Art on the Rocks

I just returned from an evening at the art museum…but I didn’t see any exhibits. The Birmingham Museum of Art hosts events for young adults throughout the summer, (Art on the Rocks) and I made my first venture there tonight. It was a good way to spend the evening, although I think I was by far the youngest person there. I think the definition of “young adult” spans age 22-35ish, so I still have a few more years until I fit into that category. Nonetheless, there was good music, a few snacks and beverages, and even a fun craft!

Tomorrow, the fam heads to Atlanta for some fun shopping at Ikea and H&M, plus a visit to the Georgia Aquarium. One of the things that I am most looking forward to is our visit to the Cafe Sunflower–an all vegetarian restaurant! My dad surprised me last night by announcing that he had made reservations there. Here is the menu….what would you order?

We leave early tomorrow morning, so I’ll get to the food already.

Wednesday

I haven’t been posting my snacks as often lately, so I thought I would post a few today. Here is one from two days ago: plain Oikos yogurt with Craisins and whole grain graham crackers. Not a bad study snack.

My shake was fabulous–again. I am on a roll lately. However, this shake wasn’t perfect; I used chocolate PB Soy Delicious, but I could barely taste any peanut flavor in the shake. Next time I think I’ll add a scoop of PB to the mix.
Thursday

On Wednesday evening, I made a batch of muffins from raisin bran cereal, whole wheat flour, and agave as the sweetener. I had two of these for breakfast yesterday with a tall glass of soymilk and some sliced peaches with cinnamon.

My packed lunch consisted of a taco chili sandwich (using a spread by Cool Beans), fresh berries, and carrots with natural PB. I purchased this spread at Fresh Market last weekend–I had never tried it before. It lived up to its label–quite spicy!–but the fresh tomato cut the spiciness so that the sandwich was enjoyable. Contrary to my usual sweet tooth, I had a considerable salt craving yesterday after lab–I reached for some of those BBQ soy crisps, and green bell pepper strips with Goddess dressing.
Last night’s dinner was inspired by the Eggplant Fans recipe from the Chicago Diner Cookbook. I didn’t end up making the fancy schmancy “fans” that the recipe called for, but I used most of the same ingredients: olives, artichoke hearts, and oregano. I added a Quorn cutlet for some protein, plus my usual side salad.
My shake last night was the best I have had in a while. The addition of a frozen banana and dark chocolate cocoa powder made all the difference. I was seriously a little heart broken when I reached the bottom of the glass:(Friday

Another tofu scramble this morning–note that the salsa is absent from this rendition. Rather than Mexican, I went for an Asian theme this morning: orange zest, grated ginger, and green onions went into this morning’s mix. I also had a small kiwi and a slice of whole wheat toast.

For lunch, I picked out a recipe from Clean Eating Magazine (No. 1). This was not just a random recipe; I chose the cover recipe: Quinoa Black Bean Salad. This recipe gave me the excuse to use fresh cilantro from my garden AND my beloved Recaito that I mentioned a few weeks ago. Not a bad look-alike to the original, no? Anyway, I also had a salad with local tomatoes and fresh avocado, plus a big orange. Totally satisfying.

As I mentioned above, I went to a party this evening, so I didn’t eat a real dinner. I was told that there would be “great food” at the event. There were platters full of mini ham sandwiches and buckets of queso, but I ultimately feasted on a dinner of chips and salsa with a glass of white wine. Oh, well–can’t eat well all the time!

Alright, I will try to check in later this weekend, but if not…be back Monday!

Filed under: Meals

17 Responses to “Art on the Rocks”

1. just me, on July 19th, 2008 at 4:53 am Said:

   your dishes look sooooooooooooo good! i love the tofu scramble asian style and the shakes that you make!

   and i looked at the menu for where you’re going…soooooooo many choices! but the Southern Polenta Napoleon sounds really good, along with the orzo eggplant lasagna….YUMMY!

   have a great weekend!

2. Emma, on July 19th, 2008 at 5:37 am Said:

   Mmm yummy looking food and shakes. I love the sound of that bean spread!

   I had a look at the menu, it all looks really yummy but I’d go for the spicy pad thai noodles. The lasagne does sound yummy though!

   I am sure you will have a lovely meal whatever you decide to order!

3. Nikki Douglas, on July 19th, 2008 at 10:47 am Said:

   Black beans with quinoa – oh yum! Enjoy your trip and dinner.

4. CeciLiA, on July 19th, 2008 at 12:16 pm Said:

   My gosh! I would be over the MOON if I was in your socks – most vegetarian restaurants (esp the Asian ones) here serve up ‘mock meats’ which are either fried or doused with MSG …. sigh, this leave me feeling sad because that is so NOT what veg*ns eat!! BUT thank God, there are some good ones too! I looked at the menu … I honestly could NOT possibly choose what to get – so many choices!! Hrmm, maybe ask/beg your family to order different meals so you can have a taste of everything?! ;0)

   Yum yum chocolate pb shake! BUT the star shake for this post is the frozen banana and choc one – DELICIOUS!

   DANGIT! Your tofu looks so delicious!! And oh, the quinoa salad reminds me of V’con Mango and Black Bean Quinoa salad :0)

5. VeggieGirl, on July 19th, 2008 at 12:59 pm Said:

   Glad you had fun at the exhibit!!

   Girl, you’re ALWAYS “on a roll” with your shakes – they always look ridiculously decadent and delicious :0)

6. glidingcalm, on July 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pm Said:

   The Quinoa and the Tofu Scramble look soo good! That bean spread/dip sounds interesting too!

7. loveofoats, on July 19th, 2008 at 1:44 pm Said:

   i absolutely LOVE the oikos yogurt w/ graham crackers and craisins idea… it looks like it includes all of my favorite tastes & textures!

8. Kimberly, on July 19th, 2008 at 2:02 pm Said:

   Have a good time – Atlanta is always a nice place to visit I feel like you HAVE to get the polenta at Sunflower, because it is so hard to find polenta truly done well in this country. My second choice would be the peppercorn tempeh, I think… merlot balsamic is SUCH a fabulous combo!

9. shelby, on July 19th, 2008 at 2:37 pm Said:

   wow everything looks so yummy! especially your chocolate shakes. I love the asian themed tofu scramble too.

10. Chandra (Eating to Live), on July 19th, 2008 at 7:00 pm Said:

    Hi, I just stumbled upon your blog and I really like it. The title is so cute and that’s hilarious how you’re dad would threaten the ‘broccoli’ hut instead of Pizza Hut!! hahaha

    As for the menu, the polenta looks really good.

    Have fun!!!

11. Danielle, on July 19th, 2008 at 9:03 pm Said:

    Yummy food! Too bad about the lack of it at the party… sometimes champagne will do the trick though . Have a great weekend!

12. Jenn, on July 19th, 2008 at 10:59 pm Said:

    That kiwi looks so crisp and fresh – I have yet to buy some this summer, but you’ve totally given me a craving! And that black bean quinoa salad looks just like the magazine cover ;o)

    Have a fun family trip! I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on that menu!

13. Erin, on July 20th, 2008 at 5:16 pm Said:

    Hope you had a good time on your little trip! All these pb chocolate shakes sound really good.

14. ChickPea, on July 21st, 2008 at 2:26 am Said:

    Just Me: Thanks so much for your kind words. Good suggestions on the menu–there were so many great options!
    Emma: I wasn’t sure I would like the bean spread at first, but after I paired it with the tomato, it was perfect. I did have a lovely time at the cafe!
    Nikki: Yeah the black bean salad was like black beans and rice…but better!
    Cecilia: It was a fantastic place to eat…and I DID have everyone order something different so that I could sample multiple dishes:)
    VeggieGirl: Glad you still enjoy my shakes, even if they are a bit repetitive:)
    Gliding Calm: Your comment made me think of a new meal idea…I should serve the tofu scramble as a side dish to the quinoa!
    Love Of Oats: Yes, I am definitely a fan of multiple textures in one bowl–this one had creamy, crunchy, AND chewy!
    Kimberly: I was definitely going to get the polenta, but it ended up not being on the menu that evening. Oh well–next time?
    Shelby: Thanks! I am officially obsessed with tofu scrambles, so I am having fun with my variations!
    Chandra: I’mm glad to have you as a reader! I just checked out your blog too, and it looks great!
    Danielle: Boy, have you got my number. I am healthy 99% of the time, but champagne is an exception I am willing to make!
    Jenn: I love kiwi! Did you know that one small fruit has your entire daily needs for vitamin C? It makes a nice change from oranges.
    Erin: I did have fun..I’ll be sure to blog all about it tomorrow.

15. lighterportions, on July 21st, 2008 at 4:01 am Said:

    That restaurant menu is incredible, there are at least ten different things on there I would be torn between ordering!

    I have that Clean Eating issue, maybe I’ll have to give that quinoa dish a go now that it seems to have your approval

16. ChickPea, on July 21st, 2008 at 11:57 pm Said:

    LighterPortions: Definitely try that recipe! It’s a great use for quinoa!

17. Picnic Virgin « Broccoli Hut, on July 22nd, 2009 at 7:32 pm Said:

    [...] dinner, I made a quick recipe from Clean Eating magazine. I’ve made it once before, and I’m thinking I should make it more often. After all quinoa is a quite the superfood. [...]

Leave a Reply