Daily affirmations and breakfast

Because you're good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, you make a decent breakfast.

That's what I was repeating to myself this Sunday as I watched the morning political programs and saw that Al Franken is making some serious progress in his Minnesota race, and that Hillary even did a TV commercial on his behalf. Stuart Smalley does Washington? Do I smell a hit made-for-tv movie?

Anyway soon after I filled my Sunday with random tasks and making multiple breakfast dishes. I had a helper to sample my fare. He said the selection was good but a little flavorless. Duley noted. Sometimes I think I get carried away on veggie incorporation and texture, and stop short of adding too much seasoning.
Vegetable Fritatta

• 1/2 cup grilled eggplant
• 1/2 cup grilled zucchini
• 1/4 cup grilled red pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

whisk eggs with milk then add vegetables. pour into medium skillet and scrape sides and bottom to keep from unevenly cooking. then when it's semi cooked and semi eggy, sprinkle cheese and put under the broiler for a few minutes.

question, what the heck is different about scrambled eggs and the fritatta? I mean, it was slightly more stuck together than regular scrambed eggs, and there's the whole broiler business.. but really what's the difference? inquiring minds want to know. (i googled it, but couldn't seem to find a sufficient answer) anyway, it tasted the same. I added a bit of NF yogurt and cilantro and served with a heaping glass of OJ.

Maple-Orange French Toast

• 2 slices WW bread
• 2 eggs
• Tsp nutmeg
• Tbsp 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp milk
• Tsp orange zest
• Tbsp orange juice

whisk eggs together and add other ingredients. Soak bread before transferring to a skillet on medium heat. Serve with more maple syrup and oranges.

yummm yummm yummm

This morning I made a breakfast shake and had a WW bagel with the last bit of my gourmet pomegranite jam...boo.. P.S. can you spy my yarn and knitting needles? I am going to try to start knitting to make gaudi and tacky things for my loved ones. I started a row but don't know how to make a second row. If anyone out there knows a nice old lady who would help me jump start my knit-tastic new project, let me know.

Lovely Morning Anti-oxident Berry Shake

• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries)
• 1 cup plain NF yogurt
• 1 cup plain soy milk
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice or honey

delicous... I usually add more soy milk or yogurt to thin it out... something about thick shakes without a straw is weird to me. At some point I will probably start adding some sort of protein powder to these. I've always been a little cautious of protein shakes and powders.. somehow I equate it (irrationally, i know) to slim for life or other weight loss supplements, or possibly making me look like a female body builder. those chicks are scary. no protein powder for me.

I'll be gone ALL week and then will be back in time for school, which can only further delay my return to the world of food blogging. I should return in time for the ELECTIONS!!! whoop whoop. See you next week!

If only I had extra hands...

... to pat myself on the back. I'm so proud of my little masterpiece dinner I made for my dad. Yes, I know in the gourmet food world the ingredient list used here is still pretty short and overly simple, but in my little food world I just graduated from snacks to entrees. That alone makes me want to do a kellie kapowski banana jump.

So dad and I watched the news, and did the usual discussing of political and world events while I was bustling around in the kitchen. I had intended to kick him out in time to go to Yoga (because I have been notably MIA lately, enough so that the instructor asked if I was taking a hiatus, oops) However dad and I were having a good time and lively discussion and I decided zen and inner peace would just have to wait, dammit.This meal was the result of me googling recipes that could generally be made from the contents of my refrigerator. One eggplant later I created a the feta and spinach stuffed chicken breasts on a rice pilaf (question, what exactly constitutes a pilaf? Is a pile of rice under a piece of meat a pilaf? Using all of my restaurant menu knowlege, I'd say yes). I also made this grilled veggie and feta salad. I will be making all of these things again and my completely full right now stomach is getting excited for the next time I can have the leftovers!

Grilled Veggie Salad with Feta & Mint (Ellie Krieger)

• bell pepper
• eggplant
• zucchini
• EVOO
• Red wine Vinegar
• dried oregano
• grape tomatoes, (note: do not eat entire bag of grape tomatoes while cooking so that you only have three left to put on the salad)
• chopped fresh mint
• crumbled low-fat feta cheese

Feta Stuffed Chicken

I took the 1/2 of the chicken breasts that I had to make this. Something about a huge chunk of meat is seriously unappetizing to me. 1/2 portions worked much better and didn't leave us too full.

• chicken breast
• cup spinach leaves
• low-fat feta
• Tbsp butter
• bread crumbs

Pre-heat oven to 350. Slice the chicken breasts into halves and then slice a pocket through the center. In the pocket pack feta on top of spinach leaves. Dust pan and chicken with EVOO spray. Put a dollop of butter on top and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Bake for 25 minutes.

For dessert I whipped ricotta with some lemon and honey and topped with dark chocolate chips. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm...Quick and decadent. Points for using the margarita glasses too!

In an effort to use the REST of my ricotta, I decided to make a quiche. In between trips to the secret laundry room on my floor (no more going to the basement... hooray!) it's $1.00 cheaper per load and I don't have to haul my life up and down 5 flights (okay i know there's an elevator, but still) amazing discovery.... to be celebrated with baking breakfast food at 10pm, don't you think?

I used Caitlin's recipe (shout out, oh hay!) for quiche using black beans and a mexican-ish theme. It was delicous. Disclaimer: I don't have a round pan. How have I gone this long in the adult world with only square pans? Apparently I'm a square? It's hip to be square? No? I got nothing.

the pre-bake picture. Ingredients are as follows:

Black Bean Quiche (see bride run)

• eggs
• red pepper
• spinach leaves
• black beans
• red onions
• brown rice
• ricotta cheese
• shredded cheddar cheese.

Sooooooo good.

Yesterday for lunch I threw together a Waldorf chicken salad sandwich. It is pictured on a small green cutting board.... as opposed to a green screen. This sandwich does not have special effects nor will it be featured in a video game or action movie.

Waldorf Chicken Salad: (Ellie Krieger)

• chicken breast
• grapes
• NF yogurt
• low-fat mayo (or nayo!)
• all natural ground mustard
• thyme
• walnuts

The original recipe called for an apple too, which I ommitted due to a lack of apples in my pantry, although the additional crunch would have been lovely.

Alas, my lovelies. I will soon be traveling for work and staying to see the brother on the east coast.. which will pretty much last until after Halloween. This also means I won't be cooking and I won't be feeling so inclined to photograph food when I'm at company dinners. This from the girl who accidentally ate the steamed artichoke leaves whole at the last company dinner and was slyly trying to remove them to my napkin after chewing on them for about 15 minutes. Seriously, sometimes it's all I can do to not set myself on fire at these things. I am sure, though room service and pricy meals can be fabulous, I will be looking forward to returning to my own kitchen where healthier and wholesome options await. Secrest out.

Souperman!

Hmmm..... Do I enjoy dancing to and singing along with my favorite novelty rap song and feature urbandictionary.com entry MORE than I enjoy making and consuming delicous and seasonal soups? Toss up.
During the past couple of school days I managed to pull together some semi-notable eats (for the purposes of this blog anyway), beginning with breakfast. Simple, yes, but considering there was no Count chocula, Cookie Crisp, microwaving or toy at the bottom of said chosen breakfast, I thought I would share. No idea why the picture below is vertical (attempted to fix, with little luck), feel free to turn your head for the full effect.

I had tomato/dill/scrambled eggs. I could list the ingredients but that pretty much says it all, doesn't it? I used 1 egg and 1 egg white with a bit of water. Super easy, yummy and healthy. Because I love avocado more than life itself (yes i realize it's super fatty, but it's a fruit, if I get fat from eating fruit then there really might not be a god)... anyway I had a slice of WW bread, toasted, with avocado spread on top. perfection :)

Hi, my name is lauren.. hi lauren... and I'm addicted to corn. Seriously, I freaking love that stuff.

Simple Corn Soup: (Ellie Krieger)

• corn
• milk (i used 2% instead of soy, because it was in the fridge and because I wanted it extra creamy)
• onion
• bell pepper
• zucchini
• veggie broth
• tomatoes
• S&P
• fresh basil

Blend 2 cups corn and the milk. make sure to thaw the corn if using frozen... otherwise you end up with a corn smoothie like I did. Gross. I do not love corn that much. Sautee Veggies (minus tomato) in skillet with EVOO, then add additional corn and broth until boiling. Then add the pureed milk/corn mixture until heated through. Cut basil strips until you have a glamour shot with garnish like pictured below.

School is OUT for the week, to which I say, happy hump day. It's raining and if kickball is cancelled (yes, i'm terrible for hoping/planning for this again but i'm a terrible player and i get to have a life on one more week day = big deal for this guy) then I'm making dinner for dad, which is certain to give me plenty about which to write/photograph.

A trip to the Z-O-O

Sunday funday! After living in this city for three years and always making plans to go to the zoo (or at least saying out loud every time I pass by the exit for the zoo) I finally made the trip. Our zoo is dwarfed by other cities' fabulous zoos and I was a bit afraid it wouldn't be much more than a petting zoo. However, I was pretty impressed.

Also, much to the annoyance of my zoo companion, I was doing a lot of Lauren does Andy Samburg does Mark Whalberg talking to animals. Hey donkey. You're a donkey. What's up with that? I produce entourage. Say hi to your mutha fa me.


When we got back I was exhausted from walking all over Africa and and Australia to see wildlife and thought I'd have a simple, easy meal. Too bad I chose risotto which is actually extremely labor intensive, what with the constant stirring. Oh well, it was delicous.

Butternut Squash Risotto

• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 onion, diced
• 1 cup butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced
• 1 cup rice (can it still technically be a risotto if i only used white rice instead of arborio?)
• .5 cup dry white wine
• .5 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp chopped chives or garlic chives

I think I used more wine than I thought, because it sort of overpowered things. I found the original recipe at simply recipes but wanted much smaller portions so I tried to adjust things as I went.

I did some other pre-week prep work too (in addition to FINALLY cleaning up from Saturday's soiree) Which included Monday's lunch: Veggie wrap

So, I am not exactly a vegetarian, but I do love vegetarian recipes. I signed up for a free starter kit from PETA, which included facts/figures/blah/blah/blah. The problem is although I generally oppose the idea of cruelty (don't we all?), I'm not in it for the animals. I like veggies, and it's healthier. End of story. That said, the starter kit had one of my favorite wrap combos eva. I love eating this, it has such a healthy delicous crunch to it... plus it gives me a reason to buy sprouts.

PETA veggie wrap:

• WW wrap
• sprouts
• red cabbage
• spinach leaves
• tomatoes
• cucumbers
• avocado (my favorite!!)
• tofutti fake cream cheese (real stuff would be yummy too, but i had the healthier version to use up in the fridge)

This morning I set my alarm early to make a glorious breakfast. However sleep sounded much better so I decided to slum it instead. Maple syrup/brown sugar oatmeal with dried cranberries.

My dad is in town this week, hooray! (and hooray for getting him to bring me my winter coats) ... so once I am through with class for the week and can reconnect with (oh.. kitchen..tv..life.. yoga..blog) I will likely be making him a meal. In the meantime, homework and work beckon.

The hostess with the mostest

Apparently... i love entertaining. Despite the fact that I was running behind although I had all afternoon to cook and when my guests called to say they were en route, I hadn't showered and my kitchen and rest of apartment looked like a hot mess, which then caused me to rush and run around like a lunatic. It was Jaclyn's birthday and she and company came over for sangria and appetizers before we headed to a martini bar and then the usual spots for more booze and some dancing. It was truly a night that incorporated all that is the namesake of this blog. high five.


Here is the spread.... beauteous, no? I made a healthy seafood bruschetta, ricotta dates, spinach-parm rolls, babaganoush and crudites and some freaking fantastic sangria (if i do say so myself). The plates are courtesy of my going overboard at target on friday.


Seafood Bruschetta:

• shrimp
• crab meat
• mint
• parsley
• chives
• EVOO
• lemon juice
• garlic cloves
• french bread

I got this recipe out of the Better Homes and Garden's cookbook my mom gave me when I graduated from college. I thumbed through it enthusiastically but basically let it collect dust for a few years. I wasn't using it as a table prop or anything, but it was close to being that obsolete. When I started to get back to cooking which coincided with my family's health issues, I realized that, ironically (or serendipitously, you decide) the book had a breast cancer section where they featured healthy recipes. My mom and I made this bruschetta this summer and it was as fabulous then as it was last night. Note to self: cook more with my momma :)

My experience with dates before yesterday was limited to an Amelia Bedelia book where she was supposed to put dates on the calendar and got the meanings mixed up. Oh that Amelia Bedelia.

Anyway, these are the best and easiest fancy snack ever. As Jaclyn said: 'heaven'

• 8 dates, sliced long ways and pitted
• ricotta cheese (i upgraded to get the good stuff, spending some serious time with the cheese guy at the grocery store)
• pistachios
• honey

Spinach-Parm Roll-ups. There is probably a fancier name I could give these. Too bad I'm not feeling very creative this morning as I'm sucking down my gatorade, and nursing a headache. Roll ups is all you get my friend.

• pre-made pizza dough (not so health foodish or wheat, lay off, i didn't have so many options here)
• 1/2 cup fresh parmeson (i grated it myself, and it was not kraft, seriously could this get more impressive)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
• 1 egg

heat the garlic and onion in a skillet with EVOO, then add spinach and seasoning, mix with parm before putting spreading on pizza dough. roll up pizza dough and brush with a whisked egg and bake for 15 minutes at 400.

Here is the Ba-Ba-Ganoush from the other day, which supposedly was to be improved after the flavors have been able to sit and meld for a while. I was as blah about this the second time. I am sure not all ba-ba-ganoush is this blah, but this was. blah. the worst part was that I cut up WW tortillas into triangles brushed with EVOO and sea salt and put under the broiler for a few minutes. Too bad it was a few minutes too long because I got sidetracked and when I checked on them the second time they were completely charred. My apartment STILL smells like burnt tortilla strips. boo.

SANGRIA... whoop whoop!

• 2 bottles red wine (I used Mississippi Red from local MO winery)
• 6 shots of gin
• 6 cups ginger ale
• 2 oranges
• 2 lemons
• 2 limes
• 2 handfuls of frozen berries
  
  Booze and fruit... what a fantastic combo.

Ever since I got this little pitcher on clearance at Pier1 I've been dying to put something interesting in it... does this not scream Sangria or fresh squeezed lemonade? with vodka? You kind of can't see it, but I wrote 'Jacyln's' B-day on it with chalk. Too bad I waited until it was full to write it so it sort of looks like I did with my toe.

For all my dinner party successes there was one true disaster. The grossest brownies ever. Because I have all of the ingredients I plan to give it another shot. The problem was that I skipped a step and tried to incorporate it later, out of order. It didn't work. Even the burnt melted batter was really gross.

The evening was fun and by the end was filled with lots of dancing (yay!!) but shoes are not always conducive to dancing and then walking 8 blocks home from the bars. This night was no exception. To relieve our suffering feet we decided to switch shoes for the walk home... and because we (okay..I) wanted to try on each other's shoes because they were freaking adorable. Not pictured are the pairs of shoes from Jaclyn's other friends including a phenomenal pair of grey leather boots. I will be getting some this season. what recession? new fabulous boots are a requirement for cool weather. Plus I would be doing my patriotic duty by contributing to getting the economy back with my foolish consumerism... right? right.

We are not crippled, we just wanted to feature the sides of the shoes in the event the top picture was not doing it justice. so cute. seriously.

All in all a successful dinner party. I feel like I'm a heartbeat away from a book deal and a show on cable access. Hey if Wayne and Garth can do it..

the vegetables of my labor

Ba-Ba-Ba....Ba-Ba-ganoush (to be sung to the tune of ba-ba-bomb-Iran by John McCain) ... so I just watched the debates (LOVE being home this evening) and had two friends surprise me by dropping by. Con: my apartment looked like a category 3 storm had come through due to the crazy houseguest and school schedule I've had since it was cleaned last week. Seriously, I had articles of clothing draped over absolutely everything and every shoe I own (which let's not kid ourselves, is a substantial number) was in clusters making making bridges to nowhere all over the place. Con: my attention was divided and wasn't able to get the adequate shout-at-the-TV action I was hoping for (..or for which i was hoping.., sorry dad). Pro: recipe tasters. woohoo.

I tried my hand at a little BaBaGanoush this evening. I have only used eggplant in lasagna (which was delicous) but knowing it is a versatile veggie, and because I love making hummus so much I have been meaning to make this dip forever. First of all, one eggplant was not nearly enough. Although they are amazons in the world of vegetables, by the time you peel them and remove the pulp, there is virtually nothing left. Note to self: next time get multiple eggplants.

Also because I was anticipating a larger final product, I decided to forgo the mini food processor (my love) and attempt to repair my cracked blender. No need to tell me how ridiculously GHET-TO the following image is:

What would Martha say? Duct tape... it's a very good thing.

Good thing it didn't become unglued because i'm pretty sure that anything you find at home depot shouldn't be touching your food. The verdict? I sort of thought it tasted like mashed potatoes, is that weird? My buddy thought so too, so maybe it's not just me. I used a lot of garlic and possibly it was the parsley... but anyway, yummy and not nearly as delicious with carrots as it was with little home-made tortilla strips (more on that in a second). The picture below is about a cup and a half of dip... Cue disappointing trumpet sound effects (still tasty though, which is I suppose the point).
BaBaGanoush:

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 glove garlic, minced;
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  1.5 teaspooon ground parsley
  2 tablespoons tahini
  2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Bake eggplant (poke holes in the skin first) at 450 for 20 minutes. When it has cooled, peel, remove pulp and process with the other ingredients.
  

In honor of kickball being cancelled (I've never been so excited for rain) I decided to use my first real evening at home to try not only a new app but a new yummy soup as well. Once again, I stole the recipe, but made my own additions and alterations so I feel like I can claim it. Tonight was Chicken Tortilla Soup. I ommitted all things that could've been s to the picy because I'm a wimp, but it was still yummy and flavorful... AND.. it had a favorite healthy food ingredient of mine, quinoa (pronounced keen-wa. However since i've never actually heard any one 'say' it, i will continue to say it like it sounds).

TA- DA! deeeee-lish. I used the skinny gourmet creation. I'm stoked to be having this as a leftover. Also my recipe testers loved it. Not that with me hovering over them writhing my hands together in anticipation they would give me anything but rave reviews (me = not an accomplished enough cook to take criticism)... but I'll still take it as success.


The list of ingredients is for ever long (just use the hyperlink, you know you want to)

• carrots
• onions
• zucchini
• garlic cloves
• chicken
• chicken stock
• corn (i ran out, which has never happened, probably because i never think i need to buy any so i haven't in forever... but more corn would've been delicous
• diced tomatoes
• sweet peppers
• cilantro
• chili pepper spice
• cumin
• oregano
• quinoa

So for the tortilla strips I just sliced whole wheat wraps and put them under the broiler for a few minutes. Super easy and delicous, I'm pretty sure I could make pita-ish chips like this too. (i sprayed them with olive oil and dusted them with salt... yes... dusted)

For lunch today I had a wrap (with a handful of almonds) that had sweet potato, spinach and black beans. The combo of black beans and sweet potato is the bomb.com.

After the weekend of eating whatever and using semi-frozen things while running around for school, it felt AH-MA-ZING to be having fresh things that came out of my refrigerator/kitchen. I felt better. The sun was shinging, the birds were singing and I was all kinds of healthy with no mystery ingredients. nice.

BA - da -bap- ba- da...... Lovin' it.

Today has been nuts... lots to do at work, but mostly deeply, seriously, agonizingly dreading my mid-term this evening. I am grossly unprepared, this must be how Sarah Palin feels... ZING.

Anyway, I decided to make a bit more of a breakfast than I usually do (i offered this Delicious sandwich to my weekend guests but they were skeptical.... fools)

Wheat bagel; morningstar breakfast patty; egg; organic NF cheddar. yummmmm... it actually sort of needed a tomato or maybe even some salsa, but even so it was yummy. I also had the last piece of fruit from my refrigerator.. how sad is that?

I also ate a lot this weekend, naturally. And had planned to get back on the bandwagon for my sushi dinner last night, but my douchey date didn't want me to embarrass him because at the table next to us was the Royals player DeJesus. ugh. but anyway this weekend was WONDERFUL! So many of my favorite people that haven't all been together in the same room ever or for 4 years were there. My throat hurts today and I'm pretty sure its because I laughed the whole weekend. Obviously the obligatory shoes pic.... there were some seriously fabulous ones there (check the purple beauties on my college roomie, my other college roomie had the light snake-skin ones next to her.... love it!)

But on to less pleasant things (than shoes and recapping a wonderful weekend)..... Class.. Barf. I may just dent my otherwise relatively scholarly GPA this evening. Woe is I. Because of that I will be MIA in the near future (i will not be having exciting meals or be trying new things..... they will be frozen kashi things as I run out the door, much less exciting)... that is until class is over for the week and I can reconnect with some vegetables.

p.s. this is what my refrigerator looks like now... an empty truck stop. When I open the door tumble weeds roll out and I get dust in my eyes. Time to visit the store, no?

Twice in one day? What is this... Heaven?

No... it's Iowa (pause for laughter..... Field of Dreams anyone?.. no?) Okay so yes it seems a bit redundant to write again, but lunch was so delicous that i wanted to share it with the world.... even if part of it was from a frozen dinner making me a VERY uncreative attempted foodie. Between putting gas in the tank, running to the airport, running to the bookstore (and having zero luck there), and dropping my out-of-towner off at my apartment I just grabbed whatever was in the freezer.

I had sort of forgotten that I had made this recipe from Heidi Swanson, she strikes twice in one day! It seemed a little bland to me (maybe i like lots of extra things floating around in my soup) so I added copious amounts of S&P. This is no fault of the recipe's though, and next time I will use broth instead of water for more flavor. Also because I am uncoordinated and clumsy I dropped my blender as I was unloading the dishwasher which resulted in a monster crack. BOO. This means no yummy soups as it gets chilly outside and no yummy smoothies even though I just perfected my favorite recipe. boooooooo. My mini food processor is the light of my life, but too small in capacity to handle lots of liquids. boo boo boo. (i guess pricey blender goes on the target list next to bamboo steamer, huh?)

Anyway the soup today tasted amazing. I don't know if it had extra time for the flavors to blend as a leftover, or if it was because i was seconds away from gnawing my arm off in ravenous hunger. On the side I had this little Vegan Kashi hot pocket. It was delicous but for the price and the size I think I will be trying to make my own version. (because i am not a baker, this may prove difficult.. we'll see)

So many fun weekend guests and activities I want to run out of my office, jump in my car, and peel out in the parking lot as I leave. For the sake of not losing my job in this recession, I will just wait it out until 5pm.

A hungover, impromptu, Asian breakfast

Last night after leaving the bars at an appropriate time for a school-night, I dreamt of the beautiful breakfast I would make. It would have been glorious... IF.... I hadn't have slept in, resulting in my showing up for work late with wet hair and a super random breakfast packed in my purse. On my way out the door this morning I had to *sniff* abandon these hopes and dreams (which involved turning on the stove and further delaying my arrival at said job). And in doing so I threw open all cabinet, refrigerator and freezer doors. I grabbed some pea dumplings I had made a few weeks ago from the freezer. A strange breakfast, yes, also a strange dish, since it's sort of an unconventional dumpling. I found the recipe from a master foodie, heidi swanson. This makes for, as it turns out, a pretty dece morning snack. I will admit that my dumpling shapes are lacking. Seriously an ugly step-child of the oh-so-pretty-authentic dumplings with their pleats and their upright shape. At the time these babies didn't know they'd be having a photo shoot... they'll be more presentable next time. Also I added some fruit because it needed to be eaten today, and what kind of a breakfast doesn't have fruit? seriously.



<--- a close up for dramatic effect. Once again, the shaky hands ruin it for everyone. You may notice a little oil on these which makes them decidedly less healthy. I pan fried them because I didn't have a bamboo steamer (or even a wok) as the recipe suggests. With a little research I discovered bamboo steamers are only like ten bucks (in the world of pricey kitchen appliances, that's a steal). I am putting that on my target shopping list.. pronto. Also in my amateur skills as a photographer I accidentally took a small video of my meal last night. confused? i was too. also it wouldn't load this morning, so I got this random small image... which also didn' load. Too bad that I confessed the existence of this blog to my two cohorts (shout out to matt and jaclyn, oh haaaaay) so there would be no shame in photographing my food (okay, some shame). I ordered the veggie pizza which had a thin crust (pita-ish) a jalapeno cream cheese base with red onions, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and kalamato olives. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I will be attempting an at-home version very soon. I didn't quite finish the pizza, what with otherwise being full of delicious and seasonal happy hour beers of the world.

Stay tuned, the weekend festivities begin with my first airport run circa lunch time today.. WOOHOO :)

Channeling my inner sprocket

So today I am wearing a really cute dress. When the weather is this nice it seems criminal not to. Unfortunately I am having some serious static cling issues. Because I am not a proper lady who wears a slip (sorry mom, miss manners, and anyone who catches me in natural sunlight) ... it should be noted that this dress is dark, loose, and printed therefore risking very little unsightly see-through moments. However that didn't stop it from clinging to me desperately as I got out of my car this morning and attempted to pick it away from my legs. I might as well have been wearing a unitard. Which made me feel like this
<----

love it.











For lunch (pictured below) I sliced two mini wheat pitas and topped with some organic NF white cheddar and a canned Tuna/Veganeise combo. Veganeise = not nearly as good as the real stuff. I always feel like a monster when I eat mayo though. Taste versus Monster guilt? The jury's still out my friends.

So for breakfast I had a whole wheat bagel with some gourmet peach pomegranite jam that I got on sale at this gourmet specialty cooking store. It's great... it really puts those welch's to shame, if you know what i mean. Who cares if it was on sale because it was expired? clearly not me. I also had a heaping bowl's worth of grapes and strawberries.

Dinner last night was less than inspiring. I was running errands, doing laundry, cleaning, and squeezed in a little kickball. Did i mention how terrible I am? I am definitely the weakest link, if this were an island they would vote me off, I would not get a rose, a clock, or a back stage pass. Terrible. That said, I threw together a veggie corn dog (total guilty pleasure of mine, the morningstar brand is yummy), some cucumbers and a handful of veggie flax-seed tortilla chips. bleh... i know.

In other news I am leaving in one short hour for drinks with friends (woohoo!) which will semi-officially kick off my very fun weekend. We are heading to a place with a million kinds of beer and i solemly swear not to try all million. However I am in the beer club there and have only been once, so it is high time i put that membership to good use!

The Blair Witch

I think I realized how debilitating my hand shaking could be in high school when i tried to eat my cafeteria taco salad with a fork--something that apparently served as entertainment for the rest of my lunch table table..maybe picture circus music as a soundtrack. At that point I resigned the idea of ever becoming a Neurosurgeon.... something which was never a big dream of mine (i don't look good in boxy white coats, which ruled out mad scientist also). However I didn't realize until yesterday that I could never be a photographer either. When I got home from work I was SO hungry that these hands were out of control. I don't have a tri-pod and didn't have the patience to set the self timer on the camera so my meal and I could have a family portrait. The end result was what looked like I was running from the Blair Witch as I was taking a picture of my food. Sorry if it induces motion sickness.
I had a baked sweet potato with a tablespoon of earth balance and a huge salad with virtually every veggie I could find in the fridge (romaine, celery, cucumbers, carrots, red onion, green pepper, roma tomatoes) with a little balsalmic vinagrette spray... yummmmmm. After class (a-not-so-early 10pm, ugh) I decided I was still hungry so I had a small scoop of dark chocolate chips [note the closed toe shoes I busted out today because it was COLD.. ugh, fall is here]. I spent the minutes prior to my snack calling my parents for a recap (politically active and knowledgable citizens that they are), and listening to the NPR analysis all the way home from campus. Apparently there were no 'game changers' p.s. is anyone else tired of hearing that same expression? I am lumping that in the category with 'special interests', 'maverick' as things i hope i never hear again after november 4. But.. on to more food:

For lunch I tried to make my own pizza (they're beauties, are they not?). You should know that I was also singing: pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening, pizza at supper time, when pizza's on a PITA you can eat pizza any time! Obnoxious? you betcha. I took two mini wheat pita pockets and split one in half. I wasn't sure which way I'd like better and it amounted to two thin crusts and one thick crust mini pizza. I topped it with newman's own spaghetti sauce and some low fat mozzarella cheese. They were good, not my everything, but so easy (i threw them in the oven at 375 for ten minutes) a caveman could do it... which means if i've got the ingredients on hand then I will be making them again.

While they were in the oven I helped myself to some carrots and Annie's woodstock dressing. A-MA-ZING. Go buy this dressing, it will knock your socks off. It's tahini and tomatoes and so tangy that I literally licked that little saucer when i was finished. You know, the kind of self indulgent act that makes you grateful no one was around to witness it.

I also had this pear post-pizza pitas (do i love illiteration or what?). It was perfectly ripe and fabulous.

This morning I packed up my meals for work (i plan on running errands over lunch to make sure my apartment is ready for all of the visitors I will have this weekend!). For breakfast I had a cup of NF yogurt with fresh strawberries and a handful of grapenuts. Honestly, is there anything better than fresh strawberries? These tasted like they had been injected with sugar they were so good. I also packed grapes for a mid-morning snack, leftover white bean chili for lunch and mixed veggies (carrots, cucumbers and green peppers) with woodstock dressing for a snack.

happy hump day, school is over for the week and the weekend is a heartbeat a way (okay a long heartbeat) but tonight includes laundry, yoga, kickball and gearing up to see fun people tomorrow :)