on the road…
Alright, this photo is from The Netherlands ’06, but fitting for the traveling ahead. I leave in the morning for a five-day drive to California. These last few days have been packed full of to-do lists. I was wishing to post before leaving, but this is all I can write for now. The route keeps changing, but we’ve fit in two excursions I can’t wait to share. Emptying out pots of herbs, cleaning, packing boxes and luggage…all of it has not helped my knee heal. Even though I’ve taken the last few days off of running, I still feel pain that is not welcomed. I hope one more week will be all the injury needs to recover. Good thing I have some new places to explore and keep me distracted.
Have a lovely week!
switching the route
It sounds like sandwiches, wraps, bars, fruit (dried and fresh), and nuts are the road trip foods of choice. I will be getting to all of that this weekend since our departure date is Monday. Instead of taking the route we had planned, and already visited AAA for maps for, my mother and I have opted to take the southern route. We both haven’t traveled much in the southwest, and plan on stopping in Tulsa, OK, Albuquerque, NM, and Flagstaff, AZ. The most disappointing part about the switch, is that I won’t be stopping in Denver for a day to see a best friend. We had heard that snow was going to be hitting the Rockies and my mother wasn’t too excited with that, considering I was going to be driving alone from Denver to LA. Fortunately for me, she has now decided to go the whole way and we may drive some half days so that we have more time to explore some southwest cities we haven’t visited before.
My mother is a fellow bread enthusiast, and loves the seedy whole grain variety as much as I do. This morning I toasted some Whole Foods Seeduction bread and covered it with crunchy peanut butter and blueberry preserves. It has been too long since I’ve had an open faced pb & j.
Since my father left to film in New Orleans, I’ve been keeping my mom company. I made a simple gnocchi dish with a mix of fresh pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, spinach, squash, rosemary, and sage. It probably skimped in protein, but it was still satisfying. We used whole wheat gnocchi and couldn’t tell the difference in taste or texture. They were just like the gnocchi we had in Tuscany.
The parents keep their home pretty chilly and because I’ve been really trying to fit in cross-training, I’ve hopped on their new elliptical a few times these last few days to warm up. What a good excuse to get a workout in, right? Teri also reminded me that foam rolling would really help alleviate the IT band pain I’ve been having. After searching in my old bedroom closet, I found the one that my college cross-country coach had given me. It has already has helped a lot.
I really want to like the garden herb sunshine burgers, but something just doesn’t sit right. I prefer the other Sunshine burger flavors, especially the Southwest (how fitting considering we are going there…). We are really trying to empty out our fridges, and the only veggies I could find were organic baby romaine, farmer’s market tomatoes, and avocado, that I tossed with a balsamic dijon vinaigrette. Honestly, I couldn’t make it through the veggie burger and ate the remaining dumpling squash half and baked beans for today’s lunch.
Newman’s Own Organics sent me a huge box full of products to review for the blog. I dove right into the Fig Newmans first. I forgot how much I enjoy these fig filled treats. They are the perfect pre workout treat too! I can’t wait to try the rest of the vegan choices. The timing is perfect for our road trip.
Now I’m off to go dispose of our plants. This really breaks my heart, and clearly shows how I am meant to be a vegetarian. I have a hard time killing plants! I just don’t think it is practical to travel across the country with a tiny 1990 bmw filled with herbs. I guess V and I will just have to get new ones once we settle in.
Some of you were asking where in LA I will be. Well, it is kind of confusing. We will be staying in our friends way up in Topanga Canyon, but only while he is filming in Thailand for two months. After that, it will be up to us to find a place and area (probably closer to the studios…maybe Toluca Lake, North Hollywood) we want to be. I am very excited to stay out of the center in Topanga for a little bit though. Hopefully I can convince friends to come up their to hike with me.
Other things:
-Have you traveled in the southwest? Have you been to any of the cities I mentioned we will be stopping? Any tips? We will only be driving through but will stop for a few nights and if we find a city particularly interesting, we will probably be staying for a half a day. I do worry about dinners in some of these places. I hope they are veg-friendly!
west-bound.
As mentioned in the last few posts, I have had to make a big life decision rather quickly and here it is: I am moving to Los Angeles. There is no real rush because I am not yet signed on my next project, (hello freelance life) so I have decided to drive west. V had to leave abruptly for a series, but we’ve been talking about possibly moving to LA for the winter, since the Detroit film industry definitely dies down in the winter months. Last year we were out west for just a month or so, but this year we will probably stay longer. Who knows, maybe we will stay out there since our lease runs out right after the new year. He is a California boy and I am most definitely a New Yorker, but I do love the state of California after spending my middle school years there. Another perk is that I will be able to run outdoors all through the winter. Yes, that is a real reason I am excited. The hiking, biking, year-long farmer’s markets…it is all so appealing. LA is also home to many of my favorite vegetarian and veggie friendly restaurants. I can’t wait for some delicious M Cafe and visiting more restaurants that I have yet to eat at. Although I miss all my friends and family in New York dearly, there are a few of my college friends in LA, and my brother, who I haven’t lived close to in 10 years.
I’ve never driven that far solo, and am lucky enough to have persuaded my mother to travel halfway with me. In preparation, I have spent the last few days at the parents, organizing plans and routes. This morning, I was happy to find some irish steel-cut oats in their pantry and many honeycrisp apples in the fridge. On the stove top, I mixed in some organic light coconut milk (another parent’s pantry find), half a banana, chia seeds, and ground flaxseed (I came with the chia but they already had flax). When I couldn’t find any vanilla, I searched the spice rack and sure enough, found vanilla beans. I scraped half a bean into the oats while still cooking and heated up half an apple sprinkled with cinnamon on another burner. I’ve mentioned before, but I love cooking at my parents because they have an amazing old AGA stove.
They also have my favorite latte bowls (I have the little ones for prepping) in every color imaginable. My mother and I both have an affinity for kitchen goods, and she made sure to show me her recent finds and gifts (thanks to my lovely Aunt for picking up an olive tree cutting board while in Italy).
Since I’m currently working on emptying out my fridge, I brought over leftover roasted veggies. The parents always have veggie burgers in the freezer in case I come for a visit, which I used to round out a lunch.
While the car was getting a check up for the road trip ahead, I stopped in the local gourmet market for a snack. This Pure NRG bar is made just a few miles from my parents home. Usually I am not a fan of carob, and opt for pure dark chocolate, but this bar really surprised me. Maybe it was the coconut flour and flakes, but I didn’t find the carob overwhelming at all and actually enjoyed it.
When dinner rolled around, I centered it around the dumpling squash I also had picked up while out. Oh, and there were GT’s Kombucha too! That needs to be mentioned since there have been months of an unplanned Kombucha famine.
Isn’t she beautiful? She is local and organic too.
The other component I wanted to use was the lacinato (or dinasour) kale my father picked up at the farmer’s market on Sunday from my favorite organic farmer.
The kale was sautéed with this stoneground Inglehoffer mustard and I loved it. Wanting to eat with my parents, I threw together this local and tasty dinner for one in a hurry. I roasted the squash in the highest oven of the AGA to cut down the cooking time and used Michigan’s eden baked beans (organic and bpa free) to fill the squash.
Other things going on in my kitchen:
The two pie pumpkins on my counter needed to be roasted before I leave. I sliced and deseeded them, and then baked them for about an hour at 350 degrees. All I wanted was some simple pumpkin puree for morning oats.
I see some pumpkin oats taking over my morning meals these last four days I am in the midwest.
Other things:
Considering I had taken off most of the summer from running, I started slow and with low mileage. Unfortunately it might not have been little enough, because instead of aggravating my consistent left shin or foot problems, I have a new-to-me pain. Although I’ve heard the words “IT Band Syndrome” before, this is a first for me. The pain has appeared on the outer side of my right knee on each run. Even just running 3-4 days a week, totaling 10-15 miles, I feel pain. Honestly, I’ve been doing most of my runs on a treadmill because Detroit isn’t necessarily the safest city to run alone in. I’m hoping that running outdoors on dirt and grass will help it heal.
Other strategies to let it heal:
- Cross training to keep building my endurance
If you have any advice, I’d really appreciate it.
Thanks for all the brownie advice on my last post. I am thinking I might have to wait a little before baking some fudgy brownies, but I can’t wait.
How do you keep your attitude positive when sidelined by an injury early into training? There were a few half and full marathons I’ve really been intrigued by and I don’t want to write them off yet. At the same time, it is pretty discouraging to be caught off guard by this new injury so early in my training. Of course I am not a doctor, and am not sure that it is ITBS, but the pain does nag in that general area. I even feel pain going down the stairs.
What is your favorite road trip food? Do you pack sandwiches, fruit, bars, etc? Do you stop places? So far, I am stopping in Des Moines, IA, Denver, CO (to see a best friend and get my mom on a flight home), and Richfield or St. George, UT (anyone know which is better?).
Have a grand week!
les chapeaux
Ooh, la la…les chapeaux. I’ve loved hats as long as I can remember. As a child I was often topped off with something to keep the rays away.
Of course they weren’t usually quite as charming as this autumnal one placed on my head for a family calendar. Nevertheless, my love of hat wearing hasn’t faded and these days I always have one within reach. Most often, I go for the classic fedora. When I am dressing up but want to add a touch of androgyny, I wear my vintage grey Dobbs. My dark brown Stetson comes in a close second.
Yes, I am also a knit beanie wearer. My little sister has knit me a cream slouchy one that I have been wearing to death this fall, but there are black and grey ones as well.
To get you in the hat mood, here are a few inspiring street style looks.
The grey beanie doesn’t just have to be grunge. The trench with pushed up sleeves, the coral lips, and wrapped scarf…it all fits together wonderfully.
This look could have gone in my chunky knit post. The red sweater and brown wide-brimmed fedora combination is the perfect fall look.
It doesn’t hurt that she is wearing my beloved stripes layered under a sweater, beautiful skinny tan belt, and tweed blazer. The lipstick mark on the coffee cup…oh yeah, this is about hats. I just adore this whole shot.
Please do yourself a favor and get a hat for these colder months. Get one that you love and have a hard time taking off. You won’t regret it. When it starts getting warmer again or you find yourself heading somewhere tropical, get a Panama hat. I wore this one all summer while working in the sun.
sources: garancedore, thesartorialist, fashiontoast
Other things:
A big thanks goes out to the lovely Trudy, from one of my favorite veggie blogs, veggie num num, for the cookie shout out.
Another thanks to Tara at Vegan Piggy for mentioning me in her cookie post!
Lastly, I want to thank Danielle for writing (and in her video) such kind words about her visit and our meeting.
These are the types of inspiring people who keep me coming back to the blogosphere. Thank you all.
Do you have a favorite hat? Do you shy away from them/ feel as though you aren’t a hat person? Sometimes it really depends on the hat with the face shape. Some look best with wider brims or others look better with a shorter brimmed Trilby, etc. Check out local vintage stores for authentic hats, but even places like Urban Outfitters have some pretty legit ones.
I shall be back tomorrow with some more food orientated photos and words. The changes I mentioned in the last post are not set in stone, but when I have made a decision, I will be sure to share the news on here.
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and a great start to the week!
good bars vs. bad bars
A few days ago, I found myself with a cold I couldn’t shake off. But when Danielle told me she would be stopping in Michigan for a day, I knew that I wanted to drive to Ann Arbor to see her. It was the perfect excuse to “feel better,” try a vegetarian restaurant I had yet to visit, and meet a friend I feel like I have known for a few years. My blog began over two years ago after studying abroad in the Netherlands and traveling around Europe. Around that time, I found Danielle’s blog, where she often wrote about traveling, food, and many things I love. Since both of our blogs origin’s, our lives have changed tremendously, and it was great to finally meet her in person. Her drive across the country has been well documented on her blog, and I am so envious. She has been to many American cities I have yet to explore these last six weeks and it was wonderful hearing her go on about each one.
I had to whip up a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies to give her for the last leg of her drive. Who wouldn’t want a big fresh chocolate chip cookie on a road trip? Hopefully she doesn’t get chocolate on the steering wheel.
Ann Arbor, home of University of Michigan, is probably my favorite small city in Michigan. It doesn’t just feel like your typical college town, but has a lot of charm, artistic venues, and good places to eat. Seva was a place I’ve known about for a while. Since moving back to Michigan, I have learned about every vegetarian restaurant in the state. Of course I can eat at most restaurants, but the state really lacks vegan friendly restaurants compared to all the other places I’ve lived in my life. It is a good thing that I love to cook because I really do miss the cafe’s and restaurants of New York, Boston, and Amsterdam.
Naturally, I was more than happy to try Seva for the first time. Upon arrival, I was greeted by smile from Danielle and a delicious glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Although I wanted to try a wine flight, as Danielle did, I still had a 45 minute drive home. Food-wise, we both felt like stir fry’s, which may not have been the best decision. She opted for a stir fry from the Special Menu:
Thai Style Stir Fry - Stir-fried broccoli, red & yellow peppers, mushrooms, mung sprouts, carrots and green onions served over organic brown rice with a Thai-inspired sauce of coconut milk, lime juice, garlic, ginger, chili, fresh cilantro and ground pistachios, garnished with sesame seeds.
It may have been the lack of my usual taste buds due to my cold, but her dish was deceptively bland for supposedly including creamy coconut milk, garlic, ginger, chili, and cilantro.
My choice was the Cilantro Peanut Stir Fry – Stir-fried broccoli, red & yellow peppers, mushrooms, mung sprouts, carrots and green onions with a spicy cilantro-peanut-ginger-lime sauce, over organic brown rice, with roasted peanuts.
There were many different dishes on the menu that sounded tasty, but I think we both went with what we assumed were “safe bets.” I’ve done this at other veggie restaurants in the past, with both failure and success. My dish wasn’t awful, but I honestly felt I could have created the same stir fry myself at home with a little more flavor. The ginger was the most abundant flavor in my dish, and I am feeling much better now, maybe because of it.
Before saying our goodbye’s, Danielle gave me a few of Angela’s Glo Bars (store site here). I’ve been wanting to try these for quite a while now, so it was such a wonderful gift.
I’ve enjoyed both flavors in the last two days and am pretty sure that it was the caffeine in the Empower bar that kept me going during my run today.
After a somewhat bland meal on Wednesday night, I craved a meal with Indian flavors the night after.
Cauliflower is V’s vegetable of choice, and sweet potatoes are mine, which meant that this was a meal that was sure to please both of us. Flipping through the October issue of Vegetarian Times, I found a recipe for Indian stuffed Flat Breads that were filled with coriander spiced onion and jalapeno peppers. I probably shouldn’t have healthified them with spelt flour, but I was out of all-purpose and hoped spelt would suffice. Although tasty, they were rather heavy and not as satisfying as a pillowy piece of Naan (need to make these ASAP).
We dipped them in roasted red pepper hummus, but both agreed a curry would have been the best accompaniment. Too bad I already had kale chips and roasted veggies in the oven. I just wasn’t in the mood to slave over the stove creating a warm curry. However, I was very happy with the result of the vegetables we did end up with.
Indian Spiced Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes
ingredients:
1 large cauliflower, chopped
1 large sweet potato, chopped
2 shallots (or 1/2 onion), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T oil (I used grapeseed)
1 t ginger
1 t cumin
1 t coriander
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t garam masala
1 t salt
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat large baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper.
-In a large mixing bowl, mix chopped vegetables with oil. Then add spices and mix well.
-Pour onto baking sheet and roast 30-35 minutes, until vegetables are turning brown, but are still firm.
Of course, there have been oats in my life these past few days.
Yesterday’s were steel-cut oats that I made my usual way with almond milk, half a banana, and chia seeds. Before taking them off the stove top, I mixed in some roasted maple cinnamon almond butter and then topped them with and half and end of season peach, strawberries, and oats from my apple crumble topping. I must have been missing summer fruit.
Last night I made Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats again with a mix of rolled and quick oats.
My batch differed in quantities than before, so here it is:
- 1/4 cup organic quick oats
- 2 T rolled oats
- 2 T coconut milk yogurt (leftovers from cake recipe)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 t vanilla
- 1/2 t molasses
- 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
- 1 t chia seeds
- 1 t ground flax seeds
- pinch of salt
In the morning I mixed in half a sliced banana, T of raisins, and a small spoonful of both pumpkin butter and raw almond butter. What a lovely way to start the day this was.
Then I had the grand plan of making homemade granola bars. I don’t want to place blame, but all was well until V insisted I add Spirulina. Word of advice: if something smells remarkably seaweedy, don’t add it to a somewhat sweet recipe.
This all looks like it has potential right?
Not so much.
This black-green-brown granola bar was something I couldn’t even eat. Just one Tablespoon of this amazing source of B vitamins ruined my granola bars. I could tell post mixing, when I was left with a bowl of black covered oats. The cocoa powder, brown rice syrup, and peanut butter couldn’t mask the flavor. I think V is in denial about it because he refuses to claim to taste it. Lets just say I have wrapped them up very well in parchment paper and a glass tupperware so that I can keep my distance. Maybe he will be stubborn enough and make his way through them, but I doubt it.
To make up for a few kitchen flops, I have some yummy meal ideas for the weekend and potential life changes on the horizon that I would love to discuss on the blog if all goes well. In the meantime, lets discuss brownies since I haven’t made them in a long time.
-Do you have a favorite brownie recipe? Do you stick with a classic or add in some interesting ingredients like pumpkin, black beans, applesauce?
-Have you tried making brownies with a different flour than all-purpose?
-Oh, and favorite granola bar recipe out there? I know you have some to share… chocolate chips, cherries, walnuts, peanut butter…all good places to start.
happy friday! have a lovely weekend!
too many apples.
No, I am not really apple-d out, but I am a little tired of baking with them. Since I promised myself that I would attempt a pie or galette, I got to it yesterday in the midst of not feeling well. I went with a galette recipe from Nicole’s blog to really showcase the apples. Unfortunately, I chopped way too many in a hurried manner, which meant I was left with a big pile of extra slices covering my cutting board. The recipe called for 5 apples, however, I simply could not fit that many into the middle of the dough and made a crumble as well. The only other change was that I used a combination of whole wheat pastry flour and spelt flour. Although the galette was not so beautiful, V found it pretty satisfying.
I didn’t even get a chance to take a photograph until after it was half eaten.
I’ve said it before, but I am not really a pie person, and enjoyed the upside down cake more because of the complex texture and flavors. This, however, was wonderfully simple.
The veggie cravings have been abundant.
Yesterday I threw together both the raw and already roasted veggies in our fridge.
The baby spinach was topped with the leftover black bean-corn-onion-green pepper mixture from the stuffed spaghetti squash, mung bean sprouts, roasted broccoli, beets, and brussels, our garden tomatoes and radishes, and avocado. I then drizzled on some balsamic vinaigrette made with dijon, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. This was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Now, I am off to Ikea but I have more to share from yesterday featuring this lovely lady and a new-to-me vegetarian restaurant.
Other things:
-Do you like baked fruit? What is your baked fruit of choice?
-Did you stick to a running plan when getting back from an injury or starting fresh? Or did you go with the flow and create it as you went?
uplifting muffins.
Yes, I ended my last post with a photo of oats and now I am beginning this one with another.
The thing is, I just am not feeling so splendid today and needed comfort food. I made some chia-scottish oats for dinner and topped them off with a maple, Coco-Cashew Hazelnut Butter, and almond milk sauce and organic strawberries that were begging to be photographed. Oddly enough, I was also craving some of these:
It took longer than anticipated to cut these farmer’s market brussels off of the stalk, but afterwards, I was left with three full containers of the beautiful veg. With an easy veggie burger, spinach, and tomato on ezekiel english muffin lunch, I ate these shallot, olive oil, rosemary, and thyme roasted brussels sprouts. They’ve turned V into a brussels sprouts convert. As a former “hater,” I was smiling when he went back for seconds. There is always a way to change someone’s opinion when they claims to dislike a certain veggie. Coating them in olive oil, herbs, and salt and pepper is a good start.
Before feeling under the weather, I made pumpkin muffins with an already opened can found in the refrigerator door.
The recipe I used was Fat Free Vegan Kitchen’s Pumpkin Spice Bread, except it wasn’t quite fat-free with equal amounts of applesauce and grapeseed oil. When looking for a recipe, I usually just go to my bookmarks and search an ingredient. That tells you how many bookmarks I have…much too many. Changes that were made from SusanV’s original recipe: whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour, reducing the cane sugar by 1/2 cup from 1 cup (also had to decrease the water by 1/4 cup), switching the brown sugar for palm sugar, and using flax instead of egg replacer.
I used 1 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger) instead of the listed separate spices in the recipe.
When asking V whether he would prefer chocolate chips, dried fruit, or walnuts (or a combo), he said, “You know, I will always go for the nuts over chocolate.” My inner chocoholic was appalled, and maybe a little hurt. Then I realized I have been feeding him a lot of chocolate chip filled baked goods (numerous batches of cookies and banana bread) and shouldn’t be so selfish. Then I discovered something. These muffins didn’t need chocolate chips.
They were my ideal pumpkin muffin. Since I did change the recipe in more than a few ways, I want to share it with you.
The Ideal Pumpkin Muffin
dry ingredients:
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or mix of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
wet ingredients:
1/2 cup organic vegan cane sugar
1/2 cup palm sugar (or sucanat)
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or other mild oil)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 4 tablespoons water
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.
Combine the wet ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and blend well. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the liquid mixture to the dry, and stir well. Stir in the nuts or other mix-in’s, if desired. Pour the batter into coated muffin tin and place on the center rack of oven. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool 3-5 minutes. Makes 12 servings.
I added some pepitas to half the batch mid-bake for some charm.
Goodnight. I need to feel better tomorrow so that I can dine with a special lady driving cross country.
Other things:
-Do you seem to always add in the same mix-ins to muffins, cookies, etc? Are you a chocolate chip lover like me? I’m happy that I made these simple to really appreciate the pumpkin flavor with a touch of walnut. I guess I just can’t myself sometimes (a lot) with the chocolate love.
-Are you attending the foodbuzz festival? I registered last night and have yet to meet any other of the bloggers attending. Naturally I am somewhat nervous, but I know there are many foodie bloggers I can’t wait to meet!
more cookie attention.
Before I began blogging, I was already having a love affair with Celine‘s blog, have cake, will travel. She has some of the most creative vegan recipes out there and I often find myself resorting to her recipe page when searching for something sweet (and sometimes savory). I mean, who wouldn’t want a Peanut Butter Mousse Pie with Candied Nuts and Chocolate Ganache for their birthday, I know I would.
This is why I knew who to go to when I wanted a cookie “outside the box” when our small cookie stash diminished. Interestingly enough, I chose one of her most simple recipes, the chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (with peanut butter). Any time a cookie recipe is described as “chewy,” it is pretty obvious I will be a fan. I probably should have made these post dinner. They were delectable.
Then we waited until 9 pm to sit down and eat this delicious-ness.
Ashley’s Mexican Stuffed Spaghetti Squash was everything I was craving last night. The cumin, cayenne, chili, coriander, and oregano spiced black beans and veggie stuffing had incredible flavor that went wonderfully with the spaghetti squash. I followed her recipe exactly (with the addition of sliced zucchini) and topped it with avocado, salsa, and some of our garden chives.
I apologize for the not so lovely evening photos. It really was such an enjoyable meal with many leftovers for today’s lunch that I can’t wait to dig into.
This morning, I went back for more Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats. This time I topped them with walnuts and pear that I cooked on the stove top with cinnamon, almond milk, and maple syrup. It was a splendid post run meal.
Some other things:
-Make Emily’s Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili in Pumpkin Bowls ASAP. We loved them Sunday night. They will not disappoint.
-If you are a runner who has taken time off due to an injury or life getting in the way, how did you get back into it? Did you do a run/walk plan and/or cross train a few days to build endurance while keeping off your joints? I am still trying to get back to my former running shape, but have had some strange knee pain that is hindering my early training runs. After much too much time off, I am hoping to keep it light with 5k’s and 10k’s until the spring where I hope to add in a half marathon. I may be adding in a few running-related posts here and there. It is always great to re-fall in love with running again and some hiccups along the way aren’t helping right now. Any encouraging words would help right now.
pumpkins and apples, oh my.
Heading to the Detroit Farmer’s Market always worries me. I am used to local, seasonal markets and the inner city market tends to be full of vendors selling “Idaho Potatoes” and berries still in their plastic grocery store packages. It really takes some investigating to find the actual local organic produce, and honestly, it is scarce. I feel better heading to Whole Foods, knowing that I will come home with a full bounty of organic fruit and vegetables. The smaller suburban markets (and maybe Ann Arbor, I have yet to go) are the ones with more local farm vendors, but I still try to give the Detroit Market a chance every once in a while.
I don’t think it is bell pepper season anymore…but pumpkins and squash, yes please.
Our loot was butternut squash, brussel sprouts, beets, and some of these little guys:
V is a California boy with a Texan family history. He picked up some Aloe to make our little garden complete.
Before venturing into pie or galette making, I decided to make an upside down apple cake. As I am not much of a fluffy cake lover, I went with a more dense cake with grapeseed oil and walnuts. V raved about it and I woke up to about 2/3 of it missing this morning. The recipe was from a favorite site, La Tartine Gourmande (check out her stunning photography as well). I made the following changes: three flax eggs instead of eggs, grapeseed oil instead of olive, whole wheat pastry flour instead of gluten-free flours, and coconut milk yogurt instead of dairy yogurt. I tasted some this morning and loved the crispy crust-like edges and soft walnut studded interior.
Pumpkin Pie pancakes were made again.
There is also some cookie cravings going on in this loft. I usually make small batches of cookies and forget that I no longer live alone and should probably make more for two stomachs. First, I must make a trek for some vanilla after finishing it off this morning…
Other things:
-Do you find that you seem to go through vanilla, cinnamon, or other baking ingredients much quicker than the average person?
-Are you a fluffy cake person? Do you prefer other desserts?
have I mentioned my stripe obsession?
So, I don’t know if you’ve realized, but I have a minor admiration for all things striped. These are about half of my striped tops and tunics.
It is hard for me to stay away from striped scarves, tea towels, sheets, etc.
Here are a few striped looks I fancy.
sources: mrnewton.net, turnedout.tv, hanneli.com
Some striped finds:
This long sleeve drapey striped shirt from topshop.
This t shirt dress by RVCA with big bold stripes.
This cropped sweater with lovely dark grey wide stripes.
This LNA striped collared shirtdress (with leggings or tights for the cooler months).
West Elm’s striped sheet set (alright, ours aren’t so different).
A gray and white striped tray for treats.
In honor of my love for stripes, here are my morning oats on stripes.
Just another bowl of pumpkin Scottish oats with chia seeds, banana, pumpkin butter, and raw almond butter. It was so satisfying before a day of farmer’s marketing and baking.
Other things:
-Do you have any aesthetically pleasing obsessions?
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