Cleanin' Out My Closet…and Freezer

Posted on April 27th, 2009 by broccolihut

Remember this song? Ah, it brings back memories of middle school and daily TRL viewing. Anyway, I really have been cleaning out my closet today–my apartment looks half-naked now. Although my roomie’s loot is still in its customary place, all of my belongings are now packed up and ready for transport.

I also had to clean out most of my fridge and freezer today, which was quite painful for a foodie like me. A little part of me died for every uneaten Amy’s burrito that went into the trash and bottle of salad dressing that went down the drain. I haven’t yet parted ways with my nut butter stash, however. I don’t think I’m emotionally ready for that yet. Do you get upset when you have to throw away food, or is that just another Caroline quirk?

As a result of my rather barren pantry and fridge, my eats have been on the rando side today, so I apologize in advance:

Saturday

I am officially out of my Nutiva Chocolate HempShake packets (tragedy!), so I had to settle for the Living Harvest Chocolate Chili. Still quite delish.

banana-raspberry shake with Chocolate Chili Hemp Protein, soymilk, & Choco Cherry Treat granola

banana-raspberry shake with Chocolate Chili Hemp Protein, soymilk, & Choco Cherry Treat granola

Sunday

I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t buy this tea expressly for the purpose of my Alphabet Oats Challenge. “I” is not such an easy letter…I toyed with idea of “instant” coffee or “Irish” oats, but I’m glad I settled on the Indian theme. The coconut milk made an incredible difference in the creaminess department–definitely buying that again when I return home. Overall a phenomenal bowl of oats.

India Spice Tea

India Spice Tea

"I" Oats: oats cooked in India spice tea & coconut milk with ginger, cinnamon, mango, & cashew butter

"I" Oats: oats cooked in India spice tea & SO Delicious coconut milk with ginger, cinnamon, mango, & cashew butter

cimg7080A few days ago, Katie over CCV posted another genius blended recipe using Amy’s Vegetarian Baked Beans, which I just happened to have on hand. I blended said beans with leftover chickpeas and a bit of mustard to made my own rendition; I also ate up the last of that fantastic Cedar veggie hummus.

Baked Bean Dip; Hummus; baked blue corn chips; salad with Goddess dressing, Pink Lady apple

Baked Bean Dip; Hummus; baked blue corn chips; salad with Goddess dressing, Pink Lady apple

cimg7085cimg7089

Dates+almonds=current obsession.

plain yogurt with almond butter & dates

plain yogurt with almond butter & dates

Essentially this entire meal came from the freezer (with the exception of the fresh spinach and peanuts). I had an unopened box of those Amy’s Pizza Toaster Pops, and I decided I should sample at least one before throwing it away. Overall, I am not too disappointed about throwing them away. While there was authentic pizza flavor, it lasted all of two bites. Not satisfactory for the volume eater in me.cimg7096

greens with edamame, peppers, & peanuts; Amy's Pizza Toaster Pop; raspberries

greens with edamame, peppers, & peanuts; Amy's Pizza Toaster Pop; raspberries

cimg7098cimg7099cimg7100

Before I sign off, I wanted to ask for your expert foodie opinions:

Shockingly enough, I do not have a food processor. Sure, I have about 3 blending devices (immersion, Magic Bullet, & regular blender), but I do not have an all-purpose food processor. I would like to purchase one for myself, but I am unsure as to what brand/model is best. What do you recommend? Thanks in advance for your input!

I am off to bed soon so as to be well-rested for my exam tomorrow. Ciao!

Filed under: Meals

« »

No Responses to “Cleanin' Out My Closet…and Freezer”

  1. verbalriot, on April 27th, 2009 at 3:34 am Said:

    I HATE throwing out food!

    Good luck on the exam!

  2. Marianne, on April 27th, 2009 at 3:36 am Said:

    That definitely sucks that you had to toss a bunch of food. I always feel so wasteful when I have to toss things that I haven’t finished before they are past their prime. It’s like I’m throwing money away.

    As for food processors, I don’t have one, so I’m not really any help unfortunately.

  3. *Andrea*, on April 27th, 2009 at 4:05 am Said:

    i hate throwing out food too! sadly my reason is purely because it’s money in the trash lol. good luck on your test!

  4. Julz, on April 27th, 2009 at 4:08 am Said:

    i use a cuisinart prep-11 plus and LOVE it! gorrrg too :) stainless steel makes me sparkle, what can i say :)

  5. eatingbender, on April 27th, 2009 at 4:30 am Said:

    I loved Eminem in high school. Actually, I used to be quite the rap queen! It makes me laugh now because sometimes old rap songs will get played and my friends are always amazed that I know all the words – I think they think I’m crazy ;)

    I really don’t like having to throw away food! I try my best to fit it all in, but every once in a while I come across something that I forget about and I get so sad!

    Love the “I” is for “India” theme! And the way you chopped up the dates and almond butter just screams delicious.

    I don’t have a food processor, either – despite all my appliances! I’m going to be checking back to see what the majority recommends, for sure!

    Good luck on your exam!

  6. Sarah, on April 27th, 2009 at 4:41 am Said:

    I have a mini-Cuisinart, which is just right for me. I rarely have needed a bigger one for anything, plus the small one is so much cheaper!

    What is up with a pizza pop-tart? Crazy!

  7. Cecilia, on April 27th, 2009 at 5:09 am Said:

    oh my … throwing dem out?!! Can’t you bring dem home with ya? Oh if only you can send them to me … I’ll pay for the postage haha!

  8. Rachel, on April 27th, 2009 at 5:53 am Said:

    I just wanted to tell you how much I love your blog!! I think it might be my favorite one, actually. I’m a college student as well and get good meal ideas from you (plus I like your sense of humor)! Hmm, I guess there wasn’t really a point to this comment…oh well. :) Hope your test goes well!

  9. coco, on April 27th, 2009 at 10:00 am Said:

    alphabet oat challenge??? wooooo…. such a cool idea!!!
    I used cuisinart Mini-Prep® Plus 4-Cup Food Processor, it’s great, it’s small, just enough for one-two person. love it!~

  10. Chocolate Covered Katie, on April 27th, 2009 at 11:53 am Said:

    Yes I get reeeesally upset when I have to throw stuff out– not just food! I have the hardest time giving away clothes too, although I force myself to do it often because I know that there are people who WILL get enjoyment out of the clothes that sit in my closet that I never wear. But even if I haven’t worn something in a year, I still am loathe to give it up! Same thing goes for food I *know* I’ll never eat :/

    Thanks so much for the shout-out. I love your bean creation!!

  11. Lauren, on April 27th, 2009 at 12:08 pm Said:

    I hate throwing away food – but sometimes you just have to.

    Almond butter and dates really do go superbly well together!

    I have this food processor, and I’m obsessed with it: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=636&f=19043

    I bet a mini processor would be fine, though – and much less expensive.

  12. Julie, on April 27th, 2009 at 12:19 pm Said:

    I don’t have any reccomendations because I wish I had a food processor too! Good luck on your test today :)

  13. Amanda, on April 27th, 2009 at 12:59 pm Said:

    I have a cuisinart, I’m not sure of the model, but its a huge one and I love it!!! Its big enough to make dough, quiche, cheesecake (when I ate that), hummus, and anything else…and it can run and run and run when I go on cooking marathons.

    I’m sorry you had to throw away food, I hate doing that. Can you take your nut butters with you…I think I would have a breakdown if I had to throw those away!

  14. Anna, on April 27th, 2009 at 1:26 pm Said:

    I hate throwing food away! My parents drilled some good old-fashioned yankee thriftiness into me as a child and it has stayed with me throughout the years.

  15. Emily, on April 27th, 2009 at 1:37 pm Said:

    Caroline,

    Oh dear! I have SUCH a hard time throwing food away. Not only am I a foodie, but I’m also a total penny pincher. It’s like throwing my money down the drain and I can personally think of much better places for it to go to use!

    As for food processors, I use my mom’s old one from the 80′s and it still works pretty well. However, I’ve heard tell that this machine (http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DLC-2ABC-Processor-Brushed-Chrome/dp/B0000645YM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1240839369&sr=1-3) works quite well. It seems to get good reviews everywhere.

    Have a great Monday!

    With Love,

    Emily

  16. ksgoodeats, on April 27th, 2009 at 3:51 pm Said:

    As a girl born and raised in Dtown, I’ve heard Eminem songs for as long and I can remember. Even the really bad ones, the radio stations play CONSTANTLY! That and Kid Rock……ugh, don’t even get me started!

  17. dailydulcie, on April 27th, 2009 at 7:29 pm Said:

    We are so alike :) I too do not have a food processor !! I need one very badly!

    Also. I tried those cheese pizza toaster pops once.. they were ehh.. nothing special

  18. veganhomemade, on April 29th, 2009 at 8:44 pm Said:

    It’s not just you, throwing food out is the worst. I used to be really bad about veggies rotting in my fridge until I started doing clean-out-the-fridge meals before grocery shopping. When I moved last August I spent a long time trying to use up all the food in my freezer and STILL had to trash some of it. I DID haul a cooler of condiments and a box of spices across the country, too.

  19. Christina, on May 5th, 2009 at 9:11 pm Said:

    I feel the same way about throwing out food. I actually attempted to take all mine home with me when I moved back home last weekend. There was no way I was parting with my pb stash! I think my parents thought I was crazy and the frozen food didn’t do too good in the car for 6 hours :/

    Good luck on your exam!

  20. Somebody Stop Me! « Broccoli Hut, on July 21st, 2009 at 8:12 pm Said:

    [...] few months back, I had some “Indian oats” as part of my alphabet oats challenge. I re-created that glorious bowl this morning, with [...]

Leave a Reply