Here’s a little recap of my time down in Florida, which was mostly spent on the Gulf coast.
- It seemed like a secret spot.
Tag Archives: florida
Cheers To Twenty-Four Years
Greetings, friends! I’m currently in Florida’s Gulf for the week to celebrate my birthday, which is today! I enjoy celebrating in some way, even if it’s small. So far I’ve spent most of the day just floating in the ocean. What’s the most special thing to me though, is all of the love that gets sent my way. It keeps me smiling all day long, and I feel so blessed.
Just thought I’d drop in and say hello with a few pictures.
- Birthday bliss
- Birthday breakfast: I made slow-cooked omelettes with a fruity surprise…
The omelettes were filled with sautéed strawberries with cinnamon, diced apple, banana, and cherries. On top I served some goat milk yogurt, chopped pecans, and carob chips. Good morning!
- Breakfast outdoors on another day.
- Having the beach all to ourselves, one more reason to jump in the ocean in my birthday suit!
- Leaning back to back with my mom…
- while watching the sun set over the ocean.
I hope you all enjoy the holiday weekend!
Traveling in the Kitchen
Oh gosh! There’s so much catching up to do! I’ve been back in Florida for a couple of weeks, but I have some things that I want to share with you from before I even left for Toronto. So get ready!
- And hold on tight
Let’s see… how have I been enjoying the summer’s endless heat?
- By making water a more refreshing beverage.
Slicing up lemons, limes, cucumbers, and a handful of mint leaves, and letting it all sit for a couple hours in a jug of water is all it takes.
- One of my mom’s friends gave us mangoes from her backyard!
You can tell how delicious these were just by looking at them.
- I’ve also been making smoothies.
I made this particular one with Greek yogurt, honey, almond milk, peaches, and cinnamon.
- Taste testing… not quite there yet.
- Passed the test.
- Yowza that was good!
- I’ve also been loving strawberries in the mix.
- Sadly, coconut butter is too shy to mix and mingle.
- Of course I’ve been keeping up with my weekly batch of raw vegan treats.
I’ve recently made Averie’s No-Bake Coconut and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites and Kelsey’s Cocoa Coconut Energy Balls. Both should be under your bookmarks if they aren’t already.
- I’m serious.
- This may not be a typical cool summer meal.
I sautéed some yellow squash, crumbled tofu, and diced sweet potato with Bragg’s flavorful Organic Seasoning. Drizzle some coconut butter, and I sealed the deal. By the way that sprinkle has 24 herbs and spices that add lots of flavor. Even if I don’t know what to cook I just use some of this and I instantly have a tasty dish. Thanks to my old roommate introducing me to this it’s now one of my secret weapons.
- Taken out by the poolside while the weather was hopefully cooling down (not by much).
- With a nice cold glass of refreshing water.
- Ahh yes… the morning is another part of the day I can enjoy outside without melting into a puddle of sweat…
- And drool.
- I’ve also made up a recipe recently.
Can you guess what it is? Himalayan Zucchini Bread! This is an eclectic loaf of zucchini bread inspired by the Eastern world and 101 Cookbook’s Special Zucchini Bread. Check it.
Himalayan Zucchini Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
3/4 cup almonds, chopped
2 1/2 tbl poppy seeds or even chia seeds
2 tsp lemon zest
4 peanut ginger chews, finely chopped
1/4 cup goji berries
3 tbl shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar
1 large egg, or egg replacer
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 zucchinis, grated
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour mix
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbl curry powder
*Don’t be daunted by the long ingredient list*
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan, and dust it with a bit of flour then set aside.
2. In a bowl combine the almonds, poppy seeds, lemon zest, shredded coconut, goji berries, and ginger. Set aside.
2. In a bowl combine the almonds, poppy seeds, lemon zest, shredded coconut, goji berries, and ginger. Set aside.
3. In another bowl mix the coconut oil with the honey, and then add the coconut sugar. Add the egg and mix well. Stir in the vanilla and then the zucchini.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and curry powder.
5. Add these dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
6. Fold in the almonds, poppy seed, lemon zest, goji berries, shredded coconut, and crystalized ginger mixture by hand. Set a bit aside so you can sprinkle on the the zucchini loaf before baking to add a little crunch. Avoid over mixing the batter, it should be thick and moist.
7. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, and bake for about 40-45 minutes. Don’t over bake it though to keep it moist. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for about ten minutes. Then let it finish cooling on wire rack. It’ll get moist and sweaty if you leave them in the pan.
- Each ingredient is special in this recipe
- That’s not all.
- Wolfberries, also known as goji berries.
- And somehow by the time this loaf was done baking I had flown to Asia and back.
So now that I’ve shared this recipe with you, here are some tips to go along with it. I soaked the almonds beforehand to add to the bread’s dense bite. I also thought of the recipes I’ve made where zucchini and almonds held hands in the most delicious way. I love coming up with kitchen experiments, being inspired by places I want to travel to and let my mind go.
- Check it out!
Now take a bite into a slice of this and you’ve got a spiced and moist bread, with some crunch and the most unique flavor.
- Enjoy it for breakfast with coconut butter.
Recently, I’ve been letting a bag of green tea steep in a glass of cold water overnight.
- And beautiful fresh mission figs, medjool dates, bee pollen, and honey over some Greek yogurt.
- I hope you all have a relaxing weekend…
- Or one packed with adventures!
The Meaningful Ones
Thinking about the warm weather, and coming back to cold weather has been on my mind lately. I try not to let the weather bring me down, but sometimes it’s hard! Something I thought about the other day is that weather is humbling for me. Weather and mother nature are greater than our expectations of it. Wind can make fun of me when it pushes me forward or gets me eating my own hair. The breeze welcomes me to relax into it. When it rains sometimes I imagine that clouds are just giant sprinklers and I can run through them. Whatever it may be like outside, it’s bigger than me and I’m okay with that.
- I loved being able to have the windows open in the morning and breathing in fresh air.
Stepping outside and feeling warmth on my skin.
- Brötchen for breakfast.
My parents frequent the several German bakeries in their area and always bring home things that are nostalgic for me.
- Hopefully soon I’ll be back over in Germany walking to the bakery and bringing home some freshly baked rolls!
- Over the break I also tried some local bee pollen.
This had such a curious taste, and I can’t really explain it but I’m not complaining.
- I had to buy another bar because little Matilda ate the entire bar one night!
By some miracle she did not get sick at all! That whole bar is twice the amount that is toxic for her, and I don’t know how she managed to eat something that is almost as long as her. She’s a supa freak! [Supa freak, supa freakayyy! Ow!]
- Chilled oatmeal, incognito chopped dates, diced apple, Greek yogurt, honey, bee pollen, and…
- Toasted hemp seeds with sea salt-yum.
- We went to a place where you could browse through a long list of beers.
I am all about options, and I chose a pear cider. This was so yummy, and tasted like an “older kid’s” version of pear juice in a box.
- Followed by the one blurry picture before my camera died.
- Threw together a random lunch
Raw red Russian kale with dressing, leftover yellow split pea soup, and…
- During the week I made a batch of refried beans and coconut-sesame seed rice.
The coconut-sesame seed rice recipe is from my “Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners” book, and I’ll give you a brief description so maybe you can give it a try! Cook some basmati rice with ghee and salt. Then when the rice is done cooking, heat up some ghee in a small pan and fry equal amounts of shredded coconut and sesame seeds till they’re lightly browned. Mix in with the cooked rice, salt to taste, and garnish with cilantro. I’ve posted about this recipe before. It’s so simple and incredibly flavorful!
- Guess who joined us halfway through the week!
Emily was staying a few hours away from us for a few days, and then she decided she was ready for girl time!
- Ohh the beach, how I love you!
- One of the days after soaking in some sun I wanted to share, in my humble opinion, one of the best ice creams.
- Mmm vanilla island coconut ice cream
This is going to sound corny, but this really is coconut bliss.
- And they all agreed!
Apparently Coconut Bliss has come out with four new flavors, and one of them is on my radar–ginger cookie caramel!
- During my break I wanted to take on a culinary challenge.
I had bookmarked Marni’s White, Red, and Green Italian Braid recipe awhile ago, and I thought this was a good time to finally make it!
- Mix it well!
- My fillings of choice: homemade pesto, tomato sauce, (all marinated) roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, mozzarella, and goat cheese.
- No parchment paper made this step a bit tricky.
- But the challenge was completed!
- Delicious! You could make this bread on a free night and have slices throughout the week when you’re on-the-go.
- We also spent some time strolling along and people watching.
- Found charming streets
- A hideaway perhaps?
- A special dinner was in order–to celebrate my mother’s recent promotion.
She’s such an intelligent woman and is so dedicated to what she does! Hearing her stories from work and her benevolent attitude towards the people that work for her makes me proud.
- My mom had fun taking pictures of us girls goofing off, and I’m pretty sure she was being silly behind the camera too.
- Coconut curry bursting with tofu, pineapples, and vegetables.
I hadn’t gone out for Thai food in such a long time! I requested that they also add some grated ginger, and much to my delight I saw AND tasted that they actually did. I’m never afraid to make special requests. If you’re polite about it then why not? I was left feeling satisfied and with yummy leftovers.
- There was a special dinner the next night as well.
I steamed a bundle of asparagus and sprinkled on sea salt, drizzling of lemon juice, and a pat of butter. For the mushrooms I sautéed onions and garlic, then I turned down the heat and threw in the mushrooms with some salt and herbes de provence. Once the mushrooms softened I turned the heat down to low and mixed in a splash of balsamic, a few spoonfuls of goat cheese and Greek yogurt, and some cracked peppercorns. Let it simmer for a bit so the flavors blend together. Now the mashed potatoes were just a basic recipe but there was a special ingredient: black truffle salt. I served that with a pat of butter as well.
- Filled with lots of love…
- For my friends and family!
- We were sad to leave and so was Lone Duck.
- But I hope they come down with me again soon!
- I love my friends with all my heart.
Spending the week with them in paradise was wonderful. I live with Emily right now, and we just have such a great understanding and appreciation for each other. I always feel funny just calling her my roommate because she is so much more than that to me. She is someone that I can stand in flamingo stance with while talking about our thoughts on life and the world around us. Sway is also one of the coolest ladies that I’ve ever met. She lives further up north so I don’t get to see her that often, but it’s always really nice when we do. We’ll have the same thoughts or do the same things as each other and it can be really freaky sometimes, but I love it! Actually, there was a week where I was eating lots of roasted beets and grilled goat cheese sandwiches, and when I told her that she told me that she had been making them too! It’s so awesome to be so connected with someone. These ladies are so easy to be around, and I can’t think of a time where we felt like making a fuss towards each other. I bet that the people they encounter in their lives can’t help but feel touched and graced by their presence. Both of them are so special and thinking about them and that they are in my life brings me peace.
I think we all have those special people in ours lives that seem to complete us.
Sharing the Sun with My Friends
Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. It’s been a little while since my last post, and a lot has happened in the world, hasn’t it? Before I jump into my post I just wanted to share some links with you all that help towards the relief efforts over in Japan. When the news kept unfolding during the first couple of days my mind couldn’t help but wonder how the people in Japan were handling the situation. I know that Eastern thought is very different from the western mentality. While some in the west may be frantic, I had a feeling that the people in Japan were trying to be calm and collected about the situation. I think they already have a sense that the world is much bigger than they are, and that catastrophic things in nature are a part of it. Well, that’s just my thinking. Here are some links though that you all may be interested in:
Last week I was in Florida with two close friends of mine for spring break. Oh my goodness, I wish we could all go back, but life doesn’t always work out like that. Atleast we have memories and pictures to look back on though, right?
- We were ready to leave the cold weather behind.
- A good way to use up the last of some Greek yogurt.
- Pit stop for munchies.
- Pit stop to escape a major creep that was harassing us on the highway.
We finally made it home after a lot of scary incidents. By the time we got my parents house all we wanted to do was go to sleep.
- The next morning I woke up and I knew I wanted something refreshing.
- Chilled oatmeal, diced apple, Greek yogurt, mixed nuts, and honey.
- Papaya from our tree and an arepa de choclo from the local Colombian bakery
- Then I found this gem in the cupboards.
- My parents got honey from a local beekeeper.
This was one of the best honeys I’ve ever tasted. It was thick and had such a wonderful unique flavor. Whenever I get honey I try keep it local as it also helps with allergies. Later on we strolled along Mizner Park, an outdoor place for shopping, dining, and entertainment.
- We stopped by a heavenly store.
As soon as I saw the words “Spice & Tea Exchange” I knew we had to go in. After oh-ing and ah-ing at all the wonderful blends of herbs and spices we settled on some to take home with us: almond cookie tea, blood orange smoothie tea, berry white tea, and black truffle salt. All of these things smelled deliciously potent, and my imagination started to get carried away.
- After dinner we enjoyed some treats my step-dad brought back from the German bakery: cherry quark küchen and rhubarb quark küchen.
- The next day involved the beach!
- Packed some rye bread, homemade hummus, and some other goodies.
- For dinner I made a cous cous, bean, and vegetable salad.
Add some goat cheese for the final ‘pow’.
- Dinner was followed by spooky beauty treatments.
- That was also the night before Matilda would shrink down to three times this size.
Despite it being warm, I felt like making yellow split pea soup.
You can click over here for the recipe. It’s simple and delicious.
Especially when you've got buttered rye bread for dipping.
One of my favorite parts of this trip was getting to hang out with some of my best friends.
They are the kind of people that are okay with sitting in silence, and don’t mind when I want to vent. Plus, they know how to have fun! Here’s a quote that sums up what I love about these ladies:
“Your friendships should be low maintenance. Life is stressful enough with work, relationships and family. You don’t need someone in your life that you dread contact with.“
-J. Harvey
Speaking of friends, I’d like to give a shout out to the beautiful, Jen! She used to write a food blog, and now she is back with a new blog! She’s also attending culinary school so it’ll be exciting to read about what she’s learning. Check it out here.
Oh and Matilda wanted me to show you guys her new look.
Stay tuned for the next recap!
p.s. my mother nominated me for a contest on Perricone’s site on Facebook, and I’d greatly appreciate it if you click this link and “like” my picture! But first you have to have “like” the Perricone MD page on Facebook. Thank you very much!
Warm Days Ahead
There is so much to catch up on, but I think I know where I want to start for this post. Hmm… let’s see what part shall I rewind back to next? Aha!
In December I ended up going to Florida at the last minute!
My lovely mother really spoiled me this time. I think I barely cooked while I was there, which is unusual!
Have any of you tried cranberry beans?
It was my first time trying them, and I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the the shells were.
My mom's special recipe for the cranberry beans and eggplant, and I roasted some kabocha with brown sugar, spices, and coconut oil.
I’m going to share her recipe with you. First she sautés some chopped onions and garlic. Then add diced tomatoes and sauté for a bit. Add some bay leaves, the beans, sea salt, and pepper. Then cook it all in almond milk until the beans are thoroughly cooked. Lastly, garnish with cilantro!
We also spoiled ourselves with various chocolates!
I also finished up a jar of almond butter while I was down there.
And finishing up a jar translates to OIAJ.
I like to make the oatmeal in a pot and spoon it into the jar little by little while stirring so the nut butter is distributed evenly throughout–not just at the bottom.
And I finished another jar--this one being the cashew-macadamia nut butter I made for my mom last Christmas.
She obviously doesn’t use nut butters as much as I do! I don’t think it would take me a year to finish a jar.
Oh, look! And I found some of the royal crown jewels!
This cous cous dish was a team effort between me and my mom.
The cous cous was cooked in vegetable broth and ghee giving it so much more flavor. Seriously, ghee is a staple in my kitchen. When that was done cooking we threw in some chopped red onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, and other random veggies. Stir in some lemon juice, olive oil, spices (curry, cumin, and paprika), and salt to taste. Before you’re all done you can add some diced avocado and cilantro for that last touch of flavor. Cous cous is such a versatile grain to work with. You can make it sweet or savory. Cook it in juices, milks, or broths. Mix in whatever you’d like and voilà! A tasty dish.
While I was in Florida I was in the mood for colorful salads.
In Virginia I’m usually in the mood for soups. I know that’s usually weather related though. Anyhow, this salad was incredibly tasty! I tossed sweet potatoes, apples, brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, and onions in a mix of coconut oil, honey, and cinnamon. Then I roasted them till they were done, and tossed them over a bed of Tuscan kale, letting the kale wilt from the warmth of the other veggies and fruits. To seal the deal I topped it off with pomegranate arils, and the beans my mother had made bandeja paisa style (cooked with plantains) and vegetarian friendly!
I also made a few dishes with fava beans--roasting them was my favorite!
Egyptian style!
I made Ful Medames, a traditional breakfast in Egypt. Actually, fava beans are eaten at all times of the day over there, and it’s said that even the pharaohs enjoyed these beans.
I was also in the mood for spiced mashed sweet potatoes with coconut milk while I was down there.
Christmas entailed high raw vegan goodies!
My step-dad loves peanut butter and raw vegan treats, so this seemed like a great gift for him!
I took Ani Phyo’s oatmeal raisin cookie recipe to another level by adding peanut butter. The idea for adding the nut butter came from Laury’s adapted recipe for no-bake oatmeal cookies. Here’s the recipe for the cookies I made for my step-dad!
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin Cookes (High Raw Vegan)
1 cup raw or old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates
1/2 cup raisins
2 Tbl Creamy peanut butter (creamy is better for binding)
1. Process the oats and cinnamon in a food processor into small pieces.
2. Add dates and process till it’s mixed well. Throw in the raisins and pulse.
3. Place in a bowl and mix the peanut butter in with the batter.
4. Now roll them into balls and enjoy!
Easy, right?
We were invited to dinner on Christmas Eve!
They had us over for Christmas dinner last year too.
The delicious feast made completely out of scratch!
The chef!
I brought over this dish: pan-fried chickpea, sweet yellow onion, and pomegranate salad.
Remember “The Flexitarian Cookbook” I mentioned in a previous post? Well, this was another delicious recipe from that cookbook! Everyone at the dinner loved it, and the lovely host even asked me to share the recipe. Now that says something, doesn’t it?
Natural beauty
I’ll be dedicating a full post to “The Flexitarian Cookbook” featuring more recipes, and a review!
On Christmas morning my mom was greeted by some flowers that are just as refreshing as she is.
My step-dad was greeted by something he could thoroughly enjoy (and hopefully share, please)!
And I was greeted with a special sweater!
It makes me think of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.
My step-dad had the same idea!
He made me raw vegan treats with figs, dates, walnuts, and gingerbread spices–very yummy!
Matilda guarded the tree.
My mom had picked this up at the health food store... interesting!
When I saw this it seemed familiar, and that’s because Katie once featured their pasta made out of black beans.
Makes one look forward to dinner.
I served the mung bean fettucine with a semi-homemade tomato sauce and parmesan.
This was actually yummy and had an interesting texture! I was very much pleasantly surprised.
And I ended my Florida "tour" with a bang!
We love you, World!
Don’t forget to participate in my giveaway, in case you haven’t already or you missed it! Click here to check it out. You have until Tuesday to participate, so my fingers are crossed for you!
It’s a Beautiful Morning
Wow so I can’t believe that it’s already mid-June and I’m catching you all up on what I’ve been up to since the end of May aka since I’ve been in Florida. Before soaking up the sun, my mornings have consisted of eats like these
Papaya from our very own backyard and something else local...
A mix from a local bakery that has actual bird seeds in it!
Hey Brittany, I’m eating bird food too! Okay so that was corny, but I couldn’t help it! Anyway, this mix has scraps of their bread, oats, sunflower seeds, bird seeds, and who knows what else! I’ve enjoyed it with cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, fresh fruits. And the above picture has cottage cheese with honey mixed in, a lot of cinnamon, and a nice big spoonful of the cashew-macadamia nut butter I made for my mom awhile ago.
Strawberries drizzled with coconut milk, dark chocolate hazelnut butter, and the last brownie crumbs!
And you can't go wrong with cinnamon, banana, peanut butter, honey, and the creamy addition of coconut milk!
I love my coconut milk.
You also can’t go wrong with cinnamon, pear, and hazelnuts.
Look at what I found in my parents' pantry!
This should look familiar to some of you. I was so eager to try them since I had never had them before. Actually, I had just the recipe in mind! I’ve always had my eye on Jessica’s chia-icing.
First attempt didn't go so well... I think it's because I used Kefir.
I also tried Irish steel-cut oats as well and I love the texture and nutiness!
It tasted good and I was excited about trying the chia seeds so the consistency didn't matter to me!
But I wasn’t going to give up either. I bought some Greek yogurt at the store and I attempted to make the chia-icing yet again.
And this time with peaches, cashew-macadamia butter, almonds, and amaretto syrup.
Much better!
Look at the treasure I found at the thrift store!
Everything in the store was 50% off that day so I got this whole set for $10–there’re four of each in the set.
This makes me want to have people over for a nice breakfast.
I looked this up online and found out that these are actually collector's items!
I also got this little tea cup.
Have you guys had any amazing finds recently?
And of course I made a special breakfast soon after getting the set!
I made crêpes stuffed with sweetened ricotta cottage cheese (only thing on hand) and cinnamon. I topped them with fresh strawberries, chocolate hazelnut butter, more cinnamon, and a drizzle of amaretto syrup. I think this is a true example of eating with the eyes first. Then my mouth got a taste and it was strange because I’d never heard fireworks go off in the morning.
Can you tell that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day? If my mornings have been starting out like this then you can imagine what I’ve been feasting on throughout the day. Let’s just say that I’ve been taking advantage of the kitchen, my mom’s cooking, and being so close to the tropics.
Soaking Up the Last Rays of Sun
Here’s the right way to start every day!
Coconut smoothies and cheers to the sun gods!
On my last day I managed to write a paper and work on my tan.
Finally, when I could take the sun no longer I headed inside to get ready. My mom really wanted to take my friend to this German restaurant that has become one of her favorite places for dining out. I think it’s partly because everyone that works there loves her. In fact, when we were seated, a few of them came up to our table to say hello and they just wanted to talk to my mom hahaha.
I spy... lots of delicious German chocolates.
She made a new friend!
Welcome to Old Heidelberg! Wilkommen!
Weird lighting, but as long as I'm with my soul sista' it's all good.
My dad with the star of the restaurant.
Prost! Those are just .5 L
Fresh bread = THE BIGGEST BOMB.COM
My friend got a salad with her meal.
I thought it was cool how it was like a sample of various German salad dishes. They were only missing the famous German potato salad. Anyway, the vegetarian choices on the menu were barely existent, but I managed to find something. And it did not disappoint.
The BEST potato pancakes I've ever had, and I swear the sour cream was housemade.
Potato pancakes, latkes, whatever you want to call them… are one of my favorite things! So saying these were the best is saying a lot.
German Beef Rouladen with mashed potatoes and a bread dumpling
Paprika Rahm Schnitzel: red and green peppers, sour cream sauce, and rice
Bavarian Lamb Shank served with mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes
Then it was time for the desserts!
Rote Gruetze with Vanilla Sauce
One of my favorite desserts... carrot cake!!!
An adorable plate: freshly baked apple strudel with vanilla sauce and ice cream
Oh my gosh I was so happy to be eating delicious food from my home country. Not to mention, Germans do desserts right. They’re not overly sweet, instead they let the actual flavors shine through. I love that about their desserts. It brought back so many memories and we told my friend of all the traditions they have over there. I’m so glad to be going back there this summer. Can’t be away from home for too long, can we? Eventually we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and made our way down to Miami for our last night of south Florida fun!
Showin' our tanned legs!
We ended up going to this place my mom wanted to go to that had an intense tropical theme going on. There were performances in two areas going the whole night. It was neat to see them re-enact the Brazilian carnival with the beautiful and barely there costumes. There were also men dancing their hearts out, and I actually thought they were much better than the women… and not just because they were better looking. We decided to end the night pretty early around 1 or 2 am since I had to start driving the next day. Was it really almost time to leave? The beginning of the week seemed to go by slowly, but towards the end time just seemed to speed up.
Started the day off with OIAJ, diced apple, and a strawberry & honey compote.
On our last day, my friend and I went to an incredibly relaxing yoga class in the morning. We thought it would be good to get some stretching in for our long car trip ahead.
My parents surprised us with German goodies when we came back from the class.
That marzipan you see there is not just any marzipan. Oh no siree! It is marzipan with apple, cinnamon, and bread. It was so good! Kinder, Milka, and Yogurette are my favorite chocolates ever! I even posed with the Milka cow stuffed-animal when I was a baby. What can I say… Germans love their chocolate enough to have glamour shots with one of the mascots. That cheese you see in the back was also tasty and I made a sandwich for myself for the road with the bread they brought back as well.
They also brought back quark--which is like a fresh cheese.
Lunch before we hit the road.
Last of the lentils + rice + coconut oil. Also had some of that bread with the cheese, tomato, fresh basil, and black pepper. On the side I had a big fresh salad!
Matilda left Florida with a new look
Bye bye Florida... for now!!!
And on our way back Kelley was able to relive some of her childhood when we stopped at Checkers
We made it safe and sound by the next day, and we belted out to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” with the windows down driving up a busy road to let everyone know that the girls were back in town!
Still Soaking Up the Sun, Con’t.
I just realized that I forgot to reveal the truth! Drum roll please! Okay… so the truth is that I made out with one of the guys from my favorite band. Oh man, that is a long story to tell and I smile whenever I think about it. I definitely thought I was all that and a bag of potato chips after that hehe.
So back to the recap. The next day was cloudy and rainy so I decided to take Kelley to some specialty stores. But before that I whipped myself up a quick lunch.
- Veggies, avocado, and a filled tortilla.
My parents had the sprouted tortillas which I’ve never tried before. I was surprisingly satisfied with these. Sometimes those kinds of tortillas taste too “brown” for me, you know what I mean?
- Filled with the leftover curried fava beans my mom made, veggies, and Wisconsin cheddar
Then we hit the markets.
- First we stopped at the Italian market. Look at all that pasta!
- We also stopped by the Latin food store and I got some things for her to try: oatmeal milk and a sweet treat (cream with guava)
She really liked both of them! These are old favorites for me. Before my mom came home from work I decided to take Kelley to a secret location that a lot of locals don’t know about. I discovered the little spot back when I was learning how to drive and I was just curious to where this seemingly endless road would take me.
- Who knew the everglades were so close to me!
- Sunsets are beautiful here.
- And watch out, you may bump into a alligator too.
Then we headed home for dinner.
- Part of our dinner that night were some fried sweet plantains that we find at one of the markets.
And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but avocados are a staple at my family’s table! The next day my mom took off work and she wanted to make something special for us! She went through practically all of our cookbooks the night before to find some recipes to make.
- She prepared an Indian feast for us, not leaving out the mango lassi of course!
- Get in my belly!
- We went to a museum to see our friends perform.
- Two lovely ladies!
- Goofy!!
- We were happy that we got to wear our long dresses!
- Dance!
- They’re from Brazil and you can tell that they’ve got the rhythm and beats in their blood.
- Samba! It’s actually one of my favorite dances.
- They are such great performers.
I use to take dance lessons with the man in the picture. He’s so incredible and even knows how to belly dance! He knows how to shake his hips better than any one I know. But aside from that, this couple has so much love inside of them and it just radiates through their smiles.
- Group shot!
- Later that night we headed out with some more friends!
- I was so happy to be with my two best friends–in the same place!!!
- She came out to party with us even though she had work in the morning! She’s a trooper.
- All of us, but my mom got cut out!
- There she is!
- Pilar ordered the Vesuvius Cake: Brownie Crust, New York Style Cheesecake, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Truffle,and Chocolate Mousse Topped with Chopped Walnuts and White Chocolate Chips
You know I helped my homegirl out! The music was good and you know what means. It was time to dance. There was no one out on the dance floor, but who cares. As soon as we started shakin’ what our mama’s gave us, a crowd of people came and joined in on the fun. Seriously, how can someone just sit there when there’s music to be danced to and a dance floor? But at least it doesn’t take much to wake some people up!
My next post will be the final recap of my break in Florida. I miss it already! I’ve been calling my mom every night… actually that’s something I did anyway hehe. I hope everyone is enjoying spring so far!!! Don’t you just love seeing everything come to life?
The Great Adventure
Hello hello and greetings from the Sunshine state! I’m going to be backtracking a bit though and showing you some new things I tried during the week before heading down south.
- Inspired Breakfast
Cinnamon + cottage cheese + NuNaturals vanilla extract on an English muffin; I’ve seen many bloggers prepare this little combo a la K–I love the ring of that! I topped it with Mymoune’s Crème of Dates with Almonds. Check out the whole almond. On the other half of the English muffin I spread on some good old butter and the berry preserves Holly sent me awhile back. I also made a smoothie which entailed: hemp protein powder + blueberries + banana + almond milk. This was a simple yet so delicious breakfast.
- Frozen entree worth mentioning
I tried another Amy’s frozen entree and I was not disappointed. My tummy was feeling funky earlier that week and I figured Indian food would help settle it down a bit. This was the Mattar Paneer entree and I loved that there were plenty of cumin seeds. After I snapped this picture I mixed it all together and added in some coconut oil and voila! No fuss meal.
- Coconut Macadamia Ball… m’mm good
I remember on this warm and sunny day (spring is finally moving winter aside) I wanted to snack on something that reminded me of Florida. So I went for Betty Lou’s Coconut Macadamia Butter Ball, and I put it in the freezer so I could have it cold. I just love biting into these. There’s something so satisfying about biting into a yummy ball of nut butter.
Speaking of Betty Lou’s, here are some other goodies I’ve tried. Let me start off with the Krispy Bite. Holy yum!!! I think this may be my favorite little snack of theirs, and I think that’s saying a lot because I like everything hahah. But seriously, there is no eating like a turtle when I munch on these. They disappear faster than it takes me to open the wrapper up.
- Close-up
Next up is the Almond Butter Ball. Doesn’t it remind you of the top of a Drumstick sundae cone? I love the denseness and it’s not overly sweet either. They also have a High-protein variation as well, but as far as taste goes… I prefer this one.
- Tapping into my inner Renaissance woman.
I was actually able to go out with just this on! Hooray for warmer weather.
- I always forget about these shoes!
- Brought OIAJ to class the other day.
I am racking up the OIAJ, aren’t I? This was the last of my MaraNatha cashew butter and I knew how I wanted to bid it farewell–with a tropical flair. I cooked the oats with a tea masala (ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper, nutmeg, and mace), banana, and almond milk. Then I threw in some mango bits. A little trick I learned is to pour a bit of hot water in the jar before you mix in the oats to soften the nut butter a bit. Then I stir it all together little by little with my special spoon (the one with the long handle). I definitely savored it because these nut butters cost an arm and a leg!!!
- Road trip time!!!
This was my first time driving to Florida without my parents and it was so exciting!
- Matilda can make herself comfortable anywhere.
- I packed a sandwich–fontina + rosemary + sun-dried tomatoes
Speaking of sandwiches, I completely forgot that the grilled cheese sandwich included one of my latest finds–white truffle oil. So good! Anyway, this sandwich was yummy, and I was able to heat it up in the microwave at a gas station. We snack on these awesome pita chips, Sabra hummus, Pirate’s Booty, granola bars, sunflower seeds–hippie food! But whatever, we eat what we like. We drove through a torrential downpour that lasted most of the second half of the trip. Oh and there was an undercover cop that just pulled in to the highway from the side of the road and cut me off. If I didn’t move over I would’ve collided into it! But we finally made it to my parent’s place!
- We finally got to my parent’s place and my mom prepared dinner.
- Acorn squash, parsley, and cilantro soup
- German Pan-fried potatoes + Stir-fry
- Fresh fruit + Greek yogurt + cinnamon
My mom has been cooking for us a lot lately, but I’ve been helping her out too. I love cooking, but it’s nice to have someone make things for you for a change though, you know? Especially if it’s your mother’s cooking.
The weather down here has been wonderful, but the wind is not our friend. Every time we’ve gone to the beach, we’ve ended up being brutally attacked the sand. But we will return to Virginia as bronze goddesses, no doubt!