Creative title, I know.  At least I managed to convey a bit of enthusiasm, right?

So, Christmas is the name of the game today!  It's already over?!  No, 362 days until Christmas.  You see, there is a bright side.

Let's start with Christmaas Eve!

Me ready for the feast:

The Feast!

Not the best picture in the world, but I was a little bit more focused on the plate of food in front of me than my photography skills at that moment.  But who could blame me for being distracted when maple glazed veggies (from Happy Herbivore, click here for recipe; highly recommended as even my parents loved them - score for fixing veggies that everyone will eat!), a homemade bread roll, potatoes au gratin, and chickpeas with my dad's amazing garlic rosemary sauce were staring me in the face?  Definitely the best meal of the year.  Especially when followed by my mom's chocolate cream pie:

Gifts were the next morning!  Look what I got!

I am also now the proud owner of the cutes Christmas dishes ever. 

Told you so. ;)  I got some other foodie stuff too, but you'll have to wait for my next post...

My brother got me Jillian Michael's yoga DVD!!  I was so excited and went through level one later Christmas day.  I was sore the next day!  I'm used to pretty intense work-outs, but the yoga poses and movement used different muscles so it was a great challenge!  And was followed by loose leaf ginger lemongrass tea.  (In the cutest mug, remember?)

All together, my Christmas was wonderful!  Full of lots of superb food, gifts received and given (I'll have to show ya'll what I got my dad at some point), and, most importantly, lots of time spent with my wonderful family!

And now (insert drumroll here) time for a donut!!

Lemon Cake Donut
This donut has a light, refreshing lemon flavor.  If you want the lemon more pronounced, increase the amount of lemon zest in the donut batter.  You can also increase lemon juice (though I haven't personally done this).  If you do increase lemon juice, you may need to add additional sweetener and increase the baking time by a few minutes.
Serves 1

For the donut ingredients:

• 1/4 cup brown rice flour (or other flour of choice)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• zest from one small lemon (about 1/2 teaspoon of zest)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• 2.5 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sweetener, to taste (e.g. agave, maple syrup, stevia, granulated sugar - I used three drops stevia)

Donut directions:

1. Preheat your oven 350 degrees and grease one donut mold in your donut pan (I used coconut oil).
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest, and dry sugar (if using).
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the lemon juice, egg white, yogurt, vanilla, and wet sweetener (if using).
4. Stir the wet mixture into the dry.  Mix until well combined, but don't over mix.
5. Spoon mixture evenly into the greased donut pan, and bake in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Ingredients for the icing:

• Coconut butter
• Lemon zest
• Lemon juice
• Sweetener, to taste

* Adjust amount of ingredients according to taste.  I used about 1.5 tablespoons of coconut butter, 1/8 teaspoon zest, 1 teaspoon juice, and a drop of stevia.  Next time, I would probably use more zest, less juice, and either more stevia or a teaspoon or so of maple syrup.

Directions:

1. Place the coconut butter in a bowl and microwave it until the coconut butter has melted.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
3. Spread onto the donut as soon as you transferred the donut to a plate.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  And, since it's only a few days away, Happy New Year!!

Finals are over, and it is time for CHRISTMAS!!!  To celebrate, since I don't have a recipe (though I do have a recipe "tip" later), I thought it would be fun to do a little survey that's been floating around the blog-sphere.  It's absolutely perfect for a Christmas Eve post!  Ready for Christmas fun?!


1.  Eggnog or hot chocolate?  Hot chocolate!  I like eggnog alright, but for me, hot chocolate is the ultimate comfort drink around the holiday season.  I've been drinking it every night.  (Well, a version of it - you will see later... :)

2.  Does Santa wrap present or just put them under the tree?  Always wraps.  In the cutest, most sparkly paper.  Just in case you were wondering. ;)

3.  Colored lights on tree/house or white?  Some of both on my house, colored on my tree!

4.  Do you hang mistletoe?  No. :'(  I always thought it would be fun to, but we can't find any.

5.  When do you hang your decorations up?  Hmm, depends on the year.  The day after Thanksgivins marks the Christmas season in my house, so sometime after then.  But when we do do it, we go all out!  Snowmen crammed into every corner, garlands above the fireplace and adorning the railing, random Christmas trinkits on every piece of furniture... we leave nothing bare.  (Not even the door handles - they are the official home of our eight stockings.  Yes, eight. My dogs and cat and horse need presents too.)

6.  What is your favorite holiday dish (not including dessert)?  Let's see... this is hard since I can't include dessert.  Who says I can't?  My favorite holiday dish is my mom's chocolate cream pie!  Best in the WORLD!!  Now to answer the question, probably the bread rolls.  I used to say I could live on bread and water.  I still think that often.  Especially on Christmas Eve.

7.  Favorite holiday memory as a child?  I loved them ALL so much!  I don't think I could choose. Though I loved coming down the stairs on Christmas morning to find a stuffed animal in the top of my stocking.  Come to think of it, I still love coming down to a stuffed animal in my stocking!  One is never to old for such things. ;)

8.  What is on your Christmas wish list?  Peanut flour, coconut butter, donut pan... seeing a constant theme here?  At least it's all practical. 

9.  Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve?  We used to open one on Christmas Eve, but now we save them all for Christmas day.  That way we're bombarded at once 'cause who doesn't want that?

10.  How do you decorate your Christmas tree?  Lots of lights, lots of ornaments, and a big star on top!  Actually, the big star isn't up this year because it's broken.  I may or may not have shed a tear.

11.  Snow?  Love it or dread it?  Love it.  Period. 

12.  Real tree or fake tree?  Always real.  Sometimes we go up to the mountains to cut it down. There is a place where the trees grow so close together that it actually damages them.  So they let people come cut the trees down to help thin them a bit and promote growth.  Real Christmas tree AND helping the environment?  I'll take it.

13.  Do you remember your favorite gift?  When I was about seven, I got this big horse (fake, of course).  I had wanted it soooo bad, and it was so big that it was wrapped in trash bags!  Oh how I miss stuffed animals!  But as I alluded to earlier, I still get them on occasion - gotta tame that 5 year old heart of mine. ;)

14.  What's the most important thing about Christmas for you?  Baking cookies, watching Christmas movies, spending time with my family, and dreaming of a white Christmas.  I don't think I've ever had a true white Christmas, but I still dream the next will be.  One day, I will get my wish.

15.  What is your favorite holiday dessert?  Whoops, I already answered this above.  Oh well!  I'll focus on my favorite cookies instead: sugar cookies and gingerbread.  That was easy.  

16.  What is your favorite holiday tradition?  Watching Rudolph and Frosty on Christmas Eve.  Oh that's today!  Yaaaaaay!!!  Like I said earlier, I'm a five year old at heart.

17.  What tops your tree?  Right now, nothing.  But normally, it's a star (see answer to question 10).

18.  Giving or receiving?  Which do you prefer?  Um, how about giving AND receiving?  It would be a lie to say I don't like receiving, but I genuinely love giving too.  There's nothing more precious in the world than the smile you put on one's face by giving them a gift.  So, you know, I gotta make sure that I return the favor and graciously accept their gifts. ;)

19.  What is your favorite Christmas song?  An impossible question.  Sorry.  If it's Christmas themed, I'm certain to like it.

20.  Candy canes, yum or yuck?  Yum for Christmas sake, yuck for taste sake.

21.  Favorite Christmas movie?  Either Christmas with the Kranks or The Santa Clause.  With Rudolph and Frosty close behind.

22.  What do you leave for Santa?  Cookies, milk, and often carrots.  Those reindeer get hungry too!

23.  Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?  Once every one's up, we open stockings, watch the dogs open their presents (cutest thing ever!), and then dig into the presents under the tree!

24.  Do you prefer shopping for Christmas on-line or at the mall?  Definitely the mall (or other stores downtown and such)!  I like to be able to see and feel what I'm getting.  And I love seeing all the Christmas decorations.

25.  Christmas letter of Christmas card?  Letter, though we don't always do one.  Times get so busy!



Well there you have it!  And now for my hot chocolate recipe/"tip" thing.  All you do is combine this and almond milk in a 1:2 ratio (atleast that's how I like it - adjust according to taste).  Then microwave it for one minute on high, more or less time depending on amount and desired warmth.  Thank me later for this.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night (or good day, depending on when you read this)!

Normally, I avoid smoothies the minute that summer warmth is left behind.  And even if I do have one in the fall or winter, it usually isn't when there's snow on the ground.  But alas, there I sat with a cold, blended substance in front of me and a white, fluffy substanc behind me.  I guess I broke my own rule, but this smoothie was so good that I didn't even realize the single digit weather outside.

Christmas is two weeks away.  Let me re-phrase: CHRISTMAS IS TWO WEEKS AWAY!!!!!  I'm so incredibly excited!  Proof:

That would be me this past Friday.  And it's hard to see, but my earrings are mini Christmas wreaths.  Like I said, I'm SUPER excited!!  (And everyone at school knows it. ;)


Question:
Do you drink smoothies in winter?

Happy Sunday!

Hola!  I know this is a bit (okay, a lot) late, but how was your Thanksgiving?  Hopefully, you were able to spend time with your family and get you hands on some super yummy food.  That's what I did!  And the family bit is why I didn't get a chance to post over Thanksgiving break... any spare time I spent with my brother!  He came back from college for the holiday, and there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to spend time with him.  It was definitely the best part of break. :)  The second best part was the time spent with my other family, and the third part was, of course, the food!!! :P  Want to see a picture of my plate??

Now the run down:  bread roll (my mom and I made them), cranberries that my mom made, Katie's Bread-Free Vegan Stuffing (what I mad for vegetables as it had carrots, zucchini, celery, spinach, tomatoes, and onion), lentils, and Peruvian potatoes that my mom and I made together.  Everything was delicious!!!  I was one happy muncher!  I was especially glad that the rest of my family (not exactly the biggest veggie lovers) really liked the veggie dish - it felt good to make something healthy that everyone enjoyed. :)  Afterwards, my dad and brother were too full for dessert, but I really wasn't!  And besides, there's no way I'm turning down dessert. :P  So my mom and I dug into Katie's Chocolate Pumpkin Pie that I made with a homemade graham cracker crust.  Side note:  graham crackers were invented by Sylvester Graham about 180 years ago.  Random, I know.  But as I was typing "graham cracker," I became curious as to who invented them and just had to find out!  Apparently he was also a vegetarian and a health advocate (if we can believe what we read).  Any-who, back to the pie:

It was a bit odd at first because our mouths were expecting pure chocolate, but there was the slight pumpkin flavor too.  We ended up really liking the flavor!  Note: the piece above isn't the one I ate on Thanksgiving; it's one that I ate with lunch.  Yes, with lunch.  Life is too short to save dessert for the end of the meal. ;)

Okay, on to the garlic bread!  I actually made this recipe a while ago, but the reason it's taken me so long to post is that I wanted to come up with a vegan version too.  Unfortunately, I still haven't come up with the right one.  I decided to go ahead and post the non-vegan recipe first, and then I'll post the other version once I get it right.


Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread
Need something to accompany pasta?  What about lasagna?  Maybe looking for a quick snack?  This bread has you covered!  Ready in under 10 minutes, this recipe can easily be made to serve any number of people!
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 slice bread of choice (I use Rudi's 7 grain bread, but a crusty bread would be really good!  I'm sure you could also use an english muffin - oh, I'm going to have try that!)
• About 1/2 tablespoon of butter
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 ounce shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions: 

1. Set your oven to broil.
2. Spread the piece of bread with the butter (you may need to soften the butter to make spreading it easier).
3. Sprinkle the garlic powder evenly over the buttered bread and follow with the cheese.
4. Broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese bubbles and begins to brown.

Question:  Who has Christmas decorations up??
We've put up our lights, but I really want to get out some inside decorations.  For me, the day after Thanksgiving marks the Christmas season, and my spirit is in full force!  

Happy weekend everyone!

Happy Sunday everyone!  I hope everyone's week was fantastic!  Mine was loooong because of my independent analysis paper that I'm writing for my AP Lit and Comp class.  But come Monday, it will be turned in and all my hard work will have paid off!

So today, I have another recap from my big Europe trip this past summer!  I also have a simple yet yummy recipe, but I'll probably post it next week.

I've always considered myself a country girl at heart.  I love openness and enjoy being able to cross roads in single file, not in a mob like some cities (New York City, I'm looking at you).  I've never had a desire to live in a big city, however, I do enjoy visiting them.  Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, London, Edinburgh, New York City (for no more than a day)... these are all cities that I've been to (many more than once), and I've loved them all.  After returning from Europe, Helsinki, Reykjavik (not exactly a city, but it is the capital of Iceland, so I consider it a city), and Copenhagen were added to the list.  So, let's take a little tour of one of those exciting cities, shall we?

Warning: Overload of pictures ahead.

Upon arriving in Copenhagen, my family and I set out for some food!  We were huuuungry from the plane ride!  We came upon a Mediterranean lunch buffet, and, for me, we need not look any further. :P I don't remember what everything was, but I do remember that it was delicious!

After lunch, we set out to explore the city.  Little did we know that it would end up being a five to six mile expedition, round trip.  Our goal was to find The Little Mermaid and, well, we did, but it took hours because it was such a long way from our hotel.  Yes, there were cabs, but I decided to ignore my family's request to take one because.... it didn't look very far on the map!  By the time we were running home in the pouring rain, I realized I should have listened.  But, oh well - it was part of the experience! ;)
I'm getting ahead of myself here... first, the trip to The Little Mermaid!

At last:

Wait!  Where's her red hair??!!  Heehee. ;)  It was neat to see what the epic fairy tale evolved from.  And yes, I do still watch that epic fairy tale.  I have no shame.

By the time we got there, our feet were killing us.  But we decided to trek back anyway.  Even though I was the first to suggest a cab, we couldn't find one - well, not until we were almost back!

The next day, we went to Tivoli!  My dad and brother hit the rides while my mom and I explored the gardens.  Now, I love roller-coasters, but they make me feel nauseous these days. :(  I did end up riding one though...

More roller-coaster pictures!  I actually felt fine after it - so much fun! :D

Behold, the BEST sandwich.  EVER.

If you go Tivoli, go to George's Cafe and get that sandwich!!  You won't be sorry.  I think it was the only vegetarian meal at the park, but its taste completely made up for the fact.

Yeah, it rained on us AGAIN!!!  Down poured actually.  It ended up being one of the hardest rains in Denmark in over 30 years.  Even the train stations were closed because they were so flooded.  We were honored to be a part of it. ;)

Well, that's it for our Copenhagen adventures!  Next time, it might be Finland, Hamlet's castle, Iceland, or even Newfoundland.  Well, my next post will be garlic bread.  Nom, nom.


Questions:
Do you like big cities?
Do you enjoy little kido rides?

I'll probably be back within the next few days, but if not, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

My mom is thinking about calling a psychologist.  She is convinced that my obsession with squash is not normal.  Maybe she's right, but I think she forgot to take into account that I'm not normal and thus my abnormal thoughts are actually normal, for me.  But I guess that depends on you definition of normal, and since I consider myself abnormal, my definition of normal maybe someone else's definition of abnormal thus making me normal.  Normal or not, I'm moving on to the point of today's post...

Spanish class is inspirational.  At least it was this past Monday.  I was sitting with a few minutes left in class, and I began thinking of a burrito.  Of course, I knew I had no tortillas at home.  Major dilemma?  No, because I also knew I had english muffins.  And thus Mexican English Muffin Pizza was born during passing period.  

Recipe?  Oh right, let me run and get me notebook. (*Scrambles to backpack, pulls it open, yanks the notebook from the tight row of other notebooks, textbooks, an empty lunch bag, Beloved, and In Cold Blood -- my current literature class reads, and flips through Spanish notes, this weekends homework assignment, notes for my paper in lit class, dance vocabulary and the warm-up that I created, and then, at last, the recipe.  Rambles back to the computer.*)


Mexican English Muffin Pizza
The ingredient list may be long, but it actually comes together rather quickly!  Even though it may not be quite as quick as frozen pizza, the unique taste will make you glad that you took the extra time.
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 english muffin, split in half
  
• 2 tablespoons salsa of choice
  
• 1/4 cup black beans (if using canned, drain and rinse)
  
• A small handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced
  
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
  
• 2 tablespoons corn, fresh or thawed frozen
  
• A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, lightly chopped (I actually didn't have any, but I think it would be a wonderful addition!)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 oz shredded cheese of choice (I used mozzarella because it was what I had, but I think any kind would work)
• 1/2 a small avocado, sliced (optional)
• A spoonful of Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Cover a small baking sheet with aluminum or parchment paper.  Set your oven to broil.
2. Spread each english muffin half with a tablespoon of salsa, and place the english muffin halves on the prepared pan.
3. In a small bowl, mix the black beans, tomatoes, onion, corn, cilantro, and spices.  Spoon half the mixture onto one english muffin half and the remaining mixture onto the other muffin half.
4. Evenly sprinkle the cheese on the muffin halves.
5. Place the pan in the oven and broil for about five minutes -- until the cheese melts and begins to brown.
6. Transfer the pizza to a plate and top with the avocado and sour cream.  Enjoy!

And now I want to share a couple of random meals from the past week!  There's no such thing as to many food pictures, right?  Right? ;)

Let's see, above we have steamed brussel sprouts, delicata squash (think candy, only better), Whole Foods avocado sushi, and Katie's One Minute Chocolate Cake.  Who says you can't have cake for lunch?  I tried the cake with just stevia to see how it would turn out, but I think I would use some real sugar next time (yes, there will definitely be a next time :P).  It's so nice be able to have chocolate cake only a minute away!

Sorry for the lighting!  I was hungry and didn't want to go all the way downstairs to my light box!  So instead, I snapped a quick picture and then dug into steamed corn, steamed brussel sprouts, roasted kabocha (my first stab at my newly acquired squash collection), and a whole wheat english muffin topped with a mixture of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and peanut butter.  And no, I couldn't possibly limit myself to that little amount of squash... kabocha was also my appetizer and dessert. ;)  And along with dinner, I had my first kombucha:

It was quite yummy!  Definitely something I would get again.


Questions:
Do you ever get recipe inspirations from class?
Do you have an obsession with squash?

Also, thank you for the compliments on my new header!  I'm so glad you guys like it!

Let's do a little comparison game, shall we?  Pizza is round, pancakes are round. (Well, my pancakes at least slightly resemble a round shape.  Most of the time they're more squarish or jagged on the edges.  Character. Yes, it gives them character. ;)  Pizza has toppings, pancakes have toppings.  True, the toppings are quite different... pizza has tomato sauce and cheese, maybe veggies, pepperoni for many while pancakes have butter and maple syrup, or Greek yogurt and peanut butter (!!), possibly coconut butter (!!)... but still, a topping is a topping.  Pizza is eaten for dinner, pancakes are eaten for dinner.  Who wants to wait until the next morning for pancakes when you can have them that night?  Um, not me.  Now the most obvious similarity is, of course, the taste.  Pizza is delicious, pancakes are delicious.  And these two recipes are nothing less.  

Sun-dried Tomato and Pesto English Muffin Pizza
Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 english muffin, cut in half (I used Rudi's whole wheat english muffins)
1-2 tablespoons basil pesto
About 3 sun-dried tomatoes, torn into small pieces (if using dried, soak in water for a few hours prior to making the pizza)
1 oz shredded mozzarella

Directions:
Cover a small baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Set your oven to broil.  Spread each muffin half with half to a full tablespoon of pesto (depending on how pesto-y you want it).  Arrange the tomato pieces evenly on top of the pesto, and evenly sprinkle on the cheese.  Make sure the tomatoes are under the cheese or your tomato pieces will burn.  Put the pizzas on the baking sheet, and put the baking sheet in the oven.  Broil for about five minutes or until the the cheese melts and begins to brown.  Enjoy!

The pizzas are so easy to make but are extremely yummy!  You could even make lots of them and then arrange the pizzas on a big plate and take them to a party!

Side note:  I ate the pizzas above with some raw snap peas and a package of spinach, steamed and then mixed with balsamic vinegar and garlic powder.  Got my greens for sure!

Now for the pancake recipe.  These aren't your basic light and fluffy pancake - they're much softer and denser.  But as we've previously discussed, different pancakes are actually good!  As long as they're cooked in a pan, I think they qualify as pancakes. 

Okay, so today I was down town with my mom (we went to this amazing Indian place for lunch <3), and we stopped at this cute little kitchen store called The Cupboard.  I found the perfect cup in the sale section.

I like my food thick.  I've always chosen stew over soup, fruit smoothies over fruit juice, Greek yogurt over regular yogurt, and now blended saag over traditional saag.  Woooow, back up.  What's this about blended saag??  Well, when I saw Rachel's Saag Tofu, I decided to give it a shot.  Of course, I changed up the ingredients some, but the real difference is the way the final product looks:

Doesn't really look like saag?  Well, if you've been reading my blog for a bit, you're probably used to seeing such unique looking foods.  As I like to say, who needs waffles when you can have waffle scrambles?


Saag with a Twist (aka Soggy Saag)
Based on Rachel's Saag Tofu

Ingredients:
1 package fresh spinach
1/2 cup canned, diced tomatoes (or you could probably use fresh)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon coconut butter
1/3 cup canned chickpeas

Directions:
Toss everything (except the chickpeas) in a small sauce pan and cook on medium-low heat until the spinach is wilted.  Reduce heat to simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.  Return the mixture to the pan, and stir in the chickpeas.  Serve over cooked bulgar or another grain.

Side note: sorry about my mysterious disappearance.  Life's been crazy!  I had mid-terms, went to Aspen for the weekend with my mom, did trick-or-treat street at my school (which is this amazing event where we decorate the school and little kids come and we give candy out at classroom doors and have games for them.... whew!  One needs a long breath to say that one!), and I just got back from an incredible behind-the-scenes aquarium visit with my BioScience club.  Oh and I've been working on my earring business (which I don't think I've mentioned on here before, but I make earrings and sell them to raise money that I give to animal rescue foundations).  Like I said, life's been busy, but I promise I haven't forgotten about my blog either!  I re-did my "about" page, changing it mostly to pictures because pictures are way more fun than words.  And I've also decided that I want to get back to posting more recipes!  I have some ideas of what I what I want to make, and some recipes that I've already tried, but just haven't gotten to post yet.

Question:
Do you like foods thick or thin?

So here's how it went the night I made this:

Mom: "What are you making?  It smells really good."
Me: "A pumpkin sauce for pasta."
Mom: "Is it for dinner tonight?"
Me: "Well, it's only one serving because I didn't know how it would turn out.  But you can try some!"
*My grandma enters the room*
Grandma: "That smell wonderful!  I think I'll stay and have dinner with you." (She and my dad were going to go for a drive.)
Me (to myself): Oh dear, I'm in trouble.
*My dad enters the room*
Dad: "Is that dinner??  That smells good."

Moral of story:  If you make this, make sure you're alone. 

Hola chicas!  Hope everyone's having a great week!  Sorry for no post over the weekend - I was buuuusy and spent my spare time with my grandma.  She's visiting from Arkansas and so I want to spend as much time with her as possible.  But I don't want to neglect ya'll either!  So here we go!  It's WIAW (um, Saturday) time!! :P

Breakfast was most definitely something to remember!!  I made Rachel's Pumpkin Pudding!

So, so fabulous!!  

There was no horse ride today.  My buddy's been coughing :(  I think it's only allergies, but I didn't want to take a chance of worsening the cough.

For a snack, I had my latest obsession: Concord Grapes!!!  I know what you're thinking.  No peanut butter filled pretzels?!  Nope.  I've decided to expand my horizon.  (And I was out... ;)

Lunch: I mixed about 2/3 an avocado with a big spoonful of pesto and plopped it onto a toasted whole wheat english muffin.  I ate this deliciousness along with carrots, cucumber, and raw snap peas.

A close up:

Snack: A shredded wheat cake with peanut butter and dark chocolate chips.  I ended up drizzling the whole thing with So Delicious coconut milk.  Definitely a tasty snack!

For dinner, my grandma and I went to our local Thai restaurant:

I ordered the Swimming Angel which was spinach topped with tofu and peanut sauce and came with a side of brown rice.  Oh my, SO GOOD!!!!!

Upon arriving back home, I wanted coooookies!!  Specifically, chocolate chip cookies.  I turned to Katie, of course, and made her Chocolate Chip Cookies and used brown rice flour.

Sorry Nestle, a new cookie has taken first place in the cookie poll.

And now a MAJOR shout-out to my dad as it's his birthday today!!!

I love you so much Daddy!!!

Happy WIAW everyone! <3