summer's passing so quicklyyyyyy!

i got two bags of grapes the last time we were at the grocery store b/c i cannot stop eating them! they're so plump and sweet.



when i was younger, my family would go to our local bike path [which used to be a train track] && pick ice cream buckets full of black raspberries. it's one of my favorite memories. i've been back twice within the last week or so. this is one batch.


we froze some which i will use in smoothies after awhile. i eat them plain. and i have been concocting various recipes. this one is simply toast with some orange jelly and a pile of raspberries.


and this one looks completely disgusting and could have been photographed better if i had waited to put the black raspberry vinaigrette on it. anyway, this probably sounds revolting, but the stir fry i made has broccoli, onion, cauliflower, and jalapeno peppers in it. the sauce is lemon juice, onion salt, 1 clove garlic, a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette and white wine vinegar with a couple handfuls of berries all mixed up in the food processor. it was really yummy, except the seeds are somewhat difficult to eat.


i love edamamme [not sure if i spelled that right?]. LOVE IT. like, i am addicted. i started eating it on salads at ruby tuesdays and then decided i needed to buy some at the store. so i did. and i ate two bags of it within 2 days. i could eat it everyday for the rest of my life.

a veryyy outdoor-sy post!

these are my dad's three gardens. it's hard to capture them all in one--they are too big in my opinion.




the ingredients for this salad [except for the dressing && pickles] comes from the above pictured garden...

as do the sugar snap peas. there are so many, i am getting quite sick of them. this cookie recipe i got off a random internet search. it's amaZing! i think i'm going to use the base and adapt them to my mom's sugar&spice cookies, b/c those are what i've really been wanting. the cookies && this fruit were for a picnic i went on. we sat along the rock river and fed the ducks popcorn and parts of our pb&j sandwiches. it was great! i had so much fun. some v-8 low sodium juice for my day in the sunshine--not very good. i prefer the extra sodium to be truthful.

apples && puffed red wheat. those apples were to die for! and finally, a little treat of rice cake, fresh pineapple, and shredded coconut. topped with a drizzle of hershey's syrup.


YUM!

my brother's birthday is next week, but he was home this week so my mom made strawberry pie for him. it's vegan!


i enjoyed a nice sliver of this guy. it's just sliced strawberries with a glaze she buys at the store and a graham cracker crust.


i love how simple it is, yet how delicious!


this is my own version of chipotle's cilantro-lime rice. it's made with brown rice, cilantro, the juice from 2 limes, onion, two cloves garlic, and i added mushrooms.



i top it with a dash of balsamic vinegaratte and it's perfect.


the last of my dad's asparagus is in this dish. i am so, so incredibly sad to see the end of it. it was so good and simple. :(


my breakfasts have revolved around banana and pumpkin butter for awhile. i really, really like rice cakes--i feel weird saying that, but i really do.


this is just two rice cakes with pumpkin butter and a banana sliced and split between the two cakes.

a few quick treats

gala apples w. pumpkin butter [the edward's orchard kind]. i happily finished the last of the pumpkin butter from the farmer's market. it just didn't compare to the kind from our local apple orchard in poplar grove.


this little concoction was made on accident really. i used too much garlic and cilantro in the guac i was making so i had to add more ingredients for a nice balance. i opted for a corn, black bean mix which did the trick wonderfully. i also added about a quarter of a jar of salsa, and quite a bit of sweet baby ray's bbq sauce.


the result was delectable. i pretty much ate all of it in one sitting.


as i'm sure i've mentioned earlier, i have been accompanying my parents to garage sales. this takes up about 6-7 hours of my day b/c they are very hardcore. i brought along this sandwich of pumpkin butter && bananas. i love the way the bananas look nestled in there. i grill it when i'm at home which makes it even better!


we got a fresh pineapple [several actually] and i decided to make my own little popsicles. not as good as edy's fruit pops, but the pineapple accompanied the 7up flavor quite well.

sweet summertime

i got this rack/shelf thinger at a garage sale last summer and was using it for a bookshelf. however, with the new apt next semester, i thought i'd try it out as a spice rack. i'm not sure where i'll be able to put it, but it works much better than the cabinet for housing spices.


this summer, i've been eating an absurd amount of salad [and asparagus and eventually bell peppers]. however, there is something so satisfying about going to the garden, picking out my food and then preparing it. there is something so incredibly real about knowing exactly where your food is coming from. and it is refreshing. and so you will see a lot of salad--numerous ones despite the many that i haven't taken photos of.

this one has pineapple, cilantro [3 HUGE bundles at fiesta market for $1], onion, oregano [from my little window sill plant], dill, thyme, radish, and mushroom. it's topped off with white wine vinegar and balsamic vinegarette. simple, yet great as dressing.


i got to craving some chocolate or something sweet and i was trying to think of something that wasn't terrible for me, but still delicious. i remembered seeing hershey's syrup on the list of vegan items that peta's website contains. so, i piled some pretzels and a banana on a plate and topped it with a drizzle of the stuff. it was completely satisfying and incredibly delicious.


this lovely bag of puffed red wheat has been an extremely pleasant discovery. this entire bag cost a dollar, 1 c. equals 70 calories and there is no sugar in it. i whip it up with a little soy milk, banana, and about a Tbsp of pumpkin butter. it crackles like rice crispies which i think is great!


my mom&&dad worked a flea market over the weekend and so i went to keep my mom company and help out. i decided to make some guacamole with the two remaining avocados i had sitting on the counter. it was fabulous. i put garlic, garden onion, garden lettuce, and cilantro in the food processor. i mashed up the avocado and added some olive oil and lemon juice. then combined them and topped it with some cayenne pepper.



then i made a little sandwich for myself.

i found this teapot at a garage sale the other day && had to buy it. i'm planning a tea party for my best friend's little daughter and this will be excellent especially with the dishes i already have.

what's your favorite thing about summer??