Mango madness!

Tonight's dinner was fabulous!
But you all knew it would be, because I mentioned it was a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance!

Isa is a sauce queen... the mango sauce was one of the best I've ever tried! And it was good even though my blender is broken and I couldn't puree the mango!
I had the marinated baked tofu topped with bell pepper and plenty of sauce, over about 1 cup brown rice, some asparagus and fresh mango on the side! I can't stop praising this recipe, both my sister and mom loved it as well- it's definately a keeper!


I loved the sauce so much I actually went back for a few more pieces asparagus topped with sauce!

Mmm mmm mm... my tofu and sweet cravings were totally fulfilled in this delicious meal!

Lost and found

Well this morning was a bit stressful...
after breakfast, I worked out for about 45 minutes, alternating between running and walking on the treadmill, and finishing off with some weighted lunges and squats.

I had a snack afterwards on the way to the mall, a big apple. Unfortunately, we didn't end up making it to the mall in time... we got lost somewhere in south providence, and it really wasn't the best part of town so we did our best to get out of the city and we made it back to Warwick, where we stopped to refuel at Fresh City!
I started with a few cinnamon pita chips while I was waiting, and ordered the hummus sandwich for my lunch. It was stuffed with veggies, hummus, and some aged cheddar cheese on multigrain bread. It was very good, my only complaint being not enough hummus! I'll ask for extra next time! I also had bite of my mom's kyoto wrap, it was delicious as well!

We shopped at target for a while, I picked up a nonstick pan, some photo frames for my Italy pictures and a toaster/toaster oven combo for my house, which I'm super excited about! I can see mini pizzas and freshly warmed bread in my future... mmm!

On the way back from target, I snacked on these good gourmet-style salt & pepper cashews I grabbed while I was there. I loved the little addition, it made them all the tastier, even though I LOVE cashews!

I'm off to start prepping dinner...

I love peanut butter... gimme peanut butter...

So we're out of peanut butter.
And this morning I woke up with a HUGE PB craving... what do to??
I could have run out to the store, but it was quite early... and then... aha! I remembered!
I still had a couple Justin's Nut Butter packs I bought at whole foods for my trip!
So, I used 1/2 a packet of PB and a tsp of wild berry jelly on 2 Fig + Flax waffles, then I put them together and ate them sammie-style... dipped in a tsp of maple syrup! I also had a big banana on the side.

My breakfast was perfectly filling, hopefully filling enough to last me through my workout and into the morning- I'm going up to Providence with my mom to do a bit of kitchen-shopping and see a summer pasta demonstration at Williams & Sonoma, and then to target for a few more things. I've missed our city shopping trips!

My lunch post will probably be a bit late... and then I'm trying a new VWAV recipe for dinner I'm super excited about!!

A fishy Italian feast

I was pretty lazy today, I just did some organizing, and a little strength training in the afternoon; about 10 minutes of ab work and 10 minutes of arms. Afterwards I had a snack of 1/2 cup 0% greek yogurt with some pineapple and almond slivers.

Tonight for dinner I tried a few new things; some classic italian recipes and the fresh bluefish my sister caught a while ago! My mom had saved me some, and I marinated it earlier today with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, thyme and basil. We attempted to grill it, but the wind picked up and the charcoal grill wouldn't light; so I pan-seared it instead.
Since the fish took so long, we ate our sides first, italian primo piatto style. I made my favorite stuffed eggplants, recipe to follow! They're basically boiled eggplants mixed with breadcrumbs, olive oil, parsley, tomato, onion and fresh mozzarella, baked, stuffed back into the shell and topped with a marinara sauce. It was very good, but I made a bit extra filling so we each had extra little "eggplant stuffing balls" on the side as well!

I also made a little italian treat- I was out in my garden this morning picking fresh parsley for dinner, when I spotted zucchini flowers! I knew I had to have my family try the not-so-good-for-you, but oh so tasty fried zucchini flowers I helped make in italy! I didn't deep fry them, just a quick pan fry, but I did use the classic flour/egg/beer/s&p batter. (I had one to try)

Finally, the fish was ready, and it was fantastic if I do say so myself! My family loved it... little did they know this was my first time marinating and pan searing fresh fish! I love to experiment, and I'm glad this experiment worked out well. The fish was light and flaky, not too done and not too rare. I had a big piece along with my stuffing ball for my secondo piatto!

I am stuffed, but in a good way! This dinner was so good, I'll definately be making everything again!

Niente Ceci...

This morning I went on a short run; only just over 20 minutes because the heat was beginning to get to me. It is so much more humid here than when I was in Italy, so my lungs aren't quite used to it yet! I had a banana about 1/2 an hour before my run, and ate lunch after.

No more ceci, I finished the last of the chickpeas with the tagliatelle and pepe rosso sauce for lunch today, along with the leftover steamed squash/zucchini. It was just the right amount, and definately hit the spot!

I'm planning on doing some strength training this afternoon, and maybe some organizing. It's hard to believe I only have a month from tomorrow until I move into my house- I've still got a lot to buy and a whole lot to begin packing!

Tonight I'm making a couple italian recipes, and then I'm going to my cousin's basketball game- it's at a park about a mile away, so I think I might take advantage of the beautiful sunshine in the evening and walk to see her play!

Simple morning

After all my indulgences yesterday, I was ready for one of my staple simple, healthy breakfasts; Kashi Go Lean (1.25 cups) with a cup of nonfat soy milk, and just about a cup of bluberries. It was just enough to hit the spot!

Now, as I'm blogging I'm making myself some fresh espresso and deciding what I should do with my day... I have the whole day off, and really no real plans except some sort of exercise and dinner... my sister caught some fresh bluefish while I was away in Italy, and my mom froze some so we can have that along with another of my favorite italian recipes!

As for exercise... I definately need to do some cardio and strength since I took the day off yesterday, but the weather's looking pretty crappy so it will probably be what I can come up with inside today... I'll keep you updated!

Have a great Thursday everyone! I can't believe I've been back in the U.S. for just about a week...

Un buono compleanno

I had such a perfect little birthday today! I had so much fun during the day with my best friends, and then into the night with my lovely family!

Tyler and I went out to Markos for lunch, and I had my usual; the healthy baked falafel wrap.

Afterwards, we met up with Danielle and played mini golf all afternoon! I'm a terrible putter, but it sure was a fun time, we laughed a lot! At least I didn't lose the ball this time ;)

Later in the afternoon, I met up with my family and we went to Crazy Burger for my birthday dinner! I had a fresh squeezed mango-grapefruit juice (they're known for their fresh juices!) and we had some appetizers- risotto corn fritters with a gorgonzola sauce-Not the healthiest, but they're so flavorful! I had two, they were so yummy!



For my entree, I ordered my favorite- the mushroom burger with bean salad and we got sweet potato fries to share. I ate my WHOLE burger (it was worth it!) half the beans and a few fries.

After dinner, we came home for vegan cake and ice cream! My mom and sister made me my favorite coconut cake recipe from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, and bought me my favorite purely decadent soy ice creams to go with it! I had a big piece of cake along with a couple scoops of purely decadent pomegranate chip and cookie dough. I also had a couple tiny pieces of pineapple! Dessert was delicious, I was so happy everyone enjoyed the vegan cake!

Topped with "wine" bottles in honor of Italy:

My servings!

My family is so generous, I got a great new DVD I wanted, a pyrex set with a baking pan, a pie pan and a bread pan, and 8" cake pans so I can bake at my new house! Sadly my dad had to bring Tyler home before he could see our new kitchenware, but he's excited I love to bake so much, he has just as much of a sweet tooth as I! Speaking of sweet teeth I think I'm going to go and have another tiny cup of soy ice cream before I head off to bed... it is still my birthday after all!

Have a great night everyone, I'll be back to healthy tomorow but today was definately a delicious day of fun and indulgence!