty artificial. I guess I like Daiya cheeze better in small quantities.
Maybe I just haven’t been away from real cheese long enough to appreciate this? I’m glad that it exists, but it’s definitely not something I’ll purchase again.
Are there any frozen vegan products you would recommend?
This morning I really wanted to use my pumpkin puree that I made yesterday, so I made a batch of pumpkin oatmeal for Jeff and I with a few extra additions.
Yes, that’s a caramelized banana and apple butter! Wow, this was so good. Here’s how it came to be:
I started by slitting a banana in half and heating it in a non-stick pan…
And in a pot I added the following:
I basically just let the liquid come to a boil then add all the stuff, stir, turn it to low and let it sit covered for about 5 minutes. Then I just stir vigorously until it thickens up nicely and serve.
Add the toppings…
And serve! Just look at the “veins” on that caramelized banana, creepy but epically good!
Moving on to my equally epic lunch…
Jeff and I went for a walk to enjoy the glorious day going on outside and to try to grab some lunch. We ended up at Sawicki’s, a sort of general store/ delicatessen/ sandwich shop in downtown Decatur. While we waited for our sandwiches to be made, Jeff sipped on a cream soda and I tried a chilled rooibos tea.
And we shared some sweet potato chips…
Jeff got the cuban, which he said was excellent…
And I had the single best veggie sandwich I have ever had…
It was spring mix lettuces, avocado, cucumber, artichoke, tomato, hummus, and basil caper vinaigrette on the most delicious crusty roll ever. EPIC.
We will definitely be hitting up Sawicki’s again, can’t believe it took us this long to try it.
I have an interesting dinner planned for tonight, maybe I’ll hit the trifecta?
P.S.: Yes, I still plan to put up a video of my wedding cake practice, “life stuff” has gotten in the way, but it does exist and I do intend to get it on here soon.
