Appetizer: Heavenly Stuffed Wings – de-boned chicken wings stuffed with ground chicken, silver noodle, cilantro, water chestnut and black mushroom. They came with this great sweet dipping sauce. This was kind of scary at first (fried! processed! breaded!) but the deliciousness made up for it.

For dinner we shared 4 dishes. The Blue Mango Fried Rice – a big house special: chicken fried rice topped with sweet garlic pork.

The Green Curry – eggplant, bamboo, and bell pepper are soaked in coconut milk, with a hint of basil (cannot be mild).

Mushroom Mountain, as usual – soft tofu, baby corn, bamboo, straw mushroom, and bean sprout stir-fried with a bit of green curry paste. Sesame seed are sprinkled on for a beautiful finish.

And Basil Chili Chicken, also as usual – with bell pepper and onion.

After dinner we went out for dessert (frozen yogurt) at Golden Spoon – pumpkin pie and chocolate flavors. The toppings were raspberries, mango (not ripe, unfortunately), and crushed brownie bits.

Blue Mango never disappoints. And neither does Golden Spoon. If you ever get a chance, go there! (I’m talking about the Blue Mango on Stevens Creek – I hear the other one is not so good.)

Now that I’m in NJ I don’t have Blue Mango. But I do have Edo Sushi! Bobby, Julia, and I all went out for dinner tonight. I love this place. Edo Sushi is a Japanese and Chinese restaurant on Route 31 in the same shopping center as Pennington Market. It’s about a 10 minute walk from my parents’ house.

First is the tea… (unlimited and free – my two favorite qualities). Notice my cool NY key chain – it’s kind of vintage because it has the twin towers on it. I think I got it back in middle school.

I got chicken and broccoli with the sauce on the side (brown sauce).

The other pictures didn’t come out, but Julia got veggies and tofu with the sauce on the side (also brown sauce). Bobby got the Dragon vs. Phoenix – chicken, shrimp, and veggies stir-fried with yet another brown sauce. He also got a big pot of rice.

We finished everything. The check came with pineapple cubes and fortune cookies. Yum! I love Edo’s.

This dinner was nice after my indulgent afternoon… My parents gave me a massage + facial combo for my birthday and I finally used it. I went to Sydney Albert Salon Spa in Princeton. I’d highly recommend this place – I’ve been going there for years and I’ve always loved everything. Their haircuts are amazing, the facials are fantastic, and the massage was wonderful. Bobby also got a massage and he loved it.

While we were getting pampered, our Relocube arrived. Now we have to unpack it. I’m going into the city tomorrow, but when I get home I think we’re going to try to start sorting through all of our stuff. It’ll be a big project.

What’s your favorite restaurant?

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• July 13, 2009 -- Salsa’d Chili Trout
• October 11, 2009 -- Dinner out! Thai food & seasonal frozen yogurt!
• October 25, 2009 -- 30 Rock my socks
• April 30, 2008 -- Vegan waffles
• November 5, 2008 -- Add a few tiddely poms!

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This challenge might be hard for a few reasons – 1) Bobby and I are driving across the country next week; 2) the holidays and lots of decadent foods are coming up; 3) due to the move, I don’t know what my new routine will be (we’re moving to Manhattan btw). But I’m going to try. I’m synthesizing their goals and mine, and this is what I came up with. I’m going to try to do this for as long as I can. These aren’t arbitrary; these goals are what my ideal lifestyle would be so I want to keep up with them.

1. Go to bed early (by 11:30pm) and get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
2. Cut out artificial sweeteners. I’ve been on a diet coke kick recently and it’s time to stop.
3. More veggies, less fruit.
4. More cooked foods, fewer raw.
5. Lots of water and tea.
6. Cook and plan more (or at least eat out at cheap-yet-healthy places).
7. Sit down for every meal.
8. Do something relaxing for 30 minutes every day (yoga, a bath, these exercises).
9. 30+ minutes of cardio each day (walking, running, yoga).
10. Give myself credit. Even if I don’t do all of these things perfectly, I’m going to give myself credit for the attempts and partial successes.

Because we’re moving, I’m trying to use up the groceries we have and I don’t plan on buying more. This week I’ll be eating out a lot but I’m not too worried about that; I love eating out and I can always find something healthy on the menu. The only thing that worries me about eating out is the money issue. I wish I was less frugal

The other issue I might have is that this weekend is the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival. I plan on eating well, but I doubt that I’m going to get much sleep because two of my favorite bloggers are coming to stay with me and we’re all going together. I am so excited to meet them.

Some of the yummy dishes I plan on making and eating during this November challenge are…

a healthy Thanksgiving meal, like last year’s

fresh delicious salads

lots of squash fries…

this fun Indian mushroom recipe

… and lots more. You should check out my recipes page for more inspiration. This bread recipe was one of the first things I ever posted (December 2007).

Anyway, back to the “back on track” plan. Today has been a good day so far. I did a yoga class this morning at my studio and I went to bed early last night (crashed on the couch at 9:30pm). I wanted to go to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner, but Bobby has band practice… so maybe not.

And now this post is getting epic. Happy November! Are you challenging yourself this month?

Like this post? Check out...

• October 18, 2009 -- Shake it like a salt shaker
• May 15, 2011 -- Weekend Link Love – 5.15.2011
• September 15, 2010 -- I’m not too old… {Birthday Post}
• September 26, 2008 -- Goodeats for 9/25/2008
• May 3, 2010 -- Review: Slice Perfect Pizza in New York

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Bobby tried VIA last week in some kind of taste test, and he said it was really good. He’s not really a coffee person, so I thought he might be on to something. I picked up a pack of 12 instant coffees in the Columbia flavor. I think it was $9.95 for the pack? That’s a decent price for coffee that tastes great, in my opinion. It’s less than $1 a cup. It’s simple to make; you just pour hot water over the coffee and stir. They have another flavor, the Italian Roast, which is stronger.

To offset my new bad habit (coffee), I went for an old healthy classic: a macrobiotic breakfast. This oat bran was cooked with flax seeds, a little bit of unsweetened shredded coconut (not macrobiotic), soy and rice protein powder, and a dash of sea salt. I froze it for about 10-15 minutes before eating. I also made miso soup with water, seaweed, and miso.

On today’s list of things to do is a walk to clear my head (airlines suck and make me pissed), some moving prep (I’ve already sold our dresser and night stands), and kabocha. I haven’t had kabocha in a while and I miss it. Bobby is at his computer class all day so I’m on my own.

What are you up to this weekend?

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• July 9, 2008 -- Vegan Trail Mix Cookies
• November 10, 2010 -- Everything Is a Contradiction – Just Eat Food and Stop Thinking So Much.
• March 17, 2009 -- Free yogurt! (coupon giveaway)
• April 21, 2010 -- Recipe: Fresh Vietnamese Rolls (Spring? Summer?)
• July 19, 2010 -- Final Wedding Plans & Fresh Italian Food

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I say this about a lot of things, but you *must* make these. You will not be disappointed!

Goji Nut Biscotti

Ingredients (makes ~12 small biscotti)

• 1 cup oat bran
• 1/3 cup quick cooking oats (instant) (can sub with flour or oat bran)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 dashes of salt
• 1 teaspoon spice (cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice)
• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup sweetener (I used Trader Joe’s stevia)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup goji berries
• 1/4 chopped nuts of choice (see notes below)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Soak the goji berries in hot water.
3. Mix together the oat bran, oats, baking soda, salt, and spices.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat this pretty well.
5. Slowly add the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Drain the berries and add them, and then add the nuts. The dough should be dry enough so that you can work with it. If it’s not, add a bit more oat bran (or don’t add all of the egg mixture).
6. Spray a cooking pan with non-stick spray and shape the dough into a long log shape, about 1/2 – 3/4 of an inch high. You can top with extra nuts or oats. Bake this for 20 minutes.
7. Remove the log from the oven and reduce heat to 300F. Cut the log into pieces and bake them on one side for 15 minutes. Take them out, turn them over, and bake them for another 15 minutes. If they are still not hard, turn them again and cook for 10 more minutes.
8. Enjoy dipped in coffee, tea, peanut butter, or plain.

For the nuts I used these things I found in the Asian grocery store called “olive kernels” (seen above). I recognize the flavor, but I have no idea what they really are, or if maybe they have another name. The nut is definitely used in a Christmas cookie that I have every year, but I cannot remember which cookie and I have been unable to find out anything online.

Help! Do you know what these nuts might be?

Like this post? Check out...

• September 25, 2011 -- Weekend Link Love – 09.25.2011
• June 19, 2009 -- What the fushi?
• March 29, 2010 -- How Much Protein Do I Really Need?
• February 5, 2009 -- Lovely oatmeal, soba, and yoga. Ahhh-dog.
• January 26, 2008 -- Korean Shrimp Bulgogi Recipe

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But back to yesterday. Not everything is pictured, so I hope I remembered to mention everything. Disclaimer: everything pictured was eaten; not everything eaten is pictured. I like to think that this day is a good example of intuitive, varied eating. Let me know what you think.

I started the morning off with fresh goji-nutty-biscotti (recipe to come) that I baked last night. They are semi-healthy, but not overly so. I had 5 of these guys dipped in some cookie tea and a little bit of chocolate peanut butter. A little while after I did some yoga on my own (30 minutes).

Bobby and I trekked out to Borders early in the afternoon; I snagged an unpictured apple with almond butter on the way out the door. We stopped in to the fruit stand next to Borders where I had a few nibbles of cookie samples. Peanut Butter was the best (duh). After Borders we made a grocery stop at Trader Joe’s where we got (unpictured) samples of the Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup. In a 1 cup serving: 100 calories, 2 grams fat, 16 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams protein. They added creme fraiche and crispy bread; it was tasty.

Came home, made a lunchy snack. Arame (seaweed) from Heather, some sweet tomatoes, and leftover gingery chickpeas. Topped with Newman’s Own Lowfat Sesame Ginger dressing. Had 2 bowls of this. Lunch dessert: 2 tablespoons dark chocolate dreams peanut butter (unpictured).

We ended up buying that soup we sampled, so I heated that up for dinner along with salads. My salad was spinach, parmesan, pickles, olives, tomatoes, arame, sprouts, sunflower seeds, and the rest of the chickpeas. I topped my soup with kefir (my idea), sprouts (Bobby’s idea), and some Morningstar veggie bacon (my idea).

Dessert was faux cheesecake (cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, mashed banana) and 3 large handpicked apples spaced throughout the night… and the rest of those yummy tomatoes.

Do you like tomatoes? I love them in just about everything: unsweetened organic ketchup (Biz and Holly!), plain, stir-fried, in sandwiches, in salads, etc… Bobby likes tomatoes sometimes but he doesn’t like when they squirt in your mouth (that’s what she said) so he avoids the little bite-sized ones that I love.

Hey – Do you follow me on Twitter yet?

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• June 12, 2009 -- Happy Birthday Bobby!
• August 23, 2009 -- Our first juice & our second baby
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• January 22, 2008 -- Garlic and Chili Tilapia Recipe
• October 15, 2009 -- Crazy Love

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This is a bowl of cereal – peanut butter chocolate balls (Leapin Lemurs I believe), kamut puffs, sunflower seeds, a banana, and kefir (watered down a little bit to be more milky). I had with it some delicious cookie tea from Lupicia.

This next bowl is more cereal in a yogurt mess – kamut puffs, granola, sunflower seeds, a banana, and Oikos Greek yogurt. The granola has pumpkin seeds in it. It’s from Nature’s Path. Again, served with cookie tea.

I’ve also been digging popcorn (topped with cinnamon, salt, and chili powder).

Bobby loves homemade ramen – just fresh noodles, shoyu sauce, celery, and tofurkey slices. We get the noodles in the refrigerated section of the Asian market.

And we all know I love salads. This one is topped with lots of olives, pickled beets using Clare’s recipe (more on that later – delicious), pickles, parmesan (duh), and Newman’s Own lowfat sesame ginger dressing (it’s back!).

I’ve been using a cool site called Meals Matter to try planning more of my meals. It makes me branch out and I’ve been less inclined to snack at night when I know what my breakfast the next morning will be. Though… I have to admit. Last night I had a little bit of a snack attack with apples (the ones we picked) and a Vosges Black Pearl Bar (chocolate with wasabi, ginger, black sesame seeds – I swear it’s awesome). I did make it 2 whole days with no night time snacking, and that is big for me.

What was the last thing you indulged in?

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• September 10, 2008 -- Goodeats for 9/9/2008
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• July 11, 2010 -- Brunch at Sacred Chow (Again)
• June 28, 2011 -- parisian polka dot haiku*

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I based this off of a stir-fry that we had on Monday night when our friends Ryan and Janet came over. I’ll share pics of that at the end. The ingredients list looks long, but I promise it’s simple. Read the instructions and you can substitute any veggies/proteins that you want!

Simple Thai Stir-fry with Spiralized Summer Squash

Ingredients (serves 1 Maggie as a meal; 2-4 as a side)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or grated
• protein: a few slices of chopped tofurkey, or some tofu, or other protein (chicken, lunchmeat, shrimp)
• veggies: 1/2 medium white onion = <1/2 cup total; 2 medium stalks of celery, sliced = <1 cup total; 5 Brussels sprouts, cut in quarters
• 1-2 tablespoons fish sauce (optional for vegans/vegetarians)
• 2-3 tablespoons pineapple juice (other fruit juice would work too)
• 1 tablespoon sweetener (I used about 2 teaspoons Trader Joe’s stevia)
• spices: dash of red pepper flakes (1/4 teaspoons), a few sprinkles of fresh ground pepper
• 1 large summer squash = 2+ cups of spiralized summer squash noodles (or use real noodles/pasta! I’d toss in some cooked vermicelli)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a wok on high heat. Add the garlic, tofurkey, onion, celery, and Brussels sprouts. If you are using meat, you may want to add the meat by itself at first, before adding the rest of the veggies.
2. Add the stevia, spices, pineapple juice, and fish sauce (if using). Saute for about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the zucchini. Continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Serve hot, plain or with rice.

I enjoyed this with a nice cup of organic Throat Comfort Yogi tea. “Live from your heart, you will be most effective.”

When we had this with Ryan and Janet, Ryan made it and he used chicken for the protein, and sugar in the raw for the sweetener.

The veggies were: celery, scallions, yellow pepper, and green chilis (no Brussels or zucchini), and also cashews.

Bobby, Ryan, and Janet all had theirs with rice; I had mine with spaghetti squash. This is my first plate.

Ryan has a Nikon D40 (the SLR I might want – I’m also looking at the D3000) and he let me play with it when they came over. I really really want it. I’m not sure if I can justify spending almost $500 (or more on the D3000) on a new camera, when it’s my fault that I broke my old one, and I don’t have a full-time job. One reader reminded me that I can call it a tax write-off, which is making me lean towards getting it.

What was the last thing you splurged on?

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• October 7, 2008 -- 07 October 2008
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• May 25, 2009 -- Awesome Macrobiotic Apple-Raspberry Pie
• December 7, 2009 -- Blogger Love and Review: Peace Food Cafe (New York City)
• May 15, 2009 -- Coping Mechanisms: Part 2

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I also ate it plain – yes, it was that good, and it’s gone now. She sent me Wonderful Salsa, which was enjoyed with organic tortilla chips:

Delicious (and now gone as well). And she sent me Yogi teas! Here are the ones I have tried so far…

• Mayan Cocoa Spice – “let your manner speak for you”
• Ginger – “old age needs wisdom and grace”
• Ginkgo IQ – “to be great, feel great and act great”
• Egyptian Licorice – “the power of love is infinte”

These teas are delicious, and most are organic. Thank you so much Clare! I can’t wait to bust into the rest of the package.

Today is the first day of fall, my favorite season. I love the leaves, the smells, the foods (pumpkin, squash, apples), the holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving), the atmosphere: it’s just a fantastic time of year. Fall is a good time to be thankful, and I really am for so many things. I’m thankful for my friends, my family, my kitties, my life, my future, and everything that has happened recently to push me towards the career I want…

What are you thankful for?

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• January 23, 2010 -- intenSati, Earthrise Yoga, & Great weekend.
• August 20, 2010 -- Fun Food Friday
• March 22, 2009 -- Review: “Carb Watch” Pitas
• August 26, 2008 -- Goodeats for 8/25/2008
• May 6, 2008 -- Healthy curry creamy leeks (vegan)

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Tart frozen yogurt from Red Mango. Did you know that tart frozen yogurt is always sweetened? I did not. I wish that some place would make really really tart froyo, but this was pretty delicious anyway.

Bobby liked his breakfast too (Sarku Japan… I stole some. It’s actually really good fast food.):

Then we shopped! We got some espresso samples at Williams Sonoma…

And I got “cookie” tea from Lupicia. I also got a bunch of clothes. I was a happy girl.

“Black tea scented with an image of freshly baked caramel cookies. Best served with milk.” I had it plain, thank-you-very-much.

Last night I brought back something that’s been missing in my life.

Oat bran. This bowl had almond butter from Trader Joe’s and Jay Robb vanilla protein powder, courtesy of my sweet sweet friend Heather! I love it! She sent me some other birthday goodies that I’ve been enjoying and will share soon. I cook up my oat bran with lots of water, then wait for it to get creamy. I pour it in a bowl and put it in the freezer so it cools and gets super-thick.

I have another confession. I spent my birthday night organizing because I love it. I made a jewelry box out of a cardboard box and some pretty tissue paper, then I arranged all of my jewelry in it. I cleaned my closet and made a huge bag to give to Goodwill. I went through the bathroom cabinets and thew out the old stuff. It was possibly the best birthday ever. (I’m actually being serious.)

I forgot to say yesterday, but this cool chick shares my birthday We both watched Biggest Loser last night (pretty good, I think). Overall, a great birthday!

(Word post – why is English so popular?)

Like this post? Check out...

• July 4, 2011 -- Strawberries and Cream – All That’s Missing Is the Blue!
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• January 20, 2012 -- Friday Five: 5 Ways to Destress
• September 24, 2009 -- Cheesy Roasted Veggies
• May 21, 2011 -- We’re Going to Paris! (Travel Links & Ideas)

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The oat bran was:

• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1.5 cups water
• dash of salt
• 4-5 tablespoons of my ABU (1 part almond butter to 3 parts chocolate soy milk)

The miso soup was:

• matcha soybean green tea for the base (with lemon)
• wakame
• spoon of miso

I try to make a big pitcher of tea every morning and drink it throughout the day.  It was really good as a miso soup base.  I especially liked the hint of lemon (I slice a whole lemon and dump it into the tea).

I get the tea from Lupicia – I have a ton of different flavors and I’m trying to use them up so I can get new ones.  This is “Matcha Black Soybean Rice Tea“.  One of my (and Bobby’s!) favorites.

This breakfast was surprisingly filling, since the green oat bowls are actually bigger than what I made today (spinach gives it volume).

Don’t forget about my June challenges.  I’ll be updating about them either tomorrow or on the first of July. I have to admit, I kind of forgot about most of them.  I was supposed to declutter and give away one thing every day, but I think I only have 2 things in my declutter box.  I suppose I can find 30 things to give away tomorrow though.

Do you have any challenges that you want to work on?

P.S. Bobby comes back from Miami tomorrow morning and I couldn’t be more excited.  I missed him

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• March 29, 2010 -- How Much Protein Do I Really Need?
• January 28, 2009 -- Free Pilates Anyone?
• February 20, 2010 -- Acupuncture Treatment: Stress and Hormones
• March 6, 2009 -- Old hobbies, new finds.
• September 15, 2009 -- Happy Birthday to me & Chia “Ice Cream”

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