Me Want Smush Smush

If you guys haven’t seen it already, South Park’s New Jersey episode was hilarious!  Watch it right now here!  They parodied all of my favorite Jersey shows – RHONJ, Jersey Shore, Jerseylicious!!!

Anyways, on Wednesday night I went out for drinks with Ally and her friend Lauren at Blockheads where they served $3 frozen margaritas!  I’ve been having trouble falling asleep for the past week but after margaritas that night, I slept like a baby!

I had a watermelon flavored one

Same thing on Friday night.  After a nice g & t I slept like a child!

No foundation + Serious sunscreen = My light reflecting face

We also went to a pizza parlor where they refused to make me a pizza without cheese .

On Friday I also doggie-sat the office dog for about 15 minutes during lunch while his owner went out for errands.

Sammy says, “What’s up fools?”

We bonded over veggie wraps .

Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom!!!

Sammy says, “Don’t I look dapper?”

His owner, Ali, dresses him up in the CUTEST outfits!!!

Sammy says, “I’m so glamorous, I piss glitter!”

I also ate a Pure bar in Chocolate Brownie.  After reading about them on Lynn’s blog I HAD to try one.

Pure bar + Veggie wrap = Very satisfying lunch!

The ingredients looked good!

They were pretty tasty too!

I would say that these bars are more like energy bars than Larabars.  This flavor reminded me of chocolate Powerbars but tastier.  I would choose Pure bars before a workout and Larabars for dessert .

Oh and I had asked Dave about the natural frequency technology from the Philip Stein Fruitz watches and he thinks it’s all baloney (I mentioned them in this post).  I’m going to ask a few more people about their opinions on the watches before I post about them again.  I’m still trying to find the original study but no dice.  Part of the reason is that it hasn’t been published in a journal yet, which raises major red flags for me.

Ke$ha + Summer 2010 Regime

Ever since I saw this video:

I’ve had Ke$ha‘s “Blah Blah Blah” stuck in my head.  It is driving me crazy!!!  I just want to dance and act sassy like the dude in the video.  Of course, he can dance MUCH better than I.

Anyways, summer is coming up and I need to kick up my workouts and diet regime.  Blah blah blah!

Before I delve into my self prescribed “Summer 2010 Regime“, here are pictures of my totally yummy “meatballs” and pita meal.  I actually thought that I would be able to eat just one pocket.

I obviously underestimated the tastiness of the dish.

I ended up eating 2 pockets!  They were SO SO good and so easy to make.  I’m going to have to write up the recipe for them.  If you want to just wing the recipe, all you need is Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs, fresh tomatoes, whole wheat pita, parsley, and Italian spices.  I can’t tell you the exact seasonings that I used off the top of my head, but I think I used a mix of basil, oregano, and black pepper.  All you have to do is sautee the meatballs and tomatoes together, top it with parsely, and stuff everything in the pita.

BTW, Cody told me that he wanted more attention in the blog.

Cody says, “I’m da boss man!”

Anyways, as I was talking about my Summer 2010 Regime, I’ve decided to go on a cleanse for the next few weeks.  I’m not talking about a liquid or juice fast, but instead, a processed foods cleanse.  I know that I eat pretty healthfully but I do indulge a little too much in vegan sweets and vegan processed foods.  I’ve been watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and all he talks about are how bad processed foods are.  At first I thought that since I’m vegan, I’m safe from processed foods– that was pretty stupid of me.  Thus, for the next few weeks I’m going to be following Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet (SBD).

Years ago, I got this book for $5 at Costco (HOLLA)!

I want to use Phase 2 of this diet because it promotes clean eating, yet is not very restricting.  I am very sensitive to sugary foods, I get hyped up very easily and crash hard, and feel that this way of eating will get my body back in check.  I’m not really looking to lose weight but am looking to change my habits.  I loooooove eating chewy candies such as Jelly Bellys and Twizzlers and know they are processed BEYOND belief.  I don’t binge on them but I feel like I have to get some every time I’m around a candy bin.

So what is Phase 2?

Phase 2 of the SBD is a low-glycemic way of eating.  As many of you guys know, Phase 1 of the SBD is very restricting and does not allow for any fruits, high glycemic index (GI) vegetables such as corn or carrots, any alcohol, any bread or grains, fatty cuts of meat, and high fat dairy.  As a vegan I know it would be very difficult for me to stick to Phase 1, as most of my calories come from fruits and grains.  On the other hand, Phase 2 allows for fruits, wine, and grains.

Why go on a “diet” and not just cut out the candies?

Well, I am a very structured person and I like knowing my boundaries.  I am not looking to “diet,” but am looking, instead, for a lifestyle change.  I do not like the fact that I feel dependent of sugary sweets!  And, I like the recipes in the book.

Anyways, I will be updating my progress in the next few days.

On another note, for DWTS fans, EVAN LYSACEK WAS ROBBED OF POINTS TONIGHT!  Seriously, ALL 7s’s???  I can’t believe so many couples scored higher!  Sheeeeeeeeesh!  I can’t wait to see who gets eliminated tomorrow.  I bet it’s going to be Jake.

Meatballs and Pasta – Vegan Style

Today was a gorgeous day with temperatures hovering around 60 degrees.  Dave and I went for a 3.5 mile jog/ walk around my town.  We decided to check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s house and studio.  Unfortunately it was closed by the time we ran there but it was still pretty cool to see the buildings.

I can’t believe it but I think I officially have my love for running back again!  I dreaaaaded running in college because it was all I did.  No one forced me to run, but I did it to burn off the pizza and beer.  Now that I’m out of school, I feel as if I’ve learned so much more about myself in terms of what my body can do.

Anyways, Dave decided to make me dinner so I just sat around with Jean and watched Dancing With the Stars as he slaved away in the kitchen.  On that note, I KNEW AIDEN WAS GOING HOME!  He just doesn’t do it for me.  My favorite couple is Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke, Chad is so funny and cute.  However, the couple who will probably win is Evan Lysacek and Anna Trebunskaya.

Before I post pictures of my “italiano” meal, I gave Cody a photoshoot with a flower Dave picked for me .

Pretty flower

Pretty dog

Cody says, “This is so emasculating!”

On to dinner!  Dave made rotini pasta and served it with a homemade marinara sauce stewed with Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs.

I then remembered that we had cilantro and promptly added a few chopped up sprigs.

mmmmm delicious!

Tomorrow I want to plan a run by Hemingway’s home.  I’m going to force Dave to bring his phone because it takes great pictures and is smaller than my camera .

Another Doggie Day

I have just uploaded my pictures from the park yesterday and they are adorable.

Wishbone says, “Whatchu looking at?”

Cody and Wishbone were very excited for their walk.  On the way to the park, we saw Noor again!

Sniff! Sniff! Sniff!

And we also saw Sasha!

Cody and Wishbone met lots of new friends: Buckner, Sierron, Duffy, Mishu and many more.

Soon it got too dark to take pictures.  However, the cutest thing happened!  Mishu, a tiny shih-tzu, kept following Cody around everywhere!  The little dog almost followed us out of the park!  The doggies had so much fun making new friends and very politely asked Dave and I to take them back to the park very soon.

Today I was feeling pretty lazy so I asked Dave to make me dinner.  He did a very nice job I must say.  He made me Korean buckwheat noodles with sauteed mirepoix, daikon, garlic, and soynuts.

Buckwheat Noodles

Mirepoix, a kitchen must for me!

Just celery, carrots and onions

Dave is actually a pretty good cook.

Nothing is sexier than a man in the kitchen

What’s left of my daikon

Smelled so yummy!

The final product was amazing!

It was the first time I’ve tried buckwheat noodles and l loved them.  They were very soft and slightly chewy, very different from the pasta that I’m used to.

Later in the day Dave and I also made a trip to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.  At Whole Foods I got some more delicious millet bread!  The one thing I don’t like about it is that I can only buy it frozen and the fact that it’s over $5.00.

I shouldn’t complain too much because I saw “Woman’s Bread” priced at $7.99.

I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to pay that much for FROZEN bread!  The company that sells the bread, French Meadow, actually prices the bread at $5.50 on its website.

Anyways, we also got some freshly baked sprouted bread from the bakery.  I’m excited to try it because I love sprouted bread.

I was craving sweets earlier in the day so Dave and I looked at vegan cookies and cakes.  We saw these delicious slices of cake from The Chicago Diner and were about to buy the “cookies and cream” cake when we noticed that the price was $4.99… for a slice.  Bummer.  I would totally pay $5 for a slice of freshly baked cake but definitely not for a slice of refrigerated cake that’s been sitting there for god knows how long!

The $5.00 Slice of Cake

I think the Whole Foods in my area has everything priced $2.00 more than it should actually cost.  It sucks but I can’t help but go there for the selection and the service.

At Trader Joe’s we got some more “Fruit Floes.”  This time we got Caribbean flavored pops.

Our new food to try this week is “Smart Dogs.”

At night Wishbone and I hung out and watched last night’s ANTM and tonight’s Project Runway.

Wishbone getting fierce for Tyra

Wishbone is disgusted with Ren.

Wishbone says, “Stop whining biotch!”

Wishbone is sad that Anthony got kicked off of Project Runway

Wishbone quotes, “You don’t have to have the crown to be the queen.”

But we all know Wishbone has both.