ravenous.

After Bootcamp, I'm usually really hungry and tonight was no different.

I microwaved some egg whites and toasted two sandwich thins to make a sandwich.

Bread.Ketchup.Hot Sauce.Cheese.Vegan Salami.Egg Whites.Bread.

Holy cow! Even though I burnt my toast, it was still an awesome sandwich :)

I quickly followed this with a bowl of Kashi Go Lean cereal with soy milk.

As if that wasn't enough, I had a couple bites of the vegan chocolate banana ice cream I made last night.

The liquid mixture.

Getting frosty!

Ready to eat!

To warm up my cold hands finish off the night I had some Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea. I finally found the seasonal teas!!


I went to the gym Friday, Saturday and today, but I think I need to go tomorrow to get myself on a better routine. I'm a work in progress...


On a side love note: I get to see my boyfriend tomorrow!

goodnight.

He's back!

z is finally home! I really missed him.

We spent the weekend together and he sectioned my grapefruit for me again :)

The end <3

Dia de las Gracias!

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday! Lots of family, food, and fun!

My parents let me sleep in Thursday morning which was awesome. I had a "C"themed breakfast of coffee, a clementine and a chocolate chip cookie :) Before we really started anything, my mom and I took Zeus on a nice long walk in the cold.

I started "Grandma Redmon's Cranberry Sauce" right away. This is the second Thanksgiving without her. After grandaddy died, I was the only one she made the cranberries for, so I knew I wanted to be the one to make it this year.

I started by rinsing the fresh cranberries and picking off the stems.

In a pot, I brought one cup of sugar, 1/2 cup OJ and 1/2 cup water to a boil. Once it came to a boil, I added the fresh cranberries. They instantly started to pop!

I stirred them for a few minutes then took them off the heat to let them cool and get jelly-like.

They turned out so beautifully...and they were super tasty!


Then it was time to peel and cut the carrots for roasting. They were tall, skinny and gorgeous, so I told my mom they were "model carrots."


Tofurkey prep time!

Because I had fresh sage on hand, I decided to do the recommended baste on the side of the box.
Hey pajama pants!
Hey Tofurkey!

Butternut squash and carrots getting ready for roasting!
After they finished roasting, I added dried cranberries and fresh sage to the squash.
The final product:

I finished all my tasks, so I offered to help out with the non-veg food. I made bagged stuffing with chicken stock and water.

Then I made the homemade gravy with flour, water, butter and the turkey fat juice. Kind of gross. Apparently it's good but I stay far, far away from it.

Here's dad carving the turkey:

Honey Baked Ham:

The BUFFET!!

This is the beautiful table my mom and I set up.

My amazing plate: carrots, squash, tofurkey/veg stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, artichoke dip, and one sneaky little olive. I think this was the best Thanksgiving plate I've ever had!

Killer Dessert Plate! I took tiny slivers of pumkin cheesecake, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bar, brownie and pound cake (with coffee, of course). Wow...definitely couldn't finish it.

Cute cousins playing on the floor, ha!

Kasey and I:

My parents convinced me to play Rummikub.

Grandma loves it.

We went around the table and said things we were thankful for. There is SO much to be thankful for. I thank God for family, friends, an awesome boyfriend, and a job! I love Thanksgiving!

Hope you all enjoyed some time with family and friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

sometimes we have two thanksgivings.

My aunt had to work on Thursday, so we had a family Thanksgiving on Wednesday so she could enjoy some family time. It was a pot-luck, very non-traditional Thanksgiving, which was cool because we did the traditional food on Thursday.

I always have an appetizer problem. Everything always looks good, so I end up eating too much...

My brother diced fresh onion, tomatoes, green and red peppers and then melted a TON of fresh cheese into it on the stove. He called it "Salsa con Queso," but I'd like to re-name it "that damn cheese dip that almost spoiled my appetite because it was so good."

My dad grilled turkey and beef burgers, mom brought veggie burgers, but I didn't even need one. Here is some of the table...

Here's my plate with veggie couscous, cabbage/corn relish, cucumber raita, deviled egg, a random lettuce leaf, and potato casserole!

Dessert was pumpkin pie...I don't love the crust, so I let my little brother eat it.

I was stuffed! I offered to be the DD for my two brothers when we went to Bethesda to meet up with high school friends. It was crazy, as expected. I was being kind of lame, but I was full and still in my work clothes. Good to see everyone...I nerded it up a little by talking to a friend about blogs! Along with some friends, he recently rolled out a new blog which is totally different than mine, but super cool. Check it out: The Gallant

Got home around 2 and went to bed. Had to be awake for Thanksgiving prep the next day...


Thanksgiving recap coming soon...

give me carbs.

So, it's Monday. It wasn't a horrible day...or maybe that's just perspective from yesterday's horrible day.

It was pretty rainy all day, but I was relatively busy.

Breakfast was yogurt with stuff on top and my new 365 coffee!

Lunch was some spinach, chili, latkes, and a clementine. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Snacky was apples and a zbar.

I left work a little before 5:30 so I could have time to get ready for Bootcamp. Good thing I picked out my clothes last night...Traffic was a nightmare! 1 hour and 45 minutes to get home! I had to stop by Giant to pick one thing up and then rush home to change. Got home at 7:12, threw on my clothes and sneakers, popped in my eyes, filled up my water bottle and literally sprinted out the door. I was sucking wind by the time I got into class RIGHT before the first exercise started. I had a pretty crappy workout. Now any workout is better than no workout, but I had no energy and felt like I couldn't recover from a few stations. I tried to finish strong and pat myself on the back for having the dedication to show up...

Walked home in the rain and thought about dinner. I had a vegan "salami" and cheese quesadilla and half of a sweet potato w/ salsa. I was hungry and wanted CARBS!

This cheese is expensive, but the slices are thick, it's organic and vegetarian...oh and delicious!

Half moons.


I used the other half of the sweet potato and my peeled adult carrots to make soup. I just boiled some veggie stock, water and black pepper, added the dice sweet p and carrots with a dash of salt. Once they were soft, I used the immersion blender to puree it, then added some more S&P and a lot of curry powder. I think I'm going to freeze it and take it to the Wednesday Thanksgiving. I think my aunt will enjoy it :)



To finish this day off, I heated up a mug of apple cider. 'Tis the Season ;)

z made it safely to san francisco and his sister just picked him up from the airport. Four more dias.

pathetic.

I stayed in PJ's all day because I was extremely hungover. I drank an obscene amount of red wine last night and acted like a stupid, stupid girl.

Let's just say I'm in time out and I shouldn't have been able to use my phone when I got home last night this morning.

Ugh, I suck.

sopa vegetariana.

You may remember me going to a vegetarian fall soup cooking class last month at L'Academie de Cuisine...

Well, I took the second class today! Once again I had a great partner (with an awesome job).

Check out our masterpieces:

Ginger and Cilantro Red Lentil Soup with Lemon Cream

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Fall Spiced Caramelized Apples



Black Bean Soup with Crispy Tortilla Strips and Guacamole

The black bean soup was the BEST! The pumpkin soup was a close second.

I had a really good time and I know I'll be back to L'Academie for some more classes :)


Off to DLF's for my first of three Thanksgivings this year!