Okay, when did this happen?!

I suppose I’m okay with it because it just means more of this can happen…

4 sweaty miles. It might be September, but it was HOT out there today.

I don’t know how this happened (a blenderful is a portion, right? Of course).

But I do know how this happened!

Although you can’t tell from the color, my smoothie was filled with a fresh peach!

Okay, seriously…when did me NOT BEING ALLERGIC TO FRESH PEACHES happen?!?

I remember trying a raw peach ~2 years ago and getting an allergic reaction. And now, poof! Nothing. Of course this happens AT THE END OF SUMMER!!! I think I’ll be eating daily peaches for the next few weeks to celebrate/mourn the fact that they’re going out of season.

***

And then there was 1.5 left…

…and now there are 0.

I also have no idea how this happened. Actually, I do. I forgot to put them in the freezer! Something tells me that wouldn’t have made a difference.

I’m so glad this happened last night…

A first round win for Andy Roddick. Fingers crossed he can go all the way this year.

***

I was walking to the pool today when all of sudden, the sky got super cloudy and it started raining! Why did that happen?

I decided it was a sign from above that I should be a good daughter and cook dinner for my parents instead.

But, not without some food in my belly first.

I dug out some leftovers from the fridge to make a salad. Peter made a dish with tofu, tilapia, shrimp, and tomatoes the other day and saved me some.

I plopped it right on a bed of romaine lettuce and called it lunch.

Alright, it’s time to return the favor! What should I make for the ‘rents?

I’m going to my high school’s first football game of the season tonight! I’m mentally preparing to be hit by a tsunami wave of nostalgia.

See ya later!

Training Day went great! We learned a whole lot—how to knead and shape bread loaves, how to cut bread slices (there’s an art to it!), and how to pamper our customers. Many of you have asked what I’ll be doing at Great Harvest. For the most part, I’ll be working in the customer service department. I’ll be slicing free bread slices (!!), bagging loaves of bread, chit chatting w/ customers, ringing up orders, and much more.

It’ll be fun!

So what did I eat today? Just look at the board! I ate it ALL .

I had a small bite of an Oat Berry Muffin…

An entire Great Harvest Original Cookie–oatmeal chocolate chip walnut. This photo doesn’t do it justice! The cookies are humongous and chock full of goodies.

There was also Berry Cream Cheese Scuffins on the sweets menu, which I’m currently munching on as I type this.

It doesn’t end there…Kath gave me a sample of “Lynda’s Granola,” which is like thick, dense granola bark!

Last but not least, I ate some Sesame Oat Bran Sticks and Sunflower Basil crackers.

I wasn’t too hungry for lunch (you can see why!), but I knew I needed some veggies in my belly. I went next door to Cvile Coffee for a salad.

I got the same salad as the one I got last time I was here house hunting. Veggie Bean Salad w/ Grilled Tofu

I subbed roasted red peppers for the olives, what a brilliant idea!

Unfortunately, the tofu was practically unedible. It wasn’t firm like last time and it was so so salty. It felt like I was drinking a bottle of soy sauce.

I still ate it though to get in some protein…and because it was expensive!

I was dripping sweat from just the 3 min. drive from the bakery to my apartment, so I figured I’d hit up the apartment gym for a quick workout. Between packing and playing tennis with the ‘rents, it had been awhile since I’d been to the gym!

I completed 15 min. elliptical (a weird one I didn’t like), 20 min. incline walking on the treadmill and 10 min. upper body strength training.

The gym is relatively small with only 1 weight machine. I couldn’t take a photo of the gym because there were a couple other people there. That would’ve been a bit awkward.

***

I just showered and I’m about to go scrounge around for dinner. I have leftover salad and my daily orange calling my name. I think my roommate is making a big bowl of guacamole too.

Alright, that’s a wrap!

Tell me: Your Sweet and Sweat of choice!

<–she wears snow shorts!

This winter, the DC area has escaped snow storms left and right. All of the snow that has hit the East Coast has somehow missed us by just a few miles. Sure, we’ve been getting 2-3 inches here and there (and even a 5 incher), but nothing unmanageable…

…until today!

I’m definitely more than ready for spring to come, but a crazy snow storm is always just so magical.

***

I had a snack of trail mix + chocolate chips before lugging my butt to the gym to catch Ellen’s Birthday Episode (Happy Birthday, Ellen!!). This could only brighten up my day!

And brightened it up it did…

Today’s episode may have been one of the funniest episodes of Ellen…ever. I was hysterically laughing while incline walking on the treadmill. I had to cover my mouth a few times as not to disturb the other gymmers.

My dream job would be to work for The Ellen Show. How awesome would that be?!

I incline walked for 55 min. and did arm weights during the commercials (~15 min). I went from feeling blah and lethargic with a migraine headache, to feeling energetic and lively.

Thank you Ellen, thank you endorphins!

***

While working out the weather went from hail –> freezing rain –> snow. The 0.7 mile drive home was a scary one! This isn’t a blurry photo. The snow was comin’ DOWN.

Not to mention I wore shorts to the gym, as I do everyday. Who wears snow shorts?

For a post workout snack, I had a perfectly fried egg on a piece of toast with avocado. On the side, I had some greens with pasta sauce.

Orange and Greek yogurt x2.

***

For dinner, Peter prepared eggplant, fish and some other dishes. There were 5 plates total…for 3 people.

Scrumpsh!

***

Before I go, check out the comparison shots I took throughout the day.

2 PM

5 PM

7:30 PM

…and it’s supposed to continue for a few more hours!

***

Off to gawk at the snow s’more and then watch some American Idol + Australian Open. Have a great night.

Tell me: One thing that brightened your day. And snow…love it? or over it?

There’s a first for everything right? Well, today I got to sit in First Class for the first time in my entire life. My dad and I were beyond excited (it was borderline embarrassing how giddy we were). We’re a rather frugal family so we always opt for the cheapest travel options. Thus, the First Class experience was completely foreign to me—SO awesome yet so shocking at the same time. I can have my seat back for take off? I can sit in my seat with my legs pretzel-style? Last but not least, multi-course meals?!

What a treat. Thanks, United!

It was a first for Peter too! And he definitely took full advantage of his ticket .

(P.S. we have no idea how we got on the upgrade list. We were too afraid to ask!)

***

More on my flight in a little bit.

I woke up at 7 AM to squeeze in a quick workout. I learned (the hard way) from my trip to San Fran that I really don’t feel good if I skip workouts while traveling/flying. I was actually a bit surprised by how crappy I felt taking just 6 days off from exercise. Hormones and too much food/sugar didn’t help!

I did 40 min. on the elliptical and then 10 min. on the treadmill at 3.8 mph / 5% incline.

I finished packing right in the nick of time! You’d think with the traveling I’ve done recently, I’d have this down pat but nope.

For breakfast, I made Pumpkin Protein Oat Bran

I can’t remember the last time I had oat bran. I like that it takes less time to cook than rolled oats and this morning, bfast had to be quick!

I added some Vega powder for protein along with pumpkin, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Topped with pepitas and coconut.

Sadly, we were out of egg whites and/or almond milk so the bowl didn’t turn out as creamy as I like it.

Photographed next to Peter’s new baby plant.

I finished off the can o’ pumpkin straight up!

***

On the way to the airport, I snacked on a banana and a small bite of a nutty seedy bar I made last night. As you know, I have no such thing as a bar stash so I had to make some at the last minute. Recipe to come!

And then I was handed the golden ticket, which granted me access to the Red Carpet Club.

Sweet!

I started with hot tea, carrots, celery, crackers, and a small butter cookie.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t allergic to the raw carrots and celery. Either it was my lucky day or they were magical crudites!

I also had some Chex Mix and a few yogurt covered raisins.

Then it was time to board the plane and streeeeeeeetch out my legs. I am mildly claustrophobic so this felt glorious.

I soon learned that you can do anything in First Class. Instead of flight attendants pestering you to buckle up, you get served drinks and nuts.

I opted for seltzer water. I think Peter drank enough red wine for both of us combined!

Soon enough, it was time for lunch! Served on a table cloth, mind you.

Tortilla soup (not bad!)

Chicken salad w/ tomatoes, black beans, corn, and cheddar cheese. Not gourmet but still real food–no complaints here.

Plus a side of these crunchy bread sticks.

Dessert? Don’t mind if I do! A warm chocolate chip cookie. I ate 1/2 and gave the rest to the bottomless pit sitting next to me.

I won’t lie, I’m already counting down the years (err decades) before I can fly First Class again. I have a feeling that won’t happen until I turn 90. Oh and I’m pretty sure we have been assigned to the very last row on our return flight.

Ya win some, ya lose some .

Bird’s eye view of Virginia.

***

We just checked into our resort. OH DEAR ME OH MY!!! Photos to come, I promise!

Tell me: Have you ever flown First Class?!

Hello!! How are you? I’m having a blast in San Francisco (duh, are you surprised?). I’m blogging midday (are you surprised s’more?). I’m getting faster as we speak . I’ve got too much to show you and the festival hasn’t even officially begun yet. Eeps!

***

I had plans to go running this morning but I took one look out the window and said “uhh yeah…NO.” It was dreary and really windy. I had visions of myself blowing away and tumbling down the hills of SF. Ha! Just kidding, I just got lazy and wanted to get my day started.

For breakfast, I ate a strawberry Chobani w/ some Uncle Sam Honey Almond cereal and 1/2 an AllieBar from my host’s kitchen (thanks, Suki!).

I was feeling the need for some fruit so I ate a few bites of frozen mango chunks.

Then I took the BART downtown to meet up with some other blogger friends for Ashley’s photography sesh. It was fun to learn some new tricks, ask questions and exchange information.

I snacked on an AllieBar during the sesh and throughout the day. I’m so grateful I brought a couple extra bars to keep me going in between meals.

Then a big group of us walked over to Cafe Gratitude for lunch, a high raw vegan restaurant.

I was a little bit worried about ordering something raw since I had such a bad experience (tummy wise) in Chicago, but things are so far so good…as of now! Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Again, it took me forever and a half to decide on what to order. The theme of my life.

I shared an appetizer, I Am Insightful Spring Rolls: Avocado, seasonal fruit, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, sprouts & fresh herbs wrapped in blanched collard greens. Served with Thai coconut-almond butter dipping sauce and coleslaw

A. MAZE. ING. sauce!!

I just wish there had been more avocado!

For my entree, I ordered the special of the day: Raw Falafel w/ hummus, olive tapenade, salad with tzatziki dressing and buckwheat crackers.

The falafel was good–very nutty. I think I prefer traditional deep friend falafel though .

I loved the hummus and buckwheat crackers! I had never eaten raw beets before. I think I prefer them cooked.

I guess I’m not going raw anytime soon .

Then we trekked back a few miles to the hotel to check-in and get our swag bag!

SWAG BAG!

Here’s a sneak peak.

I’m currently blogging in Kath and Emily’s room while sipping on my delicious 1/5th caf coffee and munching on an Attune chocolate bar.

(First red holiday cup from Sbux!)

I can’t believe the view from their room!!!

Time to change and get ready for our first official Foodbuzz Festival event tonight. I hope there’s good food! (Who am I kidding? I’m sure it’ll be amazing!).

Have a great weekend and I’ll see you later tonight with my food baby in tow.

I should say San FranciiIIIiiiiIIIIiiiiiIIIIsco because the hills (aka mountain peaks) sure are crazy over here!

It was hot ‘n’ steamy today! I definitely packed for colder temps but I hear it’s gonna get colder as the weekend progresses (I hope).

I woke up e-a-r-l-y this morning to catch my loooong flight cross country. I finished the tub of Greek yogurt (wahoo!) and had some raspberries on the way to the airport. Once there, I munched on my packed snax.

• AllieBar (this batch turned out really well!!)
• Cinnaraisin Ezekiel Bread + almond butter
• Banana
• Dole Pineapple Fruit Bites
• $2.25 bottle of water (ouch!)

Plus some reading material:

I took the BART to the hotel to drop off my stuff (I am actually staying with, Suki, a local SF blogger I met at HLS–three cheers for cutting costs).

Then I met up with Heather, Diana and Susan before heading to Chinatown, just a few blocks away. Peter, are you proud/jealous of me?!

Who said these were hills? These are mountain peaks!!

We kept going higher…

…and higher…

…and higher! PHEW!!

These mountain peaks ain’t got nothin’ on me (and my calves)!

***

My body was SO confused by the early wake up call and the 3 hour time difference. I wasn’t hungry, but I knew I needed to eat something to hold me over to dinner….err midnight meal?

Enter: dim sum.

I got a shrimp pouch (?) and grabbed a small orange from a fruit stand.

We found the perfect spot to eat!

Afterwards, we did some shopping and I grabbed an Iced Passion tea.

For dinner, a group of us 20 bloggers met up for dinner at The Millennium Restaurant, an elegant vegetarian restaurant just a few blocks away from the hotel.

I spent forever perusing the menu…as did the rest of the table .

They brought out a slew of complimentary appetizers for us to enjoy. I was excited because many of them I contemplated ordering myself! Plus, you know how I feel about free food.

House Made Pickled Vegetables

Herb Marinated Olives

Bread and a lentil spread

AND last but certainly not least, the Crusted Oyster Mushrooms. Oh my heavens.

I could not stop raving about these fabulous mushrooms. The breading was made of chickpea flour and thyme and it tasted so much like classy fried chicken. I wanted to finish the whole plate for dessert .

I was already stuffed by the time our food came out but of course I made some room.

I ordered the Wilted Bloomsdale Spinach Salad: caramelized pear with thyme and vanilla, smoked tofu, red onion, creamy pear & Witte beer dressing, toasted hazelnuts.

Mmmmm!

And I shared the Black Bean Torte: Whole wheat torilla, caramelized plantain, smoky black bean puree, pumpkin-habanero papazul, cashew “sour cream”, strawberry salsa.

Double Mmmm! That’s about as descriptive as I can get right now as my eye lids are getting rather droopy.

Time for bed! An exciting day awaits me. My goal this weekend is to stay on top of blogging and bang out my posts efficiently. I think I can…I think I can.

Good night/morning!!

Today has been all about planning, packing and baking for the 2nd annual Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco, CA! I’m flying out tomorrow morning and I get back super early on Tuesday (red eye flight). Who’s going?! Let me know!

To say I’m excited would be a serious understatement.

However, I am a last minute planner and packer so the day has been (and will continue to be) a bit c-c-c-crazy. I went on a run this morning to calm my nerves. I know it helped a lot, but I’m still frantic!!

Let’s all say sayonara to perfect running weather….bye…au revoir…adios.

At least now my shin sleeves will keep me warm and not make me HOT.

“HOT” not “HOTT.” I forgot to wear them once last week and got significantly more smiles and cat calls. Actually, I get none when I wear them! I guess shin sleeves not only protect my shins but keep kidnappers away!

Sweaty shin sleeves = pepper spray?

I ran 6 miles in 60 minutes. I felt a twinge of pain in my left shin near the end (uh oh). I made sure to stretch my legs nice ‘n’ good. Hopefully it’s nothing major.

The gloves make it look like I live in the arctic tundra. It sure felt like it going from underneath my down comforter to 40 degree chill!

I ended at the gym where I did a quick 25 min. full body strength training routine since I will be without weights for 5 days. Strength training is tres important.

Pre workout: I munched on some Shredded Oats cereal and a medjool date.

Post workout:

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Plus a bowl of Greek yogurt and pumpkin oatmeal swirl!

• 1 cup cinnamon spiked Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• cereal and raspberries

Operation eat-up-the-pumpkin-berries-and-yogurt!

I love the juxtaposition of hot, nutty oats/chia + cold, silky smooth yogurt.

Then I had to get some ingredients to bake for my festival Foodie Exchange gift. We are all supposed to bring something to exchange with another attendee. I’m baking AllieBars and another surprise item.

***

I think I photographed dinner with the very LAST drop of sunshine. Hmm I win this time, Sun .

I hereby present you the most random salad of ALL time. Are you ready?

While out, I picked up some artichoke hearts, caprese salad, a balsamic onion and olive tapenade from the Mediterranean/olive bar.

Supplemented with a carrot and 1/2 a veggie burger with ketchup.

Cinnaraisin Ezekiel Bread on the side.

So random, I know.

I wake up pretty late to begin with, so on the days that I run, all my meals get pushed back a few hours. Although this was eaten at dinner time, it was more like my lunch. I’m most likely gonna be eating another meal later on tonight.

…looks like I’m ready for California time already .

10 am East Coast time = 7 am Cali time. Heck yes! I’m going to be an early riser for 5 days.

***

I still have about 5,000 things to do in the next 10 hours, including sleep!!

To Do:

• Find a suitcase (uhh yeah…)

• Figure out all my outfits

• Laundry

• Find all my electronics + cords

• Charge everything

• Upload all my photos, burn on DVD, and delete from memory card

• BAKE!!

• PACK!!!!

It’s me against the clock. Ready, set, go!

***

Tell me: Some packing tips!! Running in the cold tips!!

Thanks

I’m SO late tonight! It’s been a rather loooong day.

Dork moment: As I laid in bed last night, I thought to myself: what was I thinking buying a tub of Greek yogurt and a tray of raspberries from Costco when I’m flying to San Francisco on Thursday? And opening a can of pumpkin?! Uh oh. The word “waste” flashed in neon yellow right before my eyes. Then I shook my head and reassured myself it was no big deal. I’m the dairy queen, I can surely finish 1 liter of yogurt in 3 days. Have some faith in yourself, Al!

Did I just call myself ‘Al’? Yep.

Breakfast involved ALL 3 of those foods. Pumpkin eggy oatmeal w/ chia seeds + cinnamon spiked Greek yogurt and raspberries.

Plus coffee

The leaf bowl was appropriate as it really felt like Fall (err WINTER) this morning. Check out that frost.

I got up on the early side this morning to attend one of my best friend’s father’s funeral followed by a reception. I left my camera at home out of respect for everyone there.

I had some pasta salad, a big pickle (not awkward at all) and a white chocolate macadamia cookie. I got to chat with several of my friends from elementary/middle/high school, many of whom I haven’t seen in a couple years.

***

Then I drove back to our old house to vote! I munched on a pack of Halloween pretzels on the way.

Since I was in the neighborhood, I headed to our old house to use the gym. We still own the house so I’m still allowed to use the gym . I did an easy 60 min. on the elliptical.

***

I ventured to the Whole Foods Hot Bar for dinner. ‘Twas glorious.

I got a medley of grains and veggies:

• Tofu
• Asian slaw
• Black quinoa salad
• Kale and wheatberry salad
• Israeli cous cous
• Peas, carrots, red peppers
• Spring mix + spinach

These photos were taken with my point + shoot camera….do you notice the difference?

I picked up a few items afterwards. The Whole Deal has some fabulous coupons. If you shop at Whole Foods, you definitely need to pick up a copy and flip through it.

The Shredded Oats and Siggi’s were actually on sale to begin with so I got the cereal for $1.50 and yogurt for 75 cents….a STEAL!!

I swear, sometimes I think I should write a food THRIFT blog.

The Shredded Oats Vanilla Almond tastes like a mix between Cinnamon Puffins and Quaker Oatmeal Squares. I think it goes without saying that I’m a HUGE fan!

I had several handfuls on the drive home. FYI opening a box of cereal on a 30 min. drive is uhh rather dangerous.

I also spotted this Pumpkin Spice Arctic Zero. I saw the phrase pumpkin spice and was immediately intrigued. There was no way I could put this back after I picked it up.

It’s not really ice cream nor is it frozen yogurt…I’m not sure what to call it!

I ate about 2/3 of the pint.

It tasted more like frozen yogurt than ice cream. I’m happy to report it was much easier on my stomach than regular ice cream. I also love that the whole pint has 16g of protein and 8g of fiber.

I ended the night with some Greek yogurt, raspberries and a several handfuls of cereal. Cereeaaaaaal!

***

Alright time to go figure out San Fran logistics! I haven’t started packing whatsoever. Oopsies.

Tell me: What are your strategies for saving money at the grocery store?

Hey y’all! (I’m watching Paula Deen on the Food Network right now…can’t help it!).

How was your Halloween? We only had a few groups of kiddos ring our doorbell last night so I’ve got plenty of Halloween pretzels left to eat. I thought we would get more kids now that we live in a neighborhood but NOPE. Good thing I didn’t get a big bag of candy to hand out like I had planned!

This morning, I munched on some Halloween pretzels and Honey Nut Cheerios as a pre-workout snack.

Workout:

• 45 min. elliptical
• 15 min. leg weights

Post Workout:

Pumpkin Pie Wheatgrass Smoothie

• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 banana
• 1 packet wheat grass
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 1 scoop protein powder
• water, ice, stevia

Next up, a little something I dreamt up while working out.

2 min. Microwave Pumpkin Pie on Cinnaraisin Ezekiel toast ‘crust’, topped with Greek yogurt ‘whipped cream’ and raspberries

Bread ~ ‘crust’

Greek yogurt ~ whipped cream

I went back for a messy bowl of Greek yogurt, berries, banana, and Cheerios.

***

Then I ran some errands at 2 humongous stores: Super Target and Wegman’s.

At Weg, I picked up an organic Pumpkin Spice tea I’d never seen before and [on-sale] Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea. I plan on buying many many many more boxes of this crack tea as the season progresses.

(I actually have a box leftover from last winter. I hoard SCSR tea like it’s going out of fashion.)

I also got 5 Chunks of Energy and ate ‘em all. One day, I will figure out how to make these.

I got home in time to watch Taylor Swift on Ellen and Portia de Rossi on Oprah.

Taylor was adorable. I’ve only been belting her songs day and night for the past week .

Portia discussed her battle with anorexia and bulimia as well as coming out in the Hollywood spotlight. She had me in tears! What a well-spoken lady. I never knew about her story until today. I want to read her new book now, Unbearable Lightness.

While watching, I snacked on some medjool dates. The ones we got from Costco are great–very soft and moist.

…dipped in hazelnut cream cheese of course.

I also had a few handfuls of Kettle Chips. This is definitely something I only eat because it is in the house…PETER!!

For dinner, I put together a simple salad.

Avocado, herbed goat cheese, diced tomatoes, perfectly fried egg and a slice of Ezekiel Bread.

It was the last of the goat cheese .

I also had a few bites of Peter’s cooking.

Now I am trying to figure out how to satisfy my chocolate craving with no chocolate in the house!

***

Becoming a Faster Blogger: Step 1

I’ve mentioned that it takes me an inordinate amount of time to blog. Part of the reason is that I put a lot of thought into what I write and I proofread my posts at least a dozen times before I press publish. The other part is that my laptop is incredibly slow and it can’t handle a lot of activity at one time. Sometimes, if I drag too many photos into my blog post, I have to restart the computer just to load more. This makes it very difficult for me to blog when I am short on time such as when I am on FUN TRIPS. It’s also just really annoying.

Recently, I’ve been using my mom’s super powerful laptop to blog and I’ve been enjoying the speed with which I can upload photos. However, it’s not practical for me to hog her computer all day and when I go out of town, I need something to speed my ancient laptop along.

Enter, the SD Card Reader.

My mom’s laptop (and most newer laptops) has a card reader on the side where I can insert my memory card directly. My laptop, however, doesn’t have one and therefore I have to use a cord.

With the cord, I have to download the photos before I can drag them into my blog posts. With the SD card reader, I DON’T have to download the photos. Instead, I can drag them into my blog posts directly.

This allows me to sort through the 80,000 photos I take on a daily basis without taking up a lot of my precious and limited computer memory.

I found this at Target for $7.99. I’m sure you could find a similar one online for cheaper but I am leaving for San Fran this Thursday!

OH! Also, with this gadget, I can drag my photos onto a blank CD and burn them there so I can back up my photos without having to take up computer memory space.

I can’t believe I didn’t buy this gadget a year ago!! I could have saved so much time. So long, farewell camera cord!

***

Have a great night and US peeps, don’t forget to vote tomorrow!

Tell me: Got a strategy to help me (and others) blog faster? Do tell!

Before blogging…

I didn’t pack my clonky camera in my gym bag just incase I came across some pretty fall foliage on the walk over.

(looks like somebody is ready for Christmas)

I didn’t whip out my camera to take photos of pumpkins that did not belong to me….or any pumpkins for that matter.

Don’t you just wanna give them each a big bear hug? Maybe that’s just me.

Before blogging…

I didn’t need a PRE-post-workout snack because there was no such thing as a 15 min. delay due to food styling and photography.

pumpkin pie smoothie

I didn’t get excited about seeing 280% DV of Vitamin A in 1/2 cup of pumpkin.

I didn’t then get concerned about vitamin A poisoning. Just kidding…not really.

I didn’t scan fields of grass for the perfect leaf to use as a garnish for my bowl.

FYI: Pineapple and grapefruit are my favorite fruits to pair with Greek yogurt.

Garnished with chocolate covered (and uncovered) pretzels and candy corn

Before blogging…

I didn’t jump out of bed to make chocolate covered candy corn and pretzels because it was finally light outside.

Chocolate Covered Candy Corn and Pretzels

Directions: Microwave dark chocolate for 2 min. to melt.

Steal Halloween pretzels from the stash set aside for the neighborhood kids.

(It’s okay, I plan to supplement the stash with real candy. We are not going to be the LAME house in the neighborhood!!)

Although let’s be honest, Bats and Jacks are pretty cool, too.

Dip candy corn and pretzels in chocolate and let dry on aluminum foil. Place in the fridge to speed up drying time.

Let the sugah coma ensue.

Before blogging…

I didn’t purchase squash just because I thought they were “pretty.”

I didn’t look at the clock at 6 PM and get anxious about trying to “beat” the sunset.

Bring it, Sun!

I bought this Carnival Squash from TJ’s. The sticker said it was a cross between Sweet Dumpling and Green Table Queen Squash.

That means nothing to me.

I cut the squash in half, scooped out the innards, and microwaved the halves for 5-6 minutes. I would have roasted ‘em in the toaster oven for however long but the sun was setting!!

I didn’t give much thought to the stuffing. It just needed to be FAST!

• 1.5 slices of Cinnaraisin Ezekiel Bread, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 small apple, chopped
• 1/4 cup veggie stock
• 1/4 cup egg whites
• Salt and Pepper

Doesn’t the bread look like sausage?

I stuffed both halves of the squash and put them in the toaster oven for ~10 min. at 350* F.

Topped with herbed goat cheese <–crucial!

Spring mix with mini peppers on the side. I’m trying really hard to finish off these Costco tubs!

The squash was reminiscent of spaghetti squash. It was really quite bland. I had to add gobs of ketchup after the photo shoot.

Kabocha and butternut squash are much more tasty, for sure.

The sun won tonight.

Don’t worry, I’ll be back for a rematch!

Before blogging….

I didn’t consider rearranging my sleeping schedule in preparation for my rematch with the sun.

Dessert Part I: Papaya

Dessert Part II: A fabulous mix of sugar and more sugar . It deserves to be shot in the sunlight though!

***

Tell me: If you are a blogger, what’s one thing you do now that you didn’t do prior to blogging? If you are NOT a blogger, just be grateful the sunset doesn’t give you anxiety .