Hungry Tiger

If you know what the title of this post means, I’m sorry.  Ha Ha.

But that’s what I felt like (again) today.  I had 4 meals (not snacks, meals) AFTER dinner alone.

OK, so back to the beginning…

Hump day started off with an early morning wake up call.  Someone’s gotta save lives.

To get me going, I went with a Trilogy Kombucha.  This is my FAVE flavor by far.  Mmmm…

I had packed my lunch before, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

I bought a big ‘ol container of “tropical” trail mix to tide me over.  Even though I’m still on the fence with certain nuts, I know they can hold my appetite, so I think it’s a great go-to when my appetite is hungry tiger hippie status.

What exactly qualifies a mix as tropical?  Brazil nuts?  Papaya?  I don’t know, it seemed pretty standard as far as dried fruit/nut mixes go…but whatever, beggars can’t be choosers. 

I polished the entire thing off, as well as my whole packed lunch by 1 pm.  FYI, the “new” super protein odwalla bars are the merely smaller versions of the former ones (with a new wrapper).

Business/Economics 101 says fool the customers into thinking something is new and improved with a flashy new packaging, while simultaneously saving money by charging the same price for a smaller version of the product.  Hmmmm…not a fan of this policy, but I can’t deny my love for odwalla is still going strong.

Anyways, I scrounged this up…vegan options are minimal at the hospital, but if you know the right people (wink wink), you can move mountains…ok, ok, I discharged a patient on a veggie diet before lunch came, and they still brought her tray.  The hospital is WAY too cheap to donate ANYthing to the starving nurses fund – believe me, I’ve tried!!

Sorry about the not-so-hot blackberry photo…

I stopped here (AGAIN) on my way home from work, to get my Kombucha fix.  Don’t be deceived by the hole-in-the-wall appearance.  This place has all the products that Whole Foods has, MINUS the massive lines.  Is two Kombuchas a day too many?

Anyways, when I got home, I had to eat something right away to prevent myself from chewing my arm off.

Roasted red pepper Sabra on Alvarado Street bread, plus apple slices for max dipping pleasure.

Kyle was already home and munching on these…

…so I couldn’t help but have a few (hundred) handfuls.

DARN IT! 

The good news: Newman’s Own does cookies right.

The bad news: I hadn’t even eaten a proper dinner and I managed to down well over half of the bag. 

To get some decent (not processed) calories in, I made an avocado mash containing an ENTIRE avo, shredded carrots, and clover sprouts…which I then piled on top of 2 slices of Alvarado Street bread.  On the side, I had the last of my home-made seitan.

After dinner I went dessert crazy.  First up, dates stuffed with carob chips.

Then, I had a big bowl full of strawberries with stevia and cinnamon sprinkled on top, and more carob chips tossed in after.

But the treats didn’t stop there.  And I’m glad they didn’t because as a result, I discovered an amazing new dessert!  Dried mango with PEANUT BUTTER!  It reminded me of PB+J with the sweetness of the dried mango and the crunchy nutty peanut butter.  YUM.

As if that weren’t tasty enough.

…it evolved into something even BETTER (clearly carob chips go with everything).

After a few more of these, I called it a night.  Hungry tigers have to go to bed eventually.

raindrops on roses & whiskers on kittens

Now that’s it’s “summer” we have been sleeping with the bedroom windows open, but the thunder and lightning were so INSANE last night, I had to channel my inner Von Trapp and sing “My Favorite Things” to calm myself down…it was scary!

It woke me up it was so loud.  And just so you know, normally I sleep like a rock, so this was no joke.

Clearly I had a rough night’s sleep – enter coffee :)

These are a few of my favorite things…

Peach chobz (not as good as blueberry) and a bowl of melon.

I had a mid-morning snack of peanut butter + banana, just to tide me over until lunch.

Once I was full and fueled, I began my Hawaii preparations (planning meals for Kyle while I’m gone, downloading new music and yoga sessions on my iTunes, etc.) – sure it may be a bit premature (I leave on Sunday), but I know I have lots in the coming week, so the type A in me wanted to get things rolling.

That really worked up my appetite!  Lunch time!

I made a sammich with Za’atar tofu (baked with Sabrina’s spice mix last week) on one side, and roasted red pepper hummus on the other.  I already need another tub!

 

Fan-freakin-tastic.  Random question: Do you guys cut your sandwiches in half before eating them?  Or do you bite right in?  If you cut them in half, which half do you eat first?  I always cut mine diagonally, and eat the smaller half first.  That way I don’t get sad when I finish the first half because I still have the bigger part left :)  Haha, I’m a freak, I know.

Anyways, I feel like soy products have been getting a bad rap lately, so I just wanna say – errrthang in moderation kiddos!!  Tofu isn’t the devil, especially if you prepare it yourself.

On the side I had apple slices with a mini-tub of Tribe hummus…I may have dipped the sammie in the hummus, too (TWO kinds of hummus on ONE sandwich – now that’s my kind of meal)!

You know what this means…fresh lemonade!!

Lunch dessert = dried fruit platter with raw cow hide mango, pineapple, and papaya spears.

The skies parted, so I sprinted to the gym…my workout was good, not great.  It felt good to get my blood pumping, but the whole time I was wishing I was outside :(  On the plus side, I had the new Black Eyed Peas cd AND Jillian’s podcast (thanks Sarah!!) to distract me. 

I did some very necessary shopping on my way home…

I was hardly in the door when I ripped into these babies!  I had a obscenely embarrassing amount (TEN).  Cinnamon may even be better than the original!  The HUGE sugar crystals on top were the best part.  SoSoSoGood!

Even after half the box, I wasn’t full, so I crunched into this bright red loverrr.

And sipped on pounded a Cosmic Cranberry Kombucha (try saying THAT 5 times fast).

In case you were worried, I replenished my Sabra stash today. 

I have GOT to get a hold on myself..I bought 4 different flavors (3 of which were Sabra).  Can’t wait to see Kyle’s reaction when he opens the fridge…

For dinner I dove right into the classic Sabra (FIRST with a fork, and then with an english muffin).

Since yesterday’s “nachos” were such a success…I went with round two of the veggie slices “cheesy” chips – which I then decided could ALSO be dipped in hummus.  I mean c’mon, why not?! 

Who didn’t see this coming…haha.

Once my carb cravings were properly met (and surpassed), I decided to get some other food groups in (wait, hummus isn’t it’s own food group?) and made a plate filled with yum.

Mark your calendars kids, because this will go down in history as one of THE SINGLE best dinners of my life.

Lookie lookie: Chickpeas, edamame, brown rice, tofu chunks, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, red bell pepps, and dried cranberries all a bed of spinach.

Oh.Em.Gee.

Beeeee-YOOT!

I was quite content after this bomb dindin.  I had some iced tea which required NO ice since this mug was stored in the freezer (the water freezes in the outside part) – so COOL! 

Like a built in cozie!

Eventually it was time for the big D.

Melted carob chips + PB + toasted Alvarado Street bread = mmmm!

This rocked me right into a food coma.  I was barely able to pack my lunch for work tomorrow before the zzzzzzs kicked in.

Enough salads already

Up at 5.  Out the door in under 30.  Not a record, but not too shabby either.

I got to downtown way earlier than usual, so the bucks wasn’t open yet (eek!)…good thing I had Bruno’s to the rescue.  I’ve raved before, so my love for this tiny place is no secret, a small steamy coffee turned that frown upside down :)

Here’s my latest read.  I heart David Sedaris!  Makes the loss of express trains on the weekends somewhat tolerable. 

I managed to avoid the local trains today, so all was good.

Anyways, I enjoyed the above pre-packed eats throughout the day.

Cookies ‘n Cream LUNA = soooooo good!  This was the first Luna bar that I have been satisfied with!

One side was coated in white frosting, and the other side was chocolate crispy bar drizzled in more frosting.  Yes please!

I would DEF buy this one again, and it held me over nicely until lunch time.

I had a big ‘ol java over ice, too…while reading, eating, and people watching at Bruno’s.  My lunch salad was great and all, but I think I’ve had my fill of greens for a while.

I had TONS of psycho patients today.  It wasn’t too bad, though, because even though I wanted to pull my hair out at times, I wasn’t very busy, so it was also on the amusing side.  BTW, when I say “psycho” patients, I really mean it.  They had serious neurological issues (which means I’m not a bad person for talking crap about them, ok).

On the way home from work, I did a naughty thing…

Who knows what the people on the subway thought of me taking a pic of my Kombucha in my lap.  After I snapped the photo, I proceeded to open the drink, at which point it exploded all over me.  My paper thin scrubs were NO help whatsoever…and yet, all I could think of was how I lost $1 worth of my precious drink!!!!

I was ready for dinner when I got home, so I was happy that I had some food already prepared. 

Quinoa, chickpeas, and a heapin’ spoonful of sabra LOVE.

In order to avoid beige overload, I added in some shredded carrots.

Yeahhhh boiiiiiiiiiiii…

Obviously, this only fueled my stomach the beast more.  Enter course two. 

Philly cheese steak.  Strike that.  Toasty, melty veggie slices with seitan – that’s more like it   :)

How could I ignore my sweet tooth on the late night?  I couldn’t decide between two desserts, so I had both!

First, sliced apples, pears, and strawbz.

Second, Fig Newman's with peanut butter.

Is it totally ridiculous that I made a sammie with cookies and PB?!

Don’t worry, I already know the answer to this one.

Holy crap you’re hot!  Thanks for the shout out It’s A Wrap, clearly all my sassy blogger buddies deserve this, how could I choose!

drizzle my frizzle

Ugh, my hair is NOT cool with this weather.  NOT cool man, NOT cool.

Today’s food photos are nowhere to be found…I’m not sure where they vanished off to, but the culprit is either my camera or computer (and based on my recent technology-challenged history, it’s the computer).  It’s a shame, too, because I went to Whole Foods on the way home from work (killed the weekly monthly budget), and there were some major food porn pictures from the hot bar.

I guess my computer was jealous of the deliciousness going on, and wanted to eat them too…

Anyways, I have my dessert pictures, so at least there’s that!

First, though, here’s a fun little survey that Nutritious is Delicious tagged me in a few days ago…

1. Picture of where you blog:

Welcome to my “living” room – I put the quotation marks because it’s a New York apartment, and there’s really only one room…so labeling the areas is somewhat arbitrary.

2. Describe the space:

Couch.  Pillows.  The ottoman doubles as a desk for my computer and as a table for my chow seshes. 

A few random things: I rotate between different coasters for my mugs (yes, plural) of coffee, this particular one is from Australia (gift from my sister when she lived there).

Also, the pictures hanging on the wall in the background are all beach/ocean pictures to remind us of home sweet home.

This one I did with oils as a gift to Kyle on our second anniversary (it’s a picture of where he took me (as a surprise) on our first anniversary).

3.  What am I wearing now: PJs (my ever-so-sexy combo of sweatpants + wife beater + slippers)

4. Last read: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls; Currently reading: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

5. Do you ever nap: Nope.  Never.  I’m an insomniac, so if I slept mid-day, I’d never sleep at night.

6. Last hugged: Kyle

7.  Current obsession:  This is hard given my addictive personality…(I’m assuming this question is food related).  If I said hummus, that wouldn’t exactly be accurate, since that’s more of a lifelong infatuation, not some passing whim of an addiction…so, to answer the question, probably falafel (I’m in a bit of a rut right now), and also shredding carrots into ribbon-like noodles.

8.  What’s for dinner?  Haven’t decided yet…we may go out to eat with friends.

9.  Last thing I bought:  Starbucks coffee (at work) and WF hot bar dinner.

10.  Listening to now:  The obnoxious ladies of The View (sadly)   :(

11.  If I could have a super power:  Invisibility?  The ability to fly?  Or maybe the ability to eat and eat and eat and never feel full  (actually, that would be dangerous).  I have no idea.

12.  Favorite weather and why:  Do you even have to ask?!  As if I don’t whine about this enough…

Sunny and warm because I’m a Cali girl and I miss my home state weather!  Plus, I think I have SAD, seeing as how the sun makes me insanely happy regardless of all else in my life (and the rain makes me gloomy)…sorry Portlanders!

13.  Time I wake up:  This varies based on if I’m working or not.  On work days I get up at 5 am, on my days off I wake up whenever…I don’t set an alarm, but it’s usually around 8 am.

14.  Most challenging goal right now:  planning a wedding in CA, while living in NYC.

15.  Fave pair of shoes:  I’ll always go back to my running shoes.

16.  One thing I can’t live without:  Ummmm, Kyle?  Family/friends?  I guess those aren’t “things.” 

Soap.  I could live without a brush – already proved that last week, and I could maybe even survive without a shower (although it would be tough).  But I’m fairly anal about my hands and face being clean.  Maybe that’s a nursing thing…I mean I DO wash my hands 800 times an hour while at work.   It’s amazing I still have skin!  But in all honesty, I try to live my life, so I don’t have an answer to questions like this, since things are just things.  In high school I probably would have said something like my hair straightener, and in college, my cell phone, but now that I’m so much more mature lazier, I have a different set of priorities (if you can call it that, since all my money still goes to Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods, and Starbucks Corporate America).

17.  My bed time:  I wish the answer to this were different…but usually between 12-1 am is when I can finally face plant my pillow.  This is a constant target area for improvement for me. 4 hours of sleep on work nights isn’t acceptable!

18.  One place I wish I could be now:  CA, with my fam/friends or Hawaii (relaxing on the beach) – only 3 more weeks ‘til I’m there!!

**Yes, you read that correctly, I’m going to be in Maui for 2 weeks in June.  Woohoo!

OK, and now, the long overdue dessert pics.

First I had 5(!!) medjool dates stuffed with PB…

Then I toasted the heel piece of Alvarado Street bread with peanut butter and carob chips, which melted into this…

Could you just DIE!  This was heavenly (no other word could even come close to describing it).  I wanted to have 25 more slices, but (fortunately) there was no more bread.  I see a grocery trip in my near future!