Working (And) Up An Appetite
If this post has a somewhat downer tone it’s probably because my dinner was a little bit of a Disaster with a capitol D, but more on that later 
Laundry
I still love Mondays, though! I managed to get laundry done, and read 160 pages for a class I need to read. It’s not as much homework as I’d like to have done but there’s still time after dinner, right? I’ll just keep hoping.
Sundried Tomato Al Fresco Chicken Sausage
I wanted lunch to be low-key so I grabbed a new flavor of Al Fresco‘s chicken sausage to try and review. I love these because I just have to defrost in the microwave for 90 seconds and then cook them in there, too, for another minute!
Black Beans With Salsa, Broccoli With Hemp Oil, Sundried Tomato Chicken Sausage
Even though this was an early lunch, I felt like I needed volume. I guess those 10 miles this morning got my appetite going, too. The broccoli was jazzed up with a little of the hemp oil dressing from Foods Alive and then the beans by salsa. Yum. This sausage wasn’t nearly as flavorful as I was looking for It tasted… like chicken. AND I was still hungry. Dessert time!
Lemon Fig Pecan Raw Bar
Which obviously called for coffee, as well. I dug into my stash of Uli Mana raw desserts and tried their lemon fig pecan bar. It was super delicious! I just loved how bursting with lemon this was, like a lemon bar with powdered sugar but sooo much better for me. It was a nice sweet tone to end Lunch with and get working while watching TV.
Chocolate Chip Banana Soft Serve
3pm rolled around and I was starving AGAIN. Did you know Stedman isn’t a fan of chocolate? The things we learn watching Oprah… Anyway, that gave me a major chocolate chip craving, which led to some rawesome ice cream with chocolate chips.
Chocolate Chip Banana Soft Serve
Yum! I think I need to make a recipe page with all the possible alterations on banana soft serve, because the possibilities are endless! This batch was chocolate chip, and at the end I made it something of a banana de sel by sprinkling sea salt on top to bring out the sweetness. Can you say heavenly?
Trader Joe's Chocolate Chip
These are my preferred chocolate chips of choice for applications like this. They are gluten free and vegan. They taste deliciously sweet(hello, 8g of sugar per serving). I’ve had lengthy discussions with Avery just about how much these rock. My only complaint is that Trader Joe doesn’t make mini chocolate chips; mini makes everything more fun! Oh, I’d also complain they aren’t terribly filling.
Pumpkin Oatmeal With Chocolate Peanut Butter
Looks like a breakfast, but eats like a snack. And, yes, I eat oatmeal usually with a salt shaker at arm’s length for some flavoring. Pumpkin oatmeal with Justin’s chocolate peanut butter was just what I needed to power me through an otherwise painfully long afternoon.
For dinner, I wanted to make an entry into Katie’s new contest. All you need to do is make pancake roll-ups, top with fun toppings, and enjoy. Simple, right? My idea was gluten-free coconut flour crepes with cream cheese, avocado, salsa, and tuna toppings. But instead of crepe, I got…
Coconut Pancake "Grits" With Grass-Fed Butter, Tuna With Coconut Milk And Cream Cheese
Crap. CLEARLY I am not that good at making pancakes. I tried! I honestly did! I was flipping away in the dorm kitchen but everything turned to mush. This was one gluten-free recipe that was not meant to be. Not to mention it wasn’t very smart to keep licking the batter when there’s egg white in it(oops). In the end, it was really a meal that would have better off uneaten 8-| But I also am pretty strict about not wasting food, so I called it a “grits” and went ahead and had something like the planned meal.
I could let the nastiness of this get me down, but instead I’ll focus on the positive points. It was a meal full of fiber, healthy fats, and protein. Besides, with a hunger like mine, there are plenty of more meals to come and 1 bad one isn’t the end of the world. In fact, tomorrow night’s dinner will be a real hum-dinger I know I can pull off 😀 And so I can look forward to that. And maybe, just maybe, Katie will take pity on my and let my shameful attempt count as an entry? So let’s hear in the comments some of your worst dinner disaster stories.
take pity on you? I give you HUGE props for even attempting to make pancakes in a dorm!
So you definitely are entered, my friend 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie
February 22, 2010
Sorry about your ick din din.. my pancakes always look like road kill, so dont fret… you are not alone!
I got your message about the pics.. thank you, I appreciate it!
Abby
February 22, 2010
boo sorry your dinner didnt turn out as planned!! it doesn’t look half bad though!! I am sure it was quite tasty!
those early morning workouts usually make me SUPER hungry the rest of the day too!
mini is more fun 🙂
Naomi (onefitfoodie)
February 22, 2010
the last time i made pancakes i forgot to spray the skillet first. DISASTER.
actorsdiet
February 22, 2010
Sorry about the dinner disaster. Everything else looks great though! I always have a salt shaker close by too 😉
eaternotarunner
February 22, 2010
Awwww, sorry your pancake was a failure…but your banana soft serve looks amazing!
Anna
February 22, 2010
lol That looks exactly like what happened to me with the “coconut flour pancakes” I attempted. They still tasted good though. Like warmed up coconut bread pudding. It wasn’t a complete lost 😀
Ashlei
February 22, 2010
I’m pretty sure your chocolate chip banana soft serve negates the pancake failure! Although, I have to say pancakes and tuna just do not sound like a match made in heaven (this coming from a girl that eats peanut butter and pickles).
Madeline - Greens and Jeans
February 22, 2010
bummer about the pancakes but it’s impressive that you do so much cooking in the dorm! i’m sure it still tasted good 🙂
marathonmaiden
February 22, 2010
Haha I have dinner fails all the time. It just makes me look forward to the next meal 😉
Matt
February 22, 2010
hehehehe…i’m sorry, i couldn’t help but laugh…pancakes are hard to make. don’t worry, i’m sure the next attempt will be MUCH BETTER.
and I want that banana soft serve…or maybe it’s the TJ’s chocolate chips…and i agree, mini’s would be better. 😉
Melissa S.
February 22, 2010
i thought buttermilk was milk + butter so i made panckaes and added a ton of melted butter…. those suckers just burned like whoa. lesson learned.
(buttermilk is milk + lemon juice it turns out)
eatingmachine
February 23, 2010
LOL! This amused me highly; I think buttermilk has deceived us all in one way or another.
Evan Thomas
February 23, 2010
lol pancake grits! nice job. don’t worry, the rest of your culinary creations more than make up for that. tao of cacao sounds like something i’d love! and i am astonished every time i see a laundry hamper on your blog…you really are a special guy!
Stef @ moretolifethanlettuce
February 23, 2010
Dang you and all of your Trade Joe goodness! No TJ’s in my neck of the woods…I should really stop complaining and start opening my eyes to equal goodness at Whole Foods. End rant.
Joanna Sutter
February 23, 2010
Oh, your delicious meals and snacks throughout the day more than redeem your dinner! I think my most disastrous dinner was when I tried to make baked falafel using pancake mix. They came out and tasted like garlicky chickpea cookies. Gross. I still get crap from my boyfriend about it. 🙂
Emily
February 23, 2010
Apperance can be overrated…if it tasted good then who cares what it looked like! 🙂 That lemon fig bar sounds delish!!!
Kelly
February 23, 2010
So sorry Evan that I am 3 freakin posts behind…life has been BUSY!
Ok this: Chocolate Chip Banana Soft Serve looks beyond ridic good. OMG OMG that looks so good. that gets my drool award of the week so far. Perfectly melty, too. I hate rock solid ice cream, it has to be a little melty. Oh god that’s amazing!
The Uli Mama chocolates and raw creations. Duly noted on other blogs, i.e. Gena of Choosing Raw and other raw girlfriends blogs, anyway, I need to drop them a note 🙂
Thanks for the TJs link..yes,their chips are VEGAN people! from the mouths of two vegan cookbook authors and I’ve blogged bout it in case anyone is reading the comments from 3 posts ago 🙂
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)
February 23, 2010
No worries, darling, I’m a terrible pancake maker too! Mine always break apart and I try to flip them too soon 😦 It’s okay, you’re still an amazing chef! Hehe.
freckledfoodie
February 24, 2010