Marinades, Veggies, Froyo, Smoothie

Posted by Nicole

Yesterday we settled down for a great family dinner.

On the menu: baked tofu, roasted veggies, cheesy farro, and marinated pork.

For the tofu: I pressed some lite extra firm tofu and soaked it in Mama Pea’s tofu marinade (minus the lime juice).

It marinated for about three hours and then baked for 15 minutes at 350*

Perfection :)

For the veggies: Lauren tried to slice the sweet potato, but her swollen hands started to hurt…

I took over and finished the job up.

We coated the sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts with about 2 T garlic olive oil, 1 T balsamic vinegar, 1/2 T Bragg Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning, 1/2 T The Gourmet Collection Spicy Stir Fry Spice Blend, and 1/2 T garlic powder.  They were nice and crispy after 45 minutes at 415*.

For the farro: Lauren cooked up some farro and then I added spinach, nutritional yeast, swiss cheese, and spices.  We forgot to snap photos, whoops.

For the pork: Lauren mixed a spicy orange marinade and soaked the pork for about four hours.  She cooked it in the oven, and it took a lot longer than expected to be done.  We don’t cook meat often, so it was kind of an experiment….

And then, it was time to feast.

It was great to sit at the table and have a hearty dinner with family and friends.  With all the stress from the car accident, my mom, David, Sam, Lauren, (Lauren’s friend) Sarah, and I sure needed a sit-down, home-cooked meal.

Mission accomplished!

About an hour later, Lauren, Sarah, and I decided to satisfy our craving for sweets.

Froyoooooooo for the soul.  I got chocolate cookies ‘n cream, red velvet, cake batter truffle, and taro.

Ending the night on a sugar high is always fun.

***

This morning, I reunited with an old friend.

HELLO, VITAMIX.

Green Smoothie

• 2 cups water
• 1 scoop About Time Cake Batter whey protein powder
• 1 large frozen banana
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp flaxseed
• 1 tsp xanthum gum
• 2 cups ice
• 1 tsp NuNaturals cocoa bean stevia extract
• 4 cups spinach

As always with green smoothies: looks gross, tastes delicious.

Dishes –> Laundry –> Chiropractic Appointment –> Snack Time

I haven’t seen “Price is Right” in ages!!!  Lauren and I used to watch it every.single.day. when we were growing up.  Too bad she has a real job and couldn’t watch it with me this morning.  Oh well, she wasn’t missing much.  It’s not the same without Bob Barker!

Off to study for midterms…

Catch ya later,

Nicole