Food(less) Journey

  So it was a really freezing morning last Saturday, but I got up and did some early morning witnessing. Got to talk to some groovy people. And check out the awesome sunrise.   In warmer news the brown rice rotini is back! Covered in Udo's oils and a healthy sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Oh yum baby! Perfect dinner on a cold wintry night. $9? Oh yeah! Especially when you have some cute new boots to keep your feet warm and your calves are looking tight with a healthy sized wedge.   Thanks Forever21!   These have great grip on the bottom. What? You know I cannot buy shoes that aren't practical...At least they can be cute too. :)       Ending on a random note...   A few weeks ago my family and I went to the Heinz History Center and yes I took more pictures, but I thought this one was super cool.   After we had walked through the whole center mum, bro and I took a seat in the rocking chairs down in the m

 October Sunset   How beautiful are the sunsets in the fall? This beautiful... September Dinner  Yummy dinner at Bahama Breeze in Robinson Town Centre. Delicious Cuban bread sandwich with a tomato balsamic salad on the side. October Milestone Did I mention Ive been doing Zumba since April? I didn't? Well, I have. Once or twice a week. This is the second punch card Ive completed. High five!  Late summer pizza party   Yummy veggie filled pizza I made at a friends house. We were entertaining some youngster and decided  it would be fun to let them make their own pizzas. Why do I come up with these brilliant ideas? Well at least the kids had fun... Just kidding! It was a ball of fun. This baby was delicious. Smothered in diced tomato, red onion, yellow pepper, olive and artichoke. Late summer Harvest Remember summer? And green tomatoes? I do. With longing sighs....

creamy (thanks to tahini) spinach and sun dried tomato risotto In November my parents and siblings went away for the weekend to the Homewood Suites. Nice tradition! There was a lovely Italian store very near the Hotel. They had this sun dried tomato risotto for so cheap I just had to give it a try. I'm not a fan of white rice but this is really good.   On an unrelated note that is Azure Sula Paint and Peel on my thumb. the beautiful fall colors.. Just  a few weeks ago it looked like this... Amazing how fast time is flying by... I didn't get a chance to take a proper fall drive this year but the leaves in my area were amazing. And I was sort of on my way to Ireland on the peak.    A  yummy random lunch.. Random cravings..... Amy's Tamale Verde Black Bean... I really like this meal. It is really tasty and flavorful. I was always hesitant to try Tamale,but I'm a fan of this.    foggy days.... We had a few foggy

A view of dusk from above the clouds Aer Lingus Vegan Dinner The Kingdom Hall Beautiful View in Howth How beautiful and moody the beach looked.. The view from my bedroom window.  Roasted Vegetable Panini with onion marmalade Side of balsamic rosemary potatoes  Beautiful trees..

 Check out my hot spots. Tongue protruded for emphasis... Who doesn't love a good Thermal Imaging Camera?? I mean look how thin my arms look! Please excuse that random person behind me. Ruuu! Every year Pittsburgh has the RADical days sponsored by RAD (Regional Asset District), which features free entry to various arts related places around the city (i.e. The Mattress Factory, Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History) and special events at non arts related venues (like Whole Foods Market). My family took in the free day at the Science Center. You know how i adore my Free. He was my first love before Clearance. Clearance and I broke up a little while after I started in my full time volunteer ministry, but we rekindled things when I was in Italy. It's a long story. Don't judge me! The only awkward thing was that the Sports Center, a seperate building centered around fitness and sports science, is sponsored by a meat company, so there are pictures of n

The impending frosty nights caused everyone to run to their gardens and harvest the last bits of freshness hanging out there. For my mum that meant lots of green tomatoes. She had about 3 baskets full of tomatoes and lots of them were green. All those green tomatoes. Oh you are going to be delicious... I'm a fan of oven roasting pretty much anything. If I could figure out a way to oven roast chocolate we would have a serious problem... Or is that just hot cocoa? Ill figure it out.... Anyhoo, a great way to use up the bounty of your (or your mother's in my case) garden is oven roasting whatever you grew. After you roast it theoretically you can freeze it. I say theoretically because I cant seem to stop myself or my family from inhaling what Ive just roasted. Rub the sliced beauties with Olive Oil Sprinkle on some "Oregano, Basil , Sun dried Tomato" (or make your own) and sea salt   Bake 30 minutes at 350 

  This stuff is so delicious it deserves its own post, but here it is nonetheless. It's the Mandarin Orange Soy Chicken from Trader Joe's.   Just yum. That is all I can say. It is rediculously good. I ate it along with the brown rice mix also from TJoe's.   It's really easy to make. Just bake the chicken bites and toss with the sauce that has been heated up.   The calorie content isn't awful, but remember it's prepared food so technically cheat day food.   If you don't eat it on cheat day you will be compelled to to work it off. Speaking of working it off...   Fun exercise....       Another way to sweat off the pounds or just calories if you are already at your goal shape (i cant say weight since i refuse to weigh myself until im sure ive lost more weight) is to dance, or more specifically line dance! Dr. Dance an uber famous line dance instructor in my area held a free dance class at the Mellon Park

  Entertaining does not have to be expensive. There I said it. And I mean it too. Especially if you are anywhere in the vicinity of a Trader Joe's, but even if you dont you can have a party for 4 for under $20. Step 1: Make a guest list Step 2: Make a menu Step 3: Go shopping (be flexible)   I put together a last minute Tea Party Luncheon a few weekends ago. It always pays to be high on creativity when you are low on funds. Creative cha-ching! One of the best things about Trader Joe's is that they have one type of item in a variety of prices points. Or in other words 3 kinds of grapes at three different prices depending on your taste preference and budget. Love it! SO, since I already had the guest list together (me, cuz and baby cuz) I made up a menu (Chicken Salad Sandwiches, potato chips, Thomchord grapes, cookies and baby carrots) and then went to Trader Joe's. Lo and behold there was none of the chicken salad that i wanted to serve. Argh

How could you ever get tired of tofu scramble? There are so many variations. Savory, sweet, and pretty much any cultural adaptation you can imagine... I don't eat tofu (or any soy products) often, but it's nice ot have a block on hold in the freezer for the occassional cravings and for a quick breakfast or dinner. I just drain it of any liquid its packed in, rinse it cut the block into four and then freeze. No other prep needed. And freezing it makes the tofu chewier in texture, so it doesnt need to be cooked as long. Just flash fried (cooked in a very hot skillet) to brown it. If you have any questions about Tofu feel free to email me or put it in the comment section in below. How much do you love it when the mushrooms are fried? Tuscan Scramble 1/2 block tofu crumbled (mine was frozen but nuked to thaw) 1/2 c frozen kale, thawed 1 cup sliced baby bella 1/4 c onion sliced or diced 1 t salt 1 T trader Joe&