Day #5 being by a pool was more important than food

Today is going to be the most boring day so far.  I was too hungry and too excited to get out into the sunshine to care about pictures!

I told myself I could have bread on the weekends so today I ate a day old croissant at work.  It may not sound like anything special, but toasted up that thing is like a crispy bite of heaven.  It got my through the morning.

Then I made what has been my favorite breakfast/brunch so far.  It may not look like much but the flavors were killer!  I loved it.  So much I ate it for dinner too.  It's the never ending meal.

It was simple enough.  But the flavors were on point.

Brunch: sauté onions in olive oil till they're translucent and floppy.  Then add cauliflower flourets.  Cook for a bit.  I threw in some frozen peas.  I love peas.  They are like pops of freshness. Then add mushrooms.  I cooked everything on medium/high- there was a bit of sizzle.  Oh and I had some leftover cooked, plain quinoa so I tossed that in too.

So here is where it gets delicious.  I added: a splash of balsamic vinegar, lemon pepper, salt, dried oregano, dried thyme and then.... fresh rosemary and fresh oregano.  Amazing!  My mouth was so pleased with me.

Apparently I eat everything with eggs. They are easy and a good source of protein and from a farm I feel good about supporting.  Viva la egg.

Everything in the bowl was topped with fresh parsley, dill and more oregano.  Heaven.

It was in the 80s today.  Also heaven.  Shorts and sunblock are a go.

Dinner was leftovers. Plus beer.

I threw in a random palm tree sky and the sunset for good measure!

Sincerely yours,

Larina

Day #4

Today I realized how much of my diet has been centered around convenience.  How easy is it to stop and pick something up!  Only day #4 of no eating out and I am already feeling it.

Howerver, today I also realized that all of my meals have been quick and tasty and I have honestly enjoyed the process of being creative.  Nothing has been too difficult or has been a drastic change in my life.  I feel healthier and more engaged in my diet.  Once these 40 days are over I really don't feel like I have any excuse.

I am proud of this challenge.

Today consisted of a Peanut Butter Banana smoothie in the middle of the morning rush at the coffee shop.  No picture but I put some cinnamon in it and some of that blueberry simple syrup and made it with a milk that is a blend of almond, hazelnut and cashew- it was delicious and got me through the morning.

Lunch was a taco salad with sautéed mushrooms, a bunch of fresh veggies, an entire avocado and a creamy lime cilantro dressing.  I also made some crispy tortilla strips with some tortillas I had laying around. I recommend this salad served poolside on a beautiful 85 degree SoCal Saturday. It tastes better. Trust me.

Salad: sweet peppers, jalepeno, the little baby tomatoes, romaine, corn, cilantro, avocado

Sort-of-Like-Taco-Meat-But-Better Mushrooms: lightly sautéed with smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper

Ovenmade chip strips: corn tortillas, olive oil, paprika, cumin, basil salt, pepper

Creamy Cilantro dressing: vegannaise, cilantro, juice of one lime, a lil bit of EVOO, garlic powder, salt and peper.

I have been totally impressed with how awesome vegannaise dressings are.  It goes really well with citrus and since it isn't really mayonnaise it doesn't curdle at all.  This salad (and my mouth) loved the citrus.  I wished I had another lime. You could make this creamy and green by throwing it in the blender and I am sure it would be delicious, but I was way to hungry for all that! And it was good.

Dinner is leftovers.  Orzo still.

Sincerely yours,

Larina

Day #3 day off with an impromptu picnic dazzling delight

Today:

• there was Sunshine Oatmeal Protein Extravaganza Roommate Breakfast.  
• then there was Impromptu Roasted Farmer's Market Vegetable Picnic Lunch with Beautiful Friendship Wonderfulness. 
• and there was also a Tassia: The Juicy Lady Jazzy Juice.

Oatmeal: almond butter, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, almond slivers, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, love and topped with farmer's market berry medley delight

Roasted beets, onion, brussel sprouts & carrots: olive oil, curry powder, garlic salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, dried thyme, pepper and lemon juice, fresh rosemary

Roasted cauliflower steaks: salt, pepper, dried oregano, lemon juice, and maybe other stuff I don't remember.  The trick with the cauliflower steak was adding a lot of olive oil so that there was a lot of sizzle happening in the oven and they crisped and got brown and delicious on the bottom!

Everything roasted at 400 degrees until it looks done crispy and delicious.

There was also a fresh oregano and parsley lemon cream sauce which was a huge addition to the roasted vegetables and quinoa! I chopped up the fresh herbs and added about two-ish table spoons of veganaise, a half a small lemon juice and salt and pepper- it added a lot to the plate

Juice: oranges, carrots, ginger, mint, sexy sauce

There was also sunshine and happiness.

Sincerely yours,
Larina

Day #2

Today I was looking for a super quick meal because I came home from my shift at the coffee shop starving and with little patience for some slow cookin'.  I bought a beautiful bundle of broccoli rabe at the farmer's market the other day and was looking at different recipes to prepare it.  I came across a super quick and easy crispy broccoli rabe recipe.  The recipe calls for broiling the broccoli rabe with some garbanzo beans and spices and lemon juice.  I had a can of organic Great Northern Beans in the pantry so I pulled em out and gave it a go.

I put the beans and rapini (rapini=broccoli rabe) on a cooking sheet with tons of salt, lemon pepper, dried thyme and lemon juice.  I cooked it for about four minutes then flipped everything and continued cooking on broil for another four minutes.  I was really happy with how it all turned out.  Delicious!  I topped my dish with a fried egg and was totally satisfied.  Also, I adore fresh herbs. If every meal I ever ate was full of fresh, flavorful, sexy herbs I would be a happy girl.  Today oregano, parsley, dill and some rosemary graced my meal. (I ate two of those bowls- don't be fooled!)

The best part: this meal took about 10 minutes!  It felt pretty sophisticated for only a 10 minute meal.

This morning I had leftover chia pudding for breakfast at work.  I love that the chia seeds look so bizarre and are kind of slimy.  I totally enjoy it! I also gulped down a freshly squeezed lemonade with some blueberry simple syrup I made yesterday!  I did the standard 1:1 sugar to water ratio but also brought a basket of blue berries, the juice of half a lemon and some mint leaves to a boil in the sugar/water mixture.  Let cool and strain it out.  Lovely!  The color is quite deep and gorgeous. And I ate the warm, sugar soaked, sweet, sweet blueberries with some pudding last night for desert!

Leftovers for dinner at school again.  Leftovers make life easy.  I am grateful for them.

Oh, and Alfi had an egg too! 

and apparently he has no eyes

Sincerely yours,

Larina

Day # 1 those who seek beauty will find it

     This is my 10th year incorporating the practice of lent into my life.  I did not grow up Catholic nor do I identify with any religious institution.  I simply find the act of letting go of the unnecessities of life incredibly beautiful.  Every year I love to take time to choose that certain something that I should give up.  It's usually the thing that I think of and then immediately think, "No! There's no way I could give that up and I don't think I really need to and blah blah blah. . . ."  I have found the more excuses I make to not give something up- the more I probably should.

Past lents include 40 days of:

• A social media cleanse
• A vegan diet
• A no makeup cleanse
• A no potato chips and beer fiesta (I was 21. . . it was a big deal)

    And so, this year I have chosen a homemade lent.  No eating out, no restaurants, no picking up a burrito, no pho from Number Nine.  Only food I make myself.  I am allowing myself bread on the weekends, as a treat.  And I am not going to be too crazy about having to make my own Veganaise, almond milk, etc.  Also, this blog is part of lent.  I begin this lent with the intention to embrace the beauty of making food and nourishing my body.  Lents shouldn't be sad and miserable.  I mean, it might sound like it, sure.  "Why would I want to give up things that I love?  Why hold out on myself?"  Choosing to enjoy this process is what makes it beautiful.

Join me for 40 days of beautifully prepared fresh foods.  Join me in my pursuit of eating with awareness and intention.  Join me for 40 days of searching for beauty in the ordinary, every day act of eating.

“You only lose what you cling to.” 

― Gautama Buddha

Day 1: Breakfast

Luckily for me, our neighborhood farmer's market was in the park yesterday.  So I am fully stocked with gorgeous fresh herbs and berries and, the sweetest, most delicious eggs!  I bought a dozen eggs for $4 yesterday from Kepner Farms and they were perfect and beautiful and heavenly.

Chia Seed Pudding:
     I looked up the most standard recipe then added my own touch to it: homemade vanilla extract (a precious gift from a friend), cinnamon, maple syrup, some fresh mint leaves and topped with juicy berries.  Everyone made fun of my pudding because it looks like a bunch of fish eyes, but it tasted amazing!  And I have plenty left for later.  I am thinking leftovers will be my saving grace for the next 40 days.

Some leftover quinoa, a masterfully fried egg (you can't always be humble), an avocado.  Easy peasy.

And, today I also experimented with some simple syrups to mix with coffee.  I used a Handsome Coffee Roasters Peru cold brew made by the adorable #PopUpCoffeeShopLB and mixed it with my freshly made rosemary, vanilla, maple simple syrup- unbelievable!  Can't wait to experiment with more simple syrup/cold brew spring inspired drinks!

The rest of day one will include leftovers eaten at massage school.  I made a huge Italian type veggie orzo stew thing that I will be eating at class tonight.  And probably some more pudding.

Not the most beautiful looking mess ever, but you get the point.  Super easy meal full of kale, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, roasted sweet potatoes, carrots and onions in a tomato sauce.  Good comfort food.


Here we go!

Sincerely yours, 

Larina