It’s WIAW time again!
Which means this is What I ate Tuesday. 🙂 (Check out what everyone else at too @ Peas and Crayons!)
I was supposed to be on a business trip this week, but was cancelled last minute. I can’t say I was terribly upset… sometimes I get to go to cool cities, but that doesn’t mean I get to see any of them!
Due to this (and a lot of dinner plans), I am having a “use what’s in the fridge” week.
The Challenge
I can be am terrible at letting things go bad. It’s wasteful. There are starving kinds in Africa. Money doesn’t grow on trees. *Insert whatever lines your parents used to force encourage you to clean your plate.*
Muffin trial run, eggs, restaurant leftovers, last week’s hummus, dregs of an artichoke jar, the last bottle of beer… they’re all being utilized!
Breakfast
Blueberry muffins, egg, and raw milk.
Recipe will come soon… I need to do some tweaking. Good, but not quiiiiite great.
Lunch
Last night I met my very pregnant BFF for dinner at Cafe Sunflower, one of the few exclusively-vegetarian restaurants in Atlanta.
Overall it was good. I liked my Jamaican Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Salsa and ate the leftovers for lunch.
The server was really weird. He leaned around the wall by our table and whispered that he had a crush on me. Then, when my friend went to the bathroom, he asked if I had a boyfriend and told me I have a good energy. (Note: he had creepy energy.)
I’m here to eat, not get hit on! At least it got me a free sample of the 3 Bean Chili (which was horrible, btw).
Snacks
It was a back/bicep weight day, so I got my post-workout 20g of protein from a Banana-Cinnamon Protein Shake.
In the mix:
(measurements are approximations – I eyeball it)
- 1 banana
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 tsp maca
- 1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 C frozen kale
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of guar gum
- Pinch of lemon-salt
- Ice + water (as needed)
- Granola sprinkled on top
Pretzels, carrots, cucumbers, and a bowl of cereal were also consumed.
Dinner
After a 5 hour conference call, I played with my food.
Falafel face
One of my 5 million bookmarked recipes included a baked falafel by Sarena @ Non-Dairy Queen. In the spirit of using what I had, I made Japanese-ish Baked Artichoke Falafel – spicy-style!
I ate my falafel with another recipe I have been meaning to try – Baked Grilled Zucchini with Goat Cheese from one of my new favorite blogs: Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide.
If you never listen to anything else I say, listen when I say you HAVE to try this Stuffed Zucchini. Grill or bake it this weekend for the 4th!
It is so easy – cut rows into a zucchini, stuff with cheese (I used goat), drizzle with olive oil, top with herbs, S+P, wrap in foil, bake or grill for 20 mins. Devour.
Japanese-ish Baked Artichoke Falafel
- 1/4 C Japanese-ish hummus
- 1/8 C jarred artichoke hearts, rough chopped
- 1 T coconut flour
- 1-1.5 tsp garlic sriracha
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp hosin sauce
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- Brine from artichokes, as need to moisten
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together. Form 5 balls (1 heaping tablespoon each) and place on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 mins.
Note: You can use any hummus or flour to make this. Add some herbs and you favorite spices and you’ll have your very own customized falafel!
***
I’m so pumped for tonight – it’s the second in a Chef Series I’ve been attending and tonight features one of my favorite Atlanta chefs. Full report to come… probably not until Friday though!
Show me your WIAW!!!
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten so far this week?
5 HOUR conference call?! Please tell me it was at least ridiculously productive and solved like 87% of the world’s problems.
Thanks for the grilled zucchini recipe, perfect timing! I’ve been craving that for a few days and plan to have it tonight or tomorrow.
Artichoke Falafel – how cool! This looks so yummy and satisfying. What a great spread you enjoyed! (on Tuesday 🙂 )
That is annoying about the creepy waiter. Totally can ruin a dining experience! Have you ever been to World Peace Cafe in Sandy Springs? It’s fully vegetarian. Not as nice as Cafe Sunflower but the food is really good.
I’ve never had falafel before! I may have to try it! I always thought it was fried.. but I suppose you can do anything andmake it healthy!
I spy some Kombucha in your fridge. LOVE that stuff. Wish it didn’t burn a hole in my pocket, though!
Traditional falafel is fried – this is the “healthified” (read: bastardized) version. 🙂
Kombucha is my big splurge… my tummy says it’s worth it!
I’ve only been to Cafe Sunflower once, and I was not a fan of my meal, but I’d definitely give it another go.
Your eats look great!
It is hit or miss. We also got the carrot cake, which I (oddly) didn’t love.
YUM! Japanese-ish Baked Artichoke Falafel?! That’s so creative! Looks like a yummy day of eats to me 🙂
Creepy waiter. Really cool recipe for the stuffed zucchini, never seen anything like that.
That stuffed zucchini looks amazing – what a great idea!
Best thing I ate today was an apple with pb 🙂
The stuffed zucchini looks bomb!
Mm, that falafel sounds good, I love funky falafel alternatives. And I hate wasting food, too, but I NEVER understood that starving kids in Africa argument as a kid–then if I don’t want to eat it, why don’t we just SEND it to them? Me eating food I don’t want won’t make anyone else less hungry 😀 I was probably pretty obnoxious as a kid (was?)…
I looooove falafel. Sorry about the creeper, but I did LOL at the creepy energy line 🙂
I love the idea of a stuffed zucchini…yum! I am making that soon! And I’ve only been to Cafe Sunflower once, but the salad I had was amazing.
I am oddly fascinated by the stuffed zucchini.
I don’t really know what else to say but that.
I wish I was at your place to eat! YUM! That stuffed zucchini and the falafel and the muffin! Now I’m hungry and I have none of that!
promise i’ll try that baller zuke =) way to use up food girl! I’m having trouble using up some cashew sauce I made ever since I read up about how cashews might not be that fab for us. oh boo. i’m trying to block it out and just dig in!
Happy WIAW my falafel loving partner in crime! mwah!
Oh my gosh, why have I not stuffed a zucchini before?!? That looks delicious!!!
Bake falafel- YES!! My mom and I made some chickpea burgers that tasted just like falafel but even those were fried. I’ll have to try baked ones!
ohh I am LOVING your asian inspired dishes Jen! those falafels look wonderful! We definitely had a week of trying to use everything in our fridge. There was a lot of vegan ‘egg salad’ going on because I had tempeh, tofu, mayo and relish!
5 hour conference call? goodness me! 😛
A 5 hour conference call?! Oh my gosh, that sounds like murder! That tasty food makes up for it though 🙂
That falafel looks amazing Laura!
Those black bean cakes look awesome.
I have yet to try a falafel! I need to asap
Wow, what a lovely spread in your food journal…and the blueberry muffin looks good:)
I can’t believe you had a 5-hour conference call…I thought I had to sit through long hours of meetings already:p
THis is a great recipe for falafel. I think I may change the flour. I may have a problem finding coconut flour. I may have to use some other type of flour. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m sure any flour would work – I considered spelt too.
That falafel looks great. Good to know I can bake the zucchini that way too. Thanks for the shout out.
Wow your dinner looked ridiculously good. I’m looking up the zucchini recipe right now! 🙂