Easter Weekend in Pictures

Hi bloggy friends! I hope you all had a lovely Easter/Passover weekend (if you celebrate). Mine was really really good, but as usual, it went by super fast and it’s back to the daily grind. The only good thing about that is that the countdown is officially on–4 weeks til I’m no longer a sophomore! Wooooooo 😀 I am beyond excited for summer and everything I have planned for it, plus all the little things that are sure to pop up. Just gotta get through these next few weeks.

I took a bunch (well, not really) of pictures this weekend so I wanted to do a mostly wordless recap of my Easter weekend. So here goes!

Small sweet potato topped with peanut flour paste and almond peanut cashew butter, garlicky kale, fresh strawberries, chocolate and peanut butter Puffins in unsweetened almond milk.

Look how bright those strawberries are! My mom bought a huge box of them at Whole Foods for only $5 and even though they started to go bad by the end of the weekend, I got to enjoy them several times over the weekend. They’re my first of the season and were really juicy and fresh. Definitely a sign that summer is on its way! The garlicky kale is a super simple dish that I whipped up three times this weekend–oh yeah, it’s that good!

Garlicky Kale (vegan, gluten-free)

large handful curly kale, washed and patted dry

1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2-1 tsp minced garlic (or freshly grated garlic clove)

sea salt, nutritional yeast and black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add kale and salt and pepper, until the kale starts to shrink and gets crispy edges. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and browned. Sprinkle nutritional yeast on top and serve as a side dish (makes 1 serving).

Saturday's outfit: navy striped cropped tee (Hollister), dark wash jeggings (American Eagle), necklace and bracelet (American Eagle).

Saturday was fairly busy but pretty fun. My sister and I went for a walk, then my dad and I popped in at my pastor’s house for his birthday open house and later my whole family went out to eat to celebrate my dad’s birthday a few days late. The restaurant wasn’t too vegan friendly, but I did get a yummy homemade-style black bean burger with a side of avocado and black bean salsa. Yum!

The lovely Easter eggs, post-dyeing.

Coloring Easter eggs is one of our family traditions. My sister didn’t join in on the fun this year because of homework, but I had fun dyeing the eggs. Do I have a future as an artist? Ummmm, probably not!

Easter outfit: yellow floral dress (Abercrombie and Fitch), bracelets and necklace (American Eagle), unpictured silver wedge sandals (Target).

Besides going to church on Easter (I always love the holiday services!), we also went to Starbucks where I got my new favorite unsweetened iced coffee, played tennis for 45 minutes, snacked outside in the gorgeous weather (sunny and in the low 70s), colored eggs, made a special dinner and Skyped with my grandma and grandpa.

This year's Easter basket!

My mom still hides Easter baskets for me and my sister…yes, we are still 5 years old! Haha, just kidding, but I still think it’s fun to go find the basket and see what’s in it. This year, I got some Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips (super excited about these!), some sparkly green nail polish, guava-scented body wash from Ulta, mini Sweet Tart bunnies/ducks/chicks and two new-to-me Chocolove dark chocolate bars. My mom knows me so well 😀

My Easter dinner: grilled chili lime tofu and mini sweet peppers, broiled lemon pepper asparagus (tops only, the best part) and cheezy quinoa (sprinkled with nooch).

While the rest of my family enjoyed their carnivorous dinner (flank steak, asparagus and cheesy mashed potatoes, in case you were wondering), I had a very vegan and very yummy dinner. It was my first time grilling tofu and I was a fan. I think next time I’d get extra firm, rather than super firm sprouted tofu, since it was kinda bitter, and I’d try out a marinade, rather than a seasoning on the outside. But still a really nice Easter dinner.

My new favorite 'ice cream': So Delicious mini Neapolitan nondairy ice cream sandwich.

I really wanted to try the new So Delicious almond milk ice cream sandwiches, but my Whole Foods didn’t have them. I did find these, which are soy ice cream, and actually really good, if really small. I haven’t had an ice cream sandwich in years, but these are better than regular dairy ice cream sandwiches. They also have coconut milk ice cream versions, if you like coconut milk.

Just what I needed on a Monday morning--Starbucks tall coffee light Frappuccino with soy.

Monday came early–at 6 am, to be exact. I wanted to stay all of Sunday so I could spend more time with my family, so my dad had to take me back up to school on Monday morning and we had to leave at 7. Luckily, we made a stop at Starbucks and I got my first Frapp in about six months. It was the perfect little pick-me-up!

How did you spend your weekend? What’s your go-to weekend lunch? 

WIAW: Halloween (Weekend) Edition

Hey guys, how were all of your Halloweens? Mine was basically like any other school day: classes at 10 and 1, then an editorial meeting with staffers at 3. Oh yeah, not sure if I mentioned this or not, but I’m the editor for my campus’ faculty & staff newsletter! I’m so stoked because it’s a paid job and it’s in journalism, which is my field. I was dreading trying to look for some lame minimum wage job but I’m so glad I got hired for this. It was a long process of interviewing and paperwork, but it’s finally coming together. Me and another girl (the other editor) get along really well, and even though we’re pretty confused and overwhelmed at this point since we have a deadline this week and only just hired our writers, we’re still loving the position. So yeah, I officially have my first ever job 😀 But anyways, yeah, my Halloween was pretty boring…but Halloween weekend is a totally different story!

Mi madre picked me up around 2 on Friday and we were off! Unlike most weekends that I go home, she was able to get me earlier which meant I got to eat a home cooked meal. Score! Sure, I like going out to fast casual places, but they can get repetitive and expensive after a while, and I’ve missed being able to use the oven. So that’s exactly what I did–I made Gardein meatless ‘chicken’ nuggets and Alexia sweet potato tots (best thing ever!) alongside some green beans (ick, but decent with some spicy three-pepper mustard) for dinner. It was basic but gourmet compared to my dorm meals. Though I can get pretty creative with those… 😉

Look how much snow was still at our house 4 days after the storm!

Friday night was so much fun, because we all carved pumpkins and watched some reallllllly old (from the early 90s!) Disney Halloween cartoons. Those 2 things are basically a Halloween tradition in our house, and I love it. I ended up carving a pumpkin in my pumpkin because I thought a face was too cliché haha. It was so much easier than carving a face too, and the only part that sucked was digging out all the seeds. The insides of all the pumpkins were freezing cold so it hurt our hands after a while to get all the seeds out. But trust me, it was worth it–you’ll see why soon!

My pumpkin in a pumpkin!

My mom's and dad's pumpkins. My dad always likes to do something--erm--creative!

Saturday morning I woke up a little early (like 8:15, which is totally not early but it is for the weekend) because I wanted to make pancakes for my lovely familia. But not just any pancakes–oh no!–I made pumpkin pancakes with dark chocolate chips! OMG, pumpkin and chocolate are a match made in heaven for sure. I love the Archer Farms pancake/waffle mixes because they have the best flavors, especially seasonal kinds. My personal fave is the double chocolate peppermint (I’ll be making those over Thanksgiving break!) but pumpkin is awesome-sauce too. I also added a scoop of vanilla protein powder, to up the protein a little and use up the powder. They turned out really good but sadly, there weren’t that many of them. The amount I used only made 15 mini pancakes, so everyone got 3 (and I froze 3 for myself for later…shhhhh!)

Pancake batttttttah 😉

Just 3 ingredients: pumpkin pancake mix, mini chocolate chips and vanilla protein powder. Oh, and water of course!

My dad and I ventured out to (where else?) Whole Foods. Knowing us, we also made stops at Sunflower Market and Albertson’s. Gotta stock up on food, ya know? I got bunches of yummy stuff from WF, including some new things you’ll hopefully be seeing on this bloggie soon, like purple cauliflower and dried figs. Love that store. At Sunflower, I basically took their entire bar selection 😉 Just kidding, but I got soooooo many bars, like my newly beloved Clif Mojo white chocolate macadamia, Clif Kid Z-Bar full moon brownie and Pure orange cranberry. That is literally the only store near me that has that flavor of Pure bars and Clif Mojo bars, so I gotta get ’em where I can.

I may love the chocolate and PB Puffins even more than the PB!

Back at home I had a super late lunch and then got to work roasting my pumpkin seeds. You know the seeds are the best part, right? Of course they are. I decided to stray from the usual spice combinations and make a spicy-sweet kind. I found the recipe from here and they turned out better than I thought. I made a few tweaks though based on what I had on hand: I used Eggbeaters egg sub in place of the egg white, I used raw sugar instead of cane sugar and I used crushed red pepper flakes instead of cayenne pepper. They still ended up amazing, with just enough sweetness and heat.

So. Flippin'. Addicting.

Dinner turned out to be an (almost) family affair. My dad and I really wanted to try grilling eggplant and brussels sprouts so we fired up the grill for those. Meanwhile, my mom made dinner for the rest of the fam (minus me) while I cooked up a couple of Gardein meatless nuggets at the last minute. My sister, the only non-cook in the house, was of course the only one who didn’t participate but it was still fun. I miss being in the kitchen with everyone. It’s just such a fun, lively atmosphere. Anyways, dinner turned out great, especially the grilled veggies. I’ve had grilled eggplant before, but I’ve never done it myself and it turned out amazing. Same with the brussels sprouts. The outsides got nice and crispy and the insides were warm and smooth. So. Darn. Delicious.

Would you like a little fake chicken with your veggies?

I love how pink this raspberry cappuccino smoothie is!

The rest of the night was spent watching-slash-making-fun-of a really lame infomercial on 70s music, my dad helping me with stats (beeteedubs, I absolutely HATE stats with a passion, so this sucked but was also super helpful), me learning to enjoy hot tea (my mom got some Celestial Seasonings candy cane and sugar cookie tea bags, and they totally transformed me into being a hot tea lover) and watching reruns of SNL. I ended up staying up pretty late but it was so worth it.

Mmmmmmm, I'm such a sucker for all things seasonal!

I love this mug (please ignore all the random crap in the background).

Sunday, as usual, was pretty chill. Enjoying breakfast with the fam, reading the Sunday newspaper, packing up my stuff, lunch, hanging out with my sister and finally having to drive back up to school. I always hate Sundays on weekends I’m at home because it means I have to go back to school. Don’t get me wrong, I like school and my dorm and all, but I just really cherish the weekends I spend at home and it sucks when they’re over. They always seem to go by way too fast 😦 Back up in good old FoCo, my mom and I stopped for more groceries (I couldn’t live with nut butter, of course!) but sadly, I’ll have to be sweet potato-less for the next two weeks ’cause we couldn’t find them anywhere. We also stopped for dinner at a new-to-us place, HuHot Express. We went to HuHot once for my dad’s birthday, but this one was slightly different because it’s not all-you-can-eat. But I ended up loving what I got here better than at the regular place. I got rice noodles topped with shrimp, fresh jalapeno (spicy is where it’s at), edamame, spinach and what was called a Mongol mustard sauce. It was really delish, a little spicy, and not too overwhelming. I ended up mostly just eating the shrimp and veggies, but I would totally get it again. But the real star was the super-cool, high-tech soda machine. It had a touch screen menu so you could mix and match between all kinds of sodas and juices. Normally, I don’t drink soda but I had to try this. I got diet orange Coke mixed with diet vanilla Coke–it was like an orange creamsicle! Have you guys ever seen one of these machines? They are le-git!

Overnight oats in a jar! I basically just saved this jar and keep reusing it. Cookies 'n cream overnighters, frozen raspbs, spicy veggie sausage. Breakfast of champions right thurrrr!

I love tempeh bacon. And apples. And sriracha. Oh, and cold brussels sprouts. Don't judge me 😀

Of course, it was sad to say goodbye to such a fun-filled weekend, but Thanksgiving break is in less than 3 weeks–wooooohooooo 😀 You know I’m looking forward to 9 days away from school!

What was the best thing you did or ate this weekend? Do you like roasted pumpkin seeds?

My Foodie Staples

Aren’t there a few many things you can’t live without? I’m sure we all have them, I know I do! They tend to change every once in a while, but I definitely have some items I’d prefer to not go without. With that being said, here’s my current list of foodie staples!

Cereal: Right now, I’m loving on the PB Puffins (hope I never get sick of those!), Kashi Honey Sunshine, 365 Organic Honey Crunch & Oats and Cascadian Farm Cinnamon Crunch. I also really like Bear Naked Fit granola (especially triple berry crunch–what’s with all these cereals and having crunch in their name?) and Udi’s cranberry granola. I generally don’t have cereal at breakfast (I used to everyday, though) but it makes an amazing snack…or small dinner?

PB & Chocolate Puffins, Bear Naked Fit granola

Fruit: Gosh, no way could I ever live without this! I love almost all fruits I’ve tried, except for plums and pears. In my dorm, it’s hard to have some of my favorite fruits, like pineapple and berries, so I’m sticking with some tried-and-true varieties, like bananas, black grapes and apples. They’re all pretty versatile and easy to take with me to classes.

Red grapes, giant Honeycrisp apple, bunch 'o bananas

Veggies: I also love veggies, but I don’t really have a way to cook it, so raw it is. Luckily, I love raw cauliflower, and it’s pretty easy to eat. I also discovered butternut squash, which is amazing and simple to heat up in the micro. Plus it comes pre-cut (thanks, Whole Foods!) so it’s perfect for someone without a sharp knife handy. Baby carrots are also a good option.

Cubed b-nut squash, baby carrots, cauliflower

Dried fruit: Mmmmmm, yes! Dried fruit is the bomb.com and even less of a hassle to bring to classes. I love Medjool dates, raisins (golden and regular), dried pineapple, freeze-dried fruit…the list goes on and on. I just look for dried fruit without any added sugar or chemicals and I’m good to go!

Organic Medjool dates, raisins, organic dried pineapple

Mini frozen burritos: I have 2 small fridges with tiny freezer compartments, so I need all the space I can get. EVOL makes mini burritos, which are perfect as a snack or part of dinner/lunch. I love the veggie fajita kind, since it’s vegan and yummy. Score!

2 mini EVOL veggie fajita frozen burritos

Sweet potatoes: I’ve been missing these guys like crazy lately, but luckily, they’re back in my life again. They heat up quick in the micro and taste so so good topped with almost anything–nut butter, trail mix, honey, guacamole, chili powder…

Cinnamon and almond butter topped sweet potato

Spices: Speaking of chili powder, girl’s gotta have her spices. All I got right now is curry powder, ground cinnamon and hot Mexican chili pepper, but it’s good enough for me! Those are probably my 3 fave, and they can ‘spice’ up anything from coffee (the cinnamon, of course) to veggies.

Ground cinnamon and hot Mexican-style chili powder

Truvia: I like things sweet, but I don’t want to add real sugar to some things, ya know? That’s where Truvia packets come in. They’re easy to carry around in case I get an unsweetened iced tea on-the-go and I always add a packet to my oats to sweeten them up. I love that they’re a natural sub for fake sugar.

Big box o' Truvia packets

Almond/nut butter: Where would we be without nut butter? As I’ve said several times before, PB is not my fave (sorry!). But I absolutely adore almond, and lately, almond peanut cashew. Nut butters are soooooo good on sweet taters, as an oats topper, on wraps/sandwiches, with fruit (especially dates) or even off your finger 😉

Archer Farms almond peanut cashew butter

Morningstar spicy veggie sausages: I have one of these almost every morning, and have for probably the last year. Somehow, I’m not getting bored of them. I’m definitely not a savory person, especially at breakfast, but they’re a great source of vegetarian protein, they’re easy to make (except when your micro burns them…) and they taste so darn good. I like anything spicy, like I’ve said millions of times before.

Spicy veggie breakfast sausage, fudgie-topped millet bread

Organic jelly: It’s kinda upsetting how many jellies have high fructose corn syrup in them. I mean, come on, why can’t they just have simple, natural ingredients? When I found Smucker’s Organic line of jellies, I fell in love. Sure, there’s still sugar in them, but it’s real sugar, and it’s natural and organic. There aren’t any weird ingredients in it either. Is it weird that I like it with nut butter and crackers????? It’s also delish as an oats topper.

Smucker's Organic concord grape jelly

Starbucks VIA instant coffee: I can’t live without my ‘bucks fix every once in awhile. But when you’re a college student with no car, it’s kinda hard to get. Lucky for me, they came out with instant coffee packs that are almost as good as their brewed stuff. Not only do I love it in homemade skinny lattes, but it’s amazing mixed in with overnight oats. Talk about an energizing breakfast 😛

Date with almond butter, homemade Starbucks VIA latte, Greek yogurt with raw organic honey

Protein bars: I’m no athlete, but I still eat these like it’s my job. Kidding, but I do love ’em. I don’t get the huge ones, like regular Clifs (I usually cut them in half to have as a snack), I prefer the Mojo kind which are like trail mix bars, and Pure and Halo bars. They make a perfect on-the-go lunch alongside some fruit and they come in so many varieties. My faves at the moment are Mojo white chocolate macadamia and mountain mix, Pure chocolate brownie and Halo s’mores and nutty marshmallow. I try to get bars that have at least 6 grams of protein (the Halo ones don’t, but they’re good for a snack) and only natural sugar.

Clif Mojo Mountain Mix & White Chocolate Macadamia, Clif Z-Bar Chocolate Chip and Full Moon Brownie, Pure Cherry Cashew and Chocolate Brownie, Halo Nutty Marshmallow and Clif C Blueberry

Almond milk: I switched to soy last May, and I liked it for a while, but now I prefer almond. I still have soy milk every so often (the Silk seasonal kinds are SO good) but now I’m trying to buy almond more often. I really love the Pacific Naturals unsweetened vanilla, but the plain Whole Foods brand is also good. It lasts longer in the fridge than soy and has a nice, light nutty taste.

Pacific Naturals organic unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Rolled oats: Of course I have these! I probably have oats in some form every single day…well actually, I pretty much just eat them in overnight oats 😀 Unlike a lot of people, I prefer overnighters to cooked oats. But anyways, oats are incredibly versatile, easy to prepare and so healthy. I don’t even want to start to explain my overnight oats, so just check out my page devoted to them!

Carrot cake overnight oats

 Greek yogurt: Another “duh” if you read my bloggy regularly! Oikos is my one true Greek yo’ love, but sometimes I go off and have an affair with Fage mango guanabana or blueberry acai. Shhhhhh, don’t tell 😉

Oikos organic plain, Fage Total 0% blueberry acai, Oikos organic caramel

 Of course, there are many many more products I’ve (sadly) had to leave out ’cause I didn’t wanna bore y’all with it, but these are what I have most often and love the most!

What are your foodie staples?

WIAW: Randomness

Some weeks, I just don’t get around to taking pictures of all my meals for WIAW. Blame it on laziness busyness. I was running around like a crazy person this last weekend and I kinda forgot to snap some pics of all my food. Most of it was pretty boring (aka using up whatever I could find at home since there wasn’t much Ashley-friendly food) but with the stuff that was good, well…I was too busy having fun to really remember to get pictures.

So for this week’s WIAW, it’s pretty much some random food pics that I managed to take within the past couple of days, plus some non-food stuff (aka outfits and such). Oh, and a random survey. Just the way I roll. Random is good, peeps.

Early morning breakfast (hence why the lighting sucks). Coffee overnighters topped with PB Puffins. Probably my favorite overnight oats combo right now.

What was the last thing you bought? The necklace in the picture below. Not even kidding. I’ve been dying to buy the owl necklace since I first saw it and I finally had to cave and buy it online, since I never saw it once in any American Eagle store. Stupid shipping & handling, but it’s well worth it for this beauty.

This picture looks reallllllllly awkward. I was wearing a grey lace-front shirt so it's kinda see-through. But the owl really pops!

What’s the weirdest thing anyone’s ever asked you? If I’ve skipped a grade. IDK where that came from, especially since I didn’t know the person who said it. I guess I am small for my age, though. Someone thought I was a HS freshman when I was a senior. Ugh.

A GIANT date! Okay, so it doesn't look so big, but trust me, it was like almost the size of my palm!

A typical yogurt mess: plain Greek yogurt mixed with blueberry protein powder, topped with Bear Naked Fit triple berry granola. It's even better in a pink bowl.

Best Halloween costume? Oh gosh, I loved so many of them. I was a blue M&M once (funny story: a few years after I wore this costume, a guy in my class said he was going to be Eminem for Halloween, and I was so naïve that I said “What color?” since I thought he was talking about M&Ms. Silly child!), bride of Frankenstein and a pirate. Uh, yeah, I think that was my favorite, since I wore obnoxious boot covers with jangly coins on them. I like being loud.

Amazing froyo (when is it ever NOT amazing)? Irish mint swirled with Oreo froyos, topped with raspberries and strawberries. Bliss in a cup.

What are you wearing right now? Look at the picture below. That’s exactly it. A light yellow hoodless sweatshirt from Hollister (hand-me-down from the lil sis. Anyone find that weird?), khaki twill shorts from Hollister and got-wet-in-the-random-rainstorm tan mocs from American Eagle. This is what I consider casual.

I used to be scared to wear yellow. Silly me.I'm really into playing around with the color and saturation of photos. It's kinda an obsession now.

 

What is your favorite food that your mom makes? Definitely this really really good chile lime pasta (usually with shrimp). She totally came up with the recipe on her own, and it’s super simple but delish. It has roasted bell peppers, Williams Sonoma chile lime seasoning and it’s just downright amazing.

Green goodness: Late July green mojo chips (aka crack chips), spicy guac/Greek yogurt dip. It's easy being green.

Best concert? The best one I’ve actually been to would have to be Relient K. But my dream concert is Lady Gaga. Shocker, right? But I’m dying to dress up in one of her bizarre outfits without getting looked at like I’m cray cray.

Poor mocs. All wet from the freak rainstorm on my way back from classes.

Things you do for fun? Shopping. Tennis. Mountain biking. Modeling photo shoots. Texting (well, I mostly do this when I’m bored). Fashion magazine-reading. Blog-surfin’ on my iPod touch. All the stuff cool kids do, obvs.

My second-ever Halo bar! I liked this one almost as much as the S'mores kind. I think I love vegan marshmallows more than regular ones, especially when they're combined with peanuts and flax seeds...

 

Answer one (or many!) of the questions above!

WIAW: ABC’s of Food Survey

I haven’t done a survey in wayyyyyyy too long. Sad, because I love ’em. I’ve always loved taking quizzes (except in school…) and questionnaires, so foodie surveys are right up my alley. But just in time for another WIAW, I’ve got a survey to take, courtesy of Tori of Fresh Fruition. Let’s get to filling it out!

A new creation of mine: snickerdoodle cookie overnighters! Mixed with plenty 'o cinnamon, Truvia and topped with Annie's cinnamon bunny grahams.

[A] Apples or Oranges: I like both but I’ll have to go with apples. Especially Exclusively Pink Ladies. Oranges are great in the summertime, though.

[B] Beans or Lentils: I’ve only had lentils once or twice, so definitely beans, though I’d like to try lentils more often. My fave beans are hands-down black beans, but garbanzos are also muy delicioso.

[C] Cereal or Oatmeal: Gosh, I used to be such a cereal fiend but since this spring, I’ve been lovin’ on the oats almost daily (sometimes twice!). I love all the overnighters combos I’ve had and I think oats are the perfect palette for getting creative.

[D] Dates or Raisins: Before I discovered dates, I liked raisins a lot, but once I bit into the gooey golden goodness that is a Medjool date, I forgot all about raisins. Luckily, I recently rediscovered my love for raisins and I’ve been having a handful a day. But nothing can beat an almond butter-stuffed date!

I like to eat a lot of small things at every meal so I don't get bored. The usual spicy veggie sausage, frozen mango and peanut butter Puffins. I'm slightly addicted to these.

 [E] Eggs or Milk: Now that I’m mostly vegan, both are out. However, I’ve never ever liked eggs in anything. I do like nondairy milks, however, especially unsweetened chocolate soy milk and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Yum!

[F] French Toast or Waffles: Considering that I can’t ever remember eating French toast, I’ll go with waffles. I haven’t had one in a few weeks (that’s gonna change soon, hopefully!) but I love making my own or just chowing down on some toasted mini blueberry waffles.

[G] Garlic or Salt: Garlic. I’m pretty sensitive to saltiness so if something tastes a bit too salty, it ruins the whole dish for me. Garlic is amazing in all kinds of savory dishes, but it gives me horrible breath. Yikes!

I love salads at lunch, especially if they have a bit of crunch. Mixed greens salad topped with black beans, Greek yogurt/guac dip and multigrain chips. Raisins, frozen pineapple and mint chocolate roasted almonds on the side.

 [H] Honey or Maple Syrup: I’m starting to become addicted to maple syrup–the real stuff, of course! I’ve never been a huge fan of honey, except in Greek yogurt. Maple is amazing on oats, in yogurt, on waffles and toast…pretty much anything.

[I] Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt: Froyo all the way! I don’t go for heavy things like ice cream anymore, but give me some froyo any day. But if I really had to choose between all frozen desserts, my answer would obviously be gelato. It’s so much thicker and fluffier than ice cream, but healthier and not as filling.

[J] Jam or Toast: Since I’ve discovered Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread, I’ve been loving toast. Though some nice organic jelly can be good, too.

I painted my nails! The new trend is to paint only one nail in a different color, so I painted 9 of them silver and one hot pink!

 [K] Kale or Spinach: I’ve only had kale one time in a really good Asian salad from Whole Foods, and it was good, but spinach has my vote. It’s my green-of-choice for salads and smoothies (Green Monster, anyone?)

[L] Lemon or Lime: Unlike most people, I prefer lime. It’s so sour without being too much–I love it squeezed into fresh iced tea or drizzled on black beans.

Outfit of the day: charcoal grey cropped tee (American Eagle), dark brown leather woven belt (Abercrombie), distressed boyfit midi shorts (American Eagle), bangles and shell necklace (American Eagle). I used my new hair waver to create the "hippie" look I was going for today.

 [M] Muffins or Cupcakes: I absolutely hate frosting, so muffins it is! I love how muffins taste decadent but are usually pretty healthy–at least healthier than cupcakes!

[N] Nut Butter or Jelly: Nut butter! More specifically, crunchy almond butter. I love mine unadulterated, just almonds ground up. Though I would love to try the almond cashew peanut butter from Target…

[O] Onions or Peppers: As much as I love the taste of onions, I’ve gotta go with peppers because they don’t leave me with a terrible aftertaste for days. No joke. Grilled bell peppers are one of my favorite veggies.

[P] Peanuts or Almonds: Almonds, fo sho! I like peanuts when they’re cooked into an Asian dish, but otherwise, give me the almonds and no one gets hurt 😉

[Q] Quick or Yeast Bread: I have never made yeast bread before because it seems way too complicated for me so quick bread it is.

Peanut butter Puffins make yet another appearance, this time atop plain Greek yogurt mixed with a drizzle of maple syrup.

 [R] Raspberry or Blackberry: Definitely raspberry! I love those ruby bites of yumminess, but I actually like the golden variety even better.

[S] Sweet or Savory: Are you kidding me? I have such a sweet tooth it’s not even funny. I’ve gotta have something sweet at every meal, even dinner. In fact, give me breakfast for dinner and I’ll be happy.

[T] Tea or Coffee: I like both, but only in specific ways. Coffee–must be Starbucks (I know, I’m spoiled 😛 ), preferably in a skinny latte, light mocha frappuccino or straight-up iced. Tea–gotta be iced, sweetened with a packet of Truvia.

Dried fruit is my favorite thing to snack on! Freeze-dried strawberries, Medjool date and dried pineapple. All that's missing is raisins!

[U] Udon or Spaghetti Noodles: I don’t think I’ve ever had udon noodles, so I’ll say spaghetti but I really only like whole wheat or whole grain pasta. Spinach pasta is also so good.

[V] Vanilla or Chocolate: Chocolate! I usually only eat chocolate-flavored things instead of straight-up chocolate, but if I do eat it that way, it must be dark. I do love adding vanilla extract to my oats, though.

Dinner: Gardein veggie burger on wheat sandwich thin with a pickle tongue (!), baby carrots, sweet potato tater tots. These tots were new to me, and I loved em.

[W] Whole Wheat or White Bread: My mom has never bought white bread for sandwiches, not even when I was a kid, so I’ve always been eating wheat and liking it. My new favorite grain-filled bread is Ezekiel cinnamon raisin.

[X] Xanthan or Guar Gum: I’ve never used either one, though I’d really like to try some in my smoothies, so I can’t say I have a preference. I think xanthan sounds the coolest, though. Xanthan, xanthan, xanthan…

[Y] Yogurt or Pudding: Yogurt. Greek yogurt of course; my brand of choice is Oikos. I love all the flavors, especially chocolate, superfruits and peach mango. Plain is perfect in place of sour cream. I would love to try some soy pudding, though.

[Z] Zucchini or Cucumber: Cucumber, mostly because I’ve never had zucchini, but also because it’s amazing in Greek salads.

Oats twice in one day? Bring it on! This time, another new variety: tiramisu. Mocha overnighters topped with coffee-infused Greek yogurt.

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