Happy Holiday Eats

Whoo! I just wrote my [massive] About Me page. Check it out...if you have, like, an hour. Ok, slight exaggeration, but seriously...us English majors can ramble!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!!

Remember these? I couldn't quite decide what I thought of them. 

Well, I was feeling some carbs last night, and took advantage of my mood to try one of these babies - naked!

I LOVE the whole flaxseeds - they add great texture! This waffle crisped up pretty nice, but was still good 'n gooey in the middle. Yum. I do kinda wish the flaxseed were ground up - the body doesn't digest it in whole seed form...but it does make for a fun texture! Just sayin'. Still, yummy nutty flavor. I can't wait to try the Red Berry flavor. Mmmm!

Holiday-eve eats also included:

Luna Blueberry Bliss

Another ex-Luna Sunrise flavor to show up in the regular line. Tastes pretty much identical - blueberry-y with vanilla frosting on the bottom and oats sprinkled liberally on top (my favorite part - surprise, surprise ;)

I do caution people with light sweet-tooths--this could very easily be too sweet for a lot of people. Luckily for me, I have a sweet-tooth the size of the Duomo, so that's often not a detractor for me.

I miss you, Duomo-dear!

Speaking of bars of the Clif variety, I tried another new one today when I waited too long to eat and was in danger of having a hypoglycemic attack:

I haven't been thrilled with the Clif bars I've tried - the texture is a little odd and they are usually waaay to sweet for me (see above to see why that is a problem!). But, mint+chocolate is one of my favoritest combos EVER, so I figured this was a safe bet. And it was. Very similar in taste to the Luna Choc. Peppermint Stick, which is my favorite Luna flav, just with the slightly chewy texture of Clif. I enjoyed. My hypoglycemia is a big reason why I'm such a fan of bars - they provide an instant blood sugar boost when you're desperate! Love 'em.

The 'rents took advantage of the gorgeous weather New England is treating us to and went off sailing on Sunday, so my brother and I went to dinner. At Whole Foods. Yes, I love it that much. Their salad bar = my Cloud 9.

I should get better about this - as in, wandering around both sides, looking at all the offerings, and combine different ones to make a fabulous, cohesive salad. But alas, that is a battle I have yet to win - I always walk out with a little of everything! Kind of my favorite way to. Lots of different, fun flavors. This was heavy - in weight and in fiber! Sat in my tummy like a rock.

I also picked up this guy (gal?):

Hint is totally unsweetened water that is flavored with the essence of various flavahs. I've had the honeydew hibiscus before and loved every sip. I just love that it's not sweetened, yet still so flavorful! Super refreshing.

Despite all that fiber, my aforementioned massive sweet tooth was still acallin'...and whaddyaknow, but there is a JP Licks right in the same shopping center! It's a Mass. ice cream chain that the most amazing soft serve ice cream ever, in the craziest flavors. And it's fat free. Hard to argue.

I went for the Chocolate Chip Cookie flavor:

It was literally a cookie in softserve form. I could taste the buttery brown sugar of the dough. Perfect way to end the meal. I drove home very happy, belting out Glee between licks.

Today was pretty low-key. We had a lovely Memorial Day dinner with out neighbors - and MAN was it yummy!

We started out with a lovely appetizer spread of cheese & crackers and chips & salsa/guac. In fact, last summer (after I had gone back to school, sadly), they held a "guac-off" - one neighbor's homemade guacamole against our other's. Yes, I love on a 3-house "street" that is really a hill. Most people drive by and think it's a driveway for the house in front ours. Nope! It was actually a really fun place to grow up. Like an extended family!

ANYway, dinner was goo-oo-ood.

Quinoa salad a la me:

As with many of my grain salads, I just kind of threw stuff together. But this one came out quite well!

-Cook one cup of quinoa (just follow the directions on the container - I used Bob's Red Mill.). When it's done, put it in your salad bowl.

-Rinse one can of black beans and throw in your salad bowl.

-Boil a couple ears of corn (or grill, if they're still in the husk!). Cut it off the cob and throw it in the bowl.

-Add chopped grape tomatoes, grilled baby bell peppers, fresh cilantro.

-Saute a clove or two of garlic in a little olive oil and add it to the mix.

-For the dressing, I mixed lime juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. I seasoned it with garlic salt, a little pepper, chili pepper, ginger, curry, and cumin. 

Feel free to add whatever veggies to this you want, and experiment with spices. 

It will be better the next day, after all the flavors have melded together more. I also prefer these things chilled, so try to make it early and keep it in the fridge for a while before serving (this doesn't always happen...no biggie!)

It was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself! I looove grain salads (hence the WF's salad bar obsession). I love that you can do so many different things - they never have to be the same twice!

Our neighbor made these shrimp pizzettas:

The green one has cheese and fresh pesto (!!!), and the other is a "shrimp scampi" pizza, a little creamy with diced tomatoes and cheese. Yum yum yum!

My dad made some delicious, juicy BBQ chicken, but it paled in comparison to the main attraction:

LOBSTAH!

Yup, I'm a hardcore Boston chick - love me some of this shellfish. So good. I don't even need the drawn butter...just a hefty tail, and maybe a little claw meat. One of the main reasons I could never go totally vegetarian. Just.so.delicious.

This beautiful meal was eaten under the [manmade] stars (aka, their table umbrella):

with a little canine accompaniment:

She likes lobster too. And chicken, and pizza, and appetizers, and...well, pretty much anything we eat. She finds it very upsetting when she is not included in the enjoying of the food. And she makes this known. But how can you resist that face????

[Answer: You can't. She very happily accepted chicken bites from the table, and a couple crackers. Spoiled rotten.]

Ok, I have a confession: this week happened to be a certain time of the month in which I eat everything that passes my nose with very little thought as to whether I really want/need it. It's quite frustrating after a while, but after I accept that my hormones must sometimes be catered to and up the exercise a bit, I feel better. So, this week is Project: Conscious Eating. I know how eat intuitively, despite it being much harder than it seems it should be, but I'm going to try harder. It just feels so much better when you east when you're hungry and stop when you're not. I feel like I was getting really good at it in Italy, but it got harder, as it always does, when I came home to a full-size refrigerator and an endless supply of cereal and snackage. It's a new month, a new day, and it's never too late to start. So, I'm starting. Wanna join me? GO TEAM!

Happy June!

~Namaste~