corn-bread && extra awesome spinch wraps!

i was so excited to see that carissa over at coffee&sunshine nominated me for the stylish blogger award. i've never been given a blogging award before...thanks carissa!!!!! :) :)



sadly, i have been burdened w. school extra hard lately and so i am just now getting around to posting. [major sad face].

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Make a post & link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won!

i nominate anyone [!] that reads this blog b/c i think all the blogs i tend to follow have already gotten this award.



7 things about myself:
1. i bartended for the president of Ecuador last year
2. i have become overly optimistic about everything [this past year]
3. i have broken both of my wrists [at different times], one resulted in a metal rod so i am now made of metal.
4. going vegan will stick out as one of the best decisions i have ever made in my life
5. i could eat only hummus&&veggies for the rest of my life
6. i am obsessed w. flea markets, garage sales, and antique stores
7. i believe that hole-in-the-wall dining is the best

got these wraps at a bulk foods store. they are HUGE. [and yummy].

it produced a wrap bigger than my head.


stuffed w. mixed greens, spinach, carrots, mushrooms, && loads of mustard.


CORNBREAD! i used a recipe from post-punk kitchen. this was so delicious, i could not stop myself from eating it.


next time, i will spread it in two pans so that it isn't as thick. it was basically like cake:


mmmmmm! just thinking about it makes me want more.

extra long catch-up post!

rice && spinach...later topped with homemade salsa--this will be a theme in this post so i apologize now!

i made a medium sized && this giant cookie...it was my valentine's day treat to myself...and for someone else :) :) i don't buy into the 'holiday' but i do use it as an excuse for treats!




even though you may not believe me b/c of the prior and then latter next few pictures...i've been eating a bit healthier [at least last week].



this little ditty is a recent creation of mine: it was two animal crackers fused together. topped it w. pb and some ghiradelli dark chocolate [twilight delight..yeahhhhh!] it reminded mme of a smore for some reason.

another fridge shot...those boozies help me get through entire days of statistics--i recognize and understand the meaning of relaxing w. a beer. don't worry, i won't make it habit.

many rice combos have shown up these past weeks. quick&&easy. this is rice w. homemade salsa.

pumpkernickel w. homemade salsa!


i'm obsessed w. pumpernickel && spicy pickles. ideally, i would have put some spinach or other goodies on this, but i have been limited on time && thus groceries.


my first amy's burrito...it was delicious!


half of these i don't even remember when i ate. this is corn, rice, and homemade salsa mixed together.

i survived the blizzzzzard

the blizzard was ridiculous here in IL. i just got my car unburied today.

the following are the remainder of lemon poppy seed cupcakes with a maple glaze. i made the cupcakes for a bake sale my colleagues had; it was to fund their trip to san antonio for a conference. this wasn't too bad i suppose b/c i ate it in about one day.


over the blizzard days, i ate a 1lb bag of animal crackers. those little devils have high fructose corn syrup in them && that is why i blame them for fostering addiction.


of course, i had to eat some w. peanut butter...


the tomato soup i ate frequently last year also made an appearance. i ate a 3.5 serving can in a matter of hours. those blizzards! i had nothing else to do so i ate && ate && ate.


today, i decided to finish the last PBR with some homemade chilli && a mound of nutritional yeast. i was so satisfied after this meal. you have no idea.


i had some leftover mushroom spaghetti sauce && i ate that w. some rice && corn. it was delicious!


i also ate at chipotle yesterday && it was delicious as always.

it's gonna be a rough semester...let's focus on the FOOD!

spinach salad:: took this to go when i had to work in the lab on statistics homework for 12 HOURS. that was the first assignment and if it's any indication of the remainder of the semester, i do not know how i am going to do it.


i've been obsessed w. darjeeling tea lately!



my newest creation: banana "ice cream." it is the [very popular] frozen banana placed in the food processor w. some soymilk and chocolate syrup. then, i mix in some crushed peppermints and freeze it. when it comes out, the texture is like peppermint ice cream (you know, the x-mas time candy cane stuff ??). this is delicious. sorry for the terrible photo though.


this is after it's been frozen--has the grainy texture...yummmm. you can see the small piece of banana that didn't get ground up...ughh.


breakfast: a banana, some puffed red wheat


what happens when i get chocolate cravings?? i go overboard. this is melted semi-sweet chocolate chips mixed w. melted crunchy peanut butter, and stirred in oatmeal.

then, i pressed it into a small pan and let it set in the fridge. then, i devoured it.

pizza! pizza! pizza!

we went out for my dad's birthday tonight. the restaurant has a vegan delight pizza w. mushroom, artichoke, basil, && onion.


it is delicious! these photos do not do it justice--the pizza was far pretty on the pan they baked it in. also, this is half the pizza.


i've been drinking a lot of this diet cranberry sierra mist. sadly, i had given up my addiction to pop and this brought it back again. ughhh. at least it's seasonal.


i won't even mention that my coffee addiction is back too...

holy sodium.

i have been salt crazed these past few days. i had some popcorn the other night and used wayyy too much salt. i had some progresso lentil soup w. my own addition of corn mixed in...and then...

pretzels, pretzels, pretzels!!!!!!! i have not been able to stop eating them today. up above they are mixed w. raisins--my little trail mix if you will. i did not take a picture of this, but...i ate some more dipped in mustard. i LOVE pretzels and mustard. it was not a pretty picture so i skipped it [too busy shoveling them into my mouth more like it].

our family friends' got me hooked on these gems. they are spicyyyy but they are quite delicious.

i used them in a salad too!! that's romaine w. carrot, onion, mushroom, and picklesss.

i lied...one MORE post before school begins!!

tomorrow marks the first day of class for me. i have, however, begun research again. blah, blah. i want summer! well, i'd even take spring at this point. i haven't been outside of my apartment since friday and i am not looking forward to doing so tomorrow for class. booooooo winter.

salad. yummy salad! it was eaten w. some ground mustard and some wishbone fat free italian on it.

mushrooms sauteed in a little pinot noir.


peanut butter. UGH. i seriously need to lay off the peanut butter. i need to get serious about losing the few extra x-mas pounds. i feel gross and eating too much [gloriously crunchy] peanut butter is not helping. the jelly is delicious though--smuckers red raspberry [black raspberry is great too]--the sugar free kind is awesome!


i had a little wine to finish off so i treated myself. i got started on a lot of research so it was a bit of a reward as well. :) the food is brown rice, romaine, carrots, onion, mushroom && the leftover BBQ sauce.

last post before school begins again.... :(

ants on a log!!! lots of ants...



you can tell it's the beginning of the semester when my fridge is full of stuffs.


rice crackers!! i ate sooooo many of these. and hummus--it was on sale for 0.99 cents! i bought like 13 of them. i really should start making it again.


my mom and i stopped in my dad's hometown this past summer and we bought this at the galena cannery. i'd been wanting to use it for awhile but hadn't gotten around to it. i figured i should use it up since i'd be gone for another semester.


i just made spaghetti (sadly, my mom didn't have whole wheat), mushroom, onion, and green olives on top. i have never been a huge fan of green olives (black allllll the way), but i did enjoy their added dimension to the dish. very delicious!

i am a creature of habit

when i find something i enjoy, i usually tend to eat it over and over and over until i get tired of it for the time-being. what can i say? i am a creature of habit.

this salad is just spinach, romaine lettuce, cilantro, carrot, onion and dried cranberries. that red stuff on top is salsa. i like salsa on my salad. this had chunks of jalepeno and onion which added a little kick. it was yummy.


another variation w. tomato and brussel sprouts marinated in liquid smoke and balsamic vinaigrette this time.


next up, frozen banana, a bit of chocolate syrup, a tablespoon of peanut butter, lots of ice and a bit of water. i always say this, but it's so good that i think i prefer it over ice cream [maybe i just haven't had ice cream for so long i forgot how delicious it is]. either way, this is definitely better for me.


another variation...banana, ice and diet rootbeer. kinda like a rootbeer shake, but better.


i eat the same thing for breakfast with different variations thrown in. this is oatmeal w. my mom's homemade apple sauce [i basically eat gallons of it]. in fact, the other day i pretty much only ate applesauce. it's that good.


oatmeal w. a sliced apple and a dash of maple syrup. w. plain old coffee--such a delight!



school begins again january 17th. i am dreading the semester. :(