YUMATHOOOON!

i had some extra potatoes... and as they say, if life lives you a potato, make a salad!
or, i said that to myself! :)

recipe inspired by my friend, Cody Forrest, who made this super amazing vegan potato salad once and i ate all of it.

boil potatoes, the usual. let 'em cool, cut 'em up. big bowl. put a bunch of dijon mustard on it. i got some course ground because it looks cool. chopped scallions, fresh dill, olive oil, salt. i almost put half a lemon of juice, but then i didn't. maybe i should.

add stuff until it tastes great! don't overdo it at first, you can always add more.

oh! i am also going to make some pumpkin cupcakes with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. yuss. fall. brb.

THANK THE LORD.

 Long Beach Vegan Eatery. i approve.

there is a vegan place within walking distance from my apartment. SCORE.
i went there for the first time yesterday.
chikin parm sub. first off, this was the biggest freaking sandwich i'd ever seen. $9.95, i had just assumed it  was normal expensive vegan pricing. this thing though, was a honker. breaded chikin smothered in a chunky marinara and melted daiya cheeze on it in a ciabatta sub. yes, the ciabatta was perfectly toasted. masterpiece. needless to say, i ate the entire thing. but actually i was slowing down at the end which says a lot considering the size of my stomach!

today! burrito. beans, chikin, daya cheeze some other things i can't remember right now. i called it in so i wouldn't have to wait for it there, then called back thinking that some mac&cheez would be good too. little did i know how humungo the mac was. and the burrito!! this is seriously bigger than any chipotle burrito, and i know their burritos quite well. this beast must weigh 5 lbs. and the burritos always come with homemade tortilla chips and their homemade salsa which is also huge! must be 8 oz of salsa!! and i guess the mac comes with garlic bread?? this is a ridiculous amount of food, for $15. and it smells AMAZING.

time to eat yo.

update! i have devoured half of this burrito and am way stuffed.
blackbeans and refried beans, salsa, daiya cheddar, chikin strips, rice, wrapped up in a huge tortilla and grilled on both sides. holy. kdsanfoeiahras. and i can eat a chipotle burrito no problem. this has to be double one of those. 

hey, i like potatoes!

potato ballllsss!!!!

boil some taters, make sure to cut them into big pieces before boiling. (it's quicker)
sautee some spinach and minced garlic in a pan on the side. either use some white wine or olive oil or water if you want it to be low/non-fat.
chop some scallions and basil.
once the tatoes are all boiled (still on the firm side) mush all of it together.
roll into balls!
place on cookie sheet. it's pretty important to spray the pan so your balls don't get stuck.

taadaaa!


also!  tonight i ran out of wheat pasta, so i boiled some potatoes and treated them like pasta. a bit of olive oil drizzle, garlic powder, salt, black pepper. SO good. i didn't even miss the pasta. and quite filling!

soon, i will make a potato salad methinks!

kombucha!

best way to start the day!
i recently switched from coffee to tea. it's been a little rough.  i can't seem to drink enough tea to keep myself awake!
today, i have had about half of this kombucha bottle and i feel awesome. naturally energized, thinking clearly, happy, and calm. that's the sort of energy i want to have everyday.

today....!!

i went to trader joe's and was so tempted to buy a the vanilla date smoothie from ReJuice, but thought. oh.my.goodness! i am going to trader joe's! they most definitely have all of the ingredients, and i know all the flavors! oh man! I AM GOING TO MAKE MY OWN.

tadaa!

i don't have a picture though. because i didn't have my computer. but here's a picture of what it could have looked like! haha.

.banana
.vanilla soy ice cream (any sort of ice cream would work, tj's just didn't have other kinds of non-dairy vanilla)
.dates
.almonds
.water
.ice

yum to the max.

also, today, i watched the food network for a bit because, my parents have a television, and Paula Deen was on! i'd heard a lot about her, but never actually watched her show. she is quite a character. would not use any of her recipes, but she's hilarious. and i could totally use some ideas from her.
she made this cheesecake with pecan praline goo ontop. yo, i could totally make a vegan version of that. maybe next week. but it's going to happen. :)

when in doubt! bake a cake.

 well.....
my attempt at making vegan cupcakes was a fail.
because i'm stubborn.
i hate butter and buttery products. they just gross me out.
so, i tried to make frosting with a banana base.
i'm dumb.
this was the result. after probably 20+ minutes of beating it. (below)

 

a lovely overly-sweetened banana goo. 

  

 the cake part turned out super though! 

i used unbleached white and wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, a bit of apple cider vinegar, almond milk, cinnamon, and canola oil.

i ended up drizzling some of the banana goo ontop and that turned out as an awesome glaze sort of thing. 

today i took half of the goo and tried to revive it as a frosting. i added half a container of tofutti cream cheese. it definitely got thicker! but not fluffy in the least bit, so i added some flour and made it into a 

cake.

oh! the stirfry at the top is what i made for dinner. i make healthy food too sometimes! this is halved baby bella mushrooms, chopped scallions, halved brussel sprouts, chopped broccoli, and immitation chicken strips sauteed in soy sauce and a bit of olive oil with minced garlic.

what to do with the rest of the goo... dump it all ontop of the goo-cake i made? oh dear.

don't go back to sleep!!

he's so stoked.

i woke up this morning ten minutes before my alarm went off.
got on facebook, because, well, unfortunately it's become a routine for me. but see here! today it provided inspriration.
i'm part the Yogis Anonymous group and everyday "Ally" has reflective words to say.
today, it was all about DOING it. Living life like you are alive. think about that for a few seconds.

this weekend it was hot. i didn't have all too much to do and ended up watching tv for the majority of it. just, laying on the floor. feeling like a butt. i might as well have been a rock.

i don't have any excuses for being lazy. god. why am i wasting my life away! the sun is shining! my life is still young! i have health and have been blessed with so many reasons to be happy.

"Hey!!! There's so much light and so much truth, don't go back to sleep!!!" Because being awake and aware feels amazing. It's not all happy feelings and dancing through life with a loopy grin on your face. Some of it is brutally painful. But being accountable for yourself is freaking awesome. Being responsible for the energy you're contributing wherever you go is a totally natural high. Spreading love because you feel so much of it inside is the greatest feeling I know, and anyone can do it. Get high on whatever is true for you, get stoned on spreading light wherever you go and making this world brighter because you've been here. Don't go back to sleep!!! Happy Monday. - Ally

and in the words of my good friend Leigh, "Gotta do it up!"

today is the day!

switching my morning beverage to tea.

waking up in the morning to enjoy time. to sit, to contemplate. 

being active! 

exercise and stretch to begin each day with a positive mantra.

making music because i love it. 

today me and the rockster went on a jog. both of us were huffing and puffing by the end but boy did it feel good. showers after any sort of exercise make you feel infinitely more cleansed than just rolling out of bed and hopping in. 

both of my private teachers told me this past week that i should start running on a regular basis to help expand my lung capacity. 

here i go. 

it's time. the time is now. 

make it so.