day seven

7. A picture of you when you were little



I was cute.

day six

6. A Picture of what you ate today - This was breakfast.

Banana nut bread!

What you need:

3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)


What you do:
Preheat oven to 350.
Mash bananas together with oil.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Soda, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and walnuts. It will seem dry at first but just keep stirring and it'll come together.



Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.



I loved this recipe. It was simple. No eggs, no milk, no substitutes for either. Very little oil. Mother approved. Grandmother approved as well!

day five

5. A photo of your Tumblr Crushes

http://everythingharrypotter.tumblr.com/

day four.

4. A photo of your favorite musician/band

No surprises here, I was raised on Jimmy Buffett. I couldn't find a real video for this song but it is my favorite of his.

day three.

3. A picture that makes you smile

Dancing with Olivia. No place i'd rather be.

day two.

2. A picture of yourself a year ago

This was exactly one year ago. I had just made Kayla cut my bangs into the unfortunate shape you see below. The V bang. What was I thinking? I don't think my sisters will ever stop making fun of me. Anyway this was a nice day my uncles Chris and Kim came to visit with my Grandpa Lisle. I love my uncles very much and I hold a special place in my heart for each of them. I always know when my dad is talking to Chris on the phone because of the way he laughs. Their relationship is really tender.

Chris and I

Doin it.

Just saw this 30 day challenge on Says blog and thought I'd jump on the train too.

So here we go:
1. Your current facebook picture

Sarah took this picture one evening at my apartment with some friends. Elton sits on my shoulder like that every morning. He likes to walk around with me but doesn't usually do this when others are there. A bit shy I guess but he comes out to play for Sarah because she is their long lost mother.


2. A picture of yourself a year ago

3. A picture that makes you smile

4. A photo of your favorite musician/band

5. A photo of your Tumblr Crushes

6. A Picture of what you ate today

7. A picture of you when you were little

8. A picture with someone you love

9. A picture of you with friends

10. A picture of you with family

11. A picture that your hair looks nice in

12. A picture of you with pets

13. A picture of you hugging someone

14. A picture of you and your best friend

15. A picture of you today

16. A picture from the last time you went out of town

17. A picture of your favorite movie

18. A picture of a celebrity you find attractive

19. A picture that means a lot to you but not many people will understand

20. A picture of your favorite meme

21. A picture of your favorite video game

22. A picture of someone from your favorite sports team

23. A picture of your city

24. A picture of your desktop

25. A picture of the weather

26. A picture of you doing something physical

27. A picture of you with beautiful scenery

28. A picture of something you despise

29. A picture of something you miss

30. Anything!

I'm back

My oven has been out of commission for almost a month. When I noticed it was a definite fire hazard I stopped using it and called my landlord right away. He is usually very quick to fix any issues for me but 3 1/2 freaking weeks later I have my oven back. But its not my oven, its a new oven. Not a new new oven, I'm not that spoiled. But its new to me and clean and shiny and I can't wait to use it....



The question is... what do I bake first?

pumpkin oatmeal cookies?

risotto and roasted asparagus?

enchiladas?

sweet potato fries?

Infinite possibilities!!!

secret pleasure with dill

I don't know if anyone else would enjoy this sandwich type thing but I absolutely drool over it. Something about the dill and cream cheese combined with the refreshing crisp crunch of the cucumber just makes my mouth water.

What you need (for one serving. use common sense for more than one serving):

2 slices wheat bread of your choice, TOASTED

2 Tbsp tofutti better than cream cheese

1 heaping Tbsp fresh chopped dill or a good tsp. dried dill

1/2 cucumber sliced thin

salt to taste

What you do:

Toast bread

In small bowl combine cream cheese and dill and salt to taste.

Spread mixture on toasted bread. Top with sliced cucumber. Voila!

Easy as 123 and you'll be satisfied I assure you.

Red Lentil Delight

Every Sunday I drive out to my parents house to spend time with them. I try to use the time wisely for laundry and homework but most the time I end up eating and napping with Grandma. I have learned that unless I come prepared with something from my own pantry, my dinner wont be as satisfying. Not to say that my parents don't cook well, quite the opposite actually. They're the best cooks I know! Always whipping up tamales and Chile verde or a big pan of enchiladas. (we are way too gringo to eat this much Mexican food) The meals aren't exactly meatless though so I know I have to bring something for myself to compliment whatever they've got going on. Anyway, I brought red lentils. I wanted soup. It's still pretty chilly outside and I think rainy March weather is perfect for good hearty soups. I knew my mom would have everything else I needed so I got to work.


Red Lentil Soup

What you'll need:
1 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped (I used about 10 baby carrots)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 1/2 C red lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (optional)
1 tsp. "poultry" seasoning (I found this amazing seasoning at smiths and its basically just rubbed sage, thyme, rosemary)
salt and pepper to taste

What you'll do:

Heat olive oil in a good sized pot on medium high heat and add onion, carrot, and celery. Saute for about 5 minutes. I'm a firm believer that 90% of good soups should start this way. (mirepoix)


Add the rest of the ingredients. Lentils, broth, bay leaf, thyme, chili garlic sauce if using, "poultry" seasoning, salt and pepper.



Stir everything together, turn heat down to medium, cover with a lid and let it cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 or so minutes. Taste and season as you wish with more salt or pepper or any spices you see fit.

It magically turns into a creamy lentil delight. It is filling and good for you! It isn't the most attractive looking soup though...

Sorta looks like baby food?

Aren't my parents cute? Making gravy for their mashed potatoes. My dad is a gravy genius.

Tofu Scramble: My version

A recipe for this isn't really necessary. These are more like guidelines. I've been enjoying tofu scramble for a few years, long before I gave up eggs. It is a high protein, low fat, low cholesterol meal that you can pack full of veggies. Basically cook it up just like you would your scrambled eggs.

What you need:

1 tsp olive oil

1 package firm tofu, crumbled

1 clove garlic, diced
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 carrot, chopped

1 tsp turmeric (this turns it yellow like scrambled eggs)

soy sauce- few good squirts

salt and pepper to taste

Thats my friend bok choy hiding back there. I like to add a green to mine but its optional.

What you do:

Heat oil in good size skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic, jalapeno, carrot and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add crumbled tofu.
Add turmeric, salt and pepper and stir to combine everything.
Add soy sauce and let it all cook for about 5 minutes stirring here and there. This is the step where i'd also add any optional fast cooking veggies like mushrooms and spinach or bok choy or tomatoes.

The whole thing should take about 10 minutes from start to finish.

Pretty purple flowers from Lisa.

I enjoy mine on wheat toast usually with a few slices of avocado and tomato on top. A good hot sauce always spices things up too.