Please Mister Postman Look And See

I love mail. Every day since I was little I would look forward to the mail man coming so I could see what exciting letters and magazines and packages I got that day. That hasn’t changed as I’ve gotten older, if anything I just get more excited, as it seems like the older I get the more exciting things I get in the mail. Like today I was really, really excited to see one of my mail man’s deliveries was a package of Chobani filled with Greek yogurt! Last month I found out that I was selected to be in Chobani’s Yogurt of the Month Club and have been anxiously checking the mail ever since. Through the YOM club every month this year I will be receiving a case of Chobani delivered to my doorstep. I’ve been having daydreams about all the yogurt-y goodness I can create.

January’s flavor is apple cinnamon. I’ve never tried this flavor before and was so excited to get to dig into it and try it out. I have yet to try a Chobani flavor I don’t like, so I was pretty confident this flavor would be another winner. As tempted as I was to have it for breakfast (which I love doing with old fashioned oats) I made myself wait to try it until lunch time. I figure my first taste of something should not be when I’m still bleary eyed and half asleep.

I had a busy day of classes today so I wanted to make sure I got a lot of veggies packed into my meals from the get-go. For breakfast I did a twist on my usual breakfast burrito and turned it into a breakfast pizza. I was trying out new tortilla shells that I really like but are unfortunately too small to wrap all the veggies I mix my eggs with in. As soon as they run out I’m going back to my Wegman’s tortilla shells so that I can make breakfast burritos once again but for now I’m loving the pizza. Its simply two eggs scrambled with broccoli, red onions, and grape tomatoes. I spread it out over a tortilla layered in roasted red pepper hummus and enjoyed!

By the time I got home after International Business, a paper writing session, and my Management of Organizational Behavior class I was hungry. I dug into this Chobani and was so excited to find I love the apple cinnamon flavor. It was just what I needed to pep me up and give me the energy I needed for the rest of the day.

To round out my very late lunch I also had a chocolate Raw Crunch bar. These things are so freaking tasty and so filling.

After getting some homework done I headed over to Starbucks to meet up with Grace where we had fun hanging out and catching each other up on our winter breaks. I got my usual grande white chocolate mocha with skim milk and no whip and it was wonderful, as always.

After hanging out with Grace for a few hours I headed home to make a proper dinner. While my veggie burger and sweet potato fries cooked I made a small spinach, onion and tomato salad with balsamic vinegar. It was so yummy.

For dinner I made a burger and fries, and while it took about an hour from prep to plating it was totally worth it. Using some pre-chopped sweet potato fries I seasoned them with sea salt and pepper and cooked them for forty minutes on 300 degrees. Using this (amazing) vegan bean burger from Daily Garnish I drained, grated, and blended my way to an amazing veggie burger bursting with flavor and fresh ingredients.

A close up of the burger. This is maybe the second veggie burger I’ve ever made and I’m so glad it turned out to be a success. I was really surprised by how easy it was! I love veggie burgers and always look forward to ordering them at restaurants where they are made fresh and bursting with veggies. While I still enjoy the taste of frozen veggie burgers and think they are a great meal option, I like the idea of being able to make a fresh burger myself. When I was a meat eater I equated a good burger with one freshly prepared on the grill, not one processed and frozen and packaged on a store shelf. This has carried over to my perception of veggie burgers. If I would think it was slightly off-putting to eat processed ground beef, why would I think any differently about eating a processed veggie burger? And really, what doesn’t taste better when its made fresh? The ingredients are minimal and yet the nutrition is through the roof. I’m so excited to know I can whip these up on my own and that they taste phenomenal. And bonus, I have two extras in the fridge for upcoming meals!

Time for me to head to bed! I have my 8am geology lab tomorrow, as well as a very exciting phone interview for a potential internship this summer. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Question of the Day: What’s something you love to make because it tastes so much better when its prepared fresh?