i’ve got the golden ticket

This post will be quick and to the point because I am SO tired.

Big coffee + blueberry bran VitaTop muffin.

These are good, but not too filling. They’d probably be better as snacks because there is certainly not enough caloric oomph to get the day started.

So I had a cereal mess (a la Andrea)…I think I will eat all cereal out of this bowl forever-more. It’s so fun!

Apple. (I know, it’s a good thing I put a title for the pic, as you may not have been able to figure out what the above red, round thing was)

Lunch: SB&J (none other than soynut butter and home-made plum preserves)

I *heart* loaf end pieces!

Plus a blended treat made with 12 oz. silk soymilk, 2+ tbsp chocolate soynut butter, 1 banana, and enough ice to get the right consistency.

I sipped it with a straw (I’m proper and shiz).

The people at SoyJoy sent me a coupon for a free bar. So (against my better judgement) I bought one to try out. We all know how much I hate nuts, but every bar is made with almonds or walnuts (ick), so I reluctantly got the Raisin Almond, since I figured it was the closest to something I would maybe eat. Talk about a John Dorian style angel vs devil inner monologue!!

It went something like this:

Angel: Elise, you HATE nuts. This will make you sick.

Devil: But you like oatmeal raisins cookies? It’s close! C’mon, try it.

Angel: You are going to regret it.

Devil: Just one taste, do it, do it.
Angel: Ok, just one taste…

Sorry SoyJoy, NOT a fan!!! (not even a little bit). This tasted like old biscotti made from uneaten christmas fruit loaf, with stale nuts. It was super gross. I definitely spit out the first bite and threw away the rest.

Another little secret they don’t advertise is that the product contains dairy. What!? Sure there is soy in the ingreds, too, but mostly the name is just a gimmick. Don’t be fooled, guys, this shiz, is NO good.

The last of the coconut date rolls. Note to self: buy more.

More snacky snacky: puttin’ on the ritz (if you know the reference, I feel a little sad)

Chocolate soynut butter goes with everything

I kinda almost ruined my appetite for dinner with all the PM snacks. Fortunately, I’m a big growing girl 🙂

I’m way into these tortillas – verrrry GOOD! I especially like how you can see the grains. They don’t taste all doughy like white flour tortillas, and they don’t taste weird like those nasty lo carb ones. They are just perfectly wheat-y.

At the store today, I randomly found this massive sized Sabra, and couldn’t pass…You can actually see HUNKS of glorious chickpeas in this tub! Chunky indeed-y!

In the wrap (that was packed too tight to close): hummus, baby spinach, matchstick carrots, some leftover seitan salad (and one lonely tofu cube)

A little blurry, sorry! I had to hold it closed with one hand, while doing some serious photog acrobatics in the other hand.

I had 2 of these wraps, and still my tummy was beggin’ for more (not really, but I wanted more)

So, for dessert #1, I chopped up a Vita Brownie

…and mixed it up into a vanilla o’soy yogurt.

Hmmm…I’m not sure what to make of this. I think the yogurt combined with the brownie was just way to sweet. Don’t get me wrong, I finished it (obv)…but I don’t think it’s a combo I will repeat. I guess if you’re gonna make a dessert sundae with the Vitas, you may as well just do the damn thang right with frozen (not reg) ice cream (or soy fro yo, or whatevs).

Needless to say I wasn’t satisfied, and even though I tried to watch tv, read, and draw to keep my mind pre-occupied (where is my BF when I need him!!)…I ended up having a huge dairy-loaded chocolate bar. EFF!! Tomorrow is gonna be rough. Good thing Kyle is in China (that should be a safe enough distance from the bathroom…). TMI? Sorry…

I felt like Charlie finding the golden ticket as I was opening it…

Oh dairy, how I missed you! This will bite me in the ass tomorrow (pun intended)!

Night kiddos!

Read Full Post »

Good news/Bad news

Well, the first piece of BAD news is that my computer is done-zo. Dead. No more. Wahhhh…(I got it in 9/2007!) I was on the phone today with the geek squad for way too long. Without getting into too much detail, my options are (a) pay $$$$ with no guarantees or (b) kiss the mo-fo goodbye.

I am so not tech savvy enough to deal with this. So it’s on hold while Kyle’s in China. Which brings me to the second piece of good/bad news…my better half is in China 😦

While Kyle is taking the Great Wall by storm, I’ll be doing my best to blog (ghetto style) on his old computer (this thing is from the ice age). But beggar’s can’t be choosers, so I guess I should be thanking my lucky stars for this old brick. I certainly can’t blog from my blackberry (try as I might to understand the point of twittering)…what a fruitless search that was!

No AM pics, but I had coffee and soynut butter on toast (plus I may or may not have had a few spoonfuls on the side). No guarantees. There was also dried fruit and a big mug of silky coffee.

Lunch came early since I was stressed (really works up an appetite)!

There’s some hummus among’us! (wow, that was a bad one)

Can’t deny it – Sabra is the best!

I made up a platter of goodies, including baked tofu, quinoa, and me + Jenny (aka peas and carrots). Matchstick carrots are fun, no?

Whenever I make quinoa, I wait until the next day to eat it because the smell of making it puts me off so much. I even drain them first…and no luck. Maybe I’m just weird, but I like my quinoa cold (and odorless).

Check out the hummus lathered on the tofu in the background…

I went a little zoom happy.

I love the way quinoa looks.

Food porn.

Sorry, no more food pics for the day (dinner was leftovers and more of the same, anyways).

And the good news kept on coming…not that it brought my computer back to life, but you can’t win ’em all.

Today was a big delivery day 🙂

POM Wonderful!!!

This was TOTALLY what I needed, like, at the perfect time. As I have mentioned in the past, I get so sick of apple juice at work, and I don’t like other juices (or any HFCS loaded beverages for that matter), but now that my fave tea is done-zo…what’s a girl to drink? I was really craving something sweet, and so I was really really excited to try this product out. Pomegranate seeds are one of my favorite fruits, but they are SO time consuming to peel and unwrap. Still, the flavor is well worth the work, and the health benefits are incomparable.

The juice was perfectly sweet, but not too sugary. Also, not at all bitter or overly tart, which was surprising considering how concentrated I thought it would be. I mean, all it is is PURE pomegranate!! Everyone must try! I know it’s pricey, but you’ll thank me when you are 100 years old and still running marathons and finishing New York Times’ crosswords…

And did I mention? The company is just wonderful! THANKS again Molly!

Package number 2…VITA-licious!!

Brownies and muffins galore!

I put them in the freezer (as per the enclosed instructions) but not before grabbing on out to try, first! Talk about a stocked freezer!

For my first taste test, I opted for the choc/PB muffin. It was like a muffin top (Seinfeld anyone?) that had been flattened. The texture was more brownie-like than muffin and the cute little peanut butter chips on the top were good additions.

All in all I give this flavor a B. It was a bit too “healthy” tasting – also, as a chocolate lover, I’m not one to take my chocolate reviews lightly. It was still a nice ending to the day…dessert, then bed. I don’t even want to THINK of the mess I have to deal with tomorrow.

I may be MIA for a bit bloggies. Wish me luck, I’m stressin’

Read Full Post »

virus schmirus

Ummm…my comp was hijacked this AM and is currently being crapped on by 823 little trojans.  I imagine they’re now tap dancing on the remaining fragments of my motherboard, since the screen is frozen with approx 75 internet explorer windows open flashing “system security firewall alert.”  Is this why I was supposed to keep that Norton thing up to date?

Read Full Post »

re-LENT-less

It’s that time of the year.  Lent.  I’ve been trying to think of what I should give up for a while now.  I’m not very good with restrictions, it always seems to make me want something more when I know I can’t have it (forbidden fruit).  Plus, nutritionally speaking, I’m in a pretty good place, balancing moderation with the occasional splurge (hey, I deserve it, I’m a hard working girl)!!  So, with that in mind, I decided against giving up anything food related, and instead chose television.  So, from now until April 11th, afternoon boob-toob-ing is out.  Gasp!  This is actually harder than it seems because on my days off I often have several days worth of crap TV to catch up on.  And believe me, lounging on the couch with the obnoxious ladies of The View, The City, and all things Bravo is pretty awesome!  But that’s the point of lent, right?  I mean it has to be something I’ll miss. 

Now that that’s out of the way, I have to say, today was kinda a mess of a day (food wise).  I had to give myself a pep talk half way through the evening because I felt like $&^% about a variety of things.  To start, my tummy was fighting with me from the second I opened my eyes this morning.  No idea why.

This helped.                        This did not.

Coffee + WF’s vegan chocolate pudding!  It might look a bit like poop, but it tastes like heaven :) 

I woke up to a venti cup of caffeine love – a wonderful surprise from my perfect boyfriend.  Since we have yet to replace our latest starbucks purchase errr…failure of a blend errr…AM crack, Kyle grabbed me the above life-saving coffee on his way back from his morning gym sesh.  Savior with a capital S.

The pudding, on the other hand, was WAY too rich and sweet for that early in the morning.  While it was what I was craving, it was a poor choice at 9 am.

Still, it was SO decadent and inviting, I couldn’t stop!  I dipped some figs in it, too.  The richness of the pudding combined with the natural sweetness of the figs was a divine combination. 

Plus, you KNOW how I love using those cute little plastic spoons.

 

Ummm, yeah.  TOTES OD’ed.

Figs are just so photogenic, though!

 

Here’s the cliff’s notes version of my brekkie:

Dried figs  +   vegan puddin’   =    stomach ache

My solution was baking some ‘fu.

Easy peasy lunch prep for my upcoming work-filled weekend.

I tested some out for lunch today, just in case it was poisonous…

It wasn’t 🙂

I also had some apple slices with soynut butter.  Ahhh, this stuff is SO effing good, like, lick-the-spoon-re-dip-it-and-lick-it-off-again, good.

I started to get a little queasy again after lunch so I got back in bed to rest.  I ended up finishing my book, falling asleep, and then waking up because my stomach was killing me.  It felt like there was a civil war going down between my spleen and my pancreas or something.  UGH.

I didn’t take any more pics for the rest of the day because, let’s be real, ritz and puffins just aren’t that interesting.

Nursing myself back to health.  Peace out.

Since I haven’t done a green post in a while: check out this site!  If you are planning on moving or know anyone else who is, this company rents out green boxes that have been recycled over and over hundreds of times. 

Read Full Post »

FAT tuesday

You may notice something different about the start to my day…no coffee?!?  Kyle and I were trying hard to stomach the rest of the bag of our most recent Starbucks blend (extra bold Gold Coast)…but there is a time and place for being green.  And suffering through bad coffee is NOT a compromise I’m willing to make.  We got this bag a few days ago, and neither of us have been finishing our AM java since, so what’s the point?  Instead of feeling guilty over wasted grounds, I opted for a warm cup of tea instead.

 

With a dollop of silk, just for morning consistency.

Without coffee to give me a good kick in the arse, I made some oats (Bob’s Red Mill) and added a heaping spoon of IM Healthy soynut love.  NOM!!  Warm.  Silky.  Sweet.  Salty.  Nutty.  Heavenly.

I snacked on figs + carob covered raisins while reading.

Then for lunch I had a recent fave.

GN veggie burger on an english muffin with avocado and greek yogurt.  Massive burger much?  The muffin looks like a hat on top.

A-maz-ING.  Plus the obligatory dried fruit platter.

And a papaya spear on my way out the door.

I had an ACLS recertification course (ugh) so I decided to take my camera and snap photos on the way there.

 

 

Not too shabby, right?  Anyways, now that you’ve seen my hood, back to my eats.

By the time I got out of that damn class it was already 8:45 so there was no time to mess around.  My stomach wanted food, like yesterday, so I stopped at WF for some hot bar action.

(picture this x 5)

Plate 1: baked tofu, soba noodles, edamame salad

Plate 2: more of the above plus seitan

Dessert: 3 flattened coconut date rolls and an extremely generous portion of carob raisins

**to answer a few Q’s I’ve been getting…when I make seitan, the brand I use is West Soy’s traditionally seasoned seitan (in a blue box).  It’s easy peasy, guys, TRY it!!

In giveaway news: If you want to get your hands on the MUCH discussed PB2, check out Love Of Oats for her blogiversary contest.

Read Full Post »

Jai Ho (Aaja Aaja Jind Shamiyane)

After dancing spastically bopping around the apartment (all evening), singing my own made-up lyrics to the slumdog millionaire song, Kyle insisted I was being retarded and there was NO way they were screaming “die ho.”  As usual, he was right…I did some googling, and that’s how the title of the post came about.  At least now he has nothing one fewer complaint with my energetic insanely obnoxious performance.

Anyways…focus Elise…oh that’s right, food!

In today’s coffee I frothed my soymilk with some sf vanilla syrup…I’m turning into a little barista!

PB puffins :)   I heated these up for a few seconds…thanks to some brilliant blogger advice…and my oh my, talk about a whole new discovery!  These just keep getting better and better!! 

I did spent the morning doing spanish exercises out of Kyle’s workbook (he takes weekly private lessons to keep his espanol up to par).  My skillz are in NO such shape.  Still (I’m not sure how) I came to be the translator on the unit, so, at the bare minimum, I should master the “at the hospital” chapter.  

Want some new vocab?  La enfermera le tomaba el pulso y la tension atrerial del paciente, y despues le dieron una inyeccion de un calmante por via intrevenosa.  I snacked on apple slices, to give my brain fuel.  Sometimes, I miss school (not the tests or studying part, just the learning part).

Later I had some fresh fruit.   And added some to a bowl of o’soy vanilla yogurt…

Zoom! 

This combo was fantastic!  I had been craving natural sweetness all morning…

Lunch dessert (dried fruit and a crossword) – papaya spears, carob covered raisins, and figs (as if I actually need to specify).

Insert: random errands + outside run in the park (sunshine, hooray!!)

While I was out and about I had this gem!  I’ve been really into coconut lately (ahem…coconut date rolls?) so I thought this would be a good on-the-go treat.  Now, I know this will be shocking to all you foodies (which is why I rarely mention it), but I hate nuts.  Still, I know how healthy they are, so I am constantly trying to mature my taste buds (let’s just say I had a traumatic experience when I was very young that I’m still trying to overcome).  It was actually really good.  I like the density of larabars, they are filling without feeling like a brick in your stomach, but odwalla bars will always be my fave (sorry if this upsets all the larabar lovers out there). 

Apple #2 for the day.

Thanks to my lovely tivo the devil, I somehow wound up watching the Barbara Walters’ special – it’s a miracle I could stomach an hour without the letter “r” but I did.  Most of it sucked, but something Anne Hathaway said did get me thinking…where do I see myself in 10 years, what’s on my must-do list for the future?  Not bucket list items (finish a marathon), not obvious hopes (married, living in California).  I just mean future Elise.  I know I want to travel everywhere, but now I’m inspired to think of some more specific aspirations…

Anyways, time to get dinner rolling.

 

BN squash, steamed brocc, and seitan strips (all on a bed of lettuce, with a dollop of greek yog on the side for dipping)

Then I had some leftover edamame.

I wanted something chocolaty after dinner, fortunately, I had another carton of chocolate soy milk.  I pounded this – seriously, it was not lady like.  I had half of it straight from the carton, and the only reason I stopped to pour the rest in a glass was because I had a brain freeze from drinking so fast!

Well done, me.

Dessert, you better believe it!!!

My last cuppa SCSR tea, but only for now…(light bulb moment).  I discovered you can buy the holiday flavors year round on their website!  Score!

When is Gossip Girl coming back 😦

P.S. Check out what HangryPants is giving away!!! 

Read Full Post »

and the oscar goes to…

Today was a repeat of yesterday.  Kyle dragged me out of bed by 9, but it wasn’t until I smelled the coffee brewing, that I actually began to perk up.  Like yesterday, I mixed the choc/raspberry blend with the regular starbucks blend.  Unlike yesterday, today’s coffee came out way more raspberry flavored.  I guess since it’s a blend, there’s no telling which flavor will come through stronger, but I think I preferred yesterday’s. 

I added a LOT of silk to it (way more than I usually do) to try to downplay the raspberry.  I also toasted the end piece (fave!!) of bread and lathered on some I.M. Healthy soynut butter.

And the last of my figs…

Crossword time!  My sugar cookie sleigh ride tea is going out with a bang :) 

Lunch: GN veggie burger on an english muffin (with greek yogurt and half an avocado)

And my daily manzana 🙂

Here’s where the day gets a little orange…

Dried papayas gave me the sugar loading necessary to get me to the gym (I was NOT in the mood).  I managed to get a crappy 30 minutes in on the elliptical before I had to vacate the machine for the next person in line…the gym scene on the weekends when its 30 degrees is ridic!!!  Whatever.  I was happy to ditch.  Snuggling on the couch is way better for my relationship anyways.

Pre-dinner I snacked on carrots and my first love, Sabra.

I also had some BN squash (which also made its way into the hummus).  Then I popped some of these in the oven…

I wasn’t joking about the orange…

Naturally, hummus was caked on ALL of this!

I felt like I was a little carb deficient, though…

Not to worry, I cut up a few pieces of Alvarado street bread to dip in the rest of the hummus.

You better believe it – I finished the entire container!

Then I had another apple (just cause).  My hunger would NOT subside.  I never understand why some day this happens, but why fight it?

Dates AND carob covered raisins.  Great on their own, but SO much better together!

Somehow this slipped in, too.  I was watching the Oscars, so I wasn’t completely paying attention…

I’m not gonna lie, Giuliana Rancic is WAY annoying.  Talk about an overzealous, cracked out celeb whore!  (sorry for the language)  I did enjoy the red carpet pre-show crap, but I think she and Ryan are far better left on mute.  If you watched the Oscars, who do you think looked the best?  I though Amy Adams was gorgeous!  And even though Jennifer Aniston has always seemed kinda blah in the personality department, she looked great – eat your heart out Mr. Pitt. 

Now head over to Every Gym’s Nightmare to win some sweet exercise gear! 

Read Full Post »

sleep in, do nada

Love how detailed my weekend plans were? 

 

When you have no agenda, it’s pretty easy to stick to it…coffee, check.  B-fast, check.

Alvarado street bread toasted with greek yog and “egg” on top. 

I lazed the AM away watching the Real Housewives of NYC, while Kyle rolled his eyes and made sarcastic remarks throughout(sometimes crap TV is the best way to start the weekend).  Clearly Bethanny is going to continue to provide the majority of the show’s entertainment for the second season, too. 

Apparently, my breakfasts even get their own desserts now!

Crunch!

I am almost out!!!!  Whatever will I do when my delish sugar cookie sleigh ride tea is all gone 😦

For lunch I made a smart deli “turkey” and hummus sando.  You’d think last night’s hummus dinner would have been enough for a week, but you’d be wrong.  Umm, it’s me remember?  Founder of the Sabra fan club.

And my lunch dessert of dried papaya, figs, and coconut date roll.

I had a pretty random PM treat.  I say “treat” because I don’t drink soda. 

I got it because the bottle was so cute looking…but it didn’t really live up to the hype (if packaging can be considered hype?).

I was a little sore from yesterday’s gym sesh, so I needed a big time boost to get my butt in gear.  Here’s where the chocolate soynut butter came through for me big time!!

I didn’t eat it at the apt, so no glamour shot!  (apples and bananas are such perfectly portable fruit, no?)  Good thing this jar is brand new because I didn’t have a spoon, so I looked like a hot mess dipping the nanner in the jar.

I did not enjoy this trip to the gym.  Weekends can be so annoying…the gym is packed and people don’t follow the 30 minute rule, so it’s just a chaotic free-for-all.  Oh well…

I snacked on pineapple rings while making dinner.

Leftovers!!!  In an attempt to mix things up, I added my asian/noodle/tofu dish from the night before to a bed of lettuce.  Talk about a brilliant invention…I felt like Benjamin Franklin!  Noodles in salad might be a new fave! 

Perfection!

It was movie night tonight (so different from the rest of the day).  Blockbuster should thank us because this winter weather makes us the laziest couple ever…it’s simple math really.

2 native Californians + 30 degree weather = cozy night indoors

As to be expected, I had a massive dessert plate.

It goes without saying, that I did this with them…

Oh so tasty!!!

I should have called it quits here, but…

I mean c’mon, there was ONLY one left (actually there were 2, but I ate one before I snapped the photo) – haha!  Never leave a man behind!

Only 2 more teabags left…(tear).

Tomorrow is looking like more of the same…I’m SO over winter.  How much longer until spring?  Any native east coasters, feel free to chime in.

Read Full Post »

T.G.I.H(ummus)

The aroma just opening this bag was intoxicating (I lurrrrve the smell of fresh coffee grounds)…I mixed it with half regular coffee from the bucks, so the choc/rasp flavor was super subtle and quite nice.  To be honest, I couldn’t really taste the raspberry much at all.  Either way, it has caffeine, so mission accomplished.

I started the day with a ridiculously heaping bowl of PB puffins.  Kids, this box isn’t gonna last much longer – these babies are TOO good for words.

I figured I’d get the show on the road with the bag tag…

The rules:

1) Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house. No cheating!
2) I want to know how much it cost And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I’d love to hear it.
3) Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your bag.

Even though I didn’t work today I’m still rockin’ my massive “pinky” bag (it’s my work bag), because I’ve been too lazy to transfer everything to one of my other cute(r) purses.  This baby is from my UCLA days, when my best girlies called me pinky (it has several meanings, but for my G-rated blog, let’s just say it’s my fave color).  My lover, Jess (you’ve met her before here), got it embroidered and gave it to me for my 21st birthday – it’s barely pink anymore, that’s how much I’ve used it! 

Dumping everything out was quite eye-opening, to say the least.  Talk about random crap that I had no idea was there.

• umbrella
• beanie
• Kyle’s lacoste gloves (he’s never getting them back)
• pink watch (I only wear watches for work)
• random candy from valentine’s day (twizzlers and butterscotch hard candy)
• black faux-leather wallet (replacement for the one that got mugged in Nov)
• keys (with a million scan cards – gym, grocery store, etc.)
• cherry chapstick (katy perry where are you?)
• work ID badge
• gum
• individual tissues (with some awesome pattern, no doubt)

*had this been a work day, there would also be 2 newspapers (the AM & the Metro), my current book, my pre-packed lunch, and water bottle…now you see why I lug pinky around?  With all that weight on my shoulders, it’s amazing I don’t have back issues can still walk.

Lunch: vegan BLT

Soy bacon, tofu, and tomato (no lettuce), all on Alvarado street bread with greek yog.

I may have gone overboard with the greek yog?  Nah. 

Plus some fruit. 

I was debating going on a run outside, but the wind factor sealed the deal.  I enjoy my skin ATTACHED my face, thank you very much!  I had tears streaming down to my chin just from the 3 block walk to the gym…but once I was there, I had a pretty decent sesh.  I did more than I thought I would, so I guess my new high energy playlist is really working.  I even tried 2 new arm machines!  I’m such a wuss when it comes to things like that, so it’s a big accomplishment for me.  Don’t worry, my arms are nowhere near Kelly Ripa status.

  

Post gym and 150 degree shower (to de-thaw myself), I had a chocolate o’soy, which is NOT their best flavor, but it was the only one they had last time I was at the store.  I added in some chopped up figs and raisins, because that makes everything better! Still…not a flavor I’ll buy again.  Vanilla and blueberry are the best ones by far.  I also had a few coconut date rolls, but then I remembered I was going out to dinner so I stopped myself from spoiling my appetite (like that could ever really happen). 

FYI, these are my monthly dinner girls…(photo from a couple years back).  We go WAY back (kindergarten), and all ended up in NYC, so we do dinner once a month, alternating neighborhoods.

This time we went to dinner in my ‘hood, so I chose Nanoosh, a Mediterranean hummus bar (drool).  I was in heaven just reading the menu.  (Oh, and don’t worry, I changed my purse before I went out)

Naturally, we started off with a bottle of red.  We chose the Coq Rouge for no reason aside from the name.  It’s a medium bodied organic red with a “black cherry aroma and soft, but rich tannins.”  Not my favorite, to be honest.  Plus it was served really warm (way warmer than room temp), so that was kinda weird.

Fresh HUMMUS!!!  You know what a clown’s face looks like right after it gets a pie smashed in it?  That’s what I wanted to do with my dinner!!  For dinner I ordered the hummus with mushrooms, which was SO tasty.  They make their hummus fresh from organic chickpeas, extra virgin olive oil and spices, which they then served with 2 whole wheat pitas.

These pitas were like hot puffs of heaven.  They were so fresh out of the oven, they steamed when you tore them open.  DE-lish!!!  I literally could have made a meal out of the pitas alone, they were HUGE.  I guess it goes without saying that I devoured my dinner, wiping my plate clean with the beautifully, steamy bread.  The hummus was perfectly creamy and the mushrooms were a nice addition to the dish (I had to force myself not to order plain hummus). 

This picture gives you an idea of how massive the pitas were…(this is my friend’s dinner, hummus with chicken)

And this was my other friend’s dinner, the chicken wrap, which contained grilled marinated natural chicken breast, hummus, tahini, organic onions and greens.  Plus a quinoa salad on the side.  For the record, I hate when descriptions of dishes use the word “natural.”  What does that even mean?  There are no regulations on phrases like that, so the description is pointless in my book.

We chatted the night away, as usual, so by the time I got home I was ready for my usual dessert plate.

Carob covered raisins and figs.  If it ‘aint broke…

Read Full Post »

I.M.Healthy

I woke up to another day of ick weather.  It’s so hard to get excited for the day when you know it’s going to be spent mostly indoors. 

But then I found a surprise PACKAGE at the door!!!  What could it be…??

The wonderful people over at I.M. Healthy sent me my FAVE soynut butter, both creamy AND chocolate flavors!  I LOVE this stuff!!  Since you all have been asking about soynut butter, now you can see this amazing product, and go out and get it, to try it first hand.  It’s the perfect combination of salty and sweet.  It tastes exactly like ground up soynuts with a smooth and creamy texture – it just doesn’t compare to any other nut butters, and I’ve had extensive experience!!  Trust me, this stuff needs to be in your pantry, like, now!

So brekkie was an obvious choice.  Alvarado street bread toasted with creamy soynut butter.  I can’t wait to try the chocolate.  Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!

I had a second brunch type meal later on (I don’t know why I bother labeling meals).  I guess since it was before noon, I couldn’t call it lunch.  Vanilla o’soy and 2 coconut date rolls with my coffee.

“Lunch” was kinda weird.  I wasn’t overly hungry, and I didn’t feel like making anything, so it turned into a snacky afternoon as I did errands around the apt (I apologize for the randomness in advance).  First, I had leftover veggies.

Followed by spoonfuls of hummus (you read that correctly).  Sabra is so tasty, sometimes you don’t need anything to dip in it, ya know?  As for the pretz…I TOTALLY dipped these in soynut butter!!!  Haha!

And later I made myself a dried fruit plate with papaya spears and pineapple.

Finally I got my act together and headed to the gym. 

GYM stats: elliptical 30 min, tread mill 30 min, elliptical 30 min, abs/arms/stretching 20 min  (I had a mega high from all those endorphins as I headed home)

**special shout out to Adrianna for the Ting Ting music rec, I’ve been trying to find that artist forEVER – thanks loveee

Dinner was an asian inspired noodle/veggie/tofu dish.

Tofu blocks baked with soy sauce.

Steamed edamame.

Steamed shrooms.

Steamed broccoli slaw.

Soy noodles.

All mixed up together – doesn’t it look YUM!  I drizzled a little bit of teriyaki sauce on top.  I def have un monton de leftovers.

Dessert?  Duh.  Dried dates and carob covered raisins (I de-pitted and stuffed because it’s just so much more fun that way)!! 

Note: After I finished this plate, I made myself another platter (unpictured) because I have no self control because the first one was out of this world.  AND I opened up the chocolate I.M.Healthy soynut butter for my first taste (I just couldn’t resist trying it out!!!).  I’ll save the full review for tomorrow, but HOLY YUM!  I was in sweet tooth heaven – my desserts will NEVER be the same again!  The creamy, smooth, salty, sweet, buttery texture was divine, but I def gulped down what felt like a gallon of soymilk.  This product is like a nut butter lover’s mecca (oh, and fyi, the chocolate soynut butter has no dairy).  Needless to say, I headed to bed ridiculously full, but quite pleased about my new dessert discovery. 

Who’s done with taxes?!  I am, I am!  (One of the few remaining perks of having a BF in finance) – that comment is in reference to our crap economy, NOT Kyle’s skillz! 

Read Full Post »