Ten Things I Like to Eat Right Now - October 30, 2013

1. Pomegranates. Cut one in half and smack the shit out of it with a wooden spoon and voila, arils.
2. Real whipped cream. Yesterday was a weird day, but it was also grocery day. We're doing very well staying on grocery budget - GO US! - and shopping mostly at YDFM has worked out beautifully for a full month. My special treats have changed from a box of packaged something or other to some sort of fancy fruit or bread. This time my splurge was a one-cup container of heavy whipping cream, which I whipped by hand because I didn't think to see if the Vitamix could do it (it can, and it also can make butter by the way...) and ouch my arm. But cream plus a bit of sugar plus vanilla...and then I put dollops on parchment paper and flash froze that so that now I can have whipped cream in my coffee every morning. I am happy. (I also bought mustard seeds because I think I may try refrigerator pickles.)
3. Single-serve vegan chocolate chip cookie cake from this recipe. Note that her calorie count/nutritional information is absolutely ridiculously wrong - the cake is at least twice that and around 9 WW points, but it also makes a GIANT cake that is easily two servings. And it is delicious. I plan to halve the recipe the next time I make it but I will be making it again. Maybe with maple syrup or brown sugar or...
4. An apple in the microwave with a dash of allspice and a smidge of cinnamon. I put it in for a minute at a time and by the end I had something delicious. Also vegan apple cider donuts over and over and over.
5. Roasted cauliflower with Frank's hot sauce. Sometimes batter coated, more often not. See also: roasted zucchini chips with a sprinkling of parmesan.
6. A mini whole wheat pita from YDFM (nothing artificial, real real bread baked that day) with pears and gorgonzola (hot gorgonzola = amazing, I had no idea) and maybe some basil and spinach and onion.
7. Coffee with peppermint extract. Ideally chocolate coffee (like the iced mocha flavor I got on super clearance from Tarzhay). I am over pumpkin pie spice already and am ready for the peppermint/chocolate explosion that comes next.
8. Frozen banana ice cream. Recent realization: I always make recipes in the Vitamix by starting at 1 and cranking up quickly to high speed. But the banana ice cream comes out richer and creamier if I do that briefly and then run it on 2-3 for a short while. Ingredients? Frozen bananas and a splash of almond milk. And chocolate syrup after.
9. Brownie Brittle. It's a good thing this stuff is hard to find because it is amazing. I actually DID get sent a free sample of it from one of the various sampling programs I am hooked into, but this is the first time in a while that I have legitimately falling in absolutely love with the freebie to the point of having a friend with a Costco membership buy me a monster-sized bag that I ate rather quickly over the course of a week 5 days 4 days.
10. Steel cut oatmeal with maple syrup and almond milk. I make a cup of dry oats at a time, put the whole thing in a container in the fridge, and eat 1/4 of it as a serving - heated up in the microwave for a minute, then stuff stirred in, then another 30 seconds, it's perfection, really. And the kid likes it too.

Other things I bought on a whim at YDFM that I plan to eat over the next week: delicata squash, acorn squash, beets, radishes. My child keeps asking for strawberries, cherries, and watermelon, but I am trying to get her to understand seasonal food. It's bad enough that we buy sub-par tomatoes...

Random Roundup - August 21, 2012

• The kid's school year continues to go very well. Yesterday when we picked her up, her teacher said she'd been dry all day. I said, "Oh, great! So when do you think we can ditch the pull-ups?" She said, "Um, you did. You sent her without one on today..." Indeed, my husband had done that by mistake - but she ROCKED it. In fact, she stayed dry for about 24 hours. So today we tried again. And sent her with extra pants, undies, and pull-ups. I really think she can do this! Her biggest obstacle is that she can't get up and walk to the bathroom or say, clearly, that she has to go - but she can actually do both in her own way, she's physically capable of being potty trained, and she's just so damn smart... We're on our way!
• Today I believe we will be signing the final paperwork to be submitted so that she can be one step closer to getting her AAC device! She's had two therapy sessions using it now (everything up until two weeks ago was evaluation vs. actual therapy) and she is doing incredibly well with it. I just cannot wait until she can communicate more clearly with us. Her speech is getting better and better, but her frustration level is at code red -- so this is going to be excellent.
• There is an exciting new resource for vegetarians (me! lacto ovo me!) and vegans in Atlanta - the Crack the Plates Atlanta Vegan Guide! It has a listing of every vegan, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly restaurant and grocery store in the general Atlanta area. It's a work in progress, so feel free to submit suggestions (I submitted Radial - and look, it's there now! whee!). I absolutely love how veg-friendly Atlanta has become. I've eaten at or shopped at many of the places on that list, but there are so many more to explore!
• I have a new Tivo and it is ridiculous how exciting I think this is. Tivo made me an upgrade offer I couldn't refuse ($50 for Lifetime Service on the old box, free wireless adapter, multi-box discount, and Hulu Plus for 6 months) so I went for it. Plus my old box's dual-tuner functionality was messed up because of some changes to our cable service, and I missed being able to record two shows at once... If you're wondering "But Marla, how do you afford such frippery?", well, we don't pay for cable - it's part of our condo fee - so this is very worth it for us, although I am waiting for the first post-Tivo cable bill because I think we have to pay a bit extra for the new HD service we now have. ANYWAY, I caught up on Grimm, I'm now watching Community, and I just love how HD TV looks. Yes, I love TV. I admit it! I do! I am looking forward to the new TV season cranking up - in particular, I'll be watching Revenge, Once Upon a Time, How I Met Your Mother, Hart of Dixie, MAYBE Revolution, Grimm, The New Normal, American Horror Story: Asylum, and...probably whatever else my Tivo can hold. 
• Speaking of gadgets, yesterday I ordered a new cell phone. We use Virgin Mobile, so our monthly bills are really cheap. The first phone I bought was $50 on Black Friday and was totally good enough for what I needed - but of course I craved an upgrade. So I saved up every $5 Amazon gift card I earned from Swagbucks (referral link!) as well as a few GCs I earned elsewhere and some extra dollars I earned around the Internet. That plus the phone being on sale meant that I was able to buy a $200 phone for $30. HTC One V, I can't wait to get you! I also went on eBay and bought a new case and screen protector, but I'm really hoping the phone will squeeze into the jogging armband I already own.
• I'm back to running. My back has been hurting, so I haven't pushed it as much as I'd like, but I am trying to run at least 20-25 minutes a day, three days a week. My new goals is to eventually be able to run a 5K without walking at all. I am inspired by Sheryl Yvette and her ability to run 15 miles without walking. If she can do that, I can do three. I CAN. 
• I'll be introducing Kari Chapin, author of the excellent Grow Your Handmade Business (referral link!), at the Decatur Book Festival in a few weeks. VERY exciting - can't wait to meet her and hear her tips for crafters like me! Also hoping to catch Dame Darcy, Kevin Henkes, Patrick McDonnell, and Leela Corman, among many others. Wheee!
• That about sums it up, I think.

What Are Your Kitchen Staples? - March 23, 2011

I'm procrastinating writing some book reviews for you all (I know, thousands of people are waiting for those - or maybe...no people) so instead you get this entry. I'm on a diet - and I've said it before and I'll say it again, my "diet" is that I try to watch what I eat and don't have ice cream. Oh. Ice cream. I haven't had any in a long, long time and I'm sad about that. And it hasn't really helped me so maybe I should switch tactics and go on an ice cream diet... Anyway, here's a list of what I always like to have in my fridge/freezer/pantry. Maybe you'll get some ideas or share some of your ideas with me? Note that as you should know anyway because you totally read my intro post, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian and I avoid artificial sweeteners and trans fats/partially hydrogenated oils as much as I possibly can.

Also, I'm going to name brand names. Nobody gave me anything to say this stuff, but hey, if you're a company and you found me by Google Alert and you want to give me free stuff/coupons, get in touch!

• Laughing Cow cheese wedges. My everyday favorites (which I use instead of cream cheese) are the Garlic&Herb and the Light Swiss. The French Onion was the gateway drug, and I still love that on crackers. And the Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle is divine when melted. I get twitchy when I'm out of these and far too excited when a sale + coupon = $1 a package. I still can't figure out why Velveeta is gross to me and these are not, but there you go.
• Arnold Sandwich Thins. I've tried several brands (including Trader Joe's house brand) and these are my favorite to the point where I'm not even swayed when another brand is on super sale. They taste the best to me, they don't break when you pull them apart, and they have a good ingredient list.
• Kale. Which sometimes goes bad in the fridge but sometimes gets made into Kale Chips or thrown into smoothies. I prefer organic but the conventional is WAY cheap.
• Frozen veggies - spinach in particular. I throw these into everything - pasta sauce is a big one. Yay sneaky veggies. For these, Trader Joe's is my favorite source. Organic and inexpensive.
• Frozen fruit - organic strawberries in particular. Same as above - great for fast smoothies.
• Almond Breeze in Unsweetened Vanilla. I learned about this from Hungry Girl and now am addicted. I stock up when it's on sale and I use it in my coffee and smoothies. I tend not to drink it straight, though, and I do still drink cowmilk all the time.
• COFFEE. K-cups and ground coffee to use in my Solofill (usually whatever's on sale).
• Vitatops in Deep Chocolate. Pricey but worth it. You can get better prices ordering online on occasion but when they go BOGO at Publix...that's the best thing ever.
• Gardein - the frozen kind, not the refrigerated kind, though those are good too. My favorite mass-market fake meat product. It tastes the best and has the best texture. I was really upset when my favorite Publix didn't have a spot for it on the shelf a few weeks ago. I hope that was a minor blip, but Kroger and Whole Foods carry it too. Seriously, noms.
• Tofu. Because...tofu. And seitan, TVP, and tempeh. I love soy (and wheat) and I don't care what you think about that.
• Tofurky slices. Hush, they're good. Also, that's a brand name, but I do tend to go for the turkey-ish version.
• Smart Dogs by Lightlife. I eat them cold with ketchup. My husband taught me that, so blame him.
• My friend's chickens' eggs. I wish everyone was as lucky as I am to have access to backyard chicken eggs. I've met the chickens that lay my eggs. That's amazing to me. My friend also is a beekeeper so she also sells me honey. YUM.
• Fresh fruits and veggies because I have to say that, but it is true.

I am sure there's something I'm forgetting, but those are the basics that I always have around. You?