Tag Archives: Vegetarian
What I Ate Wednesday: On Repeat
If you’ve been reading my What I Ate Wednesday posts over the past year or two since when I originally joined in on the fun, than you know I tend to eat meals on repeat. Yesterday’s eats are no different– everything I ate yesterday is a tried and true favorite and all things you’ve seen before. However, there ain’t nothing wrong with eating the same foods over and over, as long as you enjoy them and they’re pretty good for you, right? Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting the party each and every week!
Two Moms In The Raw granola is similar to most raw granolas I have tried. Made of ingredients like coconut and buckwheat, this particular granola was interesting because it was shaped in little squares! It tasted amazing– it was crunchy and chewy at the same time with a lovely coconutty vanilla flavor.
I paired the granola with the usual breakfast staples of sliced banana and a tablespoon of tahini. I later added some coconut milk kefir and cinnamon.
My school building has been freezing lately, despite the fact its been in the sixties outside. Pretty much every vent in our school is blowing out cold air!. That being said, I was happy I had a longer-than-usual lunch period, which prompted me to pack a hot lunch since I would have time to microwave it! I had quinoa salad (purchased from Whole Foods) over greens, grated carrots, broccoli slaw, grape tomatoes and daikon. After I heated it in the microwave, the veggies steamed up nice and tender. I also had an unpictured orange for dessert.
Snack was consumed post-physical therapy. I had time to grab my favorite vanilla rooibos tea, which I sipped while I munched on some Trader Joe’s raw trail mix.
I literally have been eating the same dinner for days because I love it so much! This picture is recycled since I forgot to snap a pic last night, but the below plate looks exactly like what I had last night. I had some quinoa cooked with peppers, onions and seasonings with a block of baked tofu, as well as some roasted asparagus, cauliflower and sautéed greens. Totally addictive, this meal is!
I did have dessert– imagine a strawberry Siggi’s Icelandic yogurt and a hunk of dark chocolate. It’s not a complete day unless there’s some dark chocolate (unless of course there is a Crumbs cupcake instead!).
I don’t just eat meals on repeat– I once made an entire CD of just one song, played on repeat, so I wouldn’t have to manually hit repeat everytime I listened to it!
Do you eat meals on repeat, or do you eat differently all of the time?
1149 Date Night
My husband and I look forward to our Saturday night date nights more than any other time in the week. We tend to rest up during the day so we have energy on Saturday night to enjoy a nice dinner together. Two Saturdays ago (yes, I am a little late with this recap), we decided to get out of Providence for dinner since it was gorgeous out and we were feeling adventurous.
We didn’t feel like driving all the way to Newport, plus we had a party to stop by at in East Greenwich, so we decided to have dinner in East Greenwich right after afterwards. I love East Greenwich– it’s a far enough drive from Providence so it feels like we’re really going on a trip, but it’s close enough to get there in twenty minutes! Our restaurant of choice was 1149, since it had availability on Opentable and the menu was varied enough so that as a vegetarian, I would have plenty of options.
1149 is a really nice place– it is casual, but classy, and has a vibe about it that makes it feel like a special night out. It seems all the diners there were celebrating something or just really set on having a great time!
Anyway, the menu, like I said is pretty vast– 1149 features pretty classic American menu offerings with an Italian twist including grilled pizzas, salads, pastas, burgers, meat and seafood dishes.
Our waiter was great– as soon as we sat down, he took our drink orders and brought us a bread basket. This, however, was no ordinary bread basket– it featured three different kinds of bread (olive, multigrain and Italian) served warm with whipped butter. It’s so rare to find a restaurant these days that serves warm, fresh bread, so needless to say, I was very happy with it!
The olive bread was the best!
I was torn between ordering a pizza/salad combo, a bunch of apps including spinach artichoke dip, or a baked pasta dish that sounded delicious. I have been pretty off pasta lately, but having it baked with pink vodka sauce and smothered with cheeses sounded quite appealing. I just had pizza and salad the night before, so in efforts to have some variety, I ended up with the baked ziti dish. It was definitely the right choice.
This dish was amazing! The pasta was perfectly al dente and the pink vodka sauce was so creamy! The best part though was the bubbling cheese and the pasta bites that were engulfed in a cheesy crust. It was also huge, and I ate a little less than half. My husband also tried a few bites and loved it, so much so that he had some later that night when we got home.
I simply must order fries whenever I go out, and their shoestring fries with truffle may0 were fresh, hot and crispy. The portion size was generous, yet my husband and I still managed to take them down. I don’t like mayo, so I stuck with ketchup but my husband really enjoyed the truffle flavor.
I haven’t had dessert in a restaurant since February. I have been so stuck on Crumbs cupcakes that we tend to scram out of restaurants and eat dessert at home. My choices included molten lava cake, bread pudding, creme brule, and a flourless chocolate cake. I went with the warm bread pudding, which came with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. It was delicious– not eggy at all, which is my worst fear with bread pudding– and it tasted like a Cinnabon!
Three words about 1149: yum, yum, yum! I had been there about five years ago and didn’t think it was very memorable at all, but this time around, I was impressed. It definitely earned a spot on our restaurant rotation.
Are you a bread pudding fan? I like it, but sometimes find it can be way too eggy.
What I Ate Wednesday: Our Having-Met Anniversary
This is a pretty special week for me– eight years ago, on May 6th, 2005, I met my husband for the first time. We actually met at a restaurant in the Federal Hill section of Providence called Zooma. I was hanging out there after chaperoning my school’s junior prom, and he came to hang out with one of his high school friends, who happened to be a teacher I was with. Three months later, we were engaged!
We celebrate our having-met anniversary by going back to Zooma each and every May 6th since we met. It is pretty lucky we met at a restaurant first that has the longevity to still exist so we can make our return visits, and second that has wonderful food. But before I show you what we ate at Zooma Monday night, let me first show you what I had for breakfast and lunch first! Thanks Jenn for hosting!
I ate my usual oatmeal bowl– except this time, it wasn’t oatmeal– it was oat bran! I picked some oat bran up at Trader Joe’s last week, and decided to bring it into my life, especially since it not only reminds me of my childhood favorite, Cream of Wheat, but also because it has more protein and fiber than oatmeal per serving! I cooked it in the microwave with ground flax, cinnamon, vanilla bean powder, and sea salt, and topped it off with a sliced banana, tahini, and unsweetened coconut flakes.
Whole Foods had my favorite massaged kale and avocado slaw as their prepared salad special the other day, so I bought a container (though I have gotten pretty good at making it myself!). For lunch, I had some of the kale salad, some raw Dr. Cow nut cheese, raw veggies and some raw crackers and zucchini chips. I haven’t had an all-raw lunch in a while, and it really hit the spot.
Now onto my Monday night anniversary dinner. An 8 o’clock dinner reservation awaited– we always request to sit at the table we actually met at!
They were aware of our anniversary story, so we were greeted with free champagne! I don’t drink, but it was a sweet gesture.
All of the food at Zooma is so fresh, including their crusty bread. I enjoyed two chunks dipped in peppery olive oil.
My husband and I split a margherita pizza. I swear, I can’t go more than a week without eating this kind of pizza.
I also had a few bites of my husband’s red wine infused goat cheese tortellini. It looks horrid but tasted divine. It was house-made too!
I also devoured a tasty escarole salad with fresh mozzarella cheese and a red wine vinaigrette.
I think our dessert though was the best part– tiramisu for the anniversary win! I forget how much I love this creamy dessert– I need to get it more often.
I was up late considering it was a school night– I didn’t get to bed until 10! I know, I know, for an average person that’s not late at all, but for an old lady teacher like me, that’s super late, considering I usually fall asleep before 9!
It is fun to do something a little different on a school night though. . . and I wasn’t even tired the next day!
Do you like dining out on work nights? I tend to prefer to stay home when I know I have to get up early.
Woonsocket Night Out
A few months ago, a group of eight friends (including my husband and I) started a new tradition. We have decided that every few months, we would go to a Rhode Island town or city we collectively rarely visit, and enjoy a night on the town, full of food and activities that are quintessential to that town. In other words, we would be tourists in our own state, traveling to a town we never do, and enjoying the things that town is known for.
So far, we have had a quintessential Johnston night, and this past Saturday, we had an epic Woonsocket Night.
Woonsocket is a northern Rhode Island town with an industrial history that I have probably been to no more than five or ten times in my life, always in passing. My friends also were unfamiliar with the essence of Woonsocket, so we planned a night around dining at Ciro’s, a well-known and unique tavern in Woonsocket, followed by an evening of jazz at Chan’s, another Woonsocket institution. We kicked off our night nice and early, meeting at Ciro’s at 6.
Now from the pic above, you may notice a sort of castle-like exterior at Ciro’s. Little did I know this medieval style of the building was actually foreshadowing the interior theme of the restaurant!
We were seated on the first floor, which has a pretty standard tavern sort of feel. However, our friends told us to check out the second floor, which was reserved that night for a 40th birthday party. Apparently, it’s the second floor that the restaurant is known for, and after our visit up there, it was clear why!
The second floor was all out decorated as if it was a medieval castle, complete with armor and coats of arms!
It was sort of amazing, and now I totally see why Ciro’s is the place to go in Woonsocket. I would love to have a party in that room one day!
Anyway, back on the first floor, which was really nice in and of itself, we got to the business of ordering dinner. By the way, if you ever go to Ciro’s, read the back of the menu, which details the restaurant’s history. True fact– at one time long ago, it was quite the popular brothel!
The menu plain and simple, is quite awesome. The appetizer list was amazing, full of vegetarian options, and overall, the restaurant offered a Rhode Island, unique and sophisticated twist on standard pub or tavern food.
As for vegetarian apps, we shared some sea-salted edamame. I loved the visible flecks of sea salt!
The best app, in my opinion, was one I had never tried before in my life– fried pickles! Served with a honey mustard dipping sauce, these pickles were divine. The coating was nice and crispy, while the pickles inside were so tender. It was such a fun food to try, and those pickles alone were reason enough to return to Ciro’s soon.
For dinner, I started with their simple mixed greens salad with balsamic. For a “simple” salad, it was quite the beast, in a fantastic way of course. The veggies were fresh and their was a good variety of them, including mixed greens, carrots, red onions, and tomatoes. The homemade croutons on top didn’t disappoint either. The salad was huge too– I had to hand over half to my husband to finish.
Also, I had some of their perfect steak fries. Actually, my husband ordered a sandwich and ordered the fries on the side so I could have some. I can’t confirm this, but these had homemade all over them too– the fries were thick and well seasoned.
And finally, I ordered their cheese grilled pizza. I expected the pizza to be personal-sized, but I was wrong– it was definitely full-sized! I thoroughly enjoyed it– the thin crust was tasty and the cheese and sauce were too!
Ciro’s was a total win and Woonsocket is so lucky to have it!
Part two of our night moved us two minutes down the street to Chan’s, a well-known Chinese restaurant and jazz club. We easily got tickets and Mr. Chan himself brought us into the jazz room, separate from the main dining room.
The Fat City Band tirelessly performed, and we had a wonderful time relaxing and watching the locals dance like crazy!
After our fill of jazz, we ended our night in the bar of Chan’s, taking turns picking songs on the jukebox and doing our own version of jukebox karaoke. It was a perfect way to wind down our Woonsocket excursion.
The ice cream desserts at Chan’s looked delicious, but I had a new Crumbs cupcake waiting for me at home. I think it is called the Play Ball, as clearly it’s a vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting decorated for America’s favorite spring sport! Like all Crumbs cupcakes, it was perfection.
Another night on another town turned out to be a major success. Our next outing will be when the weather is warmer, so we will be headed to some southern Rhode Island beach town!
Do you ever have theme nights with your friends?
What I Ate Wednesday: May Half-Days
Happy, happy, happiest May! May is by far one of my favorite months– there are so many awesome things that happen in May! First, today and tomorrow are half-days at school, where underclassmen get dismissed at 10:40 and seniors come in to school in the afternoon to present their graduation portfolios to teacher review committees. It’s a big few days at my school because seniors have been prepping for their presentations all year and it’s one of their last hurdles to overcome before graduation. In fact, after this week, senior have only three weeks left before final exams, and since I have a lot of seniors this year, that means I’ll be done teaching a few of my classes after three and a half weeks!
May is the season of proms too in my school, which is always exciting. In fact, I met my husband immediately after I chaperoned one of my school proms years ago, which means we celebrate our “having met” anniversary in May too. This month just screams that summer is approaching and school is truly winding down, and that makes me so happy!
Anyway, before i present my latest eats, please, let’s thank Jenn for being such a wonderful WIAW host!
This side profile highlights all the magnificent clusters! I heart chunky granola!
I adorned my granola with the usual– coconut milk kefir, cinnamon, banana, and tahini. So good it was!
For lunch, I enjoyed a serving of Trader Joe’s minestrone soup, salad-ified by adding greens, cucumber, daikon, and broccoli slaw to the soup before heating. Souper-salad is one of the best ways to pack in extra veggies.
For a protein punch, I had some plain Greek yogurt and sliced strawberries for dessert. Strawberries are so good right now– nice and sweet!
Later in the afternoon, I opened a new bag of these Two Moms in the Raw granola planks, this time in the goji berry flavor.
THese bars are incredible on texture due to how seedy they are, which is why I am such a huge fan! The goji berry flavor doesn’t taste too different from their blueberry flavor at all.
Dinner consisted of all my new staples: here we have some herbed millet, curry tofu that I bought from Whole Foods, roasted cauliflower and asparagus, and some sauteed spinach. All veggies were seasoned with Trader Joe’s garlic salt, which is by far one of my favorite spice blends ever!
More yogurt, more protein for dessert! Siggi’s is by far one of the tastiest thick Icelandic style yogurts out there.
And, finally, once again, dark chocolate to really put an end to the night. Sorry for the recycled pic. . . and mind you, I only ate half of the bar!
Looking back, it was a very satisfying day of food, full of variety. I really enjoying dairy products in moderation lately and am so thankful that they seem to be agreeing with my digestion!
What’s your main source of protein in your diet? For me, right now, it seems like Greek or Icelandic style yogurt!
