An Emilyday Full of Eats

Hey guys! Happy Emilyday! How are you? Can I just say that I’m so excited for the upcoming holiday weekend? We luck out at work and actually get Monday and Tuesday off. Its going to be pretty great. I’m going to help my brother Sam move into his new place (in Massachusetts …yay!) and then we are making our way to our parents’ house for some bbq and hiking and just general fun. Do you guys have plans?

Anywho, today I have a whole day of eats to share with you guys. I biked to work today so most of my food was easily portable, starting with a peanut butter and nanner sandwich. The whole wheat bread I got at TJ’s this past week was a bit dry but nothing crunchy pb, cinnamon, coconut flakes, and nanner can’t fix. :)

For lunch, I had a really great broccoli salad. I made this a couple days ago just by steaming some fresh broccoli, adding 1/2 cup of chick peas, chopping a green bell pepper, and adding red pepper flake and balsamic dressing. The first day, I added some raisins and cashews but today I added some whole wheat couscous and goat cheese. It was SO good. And I loved having the broccoli salad in the fridge for easy remixing. :)

Snack was my new favorite treat – a chocolate dipped coconut Luna Bar. Have you guys tried them yet?? They are amazing. Just like a girl scout samoa. Yum Yum.

After biking home I was SO hungry. I couldn’t believe it. I quickly threw a sliced sweet tater in the oven and chopped some onion and green bell pepper that I sauteed and mixed with some frozen TJ’s mixed veggies and chick peas. I served the taters with some chipotle hummus and topped the stir fry with some soy sauce and sriracha. Definitely hit the spot!!

In a few, I’m meeting up with my dear friend Sarah for a walk and some ice cream. Woot!

Have a great night, friends.

xoxo
Em

Veggies, Protein and a Side of Antioxidants

Hey guys! Happy Saturday. :) How are you? Things are going well here. The weather has been less than ideal here today (about 60 and rainy!) but I enjoyed myself, nonetheless. I got some gym time, friend time and a pedicure in! Definitely, no complaints.

I just finished a super tasty dinner. I’ve made something very similar before (my tempeh fajitas), and was craving it. I simply sauteed a yellow bell pepper, half an orange bell pepper, a block of sliced tempeh and a sweet onion until a little bit brown and cooked through. I also heated some black beans with cumin, pepper, chili powder and garlic powder. I topped everything with lots of salsa and went to town.

Today, I had some delicious rainbow kale sauteed in a bit of olive oil and garlic as well. This was a gift from my friend Nan who gets a CSA and was swimming in greens. Thanks, Nan!

I also enjoyed some anti-oxidants on the side – the last glass of Gnarly Head Cabernet Sauvignon (one of my favorite wines) leftover from dinner with my friend Emily on Thursday. So delicious.

Tonight is going to be quiet – it was an early and busy day and I’m looking forward to getting cozy with Netflix, some tea, and perhaps a bit of dark chocolate. Have a great night, friends!

To the Farm Stand!

Hi guys! Happy Wednesday. How are you? Let me tell you: after a few weeks of shortened weeks due to vacation and holidays, this one seems to be inordinately long. Am I the only one? Regardless, tomorrow is Emilyday and we’re fairly close to the weekend!

So, today kicked off one of my summer initiatives: a trip to the Farm Stand. Starting today, I will be doing my best not to purchase produce at the grocery store. Its going to be a challenge for me because it will, at times, mean two different stops (I’m a busy lady!) and because I’m just so used to getting everything I need at the grocery store.

My reasons for doing this are two fold: 1) I want to support local farms. 2a) Lately, I’ve noticed that I’ve been in kind of a food rut. I go to the grocery store and always buy the same fruits and veggies (whether or not they are in season or local). Buying my produce at the farm stand will force me to switch up my routine and will hopefully come up with some new recipes. 2b) Local food just tastes BETTER! It really does. Its amazing.

Today, on my first trip, I picked up a (reusable) bag full of goodies: zucchini, sweet potato, asparagus, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, avocado (definitely not local), and a spreadable, delectable, cheese that I will go into in a bit.

For dinner tonight, I chopped two zucchini, a small onion, about half an eggplant, two tomatoes and two garlic cloves and sautéed them in some olive oil (starting with the zucchers and onion) until they were a bit caramelized and soft. The eggplant and tomaters released a ton of water and flavor and added an almost stew-like quality to it all.

Towards the end of cooking – probably about 20 minutes – I added a can of drained and rinsed chick peas, dried basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flake. This ended up being really, really tasty. I added a bit of parmesan cheese on top and went to town. Yum.

Now, onto the cheese. I was perusing the refrigerators at the Farm Stand and stumbled across this carton. I pretty much saw “Fig Pecan” and grabbed it as fast as I could. When I got home from the gym and the Farm Stand today, I was starving and in need of a shower. I also couldn’t stop thinking about the Fig Pecan “Trempherbe.” So I did the rational thing – spread a piece of whole wheat bread with an ample amount of it.

It.was.so.good. It reminded me of my favorite honey walnut cream cheese from growing up – except a bit more airy and complex. In addition to the fig and pecan, this contains cinnamon, honey and sunflower seeds. So.good. I can’t stop thinking of ways to eat it. How would you guys eat it??

Thoughts for Tuesday

Hey guys. What’s the good word? I was looking through my sketchbook and found quite a few good words and thought I would share. Do you guys have any favorite quotes? Please share!

I must learn to love the fool in me – the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility and dignity but for my fool.

- Isaac Rubin

Work Meets Food

Hey guys! Happy Monday! How was the rest of your weekend? I hope for those of you that celebrated, you had a great Father’s Day. Unfortunately, I wasn’t with my Dad but I did make sure to call him and had a card and fun Dad-appropriate gift waiting for him (an electric weedwacker!!). Love you Dad!

So, I know I don’t talk too much about work, but, I also write a blog for work focused on sustainability-related topics. Since my work post kind of overlapped with this, my personal, blog subject today (food!), I thought I would just share the link with you guys. Its quite light-hearted but interesting to think about, nonetheless.

On Artificial Meat

Have a great night, friends!

xoxo

Em

Saturday Extravaganza

Hey guys! Happy weekend! How has your Saturday been? I had a great day, actually. I got so much done; starting with assembling my brand new, modern-aged tv. Oh yes. I never thought that I would be so excited about a tv, but my old (my parents’ old, actually) humongous tv just wasn’t doing it anymore. My new one can even stream netflix! Its fancy. Hopefully I’ll be able to get off the couch.

Anywho, I felt quite accomplished getting it all set up this morning and celebrated with a yummy breakfast and coffee. I scrambled an egg and had some whole wheat toast with almond butter and strawberry jam.

After some blog and news reading, I decided to try out some yoga from Netflix – Long and Lean Yoga with Baron Baptiste. This was my first class with Baron and oh my goodness – it was hard. I was thoroughly sweaty and exhausted (in a good way) after. I’m so glad that I found it!

I was most definitely ready for lunch post yoga and heated up some veggie soup with carrots, soy crisps and chipotle hummus on the side. Did the trick!

I then headed outside to tackle Hank (aka, my car). It had been WAY too long since I did a good cleaning and it felt so good to vacuum and clean him. He looks sparkly and almost new.

I then started my dogsitting duties (for my landlords) with a nice walk and some playing. Ari is such a cutie and was very well behaved. We had a good time out on the deck reading and barking at bike riders. :) I enjoyed a snack out there as well – a delicious blend of plain greek yogurt, chia seeds, blueberries, oatmeal, coconut, honey and cinnamon. This tasted like blueberry pie a la mode. So good!

I finally just showered and ate dinner. I was super hungry and wanted something quick and tasty (what else is new?) I made some whole wheat couscous with chick peas and marinara sauce with some roasted broccoli. I topped everything with deliciously creamy goat cheese (and lots of red pepper flake!).

I had a pretty late night last night and my busy day has left me exhausted! I think I’ll probably pull up some Netflix movies (on my new tv!!) and chillax. Are you guys up to anything exciting!?

Accomplished Beast

Hey guys! Happy Emilyday! How goes it? I have to say, I could get used to two day work weeks – ha! I’m going to savor the fact that tomorrow is Friday, anyhow. :)

This morning, I woke up bright and early to get my workout in before work. While I technically had time to exercise after work, there is nothing like getting the bad boy over with before the day even starts. A while ago, I bought a three pack of Jillian Michael’s workout dvds (30 Day Shred, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism and No More Trouble Zones). While I have done 30 Day Shred quite a few times, I haven’t tried the others – until today!

I busted open Banish Fat Boost Metabolism and got one of the best workouts I’ve had in a long time. This 50 minute workout was brutal (as is to be expected with Jillian). I was swearing, sweating and panting – proof of a good workout, I’d say! I felt like a strong, accomplished beast of a lady all day. Woot!

With my afternoon, I did some chores around the house and then made a simple but delicious dinner -

A whole wheat tortilla with babaghanoush, nutritional yeast, red pepper flake, and egg scrambled with green bell pepper and sundried tomatoes. I topped it all with a bit of spicy mustard. So good.

I also had a spinach salad with balsamic. Yummy!

This evening will be spent chillaxing and card making. Hope you guys have a great night!

Em

Miles and Miles

Hey guys! Happy…wait…what day is it? Haha. Over the past 7 days, I have travelled 2,206 miles in the car! With traffic, stops, etc., that’s close to 40 hours. I feel like I’ve been in a time warp. However, it all was most definitely worth it because the time spent with my family was amazing. My Dad noted on the way to Michigan that these past five days have been the longest time I’ve spent with them since 2006. Wow!

Anyhow, I’m newly back in MA. The trip went pretty well, but there was quite a bit of rush hour traffic. I decided to get off the highway and get some grocery shopping done to give myself a break and fill my empty cabinets. Luckily, a Trader Joe’s was quite convenient. I picked up frozen veggies and fruit, tortillas, muffins, tofu, tempeh, eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter and a couple of the new chocolate dipped coconut Luna Bars. In short – YUM.

After finally getting home, I unpacked, cleaned up a bit and then got down to making dinner, brought to me, and you, almost entirely by Trader Joe’s. It all started with a bag of Harvest Hodgepodge frozen veggies (mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, baby corn, broccoli, sugar snap peas, carrots and water chestnuts) dumped into a heated pan. Once the veggies were defrosted and the water evaporated, I added some sliced TJ’s teriyaki marinated tofu as well as a bit of gyoza sauce, red pepper flake, garlic powder and ginger. 

Once everything was heated through, I added some (non-TJ) cashews. It was delicious and quick! PLUS! Leftovers. For lunch. Tomorrow. Woot!

Now, its nearly time to cheer on the Bruins!! Are you guys watching the Stanley Cup final game?? So exciting.

Have a great night!

Em

Sam Graduates & Traverse City

Hey guys! Happy Sunday (most likely Monday so I’m posting so late). I hope that all is well in your world! I’m currently on a mini-vacation with my family in Traverse City Michigan.

My parents and I arrived in Michigan (Flint, to be exact) on Friday in order to watch my brother graduate from Kettering University. It was great to see his campus and meet some of his frat brothers. We’re quite proud of him, naturally. :)

 

From the graduation ceremony, we made our way to Traverse City where my parents were awesome enough to rent us a great condo right on the lake. Its really beautiful here and its been so nice to spend the uninterrupted time with my family. Its been way too long since we’ve had a family vacation!

Today was our first real full day here and we made the most of it by visiting a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The park surrounding the dunes is amazing – so many animals and beautiful trees. Needless to say, though, the dunes were the star of the show. Some people even climbed down (and then way way way back up) to the beach below…

We decided to try a bit milder of a climb – up and over a few dunes to see a great lake view.

We all couldn’t believe just how big Lake Michigan is. Its most definitely ocean-like. The color of the water is unbelievable as well – the brightest of blues!

Tomorrow is our last day in Traverse City before dropping Sam back off in Flint for his last week at school and heading home. I believe we plan on walking around through town and perhaps buying some souvenirs. :)

Hope you guys have a wonderful start to the week! I’ll be back again soon.

Em

Fast and Fresh

Hey guys! Happiest of Tuesdays to you! I think that its safe to say that summer has arrived. Today was absolutely beautiful with sun and highs in the upper 70s - and we're looking at a couple of 90 degree days in the forecast! Phew! After our rainy and gloomy spring, I couldn't be happier!

So, I'm not sure what it is, but I've been all about simple and fresh meals lately. My favorite for lunch this week has been whole wheat, high protein wraps filled with babaghanoush (so creamy and delicious!), sliced raw tempeh, red and yellow bell pepper strips and sundried tomatoes. Its crispy, fresh and flavorful. I round everything out with a healthy side of carrot sticks - gotta have my crunch!

Dinner tonight was equally simple - an egg sandwich on toasted wheat bread spread with some smart balance that I then sprinkled with garlic powder, salt and pepper. To kick it up a notch, I also added some nutritional yeast, sriracha and avocado. Yum. Roasted broccoli with drizzles of ketchup balanced it all out.

Are you guys digging on anything particular these days? Like I said, I can't seem to get enough of fast and fresh meals that allow me to eat, enjoy and move on. Speaking of moving on...time for French class!

Have a great night guys!

Em

Call of the Wild

Hey guys! Happy Monday. Remember me? Yeah, I kind of dropped off the radar and apologize. We’ve been getting some great summer weather and honestly, I’ve had a hard time keeping myself inside. Today, I finally came home and chained myself to the duster and vacuum because, man, my apartment was indicative of my outside priorities. Maybe some views from over the weekend will coax your forgiveness for my absence?

Did that work? Maybe some breakfast pictures?

This bowl of oatmeal was just as good as it looks! 1/2 cup of old fashioned oatmeal made in 1 cup water with dried unsweetened coconut, chia seeds and cinnamon cooked in. Topped with a nanner, almond butter, some cashew bits (from the bottom o’the bag) and a drizzle of honey. Yum!!

Have you guys been enjoying the outdoors? What is your favorite thing to do out there?