Tag Archives: rudi’s organic bakery

On the Topic of Food and Blogging

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Hi everyone! Remember when I mentioned that I would be participating in Foodbuzz’s Project Food Blog challenge? Well, the time has arrived! The first challenge is to make a post about what defines me as a food blogger, and why I have what it takes to be the next food blog star.

Where to start? I’m a foodie because I find myself frequently mentioning how wonderful food can be throughout the day. Food is truly nourishing for the mind, body, and soul. I am a food blogger because I love sharing that same appreciation with people all around the world. Actually, because of blogging I’ve had the honor of having a friend’s mother’s secret baked ziti recipe passed down to me! As a food blogger I’m constantly being introduced to new ways of trying and preparing what I eat. Sometimes I’ll include a goofy step by step tutorial on how to enjoy some of the delicious things I’ve stumbled upon. Moreover, the artist inside of me flourishes when it comes to making magic in the kitchen. Looking back on my posts I can definitely see that I pay attention to the way things look. I firmly believe that we eat with our eyes first. When you go out to eat, doesn’t the meal just seem that much better when it’s presented well? I figure that I don’t have to go to a restaurant to feast on food that looks nice; I can do that myself! And you bet I’ll be taking a picture of it!

As far as having what it takes to be the next food blog star… I can try to express how my heart and eyes light up at the mention of this coveted title! Part of the reason I blog is because I care. Some readers have expressed to me that my blog has the ability to put them at ease or given them inspiration; these things alone remind me why blogging makes me happy. Each post is a piece of me, and when someone can sense my spirit through my words and pictures, well I’ve done my part. Also, since I am a conscious eater, I like to inform myself and others of observations, philosophies, and other useful information that I’ve found. I enjoy giving my readers “food for thought”, and vice versa. As people we learn something new everyday, right? Which brings me to another reason. I have this… illuminated curiosity that leads my taste buds to uncharted territories. Picture a young lady sitting at the table with countless ingredients out, taste-testing different flavor combinations. My journey with food has sparked some exciting culinary experiments, strange but delicious combinations, and recently using food to heal. No matter what though I never feel alone on my food adventures because I get to share them with you all!

Bagels for breakfast!

One half of the bagel was topped with tahini + honey, and the other had ghee + fig preserves. Both were sprinkled with cinnamon, naturally! May I also mention that these multi-grain bagels from Rudi’s Organic Bakery were so yummy? Okay, good because they were!

I also enjoyed some fresh figs and dates with Greek yogurt and cinnamon
More comfort food!

I made a spiced red lentil dhal, served over a sweet potato with ghee. On the side I stir-fried some red cabbage and yellow onions, then threw in some mango chutney and fresh thyme.

I also recently tried out a new-to-me Coconut Bliss flavor, Pineapple Coconut.

You can tell by my face that me and this pint are up to no good, mwahaha! Well, that is if being bad means not sharing. I still can’t get over how Coconut Bliss gets their dairy-free ice cream to be so creamy!

I made a granola the other day–inspired by two beauties.

After seeing Averie’s granola re-created in Kristie’s post, I felt compelled to finally make some! I haven’t made my own batch in awhile, and I had been craving granola for a couple of weeks. I knew that buying just any old granola wouldn’t satisfy me though. Does anyone else have that problem? It’s not that I’m a picky-eater, I just know what I want. And sometimes what I want cannot be found in stores. Anyway, on Averie’s recipe page I saw Bekah’s recipe for her Coconut Chia Granola. I actually had the pleasure of tasting this before, since this lovely lady sent me a delicious batch she made herself! Looking at the two recipes had my mouth watering, and I knew that I just had to combine them. Especially since I had just won a big of chia seeds from one of Averie’s amazing giveaways!

Best of Both Worlds Granola

3 cups old-fashioned oats

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup pumpkin seed butter, or nut butter of choice

1/4 cup almond oil

1/2 cup brown sugar, or preferred sweetener

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon, to taste

2 tbl chia seeds

1. Melt the nut butter and brown sugar on the stove using a heavy-bottom pan. Turn the heat off.

2. Mix in the oil, coconut flakes, chia seeds, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Then add the oats.

3. Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes. I periodically tossed the granola around while it was baking to keep it from burning.

Check out the clusters!

I’ve been enjoying this plain, with yogurt, sprinkled over my oatmeal, and even almond milk. And on that delicious note…

Being in the kitchen can be fun!

Remember, voting opens at  6 AM Pacific Time, September 20th through 6 PM Pacific Time September 23rd. My profile can be found here! And don’t worry, I’ll definitely be reminding you all to vote hehe. It’ll be like leaving milk and cookies out for Santa to make sure I get some presents!

Still Soaking Up the Sun

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Where has the time gone? It’s seeming to escape me! Anyway let me get down to business. Where was I? Ah yes, recapping my spring break in Florida!

Lots of overnight oats were had, and my friend even tried it (and liked it!)

She also started putting nut butters in her oats! There’s no looking back now hehe.

I made my overnight oats with something new my parents had in their fridge.

At first when I tried the Wild Wood Soyogurt itself I didn’t really like it. But it started to grow on me, and it definitely didn’t taste funky in my overnight oats. So the oats were soaked in this yogurt with raisins, rose water, and cinnamon. Topped in the morning with coconut milk, pistachios, and a sliced banana.

Packed sandwiches, nuts, and some veggies for the beach.

It was so windy that my sandwich became a real “sand”wich! After the beach we headed to the local discount healthfood store.

I got some new things to try...

I also snagged a can of organic pumpkin puree since it’s rare to find one nowadays. I also finally got myself some of my favorite candies… Ginger People’s crystallized ginger m’mmm. I love letting these soak in my tea. I also spotted the Luna protein bar and I got the flavor that appealed to me the most (cookie dough). It was okay, but I don’t think I’m really into the texture of those kinds of bars. I’m more of a whole ingredient bar lady. All of the other goodies are new to me except for the coconut water.

I also stocked my freezer up. Can you tell I'm a college girl?

My favorite sandwich bread for PB&Js!

My friend couldn't decide which chocolate to get so I made it easy for her and exclaimed at this one! SOOO DELICIOUS!

I just had to marvel at the colors!

I had the leftover curried tofu my mom made, a sweet potato with cinnamon and coconut oil, and a salad with a homemade blueberry vinaigrette. Delicious thrown together meal.

More overnight oats + aloe vera on the side

Toppings: coconut milk, Kashi GoLean Crunch, sliced banana, pistachios, and a strawberry compote with honey

Holy yum! I loved the various textures in this breakfast and the fresh flavors. Strawberries and bananas are a fruit combination that never fail.

I made us a nice lunch before we headed out to go shopping!

This turned out to be so flavorful!

I wanted to fix the tofu so it’d be like orange chicken. I found a recipe that sounded good, then added some veggies and cooked some egg noodles. Then we were out!

`

I took her to Paul, a french bakery franchise.

Rainforest Cafe can get a little crazy... especially if I'm there!

Let’s just say I had a lot of fun going around the store with the hand puppets they sell. What can I say? My imagination is still going strong.

Tried on an amazing Alexander Wang dress.

We had a very successful shopping trip, and left the mall elated with the "shopper's high".

Check it out!!!

We got home and had dinner.

Mom made rotkohl (red cabbage) with apples, pan-heated parathas, avocado, and I quickly fried some tofu with a Key Lime Ginger sauce.

And while I was in Florida I enjoyed dates (organic on sale for $1!) with the cashew-macadamia butter I made for my mom.

I have to admit, that date looks inappropriate, but I’ll just leave it at that haha. Anyway, I’m still not done recapping my break down in Florida. So hold on to your seats because there’s more to come. I just hope my next post is sooner than later! Next thing you know it’s going to be April already.

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!

Hope You Had Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Part II

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Hold on to your seats ladies and gentlemen we’re blasting back a little bit further into the past!

Granola girl is back!

I had this bowl of Udi’s Au Naturel granola with the apple grahams Holly sent me, spiced applesauce, Sunland’s caramel peanut butter, and vanilla yogurt. This granola is really good if you want to keep it simple or basically, it would go well with anything! The Au Naturel flavor is basically a wildflower honey sweetened granola.

Looks like I couldn't help but take a bite of the tortilla before I took the picture!

I just stuffed it with black beans, peach salsa, sour cream, nutritional yeast, and cilantro.

Whoa mama!

I hadn’t had banana soft-serve in forever! Size does matter when it comes to this – the bigger the banana the better (you get more)!! My toppings: coconut milk, Artisana Cacao Bliss, and Bekah’s scented almonds. YUM to the 10th degree!!! I’m talking love in exponential amounts.

Have any of you guys ever taken or heard of Zumba? Well this is a dance class I go to whenever I’m down in Florida. My mother and I love to dance and all of those classes have so much energy and happiness from everyone that you can’t help but have fun. There are even some professional ballroom dancers that attend the class. Everyone in that class just lets loose and gets down. For real!

With some friends from the old dance academy.

And with Wilson, one of our old instructors!

We also did the hora!!!

The dance instructor was touched by the students' card and gift to her.

Santa Claus came!

There was never a boring moment in that class!

After the dance class my best friend came over and Matilda got some presents! But I guess she really liked the necklace I got.

I went to go meet up with a friend for coffee.

Keeping it natural.

I tried Udi’s Muesli that morning – muesli is one of my mom’s favorite breakfasts. This was a really good muesli!!! There were lots of dried fruits – which I find to be lacking in a lot of pre-packaged cereals.

Agave-Lime Grilled Tofu with Asian Slaw and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Another recipe from ‘The Conscious Cook’. The best mashed sweet potatoes ever!!! You mash it with a cashew cream, butter, and chipotle pepper. Everything in this dish was incredible and complimentary to each other. I love when a meal touches so many different kinds of flavors. This took my taste buds on a delicious ride.

Pistachios

My dad came home form the store with a container of pistachios! I love these nuts, especially with dried cranberries and golden raisins. I really want to make a pistachio butter. Has anyone tried pistachio butter? Do you like it?

And I FINALLY wore the shorts my mom got me on her trip to Germany.

They gave me two coffees but I had only ordered one! Maybe I should've played the lottery that day.

I've known her since I started middle school!

Later on we went to Target and they had me try on the new Rodarte dresses. I didn’t know Target had such cute things!!!

My friend up at school sent me a little box of treasures!

And the ring lights up!!!

Tempeh Creole

Dinner that night was something special. I made another recipe from ‘The Conscious Cook’. I love the variety of flavors this book has. I usually stick to using the same spices and seasoning when I cook, but this was different from what I usually use. I served it over some brown basmati rice and with a colorful pepper medley on the side.

Breakfast is a calling!

Looks like I had English muffins for breakfast that morning. One slice with butter and the other with pumpkin butter. I also tried the egg nog flavored yogurt with a lot of cinnamon sprinkled on top. Does that count as “sprinkled” still? It looks like it was actually doused! I also had apple slices with caramel peanut butter = delicious.

Yummy snack

I know some of you are always keeping your eyes out for new snack ideas. Well I found one that is not messy and perfect for when you’re on the go! Not to mention it tastes really good. I tried Udi’s granola nuggets! Let me quote them , “Snack-perfect granola chunks made with honey, oats, and lots of nuts.” They contain almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds. I tried the little nuggets with Wallaby’s Downunder Mango Tangerine flavor.

And now we’re going to blast somewhere else into time.

Personally, I like raw collard greens better than cooked.

I tried cooking them the other day but I wasn’t too keen on the flavor. Anyway, these collard greens made for perfect wraps for the leftover Moroccan stew. There wasn’t much liquid left so I didn’t have to worry about stuff spilling out. I also had some Mestemacher bread with mashed avocado, tomato slices, and horseradish sauce.

Check it out!

Look at what my mom made!

We had to use up a bunch of veggies that we had in the fridge so this was a mish-mosh of things! She even cooked daikon radish! I’m not sure what she put in here exactly but I’ll tell you what I do know – besides that it tasted delicious – cauliflower, yellow squash, daikon radish, mushrooms, yellow onion, turmeric, fenugreek, coconut milk, and other things!

Another nighttime snack

A bowl of fruits with coconut milk is something I’ve been eating daily while in Florida. That night I remembered that I still had some Fig Newmans! I love the chewiness of these fig cookies.

So that was the time traveling adventure! Now that we’re all back up to speed, I have a story to share with you all. This was shared with me over Christmas dinner and I thought it was inspirational. They told me about a writer who was diagnosed with cancer but wasn’t going to give up without a fight. So what did they decide to do? They had heard of “laughing clubs” in India and other countries, so they got their wife to go to the library and find a bunch of comedies. Everyday the two would wake up and watch a funny movie. Eventually he was able to cure his cancer with laughter. So never underestimate the power of bursting out in an uncontainable laughter or even just a giggle will do. What’s a miracle you’ve had in your life?

Ketchup

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I have quite a few things to catch you all up on!

First off,

Matilda, my mother, and I sleeping together in my twin-size bed

Our breakfast for her last day in town.

What was served? I made oatmeal with cinnamon and a bruleed banana + shredded coconut for my mom. She also wanted some of the bread we had gotten from the brasserie with sunflower seed butter. I opted for an end piece with marmalade and butter. I also tried a Heart Thrive. This time it was the raisin flavor and it was so good! It was delicious alone and crumbled over vanilla Greek yogurt + persimmon + cashew butter. We both had cups of warm pumpkin spice soymilk with pumpkin spice! We just dilly-dallied around the apartment and took Matilda on a walk.

Mom's breakfast

And mine

Then lunch time rolled around…

Gluten-free pizza crust with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, portobello, and goat cheese.

After we got ready, we were off to the studio!

Wishing I didn't have to spend my last day with my mom at the studio.

But before I dropped her off at the airport we were able to meet up with one my bests for some coffee.

Beautiful smiles all around!

All three of us

Being silly

I was sad when I dropped my mom off at the airport but luckily I’ll be flying down to Florida tomorrow till Sunday!

Lazy Sundays

I had a Rudi’s Organic English Muffin – these are so good! One half with cashew butter and the other half with Creme of Almonds and Dates spread. I also had vanilla Greek yogurt with marmalade and some slices of bananas. I also saved some banana slices for my English Muffin. My sweet tooth was calling my name that morning and I had a Marzipan candy and I tried a Newman’s Own Organic dark chocolate peppermint cup. This one was so good! I did some things around the apartment and spent most of my day painting.

More pizza!

Yummy dinner

I had some of the baguette from the brasserie with basil pesto, and a mock tuna made with soybeans. I also had a sliced up a carrot and look at that beautiful persimmon! I’m glad I decided to cut it that way.

I tried someone's favorite nighttime snack.

Well not just someone, but I tried Jessica’s favorite! Warmed up applesauce with cinnamon, melted chocolate chips, a crumbled graham cracker, and since I didn’t have almond butter I just used cashew. Girl, now I know why this snack is at the top of your list.

Spreading the love on Monday.

What a great way to start a Monday – with heart-shaped goodies! I tried the date Heart Thrive that morning. The date flavor wasn’t as intense as some of the other flavors I’ve tried. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed off. I had it over vanilla Greek yogurt, a sliced banana, and cashew butter. Mixed in with everything else it was good, but alone I didn’t really like it.

Baguette action

This sandwich was composed of: a beer-brat Tofurky sausage, homemade tomato sauce, red onions, and relish. Yum! I love using a baguette as the bread for a sandwich.

I obviously couldn't get enough!

So later on I snacked on some more with a baked apple + cinnamon, goat cheese, and honey!

I also got an incredibly sweet package in the mail!

From one of the sweetest girls around, Mitri! Her package warmed my heart and kept a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

Little delicious treats and wonders tucked inside.

Thank you so much! Don’t you love acts of kindness? Especially through snailmail! Since Tuesday was around the corner, I spent most of my day kicking major booty in the studio. Tuesday = my final critique of the semester!

Breakfast on-the-go

This is why bars are perfect sometimes! I tried the last 18 rabbits granola bar – Haute Diggity Date. This was incredibly delicious and is right up there with the first one I tried. The one that made me think, “this is what a granola bar is suppose to taste like.” Thank you for sending me these bars to review! I am so glad that I did because I will definitely find myself getting these in the future.

So now I will share with you what my piece for this semester’s final critique looked like. Now keep in mind that being there in person is an entirely different experience – as is with most art. I also had a Nag Champa incense burning which definitely added to the piece itself. I had originally wanted to set it up in various open fields and document my interaction in the space. Then I realized how little time I had, and I was debating doing a performance piece with it instead. However, nothing specific came to mind and I never force myself into anything when it comes to my art. So I just let it be, but I will set it up outside and film that in my leisure time.

Balancing on itself

Mitri’s beautiful box of goodies found its way into my piece! Can you spy it?

Watercolors on fabric + burlap

Interesting angle the stripped branches made.

The whole experience was meditative for me, and the environment I built is meditative as well. What a great place to relax…

Where do you all like to go to relax?

p.s. check out Katie’s amazing giveaway!

Life is What You Make of It

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Hi everyone! I hope your week has started off on a good note. I know mine has. Aside from my computer crashing, things have been looking up. After a week of no sun and dreary weather, the weather gods decided to give us the gift of sunshine and warmth. Thank goodness! I think this is just what I needed to reenergize myself for this busy week. Without my computer I will find myself with less distractions. But I’ll do my best to keep you all updated – hence I am sitting in the toasty Fine Arts building’s computer lab. So many computers buzzing!

I’ll start off with my Saturday night. I was going to go to some experimental sound art show, but I wasn’t really in the mood for that. Instead I called up one of my best friends to see what she was up to.

Driving to meet up with them.

Strawberry Street Market's selection of beers. They even had a Honey Basil kind.

We ended up going to our friend's house for a house show.

The band seemed to be cooped up in this one room – I think they should’ve played in the middle. But a friend of mine came out of that room with a bloody nose but the biggest smile on her face!

I tried to capture the crowd surfing that was going on haha

I didn’t want to get back too late because I was planning on going hiking the next day.

So I ended up heading back around 3 in the morning.

Not a bowl of oats!

My tummy wasn’t feeling too well the next day so I wanted to take it easy. I had some leftover okara from when I made soymilk when I got home super late. Yeah, I made soymilk around 3 am… Anyway, I mixed it with pumpkin butter, stevia, and cinnamon. I topped it with a sliced apple, dates, some more pumpkin butter, and the last of the Artisana almond butter.

Matilda, down.

Aw!!! How can anyone resist?

Some things I packed for my hiking trip!

I made myself a PB&J sandwich using Rudi’s Wheat & Oat bread. Oh my gosh this bread is so good by the way. It’s perfect for sandwiches – especially a classic PB&J. I love how thick the slices make it so much more satisfying to bite into. When I was making my sandwich I had trouble deciding which jam to use. I remembered that Boysenberry jam is one of my favorites, but I currently do not have it in stock.

Well guess what? My computer crashed  and I knew that I would have to take care of that before I went on any hiking trip. And the sun was shining so brightly on Sunday I knew I didn’t want to be indoors.

This necklace spoke for my excitement about the weather!

I headed over to my nearest Apple store and I ended up making an appointment for today (Monday). By the time I was done with that, my friends that were going to go with me either a) didn’t want to anymore or b) didn’t answer. But you know what? I still wanted to go hiking so I went. I called up a good friend of mine that is usually up for doing stuff. I didn’t get to go to the Shenandoah Valley like I had planned, but atleast I got to go exploring and get some easy hiking in.

Crossing the bridge to Belle Isle.

The hiking begins!

My shoes along with the wet mud were not a good combination, but it was fun nonetheless. I love adventures!

I think Matilda does too.

I love letting Matilda off the leash so she can sniff around as she pleases. She’s so cute because she never strays too far. When she was walking ahead of us she kept stopping and looking back to make sure we were still there. What would she do if we decided to play hide-n-seek with her?

There's a pond on the isle.

I just thought these pods were beautiful.

The James River is really high right now from all the rain.

Admiring the sky.

I love being out in nature and being amazed by it. Nature is beautiful and it doesn’t have to try.

City skylines can be amazing too.

Dinner

This time I just sautéed the kale with white cooking wine and seasonings. I also had some of my leftover “meatloaf” I made with the okara. Last but not least I made a recipe inspired by Katie’s mashed cauliflower. I pureed mine with salt & pepper, nutritional yeast, and soymilk. Then I served it with some all-natural butter. Yum!

Then it was time for some homework!

This is a part of what I’m working on for my sculpture project.

I'm not much of a painter, but I think it's fun. I haven't done it in years!

Monday mornings

This breakfast was interesting. I wanted to use up the rest of my okara, so I mixed it with a ZenSoy banana pudding cup. By the way, I think the banana pudding flavor is my favorite. I heated that up till it liquified and then dumped on some Aztec Crunch Corn & Amaranth cereal. Excuse my half-eaten apple that I enjoyed with my favorite crunchy peanut butter.

I assembled my sandwich the night before because I knew I would be pressed for time today.

I also sautéed some kale with raisins and toasted pine nuts. I love toasted pine nuts!

Le Sandwich

I used two slices of French Meadow Bakery’s Woman’s Bread. What’s so special about Woman’s Bread? According to the site, “with 14 grams of protein and 2.6 mg of soy isoflavones per serving, Women’s Bread contains key nutrients for women’s health. Sprouted grains bursting with vital nutrients and vitamins are easy to digest. Dried cranberries provide an antioxidant boost.” I enjoyed the dried cranberries very much! Okay so what’s in between the bread? Portobello mushrooms, basil, red onion, cream cheese, fakin’ bacon bits, and tomato paste + honey.

After my readings in apocalyptic Literature class I wanted to go exploring around Belle Isle some more. Apparently I just couldn’t get enough and the weather was gorgeous! It was so much fun not knowing where I was going but taking random trails that would lead me to who knows where! Afterwards I came home and showered and did some pampering.

Tea tree and spearmint mask - ah so refreshing.

And dinner time rolled around.

I didn’t really feel like cooking tonight. Well, I guess I did cook the cauliflower mash with garlic and herb, but that barely counts! So I just baked some Gardein “chicken” tenders in the oven and seasoned with Old Bay blackened seasoning, and ketchup + curry. Curry ketchup is delicious. All you have to do is mix in some curry powder with ketchup – simple! It reminds me of buying pomme frites on the streets in Germany served with with curry ketchup. Please excuse me toasts for being shy. I promise they are delicious once you meet them. Tonight I wanted to try French Meadow Bakery’s Gluten-Free Multigrain bread. That’s a mouthful! Anyway, the bread was seriously delicious! I just spread on some butter on one slice, and butter and fruit spread on the other. I can’t explain really how tasty this bread was. Just biting into it was awesome and I can’t believe it has no wheat. Can you see the all the little flaxseeds? So good! I highly recommend this bread, even if you don’t have a gluten intolerance.

Lastly, the ever so lovely Brooke tagged me to fill out a little survey she made up! Here goes…

1. favorite variety of apple? Gala

2. apples dipped in? Peanut butter… or caramel! How about  both?

3. favorite way to enjoy pumpkin? Pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin and ginger cookies, and pumpkin penne

4. favorite soup? with crackers or bread? My mom’s spinach soup with fresh crusty bread.

5. do you eat orange foods all year round? Not consciously, but the time of year doesn’t stop me from eating them that’s for sure.

6. most used spice in your autumn cooking: Cinnamon and tarragon

7. you are baking some homemade bread, what flavor combination of bread would you like to make? Oh my gosh! Some sort of spiced bread. How about a spiced bread with almonds and cranberries. However, I recently stumbled upon a garlic pull-apart bread recipe.

8. favorite autumn vegetables and ways to eat it? Winter squashes out the wazoo! Recently, I’ve been digging cauliflower and kale

9. hot chocolate, hot cider, coffee or tea? Hot chocolate made with coconut milk. And I love this one tea called Richmond Blend. It’s a black tea with cinnamon, orange peel, and cloves. It’s out of this world and actually has an intense flavor on it’s own. Not to mention the cinnamon helps keep me warm during the cold months.

10. favorite seasonal dessert? I think it’s a tie between double-layer pumpkin cheesecake and sweet potato pie.

11. lets make a fall stew! pick any 6 ingredients to create your one: Sweet potato, onions, carrots, kale, curry, and white truffle oil

12. pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts or almonds to snack on? Almonds!!!

13. popcorn flavor/seasoning? Cinnamon & sugar or nutritional yeast

14. bowl of hot cereal you have been wanting to try: A banana rum cake inspired one! I actually just came up with this.

15. post a link to a recipe that you recently bookmarked. April’s pumpkin French toast!

Anyway, I just wanted to fill you all in on how my weekend went and how my week started. I’m going to try to keep up with all you lovely people! I hope you all are doing well and keeping your chins up. Remember, as William James once said “…Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”

Basil Green with Envy

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I wrote to Maggie earlier that I took a break from looking at food blogs for a bit. It’s silly really, but it made me crave all those wonderful veggies and fruits you guys all put together… EVEN MORE! I’m not into the idea of chewing my arm off ; how would I write these posts?! Anyway, I was very interested by the feedback I got from you all in my last post. Eliza had made a very great point! She said, “but we all deserve to eat the way we enjoy.” This is so true. Although this past week and a half really made me realize that my situation wasn’t that bad, I know that when I can then why not? When I have money to get groceries I make a list, but if something interesting catches my eye then into the cart it goes! Thank goodness I do this because when I thought I had nothing, I had plenty! But in general, I do a really good job of saving money and not spending mindlessly.

A few nights ago, my friend invited me over to watch a crazy BBC documentary called “America’s Most Hated Family”. It was about the people of Westboro Baptist Church. They’re the ones that picket outside of soldier’s funerals with very distasteful slogans. It was mind-boggling and interesting to watch. Afterwards, we turned on Julie & Julia. We didn’t get to finish it, but I really want to!

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This little set-up was waiting for me when I got there!

Don’t you just love how hanging out with friends can make problems magically disappear? I never tried Sake before and I learned that heating it up is actually an insult to the artisan. Basically, heating Sake up is like adding salt to a dish that’s been served.

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Breakfast!

For breakfast I had something different! I toasted a Rudi’s Organic English muffin, one of the samples sent to me by the company. My roommate’s boyfriend asked what I had made in the oven. It was just an English muffin! Well, not just an English muffin. This one happened to be incredibly yummy! Especially with cashew butter and some raspberry preserves. I also had a ZenSoy Vanilla Soy on the Go and a hemp brownie bite. A what?! Okay first let me say that these soy milk-to-go packets are genius and make me feel like a school kid again. Now back to the hemp brownie. I was sent some samples of French Meadow Bakery products and those were one of the goodies sent to me.

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The motherload! Please pass on some sandwich recipes.

The hemp brownie bite was awesome! Brownies are something I’m picky about, but the texture of this one was just right. And the taste? As funky as a hemp brownie sounds, there was nothing off-putting about it!

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More bread and a chocolate protein shake with some coffee mixed in.

I tried another slice of Rudi’s bread, but this time I chose the Cinnamon Raisin bread. I spread on some coconut oil. Well I do love the thick slices each load seems to have, but I think the cinnamon flavor could’ve been stronger.

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Creme of Almond and Date spread made this just right.
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I’ve also been sampling some sweets.

Since the incredible package of Newman’s Own Organics came in at the right time, I thought what better way to munch my way through the days with some cookies!

First up are the Champion Chip Cookies! The flavors I got were Double Chocolate Mint Chip, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and Espresso Chocolate Chip. I’m not a big fan of the Chocolate Chocolate variation, but the rest are right up my alley! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Double Chocolate Mint Chip cookies!

Second batch? Hmm… let’s go with the Hermits. I tried the Original and Cinnamon flavor. Both are good, but I personally preferred the Original ones. Not sure why though. I bet the Ginger Hermits are delicious – I love ginger!

Now on to the Fig Newmans! The only difference between the two I got is that one is fat-free and the other is low-fat. There’s was no apparent difference to me as far as taste goes. So I guess it’s just what you prefer as far as fat-content goes.

Last but certainly not least are the Alphabet Cookies. Maybe I’m boring when it comes to cookies, but these were my favorite! They’re so simple but so good. I want to spell my full name out, including my middle name, and then eat it. Thank goodness I’ve got a really long name.

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Breakfast this morning…

This time I tried a slice of Rudi’s 100% Whole Wheat bread. I love love love the thick slices. I usually buy artisan bread, but I really think Rudi’s makes great bread for morning toast. And we can’t ignore that indulgent looking cup in the back! That, my dears, is a ZenSoy Chocolate/Vanilla Swirl pudding cup. I’m turning into a kid again and if eating these pudding cups are a sign, then I don’t mind one bit. More please!

Aside from it being a glorious day because it’s Friday, I was able to get groceries today!

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I didn’t cook at all, but I fully enjoyed!

I chose the crunchiest and crispiest things to munch on as far as fresh foods go. I love carrots and apples with peanut butter. I also had a delicious Southwestern Sunshine Burger and munched on some Newman’s Own Organics pretzel sticks. Nom nom nom!

Later on…

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More apples!

I sliced up 2 apples and crumbled on a Cinnamon Hermit, and into the microwave it went.

I try not to dwell on things, so I just went about my rainy days looking at fashion magazines and going to my classes (of course). Aside from the dreadful weather the tropical storm has caused over here, I’ve been trying to remain positive. This brings me to my truth of this post.

The weather deeply affects my mood. During the winter I embellish the idea of this season by reminding myself of all the cute clothes I get to wear and this is season of giving. I’ll snuggle with Matilda even more, but the truth is that deep down inside I just don’t feel the same. It’s like I allow some part of my spirit to escape me. I just can’t help but feel like it’s me against nature when I walk out the door – not a good feeling. What do you all do to keep a positive outlook during the bittercold months? Or does it even bother you at all?