Let’s Make a Toast

Let’s start this post off on a sweet note because that’s how I usually start my day. ‘Tis true that chocolate is usually the first thing I eat in my day. When did I become such a choco-aholic?

Something to savor

I finally tried the last kind of chocolate cup the folks at Newman’s Own Organic sent me. Three come in a package so that worked out very nicely for my family. Everyone approved – more than approved! This was the dark chocolate caramel cup. The dark chocolate melting  on my tongue and the gooey caramel! How could one go wrong?

Peach Cupcakes with Peach Buttercream Icing

Peaches are one my best friend’s favorite things! So these cupcakes sounded perfect to satisfy her incredible sweet tooth for Christmas! Do you see the bits of peach in the frosting?

I led her up to them with her eyes closed and I think she was very happy!

I usually don't like icing, but if it's homemade and like this - oi!

We had cupcakes with coffee and she got to try the vegan banana coconut cheesecake I shared in my last post. I was nervous about her trying it because it’s hard to satisfy her sweet tooth. I was stunned when she said she really liked it!

Some new things to try!

My dad noticed this seasonal flavor of Kefir at the local healthfood store. Sounds interesting, right? Personally, I wasn’t too keen on it. It just tasted fruity and not even tart. It doesn’t taste bad by any means, just not what I’d imagine cranberry creme brulee to taste like. I also got some Pico de Gallo tortilla chips by Garden of Eatin’. These looked like they’d be the most flavorful. They have this mild smokiness that I enjoy – even better with melted pepper jack cheese! I haven’t tried the chili yet though.

Lazy night

I had some chickpea dish my dad got at the Indian store with a methi paratha. Lately I’ve been loving raw collard greens.

Perfect drink to have before you drift off to sleep.

Just to make sure I would only have sweet dreams that night. Homemade hot cocoa with the delicious homemade marshmallows Maya sent me. One little thing I like to do to my hot cocoa is melt in real chocolate. I also made cups for my parents too because nobody wants nightmares!

I tried a new flavor!

I used another freebie coupon the people at Oikos sent me. Some of the things I like about Greek yogurt are its tartness, texture, and it’s high in protein!

This flavor was really yummy!

No weird artificial tasting flavor here! I even found real blueberries in it! So good.

Tortellini with Eggplant and Peppers

I used a four-cheese tortellini for this recipe I spotted in the Real Simple magazine the other day.

For dinner I made a recipe inspired by one that sparked my appreciation for capers.

Four-cheese tortellini with eggplant, tomato, roasted red peppers, and capers with Rice parmesan sprinkled on top. And the whole thing was drizzled with olive oil for extra flavor.

What a delicious landscape - where have we landed?

After dinner I went to go watch the movie Nine with some friends.

At the theatre they had a claw machine where you could win watches instead of stuffed animals!

My friend remembered her white cheddar seasoning for the popcorn - good thinking!

Today is the last day of 2009 and usually I find myself not coming up with a resolution because throughout the year I am constantly reevaluating things and see what I want to change. However this year I decided to make one. I want to practice more patience with my parents. Sometimes when they offer to help me, I usually brush it off because the thought of having to explain everything to them makes me anxious. But does taking a few minutes out of my time to go over something really need to be a big deal? No. I think the reason why it’s so hard for me to be patient with my parents is because I have patience for everyone else – and parents are unconditionally there for you. But I will work on that because I know that it also makes them happy to be able to help me out in any way. “Patience is a virtue, Virtue is a grace; both put together make a very pretty face.” Do any of you have any resolutions?

I plan on ringing in the new year with a bottle of this

and a box of chocolates! No matter what your aspirations or resolutions are for the upcoming year, I hope they help you seek more fulfillment in your own life. Not just seek but actually attain!

p.s. the next post is a fun one!

Hope You Had Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Hello hello everyone! I hope you haven’t forgotten about me. I am going to have to catch you all up on things – and I have some major catching up to do for myself. I want to know what everyone has been up to! To get you guys back up to speed I decided to do things a little differently. I’m going to go backwards with two part post. This means we’ll be time traveling! If only I could time travel back to when women wore beautiful decorative hats! And then I’d go further back to BC times and listen to Plato speak.

So let’s begin! I’m going to start off with the day after Christmas!

Warm spiced vanilla oatmeal with banana, coconut oil, Cacao Bliss, and a crumbled gingersnap.

Then we got ready to meet up with some old family friends. I’ve known them since my family moved to America and I haven’t seen them in years! We decided to meet up at this Latin grocery store that’s the size of a regular supermarket. Usually, specialty stores are very small – so this was quite a treat.

They had a cafeteria-style eating area.

A machine that makes freshly-squeezed orange juice. It reminds me of the 70's.

I've never seen an arepa de choclo look like this, but it was delicious nonetheless!

Hi everybody!

Leche (milk) de moras (raspberries) and a HUGE tamal!

Afterwards we went and did some shopping. Surprisingly the mall wasn’t too crazy.

Big ornaments

A winter wonderland.

Oh my, I had to stop myself that day. We walked into a store and I was trying something on and then I turned around to my mom and said “I’m done.” I figured since me and some friends wanted to go on the hunt for some New Years Eve stuff, I should not go crazy all in one day. Save some for later! I feel my style is in the midst of another evolution. Although I always have my underlying style motto: keep it classy. But I will show you guys some things I got.

I feel like a horseback-riding, biker, crime-fighting woman of the future in these pants. And yes, I wore them out later that night.

Sequins shorts!

I seriously think I have had this extra surge of confidence go through me. I feel like being more daring. When I browse through fashion magazines I find myself “oo-ing” and “aah-ing” at all these wonderful clothes – so why shouldn’t I be able to pull it off? Besides, life is too short to be worrying about if something is too “crazy” to wear. Of course, if you don’t feel like it’s you then don’t do it. Everyone has their own style, so embrace it!

I remembered that I never showed you guys the black shoes!

Whoops! How did these little hermits and strawberries find their way here? Who am I kidding, these guests are welcome anytime!

I also got a rock star faux-fur vest.

And my best friend was rockin' it too!

Too cute to handle!

Before I forget! Matilda got a new do the other day.

And she's going to be stylin' in a super cute vest as well! Like mother like daughter.

I love this picture!

She came over and we got ready for a night out on the town. We decided to go to a place we haven’t been to yet. It was funny because when we got there we thought the lounge was very trendy and cool – a bit too dark – but we were wondering why the music wasn’t pumping. The music was good but not really heart-thumping and energizing. They did however end up playing some happy-go-lucky Beatles and James Brown tunes. So we did our thing. Then as we were leaving my friend saw there was an upstairs. Naturally, we went to go check it out. This was where the party was at!!! So we stayed for a while longer and danced our hearts out.

Random picture of the place outside.

So now let’s rewind one day and go back to CHRISTMAS! This is how it started out…

Snowmen bowls!

From a very dear friend!

This is why I love the holiday season!

My favorite ginger!

Gorgeous Brooke sent me a wonderful Christmas card and a glamorous wintery picture!

I made my dad a brochure of things around south Florida I think he'd be interested in doing + a bowl of Key Lime (R)Ice Cream.

Somethings he enjoys... opera, bike riding, spirituality, and healthy living.

Spiced pumpkin oats, a gingersnap, maple syrup, coconut oil, sprinkles, and macadamia-cashew butter for two eyes and a mouth.

Mmm butter stollen!

And Archer Farms' bread pudding yogurt!

I made my mom some macadamia-cashew butter since she can't eat solid nuts anymore.

Another recipe from The Accidental Vegetarian - Grilled Eggplant with Nuoc Cham.

We were invited to a Christmas dinner so here are some prep pictures!

Make the crust...

Macadamias, walnuts, coconut-rolled dates, maple syrup, and cocoa powder = gluten-free and vegan crust! It’s practically raw too.

The cake part...

Tofu, coconut cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and some very ripe bananas.

Now into the oven it goes!

My dad looks like he's up to something.

Moroccan Stew

I followed the recipe that the lovely Lauren sent to me. Thanks so much girl! This recipe was a winner and I’m so glad I had leftovers. Actually, I just finished the last bit that was left. All the spices, veggies, and chickpeas cooking together for hours just made it out of this world. On top I garnished it with the “scented” almonds Bekah sent and cilantro. Mouth-watering.

They made pop-overs as well and had teenie roasted potatoes!

Look at what found its way on to my plate and I wasn't even looking for it!

This was such a cute little happy surprise. April! It’s a teeny purple potato!

Then it was time for coffee and dessert!

Happy with homemade tres leches complete with whipped cream and a cherry on top!

There was also a postre de nata which is basically a cream dessert. All these Colombian desserts! Where is the one I made?

A vegan banana coconut cheesecake with chocolate macadamia crust

Wow! That’s a mouthful (a delicious one). Here’s the recipe for the cake. Although I would make a suggestion: use a bit less banana and up the vanilla extract. Everyone loved how fresh tasting this cake was. And the crust… the crust was to die for!

Some of them were fellow vegetarians!

They shared stories of the different parts of the world they’ve been in and the various interesting people they’ve come across. They were so intriguing themselves. You can literally see their inner-glow in this picture! This was such a fabulous Christmas dinner. There was great food, wonderful company, and new friends.

More wonderful family friends!

Mom and I!

Passing a childhood book on to a new family.

This was such a reminder of what Christmas means to me. The whole day I was constantly reminded of how precious our lives are and the ones who are in it do care. And it’s so wonderful to feel that.

‘Twas the night before Christmas…

My dad walked into the house and told me I had a package!

It was from Maya!!! Look at the gingerbread people doing yoga poses! This was such a sweet package and not just because of the goodies. Maya, your words mean so much to me. Seriously, if you don’t now this young lady – you should. She’s one of my role models.

A yummy package from Maya! Jam thumbprint cookies, homemade marshmallows, pumpkin seed brittle, and world peace cookies!!

Homemade marshmallows - I'm never going back! You hear that Jet-Puffed?

So that is all for right now. Next post will be a blast further back into the past!

I hope each and everyone one of you have been able to spend the holiday season with dear ones and warming up with their love.

Your Imagination, My Dear Fellow, is Worth More Than You Imagine

Hey everyone! Good news on the critique. A friend of mine actually wanted to sit in on my classes critique just to get a feel for them again. He was able to brush up on his analyzing skills. Critiques are always heavy days for me, and I usually end up with a headache. You get to hear so many perspectives, insights, and you just learn so many new things. Another interesting thing you get to observe is the manner in which different people think. It’s funny how we can view the world. Anyway, my video got a lot of discussion – a whole hour! Usually I end up feeling disappointed with critiques because I get nothing from it, or I don’t even realize what happened. But I did a lot of self-discovering and revealing about why and what my short films evoke.

While I was setting up I got to try a flavor of ProBar that’s new to me: Cocoa Pistachio

Neat artwork on the packaging.

I snapped a picture beforehand so you guys could see what I was talking about, when I said you could see every ingredient.

Oh my gosh; this was so yummy! I’ve really enjoyed the random chocolate chip bits in the ProBars I’ve tried. Pistachios are also one of my favorite nuts, so my expectations were pretty high – and met! It’s a mix of pistachios, peanuts, dark chocolate chips, and sunflower seeds. This bar + a cup of soymilk and an apple successfully kept my my hunger at bay for about 3 hours. But I think my body works like clockwork. My hunger usually chimes in before 3 hours or right on the dot – it’s funny. I agree with Holly though, what’s up with it just being half the size of the wrapper? Want to know some information on this bar?

Gourmet meal replacement

Unique taste of pistachios with chocolate is irresistible

Balanced blend of carbs, good fats and protein

Certified Organic, 100% Vegan

5 g of fiber and same nutritional benefits as Original Collection

As a college student, bars are such a convenience to me – as with any busy person I can imagine. So far, my experience with ProBars, is that they are very delicious, nutritious, and  satisfying!

Projecting my piece on to the wall.

Here’s the link again if you guys wanted to check it out: Who Am I Becoming

My friend that visited the class is on the right.

After our critique we got a 2 hour break and I made this messy deal…

Roasted eggplant, ricotta, tomato sauce, sautéed red onion, and basil.

The class met up again after 2 hours and we headed over to one of the school-funded art spaces to see Richard Carlyon’s retrospective. He was a dancer and artist who ended up teaching in the area for about 40 years when he thought he lost his dancer’s body.

You can get a sense of his background as a dancer by the way he places the canvases.

He also drew very interesting diagrams and made videos as well.

The class got out about 30 mins. early so I got a head start on my many errands. I took way longer than expected! I guess that can happen, especially if one of your stops is TJ Maxx. The day really felt like Autumn had arrived, so I made some comfort food, but I wanted to try something I’ve seen around the blogosphere.

Green oats!

I used the Original Amazing Grass Meal packet to turn this bowl of oats green. I also mashed in a banana, NuNaturals liquid vanilla, and coconut oil! I feel like everyone’s bowl or cup of something green tastes different so I’m going to spare the details and just say that I was pleasantly surprised! I was contemplating whether or not I should mash the banana in because “what if” it tasted like crap? Then it’s bye bye yummy banana.

I also tried Lindeman's Framboise dark cherry flavor.

I seriously forgot that it was beer and beer makes you drunk; so I got a little buzzed about 10 minutes after hahaha, then I put two and two together. Oh! And I didn’t drink the whole bottle hehe.

Anyway, so far this week it seems a lot easier to breathe. I had a photoshoot with a friend of mine – I haven’t done one of those in a long time! I feel like I need to have a creative outlet with other people so I get more dynamics going on. Sometimes working by myself gets to feel like I’m running in circles.

He has a lot of neat camera equipment.

You can check out his site here. The first picture with the blue velvet pants was from the shoot we did; and you can find a couple more over on this site. It’s so weird for me to be in front of the lens! I really worked on just getting comfortable – so I ended up talking a lot.

Let’s eat now shall we?

I used up the rest of my edamame hummus.

In this wrap is roasted eggplant, sprouts, NatureNaise, grape tomatoes, and red onions. Since I don’t have a grill press I just used a pan and heated up each side. This was so delicious!

Roasted parsnips, almonds, and another interesting sandwich!

Don't let the ordinary looks of this sandwich deceive you...

The other day when I was browsing through pizza recipes that had ricotta cheese, I stumbled upon one called Peach-ricotta pizza. Well I made it in sandwich form, but the secret ingredient is the addition of cilantro. Since I didn’t have fresh cilantro on hand, I just subbed in Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing. Wow! I would have never thought of cilantro, but it took this sandwich to another level. It’s funny how the simple addition of one surprise can change everything; this also applies to other things on a much broader scale.

I feel like I try something new everyday!

Before I forget! I wanted to share an entertaining site I found earlier today. I was looking up ways to prepare a certain squash (you’ll find out next post), and I stumbled upon this little gem: 50 Ways to Eat More Produce. I think these ideas work well for adults and kids alike. So check it out.

p.s. Marina asked if I was studying culinary arts – I wish!!! Another friend of mine actually asked me that same question, and I think it’s a sign that I should look into it – perhaps a summer program? I’m actually majoring in sculpture, so I guess that’s why I’m so visually oriented.

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!

Happiness Often Sneaks in Through a Door You Didn’t Know You Left Open

Hi guys! I’ve been quite a busy girl lately – thanks to school. I’m learning so many things this semester that I want to share with other people! That’s always a good sign, don’t you think? I haven’t just been on the “learning” end of the deal either though. I’ve done some teaching as well! Not necessarily in a classroom setting, but instead I’ve been flourishing in my interests and sharing them with other people. For instance, now a lot of people know that I actually have a passion for cooking; I decided to make a cooking album on Facebook. I think a lot of people were surprised! I’ve also made a new friend that I met at a yoga class. It’s nice to meet people in a setting where you are doing something you truly enjoy, because you’ve got that in common. Then when you hang out and get to know each other, the friendship just grows into something incredible! And now that I’ve been kind of absent for a couple days, I think it’s only fair to share with you all what I’ve been up to. Can’t leave my friends in the dark now can I?

Banana ricotta soft-serve makes my day!

I topped the “soft-serve” with Zoe’s Cinnamon Raisin Granola, some more banana slices, and chocolate sprinkles. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers incorporate chocolate chips in their breakfasts, and this is me making due with what I’ve got! Actually, it’s very appropriate since underneath it all is an “ice cream” of sorts.

A parfait in honor of K!

I changed the ingredients just a smidge for the banana ricotta soft-serve. Rather than vanilla extract, I used coconut extract. Wow! This was also heavenly. I got the soft-serve to stay in it’splace by putting an apple slice underneath – improvising here folks! So what are the layers? Let me start from top to bottom: crunchy peanut butter, Erewhon’s Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice, banana ricotta soft-serve, apple slice, and some more of the cocoa crispies.

For this meal I wanted to do something out of the ordinary.

I used romaine as a sort of platter.

Then I decided to make rolls.. wraps.. not sure what to call this.

I love the freshness of this! I never cease to be amazed by the color palette nature offers us.

I also tried to make another interesting sandwich combo to go along with the romaine... boats?

This sandwich is on Cranberry Cinnamon Swirl bread and filled with eggplant, cheddar cheese, and mango chutney. I wasn’t sure if the eggplant would taste good with my favorite grilled cheese combo. How was it? Incredible!!! Definitely worth boasting about. I just remembered at a restaurant I went to they had breaded eggplant with an apricot coulis – so I thought I could try this. I’m glad I did!s

Now they look like dumplings! And I'm apparently trying to mimic them?

A beautiful snack.

Ak-mak crackers with cream cheese and edamame hummus, sprouts, grape tomatoes, and cucumber slices. Yum!

I made myself a pizza with polenta crust.

I roasted eggplant, parsnips (first time trying them!), and grape tomatoes; sautéed the onion. Then I just plopped some ricotta on and it all went into the toaster oven. After it was done baking I garnished it with some basil. I really like parsnips… a lot! Funny story with the basil. I got those leaves from a basil plant that’s growing out of a crack in a sidewalk. The plant is huge and full of delicious leaves! Nature’s way of breaking through despite what man builds on top.

Unfortunately, the crust didn't bake completely, so I ate this beautiful mess.

After happily eating my personal “pizza” I headed over to David Schultz’s CD release show. At the beginning they showed a brief documentary of their recording process, and their experience of life as musicians.

Now he's got a band!

Hanging out with my new friend, Emily. I also saw some old ones!

On Sunday I gave my baby, Matilda, a bath!

She's cute no matter what!

More sunshine!

This salad consisted of a Falafel Sunshine burger, red onion, tomato, an apple, avocado, sprouts, romaine, and cilantro dressing. Oh! I also squirted some ketchup on the burger. The addition of the apple in the salad was awesome! On the side I had the rest of the apple with a glass of cold soymilk. Perfect for an unexpectedly hot day. Oh man, I feel really stupid. In my review of the Sunshine burgers I said that they had corn. Well, that’s what it looked like! Then I read the ingredients and I believe those are actually lentils. So sorry for the misinformation. My opinion on how great these are didn’t change though – so no worries about that.

My Sunday was filled with lots of studying! But I managed to squeeze in a dinner at the school cafeteria with a friend. Since I don’t have a meal plan, I rarely end up going. My friend, Jonathan, invited me to dinner and we got to catch up on things. I also gave him advice on finding a roommate and which rental companies to stay away from. This is his first year in college so he had a lot of questions, and I had a lot to say!

Hi Jonathan!

Shafer!

Everytime I go here, I feel like it’s my first time. There are just so many choices – they even have a vegan and gluten-free area.

Food! Food! Food!

I got a bowl filled with snap peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts, onions, cucumbers, chickpeas, and hummus. I love their hummus! I actually was planning on bringing a tupperware with me to hijack some, but I forgot it at home. My bad! I also got another plate filled with spiced carrots, veggie pizza, mock ribs in BBQ sauce and peppers, a slice of Italian bread, a vegetable medley pasta (completely tasteless). I also tried some gluten-free French toast sticks – they were awful! I can’t remember the last time I ate something that disgusting. I was actually contemplating spitting it out, but we were in a public place.

He left me a little surprise on my camera!

Let’s see… what other things can I share with you all? Oh yes! I’m not sure if you guys know Jenny but she has an awesome blog that will make you hungry just looking at it! Recently, she put together a “best of” oatmeal post. Check it out! You will be inspired by all the wonderful creations all the bloggers have concocted. And trust me, this is way better than any “Best of” VH1 ever aired.

As for me, I’ve got my critique I told you all about, tomorrow! I’m looking forward to it now. Things are finally starting to calm down a little with my schoolwork load. And in 2 weeks I will be going to my parents’ house down in Florida for my 4-day weekend!

p.s. I just want to say hi to any new readers! HI!!! Here’s to a wonderful week! For some reason I feel like I’m on cloud nine; anybody want to come along for the ride?

When the Going Gets Tough

Let’s pretend it’s morning time and you hear mom yell, “breakfast is ready!!!” What do you do? Forget about Saturday morning cartoons and run to the kitchen!

More ricotta goodness.

I blended about a 1/2 cup of ricotta (I used this amount for my “pillow” as well), 2 sliced peaches, and NuNaturals vanilla liquid stevia. I wanted to use it to make a parfait a la K. Alas, you couldn’t see the layers of granola, so I ditched that idea – for aesthetic purposes! I ate it with the last of my Zoe’s Honey Almond Granola, and some more almond joy!

Good morning again!

Then I tried mixing it with peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, pistachio extract, and stevia. The recipe actually called for almond extract, and I suggest to stick to that! The pistachio didn’t do anything for the poor peanut butter. I topped this pillow with Zoe’s Cinnamon Raisin Granola. I looked at the picture and for a split second I thought those raisins were bits of chocolate. That would’ve been perfect with the ricotta and peanut butter pillow!!! Am I right or am I right?

Here I go again!

I just heated up these tomato chunks on the stove with some olive oil, red onions, s+p. That little bowl hiding in the corner is just some good ole’ buttered grits! I didn’t like grits before (maybe because I tried them at Waffle House?), but when I made these at home my mind was changed. Someone asked me once if I like my grits sweet or salty. I can’t imagine eating sweet grits… well, maybe with maple syrup. But I think I prefer salty.

I spy something that should look familiar to you all!

To go with the cheetahs I cooked some kidney beans and broccoli in peanut sauce. The fortune cookie said, “it’s easier to be critical than to be correct.“

I had a sweet potato on hand so I thought it would be appropriate to finally make myself some Cheetahs!

Since I had kidney beans leftover, I searched through my recipes hoping I would find something. Luckily, I stumbled upon an old favorite of mine, Rajma Masala.

I like to go to ethnic stores to buy my spices.

Star anise

Isn’t it crazy how things in nature are shaped??

Rajma Masala, more Cheetahs, and some steamed broccoli with sesame seeds and sesame oil.

The other day, after seeing these on so many blogs, I tried a Sunshine Burger!

I got the Falafel kind. The design on the plate really makes it look like the sun.

I filled a wrap with the Falafel Sunshine burger, spinach, red onion, tomato, and sprouts.

In the bowl you see a mix of NatureNaise, garlic, salt, and lemon juice – topped with a bit of Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing. That was used as the dressing for my falafel wrap. I had to take a bite of the Sunshine burger while it was still naked so I can tell you guys if it actually tasted good without “all that jazz”. Well first of all, I was pleasantly surprised to see kernels of corn! It was really good, but it’s definitely more fun to dress up. You know what is interesting about these burgers – and why they’re called Sunshine Burgers?

“These delicious veggie burgers are made of sunflower seeds and contain absolutely no soy or wheat, which is ideal for gluten free diets.”

I tend to overfill wraps... so I end up eating them like a big, floppy taco.

I'd like a salad and a sandwich please!

It was crazy hot the other day so I opted for a salad. As you can see I’m loving those sprouts I got the other day. What the heck is in my sandwich?

Sunflower seed butter, sprouts, and edamame hummus. On the other half I snuck in some tomato slices with smoke sauce.

I was inspired by Mitri, who has created many interesting sandwiches with various fillings. I wanted to see exactly how an unexpected combination might turn out. Well, I LOVED IT! Both sides were delicious. Try making an interesting sandwich, it’s fun and kind of risky!

Not too long ago, Angharad featured a recipe for arepas on her blog. I can’t express how much I love arepas, and her recipe looked delicious. I didn’t make my own, but my dad brought me some arepas from a Colombian cafe down in Florida.

This variation is called arepa con choclo, which means it's made with sweet corn and farmer's cheese.

A salad to go along with it: romaine, tomato, red onion, roasted potato, sprouts, sesame seeds, and honey mustard dressing.

Last night was probably my favorite dinner this week. I invited my dad over and whipped up this recipe.

"Eggplant dripping with a tomato and ricotta salsa" served with basil polenta, and avocado.

The balsamic vinegar added a smokiness to the tomatoes.

This took me under 30 minutes! I think some day soon I want to film myself cooking a meal.

Since school has involved lots of nighttime studying I’ll show you some of my latenight snacks!

I forgot how much I liked this cereal!

Trader Joe’s sunflower seed butter has been finding it’s way into almost every meal and in between! Here I tried it with a juicy peach.

While taking a break from studying for my Taoism quiz, I tried another VitaTop!

This time I tried the Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTop. I kept in mind that I didn’t want to chips to be totally melted, so I just heated it up for 20 seconds. Then I had to quickly take a picture before the vanilla fro-yo melted. It already started melting though!!! I also had an apple with peanut butter. Oh and the VitaTop with some peanut butter smeared on top brings it up to another level of goodness! I really enjoyed this because when is chocolate and peanut butter not a winning combination?

Fro-yo was defeated by the yummy, ooey-gooey, and warm VitaTop.

The chips remind me of mud-baths on top of a mountain. What kind of place would this be? “Bathe in melted peanut butter, then relax atop Mt. Chocolate and enjoy the view of the world below.” Oh and the vanilla fro-yo would be a cloud since Mt. Chocolate is really tall!

Roomie's friend baked some banana bread.

Hey Lauren, do you see that jar in the back? Yup, it’s empty! I can only find McCutcheon’s apple butter, and I forgot to have my dad buy some and bring it up from Florida. I guess I’ll just have them send me a “care package” hehe. Getting snailmail and packages is such an exciting thing!

There have been a couple of things that have been on my mind lately. I touched on it a couple posts ago, how I feel that my responsibleness makes it hard for me to relate to people my age and vice versa. I was talking to a friend the other day about self-motivation and how it’s a hard thing to come across among college students. I don’t expect others to handle situations like me, but it gets frustrating when I hear people around me complain but they don’t actually do anything about it. I was wondering, what are some ways that you guys motivate yourself? Do any of you have some sort of mantra? It could be about anything really, even getting your foot out the door! Because sometimes all you want to do is lie in bed all day. By the way, those kinds of days I feel should be prescribed sometimes, no ifs ands or buts!

Happy Friday everyone!!!

When Life Gives You Awesome Bread

Make sandwiches!

But first let me start out with the little treat.

A cold Milano cookie.

I’ve never had these before, and this is what I think. Where have I been?!

A nice thick slice of Sullivan St. Bakery's multi-grain pullman bread.

I love cream cheese with fruit preserves. By the way, Crofter’s has a new line that I’ve been dying to try. I discovered that a thing such as yumberries exist! So far I’ve tried two of these flavors, and I must say they are full of fruity goodness. I love when fruit spreads have actual fruits in them!

Super cute continent jars!

An incredible breakfast sandwich with bananas, peanut butter, and pumpkin butter.

The multi-grain bread also worked well with more savoury ingredients as well.

Topped with pepper jack - accompanied by zucchini with sweet-n-sour cashews, and black beans and corn recipe with chunks of Hanover tomatoes.

If you guys haven’t tried it yet, I suggest you put cumin on your black beans along with garlic.

A homemade bulgur veggieburger with lime mayonnaise.

Now that school is back in session, I have been making recipes that I can store and don’t mind having leftovers. As you can see I’ve got a wonderful array of fresh vegetables! I’ve been reading everyone’s posts about the transition of summer to fall. I’m going to miss my salads dearly. I absolutely love buying a large head of romaine, and creating some wonderful salads with it. Adding corn is a must! I’ve even added frozen corn, and to me it’s even more satisfying on those hot summer days.

After taking a bite I thought scooping some corn kernels would be the perfect touch!

Speaking of salads. My roommate spotted an incredible dressing that I highly suggest you pick up at your nearest Trader Joe’s!

Cilantro Salad Dressing

A salad for the heck of it!

Now on to the next loaf of bread – the pane de ruccia. That’s the bread I was holding above my head like the holy grail in my last post. It’s 70% sourdough and 30% wholegrain. What does this mean to me? Well, I don’t judge by numbers, I’m just judging by taste! Is there some sort of genie that can grant me a wish – oh say… make this bread last forever?

A delicious snack

I spread some creamy gorgonzola, grilled an Asian pear, then drizzled honey atop and sprinkled some almond bits for the finishing touch!

I also tried out Trader Joe's peanut satay sauce.

This sandwich is demanding a close-up!

I layered on some homemade chipotle-tomato spread, grilled eggplant, melted provolone, tomato slices, avocado, red onion, and cilantro. I might as well just say it right now, but I have become sandwich queen!

This is where the cilantro craze started.

Another diva sandwich!

For this sandwich I followed the Spiced-Up Grilled Cheese recipe I found on The Kitchen Sink blog. I wish I had used the New York cheddar though.

More eggplant goodness, and I used the chipotle "ketchup" to dip these crispy eggplant chunks.

I made a spread with avocado, nutritional yeast, yogurt, and cumin.

Pumpkin butter, creamy gorgonzola, and red onions. Kept company by some veggies and a dipping sauce I made with nutritional yeast, miso, ketchup, and I forgot what else- oops!

More bulgur veggieburger goodness! Cauliflower and corn with peanut sauce.

Okay, so I must share this recipe with you guys. Especially for all you folks looking for foods to make ahead of time out of convenience. I followed a recipe for Bulgur Veggieburgers with Lime Mayonnaise from Gourmet.com – which is an incredible source for delicious recipes! It was so much fun making these, and I got to bust out my new mini food-processor my parents got me. I was honestly surprised at how well these turned out because last time I tried to make any sort of patty, they sadly ended up being crumbly. Moreover, they were so easy to make!

Lots of layers.

Yummy mush

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes! More bread.

Cream cheese with apple slices and cinnamon.

I put some red onion after taking a bite and coming to the conclusion that something was missing.

I used that Creme of Dates and Almonds I found at Dean & Deluca.

On top of some cream cheese, and the other slice just has natural butter.

Another note, I suggest – for cream cheese – not to use the diet kinds. I don’t know why, but out of all those diet-y products, I think the cream cheese ones shouldn’t exist. They’re really horrible tasting. Personally, I stray away from diet-type products in general because they usually have far less taste than the regular products, and way more ingredients*. Sorry if I sound like I’m on a high horse. Just putting in my two cents.

Gosh, I have so much to catch you guys up on! It’s just hard since school started, but I promise I will get you guys up to speed. I have so much that I want to share!

Matilda in her kangaroo pouch I use for our bike rides together.

I’m sending you all lots of love and hugs!

*In the end it all comes down to taste. If you like it, and it happens to be something with a longer ingredient list than the wait at the doctors – then that’s okay too! Non-diet foods are just my personal preference because they generally taste better, and are more filling.

Eggplant and Tofu in Spicy Garlic Sauce

I got this recipe from Susan at Fat-Free Vegan. I omitted the spice though. Which I guess defeats one of its main purposes. Oh well. Actually, I don’t think it did defeat its main purpose. It tasted just right, maybe a bit more than just right! You should try it out. The long list of ingredients might seem overwhelming at first, but it’s actually simple. Just serve it atop some sort of grain and voila – a delicious meal!