Ah yes, the famous, blue and white shack serving sugar coated snow, basically.

I used to come here almost every single day during the summer in high school. Once after the pool or beach (well, river beach) and once at night with “the gang.” What was your high school hang out spot?

My favorite flavor used to be Tiger’s Blood (I know, weird) which is an uber-sweet concoction of strawberry and coconut. I saw that they’ve added mango to their menu since my days, so I got strawberry mango!

Just like I remembered!

HUGE, cold, icy and sweet.

Ok, REALLY sweet.

Ben and I both devoured ours…

 Then decided that it would be awhile before we could come back. Sugar belly!

Regardless, it was a fun little summer date activity and fun to reminisce!

In other news, guess what I woke up to this morning? Guess?! MORE RAIN!

This has been the rainiest June I can remember, but honestly I can’t complain because 99% of the time it’s raining, I’m at work. It’s usually clear in the early morning when my Mom and I walk, and in the afternoons/evenings when I run.

I really feel bad for all those summertime, child-care providers! They’re busting out a lot of arts and crafts projects this summer, I’m assuming.

I remember when I was a day camp counselor in Japan for a summer in college, one of the months we were there was during the rainy season. Every single day for that month, it would just POUR for like 3 hours, non-stop, which meant that we were utilizing the craft room…a lot. I was seriously scared my little 2nd graders were going to turn on me if I made them create another God’s eye from popsicle sticks and yarn…

At any rate, before the showers came down, I managed to snap a pic of my breakfast outside – a Bagel Thin + Almond Butter!

This basically used up the last of my crunchy roasted flaxseed almond butter jar… which I may or may not be utilizing for another type of breakfast tomorrow.

I stand behind my review of these Bagel Thins. I wish the bottom half was a little thicker, but overall – real good!

Due to Ben’s decision to opt for a meatball Subway sandwich for dinner last night, I get Grilled Asian Tofu leftovers for lunch! Wheee!

I forgot to tell you that I added a couple drops of sesame oil and a couple shakes of sesame seeds on top of the dish.

Sesame oil is one of my very favorite ingredients because a little goes a looooooong way. It’s such a deep and satisfying flavor. A little dab’ll do ya!

I also packed a container of sweet, succulent cherries.

All together now!

In other news, I have a hilarious/exciting package to pick up today that I can’t wait to show you guys tomorrow. It’s…funny…!!!

On that note – it’s almost FRIDAY! TGIAF dance! What are you doing this weekend?

And on that note – it’s Three Question Thursday!

1. Did you go to summer camp as a kid?

2. Are you a procrastinator?

3. What’s your favorite ride at the amusement park?

My answers:

1. Heck yes! My favorite being horse camp when I was in 4th grade. Being the shortest girl in camp, I got the shortest horse in camp. Brownie was practically a pony, and we were like this.

2. THE WORST! However, I feel like I work best under pressure.

3. Bumper cars when I was little, roller coasters now!!

Related posts:

1. In Case You Missed It…
2. Three Question Thursday: Summer Edition!
3. Sugar Coma

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

1 package extra firm tofu, pressed & sliced into 6 pieces

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon agave nectar (or honey)

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Sprinkle red pepper flakes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and marinate tofu slices for 10 minutes. Spray grilling surface with non-stick spray and grill for 3-4 minutes a side. Serve!

Oh. Baby. It’s been way too long since I last had tofu and this was the perfect way to bring it back – GRILLED! Well, sort of. You’ll see!

I started by marinating my tofu, (pressed in my handy dandy tofu press!) letting it soak up all the wonderful flavors for ~5 minutes a side.

Yum, yum, YUM!

Then I whipped this bad boy out – my Griddler! I totally forgot I had it! Don’t you love it when you suddenly remember you have totally awesome things?!

I was planning on using the outdoor grill before I remembered the griddler, and was glad to make the switch because today’s a scorcher.

I pressed and “grilled” my tofu for about 7-8 minutes.

While my ‘fu was grilling, I admired a postcard sent to me all the way from Brussels…

from Alex & Mina! Remember when I told you guys about these two? Quit their jobs and sold their house so they could travel the world?! I just thought it was so thoughtful of them to send this to me! Thanks A&M!

Anyways, just like that, the ‘fu was up!

Ahhh – look at those grill marks! All of the presentation, but none of the sweating that comes along with standing around a hot grill in the sun. That’s something I can get into.  

Placed over a bed of brown rice and baby spinach sautéed in the remaining tofu marinade (there was ~1 teaspoon that the tofu hadn’t soaked up, which ended up being the perfect amount.)

Love-love-loving this dish. SO much! It was salty, and a tiny bit sweet – just the way I like it.

I’ll be the first to admit that I like to cook a lot of Asian inspired dishes, (it’s even in my About page!) which usually contain soy sauce…which equals a lot of salt. I made my own “low sodium” soy sauce in this marinade, though, by using half soy sauce & half water. Problem half solved!  

I’m going to go ahead and declare this a dish that even tofu haters might like. Try it out on someone who usually turnes their noses up, and let me know how it goes!

In other news…16th time’s a charm?! I have been trying to get to my local Tropical Sno for what seems like weeks now, without any luck. I’m forcing Ben to go with me tonight, even if I have to strap him in the car myself!!! Booyah!

Goodnight!

~~~~~

What’s your favorite summertime treat?

I used to go crazy for Bomb Pops when I was a kid – these days it’s the more ice cream, the better!

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Asian BBQ Chicken
2. Guest Post: Coco Loco Tofu
3. Apricot Glazed Turkey Burgers Stuffed with Goat Cheese

It’s true – sadly, the rain did not hold off and it poured for most of the day yesterday. But, ever the improviser, my Mom still made the grilled burgers my Dad requested and we feasted. It was a good one!

Burgers alongside baked potatoes that my Mom cut open and broiled with parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese and bacon. OMG! Crunchy, cheesy, salty & creamy. So.Good!

Plus some fresh, steamed green beans and a cucumber & tomato salad with feta cheeeeese!

ACE meal, Ma! 

Now onto the GOODS – presents! Clothes, mostly. Everything a Dad could ever want.

The guys were having serious issues with taking pictures last night…

There we go!

The happy couple.

Awwww – I LOVE this picture!

Father/daughter.

After dinner, Ben and I had to head over to my brother and sister-in-law’s house to babysit our nephew. I think Ben was still hungry…

My nephew is at a great age right now – several months shy of his first birthday. He’s starting to “get” it now, crawling and doing things on his own. I love that every time I see him, he’s learned something new. Babies grow up so fast!

In other news, last night before dinner, I bought a new yoga session from Yogadownload.com – 30 minute Power Vinyasa Flow #4. I’ve been tightfistedly doing my 40 minute Flow #2 session for several weeks, and decided it was time to shell out some cheddah for another session. I went through it last night, and again this morning after my morning Mom walk.

Verdict? Flow #4 is much more fast paced than flow #2, which I really liked. I feel like I’m maybe getting better at yoga (?!) and this felt like a natural progression into a more challenging session.

It was challenging in the pace, but not necessarily in the poses, though. I feel like I work harder in flow #2 – but either way, it’s nice to have another class on my desktop that I can play anytime I want!

After this morning’s walk and yoga, I wanted something light to eat - exercise always makes me feel that way – so I made…toast! How long has it been since you had toast for breakfast?

My toast was made with EarthGrains 100% Whole Wheat Bread – I will never buy another brand, I’m sure of it. This bread is hearty and keeps me full all morning long.

I slathered one slice with peanut butter and the other with butter.

Perf!

Lunch is a mish mash of items that I am truly excited about.

I roasted the leftover tofu from my Fresh Spring Rolls @ 375 for 20 minutes after tossing the cubes in soy sauce, agave nectar, garlic powder and ground ginger. THE BEST COMBO – I’m tellin’ ya’!

And…just to make sure I got enough nut butter today…Crunchy Roasted Flaxseed Almond Butter with a Pink Lady Apple and baby carrots for dipping!

Yep – I’m going to be real sad when this crunchy flaxseed almond butter runs out. Or will I…?

TRADER JOE’S MIGHT BE COMING TO MY TOWN – AHHHH!!!!!

Are you excited, or are ARE YOU EXCITED?!?!?! This is the best news I’ve had all year! (Is that sad?!)

Okie dokie, I’m off to start my day. After work I’m meeting my entire family for some drinks and apps to continue my Dad’s birthday celebration, since not everyone could be there last night. Should be fun – see you laterrr!!

~~~~~

What’s on tap for the weekend? Errands, events, relaxation?

I’ve got my weekend warrior list already filled with errands and chores, but it’s supposed to be sunny and in the upper 80s all weekend, so I’m going to try and be outside as much as possible. I’m really wanting to make it to our local tennis courts too – tennis is such a great workout!

Related posts:

1. Good News, and Bad News
2. Happy Birthday To…
3. Low Impact Morning Workout!

I flipping WON.

It’s true!!! I won the Nasoya Tofu Recipe Contest!! I got an email last month telling me that my Thai Tofu Pizza had been selected as the grand prize winner, and I’m all – exsqueeeze me? I never win anything, you see, and I’m pretty sure I squealed audibly when I read it. Ahhh!!

A lot of you asked for the recipe the first time I made it, and now I’m able to share – whee!

Thai Tofu Pizza

Ingredients:

1 12″ pre-made pizza crust (or homemade)

1 recipe peanut sauce (see below)

1/2 block extra firm Nasoya tofu, pressed and crumbled

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

2 sliced green onions

2 Tablespoons chopped mango

2 Tablespoons chopped peanuts

1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro

Peanut Sauce:

3 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon water

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (could use siracha)

1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to package directions.

2. Combine peanut sauce ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth.

3. Mix 2 Tablespoons peanut sauce with the crumbled tofu, then sauté on medium heat until lightly colored, ~5 minutes.

4. Spread remaining sauce onto pizza crust, then top with tofu, cheese, broccoli and green onions. Bake according to package directions, or until cheese is golden brown.

5. Top with mango, peanuts & cilantro. DIG. IN!

I love this pizza!!!!

I sliced mine into 6 big slices and chowed. down!

This tastes just like Pad Thai…on a pizza crust!

Like I said last time – the sesame-soy-peanut sauce base is absolutely incredible with the sweet mango. It’s perfect for you sweet & savory lovers out there.

You could totally make this with chicken, pork – or even shrimp! That would actually be SUPER good!

CHOMP! Thanks, Nasoya, for picking my pizza!

Dessert tonight shall be one of these Dark Chocolate Almond Chewy Granola Bars that MyBlogSpark and Cascadian Farm sent me to try out!  

The nutritionals are dece – especially when it’s basically a dessert bar.

And a GOOD dessert bar, at that! I don’t usually buy granola bars (and probably still won’t after this) because I always eat them too fast, but if I were in the habit of buying them – these would definitely make my grocery list!

They’re super chewy, thick and GOOEY! And CHOCOLATEY!! Really good!

Ugh, before dinner tonight I went on a 3 mile run and thought it’d be fun to go as fast as I could. I won’t lie to you – it was awful! So hard! However, here I sit, an hour later, no worse for the wear. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again – running is 90% mental. If you think you can’t, you won’t. But most likely, you can!

Oh, I also tried the Power Vinyasa Flow #4 yoga class on YogaDownload.com today. I didn’t like it as much as the Power Vinyasa Flow #2 class I tried last week. I think I might – gulp – loosen the purse strings and actually BUY the 40 minute class! Up until now, my stingy self has been hogging all the free 20 minute downloads I can!

Off to do some stuff before Gossip Girl comes on. I missed last week – can anyone fill me in on what happened?!

Goodnight!

~~~~~

Have you ever won anything?

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Chicken Alfredo Pizza
2. Peanut Butter Pie
3. Contest Worthy Pizza!

I have another co-worker leaving my department at work today (do I smell?!), and I had to stop by the grocery store on my way into work to pick up a treat to share. I paced the aisles and finally decided on some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies!

I picked the squishiest looking ones I could find – oooo don’t you love squishy, doughy chocolate chip cookies?!

Turns out, everyone else had the same idea as me. These were one of four different kinds of cookies that accumulated on the treat table! Oh well, you can never have too many CCC, in my opinion.

Someone also brought in bagels, so I snagged a Cinnamon Raisin one for breakfast.

These were fresh and squishy too!

Normally, I don’t think specialty, seasoned bagels even need cream cheese, but this Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese was calling out to me…“eeeeeat, me – spreeeead me on your bagel!”

So I did – and it was divine! Like “creamy candy” as one person called it.

Isn’t it funny how all the things that aren’t “real food” – cakes, cookies, bagels, etc – are all a dull, golden color? Just sayin’!

Lunch is a bit more bright and colorful – leftover Brown Rice & Sesame-Soy Tofu with Fresh Spinach and a chopped mango.

Instead of wilting my spinach, like I did last night, I zipped through a huge handful with my pizza cutter (nearly zipping my finger off in the process!) until the leaves were in bite-sized pieces.

They’ll be perfect to mix in with my yummy tofu and rice!

For dessert, I cut up a juicy, tropical mango.

These are really easy to cut up – give it a try!

I honestly don’t think it’s possible to love something more. Fresh mangoes are where it’s at!

Well, as I mentioned yesterday, I’m hittin’ the road today after work. Destination: Minneapolis! I lived in Minni for three years, right out of college, and I haven’t been back since my Mom and I went in November.

This weekend, a friend of mine who lives there is having a baby shower and a bunch of us girls from across the country – Cali, Chicago, Iowa – are all getting together to be there! Should be a weekend full of laughter, reminiscing and fun. I can’t wait! 

I’ll try and check in with you guys periodically, but if not, have a GREAT weekend!!!

Related posts:

1. Road Trip: Minneapolis Edition!
2. Minneapolis Road Trip Recap!
3. Pour One For the Road…

So strong, in fact, that it will cause said girl to leave her home at 6:50am to get a warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven, Cinnamon Crunch Bagel from her local Panera.

That girl is me. It’s true. I have been lusting after a warm, chewy, sweet and satisfying cinnamon crunch bagel from Panera for days. Today, I FINALLY gave in and it was spectacular!

Pillowy and chewy, with pockets of cinnamon sugar throughout the dough. Let’s not forget about the cinnamon-sugar crunch on top. It’s the best part!

I slowly chewed each bite to make it last. Ok, let’s be real, I hoovered down the bottom half, got sad that there was only the top half left – then savored that.

Lunch wasn’t nearly exciting, but still thirst quenching and delish. I had to return a sweater at a store near my home – this sweater:

(it got a hole after washing it once, and they took it back without the tags, boo yah!) so I stopped and made myself a thick, cold Green Monster at home. Same ingredients per usual!

After work I set out for a run on the same path my Mom and I walk on in the mornings. The entire route is lined with crab apple trees in all different colors – fuschia, pink and white – and I wanted to see them in the daylight before all the blooms flutter away. Gorgeous! Definitely made my brutal run a little more tolerable. That route is super hilly…although for every uphill there is a downhill, so I suppose I can’t complain too much!

I got right to work on dinner when I got home, so it could cook itself while I was in the shower! Baked Sesame-Soy Tofu, Brown Rice & Sautéed Spinach!

I’m fairly certain that 12 year old me would slap present day me if I tried to serve her this – but I promise you, it was eye-closingly delicious!

I started by preheating my oven to 400 degrees and mixing up the marinade for my tofu. Soy sauce, agave nectar (you could use honey), sesame oil, garlic powder and onion powder. I put it in a tupperware container with a tight fitting lid and SHOOK!

See?

Then I added it to a ziplock back with a block of pressed, extra-firm, cubed tofu and tumbled the bag until everything was coated.

Meanwhile, I started cooking my brown rice and added a little bit of the tofu marinade to the pot to give the rice some extra flavahhhh.

The tofu went into the preheated oven for 17 minutes and came out crunchy and yummy.

To round out my meal, I quickly sautéed some green onion and chopped garlic in 1 teaspoon of EVOO, then added 2 big handfuls of spinach and cooked until the spinach had wilted, ~1 minute.

All together now!

Seasoned brown rice: Win.

Fresh, sauteed spinach: WIN!

Baked Sesame-Soy Tofu: WIN!!!

I just love this meal – I can’t get enough!

I need to make sauteed spinach more often, because this was just dynamite. The simple flavors of garlic and olive oil, with a hint of mild green onion, totally enhanced the fresh spinach. YUM.

And I know you know how much I love this ‘fu, so I’ll keep quiet.

I could eat this every night!

In other, I KNEW I WASN’T CRAZY, news, I found an article today that says alcohol worsens allergies. For years, every time I woke up after drinking alcohol, I’ve had a stuffy nose and sneezed more than usual. Not enough to be life hindering, and not each and every time, but enough to realize that there was a correlation between drinking alcohol and my symptoms the morning after. I’ve always told people I thought I was allergic to alcohol and they told me I was nuts!

Well, according to a study featured in this article, alcohol, which contains histamine produced by yeast and bacteria during the fermentation process, can set off common symptoms of allergies and hay fever like sneezing, itching and coughing. Yes, yes, yes!

Apparently it’s worse when you drink red or white wine, and if you’re a women. Rats. But, it least I can now say “HA!” to all the doubters! Have you ever had these symptoms post alcohol drinking??

Ok, I have to go pack. I’m getting out of dodge tomorrow!

Then 30 Rock, The Office, 30 Rock. New, new and new – finally!

~~~~~

What are some of your go-to meals or ingredients?

I like baked tofu, obvi, but I also loooooove a good panini!

Related posts:

1. Tofu: Not as Scary as You Think
2. Jelly Bean Domination
3. There Wasn’t a Seal!

I had to skip my morning Mom walk today! For the past three nights I have been waking up literally every hour, which leaves me utterly exhausted in the mornings. My left eye twitch is out of control! I think it’s the pollen in the air. Apparently we’re in the middle of the worst pollen season on record, which isn’t jiving with the fact that I am deathly allergic to it. At any rate, I think Grandma’s going to bed at 8:00 tonight. Seriously! I kind of can’t wait, actually…

Well for breakfast today, I whipped up some luxurious French Toast with Fruit – which took me tons of time to make, right? Wrong! I cooked these babies up last night!

Last night I combined:

• 2 egg whites
• Maple extract (~1/8 teaspoon)
• Vanilla extract (~1/4 teaspoon)
• Cinnamon
• EarthGrains 100% Whole Wheat Bread

This is another one of those eco grain breads made with wheat grown on fields that use minimal amounts of fertilizer. (Check out Kate Gosselin in the background. It’s now clear to me that Dancing with the Stars is completely rigged – she STILL didn’t get voted off last night! The jig is up, DWTS!!)

I dunked my bread in the egg mixture (which, don’t start analyzing the fact that these are sweet eggs, which makes me kind of naush!)

And cooked them up on a flat top skillet until they were golden brown on both sides.

Wow, these smelled Heavenly and filled my kitchen with the aroma of cinnamon and maple syrup!

I let the French Toast cool on a cooling rack until…cool…then put them into a tupperware container and into the fridge.

This morning, all I had to do was pop the French Toast into my toaster, top with a sliced banana, some blackberries and a drizzle of agave nectar!

Ahhh, who says there’s no time for a great breakfast in the morning?? This took less than two minutes to heat and assemble! I especially loved the addition of maple extract in the French Toast – it gave me that signature FT flavah which was so nice with the fresh fruit and berries. Winner!

I’m literally so excited for lunch today. I’ve got leftover Vegetarian Korma!

Gosh this stuff is great! The pouch was only $2 so this whole meal, which made 4 large servings, came in at around $5 for the entire thing!

This would also be really good made with chicken or even pork.

I’ll be snacking on yesterday’s apple today too. She’s in the fridge at work.

Oh and three Starbursts. Easter candy is still haunting me. Which…I kind of love.

In the News: The Best Vanilla Ice Cream. Do you eat vanilla ice cream? I think I actually kind of hate it! Why eat vanilla when you can have Sweet & Salty Cluster??

A Starbuck’s caffeine boost is in need, me thinks…

Have a great humpday everyone!

~~~~~

What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? Do you prefer ice cream, fro-yo, custard or other?

I’ll never forget the thick, tongue coating custard I had in Germany – it was unforgettable. However, sweet & salty cluster Blue Bunny ice cream may be the best flavor I’ve ever had!

Related posts:

1. The Tale of Two Breakfasts
2. Insert Dirty Joke Here
3. Monday = Tip Day

Well I didn’t end up snacking on my apple this afternoon, for whatever reason, so I was starving by the time I got home. Enter nature’s candy, aka dried apricots! It’s been WAY too long since I’ve had these puppies, and I gobbled them down. I tried really hard to savor, but they’re like potato chips. Once you have one, you can’t stop going back! You know how it goes… 

As I gobbled, I prepared dinner using a brand new product I picked up on a whim during my list-less grocery shopping trip this weekend. Tasty Bite’s Good Korma Sauce!

Korma is considered a type of curry, and incorporates exotic flavors like cashews, coconut milk, cinnamon and coriander. I found this particular sauce pouch in the “health food” section of my grocery store, along with several other types of Tasty Bite products like rice and other entrees.

Normally, I wouldn’t have given this guy a second glance, but something made me stop…

Not to be a snob, but pre-packaged sauce/rice/entrees/etc. are usually packed with salt, and ingredients invented in a lab somewhere – and I usually refuse to buy them. Not this stuff though, oh no! The sauce appeared to only contain ingredients I would have used myself, if I were to make it from scratch.

Nutrition facts got two very enthusiastic thumbs up as well. ZERO PERCENT of my DV of sodium??? I was impressed…and sold! I added it right to my cart.

The back of the pouch suggested I sauté some protein with veggies, then add the sauce + some water and simmer. So that’s what I did! I started by heating up 1 Tablespoon of wok oil, which is basically vegetable oil infused with garlic & sesame flavors – super exotic – in a skillet on the stove.

Next I sautéed some pressed, extra-firm tofu until it began to brown, then added chopped broccoli and cauliflower.

Once the veggies became slightly tender, ~2 minutes, I poured in the sauce + water mixture, popped on the lid and simmered for 10 minutes.

After adding some chewy brown rice to a nice, big bowl, I added my korma and CHOWED!

TASTY BITE indeed! WOW – I just can’t believe this flavor came from a packaged sauce! The interesting thing is that I wasn’t wowed by the overpowering flavor, rather, I was wowed by the subtle flavor!

You know how most pre-packaged, or even frozen, Asian-type meals have sauces that are just so in your face, so salty and so…fake tasting? This wasn’t like that at all.

The sweet coconut was very subtle and a twinge of curry permeated the whole dish. Plus there was this lingering heat in the back of my throat. Not on my tongue – which is why I don’t like a lot of spicy dishes – but in my throat. It was SO, so, SO good!

I’ll admit that I’m a roasted tofu junkie, but sautéed like this was amazing too!

Can you tell I liked this? I am totally picking up more sauce pouches from this company the next time I go to the store. You saw above…making this was child’s play, yo!

I’ll be enjoying another Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream Bar in about…ohh…4 minutes. I have yet to try a Skinny Cow product that I didn’t adore. Ice cream sandwiches, ice cream bars, ice cream…mmmm, yes please! To all!

Fellow Losties – prepare your brain for tonight’s epi. The rest of you, enjoy your sanity!  

~~~~~

What’s your favorite type of ethnic food?

I have a serious weakness for Japanese food, but Thai food is so GOOD. Just so GOOD – know what I mean??

Related posts:

1. A Fun Alternative to Running
2. Channeling Jessie Spano
3. Love at First Bite

Omg you guys, it’s cold. Real cold! My Mom and I were freezing our tootsies off during our walk this morning! There was even a guy out scraping his windshield. Really, April? Really?

Breakfast went better. Who needs oats in a jar when you can have oats in a ‘loupe?

A cantaloupe – HA! Sitting in this bowl, it kind of reminds me of an oversized version of the soft-boiled egg I had to choke down during a home stay in Germany when I was about 14 years old.

Let’s just say that 14 year old me wasn’t as adventurous as 26 year old me…there was some gagging involved when I had to eat the still soft yolk in the middle with a tiny little spoon. I remember it like it was yesterday!

Fortunately, this concoction tasted a lot better! Last night I made overnight oats with 1/2 Tablespoon chia seeds, 1 AE Raspberry Yogurt and 1/4 cup old fashioned oats. I poured the mixture into a seeded cantaloupe half and topped with frozen blueberries. Edible bowl – what fun!!

Wrap in plastic wrap, stick it in the fridge, then devour in the morning. You have got to try this!! Juicy, sweet, tropical tasting - and it takes awhile to eat, too. Plus, who doesn’t like saying they ate half a cantaloupe for breakfast?

I’m so jazzed for lunch – I’ve got leftover Sesame-Honey Tofu, Asparagus and Brown Rice!

I think I might eat this cold. The great thing about tofu, in my opinion, is that it tastes just as good hot, as it does cold. I might like it a wee bit better when it’s cold, actually! It get’s really firm too. Brown rice is actually decent cold as well, and doesn’t get rock hard like white rice. Love that!

This picture kind of reminds me of that Kashi commercial where they make a prairie landscape scene out of seeds, nuts and grains. Anyone know what I’m talking about?

Oh, per the recommendation of a co-worker, I picked up some of this Lime + Salt Popcorn at the store this weekend.

Too bad I can’t have margaritas during working hours, because that’d surely be a delish combo. I’ll report back my taste findings tonight!

Alright friends, I’m finally on my game when it comes to Three Question Thursday! I’ve managed to somehow forget it or put it on the wrong day for the past several weeks… Here we go!

1. What’s something you’re looking forward to this summer?

2. Fresh breath on the go: gum or mints?

3. Are you allergic to anything?

My answers:

1. FARMER’S MARKETS!!

2. Gum!

3. I’m allergic to everything that grows. Literally every grass, tree, flower, plant or bush that grows outside – I’m allergic to it. Thank God for modern-day medicine! Oh, I’m also allergic to cats and I used to be allergic to plums!

Related posts:

1. A Velvety-Smooth Breakfast Combo!
2. Perfection in a Bowl
3. A Surprised Breakfast & Three Question Thursday!

I loved hearing about what you guys were into growing up! Tennis, piano, roller skating, horse back riding…cool!

It reminded me of the fact that, for many years, I took piano lessons from the music director at my church and just when he was about to teach me how to play the enormous church organ…I quit. How cool would it be to say you knew how to play the organ? Who knows, you could be reading “Iowa Girl Plays the Organ” right now if things had gone a little bit differently.

Well, I had originally planned on making a fab Indian dish tonight, but yesterday I got a comment from reader Dawn, who told me she made my Baked Sesame-Honey Tofu and just loved it. It got me craving some of the ‘fu, so I whipped it up for dinner tonight! (plus I hadn’t made good on my promise to Ben! ) 

I started by cutting a drained block of extra firm tofu into cubes.

Then, in a large bowl, I drizzled the cubes with honey, sesame oil, garlic powder and soy sauce. Sorry, no measurements, but it was probably 2 parts honey, 1 part sesame oil, 1 part garlic powder and 4 parts soy sauce!

After mixing carefully,

I spread the cubes out onto a non-stick sprayed and foil-lined baking sheet.

After baking at 400 for ~25 minutes, they were golden brown with a nice crust on the bottom. Pardon my Rachel Ray, but YUM-O.

To go with my tofu, I cooked up some brown rice on the stovetop to which I added ~3 Tablespoons of my tofu marinade. Lost of flavah up in herrrrr!

I also made some quick & easy roasted asparagus.

Spread your asparagus on a non-stick sprayed and foil-lined baking sheet, toss with some extra virgin olive oil and garlic salt, then roast for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven (I just popped it in when the tofu had 10 minutes left!)

DONE in, ohhh, 30 minutes! 5 minutes prep time, and the rest cook time!

I LOVE TOFU. If you would have told me one year ago that I’d be craving tofu someday, I would have laughed at you. Real hard. These days, however, I just can’t get enough!

The asparagus I’ve been buying at the store lately are super petite and skinny, so 10 minutes is all it takes to make them nice and crisp-tender. PS, don’t you just love snapping the ends off of asparagus? I hate snapping the ends of green beans, but I’ll snap asparagus all day long!

Adding marinade to your cooking rice is such an easy way to add flavor and kind of bring the whole dish all together. Hearty AND tasty!

I am stuffed and satisfied but…I still want more tofu!!! I need to go put it away right.now., otherwise I’ll pick at it block by fantastic, chewy, caramelized block!

Oh yes, I’ve been dominating the Starburst Jelly Beans I got in my Easter basket, so for dessert tonight I portioned myself out one serving.

And made sure it was devoid of all yellow and orange beans. I refuse to waste calories on yuck flavors!!!

Have a good night y’all!

~~~~~

What’s your favorite “flavor”?

I’m all grape all the time!!!!! “Red” comes in as a close second though.

Related posts:

1. Tofu: Not as Scary as You Think
2. I Pity the ‘Fu!
3. It’s That Kind of Morning