Tag: New food

• $36 vs. $36

  Posted at 6:54 AM by Brittany, on May 16, 2014

  I don’t spend much time in the town I live in. I grew up here, and while it has its special charm, I just don’t really care to wander the same locations I’ve wandered for 25 years. Sure, if I need to run a quick errand I will go to my local shops, but if I have the time I will go out of my way and drive to other towns. This opens the doors for new adventures.

  When I went to pick up my race packet for the last half marathon I ran, I made the mistake of leaving my house without any food. I thought I’d be home within a couple hours (only a 35 min drive each way), but I should know better. Looking back I think subconsciously I knew I wanted to explore this town away from home through its food.

  After I got my packet I did what any hungry explorer would do, I Googled vegan restaurants in the city I was located. The first to pop up was one I had been wanting to try.

  

  Vegan, gluten free, AND raw!? Deal. Please bare with these photos, all I had was my phone.

  

  I ordered the AmeRAWcan sun burger (description on the menu) and I was so obsessed with the bread! Cutting out 95% of my wheat intake means I don’t eat a lot of bread, so this was a major treat. I thought about how delicious a PB&J would be on this bread.

  

  I couldn’t possibly experience this place without trying one all of the desserts they had available. SO..I got three desserts. OOPS.

  

  Snatched from my Instagram.

  It’s not everyday you have access to raw mocha cheesecake, raw strawberry cheesecake, and raw brownie bites. Go big or go home. For the record, I did share these with my mom.

  This place was delicious, but definitely not cheap. My sandwich, two brownie bites, and two slices of cheesecake cost me $36. I didn’t mind though, my $ goes towards food and running. I’ll be going back soon for some raw nachos and raw enchiladas. Swoon.

  After my feast I found myself at the mecca of cheap, yet fantastic.

  

  Fun Fact: I don’t actually go to Trader Joe’s all that often, because I don’t like going into the one in my town. I used to work there and well, I’m weird like that? I sometimes try to suck it up, but it usually brings back funky memories so I just don’t.

  With that said, I get excited when I’m in a town away from home that has a TJ’S. As I was stuffing my medium sized bag I thought to myself, “wow, I just came in here for organic berries (which they didn’t have much of after all) how did I end up with all this stuff?” Notorious thoughts in my mind. Long story short I had a shitton of food in my overstuffed bag, and lo and behold the price tag…

  

  $36….the exact price I payed 30 minutes prior for a small sandwich, and three desserts.

  I found it ironic, and somewhat comical to compare the two. I think TJ’s wins the, “more bang for your buck” contest, but I still didn’t mind paying for my lunch. YOLO? Sorry…I promise to never say YOLO again, I hate it. Here’s more cheesecake to make up for that.

  

  Q(s):

  • Do you like going into places you used to work? No..I get 50 shades of awkward, even if I leave on good terms. 
  • Would you go out of your way to explore a different town? What else am I going to do with my days off? I need adventure, and I don’t always go far! 

  

  | 54 Comments Tagged Explore, Gluten Free, Half Marathon, New food, Raw, Run, Vegan

• Who Needs a Car?

  Posted at 9:57 AM by Brittany, on May 3, 2013

  May 1st came and so did the spring weather. Spring season is the perfect time to be outside and move! I am not sorry to be breaking up with my treadmill for a while, and I have been enjoying many outdoor runs, and walks. Yesterday I ran to the farmers market to see about getting some fixings for dinner.

  

  The market just opened for the season a couple of weeks ago and the pickings are pretty slim right now. Plenty of apples though!

  

  Some of the Fuji apples were so big I mistook them for honeycrisps.

  

  Apples on steroids.

  With empty bags I proceeded to walk to the store to find what I needed for dinner. If you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen a sneak peak at what was for dinner. This meal was so delicious and I cannot wait to make it again. Post/recipe to come!

  The rest of the weekend will be spent outdoors, baking, blogger meet ups, running, walking, BIKING (hopefully), and eating A LOT of food. Watermelons are back, time to get real with my spoon. No bowl necessary for watermelons. Happy weekend!

  Q: Is it farmers market season where you live?

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Farmers Market, New food, Running, Spring, Vegan

• My List

  Posted at 10:18 AM by Brittany, on April 8, 2013

  One of my favorite bloggers, Shira, wrote a post a while ago about daily happiness. I decided to follow suit and make a list of my own simple things that bring me daily happiness. This list comes in handy for me on days that I feel down, bored, or just want to relax.  It’s such a versatile list of things that can be done almost anytime, anywhere.

  My list of happiness

  • A good run.

  

  • Pampering myself. 

  

  A Biore strip and a hot bath.

  • A long walk outside with nature. 

  

  • Reading a book, or watching a movie. 

  

  It’s amazing how excited I was to watch this movie..at the age of 24.

  • Making a good meal.

  

  • Baking something new.

  

  • Spending time with the ones I love.

  

  • Yoga.

  

  • Making a craft.

  

  • Doing something for someone else.

  

  This list could go on and on and on…but I will stop with the top ten. Making yourself happy doesn’t have to be hard. Next time you want a jolt of happy juice adrenaline, think about what you can do to pick yourself up, or make yourself (or someone else) smile.

  Q: What’s on your happy list?

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Food, Happy, New food, Random, Running, Vegan

• Home Again

  Posted at 9:38 AM by Brittany, on January 11, 2013

  My trip to Arizona was a short but sweet ten days. I had a lot of fun with family, running, eating, and adventuring. I rode on a train, I ran on new streets, and I tasted my first Moscato. For the things I haven’t mentioned, here are some bullet points for easy viewing.

  • I watched horses dance like people. 
  • I ate garden grown spinach the size of my hand.

  

  • I ran 26 miles in unknown flat land. The best part about running in Arizona is the lack of hills. It felt like a vacation from running too.
  • I tried new food.

  

  • I ate at Pei Wei.

  

  • I watched a new blogger blossom. My younger brother has started a blog, and I had a blast being around to watch him write a post.
  • I had awesome family time.

  I’ve been home for five days, and am missing the flat roads of Arizona. Running on hills is supposed to make you a better runner..right? It’s good to be home.

  By the way, I have become completely engrossed by Instagram. I think the only bandwagon I just can’t get on is Twitter. At the rate I am going I will have a Twitter by the end of the year. Ugh. 
  

  Q: Do you have all the bells and whistles of social media? I just can’t do it..

  

  | 41 Comments Tagged Arizona, Cats, Food, Instagram, New food, Running, Vacation, Vegan

• Good Eats

  Posted at 12:41 PM by Brittany, on July 30, 2012

  It’s a shame I wasn’t more attentive in my 11th grade food science class. We routinely watched Alton Brown on Good Eats, yet I was always working on other homework, goofing off with my friends, or making chewbacca noises in the corner. These days Good Eats comes on, and I am alert with pen and paper ready to take notes on a new science related food project. This post has nothing to do with Alton, or with his show, but it does have to do with some VERY good eats.

  After my 8K last Saturday, I went to the farmers market to check out the goods. I’ve been to plenty of farmers markets, but I had never purchased any of the items being sold..until now. I immediately focused in on the giant fanning leaves that the Egyptians used for their royalty. I also noticed the bowel color changers in a bundle of 4.

  

  That would be giant swiss chard leaves, and beets..which well..change the color of your bowels. It’s hard to tell the size of these leaves from the photo, so allow me to compare my stub hand for a size reference.

  

  Seriously..huge leaves. Both of these items were $3 each, there was no way I was leaving without them. I knew right away what I wanted for dinner that night. It ended up being so delicious that I had the same dinner two nights in a row.

  

  

  Beans and rice, all wrapped up in the chard taco! This was SO good, and SO easy. Despite the deliciousness of this meal, it is definitely not first date worthy. Be prepared to make a giant mess.

  

  The bundle of leaves came with 8 giant fans, and they were gone in two days. I hope the farmers market by my house has these because I need more. I’m twitching at the thought of them. The second night I had these, I paired them with a random kitchen creation. Who likes jalapeno poppers? If you’re like me..you can easily throw away 20 poppers in one sitting. Sadly enough..this was a common trend throughout my youth. It’s no wonder I was a chunky child. These days I don’t find myself eating poppers all that much, especially now that I eat a vegan diet. Enter idea: vegan cornbread popper muffin..things.

  

  This was crazy easy. I used Bobs red mill corn meal mix, and followed the recipe on the bag to make the cornbread. Cut up a few jalapenos stuffed with vegan cream cheese, and baked them until they were brown! If you’re not vegan, make em with regular cream cheese!! They turned out great!

  

  And that..is what I call good eats!

  Q: Tell me something GREAT you ate recently?!

  

  | 37 Comments Tagged Farmers Market, New food, Recipe

• Quick and Easy Meals

  Posted at 8:58 AM by Brittany, on June 29, 2012

  I love making food. I love the entire process that starts at the store, and ends with a sigh of contentment after eating my meal. I can spend hours making a meal, but there are those days where I just want something quick, easy, but still full of nutrients. I made two meals this past week that were just that-quick, easy, and nutritious.

  First up was my marinated fried tofu and bok choy, served over a bed of brown rice, quinoa, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Sounds fancy right?

  

  This was my first time using bok choy, and I loved this vegetable!! It was delicious and paired perfectly with the entire meal. It tasted delicious alone, but the marinade was what stole the show.

  

  Everyone needs to try this once before they die. That is all.

  

  I am drooling just thinking about this meal. I sauteed the bok choy in coconut oil, fried the tofu in coconut oil, cooked the rice/quinoa as directed, and put the Brussels in the oven until they browned. Once everything was complete I combined the bok choy and tofu in a pan and poured the crack marinade over the top to let the sauce soak in. Combine everything onto a plate and admire your masterpiece.

  Next up was Israeli cous cous with mixed greens, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and broccoli. This was even easier than the tofu mix. I cooked the cous cous as directed, and while that cooked I sauteed the veggies in coconut oil until they softened.

  

  

  So.Good. Little pillows of heaven.

  Of course no meal is complete without something sweet, and I have two easy treats for you as well. Starting with an ice cream ball.

  

  Select your ice cream of choice, roll it in to a ball (using a spoon or ice cream scoop) and place onto wax paper. Set this in the freezer while you prepare your coating. I used pretzels, but next time I am using cookies. Take the balls out of the freezer and roll them in whatever coating you choose!

  Next was 5 minute baked peaches! I have baked a lot of apples..A LOT! Apples never get old, but peaches are in season so it was time for something new! Cut the peach in half, stuff with brown sugar, and bake for about 5 minutes. You don’t want the sugar to burn. If you add butter you can bake it longer. No butter for me though, this would defeat the 5 minute bake time. Pair these with ice cream..or ice cream with crumbled pretzels!

  

  The end.

  Q: What is one of your go to, “quick meals?” Pb&J’s never get old, but these are bit more “sophisticated.”

  

  | 37 Comments Tagged New food, Quick and Easy, Vegan

• NEWWW

  Posted at 8:29 AM by Brittany, on June 1, 2012

  New Food Find: Fiddle head ferns.

  

  These alien like claws of goodness have a very mild flavor (WHEN COOKED CORRECTLY!!) I boiled them until the gooey green stuff came off, and then drizzled lemon and pepper over them. They are crazy good for you and are comparable to broccoli and asparagus. This must be their love child. I purchased mine at Trader Joe’s, but you may be able to find them elsewhere..try them!

  New Eating Technique: Watermelon with a spoon.

  

  So here’s the deal, instead of making a mess on your counter by cutting this up, designate one half of a watermelon as “yours” and eat with a spoon whenever you want. I don’t advise sharing watermelon halves with anyone, this must be your own goldmine. Especially don’t share with your cat. Mine is creeping in the upper corner of the picture, you can see his paw. He goes crazy for watermelon. The empty watermelon half can be used as a hat, Frisbee, serving bowl, you name it!

  New meals: Green tea noodles, and pita pockets.

  

  ^^^ THAT was the best meal of the week. If you have never tried green tea noodles, go now. Something you must add to your bucket list. The texture and flavor are unbeatable. I used these noodles that I found at a local health store. I didn’t know what sauce to use, so I experimented with adding garlic, asparagus, onion and olive oil. It was perfect.

  

  Pita pockets stuffed with Punjab, cabbage, and an extra can of garbanzo beans. Asparagus is quickly becoming my number two veggie. Quick and easy meal.

  New Twist On Old Favorites: Gnocchi and Pad Thai.

  

  Normally I would douche my gnocchi with cheese, that’s not very vegan of me. Instead a basic homemade tomato sauce was used. It was just as delicious!

  

  What is Pad Thai without crushed peanuts? When discovering I had no peanuts to top my meal, I quickly improvised. Insert wasabi almonds instead. The extra flavor and heat was almost better than the peanuts! Almost..

  New Recipe: Whole Wheat Beer Bread.

  

  I recently received a new vegan cookbook from the wonderful Kelly. Inside was a recipe for beer bread that turned out great. It was quick, easy, and most importantly I was able to tweak the recipe to incorporate vital wheat gluten. This stuff is a goldmine and I have been trying to find decent recipes to slip this protein powerhouse into.

  Vegan Beer Bread

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 2 tbsp raw sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 12oz beer

  –Preheat oven to 375. Combine flour and other dry ingredients into a bowl. Pour in the beer and mix until a dough forms. Use your hands to finish combining the ingredients. Put dough into a well greased pan, spread the dough with your hands so it’s evenly distributed in the pan, and bake for one hour (or until you feel it’s ready!)

  Good, dense, hearty bread. That loaf up there had over 100 grams of protein. WOWWZA.

  That’s all I have for now.

  Q: Tell me something NEW that has happened to you, or that you have eaten.

  

  | 56 Comments Tagged New, New food, Recipe

• I Gave My Life Away To Eat More Food

  Posted at 9:36 AM by Brittany, on May 28, 2012

  Saturday I was able to spend the entire day with my dad. He was in town to pick up my sister, so I jumped in my G-ride and drove to Seattle to spend some time with them both. My thoughts of us sharing DNA have been confirmed, immediately upon arrival he wanted to grab a bite to eat. Not just a bite, a vegan bite to ensure I was able to eat. What a nice kid.

  We headed to a vegan Thai place called Araya’s. The menu looked like a High School math problem, so I decided on the buffet. This was not only the easier choice, but it allowed consumption of multiple different options. NEVER choose just one item.

  

  I have dreamt about that coconut curry in the upper left corner and the pad thai in the middle of the plate for the past two nights. I like my food hot, like..”nose running so bad your date would get up and leave” hot. Unfortunately I missed the spice table because I was too mind bogged by all of the food on my plate. This just means I have to go back and douche my plate with hot spices.

  

  This sugary crunchy mixture had lettuce and fried tofu. They had me at fried. This was delicious.

  After this meal, I ended up passing out due to over excited neurons in my brain. Too much good food too fast will cause this to happen. Information overload.

  

  I’m joking, I went to give a piece of my life (and my skin) and donated my blood for the first time. This is one of those rewarding, but painful experiences. Similar to finding relief after a few days of constipation. I have made another appointment for this week to return to the blood bank and retrieve the skin that was ripped from my arm. I have been mistaken thrice for having a flesh eating disease due to the loss of skin on my arm.

  

  No, that is not the Grand Canyon. This is the flesh wound from the size 16 needle that was shoved into my under sized vein. I was unable to give blood once before because my veins were “too small.” Why I went back for seconds I do not know. I am glad I did though, and once I stopped whining like a 6 year old child, the experience was rewarding.

  After giving my life away, it was time to see a movie. The Avengers. Good movie, lots of action, and not too long. I almost turned into the Hulk myself when the woman next to me (that didn’t know the meaning of personal space) kept coughing. I should have offered her a cough drop from the purse I don’t carry. All that action and loss of blood was one more excuse to get more food.

  Insert Stellar Pizza. Grungy college joint with more warmth than a heating pad. Loved this place. They won me over with their vegan pizza option that included sliced Yukon potatoes.

  

  Vegan version in front (half eaten because I lack patience) and same pizza in back with cheese on it for the non vegan meat eaters. I look forward to annihilating the small slivers that are left of the front piece momentarily. Twas a fabulous day. The only thing that makes good food better is good company.

  Q(s):

  • What’s the last movie you saw?
  • Ever donated skin blood?

  
  | 40 Comments Tagged Donating Blood, Flesh Eating Wound, Movie, New food, Thai, Vegan

• Inspiration

  Posted at 6:26 AM by Brittany, on May 20, 2012

  in·spi·ra·tion- The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative: “flashes of inspiration.”

  Not to be confused with the medical definition of drawing air into the lungs. Although, when I feel inspired I tend to get excited, which causes me to breath heavy. So I supposed they tie together in the end. Sesame Street inspired me to eat a lot of cookies throughout my life, and cookies make me draw LOTS of air into my lungs.

  I’ve been inspired, well more like someone I know has been inspired. After talking about purchasing a Barbie sized grill for a few weeks, I bought one! I think the grill party I had inspired me to take the plunge.

  

  Widdle baby. Perfect sized grill for a ton of veggies, and a couple bean burgers. This has been dubbed as the “veggie grill.” No animal meats will ooze onto this grill. The meal that broke Char-Broil Charlie in was veg-tastic.

  

  Grilled broccoli, Brussels, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onion. The veggie tray is perfect for grilling the vegetables.

  

  My favorite part about grilling is the lines that indent into whatever burger is made. I have officially been lined. That bean burger above was charred, lined, and attacked by my intestines. A new recipe including vital wheat gluten (protein protein PROTEIN!) was used, and I enjoyed it! I need to share my bean burger recipe soon! I was able to use some more Swiss chard from the garden to top the burger!

  Of course something sugary was needed before I went into shock. If I go more than 2 hours without chocolate I will pass out. I’ll give you a guess as to which banana is mine..the one with 4 pieces of chocolate. I don’t mess around.

  

  Since purchasing Charlie the Char-Broil (maybe someone else should name this one) I’ve grilled like crazy. Grilled pineapple that was soaked in lemon juice for an hour and then topped with coconut is life changing. Grill that now.

  Q: What’s the best thing you have grilled? That pineapple was seriously life changing. Pizza too. 

  

  | 27 Comments Tagged Bean Burgers, Grill, New food, Vegan, Veggies

• Re-creations

  Posted at 6:35 PM by Brittany, on April 20, 2012

  I have often asked myself, “what’s a pizza without cheese?” I never had an answer for that question..until now. I decided to go on a cheeseless adventure to Hawaii, pizza style.

  

  These two amoeba like pizzas are vegan friendly and oh so delicious. We’ve got BBQ sauce, pineapple, tomato, spinach, green peppers, onion, and vegan sausage.

  

  Two slices were all I could muster because I got mind bogged by my appe-TEASER. Appetizers tease you before the main meal. I always eat too much of the pre-meal goodness.

  

  Olive oil, garlic, and jalapeno bread.

  

  Paired with salsa, artichoke antipasto, and pineapple. I didn’t stop for air. Fortunately my cat knows CPR.

  Another new vegan friendly creation was french toast (don’t click that if you’re sensitive to foul language.)

  

  That little guy on the left, browned to perfection and topped with chocolate. Simple recipe..banana, almond milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bam. Blend it all together and coat the bread. Cook in coconut oil (or vegan margarine) and bam BAM! Banana explosion.

  I recently purchased a pair of Tom’s, and I am a bit disappointed because they smell as if they have been sprayed by the ass juice of a skunk. They are horrific. Does anyone know if this is normal? I messaged the company, but no reply. Fortunately for me my mom pays Manfriend to hangout with me every month, because these shoes could scare away an embryo. The funny part is that my cats are obsessed with rolling their faces on them…my destiny has been confirmed. Crazy Cat Lady.

  Q: Favorite pizzaaaa toppings? 

  

  | 33 Comments Tagged New food, Pizza, Recipe, Vegan

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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