Pazzo Pizza!

aka Crazy Pizza...

Last night, I did not eat healthy. Not in the least bit. I ate too many snacks, and far too many pieces of pizza. But it was worth it, and today is a new day, and I'll be back to my usual schedule form now on!

While I was blogging, la Mamma brought us some snacks- an italian pretzel and a mini pear, which I ate to hold me until dinner.

Making pizza was SO much fun! I went with 4 friends, and 4 of us made pizzas! Margherita, I made a vegetarian one with peppers and eggplant, they also made one with Pancetta and one with
I'm not revealing how many pieces I ate, but there weren't many leftovers ;)

Later that evening we went out to hang out for a while, and we had a couple drinks and snacked on some of the appetizers they kept giving us for free! It was a good time, and we stayed out late- I'm tired today, but it was so much fun!!

We didn't have class today, so I spent the day relaxing with Carolyn- we went on two walks, I had some yogurt and muesli before and an orange after.

I had a little fun making lunch... I made carrot flowers!

We made a big healthy lunch of salads with carrots, lupini beans, garlic olive oil and fresh bread. It hit the spot, and I felt great after eating it!

We went on another walk in the afternoon- the long hill walk, which I actually ran the second half of (up hill) with our guy friends that came with us. It was hard, but felt SO great to get some exercise after such a food filled day!

I snacked a little in the afternoon- a banana, 1/2 a pretzel and a couple whole grain granola crackers.

Sorry for my quick post- I'm on my way to learn how to make GELATO!!

Simple pleasures

I apologize for my lack of pictures lately, the wireless internet in Italia has quite the mind of it’s own. I’ll try for as many of the best pictures as I can!

Yesterday afternoon leaving the DeRada center, it was SWELTERING hot… my friend Carolyn and I could hardly move in the boiling heat, so we decided there was no better time to stop for a quick gelato on the way back to the apartment. I had frutti di boso e caffe- two of my favorites. They defiantely cooled us down on the walk back home. Back at the apartment, I snacked on a small yellow plum before dinner.

Dinner was fantastic again, another creamy mushroom sauce, which I have the greatest love/hate relationship with. I KNOW how bad they are for me, but I just love them so much! I ate ¾ of this plate, before a small piece of bread to cleanse my palate before the next course.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good picture of my secondo piatto- it was my favorite risotto stuffed peppers (I ate one small one), insalata mista (I had a BIG helping) and a whole bunch of olives.

Dessert was a fruit bowl- cocomelo e mela, and afterwards my friend Erika and I stopped at a bakery nearby for a tiny sweet treat. It was the perfect little funghata- a "mushroom" shaped flaky chocolate pastry covered in granules of sugar and filled with a chocolate creme, topped with a tiny sliver of white chocolate. The perfect tiny treat to end my night.

I spent the rest of the night nervous about my test in the morning, so I didn't sleep well- but I woke up in just enough time to have some granola, yogurt and a juicy nectarine for breakfast before heading to Bar Centrale with Carolyn for a caffe before class.

After my quiz (which went well- I got 100 on my last one so I'm hoping I do just as well on this one!) we stopped by the frutti vendolo and supermercato to stock up- I ate an apple while shopping, and got some more apples, peaches, lettuce, carrots, wheat crackers, mozzarella and bread for lunches, yogurt, muesli and almond milk.
After our grocery shopping we had another great cooking lab with Rosa- she taught us to make Pasta Carbonara- a delicious but heavy dish made with eggs, pancetta (italian bacon), olive oil, salt and pepper, parmesan and cream. It was amazing watching her chop the onions and show us how to put the dish together. Every day I'm in the kitchen here my desire to become a chef grows greater and greater...

Rosa was nice enough to make me some spaghetti with pomodoro sauce for lunch while the rest of the class chowed down on their creamy creations- but I have a confession to make. I did have one bite- just a bite- of the carbonara (sans pancetta), just to taste it. It was very good, and since I ate no meat directly I was fine, but I just couldn't resist trying what we had made!


The pasta was good, and Danielle, Carolyn and I came home to do some yoga. After a core session (just 25 minutes but boy was I sweating!) and some studying I had a peach and a couple wheat crackers (they taste like granola!).

On our way here, we stopped for another cool treat- I know I've been eating gelato every day, but honestly, I don't care. I'd rather have a small treat every day and not feel bad than not allow myself the treat and regret not having it! The portions are small enough and the ingredients are pure enough anyways, I don't ever feel heavy or as if I'm over eating after a refreshing gelato. Today was fragole and straciatella (strawberry and italian chocolate chip)

What I'm loving the most about Italy is the simple things that make me happy. When a cool breeze hits my face walking up the street to the DeRada Center, my afternoon gelato, walks with Carolyn, olives at dinner and getting emails from family and friends. These little acts that make me smile are making my time here all the better, and more and more I realize how thankful I am to be here, to be experiancing this, at the best time.

Weekend alla Spiaggia

What a weekend! Friday's dinner was great- the food was fantastic, I had 2 helpings of the porcini mushroom linguini because I loved it so much! I ate about 1/2 of the rest that was served as well, and we had gelato for dessert.


After dinner Friday night, we all went to bed and woke up bright and early on Saturday morning to head to Southern Calabria. I had a quick breakfast before we left, and snacked on a banana larabar and some grapes during the day.


We spent the morning walking through an ancient forest- the trees were incredible, it was a beautiful hike. We stopped for a quick sandwich on the road- we were so hot we ended up getting ice cream for dessert as well.


When we were finally in Crotone at the hotel, we spent the afternoon lounging on the beach, tanning, reading and swimming in the Ionian sea. It was truly magical. I had a few grapes on the beach as well.
Dinner was great, again! The hotel did an awesome job- I had pasta with pomodoro sauce (I ate 3/4), herbed potatoes, a small piece of bread, and I ate the grilled eggplant/zucchini, a bite of tomato and a bite of mozzarella. A lot of carbs, but I was satisfied. They served us gelato again, but I only ate half I was so stuffed.



That night we went out into the town, hung out at a bar with a singer on the beach, and went home late. I had a couple of fruity drinks, but not too much. We slept in the next morning, and went for the buffet breakfast. I had 1/2 a croissant, a kiwi, some yogurt with peach and whole grain cereal.

We left the hotel and headed for our next destination- Le Castella. This was equally as beautiful as Crotone. We explored the mideveil castle, and were so hot, we decided gelato would be the perfect treat. So Carolyn and I ate gelato (peach and white chocolate!) while doing some shopping in town. I had some good finds- some housewares, spices, and pretty scarves.

We ate lunch at a really great restaurant overlooking the castle and the sea. The owner was so sweet- he decorated our sandwiches and took a picture of myself and Danielle and Carolyn! My panino was by far the best I've had yet- grilled eggplant and zucchini, fontina cheese and a spicy sauce.

We spent some more time on the beach at Le Castella, and headed back to San Demetrio. I had some wheat crackers and a pear while reading to hold me until dinner.

Dinner was back at Pub Fusion- lasagna, cheese balls, delicious salad (I had 2 cheese balls and 2 portions of salad) and figs for dessert. Still craving sweets, a few of us grabbed gelato on the way back to the apartment. Two in one day, again!

Today we didn't have much choice as to our food- everything's closed because it's Monday, so I had a small plum when I woke up, and we went out for chocolate croissants for breakfast. This held me for a while, and I snacked on some nuts before lunch.

Lunch was another panino- pomodoro/mozzarella on foccacia. My classic Italian lunch, always satisfying.

Now I'm relaxing on the computer before heading back to the apartment to study for our test tomorrow.

What a weekend!

Miei favoriti Piatti

Ohmigoshhhh.... dinner was absolutely fantastic. After a banana and a bite of nutella (straight from the jar, bad girl) I was just hungry enough a few hours later for dinner.

We started with pesto gnocchi- yes, I finished every bite. Fantastico!

Then we had grilled eggplant with a bit of parmesan, and some pomodoro salad. Anche Delizioso!

For dessert, we had more watermelon, and then they brought out HUGE platters of torta and dolci for Professor Laluna's birthday! I had 1/2 a fresh donut, and a few bites of each of the 2 small pieces of cake and torta.

Afterwards, we celebrated by having a drink and then went back home, where I called some friends, and we settled in for the night.

This morning I woke up pretty hungry, so I had some muesli with almond milk, and a coconut yogurt.

During class I snacked on a nectarine, but we decided to go out for lunch for a change- we went to Dante, a nearby restaurant, and they gave me a tasty vegetarian dish- potatoes and peppers sauteed in olive oil. I also had a stuffed pepper. A little much on the oil, but otherwise very satisfying- at least they're healthy oils! We also each had a glass of vino bianco.

My friend Carolyn and I were up for some good exercise, so we decided to walk down and up the KILLER mountain we hiked the other day- we had an awesome time, it felt like no time, talking and laughing, but we walked for almost an hour! We saw the hidden fresco again, some pear trees and plenty of geckos before heading home. Back at home we sat down for a post walk snack- some peanut butter and fresh crusty bread.

Now I'm working on my next Italain project, eating some dolci- fruit torta that Michelangelo's sister gave us. They're so sweet here! Tonight is another one of my favorites... but I will definately be eating less than I did last night!

Cucino Italiano!

No crazy Italian boys or long hikes since I last blogged- just some more great meals, and some more great Italian cooking!
Carolyn and I split a banana and did a bit of browsing at some of the stores in town, before going to Pub Fusion for "Le Strada". We ordered birra and had a nice time watching the movie before dinner. When my primo piatto came, I was SO excited- pesto, mia favorita! This was a HUGE plate, and I ended up eating 3/4 of it, it was sooo good!

The second course was not a favorite of mine- I don't really like eating eggs, but I must say these were some very good l'uova- I ate a few of the pieces, without the dressing. I also had a few small pieces of cheese they had on the table.

Dessert was gelato- 2 in one day! Thats ok, we're in Italia!

After a good night's rest, I did 20 minutes of strength this morning before having some muesli with almond milk and a nectarine.

My snack this morning was a big apple- we went to the fruttivendolo before class, the fruit man is sooo nice! I got a bunch of green grapes, a hot pepper for salads, a big tomato, peaches and nectarines and my apple- and he gave my friend Danielle and I a handful of cherries to snack on, as well as some plums and figs for free!!

After class we went to our next lab- definately the best so far! We cooked with Fifina, the best cook in town! She is so sweet, and taught us how to make 2 sauces and meatballs- one of the sauces was completely vegan- so I am DEFIANTELY making it when I get back to the states!

We had the sauce over pasta- I had 2 medium helpings! Then, because I was a vegetarian and didn't eat the meatballs, Michelangelo's Mamma brought out some fried zucchini flowers for me to try- I ate two of these, a bit of zucchini fritatta and a couple bites of zucchini salad. They kept giving us food! I just sampled (besides the pasta!) because I just couldn't eat any more! It was all fabulous though. For dessert we had delicious fresh figs- they don't get any better than in Calabria!


So today has been fun so far, we have a lot of time to relax this afternoon- I already did all of my homework, so I've got a lot of time to fill! I love Siesta, definately makes my time here much less stressful.

Tonight is 3 of my FAVORITES for dinner- so I'm warning you, I will be pigging out. I'm trying to stay balanced in Italy for sure, but there are definately some times that it is SO worth it for a bit of a splurge!

Eventful Italy

Mamma Mia! So much has been going on here in Calabria!
Yesterday while I was blogging I had a peach, and a handful of nuts before we went off to visit a local church. It was nice, lots of history, beautiful mosaics and frescos. Oh yea, and then we went mountain climbing.
I am NOT kidding when I say running 10 miles did not compare to these steep, steep slippery hills- in FLIP FLOPS nonetheless! Nothing could prepare our group for the intense workout we got during that 30 minute hike! Whew! At least we got to see a very unique fresco at the end of our hike- it's hidden, only seen when splashed with water. As magnificant as it was, the fresco, the view... I was exhausted.


I drank SO much water, and immediately reached for a big piece of soft, spongy bread from the basket at the table when dinner started. The first course was very interesting- Antipasti Tipici per Calabria- typical appetizer plate in Calabria. Mine had some cheese, eggplant, sundried tomato, fried veggies, and cippole- onions. I ate all but a few vegetables and one piece of cheese, the walk gave me a BIG appetite!

So big, I almost finished the secondo piatto- shells with herbed ricotta and green beans. Delicioso! They also served us some caprese salad, which I had 1 piece of.


Dessert was macedonia- fruit salad. It was tasty, but our sweet teeth weren't satisfied yet! We stopped across the street at Bar Centrale to get some gelato (mine was Tiramisu!) for the way home.


On the way home we had a quite interesting experiance when a group of Italian boys began following us down the road! We ran all the way up the stairs to the apartment, and they STILL came to our door asking us to let them in! Obviously we refused- it was both scary and amusing at the same time! Oh, italian boys... hehe

This morning, we were tired from yesterday's intense walk so Carolyn and I decided to do a 20-minute yoga session I downloaded from Yoga Download- it was GREAT! We both felt awake and strengthened after. What an easy way to get a great, calming workout!
After yoga, we ate some breakfast- muesli with a tiny bit of leftover soy milk, and a fruit/coconut yogurt.

I snacked during class- a mini clif bar, and a big apple on the way to our lab. The lab was the best so far- it was a cooking lab at Bar Stilla- they taught us how to make decorations with zucchini, carrots, and cocomelo- watermelon! It was so great, I even made a zucchini flower myself!

They gave us a treat while were there- the best pistachio macaroon I have EVER tasted, fresh out of the oven!

For lunch, we were very hungry so instead of trekking home we stopped at Bar Centrale for Panini- I had my favorite mozzarella/tomato/basil and was satisfied.

This afternoon, after studying for my first quiz tomorrow, Danielle and I were CRAVING gelato, so we said what the heck! Today is a sweet day- it's hot here, so it was a great way to cool down. I'm sitting here with my amarena and nevena, happily blogging and emailing until we watch a movie at the bar and have another great dinner.

I hope all is well in the states, Ciao per oggi!

Calm in Calabria

Yesterday while blogging, we got a sweet european treat from Professor Laluna's mamma- some alpine chocolate! It definatately made my afternoon, and I also snacked on some carrots, and a tiny pear (never got to the nuts) before dinner.


Dinner was fabulous, of course! The first course was another one of my favorites- gnocchi, with a pomodoro sauce and a pepperoncini/olive oil spread that I sprinkled on the top with a bit of parmesean. Spicy and soo chewy- in a great way, these gnocchi were the best I have ever had, hands down!

The second course was a bit tricky. In between I had 1/2 a piece of fluffy bread I shared with my friend Carolyn, and when they brought out the FULL FISH for the rest of the students I had to politely refuse. They don't understand here most vegetarians do not eat fish, so instead they brought me out a huge plate of cheese- my favorite, gorgonzola, and another more mild kind- I had 1/2 of one of the mild pieces, and crumbled 1/2 the gorgonzola into 2 servings of salad (both the size pictured) and had a bit of pepper fritatta on the side as well.

The last course was so exciting- HUGE hunks of juicy pink watermelon, with tiny forchettas- sooo flavorful, I was in cocomelo heaven!

After dinner, Danielle, Carolyn and I stopped at Bar Centrale for a sweet treat- my second gelato of the trip! I had straciatella- the Italian version of chocolate chip, but sooo much better!

After some studying, we went straight to bed- we were so tired from the day.

This morning I woke up with the intention to go for a run, but it seems very odd here. No one in Calabria runs, especially not around our apartment, so I feel a bit as though I'm disturbing the neighbors by running. Not to mention it's extremely dangerous with the ignorant drivers at high speeds down the windy hills, so I'm uncomfortable gonig alone. Carolyn and I are going to try and go a couple times a week, but on days she doesn't want to run I'm going to do what I did today- some sun saltuations and strength exercises on my balcony for about 15 minutes to start my day. I wish I could do more, but the walkinga and strength just seems right for my situation now.

Anyways, after I worked out a bit I had some muesli with about a cup of vanilla soy milk, and an apricot. This held me over surprisingly well, until I had a clif z-bar (and one of danielle's strawberries!) for a snack during class.

We went to the fruttivendolo for some nectarines, bananas, grapes and tomatoes, and the supermercato for some fresh bread- and I found almond milk! I can't consume too much dairy, as much as I'm enjoying the cheese I've been eating, and I just can't drink milk, so this made me realllly happy!

For lunch back a casa, I made a big salad with some romaine, tomato and zucchini drizzled in olive oil, as well as a big carrot, some bread with talleggio and grapes for dessert. A great, balanced meal that left me feeling great!


After studying for a while, I decided to take a break and come here, then we have another long walking tour after before dinner. Should be great exercise, and the scenery will be amazing, no doubt!

**Note- so it turns out posting pictures is becoming harder than I thought it would be. I think I might stick with the descriptions of my meals, and post pictures as soon as I am able to. It might not be for a while, but I'll try!!**