It's Vegan! Part 1

***EDIT***

Giveaways are awesome! Here are some that are ending soon...

• Diana from Strawberry Shortstuff is giving away 1o The Simply Bars. This giveaway ends on March 4th.
• Katie from Chocolate Covered Katie formerly CCV) is giving away an ENTIRE box of Jocolat bars. This giveaway ends March 19th.

...so what are you waiting for? Get your butt on over to these fabulous blogs right now!

***END EDIT***

Due to a hearty snack after volleyball last night, I had a very light breakfast: a waffle with PB & banana slices (not pictured) and a ZenSoy Soy on the Go Cappuccino. Mmm mmm this was good. Pretty filling, too!

Lunch was simple - ½ of a PBJ on Ezekiel bread, a little bit of lettuce + baby carrots, and a bag of Brother's All-Natural Fuji Apple Chips. I actually didn't eat the apple chips because I still wasn't very hungry.

For dinner...my mom cooked vegan! This miracle only happens on rare occasions :) It was a stir-fry of green onions, cauliflower, carrots, tofu, and clementines over rice noodles. Talk about delicious! I apologize for the photo...especially the placemat. It looks great in some photos, awful in others. Haha....my sis M set the table.

I have been packed with activites and school assignments lately! I have a volleyball tournament coming up this weekend...I might just bring along my camera so that I can post a few photos. I'll make sure get a few shots of our food table especially for the blog ;] I've got a bunch of product reviews as well as some new, fun recipes planned. I also just did a Spanish project for school that was all about food. That post will be coming up in the next few days. "See" you all soon!

Dearest Simplicity

I am almost embarrassed to share this recipe with you. It is so simple, you will probably laugh. To me, the technique is key to getting the lemony flavor just right. And the luscious green color? Positively inspiring. To me, at least. A nice contrast to the cold, brown world that exists outside of the kitchen. At least the sky is blue today...

MEYER LEMON BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Fat-free! Negative calorie! These babies are perfect if you are eating light. Or if you just adore their pungent flavor, as I do.

• brussels sprouts, thoroughly cleaned, stems removed
• juice of meyer lemons
• freshly-cracked black pepper

You'll need the juice of 1 meyer lemon per 10 brussels sprouts. Squeeze it all out! OK, so the first thing you do is cut the brussels sprouts in half. If you have prepared them correctly, the will stay in tact. Now, steam them for 5-10 minutes or until they are almost perfectly soft. Now, transfer them to bowl containing the meyer lemon juice. Crack your pepper on top of them, as much as you wish. Put a tight-fitting lid over top of the bowl and let it sit (further steaming the brussels sprouts & infusing them with lemony goodness) for 4-5 minutes. Serve hot or cold with additional cracked pepper and any leftover lemon juice for dipping.

A Local Gem: Harvest Lark Company

Wow, what's wrong with me? I've been meaning to post this review since SEPTEMBER (hence the lack of a photo) but I haven't gotten around to it until now. I could've sworn that I posted it before...if I have, please let me know. I am really embarrassed that I totally forgot to post about these awesome eats.

The Harvest Lark Company is based in good ol' KS. They sell bakery bars and snack mixes in many varieties. I have tried many of them, and I've enjoyed them all.

Cranberry Pecan: Delicious! This is one of my favorites for sure. Not too sweet, and not too tart.

Ginger Date: Not overly sweet...it's like gingerbread with dates mixed in.

Chocolate Chip: I have had actually chocolate chip cookies that could never compete with this flavor! The texture is great and the chocolate chips are not overwhelming.

Peanut Butter: This flavor was really tasty, like a peanut butter cookie.

Raisin Currant: A nice, semi-sweet flavor with a good, hearty texture.

Coco-Espresso: This flavor is okay, but it needs more espresso. I like my caffeine!

Raisin Currant Lark Snack Mix: Raisins, cashews, peanuts and Raisin Currant bakery bar trims make this granola-like snack mix perfect for breakfast, a snack or even dessert. The salty-sweet combination of flavors is addicting! I enjoyed it with almond milk or plain yogurt.

Sick Day(s)

Flu? Cold? I don't know what it is - all I know is that I do not feel well - I've been tired and achy, with a headache & sore throat, for days. As a drudge through school and massive piles of homework, all I muster up is basic meals to keep me going. Basic doesn't mean bad, it just means simple. The mug contains warm almond milk + earl grey tea...I was craving a little more London Fog (see below), so I whipped one up myself :)

The photo above is a piece of PBJ toast that I had as a snack the other day - I was pretty tired when I made it...can you tell? Haha I spread it so sloppily, but it still tasted good.

The bowl is full of brown rice, salsa, & peas. Easy & flavorful. Hot drinks have been a must - the little Starbucks cup contained a short soy London Fog Latte.

Hopefully I will be better soon, and I will once again post recipes & other fun stuff. I do apologize for my prolonged absence. I am really miss blogging, and I am looking forward to getting over this bug (in time for the 5-day weekend?) so that I can get back into it.

Today's Eats

Since I've never posted about a full day of eats before, I thought I'd give it a try. Breakfast was a tasty bowl of Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, topped with 1/2 a banana & some unsweetened almond milk.

Lunch was a salad topped with a clementine as well as some raw macadamia nuts. I also had a Coconut Cream Pie LARABAR on the side.

For dinner, I had a roll-up that consisted of refried beans, spinach, & spicy salsa rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla. Yum! I also had a piece of cookie cake (not pictured) later on, to celebrate the outcome of the Superbowl. Go Pittsburgh!

I realize that I didn't eat a whole lot today, but I didn't exercise either. Trust me - on days when I have softball or volleyball practice, I consume a whole lot more. Have a great Wednesday!