Energy Bars

I was inspired (by another blog) to make these energy bars.

First, I chopped raw almonds.


Next, I put these roughly chopped almonds in a bowl with unsweetened coconut flakes and dried cherries.


I added 1/2 cup of honey and a couple tablespoons of wheat germ. Mixed it all togeth.


I spread it all into a glass pan to go into the oven. It spread out really thin, but it turned out just fine.


This went into the oven at 350 degrees and baked for about 20 minutes. The final product:


Raw almond energy bars with dried cherries and toasty coconut flakes.



And a recent drink I've been enjoying: The Green Monster.


A lot of ingredients went into this smoothie. Frozen banana, frozen pineapple, greek yogurt, fresh spinach, hemp seed, flaxseed oil, and mango juice. Don't worry - you can't taste the spinach; it gets masked by the fruit, resulting in a delicious tasting smoothie. MmmMMmm tastes healthy!

Orange Quinoa

My favorite blog just featured a recipe for quinoa salad with strawberries, tomatillos, yellow bell pepper, water chesnuts, avocado, and an orange lime dressing.

It sounded good, and I needed a new dish to put in my fridge to pack my lunches for the week, so I gave this one a shot. But instead of making the orange dressing, I cooked the quinoa in an organic orange juice concentrate which was being featured on sale at the local co-op.

The dish turned out... interesting. Let's just say I wouldn't make it again. It was a little too fruity and tart for lunch. Maybe it's because I cooked the quinoa with an entire cup of orange juice CONCENTRATE + 2 cups of water. I think the concentrate needed to be way more diluted. And the combination of strawberries with tomatillos and water chesnuts... it just wasn't a combination I was in to. And for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to throw cilantro in there. Not really. It was worth a try!

On a different note, I wanted to show pics of the frames my roommate Chelsea and I painted for our bathroom. And thank you Sarah for helping!



The blue, green, and yellow match the shower curtain. Which looks like this:
Here they are with their reflection.




And below is a picture of my friend Scottie who turned 21 today. He is holding the box of cupcakes I brought him from work. Happy birthday Scottie!




And tonight I was feeling in a very chai-y mood. So I cozied up with a Chai cupcake and hot mug of Chai tea.



There's no such thing as too much chai, clearly!

Fiesta Mexicana

Yesterday evening, I took a trip up to Sanford to visit with my friends Michelle and Libertine at Michelle's family's house. Michelle, who is currently a student at the French Culinary Institute in New York, had a festive Mexican dinner in the works.

These are the fresh tomatillos before she put them in the oven to make a roasted tomatillo salsa...



Michelle's sister, Katherine, went to work on a fresh mango and red bell pepper salsa...

Michelle's mom grew up in Mexico, so Mexican food in this house is always authentic.
Libertine was highly entertained by how their mom pronounces the word "mango" the way real Spanish speakers say it. (Like mon-go instead of main-go)

We made Guava Margaritas with fresh squeezed limes, guava juice, tequila, and simple syrup.

Libertine salting the rims of the Margarita glasses:



I loved how the sisters were both wearing black and white dresses!


Katherine's salsa in the works


And here you see the final product. Mango, red bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, lime juice.

Unfortunately my pictures stop there, but there was also spicy guacamole prepared by Michelle's mom, grilled chicken, peppers & onions, pork, and piping hot corn & flour tortillas. And for dessert, fudgy brownies and homemade banana rum walnut ice cream.

And a presh pic of Libby & Mich with the huge but very sweet horse/dog, Bailey.


Until next time : )

Superfood Breakfast

My breakfast this morning: Chia Seed Pudding (Coconut milk + cinnamon + chia seeds) with organic strawberries and a handful of crunchy walnuts. Along with frothy coffee of course. In my Cali mug.


Looks like the actual pudding is invisible in this pic due to the mass amount of lusciously red strawberries I topped it with. Maybe you can see better here...



There they are. Chia seeds are tiny little things (actually in the mint family) that absorb liquid to expand to about 10 times their original size. Their ability to hold so much water aids in keeping your body hydrated. When they absorb liquid, they resemble mini tapioca pearls and give the liquid a gelatinous consistency, like pudding. They are rich in Omega-3's, antioxidants, and amino acids, and are known as an energizing superfood.

Nutritious and delicious. Now off to work! My brain feels nice and nourished.

Portland

Portland is home to a wonderful plethora of trendy restaurants, new ones sprouting up all the time on every corner. Best of all, most of the restaurants are fresh and healthy! Last year was my first trip to ¿Por Qué No?, an awesome taqueria literally down the block from my aunt's house. My Aunt Patty and I each ordered a fresh squeezed pomegranate margarita to start off the meal, pictured above. When we went this summer, their special margarita of the week was Coconut Melon.

Pambiche Cuban Restaurant is another new favorite for me. Colorful, fun, exciting atmosphere and awesome, lively Cuban music. We started the day off with a bang by going here for breakfast.


Karena's and my Café Mocha at Pambiche. Divine.

And this was my Tortilla de Platano (Cuban omelette with plantains):


Love it! Can't wait for my next trip to P-town.

And now I leave you with a beautiful picture of local cherries (so shiny!) and sensational apricots from the Portland Farmers Market...

And also a picture from my trip with my wonderful sister Laura, taken by Patty, the photographer who always finds the light...

Until next summer, Portland!