Sorry it's been so long since I updated. Work was crazy last week. I worked 63 hours! We opened Wednesday the 20th. It's so nice to be working again.I am still going to stick to my $3.33 a day budget. I pretty much have to.
I've been eating a lot of salads and out of my freezer. The above is my sesame beet salad with wasabi dressing. So delicious.
I made us brunch yesterday... tvp sausages, sauted apples and brown rice pancakes.
BIG SALAD! I've been eating a huge salad every day before work. The dressing here was a raw fat free carrot/tomato/ginger/habanero concoction. So spicy and delicious.
Shan tofu with collard greens... 
Noodle bowl...
Veggie burger with caramelized onions and strawberry/habanero ketchup on a homemade gluten free english muffin (made from brown rice flour)...
I have a stash of frozen bananas and baby spinach at work for green smoothies.. they are the perfect thing to drink to refuel!
I will probably not be posting as much for the next month or so while I get used to my new schedule. I don't get home until midnight at the earliest.. I have a 2 hour round trip commute (Damn traffic!)... I am sooo thankful to the Portsmouth library for having such an awesome selection of books on CD.
I am so behind on reading your blogs. I miss everyone!
Glad to know that you're working again! I bet you're very relieved! All the food looks amazing, especially that burger with the strawberry pepper kethup (what a fab combo!).
ReplyDeleteHey! We miss you, too. Glad you are getting some hours, albeit too many! :) Your carrot-tomato fat-free dressing looks interesting!
ReplyDeleteEven with a killer schedule, you still manage to make amazing looking food. Wow.
ReplyDeletecongrats! it's awesome that you're working again but sticking to the budget seems like a good idea. this is one of my favorite blogs and i always love the stuff you cook up!
ReplyDeletei looove beets. do you make everything up or do you use recipes?
Hey Mel! I miss you too!!! Your meals look great. I am so happy everything is going good with your job. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteWhere are you working? i'd love to try some of your yummy creations sometime.
ReplyDeleteYour homemade burgers always look so delicous! Your such an inspiration for delicous healthy, inexpensive food, I love reading your blog!
ReplyDeleteI'd love it if you would comment on my blog:
http://whatyourmommadidntknow.blogspot.com/
That salad makes my mouth water. Congratulations on the job! I'd love to visit your restaurant next time I drive through New Hampshire.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that you're enjoying your new job! :) I hope, after you schedule settles down, you're still planning on doing the e-book!
ReplyDeleteMiss you too, dear! Those huge salads sound amazing :)
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh, Melody – 63 hours = bananapants! i love a big tasty salad – your dressing sound spicy ‘n delicious, indeed! i love the beets too – they’re so pretty! hooray for more shan tofu, a gloriously good veggie burger, and one tasty look’n noodle bowl! we always have frozen bananas in the house – some days i’ll just eat ½ a banana so i freeze the other half for smoothies, too! mmmmmmmmmmmmm! no worries on the posting, Melody – we totally understand! hugs & happyfaces to you!!!
ReplyDeleteAll the food looks delicious - especially the salad and veggie burger on toasted english muffin! Glad you are enjoying work.
ReplyDeletedo you have a recipe for the beet salad? it looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteIf you lived near me, I'd pay you to cook these unbelievable meals for me. (Then you could spend, like, $13.33 per day!) No, but seriously, I would definitely buy these incredible dishes from you! (Could you move 3,000 miles west?)
ReplyDeleteWow, you are really putting in the hours, but I know you're glad to be employed again.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try my next beet salad with wasabi - yum!
Hey Melody! Thanks for taking the time to give us an update. 60+ hours? Good God, woman! I can't wait to see your recipe for the gorgeous beet salad. And good for you for fueling up *before* work and for bringing safe food to work. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful update!!! All the food looks fantastic. I always enjoy reading your blog.=D
ReplyDeleteOh man, everything always looks so good. Can I pay you $5 for a plate? :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Melody! I'm new to your blog and I would like to say thank you for sharing your $3.33 ideas with us. I am currently part way through a 30 day experiment to see if I can live a vegetarian lifestyle, and it is working well for me, so I am looking forward to more of your inspiration.
ReplyDeleteIf the food is as delicious as the pictures, you are truly dismissing the stereotype that you can't have wonderful food without animal products!
I forgot to mention this; I saw from your main website that you were originally from Iowa. I am from Waterloo. What part of Iowa do you come from? Small world!
ReplyDeletehappy award day!
ReplyDeletehttp://vegetarianismisforeverybody.blogspot.com/2009/05/things-to-celebrate.html
it's yours. congrats.
Good luck settling in to the new routine! All your food looks fabulous as always. Yum!
ReplyDeleteMel, your food always looks so colorful and healthy. That must be how you can work all those hours!
ReplyDeleteYou are an inspiration to us all.
Mel,
ReplyDeleteHi! I found your blog through Gena’s blogroll and I’m having so much fun looking through your past posts. Honestly, I am so enthralled with anyone who can eat beautiful food for so little cash. You are my new hero!
As an experiment I took on the family grocery shopping (I'm 19) for the summer and kept all four of us fed for under $50 a week. It was actually very educational!
Have a gorgeous night sweetie!
With Love,
Emily
I am happy you have a new job doing what you enjoy most! Your dishes look awesome! I feel so bad for your long commute. OUCH!!! Hang in there and post or visit when you can. We will be there for you. :o)
ReplyDeletestrawberry-habanero ketchup?? oh, you always know how to put the right twist in there! :D
ReplyDeleteGlad work is going well. I'm going to take a tip with those big salads! :)
ReplyDeleteSixty three hours???? Whoah! Well, glad you're enjoying it. And your food still looks amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Mel!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say I've been meaning to try my hand at that shan tofu forever, and finally did it last week. I'm hoping it'll be good until Wednesday (I made it on Friday, I think...maybe Thursday). I used chickpea flour and it worked pretty well, but is more of a firmer polenta than anything else. When I stiry-fry it, it tends to fall apart a bit...any tips? Maybe I should use more flour/less water next time. It tastes great though, even mushified, and is healthy to boot. Thanks again for writing about it and inspiring me to give it a go!
Strawberry habanero ketchup?! Wow! That sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteIt looks so good and beautiful.
Thank for sharing
www.ahacook.com