Daily Nourishment- Clean out the Fridge Meals

So as I said I have been making a better effort to cook dinner every night. The last two meals of last week might be regulars and are great to use when you have a lot of random veggies left over. So, here we go.

The first "Clean out the Fridge Meal" was a mezza spread, which was a lot of fun to eat. It's the type of meal you can spread out on the coffee table and snack on while watching TV and hanging out. Which also means you can eat for hours, who doesn't like that? Here's what mine looked like.



This meal was very cost effective. I had most the veggies which were- cucumber, banana pepper, tomato, artichoke hearts, avocado and garlic stuffed olives. Then a picked up the hummus and falafel mix in the natural foods bulk section(bulk bins= very cheap!) of my local grocery store. I was a little scared what the quality would be but they were actually both really good. I did add a little fresh squeezed lemon juice to both which wasn't called for on the directions but I felt was needed. I also picked up some mini pitas which I just heated in the oven before serving.

The second "Clean out the Fridge Meal" was Sloppy Joe's....well vegan Sloppy Joe's, strange right? I actually saw a recipe for vegan Sloppy Joe's but they called them Snobby Joe's. Pretty cute, sorry mine don't have a cheeky name. These were actually my very first Sloppy Joe's ever. I don't remember ever having these as a child, or maybe I just blocked it out. So going into this I didn't really know what to add because I had no idea what the sauce was like. But I did have a tube of this that needed to be used up and a yellow onion.



So I picked up a can of Sloppy Joe sauce and some whole wheat hamburger buns and crossed my fingers. Then I thought if I was going to do the whole cheesy American junk food dinner I had to have.....yes, tater tots. I even made a vegan fry sauce or special sauce if you are a stepbrothers fan. Ta Da!



Anyways here is what it looked like before adding the all scary sauce from a can.



Upon opening the can I right away hated the smell....way sweeter then what I was expecting. My first thought was gross, my second thought was I should of gone with my gut about purchasing sauces that come from a can. Then I tasted it and it wasn't as bad as I was prepared for. I was expecting a Spaghetti O's type of sauce and it wasn't that bad. It was similar to the Spaghetti O's sauce as none of the flavors in the Sloppy Joe's sauce was anything I could put my finger on. Even with the ingredients stating the sauce had green pepper, tomato and onion in it I couldn't taste any of it. It was very much like how ketchup doesn't taste too much like a fresh tomato. But I went ahead and dumped it in. Here is the finished meal.



In the end the meal was good and I would/will make it again. The sauce is so heavy it would cover up almost any veggie. So next time my veggie bowl is full of lots of odds and ends Sloppy Joe's will be their fate. But next time I will make the sauce from scratch, maybe a more grown up version.

Daily Nourishment- Back in the Kitchen

I haven't been very good about cooking dinner lately. I haven't been going out to eat either, just throwing together a quick dinner with whatever is found in the kitchen or making a quick stop in the Trader Joe's freezer section. Nothing very exciting to say the least. But this week I have been doing a little better, but still taking some help with a few pre-made items.


Last night's dinner was a veggie (broccoli and yellow sqaush) and tofu curry with brown rice and spring rolls. I was happy to find both my made ahead items to be all natural and cheap - both items came in under $3 each, major score!


I was lazy and took the pictures with my phone, so sorry the quality isn't that great.



The spring rolls were these;



Which were much healthier then the ones you would order with your take out. Five good sized rolls come in the box and two whole rolls only pack 190 calories, not too bad. Plus they aren't fried, I baked them in the oven and they some how came out just as crispy. We ate all five and the boyfriend was still wanting more.


I took some help with the curry using this;




Only in the curry flavor, not teriyaki. It made for a very quick and easy dinner. And because I added fresh veggies and organic brown rice it felt much healthier.


And the red blob on the plate? Sriracha of course! My favorite to add spice to any asian inspired dish. If you don't own a bottle, you should.

Inspired - 1,000 Awesome Things

I have been checking this site; http://1000awesomethings.com/ very often lately. I came across it while on Amazon doing a little book shopping. The site has recently put out a whole book.



Which I think would be an amazing (or should I say awesome) gift. I love giving and receiving books as gifts, someone I know may be getting this one. The site is always upbeat and fun to visit, never depressing and it makes you remember little things we love that sometimes we may fail to see when we are in head down just trying to get through our busy week mode. Inspired by the site I thought it would be fun to put up a post a couple times a week with awesome things that are currently going on in my week. Enjoy! And please if you are so inclined post what awesome things you encounter in the comments.


Monday April 26th, 2010


Cold Pizza for Breakfast.



So good. This has been a favorite of mine ever since childhood. I actually think I like it better cold for breakfast then I do having it the night before for dinner. And something feels really indulgent about having pizza in the morning, a day can't start out bad when that’s your breakfast, even if its not considered the breakfast of champions. My pizza has changed since my early days of eating cold pizza. So long canadian bacon and pineapple, hello soy cheese and as many veggies as the pie will allow for. Pineapple has still managed to hang in there; I say it’s not a pizza without it. Hope your breakfast makes your own awesome list.

Sunday April 25th, 2010


New Clean Sheets



Nothing is better then crawling into bed with new clean sheets. Whether you fall into bed late after having a perfect day or you go to bed early because you just need the day to be over new clean sheets somehow make it better. The smell and feel is amazing, scents are inspired by it, nothing beats it.

The boyfriend and I picked some new sheets up last night and we went organic. I have been getting a lot of information of the benefits of going organic with you bedding and wanted to make that choice for myself. After all if your skin is your biggest organ do you really want your pores soaking in pesticides and the such while you sleep? Nope! We found a really great (and affordable) set at target. Who doesn't love Target? We went with these in white, but if white isn't your thing they are also available in many other pretty colors and prints. Check them out next time you find yourself in Target.

New Website Love

I stumbled across this web site while trying to track down this bag that I need....yes need.

http://www.bonadrag.com/shopmain/shopmain.html



Its the Mr. Zipalot Bag by Deadly Ponies


The first site that had it was sold out of it in black, my color or choice. It also revealed the price tag- $425. I little out of my price range for today. But it did later go on sale for 50% off! They have many pieces I would love to call my own, but once again come with heavy price tags. My hopes are high that once there stock is low on an item it goes on sale, I will continue to keep an eye on a few things. Now some morning eye candy from the site.

Happy Birthday to the Boyfriend!

Its the boyfriend's big two nine! The last year of his twenties...so sad. But I don't think he is really that bothered by it. I’m not making dinner, instead we are heading out to eat tonight. But he did request a cake. This is the cake I made last weekend when we had dinner with his family. So for him to request this after just eating it and not being a huge fan of sweets it must be good. And being that I am so kind I thought I would share it with you.





It’s a Chocolate Whisky Cake with Raspberries and it’s not actually my recipe. You can find the full recipe here;

http://www.vegalicious.org/2008/02/09/chocolate-whisky-cake-with-raspberries/


It’s a very rich, dense dark chocolate cake with raspberry filling and a ganache like frosting. Both the batter and ganache have whisky in them. If you aren't a big whisky drinker and don't know what to use I used the boyfriends favorite Bulleit Bourbon Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. It worked perfect and tasted pretty amazing.

Oh, my friends that is a quart sized ice cream container you see, not the usual pint. And yes its empty. I am obsessed with this ice cream. If you have any milk or gluten issues this is by far the best. I am picky when it comes to soy ice cream, this is really the only one I can say I love. Another good option is Coconut Bliss, which uses coconut milk as a base. But for the price nothing beats Trader Joe's. I can no longer keep it in the house. So good bye Soy Creamy, I need to fit in my jeans!

Wedding Season.....its coming!

I cannot tell you how much I love attending weddings. For someone who doesn't have their heart set on having their own wedding its a bit unusual how much I love them. This spring/summer I only have four lined up so far. But I am a bridesmaid in one and the boyfriend is a groomsman in another. Given those extra duties we have a few other events to attend, like rehearsal dinners and engagement cocktail parties. I don't mind one bit, that just gives me more opportunities to play dress up! I am trying to keep my dress shopping to a limit and keep them in budget by not cashing in at more then $100 each. I also I'm trying to wear a couple at more then one event. Here are a few I am eyeing so far;









The hunt is on(can you tell I'm excited)! I find the hunt of the perfect dress a ton of fun and once I nail down the dress its not over. Nope! Shoes, clutches and jewelry here I come. I also plan to shop my own closet as well and see what I can put together. I love seeing how others put together an outfit sometimes its very inspiring. I love when I see a piece I already own used in a way I haven't thought of. I hope you will enjoy the up coming post as I master my wedding ensembles.