Tag Archives: thoughts

Dinner with No Reservation

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Recently, old pictures of friends in New York have been like a treat in postcard form.

At that time my friend had just gotten back from Shanghai and she brought back so many surprises! It was also the first sleepover I’d had in what felt like ages.

A "Milk Collection"--yummy!

Since I’ve been back in Florida I’ve been contemplating many things, and a few of those things are the idea of aspirations, one-way track living, and what matters. Some have aspirations to start a family, or meet that someone special. Some want to see policies change, and some are career driven. There are some who just want to be a better person, or as I like to say… a more realized self. Because my idea of “better” may be different from yours, so where’s the good and bad in that? No where.

Anyway, I’m at a point in my life where most of my friends are getting engaged, married, starting their careers, or even going back to school. Then there are those that are pursuing more unconventional aspirations by going to artist residencies, going on long journeys in different hemispheres, or being entrepreneurs and starting from scratch. But that’s what other people are doing. What am I doing? It’s not until I tell people about my life and someone gets confused about the timeline and events, that I realize that my life and family may seem unconventional. But we never think about it like that because in reality we’re not. Just in a person’s perception. Life does not exist in boxes, nor in a telescope. It’s funny how we are existing on one planet and everything from the atmosphere to the reason why your hair is falling out are related to something, which are related to something else. Then there’s the greater universe, and somehow that thought makes me think of how insignificant some things really are. Those things that disappear from our minds, and who knows… maybe they exist in a way that stars are a vision of the past. But why do things matter? Aside from survival being an instinct, I think things matter because it helps us feel like we live for something. A reason. Somethings matter so much that we’d die for it. I once asked myself that I know that I would die for someone, but would I walk 5,000 miles for them? I’d probably walk 5,000 miles just to walk. You know when you don’t have a reason for doing something, but there’s something inexplicable within you that is compelled? The kinds of things that have no answer when someone asks you, “why?” That’s been most of my guiding inspiration throughout life, and maybe it can be hard to understand. So that’s what I’m doing.

But here’s something a little less wordy, and easy on the eyes.

My dad definitely knows I like to try new things, and he does too.

I hadn't heard of wild red rice until that point.

I love the idea of wild rice invading rice fields.

Yes, there's a little patty hiding under the slices of coastal cheddar.

Sometimes I look through recipes based on what I already have. Most of the time I don’t want to have to go out and buy an ingredient (unless it’s a fruit or vegetable… then I don’t care). I wanted a recipe that would get me to use hemp seeds in a new way, so when I found this one for Hemp Burgers–I marked it. I didn’t realize the recipe called for herb seasoned stuffing until I was ready to make it. These were my options a) buy seasoned stuffing–which I would rarely use b) make stuffing from the loaf of bread I didn’t have or c) improvise and use rice! The only reason the stuffing was in the recipe in the first place was to act as binder, so I figured if I just ran the rice through the food processor it would work. And it did!

Don't be shy little burger.

I wanted to make the loaf version of 'Cinnamon Fantails' for a dinner party I hosted awhile ago...

Alas, I wasn’t able to because I was running late with everything that day, but I decided to make it the next day. “I’m sorry, you arrived late and the guests are all gone!” This turned out to look like an edible version of the Grand Canyon. I realized later on why. I was suppose to bake it exposing the layers right side up, but who cares?

So what’s this you heard about a dinner party the night prior? Continue reading →

Within Yourself

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I’m going to start off this post with a little piece of my mind. Lately, I’ve been thinking about where my life is going, and where I want it to go. Sometimes I let my ideas sit in my head, but I’ve been getting them outside of my head by discussing them with others and taking action. It’s very rare that the things you want just magically appear in your lap, so what are you waiting for? Rather than just sulking around, wishing for anything but now, do yourself a favor and look around you. Then look inside of yourself. Most likely, you have what it takes to make your dreams come true. Think of your qualities as bridges. Bridges that will help you on your journey, of course! And if you find yourself sounding like a broken record, well isn’t it time that you flip the side? The side that plays the beautiful tune called “believing in myself”.

A bowl of peculiar colors for breakfast.

I made my regular bowl of oats and let it get cold in the fridge overnight. In the morning I whipped up some banana soft-serve, and threw in some diced mango. While making the banana soft-serve I also blended in some Cacao Bliss since it hardens on contact. I topped this all off with some pumpkin seed butter, crunchy peanut butter, and sprinkles. I loved biting into the chia seeds, crunchy peanut bits, and sprinkles. This breakfast bowl kind of reminds of a desert scene with its colors.

Something else frozen and delicious to cool off on hot summer days.

Kiley generously sent me a couple of vouchers to try out Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss ice cream. I’ve heard so many great things about this ice cream, and I was so excited to see what all of the fuss is about. I went to the store and chose the cherry amaretto flavor–one of my favorite flavor combinations.

I also received a vibrant storybook of sorts!

This was such a fun way to read about the beginnings of this ice cream and health benefits of my beloved coconut! The booklet made my desire to get an ice cream maker even stronger. I want to have ice cream taste-testing parties with my friends and family as well!

So it was time to taste and test...

Oh my goodness! The first things that popped into my head when I tasted this, “creamy, coconut, flavor, delicious, rich, yum yum yum, bliss!” Next spoonful!

And I found the cherries!

Now I know why people can easily finish a pint of these ice creams in one sitting. I’ve had ice creams made with coconut milk before, but none have been as rich as Coconut Bliss. And it’s not short on flavor by any means. I can imagine how satisfyingly delicious the other flavors must be.

Fashion tip: dressing up simple things is easy with colorful statement accessories.

I tend to have atleast one thing in my outfit that stands out, and often gets comments from strangers. In fact, when I wore this outfit the other day the woman at the store marveled at my necklace and then said to me, “Oh wow what a beautiful necklace, actually, everything is cute! The whole thing!” Thank you! It makes me smile when people can’t help but comment on how much they like something. There’s enough stress going on in the world, why not make it a bit more pleasant by saying some kind words, you know?

I stopped by the library the other day and picked up some books and a movie.

I love that I can leave the library with two arm-loads. I picked up Ani Phyo’s book on raw food desserts since I had seen it on so many blogs–curiosity was sparked! There are definitely some recipes I really want to make, like a raw version of tiramisu. I am so picky when it comes to what I consider a good tiramisu, so I’m eager to see how it will turn out. I also got “Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life” to get some ideas for me and my dad. None of us are intentional vegans, but we’ve found that most of what we eat is vegan-friendly. I also got some bread recipe books, and I can’t wait to make some loaves using rye flour. I’ve mentioned Ayurveda a few times on my blog, and whenever I come across anything related I like to read about it. This book explains a lot about this concept and includes some recipes as well. The ideas behind Ayurvedic cooking are so fascinating. I also picked up “The Single Girl’s Manifesta”!

Here's a recipe I've been eyeing on Averie's blog.

She has so many incredible recipes on her blog, and it’s about time that I recreate one of them! So what recipes is this? Her “Spicy Doritos” Cheezy Dip. It definitely doesn’t look as smooth as hers, but it’s the taste that matters!

And I could definitely eat this by itself, but having something to dip is fun!

Do fingers count?

I organized a little basket with some of the things I use to make my oat bars.

I was going to buy chocolate chips at the store, but then I thought about just grating my own chips by using a chocolate bar. A chocolate bar with a love poem, that is.

While we're on the topic of bars...

My dad created his own! He remembered that I told him how easy it was to make your own Larabars, and with that he attempted to make his own! I was sitting at the table reading, and next thing you know he comes to the table with a beautiful, homemade bar. Am I rubbing off on my parents? Although, they were the ones to introduce me to Larabars! He told me he just crushed a mixture of nuts and basically “glued” them together using medjool dates. Then he grated in some ginger root as well. It’s that easy folks! And you can get creative with flavors too. Go ahead, try it, and recreate some of your favorites!

I realized I hadn't had plantains in awhile, and I missed them.

I mashed one plantain and tried to make… pancakes? Inspired by tostadas which are twice-fried plantains. I fried these then drizzled on some coconut oil, coconut shreds, sesame seeds, and hemp seeds.

And look at what we have here!

I made something else inspired by another blogger. Sweet Potato-IAJ a la Katie! I used up the last of the homemade cashew-macadamia nut butter. I guess this means I’ve got to make another jar!

Well, this chica is off to straighten up a bit because I’ve got a friend coming over for dinner. I’m so excited because we are both going to be taste-testers, and you’ll see what I’m talking about in my next post! What does Friday mean to you? Whatever it means, I hope you enjoy it!