This morning I woke up jittery so I went out for a jog. I did about 1.75 miles (?). When I got back I picked up my breakfast from Metro Cafe – a 12 ounce oatmeal made with skim milk + cinnamon, banana, and blueberries.

I finished it, but it wasn’t very good. I’m not getting it again. What the what Metro Cafe? I’ll stick with your bagels. Tomorrow’s breakfast is going to be instant grits from a hotel we stayed at on the road trip. Hehehe.

After a long day at work I opted for the hot foods bar at a random deli on my way home (I walked; about 1.5 miles or so). I met up with Bobby in the middle. (He got pizza.) I dumped honey mustard dressing on this.

This meal was kind of oily but really good. I had grilled chicken, random prepared salads (something with broccoli, one with mushrooms, a sealeg salad, tomatoes, etc…), a sweet potato (I think), and some other things that I can’t remember right now.

Dessert was rice with honey mustard dressing (a little random) and these carob chips that my sister gave me. Um… more than pictured. I might still be eating them now.

I’m off to snuggle and get some rest before work tomorrow. I apologize for the lack of commenting as of late; I’m sorry to say it’s going to continue. I’m still reading of course.

What was your favorite job?

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Tonight we drove up to San Francisco for the first Foodbuzz Festival event. The welcome reception was from 5-7pm at the Hotel Vitale. This wasn’t the main food event of the day, but they did have two cool appetizers: gruyere gougeres with bacon and mascarpone and pork rillettes. They were provided by midi.

I tried the rilletes. Pretty good, but kind of salty. I didn’t try the puff things, but they looked cool.

After the reception we headed over to the Ferry Building for an amazing dinner event. Foodbuzz rented out a portion of the building and had restaurants serving food all the way down the alley.

As soon as we entered I saw mini cupcakes, and I couldn’t resist. Dessert first! I tried the pumpkin cupcake, but they also had red velvet, chocolate cinnamon, and an almond flavored one. I had an almond one on my way out for my real dessert. These were provided by Mission Minis.

I also tried this delicious vanilla bean ice cream by Straus Family Creamery. Awesome.

Then it was time for some real food. I had a bean burrito from Tacolicious. It wasn’t that good. I wanted chicken, but they were out. They had cool shirts though.

I also tried these savory vegetarian and meat pies from Pie Truck. Pretty yummy!

And a raw oyster from Hog Island Oyster Co…. awesome.

I passed on these chicharrones (fried pork chips) but they were cool looking. From 4505 Meats.

Alive had a selection of raw foods – 2 raw pizzas and raw cheesecake. These were okay. Not my favorite, to be honest.

The best items of the night: Spencer on the Go‘s Beet Salad with blue cheese and "far west fungi vol au vent" (creamy mushrooms on top of a puff thing). I went back for seconds on both of these.

Then there was some incredible thin crust pizza from Pizza Politana. This was the best pizza I’ve had outside of Italy and New York. And I didn’t think I was a pizza person.

Lastly, there was a cool pork sandwich and potatoes from Roli Roti. This seemed to be really popular with other bloggers, but I thought it was just okay.

They had this funny shirt: "I heart Crispy Skin". (TWSS? Not.)

My favorite of the night was absolutely the mushroom dish from Spencer on the Go (second favorite was their beet salad). Holy amazing yum. On the way out I snagged some more ice cream and the almond cupcake.

Don’t worry, I didn’t finish everything pictured. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for tomorrow… Happy Saturday!

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Chicken, sun dried tomatoes, and mozzarella + parmesan.

Beef (free range, organic, grass fed), mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and cheddar + parmesan.

Veggie – mushrooms, olives, cheddar + parmesan.

Unpictured veggie – mushrooms, red peppers, olives, mozzarella + parm. I’m sure you can guess which pizzas I had.

But we didn’t just have pizza. I made a nice veggie stir fry as well (Brussels sprouts, collard greens, red pepper, onions, burdock, and various sauces).

And our friends made this yummy bread topped with crab + mayo + curry dip. They baked it for a few minutes and it was delicious.

Dessert was ice cream for me, and another slice of pizza when we got home.

This morning I woke up to a nice bowl of oat bran. I loved that grilled cheese yesterday, but it was not filling at all. (For me. Bobby claims his was very filling.) A heart healthy serving of oat bran is my favorite breakfast. This one had some protein powder, flax seeds, and sesame seeds for crunch.

I also did a little raw experiment this morning. I made Averie’s Raw Donut Holes – so simple. Mine were kind of crumbly, because I am impatient and my food processor is getting old.

Ingredients – 1/2 cup flax seeds + 1 tablespoon maple syrup + 1 tablespoon flax seeds mixed in at the end.

Directions – grind the 1/2 cup of flax seeds. Add the maple syrup and blend some more. Add the last bit of flax seeds, mix some more, and shape into balls. Mine made about 20 balls (teaspoon size).

Haven’t figured out lunch yet. Tonight we are heading up to San Francisco to celebrate our friend’s birthday. We’re going to this Italian place and I’m trying to figure out what to get. What do you get when you eat Italian? What would you order from Amarena?

Oh yeah… we are moving. I’ve kept it a semi-secret for a while. We’ll be heading back east to New York city in a few weeks. I’m happy More deets to come.

Like this post? Check out...

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• January 20, 2009 -- Peanut butter scandal got you down?
• April 23, 2008 -- Grilled Cinnamon Oranges

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We spend a few hours cleaning and getting ready.  I made a few different things…

Caesar salad – hearts of romaine, olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper, lots of parmesan.  (Got this lovely Mexican bowl on sale at Kohl’s a while ago – it was on super sale.)

Two pizzas – 1) bbq chicken (whole wheat dough, bbq sauce, sauteed onions, chicken, cheddar cheese, sprinkled parmesan) and 2) mushroom (whole wheat dough, tomato sauce, sauteed shiitake mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, sprinkled parmesan).  I used my whole wheat pizza dough recipe, with a few modifications.

I have a very secret awesome recipe for pizza dough, and it’s awesome.  Even better than the recipe that I have posted.  If you want some guidance, feel free to e-mail me for it.

Miwa and Armand brought over a surprise dessert – cupcakes!  (I forgot to take a pic before we started eating them.  There were 6 to start.)  They are from a place on Santana Row called Kara’s Cupcakes and they were the BEST cupcakes I have ever had.  Miwa tried the “M” one (the M’s were for mother’s day, but since Miwa and I both have names that start with M it worked out), Armand had a chocolate, and Bobby and I split a vanilla.  The icing was so soft and fluffy, the cake was light and airy, and even though they were really sweet, I liked them.  Amazing.  Even cooler – Kara’s uses local ingredients, and they are organic and sustainable whenever possible.

I had so much fun cooking, cleaning, and hosting this party.  We almost finished the pizzas, so I think they both liked them.  The bbq chicken was a definite winner and I’ll be making it again very soon.  Do you like hosting parties?  What’s your favorite meal to serve?

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At the entrance were some flowers…

So many fresh nuts…

So hard to choose!…Fresh catches of the day…

Mushrooms are delicious…
And lots of cheese options…

These were gorgeous.  I miss having a garden…Possibly the best honey ever!

Freshly grown herbs…And lots of potatoes…

And my favorite… the samples!

Menu Plan for the Week of March 01 – March 07

Dinner ideas

• kabocha, bean, tomato, and swiss chard soup (recipe to come); farmers’ market bread and ezekiel pitas for carbs
• teriyaki tofu; balsamic red swiss chard and onions
• use up the leftover wontons
• kabocha fries (duh! always!)
• homemade pizza
• roasted squash, carrots, and onion with herbs
• going out!

Lunch ideas

• ezekiel pitas with nut butter/homemade hummus
• veggies and hummus
• baked kabocha fries
• grains!  with nut butter, pumpkin, tofu…
• for Bobby - leftover wontons, various chicken and rice dishes, turkey dogs

Breakfast ideas

• fruit by itself
• whipped banana oat bran
• miso soup
• tofu yogurt

Dessert ideas

• one of Chocolate Covered Katie‘s desserts
• fruit
• vitatops/vitamuffins
• grilled cinnamon oranges

More great menus can be found at Organizing Junkie!

I’ve pretty much given up on dairy.  It makes my stomach churn and I broke out for the first time in 3 weeks after having yogurt yesterday.  Oh, well.  I can find lots of things without it!  And they are all delicious.

Around the blogs:

• For my first day of Tina’s 31-Day Yoga Challenge I did Tom Morley’s “Buns and Thighs Yoga” on Exercise TV (20 minutes).  I plan on doing a YogaDownload.com gentle hatha session (20 minutes) later tonight as well.
• Coco is coming up with an Exotic Foods Challenge – what are your thoughts?
• Jenna’s going Meatless in March – are you up for it?

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• November 5, 2010 -- Flashback Friday: Does Cooking Make Us Human

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Post tags: farmers market, macrobiotic, menu plan monday, mountain view, vegan, vegetarian, yoga

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Menu Plan for the Week of February 22 – February 28

Dinner ideas: (some are recycled from last week; when I was sick I got lazy and didn’t make everything I’d planned on)

• Homemade pizza – pick your own toppings (mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, cheese optional)
• Kabocha fries with homemade ketchup
• Eggplant with Ginger and Garlic (from the Asian Vegan Kitchen)
• Chickpea curry (also from the Asian Vegan Kitchen)
• Mabu Tofu (Chinese dish of tofu and veggies in a spicy sauce)
• Jap Chae (Korean noodle dish with veggies)
• Leftovers
• Going out (at least once – we haven’t been out in a while because things keep coming up when we plan to)

Lunches:

• Whole wheat pitas with nut butter
• Brown Rice Tortillas with cheddar
• Salads
• Grainy blends – oat bran, or whipped wheat berries

Breakfasts:

• Oat bran or oatmeal with cinnamon, banana & nut butter
• Kamut puffs, almond milk, and fruit
• Miso Soup (1 cup boiling water, 2 teaspoons miso, handful of wakame)

Desserts:

• Banana dessert (veganized)
• Healthified version of Apple Cranberry Bread Pudding (by Aaron McCargo, Jr)
• Fruits (apples, Asian pears) with PB2
• Tofu yogurt with brown rice syrup

More great menus can be found at Organizing Junkie!

I ate some Greek yogurt at midnight last night when the macrobiotic experiment was over… but I woke up bloated and full-feeling.  I think I might have to try staying away from my beloved yogurt for a while longer.

Enjoy the Oscars and have a great night.  What’s on your menu plan this week?  Anything new?

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Easy Peasy Pizza Dough (or Flatbread!)

Ingredients

• 3 cups + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 packet of yeast
• 1 cup warm water (I just got my faucet to run hot and used that)
• 1 tablespoon honey (or a vegan sweetener)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• garlic and chili powder (or others)

Directions

1. Mix the water and yeast together.  Then add the honey, oil, and spices.  Add in about 2.5 cups of flour and mix.  Then add in another 1/2 cup of flour.  If the dough is still too sticky, add more flour.



2. Let the dough sit for 10-15 minutes.  It should almost double in size.



3. Flatten the dough out on an oiled baking sheet.  Top with your favorites and bake at 425F for about 15 minutes.

The toppings I used were spaghetti sauce, chicken (on Bobby’s part), shredded cheddar, and 1 Laughing Cow (just cut in bits and spread throughout).  I was very pleased with the result.  Have you ever made your own pizza dough from scratch?

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• March 28, 2010 -- Another Perfect (Souen) Sunday

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This morning’s FREE yoga podcast – Salt Pond Yoga with Philip Urso.  I did the “rockin vinyasa at salt pond yoga (date – 3/11/07)” class, which was 90 minutes and a killer workout.  This was truly a vinyasa class, and there was no rest until we finally went into pidgeon at the end.  This class is not for beginners, but mainly because it would be hard to follow if you don’t know the poses well.  If you’re looking for a good sweaty vinyasa class, this is it.  This was the hardest class I’ve done in a while, and made me remember how much I love vinyasa.  Go flow.

For breakfast I made a heart-healthy portion of double chocolate oatmeal.  To be honest I couldn’t really taste the extra chocolate so next time I’ll add more, or just skip this idea.  People seem to like my wooden spoon – I got it at Crate and Barrel with the sushi stuff.  I love it too.

• 3/4 cup dry oats, 1.5 cups water
• dash of salt, cinnamon, stevia
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• big splash of chocolate almond milk
• big spoon of almond butter, which I couldn’t finish

Yesterday I made a bunch of things for fun.  There was a nice snack spread of hummus, vegetable crackers, and celery:

I also made homemade pizza dough (recipe coming soon), and Gliding Calm’s Crazy Cake!  I changed the recipe a bit – I halved it and made several substitutions.  Then I baked it in two small dishes so that I would have mini-cakes.  My version called for:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• dash of salt
• <1/4 cup stevia (maybe 2 heaping tablespoons?)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• splash of vanilla
• big splash of apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 small very ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup water

Bake @ 350F in 2 small dishes for 20 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean.  I got these cute boat-like dishes at Crate and Barrel, on sale.

Because this entire recipe comes in at under 400 calories (!!!) I ate most of it last night, though Bobby did manage to snag a few bites and thought it was delicious.  I just bought powdered stevia at Trader Joe’s a few days ago and I’m very excited to start baking with it.  I had the Crazy Cake with some apple-cinnamon yogurt and it was delicious.

I think I might try to make some bread today.  The pizza dough came out really well last night and I think it would also be a great base for making flatbread, which I normally buy at Trader Joe’s for $2.99.  Making it at home will be much cheaper!  Also on my list for today is grocery shopping and cleaning the house.  Happy Monday!

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Menu Plan for the Week of February 1 – February 7

Sunday Dinner - Homemade pizzas, superbowl snacks (homemade hummus, celery, crackers).

Monday Dinner - Vietnamese Mixed Vegetable Soup (onion, tofu, greens, sprouts, tomatoes) with rice or couscous.

Tuesday Dinner - Soba noodle sushi!  Cucumber, tofu, avocado, sprouts, & soba noodles wrapped in seaweed.  Wasabi and soy sauce for dipping on the side.

Wednesday Dinner – Steamed mushrooms, tofu, and rice or couscous (plus chicken for Bobby).

Thursday Dinner – Tofu scrambles with leftover veggies.

Friday/Saturday Dinner – one night out; one night Curry (pineapple, tofu, water chestnuts, red pepper, onions, etc…) served over rice or couscous. If it’s good I’ll post the recipe. (This was planned for last week but I didn’t get to it.)

Desserts: Gliding Calm’s crazy cake (had this tonight, it was awesome, I’ll write about it tomorrow because I changed the recipe), fruit, yogurts & granola, oranges, vanilla soy ice cream, and Fraiche in Palo Alto.

Lunches: omelettes, fruit and yogurt parfaits, nut butter sammies, hummus sammies, lunch meat sammies for Bobby, veggies, fruit, and leftovers. (Pretty much the same each week, but sometimes I get creative at the last minute.)

More great menus can be found at Organizing Junkie!

I will try to get up as many of these recipes as I can; sometimes it just doesn’t happen!  I stuck to my menu plan from last week pretty well, but we ended up eating leftovers one night and then omelettes instead of the curry.  I love curry so I hope that I get to make it this week.  I’m also trying to use up some stuff in the freezer (most of it seafood/meat that Bobby needs to eat) so I may try to throw some of those things into his lunches (if he’ll let me).

What are you most excited about eating this week? I loved the crazy cake tonight and I’ll definitely be making it again.

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I left my camera at home today, so I’m going to skip right to dinner for pictures…  Breakfast was the usual soupy oats but with 2% milk (very nice and creamy) and lunch was a salad with chicken breast and a whole wheat wrap.  Snacks included more wraps with smart balance and several honeycrisp apples.  Nothing unusual.

Dinner was quite delicious:

• pizza topped with tomato, carrot, red pepper, eggplant, a chopped up veggie dog, and lots of rice cheeze (this was on a whole wheat wrap) – I did have the whole thing.
• a salad with shredded carrot, the leftover veggie topping that wouldn’t fit on my pizza, cucumber, cheddar cheese, and 1 T olive oil & 2 T vinegar dressing – I gave Bobby a small portion and ate the rest.

And then dessert:

• peach Chobani (delicious!  I still like blueberry best) with a cup of rice krispies/cheerios, some applesauce, and 1/2 a banana
• a Braeburn apple (glad these are gone – I don’t like them)
• a few chips and a Hachiya persimmon

The persimmon was just okay.  I bought this kind (Hachiya) instead of the kind I normally get (Fuyu) and they weren’t ripe.  I’ve heard that you can freeze them and as soon as you unfreeze them they are ripe – and they were, kind of.  They still had that terrible bitterness in a few bites though and I will NOT be buying these again.  If you are interested in trying a persimmon, make sure you get the Fuyu variety.  These can be eaten hard or soft, and are not bitter at all.  They’re just delicious.

Thank you so much for all of the snacking advice!  The main things I’m going to try – drinking tea and water, setting a stop time, and filling up on fruits.  I usually do those things but sometimes I forget and go crazy with nuts, etc…  Thanks again everyone

What are you excited about for the next week?  I’m so happy it’s almost Thanksgiving! And I can’t wait to spend the weekend with my honey.  We’re both very busy during the week so weekends are especially lovely.

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