All My Single Ladies

I think it's about time I introduced some of the ladies in my life:

Daphne, the newest addition to the Gillianasana family. We even like the same music ;)

And a traveling chica of a different sort:

Isabella the Polka-Dotted Moka!

I bought her in Florence because we had one in our apartment and these seriously make some incredible coffee - and it's TOO easy!! I almost squealed out loud when I saw Whole Foods actually sells them. I highly recommend if you only drink a cup or two a day, because they're easy to clean (NO soap, just good rinsing), fast, and the taste is bravissima! Unfortunately, they only have the regular one here, no polka dots...all the more reason to pop over to Italia, no?

I've met a couple other singles...

Raspberry Goji Dannon Light & Fit

Unfortunately, I did not like this enough to put a ring on it. It was just kind of a vague berry flavor. Admittedly, I can't think of what gojis alone taste like - haven't had them enough - but all I could taste was a strawberry-raspberry-ish flavor. Oh well. Made for a decent enough snack.

The next one was slightly more likely to be a keeper:

Chobani Champions! I guess these are the greek-yogurt-for-kids attempt. I personally am a fan of the starburst design.

Normal Chobani consistency - not super thick, but enough to be called a respectable Greek yogurt. The flavor was, well, cocoa+vanilla+cane sugar, which is pretty appropriate considering that's basically what it is. I liked it and it made for a fun little dessert, but to be honest, I could make this on my own by just mixing in cocoa and vanilla to plain yogurt and be just as happy, if not more (the cane sugar taste was a little much for me). But, the package also comes with a "honeynana" flavor which sounds quite promising, so stay tuned!

And finally...

This Odwalla Sweet&Salty Peanut bar may have been single, but I wasn't really lovin' it. It had a very peculiar flavor that reminded me exactly of spirulina? It was muted but strong enought o distract me with every bite from the sweet & salty peanut goodness. I was in my car when I gobbled it down, but it looked pretty much like a wider, flattened Kashi TLC chewy bar. This was odd. And when I wasn't distracted by the mystery flavor, I noticed it was almost all sweet and very little salty. Oh well. 

Being single is all well and good...but couples can be pretty cute too.

What could be mingling with the Fage?

MANGO!!!! Oh, yum. These were perfectly ripe and juicy and wonderful. Despite my obsession with them, I don't often buy them fresh because they tend to be pricier. But as I walked into Whole Foods, lo and behold - cart after cart of mangoes on display for 5/$5!! It was a good day.

That mango is a bit of a philanderer - he was also seen canoodling with oats last night:

[Almond milk, flaxmeal, and cocoa powder may or may not have also been involved.]

And he didn't leave 'til this morning!

Scandalous!

Ridiculously long-stretched metaphor aside, this was a seriously delicious bowl of overnight oats. Mango + chocolate=love. Maybe star-crossed lovers?

The next mingler was:

Amazing Grass Green SuperFood in Lemon Lime - the "energy" drink powder.

Schmoozing with frozen banana and cherries, almond milk, spinach, vanilla and a dash of cocoa powder.

I actually kinda liked this. The combo wasn't perfect (but actually I liked the cocoa powder), but it was pretty tasty. I definitely think it gave me energy, though - I drank this before leaving for a dinner party I was helping the caterer with (serving, plating, etc.) for some more food service experience. When I came home, I was still pretty wired and not as wiped as I expected for being on my feet for 4 straight hours! Quite impressive, Amazing Grass!

Speaking of that dinner party, please at some point this summer make these:

Grilled peaches. Cut in half, place on grill. Easy, pretty, delicious. Emphasis on the latter.

On with our couples!

Justin's Honey Peanut Butter.

First spotted with sprouted-grain toast and cinnamon...

Then getting friendly with a cracker...

 The verdict? I liked this much more than the honey almond butter - I could taste the honey a little better. Overall, it's a really decent peanut butter. Nice mouthfeel, and a very classic taste - you think peanut butter, this is that flavor. But, it wasn't good enough to knock over my dear Naturally More, so I probably won't be purchasing the jars. Those packets sure can be handy, though! And I've heard about Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut butter...NUTELLA with natural ingredients??? YESPLEASE.

I have also discovered that tempeh makes a wonderful sandwich.

Just a leftover block of tempeh with spinach, mustard and S+P on sprouted grain bread. This is my favorite kind of thing to eat because it does leave me full, but not heavy. It lasts me a long time but I never have that super-full-feeling in my stomach. Love that :)

Single Taken Smoked Salmon salad:

Spinach + arugula + smoked salmon + tabbouleh + capers + mustard + balsamic. The only thing it was missing was goat cheese...other than that, yum. Sure made this single girl's tastebuds happy!

Now puts your hands UP!

~Namaste~