Show & Tell

“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” -Albert Camus

Life is filled with simple pleasures and exciting adventures. Do they necessarily need to be planned? No. Like impromptu baking for instance. Simple pleasure.

A spin off of this recipe. I subbed eggs for applesauce, sugar for agave, and 1/2c oil to 1/3c.  The delicious sheen atop these beauties is composed of butter & sugar. These taste just like cinnamon rolls, minus the guilt.

Painting, simple pleasure #2! (not quite finished…)

…And exciting adventures to little concerts in awesome venues…

Recap post coming your way! Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Please excuse me.

I have been quite the bad blogger as of late. I apologize–from the bottom of my heart. I have been up to a lot lately. I’ve been having more fun than I ever have. I’ve been spending lots of time with friends. I feel so at peace with myself. For example, on Friday, I ate pie, bread rolls,  potato chips, pastries… and more pastries. I loved every bite, and I was guilt free. Life is about laughter and liberty. It’s marvelous.

So with that said, my blogging will be pretty sporadic and feeble… which breaks my heart. Don’t worry, I’ll still be bringing merit to the carrot.

Neither taboo nor tae-bo…

…but Tabouli. A  Sam-ified salad.

This meal was made with thoughts of my friend Shannon, who will be spending a month in Greece this Summer.

• 1.5c boiling water
• 1c bulgur
• 1/3c fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1c fresh chopped parsley
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 16oz can Hunt’s Fire Roasted Tomatoes w/ Garlic, drained
• 1 16oz can Organic Garbanzo beans
• 1 hothouse cucumber, chopped
• 3/4c frozen corn, defrosted

1. pour the boiling water over the bulgur in a large bowl and tightly cover for 20-30 min.
2. in another bowl, combine the lemon juice, parsley, scallions, drained tomatoes, garbanzos, cucumber and corn.
3. when the bulgur has absorbed the water and become a beautiful fluffy bowl of grainy goodness, add the veg/lemon mixture.
4. add salt & pepper, refrigerate for a minimum of 30 min. for optimal flavor enhancement.

Quick, healthy, and damn tasty. Especially with hummus, le duh!

What do you get when you combine bread and seduction?

Warning: this may entice you to eat lots of bread… good bakery bread, that is.

The art of seeduction, at its finest.

Oh, and pb & j on ciabatta ain’t bad either.

The best thing about exercise

I think it’s a two way tie between a.) extreme soreness in the days to follow & b.) eating.

Speaking of eating, that’s how I immediately started my day, for I woke up with one hangry beast in my stomach.

Blueberry Banana OIAJ (Oats in a jar), served in a jar’of’Jif. This was tasty, but I think my oatmeal-obsessive days are over. Truly, it just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Don’t hate me.
Today, my friend Amber and I bicycled from her house to downtown SLC and back. Approximately 16-18 miles, give or take. It’s a mix between uphill, downhill, and flat terrain. My lungs feel worked and my legs feel tired. It was an AWESOME day. And when I walked in the door, after defrosting my frozen fingers & toes (it was 38 degrees and a little breezy), I ate. and ate.

As I am in no position for any sort of weight loss, this long period of exercise was reason enough for my mom and I to check out how many calories I burned. My recommended intake ends up being 3,600 for today. Enough for an average person to gain a pound. And you know what? I was ECSTATIC. The more food, the merrier. I sit here, still a little hungry. I think I still have a good 1,000 calories to go… so that’s my exit cue! Happy Saturday! I’m off to see Shutter Island with one of my favorite ladies. I’m pumped.

Braised & Butterflies

Let’s briefly talk about the latter. I’ve had quite a few fluttering around in my stomach, and let me tell ya, they’ve been gone for a while.  That’s all I have to say about butterflies today… maybe I’ll share some more on another day… What/who gives you butterflies?

Moving onto the braised…

Last night, I tried out this new recipe.

Braised Red Cabbage with Apples, served atop a bed of spinach and cloud of quinoa.

Dee-lish. And of course, I had to eat it with a Laughing Cow Wedge–naturally. This was both aesthetically pleasing and taste-bud-pleasing. Perfection! I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking into shaking up supper, perhaps with something a little sweeter.

Who doesn’t love this color combination? I know my appetite does.

It also loves chocolate, bread & chocolate to be exact.

The concept of bread and chocolate, infused together into a chocolate bar, is enough to make me purrrr. What’s your favorite Theo bar?

Sorry for the short post, but it’s been a hell’of’a week!

Wreaking Havoc, and love.

Before I get to the havoc wreaking, I’d like to show my softer side:

As you  have noticed, I love to make breakfast for my little brother. No idea why, but I do. So, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I made him some blueberry pancakes with butter, syrup, & love. Because after all, I love him berry much.

I love to spread love through food, I really do.

I also love cereal, Kashi Go Lean Crunch, to be exact. It’s probably my favorite! Especially when covered in the best fruit combination ever. Strawberries & Bananas. Great way to celebrate President’s Day, eh?

Now, here’s where the executions of vengeance and passion come to play:

Trader Joe’s Raw, Creamy Almond butter. All good things come to an end, and this one was violent. Many carrot lives were taken in the process.

and the brutalities continue…

I can turn 30 oz of hummus into 5 oz like it’s my job. After my next meal, I’m certain the plastic container will be completely transparent. Those chickpeas don’t stand a chance. Like I said, wreaking havoc.

I’ve jumped on the bandwagon. Ask me anything!

Happy Monday!

Blood

…Blood never tasted so good…

As I ate this blood orange, I looked at the mirror only to find the reflection of myself eating what looked like an organ of some sort. I was freaked out by the redness of this fruit! Mother Nature is pretty morbid… but very delicious. Delicious, indeed.

And now, I’d like to present to you another addition of Toast Toppers:

Laughing Cow Wedge, Strawberries & Cinnamon and Avocado and Edamame Toast

One is like strawberry cream cheese, and the other is like a green blizzard of buttery smoothness. I may even like these toppings better than the last… perhaps.

DEFINITELY try these.

Happy Valentines Day. Have any special plans?

Rest in peace.

Alexander McQueen.

March 16, 1969 – February 11, 2010

No one single man has ever amazed me more. His work will forever inspire. I’ve never been more affected by the death of someone I didn’t know. He was an artist, an amazing artist. May he rest in peace.

Seriously, this hit me hard.

The Art of Blooking

I’m blogging, as I run back and forth from the kitchen to the table while simultaneously cooking dinner. Welcome, Blooking.  It’s a new art, one which I hope to master. Have you mastered the art of blooking?

This morning, I decided to take another whack at oatmeal… in hopes that my oatmeal cravings had not completely vanquished.

I made myself a beautiful bowl of Banana Oatmeal (half banana cooked in, the other half on top) topped with defrosted blueberries & a scoop of almond butter. Now that, my friends, is a scoop. Adorned with cinnamon, naturally.

It tasted as good as it looks; however, I think I’ll stick to variety for breakfast, not oats everyday. No offense to all my oat-lovin’ readers!

Last night, I tried something new with dinner:

Quinoa Polenta. I warmed it up in a pan, added a little milk to smooth it out, and proceeded to add spinach & garbanzos to the mix. Delish.

Topped with balsamic & mustard roasted brussels sprouts & red onion. How HEAB -ish does this look?

…speaking of supper, Dinner is served!

Egyptian Edamame Stew. Let me know if you’re interested in the recipe!