What Makes You Smile?

Posted on November 26, 2009 by Katharina

I’m going to start this post off with something that made me smile about a second ago. I just had a most delicious cup of tea I got at a coffeeshop. I had green tea with jasmine & lemon.

So remember when I said that I always say I’m going to get a rain jacket and I don’t, and then it rains?

I finally got one!

When I got back from shopping I started to make my lunch.

I baked some sweet potato fries with Old Bay seasoning and cumin. I also baked some Gardein chick’n tenders as well. I squirted ketchup on both and sprinkled some curry powder on as well. I made something of Sophia’s but with a different texture. Rather than make her kabocha soup with bacon and goat cheese- I made it a mash with coconut oil. I also subbed out the bacon for fakin’ bits. And that cute little chocolate cup? This time I tried a Newman’s Own Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. It tasted good, but I wasn’t too keen on the gooey peanut butter middle. I was hoping it would be a bit more solid.

Look at what I got in the mail!

Awhile back Kashi was giving out free samples on their site. You know I jumped on that offer!

I've also been working on my project.

I started carving some wood yesterday. And after about 6 hours of that I realized I want to keep my thumb – it was so sore!

Granola bar!

I tried another 18 Rabbit granola bar that was graciously sent to me. This time it was the Funky Figs & Cherries. First off, I love the names of the flavors – they’re so much fun! I just heated it up and crumbled it over some vanilla Greek yogurt, and dark sweet cherries. This one was also very granola-y, however the first flavor I tried (Cheeky Cherry Chocolate) is the best so far. I swore I also tasted some chocolate in this one. Silly me didn’t check the ingredients though! Oh well, what matters is that it tasted good, right?

I had a little mishap with my lunch.

I had been cooking some kale on the stove and I went away and completely forgot about cooking, until I smelled something burning! I quickly ran into the kitchen and took it off the burner. Although it shriveled up a lot, it still tasted very good. May I suggest sautéing kale in a mix of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and s&p? I also toasted a quick sandwich: goat cheese, basil pesto, and tomato with balsamic vinegar.

Yesterday, I got a bit of relaxing time in. I just did some beauty things and had dinner roasting and boiling away in the mean time.

My one person casserole dish.

I roasted some kabocha chunks, and boiled some edamame and quinoa pasta. I tossed it all in coconut oil, lime juice and s&p, then drizzled on some tamarind-date chutney. One word: yum. I haven’t had edamame in forever and I just found a great edamame succotash recipe I must try.

Now we're a little more caught up now.

This morning I decided to try the cranberry flavored Heart Thrive. I crumbled it over some vanilla Greek yogurt mixed with pumpkin puree. I also drizzled on some cashew butter and tossed in a handful of dried cranberries. To make the Heart Thrive less dry I heated it up in the microwave and spread on a bit of coconut oil. I must say I really enjoyed this flavor! It was perfectly tart and had a much stronger flavor than the others I tried.

Lots of blue today!

I wore my favorite blouse and these cool navy blue velvety pants…

And they're cuffed!

I only had one class today, so that left me with plenty of time to run errands and prepare some things for when my mom arrives tomorrow. I’m so excited!

Quick lunch

I got home and I was so hungry so I had some hemp brownie bites while I quickly prepared my lunch. No, not special brownies! I followed a BBQ Shepard’s Pie recipe from the Sunshine Burgers website with the BBQ flavor. Basically, I roasted corn, some cubed potato bits, and mozzarella in the oven. Afterwards I just drizzled on some BBQ sauce. I also had it with some beautiful blanched kale. I love that green!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I’m excited. Although I’m having a rather untraditional Thanksgiving (when is it not?), it’s going to be so nice to be with my mother. Since her flight comes in around 2, we’ll be having a Thanksgiving dinner. Which means she’ll be helping me in the kitchen! We make a great team. Anyway, I wanted to know what makes you all smile? I know for myself, it’s mostly the little things that cheer me up. For instance, when I take Matilda on walks I always notice the little quirks about Richmond. There are a lot of characters around here and they definitely make sure to leave their mark. Things like painted ice cream cones cut out of cardboard hanging on a string over a telephone line. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! Aside from having delicious food, I think the most important part is to enjoy being with people you care about. And being around those people can make a world seemingly filled with troubles, a much better place.

I’ll leave you all with some ideas from Kate Spade: 20 Ways to Merry-Make.

Riding Out the Common Cold

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Katharina

G’day to you! I am currently fighting a cold so I’ve just been trying to get my rest and taking it easy.

: Being sick… not cool.

The other day I busted out this wonderful contraption I so often forget I have…

: Behold the soymilk maker!

My mom’s friend never used the machine so she gave it to my mom – I think she knew there was a vegetarian in my mom’s household. I can make other milks with this machine as well. My next endeavor? Almond milk! I tried making oat milk once, but it was very watered down. Once it’s done working it’s magic, an electronic version of ‘Ode to Joy’ echoes around the apartment. The result is very “soybean-y” in flavor. I personally don’t mind it, but some friends of mine do.

: Excuse me, I had just woken up and was still in my robe! But that’s a huge cup!

: Had to wait for it to cool down completely before putting it into the carafe.

: I also get this leftover stuff called okara.

Okara can be used to make tofu and an assortment of other things.

: M’mmm a bowl of chocolaty goodness.

I added in a packet of hot cocoa to my usual oatmeal mix and a drowning glob of cashew butter.

Speaking of chocolate, Katie, our favorite chocolate-covered friend is hosting a Page View Charity Drive. So hop on over to this site, Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness, to find out more information and how to help out others in need. Afterall it’s the season of giving and reflecting on what we are thankful for.

The other day I was feeling quite lazy and I decided to finally bake the frozen Kashi pizza that’d been sitting in my freezer since I moved into my apartment.

: Sicilian Veggie

It sounded good, but I wasn’t fond of this flavor. I’m always weary of the way frozen pizzas taste and I usually don’t get them because of this. However, I have heard many good things about Amy’s frozen pizza. One thing I do recommend from Kashi’s frozen food selection is the Mayan Harvest Bake. I did have leftovers so I tried to make the best of it by personalizing it.

: Defeats the purpose of it being cheese-less, but it was calling for melted mozzarella, sliced tomato, and some mushrooms.

: This time I crumbled on some goat’s cheese, mushrooms, and threw on kernels of hominy.

In case you’re wondering, that’s the best BBQ sauce on the broccoli.

Here are some things I’ve been enjoying with my batch of homemade soymilk.

: Breakfast was inspired by a pear strudel recipe I stumbled upon.

I used Nature’s Path vanilla almond granola with soymilk, and topped it with a pear, date, and goat cheese crumbles. Then it all went into the microwave, which is why the pear slices look brown.

: I sweetened this steaming cup and sprinkled on some pumpkin pie spice.

: A new bowl!

Another special bowl I found the other day. I mixed in a packet of U.S. Mill’s cinnamon raisin oatmeal with soymilk. Then it was topped with a sliced banana and the last of my sample of Artisana coconut butter. And what’s in the teapot? A few cups worth of replenishing green tea.

: I also prepared a batch of miso soup with dulse flakes, mushrooms, onion, and tofu for a speedier recovery.

What's this?

Well, I finally got around to opening up the box of Aztec Crunchy Corn & Amaranth cereal that the lovely folks over at U.S. Mills sent to me. I tried it alone first to give you guys an honest opinion. My honest opinion? I would prefer it mixed with another cereal. So that’s exactly what I did.

I mixed the cereal with Nature’s Path hemp plus granola, warm soymilk, and wild blueberries. I think corn and blueberries are very yummy together.

Ahem, I will let you all digest for a bit by sharing bits and pieces of my week so far.

Last week's critique had to carry over to this week.

Later followed by going to Richmond's Capitol Square to admire some masterpieces.

A friend of mine asked if I wanted to help him pick out some vegetables. Isn’t that funny? I agreed and we headed over to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. I got some new things for me to try out – I’ll be divulging those in another post!

He says he's not good at baking so he relies on mixes.

Feeling better already I decided to get ready and go to a coffeeshop.

I also went on a bike ride today with my friend through Hollywood Cemetery. It’s such a beautiful place and overlooks the James River. Legend has it that a vampire is buried there. A strange coincidence happened while I was there…

I was unknowingly lying under this!

I don’t believe there is a cure for the common cold, but I do believe there are things to aid in a speedy recovery. Some things I’ve been doing? Getting fresh air and rest, staying hydrated with water and tea, getting enough vitamin C, and eating miso soup. Anything that’s comforting. Another thing that helps is mind over matter and snuggling with this stuffed animal…

Matilda!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday. And don’t forget to checkout Averie’s amazing chia seed giveaway!

Signs of Summer

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Katharina

That's my bed!

Random things I have hanging from my ceiling.

Matilda when she was super furry! She's contemplating if she should jump.

Matilda when she was super furry! She’s contemplating if she should jump.

Someone who lived at my place before had written "Squirrels are Bigger" on my windowsill.

One side of my humble abode. That large frame is suppose to hang over the fireplace in my room.

I try to make my room a comfortable place for me. Sometimes you can find me working on a project though.

For example, a cardboard ship!

Tada! The finished piece.

What are some signs of summer for you guys?

Watermelon

Shorts at night

Ice cream trucks

Dresses

Even just feeling like you’ve got more time

Mosquitos

Farmer’s Markets

Sweaty backs of knees

On another note, the other day I tried Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal for the first time. Let’s just say, I could definitely be hooked. I’m just trying to work on staying within a budget, and I already have cereals plus other breakfast foods. Not to mention there’s no room in our pantry. I can’t wait till I move out of with Kim. I think living with one other person is the best choice for me. Currently I live with 3 other people (it was 4 before), and I hate having to label our food and such. I also dislike that some of them don’t understand the idea of respecting other people’s property. It’s just hard because people naturally make assumptions, and there are plenty of assumptions made in my current household that put a lot of strain on things. For instance, people would assume that someone was going to take out the overflowing garbage. Why is it so hard for that someone to just take out the garbage? What I mean is, if you see that it needs to be taken out, why wait for someone else to do it?!

So remember how I made a green smoothie the other day for the first time ever? Well, it was delicious! However, I’ve been discouraged to make another one anytime soon. I got the funkiest stomach feelings afterwards. What a disappointment, huh?

This is from a long time ago, but I thought I should post about it because it was incredible! I marinated some tofu to taste like ham. Honestly, I don’t know if it tasted like it or not because I don’t know what ham tastes like. But I can tell you that my taste-buds didn’t mind these tofu bites one bit! I served them with tomato slices, sauteed spinach with a dollop of sour cream. Over in the back (saving the best for last) is a slice of asiago and peppercorn bread with sour cream, some of the spinach, topped with the “ham”. Even though this was a long time ago, I still remember thinking that this was one of the best sandwiches I had ever made.

I’ve spent the last couple of days at one of my roommate’s parent’s place. Which explains why I haven’t posted anything over the past couple of days. My next post will include some secret flavor (for right now) ice cream and roomie kale baking adventures!

Best Dry Cereal Breakfast

Posted on April 13, 2009 by Katharina

This combination could potentially be habit forming, but definitely not lethal! I mixed Kashi Island Vanilla with Grape Nuts cereal. I also mixed in some ground flaxseed, a spoonful of coconut oil, and chopped banana. I put the mix in the microwave for about a minute so the oil would melt. Afterwards I stirred in some plain yogurt. I’m eating it right now, and it’s hard not to scarf it down. It reminds me of breakfast when I’m back at my parents in Florida – and those are the best. Well, maybe next to breakfasts in Germany.

Katharina's Food Adventures

Tag Archives: kashi

What Makes You Smile?

Riding Out the Common Cold

Signs of Summer

Best Dry Cereal Breakfast