Final Crunch

Holy smokes where did all the time go?!  I only have 2 and a half weeks of school left! I can't wait for summer or the end of exams, but I also feel like every school year is going by faster and faster.  Well, in reality, I only really have one year left! YIKES!

Here are a few pictures of my meals from the week.  Since ending the food experiment I dove into a few weeks ago, I've been really craving some variety with my food.  And by this I mean adding things like ground flax, more fruit, maple syrup, leftovers etc, that I wasn't able to incorporate before. I've also really been trying to focus on keeping my gluten intake to a minimum.  I've been receiving most of my carbohydrates from vegetables, quinoa, and fruit.

Greek yogurt, Perfect Fit Protein, peaches, blueberries, strawberries.

Maple Balsamic brussel sprouts - they were SO good! I made these for dinner for my family at the end of the week along with Salmon Quinoa Burgers, and parsnip fries :)

Broccoli salad with quinoa and tomato.

I also made this vanilla chocolate chunk cheesecake recipe from This Rawsome Vegan Life blog, whom I've been OBSESSED with recently!  Her photography is amazing and all of the recipes look incredibly delicious.    Oh and she's Canadian :) Check her out for awesome vegan, raw recipes.

Green Patties for St. Patrick's Day

I've never really celebrated St. Patrick's Day, but this year I decided it was definitely the perfect excuse to concoct some green things in the kitchen!  If you don't know what a protein pancake is, then I highly suggest trying them for yourselves!  They are low on carbs, higher in protein and so incredibly tasty.  This St. Patrick's Day inspired recipe is a variation of that, except with a green twist!

Who doesn't love incorporating MORE greens into your diet without even tasting them?! These protein paddy cakes are DELICIOUS (you can't taste the greens) and a great way to up your dose of nutrient packed veggies :)


Protein Paddy Cakes

1 scoop of brown rice protein powder (I used Perfect Fit)
2-3 egg whites
1/2 banana
1/2 cup of spinach
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
Dash of cinnamon (or several if you're like me :)

Combine all ingredients in a blender (Magic Bullet works great) and blend until smooth.  

Warm a lightly greased pan to medium and cook your pancakes a few minutes each side :)

Voila!

 My toppings were Greek yogurt mixed with raw cocoa, peach slices, walnuts and unsweetened shredded coconut. YUM!!

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

I have made it to week 3!  I have to be honest and confess that I did eat some of my parents food, not because I was starving, but because it was staring me in the face.  That is in the past now as I move into the home stretch of my experiment!

I am enjoying making and buying my own food since it gives me a lot, actually ALL possible flexibility.  I'm sure people who have moved out by now are laughing at me, but I envy you in that department!  There are definitely pros and cons to each situation, but at the end of the day (and for the majority of my life), I will be the one in control of my food.

This week I went chocolate crazy and decided to satisfy my sweet tooth.  It was well worth it and so far I've been adding cocoa to almost everything! 

Food Haul: Week 3

Produce

Apples (x4)
Bananas
Frozen peaches
Frozen mangos
Green Peppers (x4 they were on sale for $1.50!)
Asparagus
Cauliflower (again!)
Spinach
Frozen green beans
Pineapple (x1)

Grains. Fats. Protein
White kidney beans canned (low sodium)
Lara bars (x2)
Kind bars (x3)
Canned salmon (x1 low sodium)
Almond milk - original unsweetened (x1)
NF Greek yogurt (x2)
85% dark chocolate bar (x1)
Cocoa powder
Eggs (1 carton)

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

1 head of cauliflower
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp roasted garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven anywhere from 380F to 400F (depending on how crispy you like your cauliflower!) and bake for 30 minutes.

Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces and then add all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Once you have mixed all of the ingredients and the cauliflower is well coated, bake for 30 minutes - turning once if you feel so inclined. 

The finished product is AMAZING! I served with steamed asparagus and quinoa! YUM :)

I ALSO did some baking that night to make cookies for a bake sale the Engineering Student Society was holding to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.  This outrageous chocolate chip cookie recipe was one we had printed from a while ago (not something I would make regularly!) that looked oh-so decadent!



Zucchini Noodles

A food budget = creativity in the kitchen!  On my last food haul (see below) I bought two large zucchini's.  I have only recently really begun to experiment with it in the kitchen.  I found a zucchini recipe on Pinterest not too long ago that tasted delicious.  I remember reading somewhere last summer about making noodles from zucchini and I decided to give it a shot!

Zucchini Spaghetti Noodle Recipe

I used a lemon zester to make the noodles themselves since we didn't have anything else in the kitchen that I could think of to make spaghetti type noodles.  I included the skin and used the entire zucchini (except for seeds, which I cut up for more dinner veggies) and it was enough for one serving!

I then put them in a colander and doused them in sea salt to allow the excess water to drain for about 30 minutes.  Since they were clumped together (next time I would separate them) a lot of the water didn't drain, so I ended up using paper towel after I rinsed off all the salt.  I boiled a pot of water and cooked them for just over a minute (suggested online).  They were definitely cooked, but next time I will cook them a bit longer :)

I served tilapia cooked in tomato, basil sauce over the noodles. DELICIOUS!

Food Haul: Week 2

Produce
Apples (x4)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Zucchini (large x2)
Organic Medjool Dates
Spinach
Cabbage (1/2 split with with my Mom)
Peppers (x4)
Sweet potatoes (x2)

Grains. Fats. Protein
Mixed beans canned (low sodium)
Black beans canned (low sodium)
Kashi bars (x6)
Kraft low-cal Italian dressing
Canned salmon (x2 low sodium)
Almond milk - chocolate unsweetened (x1)
NF Greek yogurt (x1)

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

I've been thinking and thinking about moving out for my last year of university - which will be next year!  This involved trying to put a number on the amount of money I'd be spending on food every month away from home.  At first I figured $100 a month would be just enough, but quickly realized this was far from true.

My parents decided to let me put my test to work and supplied the cash to let me buy my own groceries for the next 4 weeks.  Originally we had planned on $200 for the entire month, but decided on $300 after my first grocery haul.  My official starting date was Friday, February 22 and I'll end on Friday, March 22 :)

Below is a list of everything I bought for the first week.  As a reminder, I live in Canada and am trying to buy very clean, nutritious and delicious foods.

Food Haul: Week 1

Produce
Apples (x4)
Bananas (x2)
Frozen fruit (berries and tropical blend)
Tomatoes (x2)
Peppers (x4)
Broccoli
Frozen corn
Carrots (3lbs)
Spinach

Grains, Fats, Protein
Quick oats
Quinoa
Almond milk (unsweetened x2)
Kashi granola bars (x6)
Tomato sauce (basil)
Kraft low-cal balsamic dressing
Eggs (1 carton)
Kidney beans canned (low sodium)
Chickpeas canned (low sodium)
Hummus
Frozen tilapia (x6)
Canned salmon (x2 low sodium)
Veggie patties (x4)
Crunchy peanut butter (all natural)
NF Greek yogurt (1 tub)
Avocado (x2)

This cost me just under $100 in total (my Mom "sold" me the NF Greek yogurt (full price) and the avocados for cheap since they were ripening rather fast).  I went out for dinner once and have a couple of Clif/Luna bars from my birthday (yes, birthday haha).  Spices are also not off-limits for me to use while I cook.

Overall it has been going really well!  I have planned my meals and snacks for every day of the week and I'm really learning to appreciate the food I have.  Even though it's not my personal money, it's my personal food and I feel like I'm developing a different approach to eating.  I eat when I'm hungry, only to feel satisfied not stuffed, and really savour each bite.  This may sound straight-forward, but I think you'd be surprised how often you eat without being in the moment - experiencing all the sensations and actually listening to your body as it responds to what you feed it.

I went grocery shopping last night to re-stock and was under my budget of $60.  For the last two weeks I'll be getting $70 for each.  Perhaps I will post a grocery haul vlog soon to celebrate! ;)

ASIDE from all of that, I experimented with a new recipe last week.  It involved one of my favourite healthy foods full of fiber, protein and healthy carbs. Chickpeas! I've heard about roasted chickpeas for a while and finally decided to try it myself :)

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
Several shakes of garlic powder, onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

I followed The Lean Green Bean's guide to baking and put the pan of chickpeas in the oven BEFORE pre-heating to 425F.  I then cooked them for 45 minutes and stirred every 10 - 15 minutes.