Sometimes Mother Nature is a big help.
I know most of you think I’m nuts based on the US weather as of late.
This was my view this morning:
My camera couldn’t pick up the snow very well so I took some artistic license.
…
Is there such a thing as a moving consultant?
I need to be project planned.
In my “normal” life I’m pretty organized. I’m structured. I have a routine and I like it. Some might call me Type A (though you wouldn’t know it from the past couple months… I blame Vegas).
Anytime I move it’s a whole new story. I turn into a Jack Russell puppy chasing it’s tail. I have bubble wrap everywhere. Piles of shit I have no idea what to do with. Empty boxes. Boxes that are 75% full… but that I can’t seal because I’m looking for little odds and ends I can cram it the remaining 25% (you know those odd spaces that need to be stuffed by nothing really fit in?).
…
I can admit when I’m wrong.
Sometimes. If I’m in the right mood.
Wednesday I ranted about declining service in restaurants. I still stand by my theory, but I have to call out the fact that I had absolutely amazing service at dinner last night.
I met a friend at Metro Fresh, one of my favorite local spots. They serve fresh, clean food. The menu changes daily and the prices are reasonable. It’s my go-to.
After enjoying a fantastic piece of salmon and a leafy green salad, I was craving dark chocolate. I asked if they had squares, but they didn’t. Much to my surprise, one of the employees brought over the most delicious (housemade!) cinnamon roll. For. Free.
When I got home, I wrote an email to the owner bragging on his staff and thanking him for another great experience. Have you ever done this? I try to be as quick to compliment as I am to complain.
This morning when he emailed out the daily menu, he included my note saying it was especially nice to get after a long, busy day. How cool is this?!
Awesome. There is hope. There are still restaurant owners and staff that care about the experience customers have in their establishments.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
It feels so good to be APRIL! I’ve been waiting for this month all year!
It’s my last month of law school, and I am so so so so excited to be almost done! I could not have done this without my friends and family and their constant support. (Editor’s note: SO PROUD of you!!!)
I went to my cousin’s amazing wedding, and got to spend time with my mom and brother and dad. Being with my family reminded me of how important they are because they make me feel so grounded. This is probably because your family are your roots, and even though they might sometimes drive you batty, they are where you come from.
See, I get it from my momma (and I know the quality of this picture SUCKS – but you can see where I get my quirky qualities)
Me and my handsome brother
It was also a blessing to go to my cousin’s wedding and spend time with my extended family. WOW.
It was so cool to see how in love they are and to know how much they’ve been through before they ever got married. Their love is the kind of love I aspire to, and they truly have a fairy tale. (Editor’s note: I flippin’ loved seeing all their wedding pics – cowboy fairy tale!)
SEE?!?!? So stinkin’ cute!
When I came home, I also had a beautiful necklace in the mail – a tree that represents the earth and feeling grounded… this is symbolic for me because I think I realized that this is my theme of the year/month/right now/whatever.
My groundedness is coming from my family, my ability to connect with nature, to be with the earth. I love what I get from the earth and feel incredibly lucky every day.
I also got to connect with Laura over a wonderful dinner at Bacchanalia! I can’t believe she treated me to such an awesome birthday dinner! (Editors’ note: Thank god the company was good! 😉 )
At the dinner, she asked me to share what I have been doing with TVP, so I had to oblige. TVP Bacon Bits!!!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
In my opinion, what gives these a better flavor (and meatier than most) is the combo of the BBQ sauce, cumin, and nutritional yeast. I have never seen a recipe that used this combination, and I don’t know why! It’s amazing.
I put these bits on EVERYTHING! Make your friends jealous. Try it on a salad, on your guacamole (or on half of an avocado), on your baked potato, eat them plain, top your chili. Endless possibilities!
Also, another great reason to try this recipe, besides that it’s super easier and way healthier than bacon, (Editor’s note: mmm… bacon), is that you can taste as you go! You can tell by the flavor of the un-crisped mixture what the final product will taste like, so you can adjust. Need a pinch of salt? Want a little more barbecue flavor? No problem!
Now, what else can we do with these bits? I’m glad you asked. Bacon PANCAKES. That’s right. Add a handful of these bad boys to your pancake mixture. You will NOT regret it.
Pancake batter
I really like Karina’s recipe, but mine do not come out nearly as beautiful. I used her recipe and added a bit of cinnamon and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Once I made the mixture, I ladled some into the pan, and added the TVP Bacon Bits.
I suck at flipping pancakes. They’re never consistent in color but they’re delicious. (Editor’s note: that’s all that matters!)
I like these so much, I eat them plain – no butter, no syrup, etc.
Also, I now get why it’s impossible to take pretty pictures of brown food. Editor’s note: told you so!!!) So, you will have to take my word for it.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Preheat the oven to 265 degrees (yes, 265 – that is not a typo. I just couldn’t decide between 250 and 275).
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl together, whisk with a fork. Spread mixture across a baking sheet. Place in oven.
I set my timer for 24 minutes. But they really needed like 31.3 minutes…. until I got really impatient. When they still weren’t crispy, because it takes forever and you have to keep moving them around, you start to get really annoyed. The next step was to heat that bad-boy of and oven up to 425. After that, they were done in 10 more minutes. Crispy and delicious. This was a trial and error… but came out AWESOME!
Editor’s Note: I think the moral of the story might be to make them at a higher temp. 😉
***
I have to admit… I’m a little sad that Kat beat me to this idea. Haha. Really… I’m gong to be making these STAT.
Does your family keep you grounded, even when you feel insane? No comment.
What’s exciting about your April?
Don’t cry for me, Argentina…
I recently decided on my 2012 international trip and there’s no crying here! Two of my best friends from grad school and I are going to Argentina AND Uruguay! Leaving just 6 weeks from today!!!
Here’s my dilemma: Argentina is known for meat. I love to travel and try new foods, and I always said that whatever veggie-food thing I have going is out the window when I travel. No restrictions. But now I am scared I’ll get sick… and meat just doesn’t appeal to me like it used it.
I did eat 3 bites of meat at dinner tonight… so far so good.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Meat dilemmas aside, Jenn (who called me a genius last night) @ Peas and Crayons is hosting What I Ate Wednesday this month in the theme of veggies:
Check out my veggie eats (plus a couple of meats) below; then click here to see what everyone else enjoyed for WIAW.
This morning I woke up feeling jumpy… in a plyo way. I bounced out of bed and down to the gym for 60 mins of Plyo with Tony Horton (from P90X). In case you haven’t tried it yet, this plyo DVD with kick your butt. It left me hot, sweaty, and STARVING.
I ran up to my condo for a tasty Banana-Maple-Ginger Smoothie accompanied by a (vegan) Raw Cookie Dough Ball, compliments of this recipe by Lisa @ Healthful Sense (I always keep a batch in the freezer for a quick snack or smoothie topping).
Working from home makes me happy because I get to MOVE so much more. Bring chained to a desk is really hard for me. In the interest of movement, I walked to one of my favorite spots – MetroFresh – to meet a friend for lunch.
MetroFresh’s menu changes daily, but they always offer 5-6 soups, 7-8 salads/sides, and a couple of sandwiches. They also designate which items are vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free. Love that.
Today I had a Swiss Chard and White Bean Stew and a Maple-Citrus Wild Rice Salad with Mushrooms, Feta, Cucumber, Black Wheatberries, and Dried Cranberries. Finger-lickin’ good.
Side note: Did anyone watch Doogie Howser or Party of 5 growing up? The owner of MetroFresh, Mitchell Anderson, played roles in both hit shows!
My lunch was pretty filling, and I knew I was going out for dinner so I was a little light on the snacks today. I did enjoy a Kombucha, a banana (topped with a failed attempt at chocolate-peanut butter – the texture was nasty), and a piece of chocolate (to help me feel better after the PB fail).
Apparently is was a day for dining out. I had dinner with my mom and cousin at a local Indian spot called Cardamom Hill. This place is amazing – I blogged about it here when they first opened, and they have only gotten better since.
For appetizers we ordered Pork Vindaloo (pork shoulder slow-cooked in a flavorful vinegar sauce with turmeric and cardamom served with a side of appam), Coconut Curry Vegetable Stew, and a Squid special that was cooked in a red chili sauce and served with a side of fried plantains.
I did take a bite of everything… it was the first time I’ve had pork in months. It was delicious, but I still couldn’t imagine eating a whole order. The vegetable curry soup was my favorite!
Remembering how delicious it was the first time there, I ordered the Vegetable Platter. It wasn’t quiiiite as good, but that is a preference thing. They do change-up pieces of the dish, and on my first trip there was more heat incorporated. I love spicy food.
From L to R: Avail (lightly steamed vegetables in a shaved coconut sauce), Sambhar (a stew with okra, carrots, and potatoes), stack of sliced warm Beets layered with housemade yogurt and mustard seeds, and seasoned rice.
My favorite was the Avail. That shaved coconut sauce was perfect – not too sweet or heavy, complimenting the root veggies it was served over.
The winner was my mom’s dish (unpictured). She ordered the Kerala-Style Fried Chicken, served over vegetable pileau (rice with veggies). Yup, I took another bite of meat… I don’t regret it. This chicken was among the best I’ve ever tasted. Don’t skip it if you are in the neighborhood (and you eat meat).
Someone once said there is a whole separate part of your stomach for dessert. They weren’t kidding. I should have been stuffed after all of that… yet I came home and enjoyed a So Delicious coconut ice cream bar. The bar is dairy-free and contains only 1g of sugar… and you would never be able to tell.
So Delicious, indeed.
***
Another reminder to enter my NuNaturals giveaway – there are 4 chances to win the new NuNaturals Orange and Lemon Liquid Stevias! Contest ends Thursday at 11:59pm EST. Click here to enter.
Have you ever been to Argentina, or South America? Any suggestions?
Have you ever gone back to eating meat? How did you ease back in to it?
Last night was a late one.
Therefore today’s blog is a late one. 🙂
I went to see the Indigo Girls at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
The event is on the lawn and you can pre-order food from Metro Fresh to picnic with.
Peach caprese, roasted turkey sandwich with apples and walnut pesto, black pearl rice with mushrooms, and grilled asparagus with lemon aioli.
All very good – my favorite with the sandwich, which also included white Vermont cheddar and apples.
And, of course, a bottle of wine.
It wasn’t the best, but not the worst.
The Indigo Girls were my favorite band in college and they didn’t disappoint last night!
They opened the show with Yield and played a good mix of old and new all night.
Favorite new lyrics:
“My, my how time flies. The first time I met you had to shade my eyes.”
Despite a mid-concert torrential downpour, people stayed for the whole show, singing and dancing their hearts out.*
*Except the woman next to us, who was passed out cold. Too much crappy Chardonnay will do it every time, lady.
After the rain let up, Emily played Watershed. Appropriately timed, FTW.
“Every 5 years or so I look back on my life and I have a good laugh.”
I really like her restaurant, Watershed. (Click through to the site where you can check out the restaurant while listening to the song!)
If you’re ever in Atlanta check out their brunch, or for dinner don’t miss the white bean dip. Sounds plain, but YUM.
Encore! Encore!
Amy and Emily came out for their encore and played Chickenman. It’s my favorite song. Love the energy of it and Emily’s bangin’ guitar solo mid-song.
“I am an only child born of the wild, riddled to spend my time defending my land.”
You can’t have an Indigo Girls concert without Closer to Fine, which the crown enthusiastically sang along to. An oldie but a goodie.
“The best thing you’ve ever done for me is to help me take my life less seriously, it’s only life after all”
***
I need to get out to more concerts – good times.
What was your favorite back in high school or college?
What’s the best show you’ve seen lately?
