Monster Attack!

Green Monster, that is!

This is one of the best smoothies I've ever made.

1/2 frozen sliced banana

1/2 c. (70 g)  frozen pineapple

1 c. spinach

1/4 cup (good handful) blueberries

1/2 c. Almond Breeze (Unsweetened Vanilla rocks my socks!)

splash of vanilla

Blend, baby, blend!

I think the trick was lots of frozen fruit to eliminate the need for ice cubes, and only half a cup of milk. The texture was perfect - juuust thick enough to savor it but not so much that it couldn't move out of the glass. Fruity, creamy, and just sweet enough. I love drinking my greens!

Speaking of some of my best kitchen productions, I made some pretty kickin' oat bran this A.M. too:

26 g organic oat bran (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)

1/2 c. almond milk + 1/4 c. water

~2 tsp cocoa powder

~1/2 tsp instant espresso

dash of salt

1/2 banana, sliced and slightly melted in the microwave

handful of blueberries

I say 26 g because I have no idea what this measurement is in cups - I use a food scale for my hot cereal experiments. Really, it's like a toy, and I'm just playing with my food. That, and I'm terrible at eyeballing portions, and the food scale has helped me get a lot better at it. Yes, I'm a geek. Don't hate! 

Ok, here's the process:

Once your oat bran is in the bowl, toss in your cocoa powder (or cinnamon or whatever dry spice you're feeling that day) and the salt. Then add the liquid - I usually use half milk/half water or more of a 3:1 milk-water ratio to make it nice and creamy. It makes an enormous difference.

Microwave it for about a minute and a half (or do it on the stove - your call!)

Slice up your banana and microwave it in a separate container for 10-20 seconds. I got this "melted banana" trick from this cool chick, and I've never looked back. It spreads the sweet banana goodness all throughout the bowl instead of just in chunks, and also acts as an emulsifier and thickens things up.

Here is when you want to add your espresso if you're using cocoa. I swear by this trick - coffee brings out the chocolate flavor in any dish, and it really makes the bowl richer and more chocolatey. Mmmm!

Add the nanner and keep cooking. WATCH your bowl if you're nuking it - it can very quickly boil over!

I also like to add blueberries for an extra fruity kick. I love microwaving them and then popping them to release the juice inside. It's the little kid inside me I guess :)

You might want to throw the bowl in the fridge or freezer for a minute or two to cool it down - it can get HOTTTT! But it's worth it in the end. Try that melted banana trick - it will change your life. Or at least your breakfast.

Sick of breakfast yet? I'm not. It is the one meal I could eat 3 (or more!) times a day! It's so fun. And usually involves my favorites - fresh fruit and carbs!

I'm a big fan of waffles as a snack, and I just tried a new brand:

I usually get the Kashi GoLean waffles, but they are suddenly nowhere to be found!! I almost cried when I couldn't find them at my grocery store OR beloved Whole Foods. Well, ok, maybe I didn't get that dramatic, but it was close. Time to find a new favorite! So I went with Nature's Path Flax Plus. Love me some Omega-3s!

For my first taste test, I went with a classic:

Peanut butter+banana. Soulmates if I've ever seen them.

The only thing that can improve this dish is maple syrup - enter: Peanut Butter & Co.'s Mighty Maple.

 Genius in a jar. I'm pretty sure whoever created this was eating a waffle with peanut butter and syrup and thought "hey, we should really get these two together?" So, I guess this is really a menage a trois of breakfast foods? How scandalous! And delicious.

 The verdict on the waffles? Well, I was a little distracted by the amazingness going on on top, but I think they will do as a Kashi replacement. They didn't get quite as crunchy as I like, and they're a little airier, but I have 5 more waffles left to confirm my opinion.

Anyone bar-crazy? No, I'm not referring to the smoke-filled, dimly-lit rooms where you go to watch the game. I'm talking about the edible kind. The best kind, obvz ;)

First up: Clif C Bar in Raspberry

This new line from Clif boasts only 9 ingredients. That usually means a clean, simple flavor that makes a nice little snack or dessert.

Unfortunately, the only flavor I got was cardboard. It looked good, it even smelled pretty good...but the taste was lacking. There was a vague tart-fruity flavor, but it definitely didn't scream raspberry, and the nuts on top might as well have not been there at all. The texture was actually pretty good, gooey but not crumbly, easy to eat. I know it's not the brand; I've had the cherry pomegranate flavor before and really enjoyed it; the raspberry just failed. I have yet to try the apple or blueberry, and I'm a believer in second chances, so maybe its just this flavor. But, I wouldn't recommend this one. Unless your mouth waters every time you see a UPS box on your doorstep.

In yummier news, I had a new Larabar that rocked my chocolate-loving socks off. Their Jocalat line is similar to the original Laras in that the ingredient list is short, sweet, and completely recognizable. And their organic and use fair-trade cocoa, which is always a plus.

I bought the German Chocolate Cake flavor on a whim:

I love it when my whims come through. This was fan-freakin-tastic! I was a little wary because I'm not big on coconut, but Lara knows how to wield this fruit. It adds the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the chocolate without making the bar all about the coconut. This was like a rich, dark brownie. I even liked the little chunks of almond and pecan, which surprised me because I am a hardcore anti-nut brownie girl. But here they just added to the flavor and texture. It's a little crumbly but not obnoxiously so.

I know the fat & calorie content in Larabars is scary for some people, considering how small the bar actually is. BUT this is only because they are made of real, nutrient-packed foods. Do not fear the fat here! Your body needs it. And the fat in these will make your body a LOT happier than the fat in your average brownie. (Not that classic brownies don't have their time and place - sometimes, they are simply necessary!) All this to say - this bar was GOOD. And healthy. And chocolatey. What more could ya ask for?

Peanut butter, oat bran, spinach smoothies and chocolate. I miss Florence...but I'm doing ok so far ;)

~Namaste~

Behind the Scenes

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day...but let's be honest, dessert is the most exciting. So why not combine the two?

Best of both worlds: chocolate-blueberry oat bran. With a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, for good measure ;)

The majority of my Sunday was spent playing waitress at a "tea" for a ritzy-ditzy house tour my mother had helped organize as a member of the Historical (or as my father lovably dubbed it, Hysterical) Society in our town. Basically, my job was to take the massive quantities of donated food in various tupperware containers and make it look like this:

I could complain, but in all honesty...I love this stuff. Y'all know me and my pretty food - it tastes better! I've always really liked being that "behind-the-scenes" person who makes stuff happen, but no one really ever sees it. I don't know, must be some crazy spy thing. When I was in high school, I played in the pit orchestra for the senior musical twice and loved it. No one could see us - but we were the music. I like that that's kinda the point - striving to be so good that it's effortless, no one thinks twice about it. It's such a feeling of accomplishment for me. Catering really would be a fun job for me. I think it's so cool how there really is a job made for everyone's personality - from the star in the spotlight to the shy kid making the music. The real trick is finding that job, I guess.

Wow. You know you've been watching Glee for 2 days straight when the stage is a metaphor for everything. Oy.

That night was a lot of fun - we went here for dinner:

Pretty gorgeous, right?

That would be the back yard of family friends who used to live right next door. Saying he has a knack for gardening may be the understatement of the decade.

An "Italian style" dinner was planned, so of course I was super excited. And the best part was I got to help make it! Man I love working in the kitchen. It's like therapy.

It was a truly beautiful meal.

(LuLu must have been PMSing or something, because the pictures are a bit subpar - girlfriend needs some camera Midol.)

We started with a caprese salad:

Chop up fresh tomatoes. Chop up fresh mozzarella. Chop up fresh basil. Toss with olive oil and S+P. Drizzle with a little balsamic. And take a trip to Italy in one bite.

I suppose "traditionally" it's a slice of tomato, a slice of the mozz, then a basil leaf and the drizzling and sprinkling, but this is easier to serve, and just as tasty. It basically depends on what you are going for with the presentation. Experiment!

Now, no Italian dinner is complete without...

Pane. Bread. And lots of it. I'm not talking Wonder White here, people - go for the good stuff. Crusty, soft, doughy goodness. Heck, it's easy to just make yourself!

And, of course, the pasta.

Ohmygoodness, please go make this pasta right now.

We used fresh pasta (if you can, do it - it makes a huge difference!). This is trofie, that kind of stretched-and-twisted shape (we used it in my cooking class and it rocked!). Pasta shape is actually pretty important - the shape of the pasta will hold the flavors of the recipe differently. If you've got a pasta with a lot of stuff, short, fat and textured is probably better, like a rigatoni or fusilli (the spirals). Spaghetti, however, is good with the perfectly simple (and simply perfect) marinara sauce.

This pasta was SO EASY:

To start, take a big slice of Italian bread and pulverize it to bread crumbs. Gotta love that Cuisinart! If you don't have a food processor, I would try toasting it juuuuust slightly, then just chopping the crap out of it. This part was done before I got there, but I would say it was 1/4-1/3 cup's worth, so add more if need be.

In a skillet, heat up some olive oil (we used about a quarter of a cup; I find you can really play around with the amount of olive oil in recipes and see what result you like best) and toss in a LOT of garlic - we used 4 cloves. Yes, that's 4 whole cloves. Just go with me.

When the garlic has turned golden brown (it probably won't take long), add capers (maybe 1/3 cup?), slightly chopped would be good, and 1/4 cup of parsley to the skillet. Then, add those bread crumbs. Stir it all around until the bread crumbs have turned golden and toasty and have soaked up all the oil. Toss in your pasta - if you are using fresh, you really only need to boil it for about 3 minutes. Throw it in a fantastic bowl and serve.

I know, too easy, right?

This was soooo yummy! I have plans to make it again - with a little added lemon and maybe some prosciutto. Speaking of which...

Our main course was just lovely - turkey stuffed with fontina cheese in the middle and wrapped in prosciutto. Really, truly wonderful. Crispy, smoky prosciutto, juicy turkey, melty smooth cheese. Paired with some green beans on the side, the meal could only be described as...bellissima.

(I had a LOT more turkey than that. I repeat - so.good.)

And then dessert.

Strawberry shortcake. Alright, it's not exactly typically Italian, but it is summer, aka strawberry season! Roll with the punches. Would that all punches were this sweet.

We ended with a glass of prosecco, a cheese plate, and good conversation. Yup - that's Italian!

And while we're on the topic, I got myself a little treat at the grocery store today:

Ciao Bella is a gelato brand that I tried last summer for, what else - the mango sorbetto. And it's good. Actually, it's the best mango sorbet I've had this side of the Atlantic. And I when I saw this little baby container, I just couldn't resist. 1 dollar for 100 calories of mango-y goodness? Yes please!

Complete with cute spoon under the lid!

For size comparison. It's a baby!

(P.S. - NO idea what the significance of the mangoes bearing the name Alphonso is. When it comes to mango...I'm not too picky ;)

On a separate note - does anyone know why Blogger uploads some of my pictures wrong-side up? I can not for the life of my figure it out. When I got through my pictures on My Computer and rename them, I make sure they're all right-side up but it doesn't seem to make a difference. Grrr. I'll get to the bottom of this. Bring. It. ON.

I have a teeth cleaning tomorrow (and I'm just thrilled...NOT), but I will be back - with a theme of the week and everything!

~Namaste~

Sleep, Eat, Repeat

Have you ever been in the situation where suddenly there are several incredibly good things happening that you literally don't know what to do with yourself? Since coming home, a lot of new and really exciting opportunities have appeared and as thrilled as I am, I feel almost paralyzed. I just don't know which direction to leap into! I'm by no means complaining, I just feel a bit...dazed. Of course, situations like this lead to one of my favorite activities: list-making. Oh, I love lists. So pretty and clear and organized. Yes, I'm a geek . And I love it.

Even if lists fail me, there is always one thing I can turn to: food! So let's get to it, shall we?

Now, you may wonder, what in the heck does a girl fresh from Tuscany eat when she returns to America, land of the packaged, home of the processed?

OATS!

These oats being in the form of bran, which I actually prefer to rolled oats. I like the texture better, something more mixable and thick about it? 

This particular mix is chocolate-strawberry. Before I left, I ran out of my dark cocoa powder (*tear*), which really makes the bowl, but it was almost just as good with this guy:

I found this at Whole Foods when in search of carob powder. The "bits of unsweetened chocolate" just called to me (and the price tag on the carob powder chased me away...). It is so good. It's rich but because it's unsweetened it doesn't overwhelm you, just makes it super chocolate-y. And it's FairTrade, so you can consume with a clear conscience:)

Another favorite of mine discovered just before I left for Italia is this beauty:

Ezekiel bread toasted & spread with:

+

I have a very specific technique for this toast - I use a piece of wax paper and mix them together while the bread is gettin' toasty, and then spread the mix on when it pops. It's crunchy, it's creamy, it's salty, it's sweet...it's wonderful. One of my favorite home snacks ever. It's good with apple butter as well, and I'm sure other fruit spreads would also do quite nicely. But there is just something about this Stonewall Kitchen Cinnamon Apple jelly that just makes my tastebuds oh-so-happy! Barney Butter is another wonderful find. Like most almond butter, it is a tad pricey, but this is my first jar and I've had it for a while, so you really can make it last. I've tried the infamous Maranatha brand and it just does not do it for me. This one and Naturally Nutty take the cake.

Can you tell I have missed nut butters? Because I have. A lot.

And, I'll admit, as much as I adore how little processed food I ate during my semester, I also missed these:

Hello Gorgeous.

Yes, I am Luna bar lovah.

I really got into them last year, when I tried one in desperation before a late night plane trip going home. I made my way through all the flavors and then...was hooked. They help me a lot at school, where getting protein is not always easy for me (cafeteria meat scares me), and they have a slew of other vitamins and minerals. Plus, they're pretty, and we all know how much I like pretty food :)

While I am more in favor of getting all your nutrients via whole foods, I'm the first to admit that sometimes my lifestyle just gets in the way! So, for now, I've made good friends with the microwave and embrace as many natural albeit processed foods that come my way.

The Vanilla Almond is a relatively new flavor to the Luna line; I think they are ending their Luna Sunrise line (which makes me a little sad - the Apple Cinnamon was SO good!), but it seems that they are just making some of the Sunrise flavors a part of their regular lineup? I loved the pretty design on top and that you can actually see the almond pieces in it. The flavor was a tad too sweet for me, at least in terms of 'breakfast'; but it is a vanilla bar, and I think those are kind of asking for sweet anyway. All-around nice taste, rather dessert-like in fact. I wouldn't recommend it for those without much of a sweet-tooth, and I wish the almond flavor was a liiiittle more prominent, but it's a good bar. Chocolate Peppermint Stick still owns my heart, though;)

I guess Luna has been going through some ch-ch-ch-changes, because they also have a new "protein" bar line. I have tried the Cookie Dough and while I enjoyed it, I didn't so much get the 'cookie dough' part. More like nougat? But, to be fair, I tried the other two recently:

Chocolate Peanut Butter!

A brilliant combination - this one was looking good already. And, of course, the fact that it is coated in chocolate helped a little too ;)

And inside:

The flavor of this bar was good - the peanut butter wasn't too sugary and it was balanced out pretty well with the chocolate flavor. My biggest issue was the texture - it's a little too jaw-breaker-chewy for me. But, for 12 grams of protein and in the case of a Reese's craving, it's not a bad option.

I also tried the Chocolate Cherry Almond:

The chocolate coating on this one was a little on the dark side, which I loved! This one was my favorite of the 3 Luna Proteins. There were legit chunks of dried cherry in this one and you could taste the almonds. With the smooth chocolate coating, it was really a delicious way to get in some nutrients :) 

First official product review: Check.

BUT...I can't live without my veggies.

This would be a big, bright, beautiful salad featuring marinated mushrooms from our Italian deli (it's literally like walking into a mini Mercato Centrale...I love it) and grilled bell peppers, courtesy of my dad. If you've never grilled peppers before, you must! They were made for the grill. They're wonderful with grilled chicken, too. I love summer grilling!!!

Though my appetite is not reflecting it, I feel like I've been sleeping constantly. Nap, drink seltzer, eat, repeat. I should probably just accept the fact that my body clearly is going to take its sweet time adjusting back to home...but it's driving me a tad crazy. I crave energy! All in good time, I suppose. 

Tomorrow my mom's got me working at some hoity toity house tour (it's all good, I'll wear my new dress from the Cascine market!), but tomorrow night we're going to dinner at a family friend's house and we're having - what else? - Italian. Bellissima!

~Namaste~