Veggie Day

My grandparents and I had a really nice time at the club for lunch. It was a gorgeous day; you can tell from how well my Sunday pictures always turn out how much light there is in the dining room!

Round one: broccoli, cauliflower, poached salmon w/ capers, gazpacho aspic, red and yellow peppers, artichoke hearts, bets, baby carrots (seriously baby! So small!), cukes.


Cappuccino with skim & cinnamon. Don't you love my grandmother's suit?


Round 2: 1 slice of WW toast with strawberry jam, pineapple, canteloupe, grapes, strawberries, honeydew, magic bar. I grabbed another magic bar on the way out, the chef insisted!


My granny is giving a dinner party this week, so I went to the grocery store to shop with her. Ever since I was little I have loved going grocery shopping with her. I think that's part of the reason why I like to cook so much! Not to mention that there are always tons of samples at the store she shops at.

Cracker w/ lobster spread (too fishy!):


Cheesy broccoli potatoes and a baking soda dinner roll. The dinner roll was so good!


For some reason lunch and all those samples didn't hold me over very well, so I had a banana a couple hours later.



Although I'm probably going to regret it tomorrow, I deemed today a much- needed veg-out day. There is work I should be doing, but I've been feeling pretty stressed recently and I just needed to watch a couple back-to-back episodes of Greek. Again, no shame here!

I'm going to see my absolute FAVORITE band tonight, The Hold Steady. They're playing at First Avenue with The Drive-By Truckers, who I liked a lot in high school. I heard one of their new songs on the radio today and it was pretty good! I am beyond excited! This will be my fourth time seeing The Hold Steady; they're the only band I've ever gone to see by myself and I saw them two days in a row once! I'd do that for Radiohead and probably Liz Phair, but not too many others. Woohoo!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Nucular mavericks

Sorry sorry sorry about the late late lateness. I've been moving around all day, from picking Ari up from the airport at 10:30 (he was there this time) to watching the debates at Sarah's tonight (there was one really sad moment around the middle which kind of killed the exuberant spirit in the room). This morning Jalene and I made pumpkin pie oatmeal; she prepared the first part of it and used half whole milk (she drinks that, I drink whole).

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup skim, 1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup pumpkin

brown sugar

raisins

pecans



We went to Whole Foods to pick up some groceries for dinner, where I enjoyed my usual sample spread:



We went to Shish for lunch; I got a falafel sandwich on the world's thinnest pita.



Snacked on a Gala and watched YouTube... sweet lordy, I just can't get enough.


We made a Hungry Girl Big Chomp Cheeseburger Chop Salad (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, Boca and cheddar) for dinner, and had a little vino. I snacked on a cheese single first...







And a cupcake for dessert. Pooped!

Kitten Surprise!

Jalene and I are now the proud hosts of Blue:


and Betty Ford! (He- yes, he just walked across the keyboard as I typed that.)


Michelle's friend is going out of town for a few weeks, and is giving us the kitties as a "trial" while he considers whether or not to get a cat, and to see if we all get along. They are so cute and spunky, and I don't see what's not to like about them! Betty Ford is just a kitten and has tons of energy, and has spent the last hour exploring the apartment. Blue is more mellow and looks like it'll take her a little longer for her to get used to us. So exciting!

The other "surprise" was that I apparently got both the dates and times mixed up for Ari's plane. As in, not today at 2:45, but tomorrow at 10:30 AM. Whoops! I felt pretty silly about it, but he'll still be here in a little more than 12 hours! New cats, boyfriend... what more can a girl want?

Anyway, when I got home from the airport I fully embraced emotional eating and had a cupcake with a glass of milk.


And an apple (with Pip Squeak).


Dinner was leftover rice and beans (almost all the tempeh was eaten) with a Morningstar Farms spicy black bean burger, salsa, yogurt, and cheddar.


Dessert #2: ice cream, oreo, PB!

Sugar, here I come!

Isn't that cute? It's how Jalene dries her socks!!!



I had a nice time at Brewberry's with Katey over coffee and homework. Luke wasn't working so I'm sure the "cardamiel" latte (cardamom, honey, espresso and milk) would have been better had he made it, but it was still pretty good.


I realized I'd forgotten something I needed for class (big surprise) so I went back home and ended up eating there (although I'd been prepared with a packed lunch bag!). I had leftover tempeh from last night (with yogurt and salsa) and a chobani with banana and honey.



After class Sarah, Carlye, Jalene and I all came back to our apartment to finish the baking project we'd started... cupcakes! There were several birthdays and karmic debts that needed to be repaid (like helping us move in, hauling furniture, etc.) and what better way to do it then bake? We used the Magnolia Bakery recipe to satisfy sweet teeth and my New York- withdrawal. I used the recipe reprinted in 52 Cupcakes' blog and found a lot of other decadent treats I can't wait to make. I followed the recipe exactly, except for substituting half the butter in the batter for applesauce.

Here's a little peek from the cupcake gallery:






I had to make sure they were edible gifts, so I practically snatched this one out of Sarah's hand.



SO GOOD, oh my goodness. I actually liked it better than the 'real' Magnolia cupcake! I also ate a ton of frosting... definitely a splurge, especially since I'm going to be cutting back on my workouts until my leg heals. But oh, it was so worth it. I saved a couple for me and Ari to have later, but I think this was one of the prettiest.

Our cafeteria was sponsoring local farms today, so I loaded up my plates with fresh veggies. We sat for over an hour as new people cycled into the table, so I probably ate more than I was hungry for, but oh well.

Salad: spinach, carrot, tofu, feta, cucumber, cabbage, beets. Dressing: oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard.


Butternut squash /apple/parsnip soup, acorn squash and honey-glazed carrots and turnips.

I was sort of craving something "real" and not sugary, so I just had an apple. This picture reminds me of a picture in The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown that I read when I was little.


Time to work and clean and get ready for Ari!