Mint Juleps and our Hat-Tastic Day at the Derby

Greetings! Soooooooo.... here I am again, foodless, cookless, and with only parties to discuss on the blog. Why, you say, am I blogging and not stuyding for tonight's finals? Possibly because I did some fast math and realized that no outcome of tonight's test will change my solid B in the class. The result. Procratination. Again. As usual. Senioritus.. to the tenth power.

But let's get to the good stuff, shall we? Emily wins friend of the year for sitting in my apartment, sewing a black hanger into my hat as I arrived home Thursday evening.

We were so happy with the result. We treated ourselves to happy hour downstairs. Or rather, her boyfriend bought us a few beers. To thank him, I ate the vegetables out of his wings basket.

Friday morning John and I set out on our car trip equipped with audio books from the library:

Hats, jackets, homework, snacks (trail mixes, bananas, almond butter, annie's organic bunnies (yummm) and other healthy treats). The cooler was filled with veggie sandwiches for lunch, bagged strawberries/bananas, water, and of course Kansas City Boulevard beer for our hostess :)

After getting in late on Friday and checking the weather like it was our JOB, Saturday finally came!!! We lucked out on the weather which was neither freezing or raining (both of which seemed inevitable). After parking at the end of the earth and shuttling in to Churchill downs... behold this heavenly sight:

I was surprised that not EVERY female was wearing a hat, I'd still say about 80% (come on people, when in Rome..) There were a lot of fun people in costumes and out-of-control-awesome hats though.. check it:

This was us inside our little area, otherwise known as the infield club. The stadium was way out of our league (high rollers, celebrities, those with connections, etc.) the infield in general seemed a sloppy, muddy, mess (with port-a-pots.... can you even DO that in a hat and sundress??). We settled on the infield 'club' which seemed the happy medium. Hellllooooooooooo no mud and real-ish bathrooms

There was also a dance floor... which we OWNED.

Word on the street is there were 150k plus people there... which i would beleive. We really didn't experience any unpleasant crowd rowdiness except in and out of our area... where the only thing that comes to mind is 'crush of humanity'.

The horse that I smuggled into/onto the hat.

We're so VIP

Despite being SO CLOSE to the track (50 yards maybe?) We watched the races via the large screens.

Who the heck is Mine that Bird???

Our worthless bet tickets got thrown on the ground (sorry al gore... but littering in for the sake of poor gambling choices seemed totally appropriate).


But hey, we sort of saw the track as we were leaving.. right?

All in all, it was fabulous. This week I will be GRADUATING, and maybe, just maybe, will eat between now and then. Stay tuned.

Food.... say what?

Hello peeps. In the past few weeks my backseat has had birthday/ wedding/ shower/ bachelorette/ confirmation/ baptism gifts, graduation regalia, large hats and craft supplies, books for finals, and a revolving door of suitcases. Unfortunately there haven't been groceries. I'm cringing over my sporatic vegetable/fruit/whole foods depletion over the past weeks. I didn't make anything new or fantastic to show the world. I thought i'd throw you a bone though so you could see what I was eating for breakfast this morning. Cranberries, Almonds, Raisins, and dates. Can we TALK about the dates? Medjool dates and I are in love. Simple as that. Too bad there weren't any fresh and I opted for a chopped, bagged kind with the intentions of doing some sort of trail mix thing. BIG MISTAKE. They came out of the box coated in sugar. yuck! They are nature's candy for crying out loud, they ARE sugar. It was a grainy, crystallized mess. Party foul date packagers... party foul.

This last weekend was a blur of fun, travel, procrastination (what finals?), FAMILY, and boozing. I was wearing shoes and I did eat.... so I can talk about it... right? My cousin is a bartender = brother and I enjoying the University of Iowa nightlife post rehearsal dinner. Good Idea? You tell it to my acid reflux the next morning. woof.

My aunt/godmother/birthday twin/roomie for two summers was the HAPPIEST and most fabulous bride there ever was. I probably have to stop claiming to be an emotionless non-cryer because I was choked up for the entire ceremony.... as was the entire church. These two are without a doubt going to make it, and everything about the day was so perfect and meaningful for both of them. :) This is them driving away in my mom's cousins rehabbed vintage convertable (he donned an old school tux with a cumber bun and laid out a red carpet for it... how cute is that?) and the newlyweds drove away into the sunset (okay technically it was early afternoon and sprinkling... but still). talk about happy endings!

The reception was fun. As dad was the semi official photographer for the event (he took 500 pictures.. no joke) I planned on stealing some shots from his memory card. However he gave it away the next morning to my aunt who has yet to post the pictures online (AHEM, sheila). Literally the only picture I took at the reception was of my dad, dancing in his suspenders. How adorable is that?

Meanwhile I am ALMOST finished with school (so.... close.... almost.. there!) But like the wrong-priorities kind of girl I am, I've decided to go to the kentucky derby this weekend instead of studying for finals. Good decisions, Lauren, good decisions.

Check out the hat I've been crafting. It's a sun hat I found for $2.99 that I'm trying to stiffin with stuff I found at a craft store. More bedazzlement and OBVIously a weekend recap with pictures to come.

I hope everyone has had a FABULOUS week.. filled with your... or my favorite things (re: the title of this blog)

Earth Day and Stonyfield awesomeness

So, it's earth day. This morning I tried to channel Al Gore and double checked to make sure the lights were turned off and the TV was unplugged on my way out the door. What a wonderful day to be a hippy...not that i am exactly, i'm clean, don't love animals, and don't do drugs... and am way too into shoes (reminds me of that time on Saved by the Bell that Jessie Spano was giving a speech about the environment and A.C. Slater told her that the oil spilled in the pond outside the school help make things like the plastic earrings she was wearing) but I digress. I could think of no better way to kick off the morning than with something organic. Did I mention that a week or so ago I got a package of goodies from Stonyfield? It was super exciting (i've used the spatula like twice already). I've already mentioned my love for greek yogurt, but coupons for multiple varieties of greek yogurt was just too exciting for words. It made me feel like a real food blogger... as opposed to the slacking remedial cook with unhealthy weekend tendencies that I really am. Plus despite me telling them that my reading audience mostly consist of all the same people I have tried to hit up for girl scout cookies, magazine sales, summer sausage, and any miscellaneous school fundraiser, (i.e. immediate family) they gave me the loot anyway... SCORE!

Actually yesterday on GMA, the Eat This Not That guy was touting the benefits of Oikos greek yogurt (yummmm) perfect with granola, I might add.... as pictured on my desk below.

blueberry swirls on the bottom... yummm. For those unfamiliar, greek yogurt is more like sour cream... it's super super creamy and you could probably eat it with a fork. Despite being crazy good for you, these puppies have like 15 grams of protein, which makes them about the most filling breakfast or snack you could possibly have. high five.
So I also tried my hand at the Hungry Girlfredo, of my beloved Hungry Girl emails. They're all about shortcuts and snacks, which gives them a special place in my slacking, craving of comfort food heart. I used the Tofu Shiratke noodles they love so much and was on the fence. They were kind of slimy. Truthfully, both the label and HG explicity say how much they need to be dried. However after like ten minutes of making a mess whilst attempting to rinse and then wring dry, pat down with a towel and then wring again (repeat, repeat), I gave up and ate them anyway. The HG thing is to combine sour cream with a laughing cow wedge which makes an alfredo sauce (with steamed veggies: broc, red peppers, asparagus, etc.). I was in like with this. I might make it again to see if I can further become attached.

The weekend included a dance party with Em... YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

or.. nooooooo.

AND I hope everyone is having a FABULOUS hump day today :)

Hoppy Easter!

Corny? yes please. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend. (can you still call it that if you didn't get Friday off?) I have been having melty cadbury eggs in my morning oats and it has been GLORIOUS.

Minus not being able to have fish (tear) and the occasional mishap after drinking (re: street corn dog) giving up meat for lent only pushes me further towards the full time veg category. I'm a fan. I heart vegetables. I don't care what people say. We're in love and we're running away together.


Because both John and I had commented lately on how good manicotti sounds, I decided to make a variation using big shells (by the way, is it hard for anyone else to find wheat varieties of pasta other than spaghetti? just the midwest maybe?)

Lauren's The bomb Impromptu Cheesey Faux Meat Shells

• 1/2 container part skim ricotta
• 1/2 container low fat cottage cheese
• spinach chopped
• shells
• organic spaghetti sauce (yeah, yeah, i'll make my own one of these days)
• boca crumbles (SO could not taste the difference, texture, taste, everything was a dead ringer, i'm sold)

after this picture i put the meat sauce (and then more regular sauce) over the shells and baked. The shells had been pre-boiled and then dried a little on wax paper... and it STILL made for a soupy end result... what gives??

Irish bars on Easter weekend? that'll do.

For Easter at John's family's house (tear.... I missed my fam and the large gathering in IA!) I contributed with a couscous salad. I had wanted to make this vegetable one from a cookbook I had at home, but had left the recipe (oh iphone... where for art though iphone). Come saturday night, we are still out and about, and I have my sister get on the computer to google a recipe. This is what she found:

CousCous Citrus Salad with Olives: (eating well)

• couscous (tried to find WW but didn't have it, yet again)
• frozen O.J.
• orange zest
• orange
• lemon juice
• chopped calamato olives
• fresh parsley
• fresh thyme
• EVOO
• salt
• mustard
• red onion (i didn't have chives or scallions)

It didn't knock my socks off... but texture-wise i liked it, and it was the kind of dish that makes me want to branch out in cooking alternate flavors more often. John's family was sort of curious about it but not bowled over. His mom asked for leftovers to have for the week though, which made me happy.

............... and that's the cooking week in review.

I just signed up for MY LAST GRADUATE CLASS EVA. How awesome is that? Oh August, you can't get here soon enough! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week! Happy Hump Day :)

Surprise... I'm in San Francisco

Because the college roomie was SO FABULOUS in making my chi town bday bonanza all that it could be, I decided at the last minute to jump on a plane and head out there to surprise her for her very own bday weekend celebration. mwahaha (evil/mischievous cackle with hands writhing like mr. burns). She was WAY surprised (yesss!)

I got in Friday afternoon and as I waited in her hood for her to get off work, I walked to nearby Golden Gate Park, where I finished reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou on an overlook at the botanical gardens inside the park. Heaven. On a stick. Saturday we traipsed around the city, and saw some of the touristy sights!

Then we headed to her 'come as your hometown' themed party. Hilarious. Don't you just love theme parties? We were representing Missouri (check out my thrifted Frye boots!)Regional Party Snacks.... MO cake! While I wish I could have stayed in SF for the lovely company I'd have, and plethora of activities, but definitely one of the things I would've loved to experience more was the FOOD. As I was walking around friday, I stopped in some little hippy joints to get tofu wraps, check the selection, and in general resolve that I'd be a vegan if I could live in such a veg friendly place. But THEN I'd pass by some amazing sushi place and that idea would get thrown out the window (oh fish, how i've missed you... 3 more days until Easter!) Not to leave you all food neglected, I thought I'd share my recent adventure in produce. I've never had a JICAMA before. Okay, correction, I've had it before in salads in San Antonio (and undoubtedly other places/times along the way where I wasn't paying attention). However I've never purchased a Jicama before. Pronounced hick-a-ma, it's basically a mexican potato? It's in all sorts of mexican dishes (and apparently asian ones too). I feel there probably isn't too much nutritional value..... concentrated iceberg lettuce comes to mind (crunchy water).... but boy do i love a good veggie crunch to anything and everything i can eat. Therefore after much debate and little creativity, I decided to make another DIY pizza.

• flat out multi grain wrap (a darling in the health food blog world, and seemingly only recently available in my neck of the woods.. hooray)
• crushed tomatoes (a little too watery, i think i'd opt for tomato sauce or something a little more together next time)
• broccoli
• sprouts
• red peppers
• jicama
• string cheese, strung out as mozz topping :)

baked for 20 minutes at 450 and VWALLA.... a perfect meal.

(we had sweet potato wedges with our pizzas... two shown, one for John

I had a trip to the grocery store last night (finally... it had been nearly two weeks!) and it was pure heaven. I'm all traveled out at the moment and SO READY to be in veggie bliss in my kitchen this week. Happy Thursday!

yay mizzou.... boo acid reflux

Remember that Berenstein Bears book 'too much birthday fun'? Brother bear ate too much candy and was all partied out. Last night was too much NCAA fun. Or too much dive bar fun (i know what you're thinking.... lauren there IS no such thing as too much dive bar fun). A beer at the bar around the corner for the game turned into several pitchers turned into today my stomach turning itself inside out. The good news is that no junk food was involved (i know, high five). Probably because before we left I whipped up some snobby joes. snobby joes: (this site credits Veganomicon with the recipe, my Nickie's all time fave cookbook)

• lentils
• onion
• tomato paste
• tomato sauce
• oregano
• S&P
• red peppers
• zucchini
• garlic
• chili powder
• maple syrup
• mustard
  

I've been craving sloppy joes forever, which is ironic because sloppy joes are actually really gross and not something I'm too interested in eating (cafeteria sludge comes to mind). So I've been settling for singing the Adam Sandler song instead. I made the leap with these. They were good. I might enjoyed a BBQ sauce version instead (the oregano and tomato sauce kind of made it feel like spaghetti sauce)... I think soy crumbles might be in order next time. That chewey textures is part of the appeal.. right? Either way I thought it was good. I made it with sweet potato fries (that i tried to make chips.... eh... i'm sticking to wedges from here on I think) and Multigrain bread with some melty sharp cheddar cheese on top.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday. Almost weekend time. HOLLA.

One Lucky Girl - CHICAGO recap

I love chicago... but like anything it's not where you are, but who you're with that makes all the difference. I had a productive work week in the windy city.. one SUPER FUN weekend, and now I am struggling to sift through the voicemails and emails (and school work and MASSIVE to do list (can we say taxes?)) ...... But it was all so fun! For eating, I gave myself a few birthday Mulligans. For work I had crab one night (in addition to the scallop indiscretion I mentioned in the previous post) and then I had a awesomely Delicious corn dog from a famous late night street spot in chicago on saturday night. So much for subtlety, eh? I knew traveling would throw a crimp in my dietary restrictions anyway. Part of me is annoyed with myself about not following my commitment to the letter... and the other part of me says diet mentality is bad news and this will keep me from drowning in junk on easter, no? Anyway, no pictures of food... but lots of pictures of fun :)

Seeing the sights during the week.

Once all the girls arrived we were SO READY for fun! The hotel lobby got to witness the excessive shrieking, hugging, laughing and generally making a spectacle. Friday night included some of the 'ol sorority bar games. We went to a greek bar, that was pretending to be an irish pub (i'm just saying, they played greek music), that was still decorated in St Pat's garb. YESS!

Lincoln Park Zoo

Making the pilgrimage to Harpo studios. (close to our hotel)

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssshe's every woman!

Deep dish chicago pizza (veggie with spinach for oomph)

A fancy night out that included lots of swanky bars, live music, dancing, dancing, DANCING

red carpets

MORE dancing

Isn't it amazing how obnoxious you can be (singing, dancing, in general being hilarious) when you have complete anonymity in a random city?

Best birthday ever. My friends fussed over me and the fact they were willing to come from California, Kentucky, and MO to have a fun birthday weekend with me makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.



Now I am making grocery lists (in addition to my other to-do lists for work, school, home, etc.) and am READY to be making my own healthy natural meals again.

See you later this week!