Tag Archives: pumpkin

Do You Remember When People Used To Blog 3x A Day?

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Do you remember when people used to blog three times a day?  Yeah … I can’t even handle once a week!  I don’t have a wrap-up, but I did manage to get 2 – 3 items from each category, and the stuff I do have to share was all awesome.  Here we go –

breakfast

1. Pumpkin pie (crisp?) in a bowl.

DSC04900I topped some TJ’s low-fat pumpkin Greek yogurt (3/4 of the container or so; the serving seems oddly large to me) with some of my Simply Sweet Granola and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

DSC04898I made my oats a little too toasty, but I was very pleased with the yogurt.

2. Pumpkin Pie Through A Straw.

DSC04934That’s right, I cracked open my first can of pumpkin!

DSC04939I’ve made this smoothie for years and it is a total winner.  The husband is usually not as into the pumpkin thing as I am and he likes this even more than I do.

3. Sundae on a Wednesday.

DSC04967This was the most dessert-y of the “dessert” breakfasts but it was still pretty healthy.

DSC04970Wallaby low-fat maple yogurt topped with Crispy Green bananas (former freebie), and melted Biscoff Spread.

snacks

1. Cinnamon Crunch Somersaults and a caramel macchiato.

DSC04997I made so many updates to my coffee (a little more of this, a little less of that) that it was basically a big cup of espresso and caramel, aka perfection.

The crunchy portion of this snack was brought to you by this generous package I received from Somersaults:

somersaultsDSC04643I received this package free of charge.  I was not provided with further compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.

They recently had their top flavors certified as GMO-free and expanded their retailer list to include Target and Costco and they’re trying to spread the word about their good news.  Fun snack facts – a serving of Somersaults has as much protein as a serving of almonds (with half of the fat) and they are a good source of fiber and vitamin E.  Also they are Adam’s very favorite snack!

DSC05000I thought that the Cinnamon Crunch (a new flavor this year) was great; a good blend of sweet and seedy.

2. Cinnamon Pumpkin Beer Bread.

DSC04961Just Beer Bread made with a pumpkin beer and a layer of cinnamon sugar (we used cinnamon maple sugar) on top.

DSC04959DSC04964Quite good with schmear of butter.

3. An actual sundae.

DSC04996Ben and Jerry’s Vanilla Honey Caramel Greek Frozen Yogurt with melted Biscoff Spread; I was all about the Biscoff this week.

DSC04993I bought the frozen yogurt by chance (I needed vanilla frozen yogurt for my pumpkin smoothie and this was all I could find at the store near my house) and ended up adoring it.  The flavor was so complex!

lunch

1. Sandwich success.

DSC04944I’ve been planning this sandwich combo for weeks, ever since a serendipitous trip to Trader Joe’s.

A whole wheat Bagel Thin topped with Applegate Farms roasted turkey, TJ’s pumpkin butter, and a TJ’s mini brie bite.

DSC04954DSC04952The brie and pumpkin butter mash-up was just as good as I thought it would be.

Roasted green beans on the side,

DSC04950and TJ’s Hawaiian Style BBQ Potato Chips.

DSC04946This was a fun lunch to munch through.

2. A trip to Chobani Bar in SoHo.

DSC04992A girlfriend and I took the train into the city from Queens.  We snacked on Somersaults on the way in.

DSC04980She had never tasted them before but was an instant fan.

A quick walk down Prince Street and we were at Chobani.

DSC04982DSC04983The space was very pretty, but strangely they had no seating.  We ended up finding a nice spot on a sunny stoop.

DSC04985DSC04988I ordered a half-size of toasted coconut and pineapple.  Plain yogurt topped with pineapple, toasted coconut, and Turkish hazelnuts.  It comes with light agave nectar but I asked that they leave it off.

DSC04990I was very impressed with my bowl; the pineapple was so sweet!  My friend got the same thing and I did and she liked it too.  We both agreed that we probably wouldn’t go back but that we were glad we went.

dinner

1. Mac and cheese, please.

DSC04921This combo of ingredients made for one heck of a dinner –

DSC04906While my mushrooms were browning…

DSC04910I ate some of the rest of the bbq chips,

DSC04905and opened a Pumking.

DSC04911I agree with what I’ve read online, this year’s batch wasn’t the best.  I really enjoyed it the first few minutes but after that I grew tired of the flavor.  In fact, most of the bottle ended up in my cinnamon pumpkin beer bread.  At least my dinner was good.

DSC04917Salads on the side.  A romaine blend dressed with a sprinkle of salt and 1 tsp each honey and olive oil.

DSC04931My salad was technically on the bottom, not the side.  I topped my greens with mac (Annie’s Shells and White Cheddar, with spinach, mushrooms, and Bela smoked sardines) and then topped my whole bowl with crumbled goat cheese.

2. Taco night.

DSC05008I recently received a package from Ortega to help me celebrate National Taco Day:

DSC04972I received this package free of charge.  I was not provided with further compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.

They sent along some recipes on which they collaborated with Chef Aarón Sánchez, including this vegetarian one –

taco recipeI really liked the sound of it, but you know I had to put my own spin on the recipe.

Vegetarian Black Bean Tacos, serves 3

  1. Heat evoo in a large pan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, 5 – 7 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and jalapeños and cook an additional 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in beans (liquid and all) and taco seasoning mix and cook an additional 10 minutes.  Mash up some of the beans with the side of your spatula while you stir.
  4. Heat taco shells according to package instructions.
  5. Stuff the bottom of each taco with spinach.  Spread the bean mixture evenly among the tacos on top of spinach.  Top tacos evenly with feta cheese.

DSC05014We loved them!  The beans were delicious, if I do say so myself.  And the taco shells were wonderful; they seemed to hold together much better than ones I’ve used in the past.

life

1. The house.

DSC04890Three full months of living here later, we finally bought shelving for the living room.

DSC04886There’s not a lot on them right now (I managed to find spaces for all of our books in the office in the interim) but it’s nice to have one less blank wall.

2. The man.

DSC05004I didn’t talk about it on the blog, but a month or so ago Webster had a cluster seizure.  It was very scary, and more importantly, it meant that we had to start medically treating his epilepsy.  He’s been on medication for more than a month now and he has been seizure-free the entire time (yay!).

DSC04882Feeling better has given him time to focus on his other interests, like sitting with his butt up in the air like a total weirdo.

What’s going on in your life?  Tell me something good from the last week?

Last Week’s Highlights

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I didn’t have enough to share to call this a “wrap-up,” but I did want to blog a few of my favorites that managed to make it in front of the camera.  I have some stuff happening in my personal life right now (some good, mostly bad) that I don’t want to share on the blog and I appreciate your patience with my limited posting.

leftovers for lunch

I made the most of restaurant leftovers with this compilation meal.  The last of some Pad See Eiw with tofu,

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a slice of focaccia from our Italian meal (it was still soft!!),

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and from home a Pink Crisp apple with crunchy Barney Butter.

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Lacking in veggies but quite good.

the pumpkin line-up

I’m listing these from bad to good great.  Tazo Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte.

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I mixed mine as 1/2 cup tea and 1.5 cups Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk and hated it.  Admittedly I made mine too weak, but I made Adam’s extra strong (with skim milk) and I didn’t like that one either.  The flavor was just too “dirty” for me.  But Adam loved both versions – and drank both our drinks in one sitting – and is excited for the rest of the carton so it’s not a total loss.

Froyo.

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A tiny bit (this cup cost $1.75!) of pumpkin spice and cheesecake swirl topped with toasted coconut, graham cracker, and caramel sauce.  This combo was a total winner.

Froyo was good, but nothing beats pumpkin ice.

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Pumpkin on top with toffee crunch on the bottom.  Usually I can’t eat a whole small cup but I wolfed this down and I think I could even finish two scoops of just pumpkin!  My friend Kim informed me that Ralph’s Ice is totally a thing and now it feels even more exciting.

stir-fried mac

This was one of those mash-up meals that doesn’t seem like it will work but just does.

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Leftover pasta – Annie’s mac and cheese with greens, edamame, and smoked trout – reheated in a skillet with evoo, tons of Sriracha, and a sprinkle of sugar; with one large egg scrambled in at the end.  I know that the sugar sounds strange but I promise the final flavor is perfection.

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Do you see that brown piece by my hand that looks like bacon?  It’s not bacon, it’s smoked trout that got extra-crispy.  <– swoon

saltine challenge

I surprised Adam with fancy sardines and since we had Saltines in the house it was time for a challenge.

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You know from reading my rant that I’m a stickler for the rules so I have to admit – we both totally failed.  Our mouths were still full of approximately 1.5 crackers each when the timer buzzed.

fancy fish

This dinner came straight out of EveryDay with Rachael Ray.

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I even took a break from my rebellious side and followed the recipe exactly.

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Well, mostly exactly, we skipped the brown rice and used baby bok choy instead of the big guys.  But the end result was delicious.

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Our glaze didn’t thicken the way it was supposed to, but the fish had a great, flaky texture.

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And we loved the bok choy.

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Adam has even requested that baby bok become a weekly staple!

dinner in Manhattan

On Wednesday, I was invited to a press event in Manhattan so I brought a girlfriend with me for a fun evening in the city.

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{that’s sunset at Chelsea Pier}

The event was to celebrate the launch of Donatella Arpaia’s new kitchen line with HSN (http://hsn.com). The line is available starting this Monday (October 7th) so they held a gettogether to showcase some of the new products.

Here’s a little blurb from the press release –

The exclusive collection from the Iron Chef judge, restaurateur, author and culinary personality will include studded stoneware, table linens and Italian food items.

Named by Zagat as the “Hostest with the Mostest”, Donatella Arpaia has a reputation of fusing Italian tradition with modern, glamorous style. Her new collection brings added sparkle to the kitchen with a chic home pizza oven and luxurious rhinestone stoneware including platters, ceramic dishes and ramekins.

Additionally, Donatella has taken the guess work out of traditional Italian cooking with her authentic Italian food offerings, featuring a variety of fresh pasta sauces, flavorful pizza crust mixes and her award-winning meatballs. With food preparation and presentation already made easy, the collection is completed with sets of cotton placemats and napkins on tear off rolls.

We got off of the train with time to kill so we wandered around a bit before the event (hence the gorgeous sunset views from the piers).

I needed some veggies in my life so we hit up Liquiteria for juice.

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I wasn’t loving all of the beets and ginger on their menu so I made a custom blend – spinach, kale, and pineapple.  Amazing!  But I had eaten froyo and a giant coffee (seriously giant, there was a mix-up and I ended up with 4 extra shots of espresso in my latte!) for lunch so with the concentrated energy in the juice I was practically buzzing by the time we got to the event.

The drinks we were handed upon arrival helped.

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That is not a cherry (sadly), but a cherry tomato.

The event was held at Donatella’s restaurant, which was freaking gorgeous.

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The lighting wasn’t kind to my crappy photography skills, but I did my best to take some shots of the pretty tables.

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The tear-off napkins were very fun, though I don’t think that bedazzled cookware is exactly my style.

Most of the apps showcased products that will be available on Monday.  I took a fried oyster to be brave,

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but my first bite was all fried coating and I lost my nerve and threw out the rest before I ate any meat.

The pizza was very good.

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The dough – which you just add water to and then bake – was the best part; chewy and flavorful but not too salty.  My friend and I both gave the jarred sauce served with the pasta two thumbs up as well.

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They told us to take cupcakes (from the fantastically sparkly display) for dessert.

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They plan to add cupcakes (mixes?) to the line later this year.

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My pistachio was tasty.

Afterwards we stopped in at the famous Cafeteria for a drink on a whim.

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Our carafe of white peach sparkling mojito was refreshing but weak.  But we were the only twosome in the room who wasn’t on a first date so the good eavesdropping more than made up for the lack of alcohol.

I hope everyone else had a nice week too!  Did you do any good eavesdropping?

Weekend Wrap-Up; October Is Here!

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It’s possible I’m a little excited about the arrival of Pumpkin Month.  Check out my stash –

weekendDSC04790DSC04795DSC04792So much squashy goodness!

Now a little bit about the end of September…

breakfast

I’ve only got one meal to share here, in contrast with the full “dessert” section (whoops!).  Adam had a “golden weekend,” aka both Saturday and Sunday off, so we spent our mornings catching up on sleep.

This breakfast was more of a brunch, but either way it was a winner.

DSC04761Müller Greek Corner Pineapple Passion Fruit Yogurt (former freebie) topped with sliced starfruit and a packet of Crispy Green Pineapples.

DSC04762Isn’t starfruit (also known as Carambola) gorgeous?

DSC04769Did you know that I used to sell starfruit when I was a kid?  We had a tree in our backyard and I would take the harvests to the local grocery stores.

The freeze-dried pineapples were part of a sample box from Crispy Green.

DSC04647I received these samples free of charge.  I was not provided further compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.

Crispy Green is a company that sells freeze-dried fruits.  They are vegan and certified kosher and the ingredient list is nice and simple – just fruit.  What really sold me was the texture, I swear that the apples and pears were almost juicy!  More on them in a minute though.

lunch

Veggies.

DSC04677Acorn squash.  I baked half of my squash for 30 minutes at 350*, cut side down, then flipped it over and filled the cavity with pistachios, raisins, and maple syrup, and baked for another 20 minutes.

DSC04683Plus broccoli that I roasted alongside the squash.

DSC04680And a red pear.

DSC04687So nice to have a mid-day meal that’s so packed with nutrients.

Less nutritious but still delicious, Taco Bell.

DSC04740I got a vegetarian Cantina Bell burrito and was actually very impressed.  The burrito had fresh corn and great guacamole.

The greatest sandwich.

DSC04710Sweet and savory, for the win.  Caramel apple swirl bread topped with Applegate Farms Smoked Turkey, TJ’s Lite Havarti, and pickled banana peppers.

DSC04708The husband got and identical ‘wich and he raved about it.  Plus we shared more Crispy Green fruits on the side.  Asian Pear,

asian pearand Apple.

appleThey both were packed with flavor but so far Asian Pear is my favorite.

dinner

Mac remix.

DSC04696A box of Annie’s Shells and Aged Real Cheddar gussied up with TJ’s smoked trout, frozen edamame and a greens mix, and 1 oz of Chevre.

DSC04692I have pantry back-ups of all of the ingredients and a see a redo in our future.

A cider soaked meal.

DSC04728I marinated some extra-firm tofu in TJ’s Spiced Apple cider (plus honey and hot sauce) before burning baking in the oven.

DSC04730Shredded cabbage was sautéed in the tofu marinade and then topped with salty peanuts.

DSC04734And this lovely squash was sprinkled with salt and cinnamon and roasted alongside the tofu.

DSC04724DSC04738I filled in the space in the center of the plate with Dinosaur Roasted Garlic Honey BBQ Sauce for dipping.

A meal out on the town.

DSC04775We finished our two-day weekend with a dinner out on the town at Luigi’s.

We were brought an amazing basket of fresh bread.

DSC04776And we shared a Tuscan salad to start.

DSC04781baby spinach / breaded artichoke hearts / roasted peppers / gorgonzola dolce / pignoli nuts / balsamic vinaigrette

DSC04782I got handmade Papardelle with shrimp and lobster in a fresh plum tomato cognac cream sauce from the specials menu for my meal.

DSC04787DSC04784It was delicious!  The homemade pasta had great bite and the seafood was juicy and perfect.  Plus the portions were huge; I shared many tastes with Adam and still came home with a full serving of leftovers.  {Mom and Dad, we want to take you here when you visit!}

dessert

Adam went out to celebrate a birthday with his fellow interns and he brought me home cake.

DSC04698I’m not a huge chocolate fan but I’m a sucker for jam in the middle.

I brought him home vegan ice cream sandwiches.

DSC04719Tofutti is currently celebrating their 30th anniversary and they sent me some coupons.

DSC04712DSC04714I received these samples free of charge.  I was not provided further compensation for this post.  All opinions are my own.

Ice cream sandwiches are Adam’s favorite and he was very impressed with how close to the original this (minty) version came.

DSC04718I thought the Cuties had great flavor and texture – and I’m not even an ice cream sandwich lover – but 180 calories for the small size seemed a little steep.

DSC04716I will definitely buy them again for the husband though.

To finish the post – the best thing ever.

DSC04772Adam and I split an ice the other day to celebrate the first day of fall.  Dulce de leche topped with pumpkin pie.

DSC04770Oh. My. God.  The pumpkin pie ice was ridiculous!  The best tasting ice I’ve ever had and those brown areas were crunchy streusel that was just over the top.  We were both swooning!

What pumpkin goodies are you excited for this month?

Weekly Wrap-Up; Just Desserts

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As I was looking through my camera, I thought – “I have enough pictures of sweet stuff to fill a whole post;” so I wrote one just for them.  These treats were spread out over the course of a week or so, but still, holy sugar rush, Batman!

Once I started writing, I was glad that I decided to let the sugar shine.  This post has a recipe, a theme, and two recommendations for NYC spots that are worth hoping on a plane for, more than enough for one day.

The recipe is for Brown Sugar Cinnamon Popsicles.

DSC04352They have a Greek yogurt base and are technically healthy enough to eat for breakfast but it was more fun to call them dessert.  I did something amazing with them that I’ll share further down…

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Popsicles, makes 3-5 pops, depending on the size of your molds

  • 1 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until homogenous.
  2. Pour into popsicle molds.
  3. Freeze until fully hardened, 6 hours minimum.

DSC04347I know the weather is starting to get too chilly for frozen stuff, but the flavor profile is spot on for Fall.

Speaking of Fall, it’s Apple Month!

DSC04294Can I rave about my three new favorite things?

These De-Lish apple caramels (from Duane Reade) are out of control.

DSC04334Perfect caramel texture – chewy without sticking in your teeth – with just a hint of apple tang.  I even baked some into cinnamon caramel apple cookies with moderate success.

DSC04336But then I gave Adam one to try and it was all over; he finished the bag practically before I could blink!

And the Russell Stover apple caramel was even better.

DSC04297DSC04300I honestly would have preferred it without the chocolate coating, but the caramel inside was the best I’ve ever had.

Finally, I know I’ve gushed about the Granny Smith Polar before, but now I’ve taken it to a whole new level of amazing.

DSC04354If you do go ahead and make my Cinnamon Brown Sugar Popsicles, pretty please use one as “ice” in a glass of Granny Smith Polar Seltzer so your life can be forever changed?

Also life changing was our visit to Ample Hills Creamery in Brooklyn.

DSC04359DSC04360That, my friends, is a kid’s cup of Salted Crack Caramel Ice Cream.  “Salted butter caramel ice cream with pieces of Deb’s famous crack cookies (saltines, butter, sugar, chocolate).”

My final New York recommendation for this week is Sugar, Sweet, Sunshine, a bakery in SoHo.

DSC04373DSC04369They make our very, very favorite cupcakes; they’re the best in the city and also the cheapest!  Adam got a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting.

DSC04376And I finally ignored the cupcakes’ siren song and tried something I’ve been coveting for years –

DSC04371A shot of The Nog: pumpkin cake, eggnog pudding, and whipped cream.

DSC04378This trifle sooooo lived up to my fantasy.  Normally I wouldn’t dare eat pumpkin before November or eggnog before December, but this was totally worth breaking my food theme rules for!

What’s the #1 dessert spot you recommend to people visiting your town?

Use Your Noggin

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Hello, hello!  The days I’m excited to blog are always the same days I’m utterly exhausted.  Go figure.  Saturday was a symphony of holiday flavors but also a 9+ hour day at work.  Instead of posting last night I had a total tantrum and passed out fully dressed… so here is a 2-day recap.

Remember when I said “Saturday was a symphony of holiday flavors”?  You know, like five seconds ago.  Well, my day went eggnog –> candy cane –> gingerbread; bam!

Nog based overnight oats for breakfast.

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I put 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup Silk Soy Nog, and 1 Tbsp chia seeds in the fridge overnight, then Saturday morning I added 1 sliced banana and a big dash of Christmas sprinkles.

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So festive and delicious.  Also, holy frick, I love chia seeds so much.

My candy cane came in the form of a Peppermint Stick Clif Bar during work.

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This is Clif’s best seasonal flavor by far.  The bar has the perfect amount of peppermint.

Gingerbread was a cupcake surprise from the husband.

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He had an appointment near Fairy Cakes in the afternoon and he brought me home a gingerbread stout cupcake with cream cheese icing.

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It was ridiculous good, maybe the best cupcake I’ve ever had!  The cake had a great ratio of spice to sweet and was so fluffy and moist.  I shared one big bite with Adam but downed the rest with gusto.

The rest of the day’s eats were out of season, but still good.  From fall I borrowed an apple and a Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale.

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I split the beer with Adam and ate the apple on my own.

I guess nachos are actually appropriate for any season, right?

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Adam and I shared a tray, straight from the oven.  We topped scoop-style tortilla chips with roasted brocoli and green pepper, Newman’s Own Pineapple Salsa, and Cabot Reserve Aged Cheddar.

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We loved them.  He was a little iffy on roasted brocoli as a nacho topping but it was delicious.  And I was worried about that type of cheese versus a regular cheddar, but that ended up being perfect too.  And the pineapple salsa is hands-down the best jarred salsa I’ve ever had.

Blah, blah, blah, and then I started having a fit and had to go to bed.  I didn’t get anywhere near enough sleep during the weeks Adam was gone and I’m still really freaking tired.

Sunday was a super hungry day and I ate a ton of crap.  A brunch of sorts, was low-fat coffee yogurt with honey roasted peanuts and honey,

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a few pieces of toffee candy from home,

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and several handfuls (about 3 servings or 250 calories worth) of dried turkey.

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During work I drank a Starbucks Vanilla Doubleshot.

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Working with crowds of Christmas shoppers is exhausting but also really rewarding.  Five different people today thanked me effusively for my help and that was a really good feeling.  Actually, one super hot guy told another customer that I was fantastic and I about died!

Adam picked me up after work for a fun treat.

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Bubble tea from Gin Gin!  Best bubble tea I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried a lot.  I got a medium red bean milk tea with regular and popping boba (the purple one is Adam’s taro).

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We both swooned over how good they were and finished our drinks in the car long before we made it home.  And we called my mom on speaker on the drive and drove her crazy scraping through our ice for errant tapiocas!

Dinner was pizza.

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And we shared a beer.

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We were gearing up for a long night of baking.

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I’m giving my co-workers all pies for Christmas and we are not even close to finished still.  Sorry, husband!

We made smoothies mid-baking for strength.  Frozen strawberries and blackberries blended with So Delicious Mint Chocolate Coconut Milk.

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And I’ve done a little nibbling while we baked.

I have a holiday breakfast with work tomorrow and then I’m spending Christmas Eve on the couch with Adam.  I have two days off in a row for the holiday and I am so excited to spend them with my boys!

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Did you give any handmade gifts this season?

Happy Hanukkah!

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I know I’m a day late on the holiday wishes but 2nd-out-of-8 is not so bad.

I’d love to tell you that I’ve been in a flurry of studying, but in fact I worked almost 22 hours between Friday and Saturday.  I am exhausted, cranky, and not as prepared for tomorrow’s exam as I’d like.  But it is what it is and I’m just glad I have a job.

Some Friday/Saturday Highlights

I made another round of eggs with seitan.

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And had a mug cookie both days.

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Also pizza both days…

I had my first Starbucks red cup.

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A gingerbread latte (I didn’t love it!) while forcing myself to study with a friend after work.

What I Was Up To Today (Sunday)

Other than oversleeping and wasting some time in the morning, today was nice and productive.  Apparently my body just doesn’t want to study before noon!

I was excited to try this Oro Blanco for breakfast.

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Whenever I spot something I haven’t heard of before at the grocery store I just have to buy it.  Adam and I used to love Ugli fruit when we lived in the city and I was hoping this would be similar.

The Oro Blanco had a very thick layer of skin and pith like the Ugli fruit, but the flavor was not my favorite.

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It was bitter in a way that made my stomach hurt and I ended up throwing it out after three segments.

Instead I split a Mike’s bagel sandwich with a friend.

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The Mike’s sandwich is a bagel topped with cream cheese, provolone, and a fried egg.  It is amazing and ridiculous.

We spent almost six hours at The Spot so the sandwich was only the first of three orders.  I also had an iced coffee with skim milk.

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And shared a slice of cheesecake (with a pretzel crust and chocolate ganache!) with a friend.

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I just have to say – thank goodness for my great groups of friends or I would not have accomplished a damn thing today!  We went through the notes as a group and it was so helpful.  Not that I’m feeling all that great about a comprehensive exam in one of the hardest classes I’ve ever taken!

I snacked on baby carrots with blue cheese dressing when I got home.

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Plus a Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale.

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I have 3 pumpkin beers left over from October and I need to drink them before their out-of-season-ness drives me crazy.

I went to my freezer to get a little festive for 2nd night of Hanukkah dinner.

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3 cheese blintzes from Manischewitz.

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Frozen carrot slices and brocoli baked in 1 Tbsp Smart Balance, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, and salt.

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Both of the dinner components were very tasty.  I bought a bunch of frozen vegetables on my last grocery trip and I’m actually looking forward to using them.  And I have half a box of blintzes left that for which I need to purchase sour cream.

Dessert was very unnecessary, but also fun.

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Biscoff Buddies!  I have a special version of “puppy chow” in the works and since I’ve never actually made puppy chow before, I wanted to do a trial run with a single serving batch.

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For this version I used: 3/4 cup honey squares, 1 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips, 2 Tbsp Biscoff spread, and 1 Tbsp powdered sugar.

Who else thinks I shouldn’t be blogging at midnight when I have a giant exam at 7:40 am?  Whoops!

Cook Book, Cookies, Chicago Fire

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It’s felt like forever since I’ve blogged.  Thankfully (ha!) I was starving all day and ate a ton of food so I have lots to post about.

First things first – I need to announce the cook book giveaway winner.

Congrats Turn Towards the Sun, shoot me an e-mail (emilyhwaxATgmail.com) with your mailing address!

Breakfast was consumed during class but photographed in Adam’s car.  I waited until 6 am to will myself out of bed to finish writing a paper and was running behind.  Actually, I would have been fine but then I had to cuddle the dog before I took my shower and I ended up needed Adam to drop me off.  Thanks, husband!

A Wegman’s low-fat pumpkin pie yogurt that I was very impressed with.  The texture was perfect and the taste was so good I’ll consider continuing to eat this flavor in December!

An Iced Oatmeal Cookie Z-Bar (FNCE sample).

The 2nd half of this Chuao Honeycomb Bar.

Adam continued to be the nicest husband ever, and he walked the dog to pick me up after classes.  I love those boys so much!

I also love leftover pizza for lunch.

1 cheese slice,

with carrots and blue cheese dressing.

Plus batter bites for dessert.

I’m going to share the recipe tomorrow and here is my endorsement: I ate four and a half cookies today!!

Work went well.  We extended our hours for the holiday season which means my shifts are all an hour(+) longer but it wasn’t too painful.  I drank a cup of (Keurig) hot chocolate while at work but didn’t photograph it for obvious reasons.

Dinner was a serving of Seven Layer Casserole.

The recipe’s vegan but you don’t need a challenge to try it; it’s delicious!

Apparently that all wasn’t enough food because I also ate a bag of SmartPop while I caught up on “Chicago Fire.”

Are you watching Chicago Fire?  Thoughts??

Happy Happy Joy Joy

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Thursday was more crappy than happy.  The list of low-lights includes being so freaking tired all day because I still haven’t caught up on sleep, eating pizza for dinner (so stress eating, so not vegan), having my stitches be difficult to remove because the office was asstastic about making a follow-up appointment, and having to work on a group project until bedtime.

If you weren’t paying close attention to that list of complaints, you may have missed yesterday’s highlight: I got my stitches removed!

My hand is officially free.  And gross.  But Adam bought me a bubble tea for being brave.

I got a strawberry bubble tea at Gin Gin and they gave me normal boba with multiple flavors of popping boba as well.  Best bubble tea I’ve had in years!

Friday was the happy, happy, joy, joy day.  I just woke up happy.  Several good things did happen today, but I swear that I was excited to begin with.

The fact that I was dressed in a very “Emily” outfit did put me in a good frame of mind.

And all of my meals were incredibly tasty.  Breakfast was a tasting plates of sorts in class.  A serving of Angie’s Sweet and Salty kettle corn.

An apple.

And a roasted seaweed snack.

I washed down my snacks with a can of Cherry Coke Zero that was randomly the best soda I’ve ever had.  I’m not sure exactly how it was different than usual but I swear the formula must have been “off” for this can’s batch because it was amazing.

A tall soy creme brulee coffee was consumed for warmth and caffeine on my walk home.

I only had time to switch out my bags between school and work which could have put a damper on my mood (especially because I didn’t have time to eat!) but then I came home to this –

A #simplesurvivalkit packed with goodies from some of my favorite brands: Food Should Taste Good, Justin’s, Larabar, Little Ducks Organics, SmartWool, Sprout Wellness Basics, and Teatulia.  Not only are my taste buds excited about the goodies, the package itself made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  I am so incredibly grateful and touched!

Work went well; we got an insane shipment of packages and the time flew by.  Before I knew it I was home for dinner.

I wasn’t expecting much from this meal but I ended up loving it.  I sautéed sliced mushrooms, green peppers, and sweet onions in Earth Balance and salt and served them on top of basmati rice with Sriracha and Nayo stirred in.

I shoveled in my bowl in about a minute and adored every bite!

More group project work went down from 9 -11 (pm!!) and I shared a Pumpkin Shock Top with a friend while we worked.

I planned on getting into the pumpkin Blue Moon too but I’m basically the walking dead asleep at this point so I’m glad I stuck with half a beer.

I hope everyone else had a happy, happy, joy, joy day too!  Or if not, please enjoy your weekend!