That's one of my roommates, Kim.

This is from the night we went to a Spanish restaurant called Casa Panza. A flamenco dancer performed along with the Spanish guitar and a singer. All of them looked like gypsies. At one point of the night I went to the bathroom and when I came back and took my seat – I landed so hard on the ground. Notice in the picture what the ground is made of. Apparently those seats are too light to handle a purse and camera on the posts. I think everyone else realized I had fallen before I even did. I was just really confused. I’m surprised no one started laughing because it was pretty funny. Might I also add that this incredibly good-looking man helped me up. My butt was definitely hurting the next day. 

Down below is my birthday cake. The one thing my mom loves to make is tiramisu. However, I found a recipe online for pumpkin tiramisu. It was very yummy. We drizzled some Amaretto Sherry Wine syrup over our pieces. Since we had no birthday candles in the household I improvised with colorful toothpicks.

Notice my band-aid has Hello Kitty on it. I didn't even get carded!

After deciding between 2 restaurants I opted for the place we hadn’t tried. It’s this place called Seasons 52. They change their menu with the seasons because they use fresh produce. They are a place that takes their customers health seriously. It’s refreshing to see that you can eat out without worrying whether or not your food has been pre-packaged and loaded with preservatives. On top of that it’s shipped cross country to be heated up again and served to you. Oh! This is my first legal drink in the US! It actually tasted really good. I know I’m only 21 but if I’m going to drink, I don’t want to drink something I don’t think tastes good. I guess it’s strange for my age because most people just drink to get drunk. I’m fine with other people doing that, but for myself – if I’m going to put it in my body I want it to taste good too!

They had these little desserts and I got my birthday candle! I couldn’t decide between mango cheesecake and banana caramel pie. So what’d I do? I got both! I liked the mango cheesecake a lot more than the banana caramel pie. I’m discovering that I’m not a big fan of super chocolaty, or rich desserts. Maybe it’s the summertime that makes me more keen to fruity things. I could live off popsicles during the summer!

And this tasted good too! Sipping on Caipirinha and lime juice.

Now here are some things I made while I was at my parents house in Florida. Yes, my “vacation” has come to an end. I still have tons of free time in Richmond, but I’m back to fending for myself. No more being driven around! But I admit I missed bike riding to places. I tried to do that while I was in Florida and it was really nice to ride around in a different scenery. Moreover, when I ride my bike in Richmond it’s usually to get somewhere.  But while I was in Florida I just rode and explored.

I made some Honey Lime “Chick’n”. It was yummy, but I try to avoid fake meats. Some of the time they taste good, and they’re definitely convenient. I usually keep one fake meat item in the house because you never know when you have no time to spare. But lately, I’ve just been getting cans of chickpeas and beans. I think my favorite source of protein though are lentils. Those babies are so versatile. They’re like the oatmeal of legumes! I also don’t like to consume a lot of tofu. I’ll have it every once in awhile though. I guess what I try to do is keep the food as natural as possible. It ends up being cheaper too.

How do you guys feel about fake meats?

When I went to the mall one day I stopped by this bakery called PAUL. I picked up some bread rolls for the family. I got poppy seed, walnut, and sesame. I actually prepared an egg for myself. I rarely ever have eggs. Before I made the huevos rancheros, the last time I had an egg was years ago. I don’t do well with eggs nor do I like them, but for some reason I felt like having one. I could start to feel my tummy getting funky, so I didn’t eat all of it. To go along with the rolls I sliced tomato, mozzarella, avocado and included an array of fruit butters and spreads. I also made kale chips to go along with the meal. My roommate is hooked on kale chips now. And my parents were stoked that I made them again.

This is a dish that I made up. It has paneer, vermicelli, and a vegetable medley. The veggies I used were red peppers, corn, and scallions. I’m trying to remember if I used teriyaki sauce or something else. Food blog faux pas!

Before I forget! I opened up a can gooseberries yesterday. I had to rinse them off because they were kept with an extremely thick syrup. So far I’ve had it with rice pudding and vanilla oatmeal. Both were so good, but I think those combinations are obvious matches made in heaven.

For lunch today I tried some new things! I finally bought some Dr. Kracker crackers after I saw Courtney from the Hungry Yogini awhile back. I opted for the pumpkin cheddar flavor. These crackers are very large! The perfect size for a large slice of muenster cheese, tomato slices, and avocado. My salad consisted of romaine, tomato, mushrooms, tomato slices, and avocado. I scooped some hummus on top and drizzled the whole thing with balsamic vinegar and honey. I splurged a little this week with trying out new products. I usually don’t do this, but it’s my birthday week. Besides, I’m trying to work on being flexible with myself. I should make life as easy as possible and not everything has to be practical. Anyway, before I go off further onto my tanget, I got a package of crème brûlée flavored rice pudding. I topped that with raisins and had a few chocolate chip bites from SniKiddy. Maybe now that I’m 21 I have this urge to indulge myself with kid stuff.

Does anyone know any good combinations for balsamic vinegar?

I think I want to start making more of my own dressings, but keeping it simple. I think a key lime vinaigrette would be delicious.

Okay I’m stretching this post out even more. This is what happens when you don’t post for awhile! Over my stay with my parents I bought this protein cereal by Kay’s Naturals that sounded interesting. I got the sample size bags in 3 different flavors: Apple Cinnamon, French Vanilla, and Honey Almond. All of them were delicious but my favorite by far was the honey almond. Usually it’s hard or me to get a good source of protein for breakfast (this is why I put protein powder in my oatmeal). I’ve been working on it, but in the past I noticed that I forget about that component. So this cereal would make it a lot easier. I have yet to try their other products, but I’m assuming their yummy in my tummy as well! So all you cold cereal lovers out there if you haven’t tried the Protein Cereal, well, you should.

Okay, so I’ll let you guys take in this incredibly long post!

ps Does anyone have any yummy refried beans recipes?