Little Prince

Lovebugs, I am thrilled for having an appointment tomorrow (summon the happy dancing)...BUT

{does anyone else wish they could dance so carefree too?}

I am also a little scared. I cannot help it. What if the doc tells me I cannot eat chocolate or coffee or dairy for a super long time? What happens when I tell him all the crazy cravings & happenings from my food diary? I feel really torn between relief that some part of this will be over and then again that some part of this may have to continue. (there- I typed it)

{i ♥ the Little Prince.}

I miss oats. I miss corn, tomatoes, mushrooms, chili powder and curry! Bread would be nice, but I can live off of macarons if the need arises. :) Hee hee.

{nom nom nom}

Even though I want to eat it all, I noticed some good things. Not eating some of the spices, potatoes, and other random vegetables has really helped my joints. No more aching lower back, no more painfully tender knees, no more onset of rheumatoid arthritis as far as can tell. Does this mean I need to be a caged animal, tied to a boring diet just to live without that pain??? Bahhhh. 

I would generally turn to chocolate at times like these, but no sauce. Instead, I turn toooooooo

{happy thoughts never hurt a body}

♥ cute





*images: dance, little prince, chocolate, crackers, world, cheer

Inspirational Plans & Featured Treats

I don't know about you, but sometimes I need inspiration with this whole meal-planning thing. I am trying to eat the good stuff and not cave. I know I need to be practical and not plan to cook all that often. My largest beef (heh, vegetarian) right now is the allergy diet, but I think some other things come up too for us single ladies. What about single servings, right?

Well, I refuse to leave you hanging there. Recipe round up of all things that looked tasty today:

Kaitlyn @ The Tye Dye Files presents us: Single Serve BAH-mazing!

 {gah! just look at this! perfect breakfast idea or what? and yeah, I did make up the corny name. sorry}



I found a single+ serving vegan Pumpkin Bread @ Hungry Hungry Hippie:

{just look at this dense mess. oh moma! more than a single serve, but we can manage...}


I suppose you may be wondering what else I eat beyond breakfast and snacks when I'm "planning" out my culinary life? Well, I eat real food too. Like this!

Diet, Dessert, and Dogs offers fantastic food in general. I prefer a modified version of her French Green Soup recipe. Just leave out the end part with lemon juice, almond milk, etc. and I bet you never knew greens could taste so hearty and amazing. Ricki is quite the genius.


Vegetarian Times. Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. Fabulous professional (VT) photos. Cannot resist!

{this works so well when you want to make something fresh and hot and yeahhh for dinner}


One thing I think is most motivating when meal planning is the spontaneous snack! I mean, who eats like a robot? Sure sure, there are little kicks we get into (*cough* beans and rice *cough* story of my diet) but eventually we are on the prowl for new discoveries! Right?


Here is the last little photo sharing moment. A trail off the beaten path.

{rice cakes happen to be inspired by the Sweet Tooth Runner - I really want to try these!}

There you have it. Live evidence that the sweeter life contains rice cakes. And no, I have no idea if I will like them. I'm still willing to gamble it anyway! :D

Is there anything you have found a worthy gamble? Do you even meal plan? Maybe I'm just nerdy...

 

*images: all images belong to the blog linked to except beyonce, the green soup & rice cakes

procrastination and DATES

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the perfect date...

Not this kind either! I am talking about a fabulous sugary treat to make your world a lovely place. Now I understand the craze.

Wrinkly, but delicious and sugary gems. I kid not. 6 of these for only 110 calories. Tonight, I tried to savor them bit by bit to leave as much room for experimenting as possible! I dipped them in carob to see if the chocolate-y flavor would work right. I would say a fair start. I would caution that I have been using carob a lot lately, so I may be biased in my taste buds.

What I really wanted to test was the cashew-in-the-date trick I've read about in Foodland. Well, it looked something like this:

I used cashews and it tasted something like this...

Happy thoughts all around. I loved it.

While others may suggest putting nut butter inside, I disagree. For those who find nut butters addictive like a bottomless pit, a single salty nut stuffed into a date really does the trick. Personally, I like the snap of the cashew! Mmm.

Try anything once and enjoy the perfect dates, lovelies! I'll bet you this one is a keeper! ;)

This post really is procrastination. My exam on Thursday seems easy enough, and I feel strangely unmotivated to stay up and study more. Hrmm. Dilemma, dilemma... what do you do when you do not feel motivated?

xoxo

images: date couple, dates, dates with nuts, beach bliss, date with nut butter

wishes

Been thinking about the future a lot lately. Perhaps some of you too maybe.

Sometimes I feel like I just want to wish on a star because it requires less work and sounds more beautiful, but I realize hard work goes into happy endings. What is my happy ending though?

Having career aspirations, I wonder if I will resort to the life of a pirate: run my own ship solo.

Perhaps I will meet the best friend of my life.

Will I live in a giant city? I would really like to find somewhere I can drive home at night and find, every once in a while, beauty in the darkness.

I suppose life will tell me. Until then, I am just a girl listening to thunder in her room. Typing and wishing macarons were manifest... and legal.

{Of coarse, mine would be speckled espresso flavor or bright green mint with dark chocolate chips!}

Any wanderings about the future out there? Quotes or guides to live by? Pipe up and shareeee? :)

xoxo

*images: stars, pirate, friends, bench, sign, typewriter

Tips & Treats for Allergy Testers (sans nut allergies)

While removing the allergic foods from your bod, there is a rather large list of no-nos. Generally, the no-nos are favorites because when you are allergic, you love them. The body loves to eat what it loves to fight apparently.

Some tasty items you can enjoy instead...
{for those of us in the thick of it!}

Note that these are not the only okay flavors, but I happened to LOVE these in particular. Unlike me, a few of you might be able to have certain foods {sugar alcohols, certain spices, caffeinated products...} My doc said no. A heavy detox instead. BOO.

What about a tasty recipe treat though? Packaged is nice, but you might want something homemade. Something to remind you that summer is going away and fall is here.
May I present:

Le Petite Pumpkin Cider Charmeur 

{I made it fancy just because.}

You Need...

Directions: Combine in a blender and serve!

This skinny indulgence rounds out to 130 calories per cup. Be prepared to double the amounts if you need a serious beverage (thinking breakfast, what have you). For those avoiding sugar, I used a So Delicious Sugar Free Coconut Milk. {Most alternative milks use a LOT of sugar in them.} I was surprised. Regular milk does not need sugar so...? Beats me. Still delicious.

Well, I am off to search for a cheap foodie camera on the internet and I have a question for you all out there: Have you seen the Help? It looks pretty good to me, but I was curious about anyone's opinions on it. Like... chick flick? Inspirational maybe? Let me know.

xoxo

Musical & Tea & Rain

Rainfall is the most soothing atmosphere. I realize being soaking wet and sticky is not a ball.

Being tucked away with a cup of Herbal Traditions Peppermint tea...

and a little classical listening is lovely though.

A few pieces for you.

xoxo

Happy thought

My Labor Day weekend has looked something like this, which may have added to the frustration part:

Hours of reading. Hours of working through economics homework and getting the information straight. Two things to keep myself outside of the work warp:

I painted my nails and toenails today. A rare occurrence since most nail polishes have terrible things in them. Aquarella brand is water-based though. Score one.

For the past two days, I have burned one of my tiny new fall-smelling candles (Spiced Pumpkin) and I love love love it. I swear the best reason for seasons are the tiny decorative items that come with!

My goals for the fall:

 

Fabulous tone legs so I can wear tights without thinking twice about it. Such a lot of toning work. I hope I can make it there! 

Best wishes for your week. xoxo

*images: homework, nails, candle, pretty, pink