Post-summer update

LONG TIME NO BLOG!
I'm bad at this whole taking-pictures-and-writing-about-it thing.

So here's an update on all those goals I set out to accomplish at the beginning of the summer. I thought I'd better get this post out of the way, considering it's on the brink of fall here in west Michigan.

• Become a morning person
• WIN! (sorta) Although I'm still partial to sleeping in when I have the chance, I usually go to bed at 11 pm and wake up around 7 on weekdays and 9 on weekends. And I do this all with minimal napping! I give myself a pat on the back for this one. 
• Become a runner
• Summer FAIL, fall WIN! I'm just starting to get into running, now that I'm back at school and less lazy. Better late than never. My goal is to be running 6 miles, 4 times a week by the end of the semester. 
• Become "crafty"
• Didn't happen, probably never will. I'm just not creative. At all. This blog, and the food I make for it,  is the closest I come to creativity. 
• Bible crash course 
• FAIL. I'm going to have to put this one on my fall goal list.
• Go 'vegan" ish
• FAIL because I realized I like cheese too much, and the occasional egg or fish dish. I like to eat vegan, and do so often, but I'll never be a full-on vegan girl.
• Family time/family health plan 
• FAIL but not for lack of trying. My family just was not having it. On the plus side, my mom and I are having a weight-loss contest amongst ourselves, including weekly inspirational emails amongst each other, and weekly weigh-ins. 
• Volunteer or work at a nursing home
• FAIL. I didn't have the time to do this this summer, so I'm working on getting a job at a nursing home this fall.
• READ! READ! READ!
• WIN! WIN! WIN!
• Get my daily dose of Vitamin D (AKA sunshine)
• WIN, literally and figuratively. Not only did I spend ample amounts of time outside, I also added vitamin D to my daily vitamin regiment. 

So without, getting into winded explanations, here are my fall goals:

• Get As in every class
• Spend time in the Word on a daily basis
• Mother-daughter weight-loss (expect weekly posts of this nature)
• Run 6 miles, 4 times per week, by the end of the semester
• Drop 2 pants sizes
• Work at a nursing home or medical clinic
• Develop many meaningful relationships
• Fall related activities! 
• Bed by ten on school nights (all 8ams=yikes)

I've missed blogging! It very therapeutic. Expect food-related posts soon!

Wabi-sabi

Wabi-Sabi: Japanese world view describing the beauty of the imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. Characteristics of Wabi-Sabi include asymmetry, asperity, simplicity, modesty, intimacy, and the suggestion of natural processes.
I recently learned of the aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi in a book I was reading. Beauty in imperfection? I'm down with that. My life has a Wabi-Sabiness to it. Certainly imperfect but also pretty simple. Love it.

Not a whole lot going down in the food department this week. We're running low on the quality stuff in my household.Yogurt, granola, nectarine combo. It's been so many years since I had a nectarine, I had forgotten what they tasted like. Turns out they're sorta peachy. This is because they are a kind of peach with smooth skin (who knew? Thanks Wikipedia!).

New recipe from The Vegan Table: quesadilla  with hummus, guac, and scallions. Scallions were a new one for me and I really liked them. 

In other news:

Cool new ankle bracelet or injury obtained from unfortunate dog-related incident?
You decide.

 Have a Wabi-Sabi day!

A day like any other...

but wonderful nonetheless.
Why? No work! Yahoo!

I woke up at 9 am (ish) and was excited to get crackin on Amanda's easy baked oatmeal recipe.

I couldn't stand the lack of sweet taste so I added a lil bit of brown sugar.

A magic bullet smoothie made with soy milk,flax, berries, bananas, and a few slices of leftover apples was the perfect partner to this breakfast.

After a lunch of triscuits and hummus, I was really pumped for the dinner I had in mind.
Whole wheat pasta, lentils, brussel sprouts, tomatos,and  feta chesse, all rolled in a couple dashes of evoo.

What a filling meal! My momma and I ate our dinners and the deck and chatted about our future vacations (one real vacation planned up north, while other dream vacations include North Carolina, Hawaii, Greece, and out west). Maybe future vacation planning is a bit impractical, but every summer season brings dreams of the next summer season.

Anyway, sorry for the boring post. Maybe my life will be more exciting tomorrow. No promises, though.

Good night, loves!

"Live in each season as it passes: Breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." -Henry David Thoreau

It's officially summer! (as of 2 days ago)
I love the sunshine!
I love the long days!
I love the earthquakes?? That's right. There was a real life earthquake tremor in Waterford today that traveled down from the 5.0 in the Quebec-Ontario region.

Other than the earthquake (that shook my house for 15 sec), these past two days have been quite pleasant.
Breakfast was simple cereal. I worked all day yesterday and brought a big lunch with me.

Fruit salad, pb and honey sammich, sun chips, spinach and artichoke hummus, veggies, almond joy, and applesauce (which I bring with me everyday but never eat). Not my best lunch but it did the job.

It was my first open to close shift of the season, plus swim lessons, so I was thrilled when I got home and my mama had made me dinner.
Baked enchiladas made with pinto beans, hummus, and zucchini, served with salsa.

She even baked the eggplant I had waiting in the fridge.

I went to bed super early and woke up early today as well.
At around 8 am, I went outside with my book, a cup of chai, and my brekkie (yogurt, granola, bananas, and bloobs).

Glorious!

This homemade lavender candle from a country store in Jackson, MI was the perfect mood-setter for my morning.

For lunch, I ate some RIBS!
I've stated my feelings about faux mears before, but if I had to chose one faux meat product, these riblets would be it fo sho!

I also ate some leftover eggplant, which tastes like squash if anyone is wondering.

My afternoon was spent running errands and doing a little gardening. I got my dad the Topsy Turvy Tomato planter for Father's day, so I planted that today, as well as one pot of lavender and one pot of spearmint, which naturally soothes stomachaches.
Dinner was a repeat from last night. I was in a hurry to get to swim lessons for the evening. My little tadpoles are so precious but a bit rambunctious. Nothing I can't handle, though.

Time for bed! Another early, productive day is ahead of me!

Happy 26th anniversary to my parents!

Give me the simple life

Long time no post! Sorry to leave all my avid fans waiting!

Work started a couple weeks ago so I kinda got caught up in actually having something to do. Plus, I don't feel comfortable bringing my camera to work so I'm just gonna have to remember to take pictures of my lunch pre-work.

Here's just a little bit of what I've been doing and eating these past two weeks.


There's been quite a few of these.

My new motivational desktop background.

Weird spaghetti with cottage cheese, tomato sauce, and some sprouts.

Make-your-own almond butter in the bullet- almonds, vegetable oil, brown sugar...

on some toast...

with some jelly. DE-LICIOUS!

Roasted chick peas with seasoned salt and chili powder.

Rice paper wraps with some ginger teriyaki sauce.
The only problem with these babies... cilantro. YUCK!

Some kids that I love. Don't worry, I didn't eat them.

You can't go wrong with a classic cup of chai.

Other big ticket food creations this week included some spinach and artichoke hummus, some grilled tofu, courtesy of my mama, and a little snack I've like to call almond joy, comprised of almonds (duh), dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and coconut.

This book, courtesy of amazon.com, is the one of the reasons for the title of my post. This past week, my dad and I watched a very interesting documentary called Food Inc.  which gave me a new perspective on the food industry and especially modern agriculture. Also, my new fav show is on Planet Green called is The Fabulous Beekman Boys about two gay men from Manhattan trying their hand at farming in upstate New York. The book above is a memoir by one of the stars of the show and I can't wait to read it. All this farm talk has got me thinking about having a farm of my own one day. I wouldn't make a living out of it, but I'd love to have a ton of land and some farm animals and a HUGE vegetable garden. I'd love to be that mom that makes my own jam and salsa and whatever else I can concoct, waking up before the sun and spending weekends at the Farmer's Market. Ah, the simple life.

ANYWAY, I'm off to beddy-by. Hopefully my posts will become less sporadic.
I'll leave you with my Beekman Boys.

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/the-fabulous-beekman-boys-release-the-chickens.html

A worthy girl crush

Zooey Deschanel.

My girl crush.

What is it about this girl that makes me want to be her??

Is it her retro-chic style?

Her one-of-a-kind attitude?

Those BANGS? (The same hairstyle I was rocking until a month ago)

It's all of the above AND it's the new bit of trivia I learned about her today.

Homegirl is a vegan!

That makes me love her even more!

Way to go Zooey! Keep doin yo thang, girlfriend!

<.-.-.-.-.-.->

Honorable mention to Amanda Seyfried of Letters to Juliet and Dear John.

My mom and I just saw Letters to Juliet this weekend.

Look at her hair.

Seriously.

She looks like a princess.

I will forever be in envy of her hair.

At least until my hair gets that long.

Amanda Seyfried, please don't ever cut your hair.

Las Chicas

This weekend was a good one fo sho.

Friday marked the send-off of my dear friend, Shannon. She will studying-abroad in Ireland for 4 weeks.

We said a cheerful goodbye, but not before we devoured some chips and garlic and artichoke salsa.
Can you garlic breath??? Ick.
I looked up online how to get rid of the garlic breath and got an unexpected, Mary Poppins answer: a spoonful of sugar!

Note: it did not work.

Friday night, Chloe and I went to B-ham to see Allie and to go see Sex and the City 2. I give it 2 stars. But the clothes were incredible (though sometimes outrageous)!

Saturday was an exciting day all around.

1. The first usage of the Magic Bullet. It was truly magical.

Some plain yogurt, almond milk, bananas, and bloobs. Magical.

Accompany that with some hummus, carrots, and sugar snap peas and you've got a great day.

2. Another girls night. Chloe, Kaitlin, Erika, and I went over to Allie's house. We stayed up super late talking and laughing. To top it off, Allie's mom, Bari, took us out to The Original Pancake House the next morning.

I got the Santa Fe omelette. It had onions, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese, and maybe some peppers.

It was sinfully delicious, though it gave me a bit of a tummy ache later. 

Clo clo got some raspberry crepes.

And Bari, the wisest of us all, got the vegetarian egg white omelette. 

Love my girls! Thanks for making an average weekend that much better.

P.S. Don't we all look lovely in the morning? HAHAHA..

The Handyman can because he mixes it with love and make the world taste good

If you ever get the chance to go to Grand Rapids, Michigan, go to Marie Catrib's  for lunch. I L-O-V-E that place! It is some of best, most-filling food I've ever had, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die. There's a few vegan sandwiches on the menu so I thought I'd try my hand at making one of them.

Behold the Handyman!

TA-DA!

This very interesting sandwich includes glazed tofu, seasoned potatoes, roasted red peppers, avocado, and garlic spread. 

I started with the seasoned potatoes, smothering them in evoo, seasoned salt, and curry powder, and then baking them in the oven.

I dry-fried some tofu. I didn't know what to do as far as the "glaze" went, so I made a mixture of honey mustard, water, and sugar. I brushed this concoction on half of the tofu, the other half went into a homemade teriyaki sauce marinade which was so easy to make that I'll never have to buy teriyaki sauce again! 

I decided not to roast the peppers because I was running short on time too hungry. I threw all of these ingredients on two slices of the wheat bread we had on hand and voila! 

Overall grade: B-

I was expecting something as delicious as the Marie Catrib's sandwich of my dreams. This sandwich was NOT it. Also, Sara Lee Honey wheat bread is not hearty enough for sandwich of this magnitude.

And that was all the experimental cooking I could handle for wednesday. 

P.S. Better photo quality coming soon!  

The Roaring 20's- a profile of my birthday weekend

This post is a little bit late. Oopsies. 


This past weekend marked a national holiday. Everyone was given the day off, many people had parties, and there were even a few parades  around the country.

Yes, I am talking about my 20th birthday.

And I guess we were celebrating Memorial Day too. 

I kicked the celebration off with some yard work on Saturday. My mom and I planted a lil garden (in addition to the existing garden we have surrounding our house).

Ok, it doesn't look like much now, but we've got some cucumbers, summer squash, basil, and even some sunflowers in the back there. 

I even planted a pot of oregano and a pot of basil to take with me to school.

For lunch, I had a so-so meal, and by meal, I mean something I could whip up super fast.
I had a few Morningstar Farms Buffalo Wings and some carrots. Ranch was added to the mix due to the spice of the wings.

When I first became a vegetarian, I was all about the faux meat products. As time has passed, I can't stand them anymore. These puppies were pretty good, but look at the ingredients list.

Yikes. Plus, they're not vegan.

Sunday wasn't very exciting and I have no pictures to show for it, so let's move on.

MONDAY, MAY 31st!
MY BIRTHDAY!

My parents were grilling out with some burgers and ribs. I wanted to keep with the theme and came up with a vegan Boca burger on a sandwich thin with some avocado and salsa. Again, the faux meat is not the greatest but I wanted a "burger".

And, for dessert, Coconut Pecan Pudding Cake.

YUM YUM YUM!
And now, on to PRESENTS!

As an amateur foodie, this was the best gift EVER!
The bullet will revolutionize the way I do my thang.

My mama also got me this daily devotional. She knows me so well! <3
And the last present was one to myself that showed up on my porch the next morning.

I can't wait to make some of these delicious recipes!

Overall, the 20th birthday isn't as cool as you might think. Only 365 ish more days til my (hopefully) more exciting 21st birthday. 

Let's review...

Well, posting every day has been a no go so far but I have been taking plenty of pictures of my daily activities. So rather than racking my brain to remember the context of each photo, I'll do a quick overview of my days since the last time I posted. Don't worry, I'll leave out all the days where I didn't make it past my couch,

Thursday, May 20, 2010


SHINE-O-MITE!


This was the day I saw my best friend Shiny for the first time this summer. We wanted to go to spend sometime outside so we ended up at the Garden of Healing and Renewal, complete with its own "Labyrinth". Oh, and who could forget the lovely Peace Tree (which isn't exactly a tree)?

After being healed and renewed, we went back to my house and watched SNL videos while eating popsicles.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Starbucks with my old friend Amanda.

That's Amanda's face in the background. I got an iced chai latte with soy milk. Did you know adding soy milk costs more? Outrageous... 

Later that night, I made an interesting tofu scramble.

This interesting mix contained potato wedges, cucumber, red pepper, and garlic. I didn't cook it long enough so the potatoes were still a little crunchy... my bad. 

I didn't know what to cook with the tofu so I found an cool condiment in the fridge. 

It was good, but it made the tofu waaayyy to sweet, so I added some garlic salt.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Summer salads

I don't know what day this was, but I took a picture so here ya go...

Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, blueberries, all topped with sun dried tomato vinaigrette, goodness. 

Sunday, May 23, 2010

This day will go down in my history as a good day. 

Reason #1-

Three words: PUMPKIN. PIE. PANCAKES. 

Reason #2- 

The Detroit Zoo with my mama :)

We particularly enjoyed the butterfly house and the seals.

This me after my mom pinched me. Let the records show that PINCHING HURTS!

My mom searching for polar bears.

Also, look how close we were to this peacock. 

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Banana "Ice Cream"

So simple: take a frozen banana and a tiny bit of rice milk.

Mmm Mmm good!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Pumpkin Oats

I had a lot of leftover pumpkin from the pumpkin pie pancakes so some pumpkin oatmeal was in order.

Add some berries and we've got an incredible breakfast.

Later that night, Chloe came over to hang out with her best friend, Manny the dog.

Aw.. they love each other.

Be prepared for a birthday weekend post coming soon.