Tinker Tailor Mexi-Meal!

Happy Humpday! I think Wednesdays are my favorite day of the week. I don’t have class, but I’m still inspired to get up and get my day started early (especially on days when Anna and I have our Breakfast Club!). There are usually quite a few errands to run, assignments to complete, and sweat to be shed. Still, not having to go to school takes off a lot of the pressure to get every little thing done, and I have the weekend to look forward to for more R&R. An all around good day

Yesterday, however, was a bit of a rude awakening. I Snooze-ed through several alarms, finally getting up at the last possible minute and throwing on clothes and makeup as fast as possible. I usually wait until the half-way point in my first class to eat breakfast (this way I don’t get hungry for lunch while I’m still in class), but my stomach wasn’t used to the schedule so I cracked into my overnight oats on the bus.

Is It Really This Early?- Overnight Oats

• 1/3 cup muesli
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 container peach Chobani
• 1 T almond butter

A few hours later I found myself outside for a few minutes of fresh air. It had just rained but the temperature was quite pleasant, so a bit of newspaper saved me from a case of soggy-tush. (Confession: I skip the Business section of the paper. Bad, I know!)

Lunch was leftover Indian with butternut squash over arugula, and hot chocolate. Every time I’m on campus I get a cup of this; it’s just Swiss Miss, but it warms me right up and reminds me of going to after-school when I was little.

I’d worn my workout clothes to school, so I went straight to the gym on my way home and biked for 40 minutes. The main way I get myself to sit still for so long? I bring books and magazines! If I’m running, I make sure to have a good playlist that I’m not tired of, or a new podcast to listen to.

I’d forgotten to bring an umbrella, so my walk home was cold and wet! After showering, I got under the covers with a snack (granny smith apple + trail mix). ‘Twas quite cozy!

I was craving “rice and beans” all day, so that’s just what I made for dinner. Well, an LVP-version of it: re-cooked refried beans, freekeh with feta, steamed butternut squash*, arugula with white wine vinegar/mustard/olive oil.

RECOOKED REFRIED BEANS

Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 can refried beans (I used Trader Joe’s fat free vegetarian version)
• 1 white or yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 tomato or tomatillo, diced

Heat oil in a medium saucepan until it shimmers. Add garlic and cook over medium-high until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring constantly, until translucent (about 7 minutes). Add pepper and tomato and cook for 2 minutes. Mix in refried beans and reduce to low heat, stirring every so often. Cook 10 minutes.

*That squash didn’t last a day! There’s one left… I have my eye on you, lil’ fella.

I ate early, because my friend Ilena and I had to catch a 7:00 movie: an advance screening of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ! One of my friends growing up was a huge John le Carré fan (as are my parents) and I’ve been hearing about the “Smiley” series for years. Gary Oldman is also one of my very favorite actors (I will never forget him in this), and he did a fantastic job. The movie itself was also really good- although, admittedly, I was a bit confused at times- and if you like spy movies, I highly recommend it. (Also, Tom Hardy is good eye candy .
source

I was close to Trader Joe’s, so I raced over and had 30 minutes to shop before the store closed. Unfortunately a few items on my list were sold out, but I still got a pretty good haul!

• Clif Mojo Mountain Mix bar
• blueberry goat cheese <—!!!!
• chocolate chips
• organic whole wheat spaghetti
• Weetabix cereal
• multigrain hot cereal
• almond butter with sea salt
• brown rice tortillas
• chocolate sorbet <— so creamy and rich, you can’t tell it’s dairy-free!
• smoked salmon pieces
• wasabi-roasted seaweed snacks
• cocoa almond spread <—!!!
• fig butter <—!!!

I dug right into the sorbet when I got home, topping it with a warm Banana Chocolate Chip Vita-Top.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was my first movie-theater movie in four months. As a person who used to go at least once a week, it felt good to be back! But priorities, finances, and time constraints change, and I often find myself adding current films straight to my Netflix queue so I can watch them at home a few months later.

Do you go to the movies often? What was the last film you saw? Before last night, I last saw The Help with my grandparents when I was in Minnesota in August! Crazy.

How much is a ticket where you are? Tickets cost $13.00 here!