Post Grad Life

So I know I haven’t been real faithful with posting on this blog, but I gotta tell you, nursing school sucks up your life. Good News – I am an official recepient of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree that I’ve worked so hard for these past four years of my life. Bad News – It’s still not technically “over” since I still have to take the NCLEX-RN examination, which if I pass offically makes me a Registered Nurse, so I still have much studying and prep to do.

But with a little more free time that post grad life grants me, I will post from time to time any interesting eats I have. Today my sister invited my mom and myself to the Chicago Diner (my fave restaurant ever). We ordered the Nachos to start as an appetizer…

Nachos

 

The nachos were amazing, as always… and totally vegan! Hooray! Then since I was in a Brunch kind of mood I decided to order their new sandwich, the Egg Biscuit (asked to be made vegan) to be nostalgic, as I used to LOVE McDonalds breakfast sandwiches back in my pregan days.

Yummy Egg Biscuit Sandwich with Diner Fries

 So good, so heavenly … best thing ever! Can’t wait until my next visit to Chicago Diner. Which I am sure will be pretty soon.

Almost There

I just got one more final to go and then it’s freedom! Yay! Two whole weeks of being at home with loved ones and enjoying the holiday season… so excited, can’t wait!

In an effort to ignore my powerpoint slides, I decided now’s a good a time as any to write a little bit about what I’ve eaten these past few days. It’s been such a long time, forgive me for my absence. I am in the home stretch of my nursing school career. It is still crazy to think that I graduate in MAY. Ahh!

Before this post takes up more time, on with the eats.

Buckwheat Noodles and Roasted Broccoli

Roasted broccoli is so good, you guys! It makes the veggie crispy and gives it another dimension of flavor. I used this recipe, except no cheese.

Virgil's Diet Cream Soda

Mmm, this diet soda was very tasty and reminded me of my childhood, when every once in a while I would drink Swiss Creme soda. I picked this up at my local health food store because it was on sale and cheaper than Zevia. Glad I gave it a try because now I’m hooked. I highly recommend this delicious, no artificially sweetened carbonated beverage.

Banana Oat Bran

It was my first time trying oat bran, and while I still prefer oatmeal, this was a nice change of pace. The banana helped to sweeten as well as “creamify” the oat bran. It was simply to prepare, too. 1/2 cup oat bran, one cup Rice Dream Enriched, and one banana. I topped it with cinnamon, but I wish I had not ran out of all my nut butters, because a dollop would’ve hit the spot.

Kale Chips

Omg, Kath is a GENIUS! Her recipe for kale chips rock!! I got to admit, I was a bit skeptical in trying this recipe. I thought it wouldn’t be anything to sing about, but boy, was I wrong. These babies are so good and so addictive! I’ve been making a batch almost everyday. Instead of parm, I use nooch. Mmm, nooch… so “cheesy” and so good for you. These do not taste healthy, but these most certainly are. I can’t persuade you enough. You must try the brilliance that is KALE CHIPS.

A while back the kind people at Larabar sent me three new larabar flavors to try. I love larabars, like seriously LOVE them. If I could marry them, I definitely would, believe me. Obsessed much? Oh yea.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Larabar

The peanut butter larabar is certainly one of my top favorite flavors (it shares the #1 spot with Cashew Cookie) so when I saw this flavor I jumped up in joy and excitement. Unfortunately, when I saw that the “jelly” part was dried cherries, my excitement quickly turned into disappointment. The Cherry pie flavor is my least favorite. I just don’t like cherry that much… it reminds me of medicine, blah! As for this bar, it was just ok. I think it would’ve been way better with dried strawberries… or larabar should make an “Elvis Larabar”, with pb and banana. Mmm!

Tropical Fruit Tart

Now this was a great flavor! I felt like I was in the tropics, enjoying the ocean breeze and sunshine. Ahh.. But seriously, this flavor was really good. It almost tasted like a dessert. Highly recommended.

German Chocolate Cake

Interesting name, but nothing real special about it. It tasted like a regular chocolate Jocalat. Not that that’s a bad thing, since I thoroughly enjoyed my piece of choco heaven.

And what post would be complete without the best dessert ever?! COOKIES!

Homemade Peanut Butter Cookie

I came up with this recipe based on another recipe I found in my computer’s recipe folder. I don’t know where it came from, but I can give you the one I did to make this piece of peanut butter nirvana. The recipe is so easy, it’s ridiculous.

Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 2 good sized cookies

• 3 tbsp peanut butter, crunchy or creamy (I used creamy)
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup + 1/2 tbsp of unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven (I used my toaster oven) to 375 degrees F. Mix the first 3 ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated. Mix the flour and baking soda in another bowl. Add dry to wet until just combined. Split the dough in two. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Mine were done in 13. Let cool for a bit, then enjoy with a tall glass of vegan milk (I drank it with Rice Dream Enriched, mmm!).

See? Easy peasy! I also decided to make another easy cookie recipe, this time using Polly’s recipe.

Polly's No Bake PB Cookie Balls

These are great because you don’t need to bake ‘em! Just mix the ingredients and put in the fridge to harden. Even though these were super simple to make, the taste is beyond simple. So indulgent and peanut buttery. Go ahead and make yourself a batch. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Well, I guess it’s time for me to go back to studying for my last final. I will return soon, though. To those who are also doing finals, happy studying. And to those already on vaca… I wish I were you, haha.

Remember, Remember

OMG, it’s DECEMBER?!

Yikes, where has the time gone! I offer my apologies, fellow bloggies, for not updating my blog since the summer (even though I’ve been eating loads of glorious vegan fare).

I will try my best to update more frequently, but I just wanted to let you all know I am here and I hope to be back soon!

Stay tuned!

Evey

Back From Miami

I just got back from an amazing time down in Miami, Florida! Sorry I didn’t give y’all a heads up on my travel plans, but would I be able to make up for it if I showed you all some pics?

Swinging in Key Largo (I’m in the R swing)

What a beautiful view…

Beach!

Miami Skyline

And then we decided on a whim to go to…

Magic Kingdom? Isn’t that in… DISNEY WORLD?!

We went to the most wonderful place in the world.. DISNEY WORLD! Yay! We went to…

Animal Kingdom

Tree of Life

Took our picture with Terk from Tarzan

Then it was off to Magic Kingdom!!

What a wonderful, magical place!

Got to see Capt. Jack Sparrow…

Me enjoying my HOLY YUM Vanilla Toffutti… MMM!

And our night ended at Epcot…

Ah, it was such a great time!! I hope to come back again sometime soon… best place to be, imho.

Oh, and since this is a food blog, here’s a pic of me enjoying fresh coconut water at Miami Beach.

Can’t get more refreshing than that.. yum!

Be back soon!

May… Already Over?

Wow, I can not believe how fast time flies!

I have been on my summer break for a couple of weeks now and let’s just say I’ve been relishing it.

Don’t worry though, I have been able to snap some pics of blog worthy food, so let’s go on to some eats!

It’s summer time (well, not technically, but whatev) and we all know what that means.. ice cream! And there’s no other better way than to enjoy this treat than…

Totally Vegan, Totally Rad Banana Split topped w/ crushed PB Puffins

Um, yea, it was as GREAT as it looks! MMM!!

I have also been enjoying lots of pizza lately. There’s nothing more satisfying than a cheesy piece of pizza. I get my vegan fix at Pizza Fusion, where they have an awesome “Very Vegan Pizza” on their menu.

Crimini mushrooms, roasted garlic, tomato sauce and soy cheese

Their vegan soy cheese is like none other! The crust was thin and slightly burnt, JUST the way I like it. Defintely good eats.

A brand new HUGE Whole Foods opened here in Chicago and of course I had to go check it out. The store was so overwhelming, I didn’t know where to start, yet luckily I quickly found the many vegan items they had there. I had so much difficulty deciding what I wanted to buy there, so I decided to purchase things I know I couldn’t get at my regular Whole Foods.

One such item was a ready to go vegan meal.

Yummy Vegan Taco Salad

WOW! Dare I say, best taco salad I’ve had so far? The queso sauce was out of this world, it made the whole dish!

I also picked up two things to satisy my ever-present sweet tooth.

Vegan and Gluten Free Cupcake from Swirlz

Swirlz is a local bakery that specializes in cupcakes. Their cuppies are decorated so cute! Just look at it..

Aww.. cute enough to eat!

But was it tasty? You be the judge of that…

My sister enjoying her cuppie

And I also found a new type of cookie I haven’t had in ages – the classic sugar cookie!

nom, nom!

You didn’t think I would end a post without the obligatory cookie, did you? It’s like you don’t even know me…

Be back soon!

Glorious Finals

Hi everyone! Long time no see, huh? Please excuse my absence, but you all know how school and life can be.

Right now I am in the midst of glorious finals week and I only have one more to go and then it’s FREEDOM! I can’t wait, but before I get back to studying my butt off I wanted to update my blog with tons of food pics that have been piling up in my camera’s memory.

In April, this blog turned one year old! YAY! I have had loads of fun becoming a part of this wonderful blogosphere and I can’t believe it’s been a year since I first started Vegan Nurse. I can’t wait to see what this next year holds in store.

On to the food!

First off, I tried a new Larabar flavor – Lemon Bar. Now usually I am not a huge fan of citrus flavors, but this one was really good. The Lemon flavor was spot on and it wasn’t too overpowering like I thought it would be.

VeggieGirl’s Infamous Blondies

OMG, believe the hype people! VeggieGirl’s blondies are the shiznit! What are you waiting for? Go bake some right now!

Inside Look @ Blondies… YUM!

I also was able to try some of the BEST COOKIES EVER

Hilary’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

You guys know me and my cookies… but man, oh man, was this the best cookie I’ve ever had (and I’ve had my fair share of them, trust me!). If you are able to find these cookies, I highly recommend Hilary’s – she knows what she’s doin’.

The Best Burger Eva

My mom has been really awesome lately as she’s been cooking up vegan meals like none other. One day she decided to make the fam Grilled Veggie Pesto Burgers! Oh yes, it is as amazing as it sounds, friends. My mom would grill up portabella mushrooms, eggplants, zucchini, red/green peppers, and the marinate them in a delicous (vegan!) pesto sauce. HOLY YUM.. best burger of my life. Period.

What’s a burger without some onion rings?

The onion rings were the bomb, guys! They are vegan amd gluten free and so darn tasty. The brand we got we found at Whole Foods and it was Ian’s. Definitely recommended.

New obsession alert!

Wait, these aren’t cookies…

Nope, but they sure are addicting little fellas! These little cafe twist are really good and it’s amazing that they’re only 30 kcals per twist! Trader Joe’s has managed to create a vegan delicacy with these little cinnamon sugar sticks. The perfect sensible dessert.. or you could eat a ton of ‘em and not feel too guilty, haha.

Mystic Mango Kombucha

This is hands down my favorite Kombucha flavor. Love how it makes my tummy feel.

Another VG Blondie Batch!

What – you STILL haven’t baked a batch? What are you waiting for?

Chicago Diner Strawberry Vegan Shake

My lil sister fell in love with Chicago Diner shakes after she ordered this baby. “This is, like, the BEST THING EVER” she exclaimed as she downed her beverage in two seconds flat. I still haven’t tried the famour PB Cookie Dough Milkshake, but don’t worry it’s definitely on my to-do list, Ruby Red!

I ordered a bit more sensible and healthy drink for my meal -

Fresh Carrot Juice

Ah, nothing beats freshly made carrot juice. So delicious and so invigorating! What did I order for my meal…

Raw B.L.Tease Sandwich

I ordered the raw special of the day – the BLTease Sandwich. Described on the menu as “eggplant ‘bacon’, avocado, tomato slices, sprouts, cashew-date mustard sauce on kamut-walnut-flax bread. With almond-cashew “mayo” coleslaw & parsnip-sweet potato chips.” Umm, yea, how heavenly does that sound? It was a pretty radical sammy, guys. The flavors were outstanding and everything was just so delish! I was completely satisfied with my meal, but of course you know me – I can’t say no to dessert! My mom and I decided to order…

Raw Pineapple Cheezecake

OMG, was this AMAZING! My mom and I were in heaven with each and every bite. And the awesome thing about raw desserts – they actually fill you up! Of course this put me over the top, but it was so worth it. Nom, nom.

On a routine trip to Trader Joe’s I found something I wanted to give a try.

Chicken-less Pulled Chicken in BBQ Sauce

It sounded amazing, but it was just ok. I wish the BBQ sauce had a more dominant flavor.

Recently, I’ve been obsessed with raw desserts and I had to jump on the blog bandwagon when I saw these little guys popping up…

Ani Phyo’s Amazing Raw Donut holes

I have Ani Phyo’s “cookbook” so as soon as I saw these babies on everyone’s blogs, I decided to whip out Phyo and make these babies. Oh, yes, it is true guys.. they are as amazing everyone said they are. MMM! But don’t despair if you don’t have Miss Phyo’s book (although it is highly recommended)! You can go here and get the recipe to make ‘em yourself.

My local Whole Foods has started stocking up on raw desserts that have intrigued me for quite some time now. I finally decided to give one a try. How couldn’t I when it was the raw version of my favorite dessert ever…

Raw Creations Carrot Cheesecake

Raw Creations is a local place that cranks up amazing raw desserts. Check out their website and look at the amazing things they make. This carrot cheesecake, I’m not gonna lie, was the best carrot cake I’ve had in my life. It was AMAZING! Like heaven in dessert form. Yum!

Bob’s Peanut Butter Oat Bar

I found this Bobo’s Oat Bar at my local health food store because it sounded amazing, but it was just ok. The PB flavor was not as strong as I thought it would be.

Last but not least..

Pancakes!

I’ve been having these babies pretty much twice a week. They are so good and so easy to make. A definite fave recipe, for sure. I used this recipe and I just love how they come out. Fluffy, with just a hint of sweetness. Ah, nothing beats pancakes on a Saturday morning.

Alright guys that’s all I have for you for now! Sorry this post was so long, but I promise to be back more frequently once school is over. You all have an amazing weekend!

‘Til next time,

Evey Out!

Minneapolis Fun

Minneapolis was a good ol’ time! I am such a city girl at heart, so when I found out that the hotel we were staying at was smack dab in the middle of Downtown, I was ecstatic!

LOVE Big Buildings!

The weekend was so fun (with business mixed in, of course) and it pretty much revolved around food! That’s what happens when you travel with food lovers, haha! Our first Minneapolis food stop? Pizza Luce, of course! Cuz who doesn’t like pizza?

After much deliberation, I decided to “Build My Own Pizza” with soy cheese, mushrooms, pineapple, and mock breaded chicken. Mmm!

Nom, Nom!

Afterwards, we decided to walk around town, though it was chilly! Luckily, we used the Skyway.. such an brilliant idea!

The Skyway

View From Skyway

After walking, shopping at Nicollet Mall and getting to know the city, we worked up quite an appetite and my omni friends wanted to go to The Melting Pot.

Cheese All Gone.. I assume that means it was good?

I wasn’t able to participate with the cheese fondue, but I did have my fare share of dippers while my friends gladly chowed down on the cheese. But they didn’t want to leave me out with dessert, so we ended ordering The Original Chocolate Dessert, subbing DARK chocolate for milk chocolate.

Umm, dark chocolate with peanut butter?? YUM, are you kidding me??

OMG! Check out the spread!!

I gladly dipped my fruit and dipped it into melty, smooth delicious mix of dark chocolate with peanut butter. Oh, yea!

Hooray for Chocolate!

We were all quite content with our first night in Minneapolis. On Saturday it was pretty much all business, attending the conference and presenting our project. It was fun and we learned a lot, too!

After the presentation we decided to enjoy our last night by making a mandatory stop at the Mall of America! On our way there, I was delightfully surprised to find the legendary OatsCreme!

Non Dairy Soft Serve! Score!

I ordered the small vanilla with carob chips(!!) and strawberries…

I Scream for OatsCreme!

I was so happy and I throughly enjoyed my OatsCreme experience. Soo good, and soo healthy, too! Why don’t I have this in Chicago?

When we finally arrived at the Mall of America, all of our jaws dropped! Whoa, this mall is INTENSE! We were so overwhelmed!

4 floors?

And then we saw this…

An Amusement Park.. Inside? Cool!

And they had…

LEGOland

Then it was time to head back…

For breakfast this morning I was able to find another vegan goodie!

Lemon Poppyseed Suncake

I was happy to have found these, since I can’t find them anywhere in Chicago. Ruby Red has recommended the Heart Thrives to me for quite a while. This delicious California Suncake packed quite a nutritonal punch! It totally satisfied me during the trip back home. Oh, and I did nibble a bit on a Pizza Luce dessert…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar (it’s vegan!)

A delicious way to end my fun weekend at Minneapolis. I was pleased to find how vegan friendly this city is! It was a wonderful place and I hope to visit again sometime and hit up even more of the wonderful vegan places this town has to offer.

Well, I think it’s time for me to get to bed and get ready for another week of classes. Ugh!

I wish you all a happy week!

Back From Break

Actually, I’ve been back for almost a week, but I barely found time to post until now. My, how time flies! I can’t believe that it was 3 weeks ago when I started my Spring Break Medical Missions Trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

It was an awesome experience, where it was both rewarding and challenging at times. There were some days in which I wanted nothing more than to be at home, relaxing and having a break, but most of the time I was so happy and glad to have helped out so many people in need. It feels good to help others! Here are a few photos to recap the trip…

Arrived @ San Jose, Costa Rica Airport

Pretty Blue Costa Rican Building

Costa Rica’s National Theatre

1st Clinic Day… Dressed in Scrubs!

Setting Up the Clinic

Kids Playing Outside the Clinic

Patients Waiting to Be Seen

The Pharmacy

See the Rainbow?

@ the Costa Rica-Nicaragua Border… WELCOME TO NICARAGUA

1st Stop in Nicaragua? Restaurant!

Volcano

Ahh… hammocks by the water…

Closer to a volcano… check out cloud on top!

At the Beach

The Clinic in Nicaragua

Ready for Another Day of Clinic, Dressed in Scrubs

Clinic

Another Volcano.. so many in Nicaragua!

Last Night, so we had a Fiesta.. pinata included!

Yours Truly took a couple swings @ it, blindfolded of course

Bye Nicaragua… It’s time to go back home!

There is so much more photos of the trip that I can post, but I think this post already has enough pics, but if you have any questions about the trip, please don’t hesitate to post it. Like I said, it was an amazing and uique experience and I am so happy that I got to be a part of it.

Oh, but this is a food blog of course, so without further ado, the obligatory cookie post.

ABC Cookie of the Season – Peppermint Chocolate Delight

Very tasty.. if you love the combo of chocolate and mint, this is the cookie for you! Added bonus – vegan white chocolate chips!!

ABC Luscious Lemon Poppyseed Cookie

Wowee!! This cookie was the bomb diggity! Luscios lemon flavor and the awesome crunch of the poppyseed made this super sweet cookie a joy to eat. While some may find it a bit too sweet, it more than satisfied my ever present sweet tooth. Yumo.. go get yourself some vegan cookies!

Til next time, peeps!

Off to Central America

Hello all!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be departing to lovely Costa Rica and Nicaragua tonight, so I just wanted to tell you all I won’t be here for the next two weeks. I will try to take as many pics as I can to show you all… I am very excited to help out those in need!

I won’t leave you without sharing some eats I’ve had, so…

Berry Almond LUNA Bar

I wasn’t expecting much out of this bar, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is very fruity in taste, but the texture of it was kind of weird. Still pretty good, though.

Chocolate Chip CLIF Bar

I know a lot of people seem to really enjoy this flavor, but I wasn’t really into it. I thought it was just ok.

Banana Nut Bread

NOW THIS was TASTY! My new favorite CLIF Bar, hands down. This tasted NOTHING like an energy bar – it tasted like a freshly made baked good. The banana permeates the whole bar and there are chocolate chips thrown in there for good measure. I warmed mine up for about 15 secs, and it made this bar 10x better (ooey gooey goodness). I also noticed no weird aftertaste that some of the energy bars have. This is really good, guys. Definitely give it a try.

Shells & Chreese

I had this the other day and thought they were pretty tasty, but I found myself adding a bit more salt and seasonings on it to my liking. It’s great for a quick meal, but it tasted just like Lindsay’s Fat Free Mac n Cheeze.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Of course, no post is complete without my fave dessert ever – cookies! I made a batch of The Everyday Vegan’s Oatmeal Raisin cookies to have throughout the week. Simple, fast, and oh so good! *NOTE, not my picture, but I thought you guys might like a visual,

Heather asked me a good question in my last post about how I deal with my veganism when traveling to foreign countries. Well, I have been to Nicaragua before (this past summer, actually -  you can read about it here) and I was able to eat vegan while down there just fine. There is an abundance of fresh fruit and veggies available, as well as the staple of rice and beans provided at every meal. So, I am not worried at all about my being vegan, but just in case I am not able to find something to eat (which can occur in fast food places, restaurants, etc), then I have some CLIF, LUNA, and Larabars packed just for such an occasion. Thanks for pointing that out, Heather!

Alright, foodies, I’m out! See you in a couple of weeks,

Nicaraguan Volcano.. Cool!

A Week Til Spring Break

Hello all!

I’ve been really busy as of late (who isn’t?), so I don’t have any food pics for you, bummer!

Just wanted to let you know that this week will be CRAZY as well as my Spring Break commences THIS FRIDAY and will go on until March 15! Yea! As happy as I am that it’ll be vacation time soon, that means tons of exams, projects, and work to do before I get my freedom.

Also, for my entire Spring Break I will be on a Medical Missions trip to the lovely countries of Costa Rica and Nicaragua!

I’m excited, but also stressed out with all that has to be done before my departure this Friday morning!

AAHH!

Wish me luck guys and I hope you all have a great week, too!