And…she’s back!! Hello everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving! The holiday is officially 10 minutes away and at this moment, I couldn’t be more joyous or content (the holiday season gets me in the habit of saying joyous, cheery, jolly, etc….you understand).

How is everyone’s week going?! I’ve now been home for almost 15 hours and am lovingg it!

To put it lightly…Jeany babes and I did some major grocery shopping this morning. We hit up, oh…4 different places. I justify such actions with the need for things that cannot be eaten at school/new blog-inspired finds/cooking ingredients for tomorrow night’s dinner. Fair enough, right?

The day started with a standard bowl of quick oats + soy milk (new addition/obsession?), some cinnamon, a banana and cinnamon raisin swirl peanut butta. The flight was quick and easy, and within minutes of  landing I was out the door and headed to Whole Food’s with Jeany.

After a few hours of grocery shopping, we were equally starving and ready to feast. Soooo, we promptly assembled lunch!

A la snackface…

Let’s call this the….jalapeno popper, remix.

This had the suggested:

• tofutti cream cheese
• mustard
• spinach
• (trader joe’s meatless meat-) balls
• Tj’s chile sauce (love!)

Plus the addition of….hummus! I know this lady would approve of that last minute decision. It was everything you’d expect and more. I obviously adored it, since we all know I like it hot…I mean, er, SPICY!

+ obligatory post-lunch apple w/ cinnamon

Between lunch and some Glee-catch up, I actually took a nap! This never happens, so clearly I needed it.

And since sleeping works up such an appetite….I woke up to another new, lovely snack! Umm, THANK YOU AMY for recommending this cereal. I legitimately ate Honey Bunches of Oats every morning my sophomore year of high school. Was absolutely obsessed. But finding the Whole Food’s version?!! Even better.

As per her suggestion…I had it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and some pumpkin pie spice. The perfect mid-day snack (or even dessert), in my opinion!

After proclaiming my new-found love for the 365 Honey Crunch & Oats , I took a nice walk with my mom and Ginger. California’s weather is perfection right now! Warm during the day, and crisp, but bearable at night.

Dinner was another bloggie-inspired affair:

Started with a salad

And ended with a burrito (inspired by this girl), lots of salsa, some steamed broccoli and chips. GOOD chips.

I’ve been craving the FSTG lime chips ever since seeing them on Sarah’s blog, a few weeks back. They were lime-y, crunchy, a little salty and goood. As they should be! They reminded me of those Tostito lime chips, but better-tasting and better fo’ you!

A post-microwaved, oozing, delicious shot:

After my mom and I decide to creep her friends & colleagues on facebook, dessert was had with a side of more Glee (had to catch up!). Mama’s offish obsessed.

Microwavable pumpkin pie, anyone??

In the bowl: 1/2 a cup Whole Food’s organic pumpkin, 3 tablespoons liquid egg whites, pumpkin pie spice & cinn microwaved for 3 minutes, topped with crushed grahams and sunflower seed butter. Mmm!!!!!! Make this. Or try jeany’s version, and top it with granola!

But now, it’s time for bed. Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone, and be thankful!! I just know that you are all loved so much, by so many people. So appreciate that, leave the guilt behind and do whatever makes you happiest. Thanksgiving’s about family and good food. So remember that!

I must ask:

Of what are you thankful for?? And, what shall you be feasting on today/tonight?! I’m thankful for my loving, supportive family who always knows how to put a smile on ma face! Looooove them. And you know i’m excited for my pop’s (vegan) mashed potatoes, my mama’s butternut squash casserole and whatever else my bros and their wifeys whip up!

XOXO, Jess

]]> http://monpetitchoublog.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/chicka-chicka-boom-boom/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:18:07 +0000 numnumnum http://monpetitchoublog.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/chicka-chicka-boom-boom/

I recently got this lovely book which turned out to be just as awesome as its counterpart, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (and as cleverly named). This is the first recipe I’ve tried from it, although to be fair, I actually got the recipe online over a year ago from the Vegan Cupcakes blog (it can also be found here). The graham crackers are great- sweet, but not too sweet, and crunchy without being hard. They might even be better than Trader Joe’s cinnamon Cats Cookies (for people).
The original recipe calls for rolling the dough out into a square and cutting out graham cracker-like rectangles, but I felt it necessary to use a chicken-shaped cookie cutter. Either way, it’s your call, but if you must make rectangles, be forewarned that the recipe states the yield to be 12.

Granimal Crackers (slightly adapted from the “Graham Crackers” recipe in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)

Makes about 30 cut-outs 

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a light colored baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in oil, molasses and vanilla. Give the liquid ingredients a quick wisk with a fork and then continue mixing until everything is well combined and crumbly.

Drizzle in the milk and combine. Use your hands to knead the dough a few times until it holds together, add an extra tablespoon of rice milk if needed. You should be able to form a pliable ball of dough.

Line a work surface with parchment. Place the dough on the parchment and use a rolling pin to roll approximately 1/8 in. thick, and cut shapes using a cookie cutter. Transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with scraps.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.

Let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Jamie says:  Happy Thanksgiving!  I attended a Thanksgiving potluck dinner this weekend where everyone brought a dish and dressed up as pilgrims and Indians.  It was a lot of fun and the food was delicious.  I had been thinking about making a graham cracker crust for weeks now, so I decided this was the perfect time to try.  I found a recipe for a blueberry pie and used the graham cracker crust recipe as a guide.  I really enjoyed the Publix fat free light key lime pie yogurt I tried recently, so  I was inspired to make a healthier key lime pie by substituting key lime pie filling for this tasty yogurt.  The filling was thinner than a typical key lime pie because I used yogurt, but I think it was worth it.  I received a lot of complements, so I guess my experimental pie turned out quite well!  Here’s the recipe: 

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Toast 1 cup walnuts in oven for about 6 minutes or until lightly toasted.  Coarsely chop walnuts.  Finely crush 10 graham cracker sheets (= 20 squares) in a ziplock bag.  Whisk 2 large egg whites in a medium sized bowl until frothy.  Add chopped walnuts, graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons Smart Balance Omega 3 spread, 2 tablespoons canola oil, and a pinch of salt to egg whites.  Blend until smooth.  Press mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan.  Bake for 18 minutes.   Allow to cool completely.  Pour 3 six ounce containers of fat free light key lime pie yogurt (Publix brand) into the pie crust and spread evenly.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Nutrition note: Simple substitutions can add up.  To reduce the amount of calories and saturated fat in a recipe, try using a heart-healthy spread with no trans fats (like Smart Balance spread) instead of butter.

Do you love Graham Crackers? Then this recipe -with a whole wheat twist- is for you!

If you don’t have raw sugar on hand for sprinkling over the graham crackers before baking, substitute regular cane sugar. Serve these sweet treats with mugs of hot chocolate or tea or use to make old-fashioned s’mores.
Ingredients

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 egg whites, divided
6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons raw or turbinado sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add butter and work into flour with your fingertips until completely incorporated and mixture resembles fine meal. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 egg white, brown sugar, honey and vanilla. Add this to flour mixture and stir until a sticky dough forms.

Turn half of the dough out onto a very well floured surface and roll out into a (10-inch) square. Cut into 12 rectangles and transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Repeat process with remaining dough and second prepared baking sheet.

Brush graham crackers with remaining egg and sprinkle raw sugar over the tops. Bake until dark brown and fragrant, 12 to 14 minutes. Set aside to let cool completely (graham crackers will harden as they cool) before serving.
Nutrition

Per serving (1 cracker/18g-wt.): 60 calories (10 from fat), 1g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium, 11g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 1g protein

¿Galletas?

Perhaps you know what that word means.

Perhaps you’ll find your way over to SpanishDict.com to find out. (FYI: SpanishDict.com is mi favorito online Spanish-English diccionario—and not just because it’s fun to say aloud.)

Either or, I’m giving away some highly-coveted galletas at the end of this post.

First, vamos a hablar about some h-day happenings.

‘Twas another “this is not November in NYC” day of warm and sunny weather.

Except this beautiful día kicked off with ‘lates…

instead of lattes.

(I cannot resist bad puns…)

It’s not very me to take on physical activity pre-cup o’ joe—but yesterday morning, I rolled out of bed and headed straight to pilates.

I’m so glad I did because it was quite possibly the best, most entertaining pilates class I’ve ever taken.

Best? Yes. This class was amazing. It was so well-structured and challenging. And it flew by. Always a plus. Also, I currently only go to pilates twice a week because I’ve only found two classes that I really enjoy. They’re both during the weekend—which means that sometimes they just don’t happen—so I’ve been looking for a good weekday class.

Entertaining? What could possibly make planks, hundreds and scissors divertido? Only the most hilarious instructor. No, unfortunately it wasn’t the Brooklyn Bikram yogi—though that would’ve been hysterical. But this pilates chica was just as cómica.

She was a tiny blonde with a thick Russian accent, and she began class with a story.

She’d taught her first class at a new studio in Manhattan this past weekend. After complaining that it was too small “because everyone was packed into the classroom like sardines”—she told us how she was unusually hard on one male student. “He couldn’t breathe,” she told us. “He couldn’t stretch. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack, but he was young. So I kicked him. And I yelled at him. He got a little better, but he was still pathetic.”

(She wasn’t one for sugar-coating, apparently.)

Anyhow, after class was over, she discovered that this man and the woman he attended class with were Mr. and Mrs. Ivanka Trump. Yes, she was kicking Ivanka Trump’s new husband.

Her response? “How would I know that? I’m just a silly immigrant girl… Do you think I read People? Oh well, he was still pathetic. But I don’t know if I’ll have that job next weekend.”

I wish I’d written down all of the hysterical things she said. Like: “Call me the Hundreds Hitler today. Because next week is Thanksgiving. And it’s against national law in this country to not gain 5 lbs. on Thanksgiving, right?”

I really liked her. I’ll be attending regularly on Wednesdays. And perhaps bringing a pen and pad.

On my walk home, I made another nice weather-necessitated iced coffee purchase.

I stepped outside my cafe box with this venti iced con soy milk, sugar and cinnamon.

I’ve pretty much got my coffee preferences down to a science. Hot coffee: milk/creamer + sweetener. Iced coffee: negro con sweetener. The sweetener is negotiable; the milk addition/absence (usually) is not.

For some reason, I decided to order my iced coffee with soy milk yesterday. No me gusta. I immediately remembered why I drink my iced coffee black. I find that iced coffee con leche tastes watered down, especially as the ice melts. No bueno.

Ah, well. We vivir. And we aprendar.

Breakfast was big bowl of greek yogurt.

Plain Oikos sweetened with honey and cinnamon; topped with lots ‘o layers of bananas and strawberries… and grahams.

The superstar center.

Messy is not bonita, but it is deliciosa.

I feel like I haven’t had fresh fruit—aside from apples—in a while, so I loved this breakfast bowl.

Snackage also came in the form of fresh fruit that I’ve not had in quite some time.

Grande grapes.

In an overflowing mug.

There may have been an encore in the form of handfuls out of the bag. But I’m not apologizing for extra grapeage.

Come lunch, I knew what I wanted.’

But it wasn’t really a complete lunch—so I threw together a standard ensalada.

Baby spinach, diced chicken, onion, yellow pepper, broccoli, roasted red peppers, cucumbers and tortilla chips. Dressed in celery salt and italiano dressing.

Italiano dressing=blech in my book. But I’ve been out of balsamica. Muy devastating.

What I really wanted was this.

In celebration of Waffle Wednesday, I busted out the Kashi Honey oat waffles and slathered on my dearly beloved cream cheese and raspberry preserves.

I’ve never done this before, but you can bet I’m going to do it again. BUENISIMA.

Almuerzo only held me over for dos horas, so more snackage went down.

I embraced this since it was National SnackFace Day.

Clearly the cream cheese & jelly waffle left me wanting más.

I tried to switch it up un poco.

Whole wheat english muffin: 1/2 with Laughing Cow & preserves. 1/2 with Laughing Cow and Sriracha.

You know how one side of an english muffin is inevitably bigger than the other? Well—and I think this habit comes from the same part of the brain as my OCD save the best for last tendency—when making a half-and-half english muffin, I always deliberate which 1/2 I’m going to like better and make sure those toppings go on the bigger half.

This 1/2 and 1/2 english muffin’s ganador: LC & raspberry preserves.

Except not! I got it incorrecto.

I ended up liking the LC & sriracha combo mejor.

Look at how little that half is. Que triste!

Another display of my OCD foodisms (and my unstoppable appetite):

Remember when I ate all the chocolate bunnies out of my box of new amigos?

When I tapped into the box yesterday, I noticed some brown bunnies at the bottom!

This problemo had to be fixed.

La solución:

A bowl of bunnie cereal.

So fantastically soggy that the chocolate action didn’t even matter.

Cena was Greek.

Ensalada was necesario because I finally got balsamic!

Normal-sized (as in, not my usual salad monster) greek-ish salad.

Baby spinach, onion, feta, roasted red pepper and olives. Topped with a dollop of salsa and tzatziki dip. Oh yea, and balsamic!

For the main event, I put this Sabra duo to work.

Greek pizza

In the toaster oven: Brushed with EVOO, baked at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes on each side. Topped with a layer of Greek Olive Sabra and a layer of Sabra tzatziki dip—and micowaved onion, broccoli, spinach, roasted red peppers and feta. Then broiled for 3-5 minutes.

Which did nothing to melt the feta.

But everything to meld the incredible hummus and tzatziki Sabra flavors.

Aaaaamazing. I can’t wait to make more creations featuring this duo.

Dessert is what you’d expect.

Except minus the sriracha.

The only popcorn I don’t add anything to is Jolly Time Kettle Corn.

Because it is the BEST popcorn ever—and needs nada but what’s in the bag.

I’m pretty sure all the deliciousness comes from this sketchy sauce/seasoning on the side of the bag.

Actually, I know it. Because I rub individual popcorn pieces on that wondrous mystery ‘til it’s no more.

Ok, onto la galleta giveaway.

If you’ve not figured it out, galleta means cookie.

Remember when I reviewed and loved Nutridel cookies?

Well, the generous Marisela over at Nutridel has offered to send one lucky reader the “sampler pack” option they’ve just began offering.

If you recall, when I reviewed the cookies, only a 28 package box (2 cookies per package) was available for $42. Obviously, that’s a hefty dinero and galleta commitment to make if you’ve never tried Nutridel cookies. The new sampler pack offers a box of 8 (2 cookies per package)—two of each of the almond, flaxseed, oatmeal and pecan flavors—for $16.

Or, if you win this giveaway, FOR FREE.

There are five ways to enter this giveaway. Each counts as one entry, and be sure to leave a separate comment for each way you enter.

• Leave a comment telling me which Nutridel cookie flavor you most want to try.
• Tweet about this giveaway: “Quieres 60 calorie cookies? Check out @FoodieDiaries Nutridel giveaway! http://bit.ly/2IrJCM/
• Follow me on Twitter.
• Add me to your blogroll and/or Google Reader.
• Link back to this giveaway on your blog.

The giveaway is open until Wednesday, November 25 at 12 p.m. EST, and I will use random.org to choose the winner. Only open to residents of U.S. and Canada.

So… ¿Quien quieres Nutridel galletas?

-Sarah

This is a shoutout to the not-so-anonymous blog stalker (you know who you are): Hi!

I must have really been exhausted, because this morning I overslept (by forty minutes).  That practically never happens, but I hate it when it does because it feels like the entire day is thrown off schedule.  After getting ready at record speed, I was out the door just fifteen minutes later than usual.  I was aggravated that I spent about twenty minutes hanging around waiting for a train… and again, after I got off to transfer.  For all that, the girl who opens the gym came ten minutes late, so I got there before she did.  And just like that, while I was annoyed that she wasn’t there, my day was “back on schedule” … starting off with standing around outside waiting for the gym to open!

Today is also Tuesday — the day I meet my friend for lunch.  This is why I should get dressing on the side.

I “drained” the vinegar off my salad (which itself wasn’t very memorable… romaine, broccoli, mushrooms, kidney beans, and croutons).  Mind you, I asked for a little bit, so this is the equivalent of half the amount that would normally be dumped over this.  Yikes.  I like balsamic vinegar, and all, but it definitely is possible to have too much of a good thing.

That’s what I drained off… and I still had a puddle in my container when I was done.  Yecch.

Yes, I made it again.

Because it is that good.

I also found this in the pie filling, so I guess they really do use fresh apples.  As opposed to, um, some sort of alien substance posing as apples?!

Apple seeds!

…And then I went to Antarctica.

Well, not really.  An 81-degree pool isn’t exactly cold, but it’s not quite as delicious as 88 degrees.  So says me, anyway!  Do you prefer to swim in cold or warm water?  (I am also getting to the point of thinking that I may just have to waste a day of my life and visit my dermatologist, because my arms are getting way out of control.  I’m really not the type of person who scratches an itch like that, but it’s driving me insane!!  And a couple of inexplicable and random bruises decided to join the party.  I look all battered, and for no good reason.  Unlike some of the other people in that pool, I happen to believe a swimsuit isn’t supposed to have sleeves.  I don’t care to exhibit such… colorful arms!)

Not that I’m going to say where until I’ve returned home, because I’m a paranoid freak, but I think I may have actually decided where to go on my vacation!  Of course, knowing me, I could theoretically change my mind fifteen times before I actually book said vacation, so… yeah.

Something semi-exciting happened today: I found boots!  Or, um, sort of.  I saw them online, and I was SO excited because the calf circumference actually would have fit me… but they didn’t have them in my size.    And they were pull-on boots, too; I’d rather have boots with a zipper, but at this point I don’t think I can afford to be all that picky!

It’s not even 10.30 yet, but this old lady would prefer to avoid a repeat of today’s rushed morning — it just gives the entire day such a hectic feel!  Off I go, then.  Have a happy Hump Day!

8 oz. cream cheese, fat free
3 Tbsp sugar substitute (try Splenda®)
4 Graham Crackers
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Mix cream cheese and sugar substitute together in bowl. Break graham crackers in half. Spread cream cheese mixture on graham crackers. Top with sliced strawberries. Makes 8 servings.

photo by little acorn studio

Here’s an amazing holiday idea for those whose inability to choose between making a gingerbread house from scratch and buying a kit from a store leaves them (gingerbread)homeless year after year: the graham cracker village! I love it. Nicely done, little acorn.

Dream analysis, anyone? For some background information, I’ve wanted to get a second piercing in my left ear since I was around thirteen. I assumed it was just “teenage rebellion.” At this point, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that isn’t the case; I just want one! My parents would have a whole herd of cows if I did that. (Is “herd” the right word to use here?!) A couple of nights ago, I had a long convoluted dream, the gist of which was that I did actually get a second piercing. (When I told my mom about it, she said, “So you decided to starve yourself instead.” Huh? What on earth has that got to do with anything??) Analyze your heart out!

This morning when I got to the gym, I found a homeless man sprawled out in the niche in front of the door. Since it wasn’t yet opening time, and they wouldn’t let me into the actual gym anyway, I figured I’d save myself the trouble of making him move and just hung around outside, since the weather was actually pretty nice. Eventually some other people showed up and then a police officer walked by, so we let him do the dirty work. I don’t think he was too excited about it, either!

One point for me: I didn’t weigh myself today! Take that.

After the gym, I spent far too much time scouring every single store in a mall for boots. I did not find any. I’m considering the following options:

• Hiring a cobbler to make me my own pair of custom boots
• Moving somewhere warm so that I don’t need boots
• Walking through the snow in my bare feet
• Just. Keep. Looking.

Which do you think is my best bet?? I’m starting to get a little… desperate here.

Equal amounts oat bran and pumpkin, double that amount of boiled water, mixed with Splenda and microwaved for 1.5 minutes, then topped with copious amounts of cinnamon. I really don’t like canned pumpkin; but I do in oats or oat bran, apparently. I love the color, too!

Sugar-free apple pie filling warmed in the microwave and topped with a crumbled (stale) graham cracker. Graham crackers are like Nature Valley bars to me; I actually like them better when they’re stale.

Soba noodles and tofu with yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, onions and peppers cooked in a balsamic reduction. (Ha… that sounds so fancy.) Believe me when I say this was enormous.

Okay, fine, don’t believe me. Here’s the photographic evidence:

Yikes. I’m not even going to say it. Because I know it’s mostly vegetables. But… seriously!

It’s still Cousin Central… I don’t actually know when they’re leaving. Some on Monday, some on Tuesday, I think. Most of my food is still safe. What I don’t understand is this: they are here for a reason, yes? Presumably the reason is not to hang around in my house… actually, I know it’s not. So why on earth are they always doing that??

While I was meant to be preparing for my presentations tomorrow — emphasis on the presentations, as I’ve totally despaired of the paper being any better than its current dismal state — my sister called me because my niece is having a grammar test tomorrow. One thing about me: I can, hopefully, use proper English. I enjoy English. However, this does not mean that I know or care about every part of speech or what it is called! I fail to understand the relevance of indirect pronouns to proper usage of the English language. My sister wants to know what we did before Google. Um… people actually knew things back then. Or we were just stupid.

In any case, I didn’t adequately prepare for my presentations at all. I am possibly going to do a practice run with my mom and / or dad later… every time I do that, I want to crack up. Whereas when I do it in front of the class, I want to pass out. Give me my Klonopin!

I did text my friend back last night, but that was it… she never replied. I think she expects me to call her. Which I don’t actually think is a very good idea… well, it might be for her. Not so much for me.

The usual “Sunday Night Blues” are creeping in, so I think I’m going to go find something to use to distract myself! Hope you all have a great start to your week!

Wednesday night, we finally had our first fire in our fireplace.   In fact, it was the first fire that has ever been made in it.   Our house is 22 years old, and the fireplace had never been used.   I find it hard to believe how someone could live in a house and never use such a nice masonry fireplace.  We had a fireplace in our first home, a wood burning prefab design, and we really enjoyed it.  Our second home did not have one so we built fires outside in a metal firepit.  That was always fun, but usually depended on weather conditions.  I am so glad we finally have a brick wood burning fireplace!  It is something we have always wanted.   I don’t relax on the sofa often, but I did that evening.

We are looking forward to having many more cozy fires.  I cannot wait for the first snowfall.  How nice it will be to sit by a roaring fire with a cup of hot chocolate after playing in the snow, or to watch Christmas movies while eating popcorn and drinking hot apple cider. What wonderful memories that will be!  We are staying in town for Thanksgiving and I am already looking forward to having pumpkin pie and coffee by the fire after our first Thanksgiving dinner here.

Here  are some photos of our fireplace along with our dog, who still is not walking on his own, but can with some help.  Though, he does a mighty fine crawl across the floor. 

 Who can have a fire without s’mores?

 Bodie enjoying the fire.  He had a few graham crackers but no chocolate.

Tonight we had a Brownies troop meeting, and we completed activities to earn the Healthy Habits Try-It patch.  It was Moco’s turn to bring snack, and I struggled with a creative snack idea that went along with the healthy habits theme.  Then I remembered something I read about a build-your-own yogurt parfait bar — perfect!

Supplies:

Plastic cups or bowls for parfaits

Plastic bowls or containers for ingredients

Plastic spoons

Serving spoons

Paper towels or napkins

Ingredients:

Yogurt (we used big containers of low-fat vanilla and low-fat strawberry)

Granola cereal

Dried berries mix

Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries (we used frozen; any fresh or frozen fruit would work)

Semi-sweet chocolate chips (could also use other kinds of baking chips – butterscotch, caramel, white chocolate, etc.)

Coconut

Graham crackers (we used crumbs; Teddy Grahams or mini Oreos would be fun too!)

Various cereals (we used the small individual boxes of Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams, Cocoa Puffs, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch)

Chopped nuts (we used pecans)

The girls loved building their own parfaits — most came back for seconds.  There are a few things I would do differently next time.  I would have used reusable containers (or fun/fancy serving dishes) and bigger serving spoons for every ingredient.  We just opened the bags and stuck plastic spoons in each and let the girls dish out what they wanted — not exactly easy for seven- and eight-year-olds!  They were pouring from the bags and spilling with the smaller spoons.  Having reusable containers would have made clean-up much easier — put lids on and pack it up (we were using a housing complex clubhouse for our meeting).

If I had thought ahead, it would have been fun to have the girls decorate their own reusable plastic cups or (cheap) fancy goblets.  That way we could have done a lesson on reducing waste, too!

This is definitely something we’ll do again, and I’ll let my kids do this at home for breakfast or snacks whenever they want!

Halloween pictures for your viewing entertainment…

whatup kanye!

Friday night: I was the Wicked Witch of the west! Check out my crazy bright, orange-striped tights.

My hair was a messsss and the pictures are lacking…but it was a fun night. I’ll leave it at that.

There was also another round of frat-tastic festivities on Saturday: Yes, I ended up wearing the bumble bee costume

And somehow a sombrero ended up on my head….

There may also be a few pictures of me, posing with the boys who dubbed me a “queen bee” of the night….however i’ll spare them the food-blogging debut. That comment definitely went to my head! I even gave some boys the task of finding me a crown…since I was the queen bee and all.

I passed out by 3ish and woke up to a beautiful yogurt mess! Waking up to this makes hiding yogurt in my house’s fridge totally worth it. No girls drunkenly taking it from me….. ha, and you’d think I was kidding! Plus, I was getting wayy sick of oatmeal. But after three oatmeal-less days, its back in full-force… and today’s was topped with a banana, cinnamon, almond butter and honey. Divine!

But back to the yogurt mess, this right hurrr was:

• 1 Plain Oikos (sweetened with stevia)
• 1 chopped gala apple
• tbsp of ground flax
• Shredded Spoonfuls
• Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Granola
• Cinnamon and…
• Almond Butter!

And last night’s deeeeesert:

hideous lighting.

Oooh just another version of the infamous “baked apple”. This bowl had one “baked” red apple (microwaved for about 90 seconds), lots of cinnamon, crushed graham crackers, a splash of soymilk and sprinkle of carob chips. Look at the melty goodness, so good!

Alright, but before I end this lame-ish post….

Question: What do you define as your happy weight??

College girls (and all other women) really need to stop obsessing over their weight. If you’re happy, healthy and can rock a hot outfit, then what’s the problem?! I just wish that my roommates and other friends already knew what my awesome bloggies do! I know that for some it has been a long process, but so many of you have finally reached such an accepting, confident place…and i’m sure you’ve never looked better! Operation Beautiful, anyone?

Have a great week girls! I’ll be studying my life away, catching up on tv shows and prepping for homecoming!

Much Love, Jess

I asked and you answered. Thanks to everyone for your ideas with the 21 Foods List! Here it is, revamped; these are all the foods that I plan on making over the next year before my 22nd birthday, all of them from scratch and without the aid of bread makers/pasta machines etc:

1. Perogies

2. Pasta

3. Cinnamon buns

4. Jam

5. Marshmallows

6. Gnocchi

7. Baked donuts

8. Graham crackers

9. Cheesecake

10. Bagels

11. Pickles

12. English Muffins

13. Paella

14. Roasting a turkey

15. Nut butter

16. Yogurt

17. Pesto

18. Pate

19. Vegetable stock

20. Pita bread

21. Baklava

A couple others which I want to try but might not get accomplished this year, from your suggestions, are to make coffee, duck (I’m not sure how I’d prepare this- but the idea of tackling Peking duck is so intriguing and would be such a great challenge!), and lavender soup. At the beginning of October, as I was happily indulging in a square of layer cake that my awesome new roommate’s mum made, it crossed my mind that to make a layer cake would be another good one to add to this list. Therefore, I’m adding layer cake as a “bonus” bullet point to my 21 Foods List.

I have already crossed two off my list: roasting a turkey and making vegetable stock. They both turned out amazingly well! I roasted the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner with my mum looking on (following her directions- no one would trust me to bring along my own recipe because I’d likely try to “healthify” it and thus ruin it ), and I used a recipe from The Veganomicon for the vegetable stock. Both were simple and easy to do. There’s hardly anything to roasting a turkey! I was pleasantly surprised at the glorious simplicity of such a delicious dish (and, as my mum noted, if you’re using a butterball turkey like we do every holiday, it’s really just the combination of fat and salt that makes it. David Kessler, anyone?).

With the vegetable stock, the key is to use the “leftovers” from veggies. I threw in all of the ends of carrots and stumps of celery that are inedible (I saved them over the course of about a week), and besides that, the recipe just calls for one chopped onion, less than 1 tbsp of olive oil, and a pile of garlic. Delicious. It worked perfectly in my favourite split pea soup recipe. I’ve seen a lot of recipes to make vegetable stock which call for using a ton of vegetables, and I think it took me this long to make my own broth because I didn’t want to waste so many vegetables. But if you use the stumps, cores, peels etc that you wouldn’t eat anyways, vegetable stock becomes an incredibly economical and healthy dish. The best part about it, too, is that it only needs to simmer for a couple hours (throwing the veggies in with the water takes all of about 3 minutes), and it’s not overflowing with sodium! Even vegetable stocks that say “reduced salt” on them at the grocery store tend to have oodles of salt in them, so it’s nice to have that kind of control to ensure that there is either no salt, or very little, added to the homemade variety.

If you have any recipes for the above items on my 21 Foods List, please do send them my way. I’d love to try them out!

Also, for those of you who have been asking, here is my delicious bean ball recipe (click on link for more ideas for the best ways to eat them and for substitutions if you don’t have some of the ingredients readily available):

Energizing Protein-packed Bean Balls

Ingredients
1 can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained to remove any excess sodium)
2 heaping tbsp homemade ketchup (recipe below)
1 tbsp water
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
A few squirts of lemon juice
5 tbsp wheat germ
4 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

2. Mash the kidney beans in a mixing bowl so that there are still some chunks of beans. Add the rest of the ingredients and use a spoon to mix everything together until it is well combined.

3. Roll the bean mixture into small balls. You should get between about 20 and 30 balls.

4. Spread parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place the balls on the sheet and spray them with some olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom, then flip them and bake for another 10 minutes.

To make the ketchup: Combine 1 can tomato paste, 2 tbsp water, 1 tbsp agave nectar (or honey), 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp whole grain mustard, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground cloves and 2 tbsp cider vinegar. Refrigerate until use.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for Taza Chocolate!

Today I learned that you can still have snow days in college. Campus closed at 2 p.m. today due the large of amount of snow we’re being pounded with. This was excellent news, but I wish it could have come before my 12 o’clock math test. Which did not go well.

After the miserable test I was going to work out, but the rec center closed so I went another day without the gym and am not feeling too great about myself. But everybody needs a rest day- or four.

About yesterday, I go so caught up studying and going to a newspaper dessert party that I completely ran out of time to post! So here’s a quick summary: woke up with a cereal bowl, skipped the gym to look pretty for a newspaper photo shoot, had a great salad accompanied by a cup of tea and a self portrait.

I also went to a dessert party that was chock full of great treats, but I forgot to take pictures (too busy socializing). To make up for it though, I have a new recipe today!

I woke up with a big cereal bowl with a whole banana today for a protein craving I was having.

After my test and the depression that followed I wasn’t feeling too hungry. Around 3 I decided to have a little something for lunch so I put peanut butter and half a banana on a Kashi Go Lean waffle with a drizzle of hot syrup.

Then I started to feel a bit better.

When Taylor said that she was going to make a pie for our family dinner tonight with store-bought crust I almost had a heart attack. Store-bought baked goods or desserts from boxes have no place in my house. I demanded that we make something from scratch. We had a bit of a time restraint so a rolled pie crust was out of the question. A quick brainstorm with Taylor resulted in a great recipe that’s part apple pie and part crumble or crisp: Holly Place Apple Pie.

Holly Place Apple Pie

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

4 tbsp sugar

1 stick butter, melted

Pinch of salt

Filling:

3 lbs apples (about 6-8 apples)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Pinch of salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup whipping cream

Crusty crumble topping:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp spreadable butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

First things first, you have to crumble all of your graham crackers. We did this by hand so it took a while but I’m sure a food processor would work. This was one of the few things Taylor actually helped with in the baking of the pie (a snowball fight seduced her outside).

Add the sugar and mix into the graham cracker. Pour melted butter over the mixture and use your hands to blend. I also added a few tablespoons of water to help with this step.

Dumb the crust mix onto a pie tine and using your fingers, mold the crust to fit the pan making sure to cover the sides and bottom as evenly as possible.

A big thanks to my roommates for some action shots.

Pat threw on an apron and sneakily joined in, thanks Pat.

Chill the pie crust while you assemble the rest of the ingredients. To prepare the filling, slice your peeled apples into thin slices. The peeling/slicing part took forever with so many apples! So worth it though.

That was before the slicing really started and look how many apples that is already!

Place sliced apples into a large bowl. Add cinnamon, both kinds of sugar, salt and flour to the bowl and toss to coat the apples. Remove your pie crust from the fridge and stack as many apples as you can in that thing! More is always better! Pour whipping cream over the apples in the pie crust.

Now make your crumbly crust.  Mix the graham crackers with the cinnamon and sugar and mix in the melted butter. Cover the apple filling with this mix. Pop the pie in an oven set to 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until the crust is browning on the edges and the middle of the pie looks a little moist and caramelized.

Somehow in this process I managed to eat the equivalent of three graham crackers, a whole apple and probably a good tablespoon or two of butter and sugar. I can’t help but nibble while baking, just to test and make sure everything is okay.

While the pie was baking in the oven we tucked into our feast. We ate on the floor at a low table (actually a closet door on top of speakers but who can tell?) with pillows and candles…

We had some mixed peppers, onions and sweet potatoes made by Pat, creamed corn and bread from Ally and a big pot roast from her boyfriend Forrest. A pot roast which Pat decided to carve with no shirt on, a common theme as you can see.

I made myself a plate with vegetables and some sliced celery and hummus. I don’t eat mammals which is why I turned down the roast, but from what everyone was saying with their mouths full, it was great.

For dessert I had a nice healthy slice of the pie and it was GREAT. The graham crackers really added the perfect texture and flavor to the apples that got all nice and soft and caramelized in the oven. Rave reviews were heard from the rest of the table. Pat even declared it “the best I’ve had.” The Holly Place Apple pie was such a hit, half of it was gone before I even got a picture.

After some lounging time after this feast I broke out the books again. It’s still snowing outside, but I feel a lot better then I did earlier today. A good meal and good friends will do that for you.

Here’s hoping to another snow day!

It is getting to the end of the season but I know we still do lots of outside fire pits this time of year.
We love to eat smores.
This year, I found a great ‘graham cracker’ to use. Before I only ate the chocolate and marshmellow.
Smoreables are yummy. I haven’t tried them in a crust yet but.. I like to eat them sandwiched with leftover frosting/icing!!
To see what the box looks like… click here!