I’m currently sitting at my desk eating a mug-full of Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream with Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips. I tried to ignore my after-dinner sweet tooth, but I couldn’t quiet my mind from screaming for ice cream; alas, I made an emergency trip to the nearest store to settle my craving.
Picture me in the ice cream isle for a solid five minutes. Ice cream flavors are a big decision obviously. I skimmed over the Skinny Cow and other wannabes and went straight to the real stuff. It was a battle between B & J and H.Dazs. After writing an entire speech about Ben and Jerry’s, I can’t help but want to support an environmentally-friendly company. However, comparing the rather long ingredient list of a tub of B & J’s ice cream to the single syllables on its rival created competition. I chose the less-ethical Haagen Dazs over the happy cows tonight =/
What is more important to you: simple ingredients or supporting a company that treats their employees tremendously and does all it can to take care of the environment?
Five ingredients, or twenty… ice cream makes any day better : )
* * *
Before I indulged, I licked my dinner plate clean of tofu and vegetables. I didn’t have any of my go-to teriyaki sauce to use for my stir-fry, so that meant I was making my own marinade.
Simply Soy, Sesame & Almond Butter Tofu
soy sauce
toasted sesame oil
almond butter
honey
garlic
sesame seeds
I used my chef’s eye as my measuring device tonight, so I apologize for the vague recipe: Mix ingredients together in a small bowl until the almond butter is incorporated. Chop a cube of firm, organic tofu into bite-sized squares and place into a lightly oiled baking pan. Pour marinade over tofu chunks and bake @ 350* for 30-40 minutes.
In the meantime, cook a pot of brown jasmine rice and stir-fry organic broccoli and carrots in a sizzling wok. When the tofu is golden brown, the rice toasty, and the veggies tender yet crisp, pile into a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Then eat up!
* * *
I said I had a lot to fill you in on, didn’t I? Alright, one thing at a time:
1. I am not moving [sigh of relief!]. It turned out that my roommate and I have decided to stay in our current apartment and fill the third bedroom. Phew…one less stress/expense to cross of my list.
2. I am officially an intern at College Lifestyles! I will be writing weekly posts all summer long about nutrition and healthy living. I promise to keep you updated with my new endeavor, but the next couple of weeks are for getting organized as I finish up the semester.
3. My dang cold [?] from last Sunday is still lingering on, but I couldn’t go any longer without physical exercise and my eye-candy at the gym. Here are my workouts from yesterday and today for your thrilling entertainment:
Muscle Monday
- indoor track run [1.5 mi.]
- 30-minutes spin [10.5 mi.]
- 15-minute treadmill walk @ 4.0 [5 minutes each @ incline 6.0, 8.0, 10.0]
- conditioning!
Running Tuesday
- indoor track run [0.5 mi]
- 30-minute treadmill run
4 min. @ 6.2 — 2.0 incline
6 min. @ 6.6
10 min. @ 4.2 — 6.0 incline
4 min. @ 6.6
6 min. @ 6.2 — 2.0 incline
- 10-minutes recumbant bike
- conditioning!
Hope ya’ll are having a great start to your week. I’m loving that tomorrow’s already Waffle Wednesday… but wait, I’m still without waffles – shucks!
XOXO,
Hillary
Thursday Thoughts
simply summer {strawberry} oats.
almond butter & dark chocolate crispy rice treats.
sunshine in a jar.
time out.
“The other wannabes” haha soo true! I am such a Ben & Jerry’s fan just because of their unique flavors. Like you said, they care about the environment and I also know that at my school they are always doing fundraisers for a good cause, so I am more than happy to support B & J! Now I want some…
Lol I love the phrase “wannabes”! It’s so true, they are all pretenders to the B & J / H Daz throne! I do actually prefer to buy B & J due to their ethical message, BUT H Daz is still yummy! Congrats on becoming an intern. I would love to write things like that.
THANK YOU for full fat real ice cream. I hate those low cal brands that taste gross and melt in .5 seconds. haha. As for ingredients, I usually just make sure I can pronounce them all so B&J usually wins for me :)
Congrats on your internship!
Hey, I just found your blog and I love it! I am surprised you only spent 5 minutes in the ice cream aisle :) I went home for Christmas after 15 months of living in the African bush and I honestly spent at least an hour almost every single day in the grocery store just STARING at all of these amazing things… and probably half of that was in the ice cream aisle… crying because two of my favorite flavors had disappeared since I had left the States. But I think I managed to go jome with B & J cookie dough every time :)
That’s a tough choice, but I would go with the 5 ingredients. I’m jealous you have eye candy at your gym, you would think being in a university full of men there would be some good ones, but nothing has caught my attention!
Oh, ice cream ALWAYS makes for a perfect day.
I’d probably choose the one with the 5 pronounceable ingredients while feeling guilty about not choosing the ethically upright one.
Oh that’s such a tough decision ;) But I totally agree with you when you said no matter how many ingredients, ice cream just makes the day better. :)
And congrats on the internship! Seems super interesting.
Ice cream is a girl’s best friend. “Guilt free” ice cream doesn’t cut it sometimes…go big or go home :)
That tofu looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe!!!
I have not heard about Muscle Monday, I need to join in on that because my strength training has been neglected lately :-( Man does that tofu look good!
I am an ingredients list kinda-girl… the shorter (and more readible!) = perfect!
Congrats on the interning job!
I’m always torn between ethics and health too. This might not totally be the same thing…but to me it’s buying local vs. buying organic produce. Do I go for supporting local farmers & their pesticide crops…or do I go for the pesticide-free crops that traveled hundreds of miles & used tons of fuel to get to my plate? Sighhh.
You must must try to find Cyclops frozen greek yogurt. It is quite possibly the greatest frozen treat I’ve ever discovered. I found it at my local grocery store but think Whole Foods may carry it as well.
Congrats on College Lifestyles my dear! You will love it, Shelly, and all of the other interns. My experience with CL was the best everrrr. Can’t wait to read your posts! Welcome to the CL fam! woot woot.