Sustain Me

Playing in the Dirt

2010-06-04T01:27:00.004-04:00

So you know that large green bin that was turned into a compost bin, it turns out that I have many of those bins lying in random places in my house. So I decided to use them as giant pots. This way, the plants could be in the part of my backyard that gets the most sun (porch), and if I ever needed to leave I could take my plants with me in the back of a pickup. To make these giant bins into pots, all I needed to do was fill them with the compost that I had procured at the farm. Then I took the plants out of their plastic containers and planted them in the tubs alongside their plant friends. The whole process was quite simple, and fun. Nothing like playing in the dirt. Now lets see if I can nurture these plants into adulthood and then eat the fruits of my labor.

Dirty Work

2010-06-04T00:46:00.004-04:00

Now you may or may not have noticed, depending on your ACT scores, that composting takes 3 weeks or so to create some soil. That means, if you want to start growing the plants you just bought at a farm, you need to get some soil or compost. Today, I went over to Allendale farm to do just that, procure some compost. It's a dirty job, but someone has got to do it. At first I was mildly overwhelmed, who would have thought there are so many varieties of soil and compost? So I went for what looked like regular compost, that is approved for growing organic vegetables. I wanted to give my vegetables a nice taste of compost before they begin eating my compost. After the nice people helped me load 3 bags of compost into my car (surprisingly heavy bags), I was ready to begin planting.

Grow Me Some Sustainability

2010-06-04T00:01:00.003-04:00

Now that it is summer, its time to grow some noms. Now some may feel overwhelmed by the idea of growing their own food, but there are many shortcuts you may take.

Look at all of these plants, all these green leaves. Well, these are all different types of produce that have already started growing that you can buy and put in your own garden. I bought tomatoes, basil, eggplant, and bell peppers from Allendale farm (greenhouse pictured above), but you can buy whatever plant you want from whatever farm or hardware store calls to your soul.

These are some words you may encounter while buying plants, here is what they mean:

Determinate: Plants that can grow without support, ie they don't need a fence or a pole to climb up, they can just grow up on their own.

Indeterminate: Plants that need support to grow, ie a lattice, fence, or steak to climb up.

Heirloom: A variety that has been passed down for several generations because it has a desirable trait, such as taste or color.

Hybrid/ Field: A plant that was bred for certain attributes such as disease resistance.

Now that you know what all of those words mean, go ahead and select some plants. Be sure to read the little stick of plastic in each one so you know where to plant them. Some like lots of sun, some like less, some like to be close to their plant neighbors, others really need their space.

Composting: Stirring Your Way To Soil

2010-06-03T23:59:00.001-04:00

Now that you have a beautiful compost bin working, its time to fill it and actually make some compost. Composting requires two ingredients, better known as greens and browns. Greens are high in nitrogen, and include things like kitchen scraps, green grass clippings, weeds, and green leaves. Browns are high in carbon and include dried brown leaves, dried grass, and straw. Both are necessary to feed the microorganisms that convert the pile of trash into soil. The ideal composting mixture is 4 parts browns to 1 parts greens. Ratios outside of 4:1 take longer to compost, and do not give the microorganisms the nutrition they need. The microorganisms also need water and air, which come easily in the form of rain and wind when you are using an open bin composter. So once you collect 4 parts dead leaves and 1 part banana peels and rotten romaine lettuce from your kitchen, put them in the same chamber of your compost bin. Every day, until soil forms, your job is to go out to the compost pile and stir it around. Most of the microorganisms will be inside the pile, cooking the trash at 160’. You want to make sure all of the leaf and lettuce scraps make it to the inside of the pile so they too can be cooked. The compost usually takes 2-3 weeks to fully cook into soil, so you best be out there stirring it often until a soil like consistency is achieved, that means no pieces of lettuce or tomatoes are visible in the compost. Many composting enthusiasts’ websites recommend using tillers or large forks or other fancy tools to stir their compost. I decided, as usual, to recycle again, and went in the backyard to procure a large stick which I have dubbed my stirring stick. So if you need me during the next 3 weeks, I will be out stirring my pile. Soil, here I come!

Packaging Purpose

2010-06-02T23:47:00.002-04:00

Have you ever noticed how much packaging is on food? Now even non processed foods come in containers. Organic bananas are shrink wrapped in plastic, tomatoes are in nets or plastic boxes, and just about everything else seems to be in a pint container or a glass jar. Here are some ideas to reuse these wrappings before you recycle them.

Brown paper bags: coloring surface, book cover, giant paper airplane, wrapping paper, origami swan, and a stuffed animal tent

Plastic bags, this includes the one the bread is in and the blue one surrounding the oreos: trashcan liners, protecting paper and books from the elements, doggie poo bags, gloves, holding toiletries, preventing wet bathing suits from making everything wet, long term storage, freezer storage, and rain apparel for the stuffed animals inside the tent.

Plastic containers, such as pint containers, the box the lettuce comes in, or the tray that holds the Oreos: Tupperware container, leftover food storage, sailboat, hat, bead holder, keeping wet clay soft, pen organizer, loose bolt storage, noise maker, salad shaker, jewelry collector, and hot tub for stuffed animals.

Glass jars: sauce holders, cups, travel cups (note the lid), pen holders, candle holders, storage of small but precious family heirlooms, preserving food, kaleidoscope, glitter storage, rubber band collector around the outside, and a side table for the stuffed animals.

The stuffed animals will sure be glad you choose to reuse.

Composting: Turning a Plastic Bin Into a Maker of Magic

2010-06-02T21:29:00.003-04:00

I spent a good portion of today researching composting bins, and I came to the following conclusion. You can either drive out to the hardware store and spend money on a compost bin, or you can fashion one on your own out of wood, chicken wire, or recycled plastic. So, I did what I usually do in all situations, I recycled. In my shed, we have these large plastic shipping bins. I do not know why they are there, they just are, its something I’ve accepted. Anyways, I took one of these bins and made it into a compost bin. This required no effort, all I had to do was announce to the world that this lone green bin now had a purpose, and it was composting. Most composting systems have chambers, that way you can always be adding more rotten tomatoes and dead leaves in. So I built two chambers in my green bin, with some tools known formerly as old plastic bag, hunk of cardboard, and shiny duct tape. I put the cardboard in the plastic bag, so it wouldn’t start composting itself, and then duct taped it in place. I must say, the whole thing looks quite beautiful and I’m quite excited to start using the compost to power my garden.

Composting: Turning Trash to Treasure

2010-06-02T21:16:00.003-04:00

Composting, according to the kind people over at dictionary.com, is a mixture of various decaying organic substances, used for fertilizing soil. Now, this may not sound very exciting, but in fact, it is quite exciting. Imagine taking that pile of leaves in your backyard and turning it into food. Or using all the lettuce that has gone bad to grow new lettuce. With composting, that is essentially what you are doing. You are creating nutrient rich soil that allows plants to grow without pesticides or fertilizers. And that soil grows a beautiful, healthy, and organic garden of vegetable delights. Composting is also very sustainable and environmental friendly, because it keeps food scraps and yard waste out of landfills. It’s a win for your garden and a win for the environment.

Fried Rice

2010-06-01T22:49:00.003-04:00

So all those veggies that were left over from your raw veggie and dip plate at your Memorial Day cookout/ pool fiesta, they have a place to go. Its called a screaming hot frying pan. And that, along with some culinary magic, will turn them into fried rice. You Need:

2 cups diced raw veggies. Anything goes here, brocolli, peppers, cellery, cauliflower, etc.

1 cup rice

3 tablespoons the asian sauce of your choice. I used pad thai sauce, but you can use peanut sauce or simply soy sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, pour in the rice, turn off the heat, and cover. While the rice is cooking, find a large skillet and put it on the stove. (If you have a wok, use that.) Dump the veggies into the skillet, along with the sauce and the vegetable oil. Put the stove on high, and stir fry the veggies until they are al dente, almost done. When the rice is complete, scoop it into the veggie skillet on high heat. Then crack the eggs into the skillet. Stir everybody around until the egg is cooked and each grain of rice is coated in saucy goodness. Not only did you just make a delicious meal, side, or snack, you saved homeless vegetables from going to waste. Go you!

Memorial Day Hangover

2010-06-01T20:45:00.009-04:00

Ah Memorial Day, good times. There were hot dogs, veggies and ranch, and maybe the occasional s’more. Now that the good times are over, you may be left with some random food items. Possibly a few hot dog buns that don't have a home. A few cups of random raw vegetables. However, I doubt you have any leftover s'mores. If you do, we are no longer on speaking terms. Here is a way to get rid of those homeless hot dog buns, make ‘em into croutons.

First, preheat the oven to 400'. Then take the hot dog bun and slice off the bottom part where the two openings connect. You should be able to take the openings apart, there should be three slices of bun. (See the beautiful photo above). Then slice each bun chunk into crouton sized squares. Try and make each square the same size. Arrange the squares on a greased cookie sheet. Then brush a little olive oil over each square. You don't want to drown the squares, more give them a wipe down. Then sprinkle the spice of your choosing. I used lemon pepper, but feel free to give any herbs or spices a try. Pop 'em in the oven for 20 mins or so, until there nice and toasty. They are so good, you may eat them all plain before you make a salad to toss them on.

Is This Worth It?

2010-05-31T18:47:00.002-04:00

You've seen them before, the vegetable appetizer platters, with the chopped raw peppers and carrots arranged around a bowl of ranch. They taste good, look nice, and can be procured from any caterer or supermarket produce aisle. However, these platters are a huge waste of money. Think about it, one package of celery, one head of broccoli, one head of cauliflower, a bag of baby carrots, one cucumber, one bell pepper and one box of grape tomatoes does not collectivity cost $36 dollars, but thats how much these platters cost. Now you may say, "oh no i'm waisting my money because chopping veggies involves effort and time, both things I do not have." Well, first of all, i'm embarrassed for you that you do not have the skill to run a knife through a bell pepper. Second of all, it takes little time to chop veggies, and no one said you had to do it all at once. You can chop the carrots and celery the day before, and the broccoli the day of, no one will know the difference. Doing it yourself also allows you to select local and organic produce, both of which are better for the environment than conventional produce. So to conclude this lesson, chop your own vegetable platter, its better for your wallet and better for the earth.

Get Grillin'

2010-05-31T13:51:00.007-04:00

For my tomato display, I sliced up a bunch of beefsteak tomatoes and arranged them in a stoneware pan. For garnish, I artfully arranged some leftover romaine and rosemary springs. The tomatoes looked like someone had spent half of a day slaving over them, but it was really only 30 minutes. I must say, this barbecue was quite the success.

Now that its officially summer, people have begun inviting friends and neighbors over to grill and enjoy burgers. Unfortunately, most of the people who do the inviting become overwhelmed with the thought of having a large amount of friends over and immediately rush to the caterer to chop up veggies and put them on a tray with some dip. And they also roll out the money to pay some guy to slice tomatoes and lettuce and artfully arrange them so people can put them on their burgers. It is time to end this nonsense. You, yes you, can slice tomatoes and prepare lettuce in an artful and beautiful way that cost tons less than catering, and you can have quality control so you can choose to use all organic or local produce. By using local and organic produce, you are helping sustain your local environment and your local economy. Plus, the produce will be a lot fresher. What a way to grill.

For my lettuce display, I washed 3 bunches of organic romaine and chopped each leaf in half. Then I arranged them in a shallow, wooden salad bowl. Simple enough. And to make it look beautiful, I added lemon slices and a sprig of rosemary to the front of the lettuce display. Looks catered, taste catered, but doesn’t cost catered.

Lookin' Classy

2010-05-30T23:02:00.002-04:00

look how classy that pitcher looks, how fancy and wonderful.

So to be honest, I hate lemonade. For the most part actually, I hate most flavored drinks, and especially those containing citrus. But unfortunately, the general populus seems to enjoy lemonade a lot, especially at BBQ’s or any outside summer activities that involve food. So what is one Drewsie to do? I refuse to make it my self, because that involves getting up close with citrus which I’d rather avoid. But I also have a reputation to maintain as someone who is a foodie and a good cook, so I can’t serve bad lemonade from a carton. However, being the wise individual that I am, I worked out a solution. First, I went to the farmers market, and found some farm fresh lemonade. No room for Tropicana or Minute Maid here. Then, I procured a large, classy, glass pitcher. To this pitcher I added thin lemon slices and two branches of rosemary. Then into the pitcher I poured the cold, farm fresh lemonade. It looked so class-tastic in its pitcher, that people immediately assumed I had spent hours laboring over lemons and the juicer. Win for me.

Memorial Day Munchies

2010-05-28T12:40:00.003-04:00

isn't that hummus cute, in its little jar. Yes, yes it is.

Memorial day is coming up, and most normal people celebrate this occasion by going down the cape or grilling. However, I decided to use this long weekend to celebrate my birth with a sunset celebration. Instead of buying a tub of hummus for 7 dollars or whatever, i made my own, for about $1. Here is what to do:

Take one can of chickpeas and dump it, water included, into the food processor. Then add 5 heaping tablespoons of tahini. (tahini is like peanut butter, but instead of peanuts, its sesame seeds.) Add a tablespoon of paprika, chili powder, and curry powder. Blend until a creamy consistency is achieved. Enjoy this dip with pita chips, celery, bell peppers, on veggie burgers, on salads, or with a spoon. Om nom nom.

Is This Worth It?

2010-05-24T22:33:00.006-04:00

Look at these blondies, don't they look nomlicious? don't you want to eat one? Yes, you probably do, thats why the smart people at Roche Brothers (supermarket) put them right next to checkout, so when your waiting in line, you decide to put them in your carriage and purchase them. Now, i'm not denying their deliciousness, infact, i've already has two today. But my question is, is this worth it? Lets first look at the price, $4.49, thats more than dollar per blondie. If you were to make a tray of blondies at home, the whole tray itself would most likely cost a dollar. Then look at the plastic bag, do you really have another use for that plastic bag? Its most likely about to spend a couple million years in a landfill. Or maybe it will be recycled, where it will become another bag. Also, even these brownies are Roche Brothers brand and were probably baked this morning, they were most likely baked in a warehouse, and then trucked around to all the Roche Brothers in the area, using diesel thirsty trucks. Now these blondies are delicious, don't get me wrong, but you could easily make them at home, and it would cost less from your pocket, and cost less on the environment. Think about that.

The Princess and the Grain

2010-05-21T22:35:00.004-04:00

In order for princess to give hugs to her loyal princess subjects and her children Gingery and Army, it's important she eats a solid variety of grains.

Moving on to rice and other grains, we have brown rice, white rice, and quinoa. Looking at the ingredients, the white rice is the only one with vitamins added, which already makes me question the processing of the rice. Like the pastas, they all mach up relatively equally in the fields of calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol. There is a difference in total carbohydrates, but it is small enough to not matter. At fiber, things start to matter. The white rice has 1g of fiber, which is only 4% DV. The brown rice has 2g so is a little better than the white. The quinoa wins with 3g of fiber, 13% DV. Moving on to protein, the quinoa wins again with 6g, leaving white rice’s 3g and brown rice’s 4g in the dust. Of these three grains, I would recommend that the princess consumes quinoa. Because she chooses not to eat meat, it is important that the princess gets enough protein, and quinoa has the most for a grain. (Yes the multigrain pasta had more, but the multigrain pasta is made with a blend of grains and legumes, not just one grain.) Also quinoa has a rich nutty flavor that taste good in a variety of situations, such as mixed in with vegetables, or tossed into soups.

Princess Pasta

2010-05-21T22:10:00.005-04:00

Princess, when she’s not eating tofu, enjoys a good grain. There’s nothing like a good carbohydrate to really make her day. Without carbohydrates, princess would not have the energy to sit up straight in her princess crown. As you can see, princess just ate lots of pasta, and is not having any issue sitting up.

Now lets compare some grains. In the pasta area I have some run of the mill white angel hair pasta, Barilla Plus multigrain pasta, and 365 whole wheat pasta. Now first, as you should do with any food that comes in a box, I read the ingredients. The whole wheat pasta has one ingredient, durum whole wheat flour. The other two both have a handful of ingredients. Even though I can recognize most of them, I always question foods that add vitamins such as iron or folic acid, because it usually means in the processing of the food, the natural vitamins were stripped. As far as calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol are concerned, each pasta is relatively the same. But when I hit fiber down the list of nutrition facts, things start to change. The angel hair only has 2g, relatively low considering pasta is most often a main course. The multigrain pasta only has 4 g of fiber, which is ironic because their package boasts about how much fiber the pasta contains. It appears these package design people are not wise enough to read. It’s a good thing I’m here to figure these things out for the princess. The whole wheat pasta has the most fiber, 5g, and it doesn’t feel the need to obnoxiously put it on its label. Even though the multigrain pasta was annoying about fiber, it wins the protein contest, coming in with 10g, while the other two lag behind with 7g. Now for the princess I would recommend the whole wheat or multigrain pasta, whichever one she likes the taste of more. However, I myself would choose the whole wheat because I think it taste better and it is organic and less processed.

Pita Chips

2010-05-19T21:21:00.004-04:00

Look at these pita chips, don't you want one? yes you do. Now you can make them. This is what you need:

Pita . However much you want. 1 pita, 16 pitas, 5 pitas, etc.

Olive Oil

Garlic 'n herb seasoning blend (really you can use whatever seasoning you want, or you can keep it simple with just salt and pepper, or get creative with rosemary and thyme and basil. its all up to you)

Preheat the oven to 400'. Drizzle EVOO over a baking sheet that has sides. (if it doesn't have sides, the oil will run everywhere). Put the pita in stacks of 2 on a cutting board. Slice into 8ths using a pizza wheel. Arrange the pita slices on the baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together some EVOO and the seasoning of your choice. Remember this will be brushed over the pitas, so go heavy on the seasoning. Brush the oil/seasoning combo over the pitas, being sure to hit each slice. Bake in the oven for 15 mins or so, but watch them carefully, they burn easily. these chips are good with hummus, salsa, dip, or by themselves.

Vegan Banana Dark Chocolate Shots

2010-05-19T21:13:00.001-04:00

3-4 ripe bananas, mashed,

2 tablespoons water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/3 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350’. Mix and mash the bananas, water, and oil together. Its ok if the banana is a little bit lumpy. Add in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, and wheat flour and continue mixing. Add in the chocolate chips and stir. Break out the mini muffin tin, and grease each little muffin hole with love. Fill each mini muffin hole almost all the way. Bake the shots for about 20 mins, a toothpick should be able to come out clean. Then pop the shots out of their hole and enjoy!

Protein Princess

2010-05-18T19:55:00.007-04:00

Look at this princess right here, isn’t she lovely? I think so. Look at the way she coaches. Look at her monochromatic outfit. Look at those snakeskin accented sneakers. As an athlete and a coach, it is important that princess gets enough protein, and keeps her calorie and cholesterol intake in check. And because princess loves sheep and chickadees as much as she loves athletics, she chooses not to eat meat. Now, you may be wondering “how does princess get enough protein if she doesn’t eat burgers? Or chicken?” Well princess has a little thing up her sleeve called tofu. Now let’s compare some nutrition facts.

Protein: Calories: Fat: Cholesterol:

Tofu (124g) 10g 94 6g 0mg

Chicken (87g) 18g 150 8g 56mg

Ground beef 15g 220 28g 62mg

80%l Lean (87g)

At first glance, this data may make you think, “oh princess should eat some chicken.” But no, look again. Chicken comes with a hefty price of 56 mg of cholesterol, about 20% D.V. And her portion of chicken would be much smaller than her tofu portion, because chicken is more caloric than tofu. Even when the tofu portion is larger by 37g, princess still gets more calories from the smaller hunk of chicken. Ground beef would weigh the princess down in an overwhelming amount of fat, calories, and cholesterol. The princess would not be able to engage in princess activities such as taking Dave Lyons to prom because the hunk of ground beef would prevent her from zipping up her dress. Tofu is really what princess needs to stay healthy for coaching and working out. Because it is lower in calorie than meat, she can eat more of it and therefore take in more protein. And when she eats more of it, her cholesterol level does not rise at all, and her fat intake still remains low. After a meal of tofu, balanced with some vegetables and brown rice, princess is ready to kick butt on the lacrosse field, or kick the butt of her team by making them run sprints. Or coaching them to defeat Nobles tomorrow. Yup, I said it.

Powering Displays of Athleticism

2010-05-18T09:12:00.002-04:00

Look at this starter huddle. The intensity is burning. Now look at that bench huddle. Woah, i'm intimidated.

Tomorrow, The River’s Women’s Varsity Lacrosse Team will defeat Nobles in their last game. But victory can only be achieved if we eat properly. Keep these things in mind while powering up for a game, run, or Olympics.
-The day before the display of athleticism, load up on complex carbohydrates (ie whole wheat pasta, brown rice) for dinner. Your body will store the rice in your liver as glycogen, which you can easily tap into when you’re taking off to get the ground ball and box the Nobles girl out of the way. Remember to balance the carbohydrates out with lean proteins
-The day of the athletic event, avoid eating close to the game. It takes the body 6-4 hours to digest fat, 3 hours to digest protein, and 2 hours to digest carbohydrates. If you eat right before the game, your blood will be busy in your stomach digesting instead of bringing oxygen to your muscles, which will slow you down. If you are going slow, you won’t be there to make the stellar cut and shoot. Also, have you ever tried running on a full stomach? You feel like you’re going to puke everywhere. If you are super hungry before a game, munch on an easily digestible carbohydrate, such as saltines or a slice of bread.
-After the athletic event, your body will be repairing muscles and recovering from exhaustion. Give your body plenty of water, some protein, and a good night sleep. Don’t forget to give yourself a nice pat on the back for being victorious.

What exactly is sustainability? And why does it matter when it comes to food?

2010-05-17T20:15:00.005-04:00

My AP environmental textbook gives me a nice definition of sustainability, and because i trusted this book enough to maybe give me a 5 on the AP exam, i can trust it to give me a solid definition.
Sustainability: A guiding principle of environmental science that requires us to live in such a way as to maintain earth's systems and its natural resources for the foreseeable future.
in not textbook English, that means using resources wisely, so next year when we need a resource, its still there. for example if you cut down every tree in a forest, next year when you need a tree, there will be no trees left. but if you only cut down a few trees, next year when you return there will be trees left.
So how does this apply to food? well unlike trees that take decades and decades to grow back, food (ie corn, tomatoes, rice) only takes a season or so, and we have enough land dedicated to food production, (12% of earth's land is dedicated to growing crops, this shocking statistic was also found in my AP environmental science textbook, good job textbook.) so if one region is in drought and cannot grow crops, other regions are able to make up for it. however, because we never seem to run out of food, many do not see how we are running out of the resources to produce food. in fact, producing crops takes a lot more effort than one might think.
i'm a tomato, and i live in California. i was planted in the ground by a truck that uses diesel. then the same diesel chugging truck continued to drive around me to spray me with pesticides and fertilizers. these pesticides and fertilizers were all made in factories. every day or so, when it doesn't rain enough (which is often), a sprinkler is turned on and i am watered. this water came from the Colorado river, which is very far from my patch of soil in California. to get the Colorado water to me, pipes were built and ground was dug up to put the pipes underground and segments of the river and its tributaries were dammed, resulting in loss of habitat and a change in the river's ecosystem. when i'm finally nice and plump, a diesel chugging truck comes and picks me. then i am sent to a processing plant where i am packaged in petroleum based plastics. then i am loaded in an air controlled, diesel chugging, tractor trailer that drives me all the way to a distribution plant in western MA. from there, another truck drives me to a supermarket. at the supermarket, some lady picks me up and then drives me to her house. later that evening, half of me is consumed. the other half of me goes bad in the fridge and then i am thrown out.
think of all the resources that tomato just took up, the diesel it took to grow it and ship it to your mouth, the chemicals that had to be produced to protect it from bugs and help it grow bigger, and all the people that were needed to drive the tractor, wrap the tomato in plastic, drive the truck, unload the tomato from the truck, drive the other truck, and then arrange the tomato on a shelf at the supermarket. all of this effort was put in for one tomato, and only half of the tomato was actually eaten. tons of non-renewable resources were wasted in this process. in order to keep eating, our current food system based on waste, unnecessary energy output, and burning fossil fuels will need to change and become more sustainable.

crust less tomato and spinach quiche

2010-05-09T17:44:00.004-04:00

this magical egg dish can be a breakfast, lunch, or dinner. once you master the recipe you can mix up the fillings to include anything from mushrooms to rutabaga. whatever strikes your fancy. for this version, you need:
6 eggs
One cup skim milk
6 cocktail tomatoes
2 handfuls spinach
Choice of herbs
½ cup shredded cheese

Crack 6 eggs into a bowl and whisk together with 1 cup milk and a dash of your choice of herb. Chop tomatoes into bite sized chunks and rip up the spinach into similar sized chunks. Spray a pie pan with nonstick spray. Line the pie pan with the chopped tomatoes and spinach. Pour whisked eggs over tomatoes and spinach filling. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake at 375’ for 30 – 40 mins.

Kale Tomato Soup

2010-01-24T20:22:00.002-05:00

-2 bunches kale

- 1 bunch collards

- 1 small fennel

- 28 oz can of peeled tomatoes

- 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes

1 big box vegetable stock

Empty cans of tomatoes into a big soup pot. Put on a low heat. First, rinse off the collards and rip them up into lettuce sized bites. Throw them in the pot. Then rinse off the kale and rip it up as well. Add a little bit of heat to the pot (my stove is on a 1-7 scale, 7 being high, put it at about a 4) then chop up the fennel into little chunks, reminiscent of cubed cheese. Add them to the pot and pump up the heat. The collards and kale will cook down a bit. When they cook down, add the spices you are feeling to the pot ( I did paprika, cayenne and black pepper) but whatever you want works. It takes about 15 mins or so for the kale to cook down. Then put in a bowl, grab a big spoon, and try not to burn your mouth!

Thanksgiving Hangover pt 2

2009-12-05T22:24:00.003-05:00

so after thanksgiving i always seem to end up with one cup left of pumpkin. not a full can, not an empty can, but half of a can. i hate waisting food so here is what to do with that cup of pumpkin.
for these VEGAN PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES you need

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/3 quick cook oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 dash pumpkin pie spice
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup oil
2 tablespoon molasses
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins
1 cup shredded coconut

preheat over to 35o degrees. in a bowl stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and spices. put that bowl aside. in a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, molasses, pumpkin, and vanilla. add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. then add the raisins and coconut. scoop tablespoons of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. using your palm, push down each ball of dough, flattening the cookies. bake for 17 minutes and enjoy!

Thanksgiving Leftovers, pt 1

2009-11-25T18:17:00.003-05:00

so today i was making pies and pumpkin whoopie pies, and ended up with some extra crust, pie filling and cream cheese frosting. what to do, what to do, with all these leftovers. this is what to do:
- for extra pie crust and pie filling, make bite size pies! fill mini muffin pan cups with leftover pieces of crust dough. scoop in a bit of pie filling. bake with the big pies, but take out earlier. these mini pies are delicious and make a good pre-thanksgiving snack
- for just extra pie crust, make shortbread cookies! line the crust in a toaster oven pan. sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. bake at 350 until the edges are golden brown. then enjoy.
- for extra cream cheese frosting, add some flair to thanksgiving morning breakfast. spread on waffles or pancakes instead of the usual whipped cream.
gobble gobble

Pumpkin Cookies.

2009-10-27T19:52:00.005-04:00

these are absolutely delish. light, fluffy, and pumpkiny. a perfect way to celebrate Halloween/fall/pumpkin patches. you need:

2.666 sticks butter. (2 sticks, and then 2/3 of a stick. mixing it up today by using decimals)

2 cups light brown sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

4 eggs

1 normal sized can of pumpkin (if you are unsure what that is, go into the can isle and look at all the cans. you want a can of pumpkin that size)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup golden raisins

cream room temp butter and the brown sugars. add the eggs, pumpkin, vanilla and mix. in a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. then stir in the walnuts and raisins. bake at 375' for 15 mins. enjoy!

Green tea, calm in a cup.

2009-10-15T22:18:00.002-04:00

I'm currently over my head in college apps, AP classes, tests, quizzes, memorizing lines for the play, reading novels, debating, solving world hunger and saving the world. all these activities can lead to late night stress. however, i have found a way to calm that stress away that is not sticking my face into a gallon of ice cream. green tea, even the name brings calmness. it is filled with antioxidants and other big words that are good for you. i once read somewhere it can help you loose weight, and that five cups daily seems to be the magic number for weight loss. so next time you re up late studying, a cup of green tea with caffeine will awaken you and your soul. or if your winding down from a long and stressful day, a cup of decaf will bring peace to your mind and heart. my favorite brand of green tea is The Republic of Tea, but any type will do. find a brand that you particularly like, and start drinking it daily. simply heat water till it is almost boiling. then pour over the teabag into the mug. in minutes you will feel much better. i promise.

Pumpkin Spice

2009-10-04T17:53:00.002-04:00

its fall. the leaves are changing. the air is cooler. the pumpkins are growing. and because the pumpkins are growing we all get to enjoy something magical, the pumpkin spice latte. i have been to many coffee shops and tried many varieties of pumpkin spice, and i have discovered Starbucks hands down does the best job applying the spice of a pumpkin to the greatness of a latte. this warm latte tantalizes the taste buds with feelings of fall. it smells like a freshly baked pumpkin pie and warms up your soul. even if you are still stuck in iced coffee mode and refuse to have a hot drink just yet, an iced pumpkin spice latte gives all the benefits of fall, with all the weather of summer. either way its delicious and pumpkin spice latte season is one to be celebrated and enjoyed.

A Broken Heart

2009-10-04T17:41:00.003-04:00

my heart was recently broken. by one of my favorite things. i never thought peanut butter or cookie dough could let me down, but today they did. it started off as a routine trip to the supermarket. there i discovered a brand of peanut butter i have never tried, PB Loco. i had read about their peanut creations in Everyday with Rachael Ray and decided to give them a try. i selected peanut butter with chocolate chip cookie dough because that sounds amazing. i imagined it like cookie dough ice cream, but instead of vanilla there would be peanut butter sprinkled with big globs of chocolate chip cookie dough. my soul was crushed when i opened up that jar. i discovered something more like the people in the peanutubutter factory dumped peanuts and cookie dough into a blender. the chocolate had taken over every inch of the butter, and i could find no globs of cookie dough to pick out. it was a sad day. and now i have this jar i do not want to eat. sad sad.

It's Cookie Time!

2009-05-25T22:14:00.002-04:00

This year, i missed my opportunity to buy a box of girl scout cookies. which is actually quite sad because they are delish and i used to be a girl scout so i like to support the girls. however i was wondering the ice cream isle and i stumbled upon something glorious. Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie Ice Cream. Usually i would never by Edy's ice cream because its not the best quality. however, i made an exception for the thin mints. imagine fluffy chocolate ice cream with thin mint cookie crumbles. the perfect blend of chocolaty-ness and minty-ness. if i had not missed my opportunity to buy girl scout cookies, i would have made girl scout cookie chip-witches with the ice cream. so i am encouraging you to do that. go girl scouts!

The Greatest Nut Butter Since Crunchy

2009-05-25T21:57:00.003-04:00

I love peanut butter. I sit around and think about it a lot. i put it in everything, from cookies to stir fry. i am that girl who eats it out of the jar with a spoon. this peanut butter happens to be my favorite. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl from Peanut Butter & Co. is the definition of food-gasim. each spoonful is filled with loving raisins and flavorful cinnamon. this peanut butter often finds itself on toast, celery, apples, bananas, or just on a spoon. the flavor balance is just perfect, and the raisin to peanut butter ratio is exact. I have been known to buy 3 jars of this stuff at a time. another great peanut butter by the guys at Peanut Butter & Co. is dark chocolate dreams. i do love dark chocolate, and i do love peanut butter, but somehow the combo of both spread onto bread just is not what im looking for. i would rather have my pb and fluff. however, this dark chocolate dreams peanut butter does AMAZING things to cookies. at this point in my life, i cannot set the over on 'Bake' without stirring in a spoonful of dark chocolate dreams into the batter. i must go now, there is a jar in the kitchen calling my name.

homemade peanut butter cups

2009-03-22T18:50:00.005-04:00

i love peanut butter. i love chocolate. i really love peanut butter cups. so i made some. its so simple and involves only 2 ingredients, chocolate and peanut butter!
so first, you need chocolate. today i did a combo of baker's chocolate and this coffee flavored milk chocolate. really you can use any combo and any type of chocolate you want. to prepare the chocolate, microwave it in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one, until the chocolate is the consistency of chocolate sauce. then you either need a mini muffin pan or mini cupcake tins. (those paper things that hold the cupcake in). i would recommend the cupcake tins over the pan because even if the pan is covered in nonstick spray, its still hard to get the chocolate cups out when they are done. now when the chocolate is melted, do a thin layer in the bottom of the cupcake tin. then scoop on some peanut butter and another layer of chocolate on top. the amount of each is really up to you. i like more peanut butter than chocolate, but some like it the other way around. when the tin is filled with chocolaty peanut butter goodness, freeze until the chocolate hardens (about 10 mins) and enjoy. this recipe can be used with other things too. for example, instead of peanut butter, try almond butter, coconut, whole nuts, other types of candy, popcorn, or really anything else you can think of. delish.

Good-For-You Chocolate Chip Cookies.

2009-02-15T23:06:00.005-05:00

love me some chocolate chip cookies. love not being fat. here is a happy medium. you need.
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 dashes cinnamon
1 dash ginger
1 dash nutmeg
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 stick butter
2 ripe bananas
2 egg whites (crack 2 eggs above a bowl and only let the not yolk part of the egg into the bowl. this can be a challenge if you have never done it before, but i have faith in you)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups quick cook oats
1 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup water
3 hand fulls nuts
chocolate chips. (a note about this. i happened to be out of chocolate chips, but i had those 60 calorie sticks of Hershey's special dark chocolate. so i stepped on those with a boot when they were in their wrapper to crush them into chunk size and added them to the batter like that. but you can also just use regular chocolate chips. and add however many you want)

preheat over to 375'. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and spices. set that bowl as side. mix together the sugars, maple syrup and butter. (i usually microwave the butter for 30 seconds on a plate before adding to mix. wana keep that stuff nice and soft). when that is all nicely mixed, add the bananas, egg whites and vanilla extract and mix. when that is all blended to a beautiful consistency, add the oats, wheat bran, water, nuts, chocolate chips and mix. scoop about a tablespoon or so amount of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. bake for 10- 12 mins. until they look done.

Roasted Fennel

2009-01-10T19:54:00.002-05:00

i love roasted vegetables. they are delish. fennel is also delish. it packs a lot of licorice-ish flavor into a healthy vegetable. once you know how to roast one vegetable, you can pretty much roast them all. first, preheat the oven to 350'. slice the fennel and arrange on a baking sheet. drizzle some balsamic vinegar on the fennel and sprinkle with crazy janes pepper. place in oven for about 45 mins to an hour. (depends on how thick the fennel slices are). once the fennel is done, you can toss it over a bed of lettuce to make a salad, add it as a side dish to some chicken or just eat it plain. its delish. enjoy!

Tomato Sauce

2009-01-10T19:17:00.003-05:00

recently i made whole wheat pasta, and it was so delish i had to make tomato sauce to go with it. so i came up with this. you need:
EVOO (to drizzle)
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic
21 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 celery stalks
basil leaves
balsamic vinaigrette
brown sugar
take a medium soup pot, and drizzle EVOO along the bottom at high heat. add the minced onion and grate the garlic cloves into the pot. let cook on high heat for 4 mins, occasionally stirring so the onions do not burn on the bottom. then reduce the heat, and add the can of crushed tomatoes. if you do not reduce the heat, tomato will pop up at you and burn your arms. let the canned tomatoes simmer and chop the celery stalks into small chunks and add to the pot along with a handful of ripped up basil leaves. add a tablespoon of brown sugar and stir. let the sauce simmer for 15 mins and then stir into pasta. enjoy!

Oatmeal Apple Muffins!

2008-12-27T19:05:00.003-05:00

ok i admit, i have been a little bit of a muffin addict recently. but these, hands down are better than any muffins i have ever made or eaten. disregard all other muffin recipes on this blog, this one is the champ. you need:
1 egg
3/4 cup half and half
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped into even sized chunks
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick cook oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
dash nutmeg

in a mixer, mix the egg, oil and sugar. in a bowl, mix the raisins, walnuts, flour, oats, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. if you have yet to do so, peel and chunk up the apples. you want them to all be relatively even and smallish. you want a few chunks to fit in each muffin. add the apple chunks to the mixer and mix. then add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix. scoop batter into a greased muffin tin and bake at 350' for 15-20 mins. and if your feeling special, sprinkle some oats on top of the muffins before baking, they will stick to the top like sprinkles.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins!

2008-11-29T15:49:00.002-05:00

another variation on the wonderful pumpkin muffin. taste delish with cream cheese. you need;
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup quick cook oats (NOT old fashioned oats)
3/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin)
3/4 cup fat free milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
2 palm fulls shredded coconut
1 palm fulls nuts
1 palm fulls raisins

preheat oven to 400' and spray nonstick spray onto a mini muffin tray, or a big muffin tray. mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. (flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & pumpkin pie spice). then mix the pumpkin puree, milk, canola oil & egg using a stand mixer, hand mixer or wrist strength. add the flour mixture, coconut, nuts & raisins to the pumpkin mixture. blend until everything is mixed together, being careful not to over mix. (over mixing causes tough muffins.) scoop the batter into the muffin trays and bake for 22-25 mins.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins!

2008-11-29T13:27:00.003-05:00

a delish combo of all the leftover cans of pumpkin from thanksgiving and bananas. simple and delish. you need:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat bran (or you can use wheat germ)
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 mashed bananas (preferably on the brownish side. and if they are not very brown, mush the banana around while it is still in the peel.)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (pumpkin puree is the stuff in the "one pie pumpkin" can. do not confuse pumpkin puree with canned pumpkin pie mix. they are not the same)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
handful or so of raisins/ nuts.

preheat over at 400'. stir dry ingredients together in a bowl. (both flowers, wheat bran & baking powder). mix the wet ingredients using a mixer or beaters or really intense wrist strength. (bananas, pumpkin, milk, egg, vegetable oil & nuts/raisins) carefully mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ones. scoop batter into greased mini muffin pans and bake for 20 mins.

Panera Bread

2008-11-21T16:25:00.003-05:00

Panis meaning bread in latin, is the inspiration behind this restaurant chain. and yes many other languages use words starting with P to mean bread, but latin came first. any who this is a delish place. well priced, many comfy chairs and delectabilis (latin for delectable) food. (why yes, i do enjoy latin.)the chicken Caesar salad had delish croutons and parm shavings on top. the Asian chicken salad has a sweet and tangy dressing and crisp won tons. the dressing may be a bit strong but goes well with the almonds and cilantro. each come with a good hunk of bread or their own chips. all sandwiches are top of the line, just be sure to get it grilled. really brings out the flavors of the fresh baked breads and melts the cheese. i also enjoy all of their baked goods and cookies. they also make some nice coffee and use republic of tea tea which is delish times 10. my loves (leah and nikki) agree this place is magically delicious.

Soy Milk

2008-11-18T22:19:00.002-05:00

i have been reluctant to jump on the soy bandwagon. i struggled to imagine the edamame i have come to love and cherish in a white liquidity consistency. but recently my friends have been telling me i am lactose intolerant because i cannot digest food. so i decided to give this soy milk a try. at first sip of the soy latte, i missed my skim latte. but a few lattes later i have come to appreciate the soy milk. its sweeter than actual milk and is frothier than skim. the soy has more fat and calories than the skim, but it is loaded with nutrients as well. and the soy is delicious in coffee. to further extend my soy vegan-ness i baked with soy butter instead of regular butter. regular butter is like death on a stick, but in most cases its so worth it. i was skeptical about the fake butter at first, because the badness in butter makes it oh-so delicious. but after sticking my fork into the apple crisp, i did not miss the real butter. sadly, i have yet to find a non dairy option for cheese; but i shall continue the hunt.

Fro-Yo

2008-11-01T19:26:00.002-04:00

I have fallen in love again. with pints of Ben and Jerry's Fro Yo. for those of you who don't know, fro yo is frozen yogurt, all of the usual lovin' from ice cream with much less fatness. i usually have to leave my house and drive to jp licks, white mountain creamery, or pinkberry for a delicious cup of fro yo. but no longer. i have discovered the selection at Whole Foods, and am blown away. My absolute favorite is black raspberry chip. i was turned on to this after buying a super premium pint of this at a farmers market. the Ben and Jerry's version is delicious too. mounds of dark chocolate chunks with velvety smooth raspberry ice cream. B&J's (Ben and Jerrys, duah) also make a great Chocolate Brownie fro yo. it can be too chocolaty some times, but if you are in the mood it is perfect. fro yo is even better than light ice cream, because after compairing pints in my freezer, the fro yo is actually much lighter. (who knew!). overall, i dont think a bad pint of fro yo exist because what can be bad about ice cream that makes you less fat?

breakfast, lunch or dinner.

2008-10-17T21:53:00.004-04:00

this is delicious. an epic combination of sausage, eggs, veggies and hash browns; beautifully layered and lightly browned in a skillet. first take a sausage, i used a sun dried tomato chicken sausage from whole foods, but any flavor will do. cook it for a little bit in a big skillet, until the outside is brown and you can slice it into 1/2 inch thick slices. (handle slicing the sausage the same way you would handle preparing raw chicken) while the sausage is a'brownin', slice up a few veggies. for this one i used 1/4 of an onion and some celery. but you could get more creative and throw in some peppers or mushrooms, just whatevers lying around. throw the peppers and onions in with the sliced sausage into the skillet thats on medium heat. now, when i was making this, my mom had just finished a big pot of hash browns and because i love hash browns, at this point in the cooking i threw a handful into the skillet with the veggies and sausage. now, my moms uses the frozen hash browns and just heats em up on the stove. if you have them lying around, then great throw them in, otherwise dont worry about it. mix everything around in the skillet until the sausage slices are cooked through. then whisk together 2 eggs in a separate bowl and pour on the skillet. turn on a low heat and sprinkle with cheese when the eggs are almost done. slide the wonderful egg thing onto a plate when the eggs are done, and enjoy. i find it to be particularly good with maple syrup, but then again, what is not good with syrup.

Lincoln Street Coffee

2008-10-07T21:03:00.003-04:00

I love coffee. its an addiction. if it involves caffeine, im obsessed. but sometimes, one grows tired of star bucks and needs a change of scenery. thats when its time to hit up the independent coffee houses. Lincoln Street Coffee is my personal fave. they take coffee to a new level dunkies, starbucks or peets cannot reach. the lattes are beautifully foamy and the iced coffee is orgasmic. times 10. their blended mocha is 10 times better than any freshen i have ever bought at starbucks. (and i rarely have anything bad to say about 'bucks). i was once waiting for my blended mocha when someone brought out a tray of cookies, and i immediately bought one to have with my mocha because they smelled and looked so beyond delish. and there is an extremely comfy couch for me to sit on to enjoy my coffee. the tea is also great quality, not quite Teavana, but the best i have ever seen at a coffee shop. yay coffee!! {~dedicated to jenny-poo, i love you!}

B-A-N-A-N-A BREAD!

2008-09-29T19:19:00.005-04:00

Banana bread is times 10 delsh. all you need are a few brownish bananas, few basic baking ingredients and a oven. it makes a great dessert when mixed in with chocolate chips or a breakfast snack when mixed in with nuts. it only takes about 15 mins to mix and it bakes for an hour. so you could study for the hour and reward yourself for all the hard studying with the bread (or you could spend 45 mins on facebook and study for 15 but its your choice). i use my kitchen aid mixer because i just have to dump everything in the bowl and turn it on, but you can use a hand mixer if you please. or even use your hands, it would be like playing with a giant dough stress ball.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Crisco, margarine, butter or shortening. (whatever one you have on hand)
2 eggs
2 brown bananas, (it needs to equal a cup when mushed up)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts) or chocolate chips.
put sugar and butter in mixer and blend until they are at a creamy consistency. crack 2 eggs into a separate bowl and put 2 bananas in that bowl as well. use a fork to mush the bananas up and whisk the eggs. you want the bananas nice and mushy otherwise there will be big chunks of 'nana in the bread. add the egg/banana mixture to the sugar and butter. mix until well blended. add the dry ingredients, buttermilk and nuts or chocolate chips (or both) and mix to dough consistency. pour into a loaf pan, bake for an hour at 350'
be sure to stick a fork in once it comes out, there is nothing better than warm, soft, mushy bread.

Spicey Spectrum Saladz

2008-09-21T21:13:00.004-04:00

so this is colorful, spicy, delicious, healthy and pretty. and if you feed it to people, you will look smart for knowing about a different kind of pepper! a poblano pepper! its a little hotter than a bell pepper, yet still delish. so lets start off with the dressing first shall we, whisk together
juice of 1 lime
juice of half of a lemon
drizzle of EVOO (until you have enough liquid there to call it a dressing)
few drops of Tabasco
finely chopped cilantro leaves.
once that is all nicely whisked, chop up equal amounts of yellow bell pepper, cherry tomatoes and poblano pepper. (it exist, if you cant seem to find one at your local super market, then your stupid. ask the guy there in the apron to help you find it). pour the dressing over the chopped veggies in a bowl and pepper (cracked pepper, ya know the one that's married to the salt) and cheese till taste. i also decided to throw some lettuce in because i like my salads to contain lettuce. the end!

Guac Muffins?!?!

2008-09-19T22:52:00.003-04:00

so this week, i got a new oven! YAY. to break it in, i decided to bake avocado muffins. think carrot cake, then carrot bread, then avocado bread (it exist, i have had it) and then putting the avocado bread dough into mini muffin pans. that is how you end up at mini avocado muffins. the avocado is actually really good and you dont need to add butter, making these healthier. yay healthy breakfast!
you need:
3/4 cup mashed avocado (its one avocado, unless you have really small or really big avocados, and i mean like abnormally sized)
3 eggs
1 cup EVOO (or vegetable oil, but i prefer the extra virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon maple syrup (the recipe called for vanilla but i couldn't find any, and i love Vermont made things soooo)
3 cups flour
1.5 cup sugar
1 tablespoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
walnuts or some other nut.
mash up the insides of the avocado, and mix it together with the eggs, EVOO, and syrup until you have a nice blend going. then add all of the dry ingredients one by one. fold in the nuts if you desire. spray a mini muffin pan with nonstickkkz sprayzz and drop spoon fulls of dough into the muffin hole. bake for about 20 mins or so, when they look done, take em out, there prob done. enjoy your vegetable based baked good and go brag to your friends about the cool thing you did, if only it was college app worthy....

Good Fat Salad

2008-09-13T18:27:00.004-04:00

now, why would the words "good" and "fat" be in the same sentence ever? because all of the ingredients in this salad contain to what is referred to as good fats. i dont know what it means or why some fats are good or bad, and i am no hurry to get a degree in nutrition to find out. this salad is possibly the most DELISH thing ever, if you dont like salad you mind is about to be changed. this is great if you want to impress people with your culinary talent or you haven't had a solid meal in a few days. you need:
2 spoonfills grainy mustard (teaspoon if you are just making salad for yourself, tablespoon if for more people etc)
6 spoonfills EVOO
3 spoonfills balsamic vinegar
2 spoonfills maple syrup
1 avocado
crasins (cranberrys in rasin form, if you are unfimilar with the word)
pine nuts
and spring lettuce mix or romaine
in a bowl, whisk the grainy mustard, EVOO, balsamic and maple syrup together until they have the consistency of dressing. (your making a salad, and this is the dressing, you want the consistency of dressing for the salad now dont you?) Hold the avocado in your left hand and pick up a knife in your right. (other way around if your a lefty). stick the knife deep into the avocado and drag it around the 'cado in a circle. pretend the 'cado is a globe and you are drawing a horizontal line across it with a knife that connects to the other side. open the avocado and take the pit out. now, hold one half of the "cado in your hand with the green soft part (the part you eat) facing you. cut the avocado up into chunks while it is still in the skin. (drag the knife through the 'cado deep enough to touch the skin, but not poke through it.) then try turning the avocado inside out over the bowl you are planning on eating your salad out of. if done right, the avocado chunks will pop out into the bowl, otherwise epic fail. take out a small skillet and pour a handful or so of the pine nuts in it. toast them over medium heat. they are usually done when you can smell them or start turning brown. toss them around in the skillet a few times so there is an even toasting. while the nuts are a brownin' wash the lettuce and put in same bowl as avocado. also begin to sprinkle the crasins to taste over this epic bowl. to top off this magnificent ensalada, sprinkle over the luscious warm pine nuts and drizzle an ample amount of dressing as well. prepare for deliciousness times 10.

leftovers to dessert

2008-06-16T23:08:00.002-04:00

so i had a little party for myself the other night, and ended up having 3 different desserts. this one was the easiest. chocolate covered marshmallows! you need:
bakers chocolate. (instead of boiling it weirdly, i just microwave it. just take it out and stir the chocolate around every 30 seconds)
marshmallows (the more the merrier, i find the big ones work the best, but the small ones would be delish in hot chocolate!)
gram crackers (optional, if you want to make frozen s'mores.)
hokay so break up the chocolate and place in a microwaveable bowl. microwave in 30 second increments, stopping to stir in between each one. when the chocolate is perfectly melted, dunk one side of the marshmallow into the chocolate. roll it around a bit, you want about 1/2 of the 'mallow to be smothered in chocolate. if you are doing frozen s'mores, place the chocolaty 'mallow chocolate side down on a gram cracker, otherwise just place on a plate. freeze either way and be sure to take out 20 mins or so before serving. otherwise the chocolate will be frozen to the plate and no one will be able to eat them! happy desserting!

Teavana helps me find nirvana

2008-06-13T23:52:00.004-04:00

i have a new starbucks/ dunkies/ jamba, its Teavana. the store itself makes me feel calm and Buddha like. so far i have yet to have a tea i don't like there. i usually just in, try all their samples (they change every day) and purchase a cup of whatever sample i find the best. all of it is always delicious. the sugar is also really good. its like rock sugar or something cool and adds a perfect sweetness. one of the teas i had the other day was a flower. legit i had a flower in my cup. it was so cool! and a large tea is the same price as my tall nonfat latte. go tea!

why is the fridge empty?

2008-06-09T22:28:00.002-04:00

so yesterday, i was starving. i was home alone around 1:00 pm and desired for a cool lunch. it was 90 million degrees outside and humid enough to be a sauna. i wanted a cold-ish lunch. perhaps a salad, smoothie, or maybe some ice cream. but no, my fridge was lacking salad ingredients, yogurt for said smoothie, and for the first time in my life, there was not one pint of Ben and Jerry's to be found in the freezer. there were also no eggs, bread, or even frozen chicken tenders to be found. now most would give up on finding lunch after such setbacks, but i managed. here is what i did.
-frozen fruit is delicious when covered in maple syrup. cold enough to make up for the lack of ice cream.
-peanut butter taste delish on a fork when covered in raisins. think ants on a long without the log.
-cereal goes with everything. never forget that.
-microwaved marshmallows are amazing. just don't leave em in too long or they blow up. try mushing in some chocolate chips for the s'mores effect.
-make a cliff bar sandwich. spread peanut butter (or jelly, or nutella, or honey) between 2 cliff bars. eat like a sandwich. (this is the ultimate lets go hike a mountain and run a marathon snack)
if all else fails, try boiling your crocs. i hear there edible when boiled.

7.9 hours until exam

2008-05-30T23:10:00.002-04:00

its exam season. this means late nights of panic attacks, rereading entire books and calling friends to have mutual freak outs. for me, all this freaking out makes me hungry and exhausted. and i don't have the time to whip up a wonderful snack during any of my strenuous flashcard sessions. these are some of the best late night study sesh snacks. from personal experience, these keep me awake and happy.
1. raisin bran. i find it delish and its just a nice munchy.
2. celery dipped in PB. sometimes i stir in raisins and honey too. the loud crunching wakes me up and brings the blood flow to my head.
3. green tea. this is the ultimate calmer if you cannot figure out how you will learn everything in time. and the caffeine will awaken you a bit without preventing sleep for days.
4. cliff bar. cliff bars= energy. they are also delish
5. granola and yogurt. just think of the yogurt as ice cream and the granola as sprinkles. a much healthier option than the Ben and Jerry's pint in the freezer.
6. a water bottle. chug down some water. if that doesn't keep you up, having to pee all night will.
good luck everyone!

Guac

2008-05-23T23:44:00.002-04:00

so i used to hate guacamole. now i can not get enough. today i googled a recipe, but realised i only had a few of the ingredients, so i whipped up my own version. you need:
-1 avocado. slice a thin bit off the side, and use a spoon to scoop out the green goodness into a bowl.
- a handful of grape tomatoes, sliced up really small
- 1/3 of a onion, chopped up really small.
- a palmful of arugula, finely chopped. (or cilantro if you have it)
- a few dashes of Tabasco
- yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips. (i like to use the bell pepper strips instead of chips to enjoy the guac, but if you are a chip person ignore the bell pepper.)

mix and mush everything together in a giant bowl. use the yellow bell peppers to scoop up and enjoy each wonderful bite of the guac.

Salsa Soup

2008-05-16T23:45:00.002-04:00

i made this when i was sick. the spice really cleaned out my sinuses. it is like the essence of a burrito in soup form. you need:
1 small container of the whole foods tomato salsa. ( if your whole foods does not have this, chop up really small, 2 parts tomatoes, one part onions and a few cilantro leaves, enough to fill one of those small pint containers.)
2/3 cup vegetable broth. (i always have a box of this on hand)
1/2 of a red bell pepper, cut into little squares
1/2 of an avocado, thinly sliced into small chunks
a dash of lemon pepper ( or regular pepper, however i used the lemon crazy Jane's pepper) and a dash of paprika.
some mozzarella to sprinkle on top when done. (as much as you prefer)

pour the broth into a smallish soup pot with the chopped red bell pepper on medium high heat for 5 mins. add the spices with the bell pepper.
reduce the heat to medium low, add the salsa. cover until peppers are cooked.
stir in the avocado and mozzarella,
pour and enjoy!
(this recipe serves one, to serve 2 just double everything)

Cookie Crunchhhhh

2008-05-11T20:07:00.003-04:00

so recently i had one of those huge tubs of cookies in my house. ya know one of those with 48 cookies in the big plastic things. the cookies themselves weren't that good, so i thought of delish things to do with them.
1. microwave them. 3o seconds to a minute makes em warm and gooey. like you just pulled them out of the oven.
2. grill them. place on a small skillet on low heat, flip a few times until brown on both sides. takes about a minute on each side.
3. make a cookie sandwich! spread peanut butter between 2 cookies, or try a scoop of ice cream!
DELISHH

BIRTHDAYYYY

2008-05-10T17:41:00.003-04:00

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! w00t! so to celebrate i wanted to bake a cake of some sort, but we have no cake mix, and i dont feel like starting from scratch. but i found brownie mix, and mini muffin pans. my fave brownie mix is the Ghiradelli kind, much better than betty crocker. so i made the brownie mix according to the box, tossed in some nuts and a little cinnamon to the mix. then i poured the mix into a greased mini muffin pan and baked until a toothpick came out clean when i stabbed it into the little brownie. (this will take longer than you think.) pop em out of the little tray, and you have mini brownie cupcakes for everyone! yay! or u can eat them all (they are decadently delicious when they are warm, and look very tempting). to really add some flare, spread with frosting. this is the recipe for my fave cream cheese frosting:
melt together in a small sauce pan over medium heat 8 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese, 1/2 cup softened butter and one teaspoon vanilla extract. stir in slowly 2 cups of confectioners sugar.
spread this on your brownie bites and you will have a delicious excuse for not buying a cake! (so u could share these with everyone instead!)

my little garden

2008-05-02T17:58:00.003-04:00

so mama drew and i went to home depo the other day, and i was swooped away by all the things i could plant. i ended up buying grape tomatoes and sweet basil. they have yet to reach an edible form, but they look wonderful sitting in plastic pots on my windowsill. so to get excited for these pending matoes and basil, i made some eggs. first, whisk together an egg and an egg white. throw in some sliced grape 'matoes and whisk em around too. heat a small skillet on medium low heat after spraying it with nonstick spray and sprinkling a little peeper on the pan as well. toss the eggs on the skillet and resist the urge to push it around with a spatula. these aren't scrambled eggs, so dont touch them. when the eggs look almost cooked in the middle, sprinkle a little parm cheese on them. then rip up some fresh basil leaves and sprinkle them on the eggs too. fold it over like an omelet. plate it and enjoy!

Brunchy Brunchy Brunch

2008-04-26T23:44:00.002-04:00

I love brunch. Brunchy Brunchy Brunch. so this morning when i opened the fridge, i found smoked salmon, eggs, purple onions, and grainy mustard. ok so to start, heat a supa small nonstick skillet on super low heat. crack an egg directly into the skillet, dont whisk it or anything. sprinkle a couple slices of red onions on top of the cooking egg. when it looks done (it shall resemble a really skinny crepe) fold it like you would a omelet. then slice it in half. take a slice of smoked salmon and spread some grainy mustard on it. wrap the salmon around the half of the omelet with the mustard side on the egg. think of it as wrapping sushi. the egg is the rice and the salmon is the seaweed. garnish with a raw purple onion. this is delish hot, or makes a great appetizer if you put it in the fridge for a bit. a great alternative to bagels and lox. and also makes a fab fancy brunch treat.

POPPIN FRESH!

2008-04-26T00:27:00.003-04:00

So this is possibly the greatest popcorn ever. and i am not lying or exaggerating. its way beyond that yellow goo at the movies. so microwave a bag of plain popcorn according to what the box says. i am a huge fan of Newman's own popcorn. and i think pop secrete is absolute shit and taste like cardboard, not popcorn. microwaving popcorn is an art form, that with practice you shall master. for too long it burns, and for too short you get all kernels. Ok, So quickly while the corn is still hot, pour it into a bowl and sprinkle with parm cheese and a little chunk of butter. (more if your into that sorta thing). the goal here is for the cheez to melt. only about 1/3 of it will melt though. just enjoy the rest by taking bites from the bottom of the bowl. the butter should melt pretty well. then add a teaspoon or so (a bunch of violent shakes of the spice jar) of garlic powder. and a bunch of cranks of the pepper mill as well. (maybe like half a teaspoon or so, more if you really like pepper). dont go overboard on both, otherwise it will be too much. stir vigorously and enjoy. ideal for a movie night or when you and a friend are chillin in the kitchen at 1 am discussing how much your feet hurt and what shit just went down at whatever party/dance/thing you were at. i have had this popcorn in both occasions and it just really made those situations fab.

Chinese aint Cheap

2008-04-21T21:58:00.002-04:00

Tonight i was craving something somewhat Asian. but i knew i needed veggies and didn't have the cash to call Golden Temple, Oishii Sushi or Bernard's. so i made a peanut/veggie/chicken stir fry. you need:
veggies, i just used some of those pre chopped packaged veggies at whole foods, it was a combo of onions, bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini and squash.
a big tablespoon of fancy peanut butter. (crunchy or smooth, the kind where the oil separates works best)
A couple drizzles of balsamic vinegar and EVOO.
some already cooked chicken (i used some leftover rotisserie chicken, if you dont have any, just quickly bake up some nuggets or steal some grilled chicken from the caff.
1. heat a skillet with a drizzle of evoo on medium high heat
2. toss in veggies
3. stir around until veggies are almost done
4. put heat on medium low and dump in a giant PB scoop
5. add a splash of balsamic vinegar
6. mush around a bit until the peanut butter melts to some degree
7. toss in the chicken and stir
ENJOY!!

Starbucks VS DD's

2008-04-20T23:39:00.002-04:00

so this past week, i had the honor of attending a model congress in the dump known as new jersey. as a mock debate to show all the newbies how its done, we debated over which is better, dunkies or starbucks. i immediately stood up to show my love of starbucks. so now its time for a little review. starbucks hands down has the best coffee and lattes etc. DD's are always wayyyy to freakin hot and dont even compare. however, dunkies makes a mean iced coffee. the best. starbucks food isn't that good, at least for what i am paying. and i dont think their breakfast sandwiches look that appetizing. and they dont toast their bagels. (wtf, who gives me a untoasted bagel, what is this) dunkin makes the best pastries. everything is frosted and covered in sprinkles. its awful for you, but delicious. the bagles are fresh and ARE TOASTED!. never have i tried the breakfast sandwiches at DD's because i question the quality and do not desire to eat mystery meat. i enjoy the atmosphere of starbucks much more as well. they have comfy couches and nice people that consistently make a delish latte. the people at dunkies often do not speak English and are annoying. the atmosphere is also like that of a mc donalds. aight i am tired, need to go throw back some caffeine or go to bed. peace.

im thinking JAMBA

2008-04-12T23:35:00.003-04:00

hi all, i need to explain my love in life. the reason i exist. its jamba juice. its a-MAZINGGG. without it i am just a jamba-less child. so my personal fave is the strawberry nirvana with a vita-boost. i like the smallest one, because then i can have 4 in a day. a original will full you up for like a few hours. ok so the strawberry nirvana is a delicious blend of strawberries, B-A-N-A-N-A-S (i love gwen) and some juices. its beyond delish. i also enjoy berry fulfilling. swirled with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. delish delish delish. and for breakfast, i enjoy the one with the granola blended right in and topped with B-A-N-A-N-A-S (more love of gwen) slices. called the chunky strawberry, this also has peanut butter swirled in. who dosent love granola and peanutbutter put in a blender. if you dont go die. ok so when in NYC or any other state that is graced with a wonderful jamba, start off your day with the granoley chunky strawberry, then berry fulling and end the day with strawberry nirvana. so sadly, there isiant a jamba in in Boston, but dont worry i already sent a threatening email to jamba exects, and the guy assured me they would look into building in Boston. this is a wonderful picture of my friend charlezz in the jamba in timez squarez

Squashin' Spaghetti

2008-04-09T22:21:00.004-04:00

HOLA! so my friend is on this detox diet, where all she eats is vegges and fruits for 2 weeks or so. most of my friends panicked at this thought, but in reality there are so many creative, delish things to do with veggies. this is one of my favorite, spaghetti squash with tomato sauce. its like eating pasta, but better. hokay so first you need to buy a spaghetti squash. it is about the size of a watermelon and yellow. so fill a pot big enough to hold the squash with water, salt the water and bring it to a boil. (and because i am also currently studying for a chem test, adding the salt to the water is a colligative property that makes the temp of the boiling point rise). while you are waiting for the water to boil, stab the squash with a fork a couple times. there just needs to be a few holes. and in addition to the stabbing, you could try and figure out at what temp the water will boil at. when the water is a bubblin, drop the squash into that hot tub. this is a challenge because if you just drop it, hot water will splash up onto your face. its hilar to watch, but painful to experience. let it boil for 20 mins or so. while the squash is a cookin, its time to make a little sauce! open up a can of diced tomatoes and pour it into a skillet on medium heat. do the same with a small can of tomato paste. add some chunks of fresh tomato to the skillet. either cherry tomatoes cut in half, or a big tomato cut into smalish chunks. try not to loose any tomato juice on the cutting board, you want all that juice in the skillet. then if you have any fresh basil (or any fresh spices really) rip up the leaves into lil tiny bits and stir in. otherwise try some dried basil, oregano, parsley or other green leafy spice that goes well on pasta. melt in a bit of parm cheese as well. then turn off the skillet. if you dont feeling like making sauce, feel free to use the canned kind. hokay so after 20 mins, take the 'ghetti squash out. i suggest stabbing it with one of those big fork things you use to turn something on the grill. now its going to be hot, but try to cut the squash in half the horizontal way. the insides should be cooked enough to be scooped out easily. put the insides back in to the boiling water for about 5-10 mins or so. scooping out the insides is a interesting process if the squash is still really hot. if needed, let it cool a bit before cuttin it in half. scooping out the insides halfway really makes the squash cook faster. however, if you really cant deal with cutting it, let the whole squash cook for another 15 mins or so, until it is tender to the poke of a fork. so pile up some of the insides on a plate, lather up in the 'mato sauce and dig in!

review:PINK BERRY

2008-04-06T22:10:00.003-04:00

This weekend, i took a holiday to New York. i was compelled to try pink berry. i have heard a lot of people say its delish, and a few people have told me it sucks. there was a line outside when i arrived. this is always a good sighn. the menu appeared to consist of 3 ice cream flavors, the original, coffee and green tea. um so being confused by the ever so strange menu board, i asked the cashier whats good here, and she said the original. so i got a small original with strawberries and raspberries. usually, if i get a topping its sprinkles. i never trust the fruit at ice cream places. but the fruit here was a big deal judging how everyone had their ice cream smothered in kiwis, strawberries and blueberries. this place obviously has a cult following of skinny NY-ers. ok so while waiting behind a bunch of other pushy new yorkers (still getting over the fact that the socks won the world series, its ok guys, its just karma.) i noticed the nutritional facts. basically it is the healthiest ice cream on the planet. 70 calories per 1/2 cup and no fat whatsoever. the ice cream was interesting to say the least. at first the bite was good. had the right color and texture i have come to expect from my soft serve. however there was a pungent after taste. a mildly fruity pungent after taste. it wasn't bad, just interesting. the fruit however was delish. i have never enjoyed such high quality toppings. overall, its not remotely close to J.P. licks, but its the best diet ice cream i have ever had.

Freakin Frittatas!

2008-04-03T22:12:00.004-04:00

hokay so, a frittata is like the ultimate omelet. its about the size of a personal pizza and is beyond delish. tonight i did breakfast for dinner and made this delish frittata. first, i took my baby nonstick skillet and rubbed this garlic and herb butter all over it. (if you dont have cool looking butter, you can use regular and just add some garlic, or just use some EVOO). from there crack 2 eggs in a small bowl. slice up about a handful of grape matoes (or cut big ones into small chunks). take a forkfull of pesto and scoop it into the bowl. then take about 1/2 a forkful of sun dried tomatoes. at this point, heat the buttered baby skillet to a medium low heat. whisk all of that together intensely with the fork. then sprinkle on some arugula leaves, spinach or basil. pour the eggs into the skillet. now it will be so tempting to push the eggs around with a spatula or turn the heat up, but let it be and keep the heat DOWN. the lower the heat, the better the eggs. otherwise the bottom burns, and the top is raw. (this has happened to me many times, DONT MAKE MY MISTAKES). but feel free/ obligated to add some spices to the eggs that you are not touching. i am a fan of mary janes mix it up pepper. it tis delish. hokay so when the egg looks almost cooked in the center, lift up an edge with a spatch. if the egg is burnt, you could flip it over . if it is not, you are at the perfect juncture to add a little cheese to the top. either way, its not that hard to tell when eggs are done. um so when i took mine off the skillet today i decided it looked like a pizza without any sauce, so i broke some marinara and parm chez from the fridge. it was beyond delish. once you get the fritata thing down, feel obligated to mix up the ingredients. its a great way to clean out all the produce in the fridge. i wish all of you a super fab breakfast-for-dinner.

the idiot proof veggie, CORN

2008-03-31T21:28:00.003-04:00

sadly, the price of our beloved corn is on the rise. thanks to ethanol. I do love alternative energy, but i do also enjoy a nice cob of corn. so i suggest we all go out and buy a couple cobs of good old maize before the price goes up even more. the easiest way to cook corn is to boil it. 1. fill a pot of water, salt the water, cover and let boil. 2. while the water is boilin', husk the corn (rip all the green stuff off and break off the white thing on the butt of the corn). as fun as corn husking is, it is also incredibly messy. i suggest you do that over the sink. 3. plop the corn into the water. 4. allow to cook for i want to say 15 mins or so, but sometimes more and sometimes less. when the corn looks good, strain it and enjoy. another great way to enjoy this classic American veggie is grilled. this is possibly the best, but a grill is needed for it to work. 1. place a husked corn cob on a square of tin foil that is big enough to wrap around the whole corn. 2. lather the corn in butter. (the more the merrier, you want a good chunk of butter to be used up on this corn) 3. sprinkle the corn with lots of salt 'n' pepa. if your feeling ambitious, add a little cayenne peper, garlic powder or even fennel seed. 4. roll up tinfoil around corn, being sure to fold in the ends. you dont want any of that buttery deliciousness falling out. 5. place these corn roll ups on the grill. turn a couple times until the corn is done. about 10 mins or so. dig in! if you are still to stupid to figure out how to make corn after reading this, try the frozen kind.

'MATOES SALAD

2008-03-30T21:55:00.005-04:00

This is one of my all time fave salads. its beyond easy. and u can switch up the ingredients depending on whats in the fridge. so i use arugula, tomatoes and newman's own Caesar dressing to start. from there anything from pesto to taco meat can be added. (i dont know why one would want to add taco meat, but i could be done). any type of 'matos (tomatoes, duah) can be used. the grape ones can just be washed and tossed in, bigger ones cubed or if i am feeling indulgent, i will slice up some fresh heirloom 'matoes from the local farmers market. (its almost spring, they will be out soon!) arugula is a nice spicy lettuce. if you dont have any, iceberg would work too. the mixed lettuce with the purple leaves in it (mixed field greens i think is the correct term) dont work that well, but its do-able. if you dont have newmans own Caesar dressing, look for another not creamy Caesar dressing. (key point, NOT CREAMY). otherwise whisk together 2 parts olive oil, 1 part vinegar (balsamic or cider) a sprinkle of parm and salt 'n' pepa. its 10 pm on a Sunday night, and writing this is making me crave salad. until next time.

Caffeine Queen

2008-03-27T21:18:00.003-04:00

So, I absolutely love Coffee. but i hate paying 3 dollars a cup at starbucks. but i do enjoy a 8 dollar, venti nonfat extra foamy doubleshot pumpkin spice latte charged to my moms plastic. so i got a coffee press to brew at home. mine (the one to the right) was around 50 dollars, but i have seen them for 12. they are a cheap and better alternative to brewing machines. all that is needed to use these is ground coffee and a way to heat water! I prefer to use a kettle to heat water over the stove, but if you dont have a kettle, a small pot works just as well. fill the coffee press pitcher with water and pour that water into the kettle. place the kettle on the stove and turn on high. while the water is heating up, take the coffee grounds out of the freezer and grab a tablespoon. it is recommended that for every 6 fl oz of water, there be 2 tablespoon of coffee in the pitcher. however, if you like your coffee strong, add another half tablespoon. i find that 5 heaping tablespoons works perfectly for my 32 fl oz coffee press. when the water is boiled, pour it into the pitcher and cover. let sit for about 2 min. then press it down. let sit for another min or so, longer if you want stronger coffee. after that, the coffee is ready to pour, sip and enjoy!

chil-LAX-in

2008-03-25T22:30:00.004-04:00

aight aight, lax season here in new England has begun. kina funny because there is still a snowbank in one corner of the field. lax season means one thing for me, i am tired and i am hungry. i am so one of those people who eats a ton thinking "its ok, i have practice today". but by doing that, one eats more than they burn. so here are a few healthy snack ideas for this lax season.

1. The Cliff Bar. these are beyond delish. my fave is the peanut butter chocolate chip one, but they all are good. these are best eaten before a practice or a game, because they contain energy.

2. A Banana. bananas are loaded with potassium. good for your toes. (ok i dont know if this is actually true, but a bunch of intense athlete friends tell me this is true)

3. Celery or Carrots. both will stay crisp in a baggie in your gym bag until game time. a delish way to kill the time until practice starts or to keep you going till dinner. a lil PB from the caff makes a great dip.

4. A Nalegene Bottle (or sigg). hokay so, i love anything that saves the planet. and instead of going into a rant about my hate for bottled water and how its killing the planet, i am just going to suggest the nalgene. carry it around all day, starting at breakfast. you will do much better in everything.

ok my fingers are sore, along with the rest of my body. ttyl.

review, GRILL 23

2008-03-24T18:36:00.003-04:00

So for Easter, Mama and Papa Drew took me, my brother and his friend to Grill 23 on Berkeley st. I am really not a fan of red meat, steak, porter house etc, its all the same to me. my brother, on the other hand ate 48 ounces of still mooing cow. I started with a Caesar. it was good. i went with the sea scallops because i have never had bad sea food in Boston. the scallops themselves were fresh, but i was not sure about the spice rub on them. the brussels sprouts on the side were extremely delish. i didnt know brussels sprouts could be that good. the carrot stuffed with what i believe to be lentils was sweet and good. separately, these items were delish, but did not work cohesively. to finish it off, vanilla bean crem brule. beyond delish. delish delish delish. now i usually cant afford anything that cost nearly that much, but it was not on my tab. so if your parents decide that u deserve a real meal, go for the steak, it seems to be their thing.

Easter hang-over

2008-03-23T12:35:00.000-04:00

its the day after Easter
either you feel fat from stuffing all those peeps and chocolate eggs down your throat
or you have nothing to do with that basket filled of picked through chocolate. Well, here are some solutions.
-use your chocolate bars to create delish chocolate covered strawberries
1. melt plain chocolate in the microwave (this works best with Hershey's kisses and little chocolate bars) stirring every 30 secs to min in the microwave.
2. stir strawberries (or bananas, peaches whatever you have on hand) around in chocolate and place on plate.
3. cover plate in foil or plastic wrap, freeze until chocolate is solid.

or put those mms and recces to use!
1. stir mms into your fave cookie recipe instead of chocolate chips
or
2. instead of stirring in any chips, push a Reece cup (or any other hunk of chocolate) on top of the raw cookie. bake normally.

now, its hard to bake with peeps, but there is still tons of fun to have with them, try
1. microwaving them, see what happens
2. let the sit out and harden, then throw them at freshman.
3. mush them into some form of modern art

if your feeling way to stuffed and need away to make the candy disappear try
1. placing all of the candy in a bowl and placing the bowl in your common room, on your desk, on your adviser's desk, at your office,
2. better yet, use it to bribe your friends.

and don't forget to freeze a few chocolate bars, you never know when the craving for one will strike.

Are You Freakin Hungry?

2008-03-23T10:53:00.001-04:00

Welcome starving students, boarders, and fellow bostonians
you shall find here easy recipes, restaurant reviews, snacks, foodie ideas and simple ways to entertain, all on a super low budget
get ready to eat