In summer, the song sings itself

Words by American poet, William Carlos Williams. Usually summer for me means lots of relaxing and “me” time. I’ll admit that I’m not totally use to all the me time, and sometimes I find myself trying to push it away. There are things I wish I could be doing… especially when I see a lot of my friends that stay up in Virginia have those get-togethers on perfect summer nights. But you know what? Then I stop for a moment and look around me. During these long breaks I usually set up little projects for myself to keep me occupied. Usually they involve the kitchen, house decorating, spending more time practicing yoga and dancing, and making some art. I also take this time to read, learn about different subjects, and trying to watch television. Yes, I said trying to watch television! Up at school I don’t have a tv (I prefer it this way, plus I think they’re ugly to look at when they’re not on). So whenever I’m down in Florida I get a dose of pop culture and I finally get clued in on what and who everyone else is talking about! Anyway, I really went off on a tangent! This summer I came up with another project: compiling a cookbook! That means I’m actually going to look back on my entries, and from now on I will take notes as I conjure up spells… I mean recipes in the kitchen. Tomorrow I am going to see if I have any extra notebooks lying around the house! Does anyone out there have any advice? I would greatly appreciate it!

Another great thrift store find--a bowl fit for a king cost me only fifty cents!

Irish steel cut oats again.

I let them cool down in the fridge for a bit and mixed in some banana slices + for topping along with crunch peanut butter and chocolate almond butter. My mouth was very very happy.

This time I fried the bananas in ghee with cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger.

Then I added some cashew-macadamia butter and sesame seeds to my bowl of oats. Either of these breakfast bowls would be great to get me going and ready for a…

A shopping adventure with my little nugget

Lounging around in my favorite store!

That harness makes her look like she was a gift sent from up above!

We took a food break.

Have you guys ever heard of Maoz?

“Maoz Vegetarian is an international, quick service vegetarian restaurant chain, which brought to the world the delicious Maoz sandwich: FALAFEL.
Our menu is strictly vegetarian and is based on simplicity, freshness and care.”

They only have 12 locations in the United States, but more worldwide. I’m lucky enough to have the only location in the southern United States right in my backyard… in a mall food court of all places! I love their sweet potato fries dipped in their garlic sauce. Yum!

I dressed it with their garlic sauce and cilantro dressing.

Another great thing is that you can choose your fillings!

I opted to fill mine with carrot salad, beet salad, cole slaw, and the falafels automatically come in the pita. After we finished our delicious sandwiches we checked each others teeth to make sure there were no random green things. All good!

And of course I did not leave my favorite store empty-handed.

I fell in love with the vibrant blue and asymmetric cut.

My new shirt is as vibrant as beets.

This was my first time roasting golden beets. I can’t explain how excited I was! Something about beautiful foods just gets to me. I roasted the beets and tossed them in olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Then I whipped up a honey-dijon vinaigrette and sprinkled on some goat cheese. Next time I will make some candied pecans to go with this!

Also a very colorful bowl: sweet potato and butternut squash soup with coconut milk.

I almost always prefer thick soups to broths.

With this post I can see that the artist in me never disappears.

I am just naturally drawn to colors! I cooked some rotini, and simmered zucchini, red onion, cannellini beans, red bell pepper in a tomato sauce with balsamic vinegar. Then I garnished it with fresh basil, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, goat cheese, and a drizzle of white truffle oil. Later on I also threw in some parmesan and the taste just made sense. Don’t forget the ground black pepper!

Very very appetizing.

How appetizing?

Buon appetito! Ne voglio ancora?

“Are there any seconds?”

For dinner I wanted to do something special...

Matilda was of course included!

This was the star of the show that night.

I cracked open a book of mine that I have unintentionally been neglecting, The Conscious Cook by Chef Tal Ronnen!

Very Green Salad with Cucumber, Kohlrabi, Sweet Onion and Herb Vinaigrette

This salad was perfect for eating outside and cooling down our bodies. Making the herb vinaigrette was so pleasant, and I couldn’t help but breathe in the sweet aroma of all the herbs and other ingredients. Eating the raw kohlrabi brought back memories of having it so many times when I was still living in Germany. Do any of you have any familiar tastes that make you nostalgic?

After eating our dinner we just sat around in the backyard and listened to the soothing sounds of bossa nova and a rain storm. It was incredibly relaxing and perfect for unwinding on a Friday evening. I believe summer is here and this oh-so chic little lady explained the feelings of this sweltering season perfectly: “I love those days when you actually prefer to ask for frapuccinos or something that has to do with ice or ice cream, and when the only “hot” thing allowed… is YOU. (all of you, not just me).”

And one more thing I’d like to share to mark the days of more sun

It’s a State of Mind

It’s been far too long since my vivacious mother has graced the pages of my blog! When I think of my mom I think of what someone who has a passion for life. She has this youthfulness about her and I believe it can be a state of mind. How you carry and perceive yourself really reflects a lot on how people see you. This brings me to my number one fashion tip: wear it with confidence! When you’ve finally decided what outfit you want to wear, or if you just threw something on, don’t forget to walk out your door with a good amount of self-esteem and work it!

First off I started my Thanksgiving day with some homemade granola!

I used the soybean pulp, coconut oil, honey, shredded coconut, and vanilla extract

Granola + vanilla Greek yogurt/pumpkin puree + raisins

After straightening the apartment up and running some errands, I picked up my mother at the airport and gave her a tour of the place. It didn’t take too long though since it’s quite small. She came bearing gifts from her recent trip to Germany!

German goodies!

Neela definitely understands that Germans have mastered the art of baking bread and Kuchen! Oh and making chocolate too!

Choco Gummibaerchen

Then we started cooking up a storm for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Mom also helped!

Then we set my coffee table and sat on pillows.

Looking cute!

Shall we eat?

This was on the menu:

First time trying Swiss chard!

Swiss chard with toasted pine nuts and raisins

Indian-spiced Kabocha mash

Stollen my mom brought back from her trip to Germany

Sage and pumpkin seed encrusted "chick'n" with cranberry cabernet sauce

I used Gardein scallopinis for the “chick’n”. I also baked some maple cornbread and mushroom gravy.

All together and what have you got?

Afterwards we went on a walk with Matilda.

Then we watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I had never seen that movie, and now I see why so many people love it!

Next morning, mom and daughter breakfast

My mom had some of the gourmet cashew toffee Holly sent me, a Fig Newman, banana, toast with sunflower seed butter (her first time trying it), and an arepa con choclo. Her and I actually split the delicious arepa. For myself I tried the chocolate Heart Thrive over some vanilla Greek yogurt, cashew butter, some Newman’s Own Organic dark chocolate, and a sliced banana. I think the Heart Thrives are getting better and better with each new flavor I try. I heated this one up and I loved the melted chocolate. This one in particular tastes like a cookie. Can you guess which kind? Then we got ready for some shopping!

Dressing room photoshoots - commence!

I tried on this incredible black dress!

So awesome!

Since I’m going to Art Basel this coming weekend, I need to come up with an extravagant outfit!

I'm thinking something along the lines of what I wore to my "End of the World" party.

Also tried on an incredible top.

A dress like in Breakfast at Tiffany's!

My mom likes playing with my camera!

Matilda went shopping with us too!

We were being goofy in the store!

On to the next store – my favorite!

Of course Anthropologie has adorable ceramic egg trays! (far right)

Now it's Mom's turn to model!

I think she wanted to go to the dog bakery!

She makes me smile

Now both of us!

Awesome overalls!

A shame they were too small.

A gypsy shawl!

Then we went to Sur la Table

The cooking class that day was entirely based around chocolate. Katie, I thought of you!

Minus my feet being cut-off, my mom took a cool picture!

We were done shopping and decided to head home for some lunch. Well the day before my mom flew in I had decided to bake something for us.

The ingredients!

I used French Meadow Bakery’s gluten-free pizza crust! Pizza 1: basil pesto pizza sauce, goat cheese, caramelized onions (in brown sugar), portobello, roasted eggplant. Pizza 2: basil pesto pizza sauce, goat cheese, caramelized onions (in brown sugar), portobello, roasted red pepper and artichokes.

Pizza No. 1

I must say that I was surprised at how normal the crust tasted. In fact, it didn’t occur to me till later that, “Oh yeah! This is gluten-free crust. Wow!” After lunch we were headed out again and I had forgotten something so I went back. Then I realized I had locked us out of the apartment and my roommate was out of town. Oops! Thank goodness through some guardian angels were watching out for me and my neighbors walked into the building at the right moment. They had a way of getting me into my apartment. Imagine poor Matilda waiting for us!

Dinnertime!

We each had Sunshine Burgers topped with diced tomato, seasoned avocado, and ketchup. I also sauteed some kale in balsamic vinegar and honey + grated parmesan. Lastly, we split a beautiful persimmon! I asked my mom what she thought of the Sunshine Burger. Her response: “DELICIOUS!” After dinner we got ready to go to the movies.

And I packed some movie snacks for us.

We went to go see Julie & Julia.

The movie made me smile so much because I totally feel the same way!

The movie theater itself is so beautiful!

After the movie we wanted to go get some drinks.

We went to this French brasserie called Can Can

My friend was working so she took some pictures of me and my mom.

They brought out the bread - They ended up giving us a free baguette and another loaf!

A toast to us!

With a blackberry Bellini for me and an Indian Summer for my mom.

We also ordered a dessert.

A sweet potato tart with ginger creme anglaise and cranberry ice cream.

After a couple of hours of talking we headed home and laid our little heads to rest.

You are all so sweet and I’m incredibly thankful for each and every single one of you. I can’t remember exactly what sparked me to start a blog, but whatever that reason is – it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that it brought me here, with a bunch of wonderful friends. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying all the delicious leftovers. Cooking shouldn’t be a problem for the next few days!

101 Dalmations!

This is why I believe the number 101 is better than 100! This is reason why I decided to have a giveaway to celebrate this special occassion. Definitely special enough!

Original Video – More videos at TinyPic

Yeah that’s actually my contained version of my excitement! I know I’ve expressed it quite a few times what this blog and all you friends out there mean to me. So what’s my way of celebrating this special occassion? With a snip-it of what it’s like to live in my life for a couple days and a special surprise at the end from yours truly. I’ll be honest, these last couple of days have been rough. But I had a reminder of how much harder things can get when I learned some sad news relating to someone I know. It really helped me push through, and helped me to stay motivated to rise above the stress. Anyway, here’s a little glimpse starting from Saturday night…

Scarves really help out when coming up with an impromptu costume!

Warm soy milk with Nature's Path Hemp Plus granola and sliced banana.

A nice way to start a grey chilly Sunday. I swear Nature’s Path makes some awesome granolas for something that comes out of a cereal box. Usually I find those granolas to really be lacking. The two flavors I’ve tried – Vanilla Almond Flax Plus and Hemp Plus are nothing short of delicious.

I decided to go out and check my mail, since I’m special and I get mail on Sundays. I really just forgot to check the day before, but let’s pretend.

From one of my most favorite and admirable people ever!

I had forgotten my driver’s license and cash in her purse from the night we went clubbing in Miami. I got way more than that! One time someone complimented her on her sweater and she asked if they’d like to have it. This girl means what she says. I had mentioned that I liked her keychain cover, and she remembered that.

Gio is one year old!

I did some things around the apartment and before I knew it my tummy was growling for lunch!

Penne with Artichoke hearts, spinach, parmesan, ricotta, and pine nuts.

I stumbled upon this yummy site full of pasta recipes. I was feeling kind of down and out after some studio time and some “old/new” crush heartache (he decided to go MIA), so I called a good girlfriend of mine to do some retail therapy.

Note: it's a big deal if I wear my hair up.

Jeez Matilda!

But she can also be a little lady.

Picking up my friend and admiring the leaves.

Matilda welcomes all passengers!

We picked up some coffee and headed to the doggy store. I got Matilda some goodies!

A couple pumpkin "pup"cake cookies, a spooky cookie, and a new harness (finally!)

Then we headed to Anthropologie! And what did Matilda do the second we got there? Peed, of course! It was weird because she had never done that before.

Some things I tried on...

Being sneaky taking pictures in the dressing room. I always feel like this is forbidden.

Super cool shirt!

Here’s a new addition to my necklace collection

Why hello there!

My friend snapped some pictures of us crossing the James River on the way home.

Appreciating the fall season.

Got home and cooked some dinner.

I vaguely followed the recipe for pasta with ricotta, basil, and tomato. On the side are some hot butter and garlic artichokes with grated parmesan. Later I prepared my meals for the next day so I could spend all day in the studio.

Ah, Monday Monday…

I had some European style plain yogurt with Crofter’s raspberry superfruit spread, cranberry cinnamon swirl toast with cream cheese, pumpkin butter, and some slices with Artisana tahini and agave nectar. Oh! And can’t forget the apple I had already started biting into. May I just add that tahini + honey or agave = the bomb.com?

Then it was off to my morning Taoism class - first day of learning some exercises with sticks.

Then I stopped by my apartment real quick to get a snack and the rest of my goods.

Graham-wiches!

U.S. Mills sent me these awhile ago and I finally got around to trying them. I got to try the Honey Graham & Vanilla Creme sandwich cookies and the Chocolate Graham & Peanut Butter Creme kind. Both were seriously so good.

Sandwich cookie powers unite!

Then it was time for my "Kick Ass in the Studio Day"

Then I took a break to go to my Literature class.

I came prepared!

I made banana dahl + coconut oil with brown rice and vanilla butternut squash mash with cinnamon and ricotta.

All mixed together.

Some of the butt-kicking that went on.

Energy bar break!

Have you guys ever tried the Prana Bars by Divine Foods? Well, I was lucky enough to be sent some to sample for a review, which I will be posting later. The sneak preview – this flavor was incredibly delicious and I could definitely taste and even see the coconut shreds. The sweetness mainly comes from the date paste and agave I believe.

After having a dance party while setting up my piece in one of the critique rooms, I finally got home around 9 pm and let Matilda out to take care of her business.

So Tuesday rolled around the corner and it was critique day. Dun dun dun.

Random breakfast

I crushed up Trader Joe’s peanut butter filled pretzels, a fun-size Butterfingers, vanilla yogurt, and Crofter’s raspberry superfruit spread. I had an orange for a vitamin-c boost since I was feeling under-the-weather.

Crit Room 3

All that stuff on the table and in front of it on the floor fit into someone's Nissan Sentra.

And my sculpture... it also had a sound piece to it.

I was so scared about this critique… nauseous scared.. I wanted to go against my perfectionist tendencies as an artist, and just experiment and go with the flow. That felt so uncomfortable, so a lot of insecurities rose up. However, much to my surprise, the critique did not make me cry, nor did I actually throw up.

So now here’s the surprise! I decided to have a giveaway in celebration of this blog’s 101st post. The prize?

Lots of goodies!

A Sunshine Burger baseball cap so you can rep the best veggieburgers in town. A Nature’s Path Optimum Blueberry Flax and Soy bar (yummy icing). All the Prana Bars which are vegan, high-raw, and delicious. There are also some coupons and a vitamin case. Last but not least, I’ll also be sneaking in some other goodies but that’s a secret.

So what do you have to do?

1. Tell me your favorite recipe! It can be a sandwich, yogurt-mess, bowl of oatmeal bliss, dessert, whatever your hearts desire! I will recreate the winner’s favorite  – and no worries if it’s not vegetarian. Where there’s a will there’s a way!

2. Link back to this contest.

3. Add me to your blogroll.

And please let me know if you do numbers 2 & 3. The contest will end on Saturday noon time EST. Thanks and good luck!

p.s. All you folks that have been treating yourself to Pumpkin ice cream, try it with walnuts!!! Speaking of sweets, I will be updating my recipe page so you can see the recipe for the scones! Enjoy your Wednesday everybody; we’re in the middle of the wave and it’s smooth riding from here.

Fluorescent is the New Black

My week has been stressful, but Holly’s post about Ups and Downs reminded me that even when life gets tough, there’s always a bright side. A highlighter yellow bright side!

I made a little personal project for myself last week. Matilda and I go for walks around the city, and I always find myself looking down at her and smiling to myself. I wonder… what’s it like for her? Walking through grass must be like walking through a cornfield for us!

Matilda has mastered the art of being okay with doing “nothing”.

Click the link below to see the little video I put together.

Matilda’s Walk

Fresh peaches

Finally feeling like I’m back in business.

FOOD PORN ALERT! This creamy bowl of muesli had it’s fair share of cinnamon, peach slices, coconut shreds, and almonds. Can we all say yum? Now all together… YUM!

Cheap ice pops!

So I bit the top off before I took a picture. I just poured some OJ into my ice pop molds. The next time I made these, I added some soy creamer to make them kind of like a Creamsicle. Which reminds me… Stoli Vanilla + Orange soda = THE BOMB!

Highlights of my week so far

I was looking through Craigslist the other day and read these words, “ANTHROPOLOGIE INTERNSHIP.” Click! Oh my gosh, guys… it’s screenshot time!

This is exactly what I was planning to have as a “practical job” when I graduate, but in New York!!! Speaking of “displays”, my room is coming together. I still have some things to hang up and crafting projects I’ve been meaning to finish.

Matilda being a watchdog.

All she does is growl at everything and everyone that passes by.

Studying where I sleep... this is supposedly and ineffective way to study. Supposedly...

Check out this mess!

I don’t think you can see this – unless you have super sonic vision – but on the little chalkboard by the crazy mask I wrote “boys suck.” Well, they don’t really. I just think I must’ve been on another planet when girls learned how to flirt and stuff. Or maybe it’s just the fact that we’re from different planets anyway!

When I was grocery shopping the other day I saw that winter squashes were on sale for 69 cents a lb. What’d my eyes fall upon? The elusive kabocha and I met again! I’m thinking I should go back and get another one, and some other delicious winter squashes. Hello? Last time I paid $1.50 per lb. for the Japanese squash! I’d be crazy not to take advantage of this super deal.

So I went on a food adventure and tried lotus seeds for the first time! I made a lotus seed congee, and I changed it around everytime I ate my leftovers.

Served hot! So hot there was steam coming off this.

Broccoli and carrots in a peanut sauce + coconut milk + basil.

More Thai inspired veggies!

This bowl had cinnamon, coconut oil, and warmed up Crofter’s Superfruit spread since they have dark cherries)

I also saw that avocados are on sale for $1.50 each.

Speaking of avocados, an old friend of mine said I have really nice, full hair and that it must be because I eat avocados and olive oil. It’s also all thanks to nuts, and coconut oil (eat and put on my hair). Then the other day he said my hair is like Fara Fawcett’s hahah! Lately, it’s been flipping out by itself. Then he said “girls would kill to have that.” Oh, please feed me more compliments hot friend!

So this “old friend” of mine is also an old crush of mine. When I was at his house the other night, he pulled out a jar of Sunflower Seed Butter from Trader Joe’s. Oh my goodness! I think my eyes popped out of my head because he asked, “what?!” The flavor was overwhelmingly good and totally unexpected. I urge you all to try this if you haven’t already. I know at least one thing that’s going in my cart next time I go to Trader Joe’s. Oh and we went on a nice bike ride together! This is where we met up:

The “compass” aka the center of campus, but it was totally empty then.

The moon looked eerie that night.

Then we just rode around the Victorian neighborhood called “the Fan”. I’ll take a picture of that for you guys. It’s so nice! Then we went back and watched this musical called “Shock Treatment”. It’s by the same guy who did “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Well, basically we got all cuddly during the movie and he had so many nice things to say about me. Garsh!

Sophia, his cat.

She realized I was taking pictures of her!

I thought I was over my friend… and I was. But I’ve started crushing again. Not sure if he’s good news though. He’s got this je ne sais quoi, and all the girls fall for it. Even girls that usually don’t go for his “type”.

Anyway,I tried out a new recipe from Happy Herbivore for “tuna” out of chickpeas. Holy moly! I’m making a recipe card for this one for sure!

Served in a toasted bun.

I spread some mayo + tarragon on the bun. I love the subtle sweet flavor tarragon has.

It even looks like tuna!

I threw in some raisins for some added sweetness.

I also tried the “tuna” on some new bread I got from a local bakery: spelt!

I love it! I use to go to this bakery after school back in highschool, and I would have them build me a sandwich. They also make awesome cookies, and other breads. I can imagine this “tuna” recipe would taste awesome on their Honey Wheat loaf + sprouts!

My missing ingredient is back! Hello avocado!

Banana, coconut milk, and coconut shreds

There’s a grocery store that has bananas on sale for 29 cents a lb. on Tuesdays. Lots of bananas = banana pops! I am now addicted to making my own popsicles. Anybody have any recipes they’d like to share? Or ideas?

I’ve also seen that some of you guys add coconut milk to your oats. Well, I had an opened can sitting in my fridge… I think you guys can guess what I did next!

Refreshing bowl of muesli with coconut milk & shreds, vanilla, and a blob of Cacao Bliss.

This looks so creamy and delicious! I can imagine some graphic designer going crazy over how “simple” it looks ahaha.

Another bowl of muesli with coconut milk topped with Gena’s banana soft-serve and Creme of Date and Almond spread. The raisins are hiding somewhere in there!

Lastly, my most exciting highlight of this week so far!

I’ve been trying out some U.S. Mills products:

A yummy bowl of their gluten-free Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice helped my late night studying not seem so bad

By the way, this brought me back to Cocoa Krispies and loving how the milk would turn into chocolate milk!

What’s that you say? You would like to try them too? Well, here’s your chance to receive a generous gift courtesy of U.S. Mills:

1. One product of each brand (Erewhon, Uncle Sam Cereal, New Morning, and Farina)

2. a Patagonia T-Shirt (available in Adult L, XL & Kids L)

3. and some coupons

How do you win?

In the comments section of this post, let me know the flavors of each brand you would like to try and your favorite way to eat cereal or use cereal. Maybe you simply enjoy it with milk, but I know some of you have some creative ideas up your sleeves!

Make a comment by this Saturday, September 12 at noon EDT, and I will randomly pick a winner (please only comment once). The winner will be announced over the weekend.

Spread the word about this contest by linking back to this post then e-mail me at onthepolkadot@hotmail.com, and that’ll earn you another entry. Good luck everyone! It’s my first giveaway eee!

Say Hello to My Little Friend

Guess what guys? I’m now back in Richmond and typing this post out in my bed in my home away from home. And in 2 weeks I will be moving to a new home away from home. I’m so excited about this! I have been dying inside from excitement for over a month now and I can’t believe it’s really going to happen – so soon!

Before I forget. There’s a song that I insist all of you download. Here’s the link. So just listen and enjoy!

My weekend has been busy busy busy! I wanted to make the most of the time I had left down in Florida. In my last post I mentioned that I met up with my mom for a lunch date. A triple date! But first let’s start with breakfast, shall we?

I woke up not knowing what I wanted to eat. Usually I’m in the mood for something, but today I was just feeling… whatever about it. So I figured, “hey, I’ll just try out another Zoe’s granola.”

Cranberries Currants over yogurt with a sliced banana and almond butter.

If I had more thumbs, I’d be putting them up! As far as granolas go, Zoe Foods can do no wrong!

Then it was time to get ready! I steamed the kabocha and packed some other things. Then I got dressed.

A no-fasten belt!

Sometimes I like accessorizing with little surprises.

And I was out the door.

Oh gosh. I was having a total off day… or maybe it was just those couple of hours. I normally have a good sense of direction, but that day I just kept getting lost. I hate when streets just cut off then start again somewhere totally different. This happens a lot in Boca. Blah! I got really frustrated and my mom decided that I should just stay where I am and she would meet up with me.

Mom saves the day!

Despite the crazy temperatures outside we decided to bear with it and have lunch outdoors.

Mizner Park

Mizner has this neat ice cream parlor called Sloan’s. The bathroom is transparent until you lock it. Then the windows sort of fog up! I think it makes first timers very hesitant of using the bathroom. And the decor is funky and endearing, I love it. They’ve got a few other shops, and each one is different.

Happy we are finally sitting down for lunch.

I just ate the kabocha from the container. I even packed some cinnamon hehe.

I tried to pack convenient foods so I opted for crackers (Dr. Krackers cherry semolina – delish!), cheese, avocado, and the star of the hour!

My mom likes using my camera now, so she had to snap a picture while I was serving myself.

Despite us melting from the heat, we were able to enjoy our gumby selves. The hot weather kept the kabocha warm, but I think the sun was microwaving all of us that day.

Walking by stores = Air conditioning!

After our date my mom dropped me off back at my car. Then my sense of direction came back to me and I headed to the mall. I made a couple of purchases, but I’ll share my most adored one with you guys!

Awesome necklace!

Detail shot.

I love this necklace! I go through phases with things. For awhile I was going through a belt phase, then a hair accessory one, and you get the picture. The phase I’m going through now is the “statement necklace”  phase. I came home a very happy girl!

For dinner I wanted to make something special – to celebrate my new necklace! Just kidding! But I did make something special.

Vibrant peppers.

Into the pan they go!

I cooked these peppers and onion with Key Lime Honey Ginger sauce, a bit of lime juice, and some smoke sauce.

I made wraps inspired by Jess! Hers always look so delicious. Inside mine I cooked some tofu slabs that were seasoned with a mix of cayenne, white pepper, onion, garlic, and oregano. I wanted to make a sort of blackened tofu. I also whipped up a quick guacamole to go with our meal.

Cheese, tofu, and peppers.

This meal was very delicious, if I may so myself.

After our meal we wanted to try out a new tea I found the other day.

This was very very good!

Did you guys know that drinking very hot beverages can increase your risk of getting esophageal cancer? So wait a couple of minutes for your drink to cool down.

Last but not least. My third use for my new friend, Mr. Kabocha. Mister or Misses?

Make this bowl last forever!

Into this bowl of creamy oats went some steamed kabocha, frozen bananas, cinnamon, coconut oil, and almond butter. This was a satisfying breakfast for sure! Not just fullness-wise, but my tastebuds can attest to that.

During my last couple of days at my parents place, I milked my time for what it was worth. So remember how I said I was going to stay in Miami after my vacation? I decided not to because I’d rather spend my last week in Florida with my parents. Next time though when it’s not my last week, I hope to stay there. Miami is so much fun! Anyway, my next post will be a recap of my -sniff sniff- final hours. Just thinking about part of it makes me want to dance. I’m even listening to a dance tune right now! But then again, I’ve always got the urge to dance.

I hope you all had an incredible weekend. Don’t let Mondays be the rain on your parade. Take care, all!

p.s. Lauren is hosting a generous giveaway! So I encourage you all to check it out and participate. You could be the winner!

p.s.s. In case you missed my vacation recap here you go:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 17 (Sike!)

Part 4