A Glimpse at My Food!

Today I thought I would participate in "What I ate Wednesday" where bloggers post what they ate throughout the day (or the preceding day). I got this idea when I read a post this morning by Carrie at Carrie on Vegan. So here we go!

This morning I started out with some Teeccino and a mango berry smoothie!

This is the Mocha variety, apparently when you brew the regular, barley containing variety of Teeccino, it is actually gluten-free. Awesome!

Here in Seattle, our Septembers are normally when we have the hottest weather and this September is no exception! Today temperatures reached over 90 degrees (I believe 93) and so when the heat drove me out of my third floor apartment, I enjoyed lunch outside! 

For my impromptu picnic today I enjoyed a baked potato and a nice salad! Delicious!

A baked potato with organic ketchup, Dijon mustard, green onions, and Himalayan pink salt.

Today my salad featured romaine, spinach, green cabbage, broccoli slaw, cucumber slices, and white beans topped with flax oil and a tahini-nutritional yeast dressing. 

Before having lunch I also visited my University's bookstore and lo and behold found that they carry bags and wallets by Big Buddha! Earlier this week I just got my first Big Buddha bag and so I thought I would get a wallet to match! I'm just so pleased!

Adorable!!!

I had a great afternoon hanging out outside with my picnic and new Big Budda bag and wallet and also had a chance to debut my new Our Hen House tote bag!

Onto dinner! I currently have the Forks Over Knives Cookbook out from the library so today I tried the recipe for Penne with Tomato "Alfredo" Sauce and it was pretty good! I added some kale for a little leafy green kick and had a great dinner! 

I love me some pasta!

I may also enjoy some form of dessert later this evening, perhaps some tea and fruit, but I wanted to get this published before it got way too late!

Well, with that I have a pile of dishes to do! I enjoyed documenting my food and think I may continue participating in "What I ate Wednesday!"

Happy Wednesday!

Banana-free Breakfast Smoothie (and a Mention on Our Hen House!)

I have another vegan basic today, the smoothie!

I love smoothies. Up until six months ago I would have a giant smoothie for breakfast almost every morning, a practice I intend to get back to.

One limitation I encounter when making smoothies however, is my need to avoid bananas, which are a strong migraine trigger for me. This always seems to complicate my smoothie making as almost every recipe I see online or in a cookbook requires banana. So, I bring you the banana-free breakfast smoothie!

Banana-free Breakfast Smoothie

Makes 5-6 cups

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup pineapple, frozen
• 1 apple, diced
• 1/2 cup mixed berries, frozen
• 1/2 cup blueberries, frozen
• 1 cup mango, frozen
• 1 tbsp flax seed/flax seed meal
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 cups non-dairy milk (I used soy)
• water to reach desired consistency 

Directions: 

1. Place all ingredients except water into your blender. 

2. Blend until smooth.* Your smoothie should be thick and creamy. 

3. Add water and blend to reach your desired consistency (i.e do you want to use a spoon or a straw to enjoy your smoothie?). I added 1/2 cup water to get a fluid but still thick smoothie. 

* If you are opposed to little chunks in your smoothies I would advise peeling the apple and perhaps omitting the flax and chia seeds. Alternatively, really blend it for a couple minutes if you want to make sure everything is the same texture. I for one enjoy getting the odd seed or sip of apple pulp, but I know that is not enjoyable for everyone!

Can you see the little apple flakes?! Yum yum! ;)

Also, feel free to play around with the fruit involved. Feeling like a bit more mango than berries? Go for it! I love making smoothies based on how I'm feeling in the moment and enjoy seeing what I come up with! I hope to share some more smoothie recipes throughout VeganMofo, so stay tuned! 

On a different note, did you see me mentioned on Our Hen House?! 

I just started helping out Our Hen House (OHH) by doing some transcribing work, which Jasmin talked about today on the OHH blog!! Another volunteer and I have worked on one interview thus far and we will continue to transcribe the interviews from upcoming episodes, as well as potentially some older ones. I am thrilled to be able to help this incredible organization and to be honest I'm still a little star stuck that I've been mentioned on OHH (is that really MY name?!?). 

Finally, check out the RandomMofo generator! I've already whiled away a good amount of time on this, and I know I will be spending a lot more time here throughout the month! 

Happy Wednesday, and do you have any favorite banana-free smoothie recipes? If so I would love to hear about them in the comments!