by | July 25, 2010 · 6:52 am

Junk Food Heals All!

     Today was a very rough day. Rough food, rough work, rough headache. I attempted to start the day off right with a Monsta, but alas, there was not enough spinach, so instead I went for another set of…

WAFFLES! Blueberry waffles with agave-maple syrup, and coffee!
     I got to work and wasn’t feeling too hot. Well, actually I was feeling very hot. The A/C at work has been broken for a few months and today, it was really getting to me. Excessive heat makes me feel dizzy and sick. Since I wasn’t at the top of my game, I decided comfort food would be a good choice for lunch. Unfortunately, comfort food = ridiculously unhealthy food. I went for what I was craving yesterday.
HORRIBLE! I had a single entree of orange chicken, which is basically deep-fried fat tossed in a sugary syrup. Awful for me, but it made me feel better.
     After lunch, I didn’t meet up with a friend who didn’t convince me to go get cookies. I didn’t stop at Mrs. Fields to get thirteen bite-size cookies, and didn’t get a variety that included chocolate chip, macadamia nut, oatmeal raisin and M&Ms. I didn’t finish the entire bag by the end of the day. I totally didn’t do any of that. That would be madness.
     The painkillers finally kicked in and the headache abated, just in time for me to head home. I decided not to break the unhealthy streak and dug into some leftover thai food that the roommates had ordered in.
Pad thai and pineapple fried rice. There was no pineapple left – that happens to be my roommate’s favorite part.
     Now, I’m resting comfortably while blogging, and I’ve started to dip my toes into my latest book Up in the Air by Walter Kirn. It’s a slow starter, but I have high hopes. After I’m finished, I’ll be (finally) renting the movie! I’m just a tad behind on all the movies that have been coming out. The last movie I saw in theaters was Avatar. Yeah, it’s pretty bad.
     I realized I forgot to include some pictures of my roommate’s hat from the races, and I have a few others to add on to add some color to this post. 
She titled this: “Avatar Upon My Head” – the flowers have battery-operated lights in them!
     I got a gift yesterday from my pops who was in Arizona last week.
Earrings! I’m obsessed with dangly earrings!
These are my favorites :). I wore them to work today so I could feel fancy while also headachy.
And to end the day…
An ocean camera blocked by a seagull butt. I found this when I was checking out the Del Mar ocean cam two days ago, and it has made my week.
I’m off to work again tomorrow – unfortunately becoming my Sunday tradition instead of church :(. Uncool. What Sunday traditions do you have?

4 Comments

Filed under Del Mar, earrings, hat, Panda Express, seagull butts, thai food, waffles

by | July 24, 2010 · 9:14 am

Arrogant Bastard Riding a Fat Tire!

     FRIDAY! I’m having the most amazing Friday night ever –  it involves homemade foods and brews. What else could a girl ask for? I’m such a homebody.

     The day started off early with me prepping for work. I was feeling extra lazy, so I decided not to make the Green Monster and have some frozen waffles instead.

Two of Trader Joe’s frozen blueberry waffles with agave-maple syrup and a HUGE mug of coffee!
     My roommate was blending up a Monsta for herself as I was headed out the door, watched as I longingly stared at the blender, and added some extra spinach for me. She put it into a to-go coffee mug with a straw sticking out, and I drove out to work, happy to be sipping away :). Roomie, you be amazing! No pictures, because I was driving, and that would just be unsafe.
     Work was very mundane. I read. A LOT! I read about 100 pages of my book before lunch. I headed out midday, prepared to try something different, but ended up getting the usual mini-spicy tuna roll with brown rice. I was planning an amazing meal of fried, syrupy, double-fried foods, but decided that my body would prefer something boring and healthy rather than artery-clogging.
     I got home, ready to enjoy my Friday night with some friends. We started with an old classic.
Fat Tire! This beer holds some amazing memories for me. Every sip is a link to my past :).
     I spent about an hour sipping and reading the last few chapters of my book: The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I am officially done! This book took longer than normal because I haven’t had enough free time, and now that I’m done, I’m very bummed. Does that ever happen to you – you feel really depressed because you’ve finished a book that made you feel like you were part of the story? This is an AMAZING book! It’s so well-written and riveting! I’ve been recommending this to everyone I know – including you! Tell me as soon as you’ve read it!
     Next came dinner! It was a Friday-Grill night! We started with the remains of the jalapeño-cheddar bread from Great Harvest.
Left: a mix of onions, zucchini, red bell pepper, olive oil, salt and pepper. Right: Jalapeño-cheddar bread brushed with olive oil.
     The bread was a success! Although, it’d be pretty difficult to ruin this, even if you burn it, as I have before. Personally, I think a little charcoal makes it taste more rustic.
Those jalapeños were put into the bread WHOLE. No seeds were removed! This bread is torture. Amazing, delicious, painful torture!
Those grilled veggies were placed on a whole-wheat pizza crust, which was topped with provolone cheese and fresh basil. Ridiculously healthy and ridiculously happy :).
     I tried out a beer that I had tried before, but didn’t really like. Arrogant Bastard – loved the name, hated the taste. However, with my newfound appreciation for beer, I decided to give it another go.
This beer is VERY fragrant – almost perfume-y. It has a floral scent, a clove flavor and a very BITTER aftertaste. I had my last sip half an hour ago and I’m still tasting the bitters. Blech. Not my cup of tea – or glass of beer. The bottle and cap make it a little better:
“You’re Not Worthy” – To see the bottle description, go here! It’ll make your day :).
     After dinner, we listened to some music and just enjoyed the peaceful night. This party will be ending early for me. I have to get some sleep so I can be awake and alert for another day at work – I need to refuel my bank account after the extended weekend hanging out with my cousin. I hope you have an amazing weekend!
Which part of Arrogant Bastard is your favorite? Mine is definitely a tie between “Do” and “Not”.

2 Comments

Filed under Arrogant Bastard, beer, Fat Tire, Friday, friends, grill, waffles

by | July 23, 2010 · 9:10 am

Back to Reality

     I am officially back! I had an amazing few days hanging with my cousin and having an extended vacation, but today sent me straight back to reality – work, Paciugo and sore feet.

     I woke up early this morning and had two massive cups of coffee, and reheated the rest of my amazing gnocchi dinner. I haven’t had a Green Monster since Tuesday morning! It’s awful! SAVE ME! I sped off to work full of carbohydrates and caffeine, ready to work!

     However, there was no work to be done. It’s very hard to work when everything is clean and there is nobody around. I wandered, visited See’s, and stared at the clock until I could finally escape for lunch.

Another mini-spicy tuna roll with brown rice? I need to expand my repertoire.
     I went to my couch and read my current book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett for forty minutes, and desperately tried to keep my eyes open. Doing nothing can be very, very tiring! I really recommend this book – I spent the whole day staring longingly at the book in my little cubby, wishing I could take it out to read.
     After lunch, I went with my friend, Michael to get some gelato and had a small with chocolate peanut butter, butter pecan and amaretto chocolate chip, and Michael had a small of apple pie. There is no picture because I couldn’t be bothered with waiting before I devoured it! 
     The day finally finished and I raced home to heat up some leftover pad thai for dinner. Pardon the picture – it tastes much better than it looks!
I LOVE THAI FOOD!!!
     After dinner, I went down to the train station to pick up my roommate who has been in San Diego at the opening day of races at Del Mar. Tomorrow I’ll post a picture of her hat that she made just for the occasion!
     That basically sums up my day. I was kind of lame with the pictures, so I’ll add some to the end of this so you don’t feel totally robbed… 
Magners with a view!
What is this? 
This be some crazy caveman stuff!
What is one food you could eat forever and be happy? Mine’s a tie between thai/indian/sushi/anything edible…

3 Comments

Filed under cassette, Del Mar, gelato, Paciugo, pad thai, sushi, train station, VHS, work

by | July 22, 2010 · 5:59 am

Picture Apology!

     It’s been a long, long time, I know. My cousin came over to hang out on Sunday and one day turned into four. Instead of detailing every single second, here’s a few of my favorite pictures from the past few days :).

Andria’s!
Trying to squeeze into the cave meant for kids at the aquarium.
Mummy mermaid at “Pirate Days” in Ventura Harbor.
Arrrrgh, a pirate show!
We followed the clues around for fifteen minutes trying to find a special treasure chest. Plenty of time on our hands :).
We stopped by Dargan’s for some bread pudding since we were in the area.
Sunday night was a hot one! It called for a night out back.
Reconstructing the dinner party from on set.
Artsy shot of the candles with the city in the background.
We took a hike to the waterfall on Monday.
Views of the river.
Breakfast in Carpinteria at The Worker Bee Cafe in Carpinteria.
And finally…

the amazing gnocchi dinner we made last night. Gnocchi and grilled veggies tossed in vodka sauce, and a thick slice of grilled jalapeno-cheddar cheese bread from Great Harvest Bread Company. This was my first time grilling bread – I definitely recommend it!
     I apologize for being away so long, but let’s hope that the pictures make up for it. I’ll get back on track tomorrey when I’m back from work. 
What’s your most recent “fancy” meal you made?

2 Comments

Filed under Andria's Seafood, Bread pudding, Dargan's, gnocchi, Ventura

by | July 18, 2010 · 5:55 am

On Set: Day Two!

     Here’s what today consisted of: Monster, work, granola bar, work, Subway, work, home, leftovers.

     Now that we’re over the boring part, let’s just pretend today didn’t happen. I’m gonna tell you about yesterday, my second and final day on set!

     Started the day off with, of course, a Monster.

My roommate made this GM: 3 cups of spinach, 1/2 a banana, 3/4 a cup of unsweetened soymilk, a crapload of frozen cherries and lemon juice. Thanks, roomie!
     We were filming in Pacific Palisades yesterday, and had to park on the ocean. It was rough sitting there waiting for the shuttle to come get me as the waves crashed on the shore and the salty breeze whispered through my hair. Poetic, no?
     When I got to location, I had to take pictures. This house was beautiful, and the view was even better.
The back of the house with Mr. Director.
View of the trail that leads to the ocean.
      I got hungry, as I do every few minutes, and the craft service table was hollering at me. I grabbed a hot cup of coffee (It was a nice chilly 65F when I got to set), and a big piece of buttery, sweet blueberry pound cake. 
No idea why the time-code showed up. I’m not totally saavy with the camera yet…
     My co-star Matt finally arrived in the shuttle and Mr. Director walked us through our first scene, then we were sent off to wardrobe and makeup.
Getting my makeup done makes me hungry.
When kissing scenes are involved, I make the guys WISP!
     We shot a few scenes that took about 4 hours including all the wardrobe changes – SO MANY WARDROBE CHANGES, then went to my favorite part of the day: LUNCH!
I love catering! I had a burger made with sundried tomatoes and bleu cheese, a big salad with a drizzle of french dressing, and two 4-cheese raviolis. HAPPY!
     After lunch came more makeup. My poor face. The lovely makeup artist had some fun with wardrobe.
Beautiful, dahling!
     The sun had finally set so we were able to move on to the most important scene.
Whaaaaa? What is this???
     Some scenes were filmed, drama occurred, and I got to get some cool shots of the set that the art department did an AMAZING job designing!
This is how I want my dinner parties to be! LOVE candles! And fake wine :).
     I took some pictures from the balcony to get some of the action. I had to use manual mode so the flash wouldn’t go off and destroy the scene, that’s why it’s blurry.
Cameraman and Mr. D with the monitor.
     We wrapped the day around 10:45pm. That would be a 12 hour shoot, folks. I was in heaven! I wish it hadn’t been my final day. I could do this forever! Love love love love love it! Love the exhaustion, love the pain, love the friendships that are created so quickly, LOVE IT! All my teetering on the fence is over. Acting is definitely my main passion, but I feel like I’m finally able to balance it with everything else in my life. I’m a happy girl!
     I had a beautiful, but long, late night drive up the PCH and got to see the moonset. Anyone ever seen a moonset? Me neither until yesterday, but it was awesome! The red crescent kept getting lower and lower until it disappeared into the ocean. The air was scented with salt and campfire, and the upbeat CD that my DJ friend gave me kept me alert and awake. When I got home, I showered off all the makeup and hairspray that had accumulated throughout the day, and CRASHED.
     This show will be airing mid-August. Once I get the official date and time, and I’m finally allowed to tell you what the project is, you’ll be the first to know. I’m going to go sit out back and enjoy my freedom and the sweet summer air for now. 
Wonderful day to be alive :).

6 Comments

Filed under Acting, bride, catering, director, granola, green monster, love, wine

by | July 16, 2010 · 9:30 am

On Set: Day One!

     I take it back about yesterday being unbearably hot. I mean, it was hot, but today took the cake! Where we filmed in LA, temperatures got up to 105F! Speaking of cake, here’s a picture of my monster – it’s been a long day, don’t ask about my cake reference.

A sunrise monster! This has 3 cups of spinach, 3/4 a cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1/8 a cup of frozen berries, 1/2 a banana and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Perfect to sip at 6:30am when the temperature is already 81F outside. Summer is officially here!
     My roommate went out for breakfast with some friends from church, and he brought me back his leftovers!
Now THIS is a breakfast burrito! Eggs, refried beans, pico de gallo, cheese, sausage and marinated potatoes in a delicate flour tortilla. It’s from a local restaurant, so each one is lovingly made, not mass-produced.
     Traffic was looking sketchy, so I headed out around 8:30am to get to set. I wasn’t supposed to be there until 10am, so I figured I’d get there with about half an hour to spare, which keeps me calm and gives me time to make sure I have everything I need. Today, I was LATE! I hate being late! I got lost and had to backtrack to find my way to location and got there ten minutes late. I know it’s only ten minutes, but I pride myself in always being to places on time or early. 
     Location was in a beautiful house in the middle of Hollywood Hills. There was a side-view of the Hollywood sign that I tried to get, but all pictures failed. When I got inside, they still had six scenes to get through before I even started! Turns out those ten minutes REALLY didn’t matter! I didn’t mind at all. There was air conditioning, and I’d brought my book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and was able to read a few chapters before they brought me in for makeup and wardrobe.
The makeup table that has EVERYTHING you could ever need!
So many clothes!
     I only had half a cup of coffee before I had to get on the road, and all the coffee on set was lukewarm, so I improvised.
Ice, lukewarm coffee, raw sugar and Silk creamer! Magic! Other crew members followed my lead and soon iced coffee was flowing like water.
     I also had a wide variety of snacks to choose from at the craft service table.
Cookies, chips, sweet bread, Chex mix…
Nothing exciting, but it was the healthiest choice there.
     We broke for lunch around noon, and I loaded up my plate with the delicious catering.
Salad, grilled chicken, creamy polenta with spinach, ricotta and parmesan, a slice of pineapple and a slice of watermelon. There’s nothing like ice cold watermelon on a hot day! All of us actors sat around and enjoyed the view, and realized how small Hollywood is: Heather and I both competed in a Massify competition, we both lived in Boulder, CO and know a bunch of the same people. This city is SMALL!
     Matt, my costar in the show, and I had two hours after lunch until we finally were called to set. Hair was straightened, makeup was touched up, and we tried our hardest not to drip sweat. I’m gonna keep saying it – It was so hot! We had 16 scenes to get through in five hours. Dough was smeared, magazines were chopped, clouds were gazed at and parties were thrown! That’s all I can say :).
     After about a million wardrobe changes, we were finally released. I fought traffic all the way home, and was greeted with a home-cooked dinner (reheated).
This is some pesto chicken from Trader Joe’s (I find that their pre-marinated chicken tends to be ridiculously salty), and a bunch of bell peppers, eggplant, onions and zucchini grilled on our new mesh grill pan. Grilling really brings out a lovely smoky flavor! My roommate said he could go vegan if all veggies tasted like that, and that’s saying a lot! He loves his steaks and tri-tip.
     I’m going to go crash now since I’ve been up since 6am. Call-time tomorrow is 10:30am, so I get to have a full cup of coffee before I head out to set. Stay tuned for day two on set!
Tardiness (on my part) is my pet peeve – what’s yours?

4 Comments

Filed under Acting, breakfast burrito, filming, green monster, Hollywood, makeup, polenta, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, wardrobe

by | July 15, 2010 · 9:01 am

A Day at the Harbor!

     Wheweee! Today was hotter than the underarm of the devil. Lucky for me, I’d planned a day on the coast in Ventura where the temperature stayed around 75-80F. To begin, I woke up super early and had a big ole GM.

Not sure what exactly was in this because the roommate made it, but it was a good one!
     Around 10am, I headed out with my new friend, the Irishman, and some crazy peeps (now known as the CPs) to the Ventura Harbor.
To introduce him to California, we took him to the funny hat store. I think this one suits him.
     I had to twist a couple of arms to get everyone away from the hat store (It IS quite amazing), and finally landed a seat at the wonderful, famous ANDRIA’S SEAFOOD!
If you’re ever in Ventura, you MUST visit this place – and invite me to join you! They have the best fish ‘n chips in Southern California. I split a single order with two of the CPs. I hogged all the greasiest pieces. It was magic.
     There just happens to be an arcade in Ventura Harbor, so we all loaded up on tokens and went to town!  The CPs played skeeball and foosball, I kicked the Irishman’s butt in air hockey (a tie means I win, okay?) and he kicked mine in a car-racing game. My car was broken. The steering wheel was messed up. The seat wouldn’t lock into place. The gas pedal stuck. I got distracted by the smell of more food – that’s why I crashed my car and rolled it several times! The Irishman was kind enough to let me know that I would not be driving the REAL car back home after that fiery mess on the game screen. He’s still trying to getting used to driving on the right side of the road, but doesn’t trust ME to drive? Rawr.
     What came next, you ask? Only the second best food located in the harbor:
This is a single with half cappuccino crunch and half chocolate brownie. A single = two scoops. Yet another reason to love Coastal Cone!
     We all walked in the lovely sunshine (Me loving sunshine? Who am I???) and meandered down the docks to look at all the boats. Half an hour was spent on a miniature floating dock jumping up and down and rocking it back and forth trying to make each other fall. We’re mature like that. After the sugar buzz wore off and the group started getting a little grumpy, we headed back.
     I was completely wiped out from the sun (Pretty sure I sunburned my eyes somehow…) and excitement, but I had to make a few phone calls and get scheduling and location info for a low-budget shoot I have tomorrow. That amazing audition I had last Tuesday? Yeah, I booked it :). Two days of filming = Happy me! I’ve got a crapload of sides to work on tonight and even more laundry to do so I can pack up a little wardrobe to take. Call-time is 10am – yessss for sleeping in!
     Dinner was a lovely Banana Jaffle: a recipe my dad found when he and my mom lived in Indonesia. It’s very complicated, so pay attention!
Banana Jaffle:
2 slices of whole wheat bread
1 banana
2 tbsp of salted butter, divided
1. Slice the banana into 1/2 inch segments, then liberally stack them onto one slice of bread. 
2. Cover with the other piece of bread.
3. Melt 1 tbsp of salted butter in a pan over medium heat.
4. Put the Jaffle in the melted butter.
5. Let it sizzle for about 5 minutes, checking the underside every minute to make sure it doesn’t burn.
6. Once brown, carefully lift the Jaffle out of the pan.
7. Add the other 1 tbsp of salted butter to the pan.
8. Once it’s melted, put the Jaffle in the pan with the uncooked side down.
9. Let it sizzle until brown.
10. DEVOUR.
TIP: Cooking it over a lower heat for a longer period of time makes the bananas inside steam and soften and practically melt. So good!
     I told you, it’s a tough one. It’s imperative that you use salted butter! If there’s no salt, then the sweetness of the slow-cooked banana can’t explode in your mouth and carry you to a heavenly paradise. I had a few extra banana slices left over, so once I flipped the Jaffle, I threw those into the pan and let them caramelize.
Love on a plate.
Another view: Caramelization!
     Dinner was supplemented with Magners!
I love that BevMo! carries 12oz. bottles of Magners now! I also love that the woman at checkout told me I wasn’t old enough to carry them out of the store :).
     After dinner, I downloaded my callsheet and sides and took them outside to read whilst enjoying the warm evening that was FINALLY cooling down. There’s nothing like sitting out back on a warm night, sipping an icy Magners and watching the sunset creep through the canyon. Happy sigh.
I am a blessed, thankful girl. It was a great day.
Are there any heirloom recipes that have been passed down through your family? My family has DOZENS, if not a hundred!

4 Comments

Filed under Andria's Seafood, boats, Fish n chips, green monster, Harbor, ice cream, Magners, Ventura

by | July 14, 2010 · 8:55 am

Last Class!

     Today, a Tuesday in LA, I ate real food! Shocker, I know!

First, I had coffee with my new peppermint mocha non-dairy creamer. FAIL! It tasted okay, but kind of chemically, then when I looked at the ingredients, I found there isn’t a single natural ingredient except for  water. This’ll be going back to the store tomorrow.
Breakfast was powerful! 3.5 cups of spinach, 2/3 cups of unsweetened soymilk, 1/3 a banana, 1/8 a cup of frozen berries and the juice of 2 small lemons.
     I toasted up a slice of my fresh bread and covered it with my new chimichurri sauce!
This tasted like a freshly cut lawn. I don’t know why it always turns out like this. The stuff I buy pre-made from the farmers’ market tastes amazing! I’ll try tweaking my recipe. Any tips to make it taste not-so-fresh-from-the-yard?
     It was a slow drive into the city. Luckily, I had the new Sky Sailing album to cruise along to: such a lovely album. Very relaxing and nostalgic. Go listen to “Brielle” as soon as you can! On the way in, I got hungry so I ate the single banana I’d brought with.
Banana. Exciting.
     Today was my last class for awhile. I’m trying to buffer my bank account, so my class is one of the first to be cut :(. Sadness. It was a great note to end on – adjustment day. We get a scene, perform it in front of the class, then get an adjustment (first half irritated, second half impatient, on this line, throw the paper down, on this line cross to the couch and sit, etc.) and apply it. It’s incredible to see how many actors can’t take direction. It’s much easier to work with someone who’s open to suggestion and able to handle surprises on the fly. After class, I got tons of good-bye hugs and well-wishes, and I was pretty bummed to walk away. Sniff.
     I got to interning around 4pm and had to fill out some booking info for clients. It was a busy day on the submission front and I was go-go-going! My boss wonderfully made me a ham and cheese sandwich when she found out I don’t eat on Tuesdays if I don’t have time to stop by the store, and I inhaled it!
Ham and swiss on wheat with a little mayo. Yum! Thanks, Terry!
     The drive home sucked massively, but when I got back, my roommate had made me a big KSS!
Lots of chopped lettuce, diced bell peppers, sauteed zucchini, warmed lentils and egg white salad with homemade dressing. I’m so spoiled!
I also had a glass of pear cider that I forgot to take a picture of. Take my word, it was delicious.
Dessert was another slice of bread toasted and drizzled with honey.
     I’m getting dozy and watching That 70’s Show, so since I have nothing profound to say, I’ll leave you be :). Good night!
What are some bands that you’re obsessed with? Owl City/Sky Sailing has my obsession over the last year!

4 Comments

Filed under Class, coffee, green monster, honey, kitchen sink salad, Los Angeles, sammich

by | July 13, 2010 · 8:24 am

Lovin’ the Carbs!

     Good evening! I am completely wiped out from a busy day, so let’s get through this before I pass out! The morning monster was huuuuuuge!

Okay, so it doesn’t look any bigger than normal, but this GM had the most spinach ever included! There was probably about 3.5-4 cups in this. Lovely!
     My roommate and I jumped on the trails around 9:30am and headed down our recently discovered trail. We got to the bridge where we usually turn around, but decided to keep walking and see where we ended up. I don’t know where we were. It was awesome.
We were so busy chatting and enjoying the views, that by the time we turned around, we’d added an extra half hour to the hike. 90 minutes of hiking? Sweet!
     When we got back, I refueled with another mug of coffee, and an indian-spiced KSS.
This had 1/3 a bag of chopped baby greens, 1/2 a chopped bell pepper, 1/2 a cup of warmed lentils, and some of last night’s indian-spiced chicken and vegetables reheated and thrown on top. This was so good! The chicken was still incredibly salty, but when it was combined with a plethora of veggies, it fit right in!
     I ran out to the library to pick up a couple of books that had finally come in: Up in the Air by Walter Kirn, and The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Finally I have something easy to read! I love all the beer brewing books and mountain biking books, but sometimes it’s nice just to get drawn into a story and get lost in the book. I’ll be reading The Help first, because that one is a two week loan.
     The Great Harvest Bread Company was next! I stopped in for a free slice of pumpkin-seed bread and bought another loaf of the 9 Grain bread. I’ll be throwing most of it in the freezer since I didn’t get through the last loaf. I made another batch of Chimichurri sauce to spread on top of my new bread :).
I used actual oregano, instead of marjoram like last time (The vendor at the farmers’ market gave me the wrong bunch last time, but the marjoram still worked!).
I love food processors!
I re-used the bottle from the farmers’ market that I based my recipe off of. It fit perfectly and is now chilling in the fridge.
     I pored through the Veganomicon cookbook for awhile trying to find something to make for dinner, but instead opted to go out to The Natural Cafe with my roommate, who was treating.
I got the Local Favorite – my usual. I told myself I would try something new. I knew I was lying…
My roommate got the albacore sandwich and was done with the entire thing before I’d finished my first half. He had to sit patiently while I scraped up every last crumb.
     Since he treated to dinner, I offered up dessert.
Of course we went to Paciugo! Where else would we go? I got a small with peanut butter caramel, chocolate turtle cheesecake and amaretto chocolate chip. The roommate got chocolate. Just chocolate. At a place that has 20 different flavor options. Seriously.
     There happened to be a Vitamix blender on display at Williams-Sonoma, so we dropped by and got a demonstration of the terrifying sound it makes when turned onto high speed. I’ve been obsessing over these for months now and researching everything about them. I WANT ONE!
     It’s now 9pm and we’re still uncomfortably stuffed. Since I can’t fit anymore food into my stomach, I’m going to head over to the Vitamix website and mentally drool a little. 
Are there any amazing books that you’ve read recently?

4 Comments

Filed under gelato, green monster, hike, kitchen sink salad, Natural Cafe, Paciugo, Vitamix

by | July 12, 2010 · 8:22 am

Surprise Training!

     Hello all! I hope you had an amazing Sunday! I had to work, but it was actually a really good day, overall! It helped to start with this:

This baby had 3 cups of spinach, 3/4 a cup of unsweetened soymilk, 1/3 a cup of frozen cherries, 1/2 a banana and lemon juice!
     I missed my Monsta! I had a full shift at work today, so after a lovely Monsta and cup of coffee, I headed out. When I got inside, I was surprised to find that I had four hours of training today. That would’ve been good to know before I’d arrived, but I can deal! The most important change that the training brought around: TWO LUNCHES!!!
     First lunch was…
Subway! I had a 6-inch on wheat with turkey, roast beef, pepperjack cheese, spinach, cucumber, tomato, green peppers, a little mayo and mustard. And a few chapters of my newest bike book!
     Training was not as painful as I was expecting! It was very interactive and basically involved lots of girls chatting and throwing around ideas. The time didn’t drag, and at the end of it, I got to have my second lunch!
GELATO! I got a small with peanut butter cookies, mint chocolate chip and amaretto chocolate chip. I LOVE TRAINING DAYS!!!
     The rest of work was interesting – we got two counterfeit $100 bills that somehow slipped by unnoticed (if I hadn’t been in training, this wouldn’t have happened :P) : people can be really clever/awful nowadays. Acid-washing bills is common now??? 
     I came home to an awesome dinner that the roommates had made – Indian-spiced chicken tenders and grilled vegetables.
This was delicious! The chicken was pre-marinated from Trader Joe’s and very salty, but no salt was involved in the veggies, so it balanced out.
And a Stockyard! This is a cheaper-priced, better quality beer than New Belgium’s 1554. I’ll be repeating this one, for sure!
     Well, that’s all the pictures I’ve got for you, folks! Nice and easy, eh? I’m currently watching ‘New Moon’ (which I own, as well as Twilight – I saw Twilight in theatres and hated it, and as soon as it came out on DVD, I bought it. I told you I was weird!) while sipping the remains of my beer and trying to plan out a productive day tomorrow. I’ll leave you now with the question of the day:
What do you most look forward to in your week?

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Filed under beer, green monster, grilled vegetables, Indian-spiced chicken, Paciugo, Stockyard, Subway, work