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Frame of Mind

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Halli hallo! I hope all of you are doing well, and enjoying the last day of July. The last day of July? Yep! In two weeks I’ll be going back up to Virginia to settle in to my place (yay for not having to actually move this year), and then starting my final year of college. Yessssss! I’ve been doing wonderfully with taking care of my liver. It really hasn’t been hard. If anything, it’s been relaxing and rejuvenating. Ayurveda doesn’t just cover the topic of food (although it is key), but also helps us take notice of how our environments may affect us. For instance, what we smell can be aggravating, calming, or what have you. For my constitution sandalwood is suggested to pacify the excess Pitta. I’m a combination of doshas, and that’s quite common actually. What exactly does dosha mean? “It’s an essential biological energy or structure in Ayurvedic anatomy. There are three primary doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, which sustain all life. They move cyclically on a daily basis, and act as transporters and communicators between the essential tissues, and the bodily wastes. Their balance is a key to health. They also determine our physical constitution at birth.“ Vata-Pitta is mine, and I benefit from oils; so it’s even recommended that I rub coconut oil on my feet and legs before I go to bed. Am I reading correctly? Treat myself like an Egyptian queen? Why, of course.

I'll carry some sandalwood around, and Matilda can carry her skeleton leaf with her.

Now this was a real treat for my taste buds!

Remember when I tried the Coconut Bliss pint of ice cream? Specifically the cherry amaretto flavor, m’mmm! Anyway, I was also kindly sent a voucher to try their ice cream bars. You can choose from two flavors: dark chocolate or naked coconut. Oh gosh, speaking of flavors I just looked at their list of retired flavors. Ah so sad! Maybe a Dr. Frankenstein move can be pulled and some of these flavors can be revived! It’s ALIVE!!! Okay okay, so time to turn this frown upside down by giving my review for ze bar! Guess which flavor I chose? If you guessed naked coconut then you know me well hehehe. Ah yes, the review. Well, I LOVE COCONUT! So now that that’s clear, I also want to make it clear that these are the bomb.com. I loved the flavor; and the texture was so awesome because it was creamy, melt in my mouth (but not in milliseconds), and I spied the shreds of dried coconut too. Imagine a hot summer day (that is going to take little imagining as I just have to step outside) and all you want is something refreshing, tropical, and creamy. Yes, this bar would be my answer. “The pure coconut experience on a stick.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Sweet potato and yellow split pea dhal + flax seed oil & ghee

Watercress is a new vegetable I’ve been incorporating into my diet. I’ve had it before, and I use to just think of it as more of a garnish. Now I see that it can also make a delicious salad! Speaking of salads, I found a helpful guide on how to make a great salad with lots of side tips: salad days. “Try and get all the tastes at each meal, even if it is a salad: carrots/beets for sweet, greens for bitter, cilantro for astringent, fresh ginger for pungent, lemon juice for sour and rock salt for salty.“

Munching like a goat is easier

One of my favorite foods.

I think many of you can agree with me on this one: sweet potatoes are delicious… and happen to be very nutritious. They are a great source of beta carotene, which may explain why my palms and the bottoms of my feet look the way they do. The beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in your body, and may help slow the ageing process and reduce the risk of some cancers. And did you know that it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties as well? I’ve been having mine with a combination of flaxseed oil and ghee.

Last week I did some major re-organizing and decorating around my parents house.

It’s pretty cool that the black-and-white photo is of me with my film camera, and I’m in the mirror with another one!

Remembering vacations in South America.

Frames galore!

Rather than painting a wall.

Different colors for frames as well.

A diptych of little Matilda going on an adventure.

Some call this a pampering room, but for some reason ever since I was little I've called it "the emergency bathroom".

My "office" area.

I also decided to take out something I got when I went to London.

A fireplace in Florida? Indeed.

A combination of something I made, nature, and a thrift-store find.

Another fitting thrift-store find--except change the 'c' to a 'k'.

And one of my favorite thrift store finds!

I left a note by writing one of my favorite quotes.

Stay tuned for next post! I’m finally going to make a video, and share with you all that even while taking extra care of my liver, I was able to cook wonderful meals to share with my family’s guests.

The Great Adventure

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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!

It’s good to be home

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So I’m finally back home. Only for 2 weeks, but I’m going to soak it up. Along with the sun!

I came home to my mom making lunch and it was so good. It was even better because I didn’t have to cook it. Don’t get me wrong I really enjoy cooking, but every once in awhile it’s nice to have someone cook for you. I’ll post what she made later.

My parents are really big into juicing. I remember when I was younger and I thought it was disgusting but they convinced me to drink it because it would make my cheeks turn rosy. I just had a cup of it now and I think it’s so yummy! I guess my taste buds have changed quite a bit over the years. I’d like to think they’re more refined. I like to try new things but if something tastes bad then I get kind of peeved.

Anyway, since being home I’ve done my laundry while having the freedom to do something else besides watch my laundry and hope no one steals my underwear when I’m not looking. I also did a pilates routine from memory. This past semester I took a class for school and learned so much about pilates and the man behind it. Did you guys know that Joseph Pilates was influenced by the way cats would stretch? In the concentration camps back in WWII he observed their stretching and basically how they did that all day. He also noticed that they ate very little like the prisoners. He developed exercises that could be done in a small space because they had to do them in their bunks. Incredible! On top of that, my mom took Matilda out for me. I do enjoy walks, but sometimes I just want to be lazy. Meet Matilda!

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This was when she was really hairy! I’ll post a more recent picture of her later.

How is everyone’s weekend going so far? Any neat ideas for Mother’s day? Or are some of you sitting back and getting all the love and roses tomorrow?