This is not goodbye, this is see you later

You may have noticed that I’ve been posting less and less frequently recently.  The truth is, I’m trying to make some major changes in my life, and this has been taking me away from the blogging world.  So I made a decision that I need to take a break from blogging.

I really do love blogging and everything it has done for me, including meeting all of you , but right now I need to keep my priorities in order for me to accomplish some of my goals.  You never know who’ll be reading this blog so I can’t go into the details right now, but I promise that you’ll find out what I’m talking about eventually. It’s nothing bad, I promise!   It’s more like I’m on the road to discovering myself and entering the next chapter of my life.

It may be a few weeks or a even months for me to get myself settled, but let’s hope it won’t be for too long because I like blogging and you guys far too much to stay away.  Don’t worry – I’ll still be stopping by your blogs from time to time, because I’ll still be cooking it up in my kitchen of course and I’m always in need of some creative kitchen inspirations.

But, for now, I’m out!  I’ll promise I’ll be back.  Love you all.  Happy cooking and healthy living!

Happy Halloween

For those of you who guessed Daria for my halloween costume, you were correct!

I guess I gave out a lot of hints though. Daria was one of my favorite shows in middle school, and she’s pretty easy to dress up as so it was good quick last minute costume for me.

Daria:

Me:

What do you think? Similar enough? It took people a few tries to guess what I was, but most of them got it right eventually.

My Hallow’s eve started out with a arugula salad topped with a veggie burger.

For the dressing, I used both hummus and mango salsa. I really liked these two mixed together. I was keeping my dinner light because I knew I’ll be munching on a lot of sweets and treats later on.

I had a very fun night. I went to 3 different apartment parties, enjoyed some booze, and filled up on candy. I didn’t get to take many photos throughout the night, but I received many positive responses about my costume!

It was also a very late night. I woke up 2pm today with a headache. Halloween in NYC tend to get a bit crazy, and I took part in the craziness a little too hard.

I started off the morning (errr, afternoon) with a yogurt bowl.

In it were plain yogurt, canned pumpkin, dry oats, sunflower seeds, ground flaxseed, ground black sesame seed, cinnamon, and almond butter.

I also had a bottle of Vico coconut water which didn’t want to be photographed. I swear by this stuff when I’m hungover, although I only drink it on rare occasions because of the high price tag.

I spent my Sunday grocery shopping, relaxing, and snacking. The best snack I had was a delicious mango with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Mmmm, refreshing.

I think I’m going to go relax some more and make dinner. *sigh* Why are weekends so short??

My Meals Go Round and Round

And I mean that literally!

Last night was one of my favorite Friday nights. I had no other plans except to eat dinner, watch TV, hang out with my roommate, and go to bed early. I need relaxing nights like these sometimes after a long hard week.

Dinner was a Pumpkin Arugula Tortilla Pizza. And it was ROUND, not to mention delicious.

On a whole wheat tortilla, I slathered on a mix of 1/4 cup canned pumpkin and mango salsa and spread it out evenly.

I then topped it with parmesan cheese, tomato slices, mushrooms, and onions. I also sprinkled on S&P, basil, and red pepper flakes, before popping the entire thing in the 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Cheese melted and vegetables cooked. YUM.

As soon as I took it out of the oven, I layered on fresh arugula and let it wilt a bit in the steam for a few minutes before cutting the pizza into slices. Then it was ready for my belly!

The flavor combination in this pizza was pretty dang impressive, if I may say so myself. I wasn’t sure if the pumpkin and the salsa would go together but each bite was a perfect balance of sweet and salty. DEFINITELY making this again.

I also enjoyed some carrots and hummus on the side, which you can never go wrong with.

A warm meal on a relaxing night is something that’s hard to compete with.

I finally figured out my Halloween costume, by the way! But before I get to that, let’s discuss today’s breakfast.

If you haven’t guessed by the title, this meal was also ROUND. And if you were thinking pancakes, then I give you a thumbs up for being such a smart reader, you! And if you went further and were thinking Pumpkin Pancakes, then you are just being creepy and you know me all too well.

I’m out of fresh fruit, so I topped with chopped prunes, along with plain yogurt mixed with ground black sesame seed, pumpkin spice, and syrup.

I don’t think I’ve had pancakes in the past month so this was crazy good. Life is definitely better with pancakes.

Now I need to go buy some last minute accessories for my costume. I’m not going to reveal to you what it is yet, but here’s a bit of hint for you.   

These are what I have so far of what I’ll be wearing tonight..

A green top, a pleated black skirt, and black boots.

Too hard?? Here’s a better hint: I’m going to be a character from a 90s cartoon series.

That’s all I can say for now. Have a fun and safe Halloween!

3 Things

1. Halloween decorations make me extremely happy, even when the weather is dreary.  They make my walk to work so much more fun.

Look at the mummy staring out the window. Ah!

2. I saw 2 seriously cool carved pumpkins today.  Or should I say etched?

They were displayed at the Union Square famer’s market this morning.

Now, that’s art!  How incredible are the details?

3. Also found at the farmer’s market, I never knew how brussel sprouts grow.  Apparently, they grow clustered together on a giant stem that almost looks like a branch.

How crazy, right?  It’s so pretty looking it could almost be a decoration.  And not a bad price either for that whole thing.

*****

I forgot my lunch for the very first time today.  I had a pasta dish prepared but it’s currently sitting in my unreachable fridge.

I made a quick trip to the D’agostino’s next to my office.  I haven’t bought lunch in forever, and I had a lot of fun browsing at all the prepared meals to pick out what I want to eat.

I finally decided on springs rolls, because they looked so good and colorful.  The lady working behind the counter had just made it and put it out so I knew they would be fresh.

With some sweet and sour sauce on the side.  I haven’t had spring rolls in forever and these were chock full of healthy yummy ingredients: lettuce, shrimp, crab meat, avocado, cucumber, and carrots.

Delish.  Lunch was a success.    Please ignore that fact that I desperatly need to redo my nails.

Weeee Friday!  I’m so excited for Halloween.  I actually have no idea what I’m going to be yet.  I think it’s going to be have to be one of those costumes thrown together hastily at the last minute.  It’s always a fun holiday in NYC though.  What are you dressing up as?  Give me some easy ideas please!

I Think My Brain Is Still On Vacation

I’m starting to realize how difficult it is to get back to reality that is my life after being away for more than two weeks.  Especially since I spent all that time doing not an ounce of work.  I had no responsibilities of cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, or any other house work that I was used to doing living in NYC.

Ah, the perks of being with your parents who you don’t see much, so they are willing to clean up after you and take care of you!   I sure do miss them.  They let my long-hidden laziness come out and this beast is not going away so easily after making its appearance.

I’ve been having to restock my fridge and pantry after returning my trip, and my time in the kitchen has been surprisingly rough.  It’s almost like I forgot how to cook and how to use the ingredients I bought. Even coming up with what to make for a meal has been difficult. What’s wrong with me?!?   I guess my cooking creativity side of the brain has been dormant for a while, and now I gotta get it up and running again back to what it was before.

Or maybe I need a another vacation…

I’m kidding.  Just wanted to warn you that my eats in the near future might not be as interesting as it was before, as I’m trying to adjust to being back in the real world.  I think I’ll just blame the jet lag until I’m back to my old self.

Anyway, let’s rewind to breakfast. Pumpkin overnight oats was exactly what I was craving on this rainy dark morning.

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1/2 tbsp ground black sesame seed
• 1/2 banana, sliced

This combo sat in the fridge overnight and I topped it this morning with Kashi cereal, a spoonful of almond butter, and pumpkin pie spice.

YUUUUUMM!

I think I could have this for breakfast everyday for the next week.  But I have had a problem of repeating certain meals and getting sick of it in the past, and I definitely don’t want to get sick of this.

Lunch was a boring one (I had warned you already).

I spread the Thomas bagel thins with cream cheese and layered on some tomato slices.  On the side I enjoyed a banana which was very ripe as you can see.

It was simple, yet filling.  Hopefully, my dinner will be a wee bit more interesting, but I’m not promising anything. 

Hope you are all having a wonderful hump day!

Post-Lunch Coma

I was not able to fall asleep after my crack-of-dawn post.  I guess almond milk didn’t work for me.

After tossing and turning for a while, I decided to just get up around 6AM, drink a giant mug of coffee, and fit in an hour of yoga.  Might as well do something productive if I’m not going to sleep, right?

Extra time in the morning also means I can take longer to make a delicious breakfast.  I was bummed out about my sleeplessness so I knew I needed to fit in some pumpkin to cheer me up.  Pumpkin French Toast seemed to be the answer.

So warm and filling.  It was made with Arnold sandwich thins dredged in egg whites, and plain yogurt mixed with ground flaxseed and ground black sesame seed stuffed in between.  I topped with canned pumpkin, grilled banana slices, sunflower seeds, pumpkin pie spice, and syrup.

Ahhh, the taste of Fall in my mouth. Although, the warmth of it made me even more sleepy.  It was totally worth it though.

This morning I actually felt pretty alright.  I think it might have to do with the GORGEOUS weather that we have been having in NYC.  It’s been sunny and mild, making my walk to work quite enjoyable.

Lunch was a pasta dish.

I made it last night with a can of tuna and liguini pasta, and didn’t realize until the end that I was out of tomato sauce.

I improvised though like a smart cook that I am , and mixed some plain yogurt and enchilada sauce together to add into the pasta at the end.  It was surprisingly tasty!  The versatility of yogurt never ceases to amaze me.

With my pasta, I enjoyed a depressingly bruised apple that actually tasted quite sweet and crispy.

Never judge a book by its cover!

ANNNNND, that’s when the effect of lack of sleep hit me like a brick.  Post-lunch seems to be the standard time for this for most people, and it’s especially worse for me today.

I’m getting through with the help of this mini bottle.

Feel free to lecture me on how bad these are for me blah blah, but when I’m running on little to no sleep, I’m willing to throw my health blogger status out the window.  Desperate times calls for desperate measures. And I’m DESPERATEly tired..

It’s actually my first time taking it, and I’m actually feeling a lot more alert now so it seems to be working. And I don’t have any of that jittery feeling that I usually get from energy drinks.    Oh Tuesday.. will you please end sooner?

 

Insomnia Post

It’s almost 5 in the morning and I’m up on a weeknight. My body is still on Korea time so it thinking that it’s late afternoon right now.. *sigh* This week is not looking good for me.

So what should I do? I guess I can blog. Nothing like a dinner post that can help me fall asleep.. hopefully.

I tried out a Trader Joe’s Vegetable Masala Burger last night. The price and the “Authentic Indian Spices” part really caught my eyes enough for me to make an impulse buy.

Nothing too fancy. I just grilled it on the stove top on both sides and slapped it on Arnold Sandwich Thins.

I topped up with a slice of onion, tomatoes, and a bit of arugula. I also spread on mustard and mango salsa to give a bit of spice.

A side of carrot fries completed the dish.

Yum. The burger was good, but not great. It was tasty enough or a veggie burger, but I couldn’t really taste the “authentic indian spices.” It was actually a bit bland for something that claimed to be spiced up. I think I would buy it again though and spice it up on my own. The price tag is worth it.

Dessert came in a glass!

Oh, how I missed you, pumpkin. This was a pumpkin yogurt topped with Kashi cereal and cinnamon. SO GOOD. In fact, I can actually go for a glass of another one of these right now.

But I know instead of making midnight treats, I should try to fall asleep. I’m thinking about drinking some warm milk to help me with this. Do you know if heating up almond milk has the same effect of helping you fall asleep as a regular milk does? It’s the only kind I have right now.

Ah, well. I guess I’ll find out…