Knowing my friends are frolicking in the sun while I’m begging patients to go on walks and administering suppositories…it’s tough. It doesn’t matter HOW much you love your job, when the weekend arrives and others are not working and you are, it’s just a bummer. Holiday weekends are especially difficult.
My three day weekend was spent in the hospital. Wah wah. Ordinarily, I avoid 3-in-a-rows like I avoid C. diff, but knowing I was getting Memorial Day pay (time and a half) and the weekend differential made it sort-of okay. After all my income has to support my eating habits [which are far from cheap]. My credit card statements are 99.9% grocery bills. Clearly I have my priorities straight.
I packed food, as per usual, but for some reason I felt the need to “treat” myself to cafeteria food instead. It’s my weekend indulgence. I don’t even know why I’m bothering to feign shock about it. I’m not deceived, you’re not deceived. Let’s all just call it what it is: a lack of self control a reward for being at work when most of the nation is not.
None of these were eaten for breakfast. But they were mighty fine snacks.
I wish I had a photo to show the hospital’s French Toast. It’s thick and fluffy on the inside, toasted and crispy with egg on the outside, and only barely greasy. I dunk each bite in maple syrup. It’s a wonderful weekend tradition. And I enjoyed two fat slices three mornings in a row. Saturday morning. Sunday morning. And Monday morning. There’s nothing coincidental or impulsive about that. I’m no legal expert, but I’m certain in the court of law, they’d call it premeditated.
Even as I packed those bowls of oats and bags of granola (above), in the back of my head, I knew all along I wasn’t going to eat them for breakfast. Kinda defeats the purpose of working the holiday, but whatever. Budgets suck.
Lunch highlights:
- tofu ricotta “cheese” with brown rice and spinach
- Blue Diamond smokehouse almonds
- Peanut Butter & Co. crunch time
- Way Better Snacks simply sweet potato tortilla chips
- CocomoJoe cocoa joebar
- Snackle Mouth granola nut clusters
The only “recipe” worth sharing, though, is the mustard tempeh salad bowl.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 block tempeh (I used LightLife flax)
- 1 tbsp honey mustard
- 1 tbsp course ground Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp Bragg’s liquid aminos
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 1-2 tbsp plain almond milk (optional*)
- chopped parsley
Directions:
Combine everything and mix and mash. I left some tempeh chunks bigger and smashed some to create a varied texture. *You may want to reduce or omit the almond milk if you’re going to eat it as a sandwich spread.
Then I added 1 cup cooked (and chilled) quinoa and a fist of spinach and shook so the extra juices coated the quinoa and greens.
Yeah. That was pretty much the best thing I made this weekend.
My Monday lunch was so uninspired, I didn’t even bother photographing it. Instead I walked to Whole Foods on my break.
To buy this.
Sweet potato fries and vegan cheese pizza (with Daiya). Talk about an unbalanced vegan meal! In my defense, I ended up saving most of the fries for later and had carrots instead. I do crave some crunch with my meals.
But I definitely finished off all three cheesy (read: oily) slices of pizza. And since it was pay-by-weight, I’m all too aware of the damage I did to my wallet.
I was pretty impressed by how well it held me over. I ate at 1 pm and wasn’t hungry again until 7 pm. I got off work and flew home (no traffic on holiday weekends) and immediately threw my leftover fries in the oven.
They re-heated and crisped up while I showered. And 15 minutes later…
Fries and a scramble.
Eggs with quinoa and spinach. Ready in under five minutes.
I had seconds and thirds of the fries until all 253.7 pounds of them were gone.
Haha I love that you packed breakfast knowing all along you were going to buy French toast. I do things like that as well, juuuuust in case I don’t buy food
so using that tempeh recipe for my lunches! yum
This post totally sold me on your blog! Working while everyone else is playing sucks–I’m glad you treated yourself to some yummy treats!!
Do you like the Peanut Butter & Co the best over other natural peanut butters?
I am not sure how I feel about the added oil and sugar, but maybe it tastes better
Okay your whole foods vegan pizza > my whole foods vegan pizza. You should see the pathetic amount of cheese they put on the pizzas. I’m talking 3 shreds…Yours looks so darn cheesy!
no i prefer natural nut butters. i almost always make my own (usually from raw or dry roasted nuts), but this was purchased by kyles parents and its yummy so im obviously going to eat it. it reminds me of less natural products like skippy and jif because it doesnt have the oil/nut separation that most natural nut butters have. also, it has cane sugar as a sweetener. so its not quite as healthy as a raw nut butter or one i’d make myself is. it does taste good though.
laaaaaame!
glad i sucked you in nikki 🙂
I’m with you on the grocery proportion of my credit card bill. The worst is that Chase is giving me 5% cash back on groceries this quarter so I keep rationalizing extra grocery luxuries with money back. ha!
the tempeh salad sounds very intriguing. i’ve got a block in my fridge waiting for me to do something interesting with it!
do you leave the tempeh raw and just chop and mix?
boo i feel you on the weekend work…i spent half of the long weekend working and the whole weekend before that (working in starbucks……college memories!!). on another note, your pics are making me hungry, even tho i just ate my hummus sandwich 🙂 i swear hummus, cheese and spinach were made for each other! miss you twin!
I’m glad you treated yourself this weekend at work! That tempeh salad sounds awesome, except that I’m allergic to mustard, so I’d have to leave that out. I seriously love tempeh lately!
Everything you packed for breakfast looks so good!
I really need to get me some of that whole foods pizza. My mouth waters excessively every time I see photos of it on your blog! In fact I feel the impulse to run out and get some now. However, it’s a bit of a drive so I’ll have to just keep in mind that I need to try it the next time I go. I love your egg/spinach/quinoa 5 min dish. Such an easy yet healthy meal.
Your posts are always so inspiring!
I feel you on working holidays…I have a job that I have to work them too! I spent years working Xmas, Thanksgiving and every other holiday. Love the tempeh and quinoa recipe…I do similar ones with tofu but I’ve gotta eat more tempeh. BTW…I’ve been loving the Cocomo Joe treats that I won in your giveaway. Granola and caramel popcorn…all gone! I’m halfway through the bars now too. I ate the cocoa one today for a snack…so good! I love the coffee one best so far!
I tried Lightlife Flax Tempeh last week and am in love with it..it was my first time trying tempeh and I don’t know why I hadn’t tried it sooner!
Hey! At least your Whole Foods HAS vegan pizza! I feel so deprived now! Haha! Shame on you Pittsburgh Whole Foods!
truth: im still on the fence with most kinds. theres just something about the nutty aftertaste that im only so-so on. anyway, lightlife’s flax is the one kind i do enjoy the most. i havent tried the trader joe’s brand yet though.
you should ask (beg) them to start making it!
just chopped and mixed.
technically it doesn’t need to be cooked because almost every store bought brand is already cooked.
i usually steam it or cook it, but in this case i didn’t do anything. just mashed it up.
ha. every time i pass that bux in the village i get nostalgic. miss you!!
oh man. thats a bummer…mustard is one of my faves.
thanks beth!
yea 🙂 i loooved that popcorn so much. im glad youre enjoying the other stuff too.
haha…thats SO something i would (and should!) do.
I’ve been in LA the last couple of days, and ended up going for lunch @ M Cafe as per your restaurant reviews. It was SO GOOD! You rock!
your meals always look amazing and delicious.. i love seeing them and getting inspired 🙂
hooray! (and thanks) 🙂
thanks kayla! glad theyre helpful 🙂
I didn’t know Whole Foods had sweet potato fries in the prepared foods area! I’ll have to look for those the next time I go, which is pretty much every week. I’m the same as you, I’ve spent most of my money on food lately. But it’s so worth it to get good food, and most good vegan food isn’t cheap!
I’m feeling you on the food bill; I’m about to go off to college and my parents keep saying you won’t be able to afford this in college! But like you said I would be willing to work extra jut to afford the food I want(: what can I say, I’m a foodie. Ps; that mustard tempeh is going on my list of things to try!
thats my feeling! worth the hard work to treat my body how i want to.
You’ve got to try the trader joes- really mild, never any bitter flavor and i usually eat raw. Oh, and the $1.60 price tag makes it about half as much as any other kind… Careful tho, its in the section near the hummus! I may or may not have um, accidentally gotten three new hummus (hummi??) that way…
shoot. thats dangerous for sure. haha. TJs Mediterranean hummus is the best one!!!
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Can’t count how many long weekends I worked as a nurse over the past 20 years. I so sympathize!
But your blog is making me grateful I’m vegetarian!
hi mimi…congrats on 20 years!!
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