WHOOPS!
So I had a bit of an embarassing baking mishap this morning... I was in the middle of blogging when I took my PB cookies out of the oven, and went back to the computer to answer some comments and accidentally left the cookies on the baking sheet too long! And we all know what that means... Crumbly, crumbly cookies!
I salvaged about 3 whole cookies, but the rest were pieces! This has never happened to me before, so it was quite the funny experience! They still taste fantastic, I had quite a few "cookie crumbles" myself so far, and I'm saving some to put on top of SOY ICE CREAM some time soon!
So that was my birthday baking adventure for the day... a bit off, but still tasty as vegan cookies can be!
Kristin
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Birthday Baking
You know you love baking when...
thats how you spend the morning of your 19th birthday!
Happy 30th of July everyone, personally my favorite day of the year, because at 3:18 a.m. this morning I was born into this world, I'm pretty sure with a whisk in hand, because ALL I wanted to do when I woke up this morning was bake away!
For breakfast, my mom went out and got myself, my sister, and Tyler bagels from our favorite bagel place, Bagelz (which I'm actually considering applying to for a school year job!)- I had my favorite, an everything bagel with garlic-herb light cream cheese. On the side I also had my fave fruit- a juicy nectarine!
While I was enjoying my delicious birthday breakfast, my sister brought me over some presents in my favorite color combo- blue and brown, with bright green accents =)
I got some awesome presents, one of which I have not been able to put down- Vegan with a Vengeance! I've wanted this for sooo long, and when I pulled it out I immediately began thumbing through the recipes, I haven't found a single one I DON'T want to try! I better start cooking away! I also got some houseware items from my mom- I'm getting a fusion blender/food processor for my house soon (it's been ordered!) which I am SO excited about, and I also got some pretty mixing bowls and nice bamboo cutting boards, as well as a big deep Italian skillet! I can't wait to start cooking in my new kitchen =)
As soon as I finished opening my presents and saying "Grazie Mille" to my generous family, I knew I had to get into the kitchen! I chose the simplest, yet incredibly indulgent cookie recipe I could find in vegan with a vengeance- Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies! These are in NO way low fat, or very healthy at all (except for the fact that they have no milk or eggs!) but boy do they look yummy... and gosh darnit it's my birthday, so I'm going to bake the cookies, lick the spoon and eat as many as I want!
It was definately a nice birthday morning =)
Today during the day I think I might be going out to play some mini golf if the rain holds off, and then this evening I have a bit of a party at Crazy Burger with my family and a few friends! Should be a nice day!
thats how you spend the morning of your 19th birthday!
Happy 30th of July everyone, personally my favorite day of the year, because at 3:18 a.m. this morning I was born into this world, I'm pretty sure with a whisk in hand, because ALL I wanted to do when I woke up this morning was bake away!
For breakfast, my mom went out and got myself, my sister, and Tyler bagels from our favorite bagel place, Bagelz (which I'm actually considering applying to for a school year job!)- I had my favorite, an everything bagel with garlic-herb light cream cheese. On the side I also had my fave fruit- a juicy nectarine!
While I was enjoying my delicious birthday breakfast, my sister brought me over some presents in my favorite color combo- blue and brown, with bright green accents =)
I got some awesome presents, one of which I have not been able to put down- Vegan with a Vengeance! I've wanted this for sooo long, and when I pulled it out I immediately began thumbing through the recipes, I haven't found a single one I DON'T want to try! I better start cooking away! I also got some houseware items from my mom- I'm getting a fusion blender/food processor for my house soon (it's been ordered!) which I am SO excited about, and I also got some pretty mixing bowls and nice bamboo cutting boards, as well as a big deep Italian skillet! I can't wait to start cooking in my new kitchen =)
As soon as I finished opening my presents and saying "Grazie Mille" to my generous family, I knew I had to get into the kitchen! I chose the simplest, yet incredibly indulgent cookie recipe I could find in vegan with a vengeance- Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies! These are in NO way low fat, or very healthy at all (except for the fact that they have no milk or eggs!) but boy do they look yummy... and gosh darnit it's my birthday, so I'm going to bake the cookies, lick the spoon and eat as many as I want!
It was definately a nice birthday morning =)
Today during the day I think I might be going out to play some mini golf if the rain holds off, and then this evening I have a bit of a party at Crazy Burger with my family and a few friends! Should be a nice day!
Tattoos and good ol' italian home cookin'
Sorry for the late post; yesterday was such a fun day with Tyler, I really had no time to blog!
I had a quick nectarine before I picked him up at the train station, and we spent the morning doing some of our favorite things- shopping and eating!
He's going to be my roommate next year, so we had a lot of fun at a nearby homegoods store looking at some house wares... I just picked up an olive oil cruet for the house, we'll pick up the rest soon! Then I took Tyler to lunch at my favorite asian restaurant around, I'm sure I've mentioned it plenty of times before- Seven Moons. We decided to both order off the sushi menu [this summer, Tyler discovered he loves both espresso and sushi, which he hated when I left school. I told him he's the perfect roommate now ;)], so ordered some appetizers to start- Chuka (seaweed) salad, and shrimp dumplings (I had half of each)
For my main roll, I chose the Las Vegas roll- pretty much a pumped- up California Roll... crab, cucumber, avocado and asparagus. It was very good, I'll definately try this one again! I was also "forced" to eat a HUGE piece of Tyler's gigantic shrimp tempura roll. I'm not a big tempura fan, but the crunch did give the roll a little extra somethin'!
We skipped dessert at lunch and spent the afternoon at the tattoo parlor, where I stayed wiith Tyler while he got his first tattoo! He ended up getting a beautiful celtic cross (he's an irish boy), that i'm jealous of it was so well done!
After getting a tattoo, Tyler was feeling a frappuccino. So we went to Starbucks, and I got my once-in-the-summer mocha frapp (light), before we headed to our last couple of errands. It was quite tasty, but very ice-cream like... definately a once-in-a-while treat.
Back at home, I made one of my favorite Italian entrees- tagliatelle (not home made, but still fresh!) con ceci (chickpeas), and steamed zucchini/squash fresh from the garden. Tyler wasn't sure if he'd like the ceci sauce, so I made him a side of fresh pomodoro... but he ended up preferring the pepe rosso dressing, and I took a couple spoonfuls of the pomodoro instead! (I love it fresh!)
For dessert, my mom brought me home one of my favorite vegan cookies for us to share; ABC Pumpkin Spice. Yum!
During the movie we watched, I snacked on some cherries... and then a couple small handfuls of peanut m&ms. I've been trying to keep away from too many treats because I'm trying to get back on the healthy track, but theres some things I just can't resist... and I know I should! I guess I'm still in the "eat all you want" mindset- it takes some time, but I know what's best for my body! I'm only human, we all have our slipups. Wednesday is my birthday, so calories don't count, as my grandma says, but Thursday I'll be back to my usual fruits/veggies/grains staples!
I'm off to have a nice birthday breakfast with the fam, I'll be posting later on tonight!
I had a quick nectarine before I picked him up at the train station, and we spent the morning doing some of our favorite things- shopping and eating!
He's going to be my roommate next year, so we had a lot of fun at a nearby homegoods store looking at some house wares... I just picked up an olive oil cruet for the house, we'll pick up the rest soon! Then I took Tyler to lunch at my favorite asian restaurant around, I'm sure I've mentioned it plenty of times before- Seven Moons. We decided to both order off the sushi menu [this summer, Tyler discovered he loves both espresso and sushi, which he hated when I left school. I told him he's the perfect roommate now ;)], so ordered some appetizers to start- Chuka (seaweed) salad, and shrimp dumplings (I had half of each)
For my main roll, I chose the Las Vegas roll- pretty much a pumped- up California Roll... crab, cucumber, avocado and asparagus. It was very good, I'll definately try this one again! I was also "forced" to eat a HUGE piece of Tyler's gigantic shrimp tempura roll. I'm not a big tempura fan, but the crunch did give the roll a little extra somethin'!
We skipped dessert at lunch and spent the afternoon at the tattoo parlor, where I stayed wiith Tyler while he got his first tattoo! He ended up getting a beautiful celtic cross (he's an irish boy), that i'm jealous of it was so well done!
After getting a tattoo, Tyler was feeling a frappuccino. So we went to Starbucks, and I got my once-in-the-summer mocha frapp (light), before we headed to our last couple of errands. It was quite tasty, but very ice-cream like... definately a once-in-a-while treat.
Back at home, I made one of my favorite Italian entrees- tagliatelle (not home made, but still fresh!) con ceci (chickpeas), and steamed zucchini/squash fresh from the garden. Tyler wasn't sure if he'd like the ceci sauce, so I made him a side of fresh pomodoro... but he ended up preferring the pepe rosso dressing, and I took a couple spoonfuls of the pomodoro instead! (I love it fresh!)
For dessert, my mom brought me home one of my favorite vegan cookies for us to share; ABC Pumpkin Spice. Yum!
During the movie we watched, I snacked on some cherries... and then a couple small handfuls of peanut m&ms. I've been trying to keep away from too many treats because I'm trying to get back on the healthy track, but theres some things I just can't resist... and I know I should! I guess I'm still in the "eat all you want" mindset- it takes some time, but I know what's best for my body! I'm only human, we all have our slipups. Wednesday is my birthday, so calories don't count, as my grandma says, but Thursday I'll be back to my usual fruits/veggies/grains staples!
I'm off to have a nice birthday breakfast with the fam, I'll be posting later on tonight!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Buona Mattina!
Mornin' everyone! I'm feeling better and better everyday now that I'm getting used to the time difference.
I woke up this morning with an appetite for a big breakfast- so I made myself two of the new Lifestream Fig + Flax waffles I bought Sunday at the store- I was so excited about these waffles, I ate SO many figs in Italy and grew to love them so much, the slight taste in the waffles made my morning. =) I highly reccomend them!
I toasted my tasty waffles and topped them with fresh blueberries, real maple syrup, and had a new greek yogurt on the side- Chobani 0% Vanilla. It was very good- I liked the light vanilla taste with the creaminess of the greek yogurt! I'll definately be buying this again!
To finish off my breakfast, I used my new Italian espresso maker (just the little metal kind) to make myself some Illy espresso I bought in Italy... I had two tiny cups, and they were fantastic if I do say so myself! Coffee tastes like water to me now after having real Italian espresso!
This morning I'm planning on going for a jog (I'm calling it a jog because I haven't run in a month so I'll see how far I can go!) and then I'm off to the trainstation to pick up Tyler at 10. From there our day is open! I'm so excited to have Ty back in town, it's been months since I've seen him and we're moving in together in just over a month!
Have a great Martedi everyone!
I woke up this morning with an appetite for a big breakfast- so I made myself two of the new Lifestream Fig + Flax waffles I bought Sunday at the store- I was so excited about these waffles, I ate SO many figs in Italy and grew to love them so much, the slight taste in the waffles made my morning. =) I highly reccomend them!
I toasted my tasty waffles and topped them with fresh blueberries, real maple syrup, and had a new greek yogurt on the side- Chobani 0% Vanilla. It was very good- I liked the light vanilla taste with the creaminess of the greek yogurt! I'll definately be buying this again!
To finish off my breakfast, I used my new Italian espresso maker (just the little metal kind) to make myself some Illy espresso I bought in Italy... I had two tiny cups, and they were fantastic if I do say so myself! Coffee tastes like water to me now after having real Italian espresso!
This morning I'm planning on going for a jog (I'm calling it a jog because I haven't run in a month so I'll see how far I can go!) and then I'm off to the trainstation to pick up Tyler at 10. From there our day is open! I'm so excited to have Ty back in town, it's been months since I've seen him and we're moving in together in just over a month!
Have a great Martedi everyone!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Annoyed...
So today was not the most eventful day, because of a few annoying mishaps...
We had no power in my house from 10 am until 5:30 pm, so I had no choice but to spend my time at the gym, and then unpacking to pass the time. I got a lot done, but it wasn't the most interesting day.
Before working out I had a nice preworkout snack of a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter. I spent about 45 minutes doing cardio, 30 minutes walking, 15 running and 15 biking.
For lunch I made myself my own version of my favorite "Insalatono" from Dante's in San Demetrio- a big salad of mixed greens, raddichio, tomatoes, corn and tuna topped with some balls of fresh mozzarella, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and black pepper. On the side I also had 1/2 a wheat english muffin for some whole grains.
For a mid-afternoon snack I had a juicy white nectarine, which I had never tried but enjoyed very much! It was sweeter, less bitter than orange nectarines I thought. I also had a half a peanut butter cookie my sister brought home =)
Dinner was supposed to be another Italian recipe, but unfortunately we were forced to go out to eat because we had no power. I still had a nice dinner- we went to one of my favorite Middle Eastern Delis, Pick Pockets, and I had the Crazy Veggie- lettuce, tomato, peppers, cucumber, sprouts, feta, hummus and balsamic dressing. I ate my whole wrap, and a stuffed grape leaf as well! I was stuffed, but it was a filling, healthy meal on the go that was just satisfying enough.
After dinner, I went out for ice cream with my friend Eric and my sister. We had a lot of fun laughing about Italy and I tried to teach my sister a few Italian phrases... I want her to meet one of my Italian friends when she comes to Italy to visit me next year, who knows- maybe they'll hit it off! For a nice cool treat I chose a small Black Raspberry Chip frozen yogurt, which definately hit the spot!
I'm at home now, relaxing and getting ready for bed. It felt like such a long day with no power! Makes you realize how much we rely on electricity for basics like cooking, washing, internet...
Time for bed! Tomorrow I'll be picking one of my best friends and future roommate, Tyler, up from the trainstation and we'll be out and about all day so expect a bit of a late post!
Buona Notte!
We had no power in my house from 10 am until 5:30 pm, so I had no choice but to spend my time at the gym, and then unpacking to pass the time. I got a lot done, but it wasn't the most interesting day.
Before working out I had a nice preworkout snack of a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter. I spent about 45 minutes doing cardio, 30 minutes walking, 15 running and 15 biking.
For lunch I made myself my own version of my favorite "Insalatono" from Dante's in San Demetrio- a big salad of mixed greens, raddichio, tomatoes, corn and tuna topped with some balls of fresh mozzarella, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and black pepper. On the side I also had 1/2 a wheat english muffin for some whole grains.
For a mid-afternoon snack I had a juicy white nectarine, which I had never tried but enjoyed very much! It was sweeter, less bitter than orange nectarines I thought. I also had a half a peanut butter cookie my sister brought home =)
Dinner was supposed to be another Italian recipe, but unfortunately we were forced to go out to eat because we had no power. I still had a nice dinner- we went to one of my favorite Middle Eastern Delis, Pick Pockets, and I had the Crazy Veggie- lettuce, tomato, peppers, cucumber, sprouts, feta, hummus and balsamic dressing. I ate my whole wrap, and a stuffed grape leaf as well! I was stuffed, but it was a filling, healthy meal on the go that was just satisfying enough.
After dinner, I went out for ice cream with my friend Eric and my sister. We had a lot of fun laughing about Italy and I tried to teach my sister a few Italian phrases... I want her to meet one of my Italian friends when she comes to Italy to visit me next year, who knows- maybe they'll hit it off! For a nice cool treat I chose a small Black Raspberry Chip frozen yogurt, which definately hit the spot!
I'm at home now, relaxing and getting ready for bed. It felt like such a long day with no power! Makes you realize how much we rely on electricity for basics like cooking, washing, internet...
Time for bed! Tomorrow I'll be picking one of my best friends and future roommate, Tyler, up from the trainstation and we'll be out and about all day so expect a bit of a late post!
Buona Notte!
Rested at last
Last night I had planned on doing some night time exercise before heading to bed, but I was so exhausted I went to bed instead, and boy was I glad! I slept almost 10 hours... the jet lag finally caught up with me I guess. But I feel alive, awake, alert enthusiastic today! (Anyone remember that camp song? I'm so cheesy)
This morning I woke up and had a classic cereal breakfast, Kashi Go Lean (1.25 cups) with a cup of nonfat soy milk, and 3/4 cup blueberries. I'm glad Italy helped me get used to smaller portions during the day so it's pretty easy to get back to my pre-gain portion sizes.
Speaking of gains...I know you all want to know, and here it is- I gained a whopping 6.4 pounds in Italy. I know this is a LOT, and 3 pounds more than I had intended to gain, but I can definately pinpoint why. My days were usually quite balanced, and then once dinnertime came, the overeating every night along with quite a few extra glasses of wine and birra definately sent my calories far over what they should have been. Even with all the walking I was doing, I still gained the extra weight.
Next year when I'm back in Italy it will be different for sure, because I'll have more choice as to what I eat for dinner while I'm there, I'll be busier and definately not eating as much! But thats in the future.
For now, I'm working on getting back to the way I ate before I gained the original 10 pounds, and hopefully even out those last few pounds into muscle. I'm accepting the last three pounds, but not too comfortable with them because I'm so small, you can definately see it in my stomach. So for the next couple of months, I'll be trying to eat more regular portion sizes, fresh ingredients and do a lot more exercise- exercise that I want to do, exercise that makes me happy. Italy made me realize this as well; I'd rather not stress myself out by running every day. I LOVE to walk, and I love to be moving, and I love yoga. I'd rather spend most of my days doing walking, strength and yoga, and a few of my days running than stressing my body and my mind to be forced to run every day. I love running, don't get me wrong, but I felt so much healthier in Italy, I know continuing that lifestyle can only be the best for me.
So those are my Italy musings for the day...
Ci Vediamo Dopo!
This morning I woke up and had a classic cereal breakfast, Kashi Go Lean (1.25 cups) with a cup of nonfat soy milk, and 3/4 cup blueberries. I'm glad Italy helped me get used to smaller portions during the day so it's pretty easy to get back to my pre-gain portion sizes.
Speaking of gains...I know you all want to know, and here it is- I gained a whopping 6.4 pounds in Italy. I know this is a LOT, and 3 pounds more than I had intended to gain, but I can definately pinpoint why. My days were usually quite balanced, and then once dinnertime came, the overeating every night along with quite a few extra glasses of wine and birra definately sent my calories far over what they should have been. Even with all the walking I was doing, I still gained the extra weight.
Next year when I'm back in Italy it will be different for sure, because I'll have more choice as to what I eat for dinner while I'm there, I'll be busier and definately not eating as much! But thats in the future.
For now, I'm working on getting back to the way I ate before I gained the original 10 pounds, and hopefully even out those last few pounds into muscle. I'm accepting the last three pounds, but not too comfortable with them because I'm so small, you can definately see it in my stomach. So for the next couple of months, I'll be trying to eat more regular portion sizes, fresh ingredients and do a lot more exercise- exercise that I want to do, exercise that makes me happy. Italy made me realize this as well; I'd rather not stress myself out by running every day. I LOVE to walk, and I love to be moving, and I love yoga. I'd rather spend most of my days doing walking, strength and yoga, and a few of my days running than stressing my body and my mind to be forced to run every day. I love running, don't get me wrong, but I felt so much healthier in Italy, I know continuing that lifestyle can only be the best for me.
So those are my Italy musings for the day...
Ci Vediamo Dopo!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Rainy Relaxing...
What a first day back in RI. It has been raining and pouring all day long, not a nice day at all!
I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, and I still feel a bit jet lagged... so I took it pretty easy all day.
The fridge of my house was practically bare today when I opened it, but luckily I found a stray hemp bagel in my freezer that I toasted with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a drizzle of agave with a nectarine for breakfast.
For lunch, I heated a simple sunshine burger on a Rudi's bun with some honey dijon and organic ketchup, with a whole bunch of cherries on the side. I missed fresh cherries!
I didn't need a snack in the afternoon because my sunshine burger held me so well, but we had a bit of a light antipasto before I began cooking dinner- some fresh cheese, olives, and carrots.
I'll apologize in advance for not taking a photo of my plate- I was so anxious to taste my italian culinary attempt I ran to my plate as soon as it was filled! I made patate pepperoni, and zucchini salad:
They were both delicious, I had a big serving of each, and for dessert my mom and I split the little red velvet babycakes cupcake we got yesterday in NYC but were too stuffed to try... it was just as fantastic as the cookie!
Tonight I was planning on a long treadmill walk, but the way I'm feeling now it might be cut a bit short. I'm exhausted; I'll be back to my regular routine soon enough. I guess it all takes some adjusting!
I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, and I still feel a bit jet lagged... so I took it pretty easy all day.
The fridge of my house was practically bare today when I opened it, but luckily I found a stray hemp bagel in my freezer that I toasted with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a drizzle of agave with a nectarine for breakfast.
For lunch, I heated a simple sunshine burger on a Rudi's bun with some honey dijon and organic ketchup, with a whole bunch of cherries on the side. I missed fresh cherries!
I didn't need a snack in the afternoon because my sunshine burger held me so well, but we had a bit of a light antipasto before I began cooking dinner- some fresh cheese, olives, and carrots.
I'll apologize in advance for not taking a photo of my plate- I was so anxious to taste my italian culinary attempt I ran to my plate as soon as it was filled! I made patate pepperoni, and zucchini salad:
They were both delicious, I had a big serving of each, and for dessert my mom and I split the little red velvet babycakes cupcake we got yesterday in NYC but were too stuffed to try... it was just as fantastic as the cookie!
Tonight I was planning on a long treadmill walk, but the way I'm feeling now it might be cut a bit short. I'm exhausted; I'll be back to my regular routine soon enough. I guess it all takes some adjusting!
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