My Storefront

Okay, so not really, but here are my goodies at work.  This, I might mention, is before they started selling like hotcakes.  I'm not even being sarcastic (for once)--they really did go fast!

Just look at that deal!  How could people NOT take advantage of it?!

REVIEW: Amande Cherry Yogurt

Today's product:  Amande Cherry Yogurt

I am not a huge fan of yogurt.  The texture is weird--I like foods that require me to chew--and I don't generally like eating cold things, which yogurt is, unless you heat it, which sounds just awful.

However, this yogurt by Amande, which is made with almond milk, sparked my interest for two reasons.  The first being, I need to up my calcium intake.  One serving of this yogurt satisfies 30 percent of my daily calcium requirement.  Awesome.  The second being that it was on sale at Whole Foods.  Win.  Win.

TASTE:  ***

The yogurt tasted pretty natural!  It didn't seem like I was biting into/slurping up a spoonful of corn syrup.  Rather, I felt like I was eating cherry yogurt, which is, after all, the goal.  Additionally, there was no aftertaste.

TEXTURE:  **

While I did enjoy this yogurt overall, this is where I have to knock my rating down a bit.  The texture was weird.  I might compare it to the contents of a JELL-O cup, and not one of the straight-up JELL-Os either, but one of the more custard-y ones.  I thought maybe it needed to be mixed and so I did but that only transformed it into something resembling pale mauve-colored cottage cheese.

APPEARANCE:  ***

The yogurt looked appealing at first glance.  To me, this is very important.  The yogurt had a slight sheen and looked very smooth.  I also liked that it had a "cherry yogurt color," but desaturated (if that makes sense).  Nothing about it seemed artificial.

PRICE:  ****

Price was cheaper than regular yogurt, especially given that it was on sale ;)

OVERALL:  ***

As someone who does not like yogurt, I found this yogurt quite enjoyable--great natural cherry taste, smooth texture, albeit slightly weird when stirred, no weird aftertaste, and great source of calcium.  I will definitely buy Amande again.

Seva Restaurant

Seva in Ann Arbor has been on my "to try" list of restaurants forever.  The entire time I was at U of M, I always thought, I neeeeeeeeeeeedddd to try Seva, but I never did.

All that changed yesterday, however, when...you guessed it...I tried it!  All I can say is that I wish I would have sooner.

My excitement for my burger made me forget to take a photo when my meal arrived :(  So here it is, my portabella burger, halfway through.

Action shot, as I lead the juicy burger to my mouth.  Really, though, my describing it as an "action" shot is really just to provide an excuse for the photo's blurriness.  The lighting in the restaurant did not lend itself to sharp, crystal-clear photos of food close-ups.



Yam fries.  Scrumptious.

Cashew-walnut pesto.  I was tempted to drink this but my pride--and restaurant guests--deterred me from so doing.

Okay, I know this ("this" is juice, by the way) does not look that appetizing but it was goooooooooooood.  It was a combination of grapefruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, ginger juice and spinach!  The spinach was my own creative addition, as a way to get more Calcium, but you really can't taste anything!

Swamp drink close-up.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Walnuts and Sea Salt

Check back at my Etsy store later today! These little babies will be avilable for purchase! They contain, as their name so aptly describes, vegan chocolate chips, oats, walnuts, sea salt...ALSO!: whole wheat pastry flour, unbleached all-purpose flour, vegetable shortening, flax seed, vanilla, cinnamon and baking soda. Many of the ingredients are organic too and I will designate such in my shop.
In the meantime, feast your eyes!

Spaghetti Squash Virgin...No More!

Tonight was the first time I'd EVER eaten spaghetti squash!  It was so cool!  And really easy to prepare too!

To my "spaghetti" I simply ladled on some chunky tomato sauce (which I half made myself), drizzled on some of my homemade pesto and sprinkled on some raw cheese.  That was it!  Deliciously simple.  My kind of meal.

RECIPE: Mango Spinach Smoothie

Mango Spinach Smoothie

Okay, eew, sorry, this picture is really bad and does not do the smoothie justice.  Rather, it kind of looks like swamp algae that's been sitting around in a glass for too long.  I will make this smoothie again and take a better picture--one that looks as good as it tastes :)

Here's the recipe!!

-  1 c. frozen mangoes

-  Handful of spinach

-  1/4 c. goji berries (why not?!)

-  Juice of half a lime

-  1/2 c. apple juice

-  1 T. ginger juice

-  Mint leaves (add how much or as little as you'd like--the same goes for the ginger!)

Blend.  Enjoy!

RECIPE: Brown Rice Bowl with Banana, Walnuts and Coconut

Brown Rice Bowl with Banana, Walnuts and Coconut

Ingredients:

-  1/2 c. brown rice

-  1 medium banana

-  2 T. chopped walnuts

-  2 T. unsweetened coconut (I got mine from Whole Foods' bulk section)

-  1 T. pure maple syrup (kind of expensive but it will last forever!)

-  Salt, to taste

Directions:

-  Pretty easy--just cook up some brown rice in your favorite rice cooker or, if you have leftovers on hand, go ahead and pop that in the microwave with a little bit of water for 1.5 to 2 minutes, depending on your microwave.  

*You can, of course, use white rice or oats, if you'd prefer, but I like the chewy, heartiness of brown rice and I think it works really well in this recipe.

-  Slice banana to desirable thicknesses.

-  Toss in walnuts and coconut (you can toast it if you've got extra time and really feeling crazy).  

-  Drizzle on maple syrup.  

-  Salt.

-  Mix.

-  Enjoy!