#Plus just tons of cheese and rice cakes

[hedgehog-moss]

what do you usually make for dinner? i’m looking for new things to try and the food you show in your photos always looks so tasty

Hi :) I have very seasonal menus, here are some of my go-to summer dishes:

Rice salad with lentils, maize, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, rocket. My salad dressing is olive oil + sunflower oil + cider vinegar + Dijon mustard + whatever herbs I have at hand (usually thyme, basil, sage, rosemary)

I also make a salad-salad with the same dressing but with just lettuce and some rocket + walnuts + goat cheese + my homemade spicy plum-raisin chutney, or a fig chutney. Classic but delicious.

My laziest salads are potato-herring-red onions salad, or just grated carrots & black radish (and dressing obvs)

I love cold tomato soup in summer—I don't think I'm allowed to call it gazpacho because I don't like cucumber and have banished it from this recipe. It's just normal tomato soup with some olive oil, onion, garlic, Espelette pepper, and herbs, and I keep it in the fridge. I'm proud to say all the ingredients save the olive oil are from my greenhouse! Cold beetroot soup is also great, I often have cold soup with croûtons + a hard-boiled egg for supper (and then cheese + bread, and often dark chocolate + bread for dessert if I haven't made any dessert. Plus a fruit)

The chocolate tart I described here is to be eaten cold so it's a nice summer dessert (and breakfast). I keep carrot cake in the fridge too and since my recipe makes for a very moist cake it's very refreshing (I am positive I shared this recipe on here before but tumblr's blog search is useless :( It's my abuela's pastel de zanahoria esponjoso made with biscuit crumbs instead of flour, it's somewhere on this blog I swear, I remember illustrating it with a little carrot drawing 😭)

Another refreshing summer dessert is compote (or do you call it fruit purée?) Right now my favourite flavour is apple-plum (mostly because that's what I currently have and your own fruits always taste better<3) I just put a few (three?) apples to cook in a pan with a bit of water, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, a dash of lemon and a bunch of red plums, let it cook then blend it and put it in the fridge. Three weeks from now I will be drowning in blackberries and apple-blackberry will be my favourite flavour.

Quiche!! Endless possibilities with quiche. I like to make a quiche-ratatouille combo—I start with sautéing whatever vegetables I have (often courgettes, tomatoes, a couple of potatoes, maybe an aubergine & bell pepper, + Espelette pepper, onions, basil) in a pan with some olive oil; while it's cooking I prepare the body of the quiche in a bowl (20cL of milk, 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour, 2 eggs, some herbs and a tiny bit of olive oil for luck). I make a pie crust with flour, water, salt, oregano and olive oil (sorry I'm from the Mediterranean, I put herbs and olive oil everywhere). I spread the ratatouille on the pie crust then add the milk/egg mixture on top of it, then add little bits of cheese on top (gruyère or bleu or St Nectaire personally). I eat it with a side of rocket, it's perfect. And very colourful:

When I'm too lazy to do the ratatouille (and quiche) steps I just make a tomato tart—the same pie crust as above, then I spread Dijon mustard over it then cover it with sliced tomatoes, and add some (obligatory) herbs and olive oil. It's less effort and also looks very summery:

Some favourite autumn-spring dishes: vegetable lasagna, chilaquiles, hachis parmentier with mashed pumpkin, fish brandade, potato-courgette gratin (with blue cheese)... Then winter is for comfort foods like camembert fondue, risotto, calzones, pumpkin-chestnut soup, and crêpes—the savoury kind with sarrasin flour, what we call galettes. I grew up eating a ton of fish and seafood but I've curbed this habit due to environmental worries—hence why I'd like to raise edible fish in my greenhouse tanks! I get to eat a lot of eggs thanks to my hens, but I don't eat meat very often—hardly ever in summer except if I'm invited for dinner at someone's house. Sometimes I buy a homemade duck terrine from my neighbour and have a tartine for apéritif. My cold-season dishes call for ham in galettes and chicken in chilaquiles / risotto / quesadillas, and I make my hachis parmentier with duck. But yeah soup / salad / 'ratatouille quiche' and pasta with veggie sauce are my staples.

This list lacks pasta, I eat a lot of pasta. But mostly in autumn and spring; I just prepare my sauce in summer and store it for later. I also prepare & freeze a lot of soup and vegetable mash in summer with my greenhouse harvests. I often eat green beans as a side with my crêpes or other winter dishes because they grow so fast and incessantly in summer, my freezer ends up stuffed with bags of green beans. My usual pasta sauce is pretty much the same ratatouille combo as above (minus the potatoes so it's less thick), sauté'ed in a pan with olive oil, I also add an egg, parmesan (sometimes extra blue cheese or emmental) and liquid cream, then blend everything. I have a lot of courgettes and tomatoes right now, industrial quantities of basil and rocket, and beautiful Ecuador purple chili, so I've been making lots of jars of this sauce and also my new basil-rocket-cashew pesto! October-me will be thankful.

[olisephaa]

Today is just one of those days where you eat chocolate for breakfast, walk for 2 1/2 hours playing mobile games, eat chocolate and bread for lunch, walk another 2 1/2 hours, and eat the remaining chocolate bar for dinner. Just one of those days

[sundove88]

Shonen Jump Power Linkage: The Republic of Heroes Linkers

Did I decide to make even MORE Shonen Jump Power Linkage characters? Yes. And they all are equally powerful!

Lucy Carson (Allen Walker): “If you have an Akuma in your body already, why can’t you Just talk to other ones?” (Spectral Business) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lucy has a good case of PTSD, with her parents dying in a car accident when she was only very young. She survived and now currently lives with her aunt and uncle in Dallas, Texas.

She loves murder mystery books and desires to be like a great detective just like her idol, Sir Donovan Phoenix.

She and Allen Walker linked while she was visiting a bookstore near to her home, and just as it started to rain heavily and show no signs of stopping.

Catherine Luxe (Lala Satalin Deviluke): “Ya know what a rich girl like me does in her spare time? Volunteer and help out around town!” (Heart of Solid Gold) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Catherine is the only daughter of a wealthy businessman, and takes after her father’s philanthropist ways. She and her family live in a mansion in Seattle, Washington.

Although she has a love for the fine things in life, she does often volunteer and help out around the town, spreading her voice for all the right reasons.

She and Lala linked when Catherine was busy organizing her bedroom, albeit putting away some of her fashion dolls and awards that she earned through contests.

Jane Pinkett (Chitoge Kirisaki): “Apparently I do love my waffles with extra toppings and yummy fruits. And for you?” (Most Important Sweets of The Day) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jane and her family run a breakfast cafe in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. They’re known for their extra fluffy waffles with whipped cream, maple syrup, French butter, and fresh berries piled up high.

She created one of the cafe’s best selling products- The Cross-Omelette. It’s an omelette that has all the fillings stuffed into a freshly baked croissant with any type of sauce available.

She and Chitoge linked when the cafe was close to closing, and while she was planning out a new recipe to serve at the cafe- said recipe was a latte, with the foam in the shape of a baby chick.

Michael Keller (Kenshiro): “This heart of gold has never rusted and never will anyway!” (A Heroic Comeback) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Michael is an adult businessman hailing from Mystic, Connecticut. And since he lives there; not only does he like helping out the folks in his town, but also visiting the aquarium.

He has done weight training, and especially with extra large ones. He prefers 20 ton weights to 50 tons, though; as he can’t handle them that much.

He and Kenshiro linked when he was on his way to work- only for a Despairius to nearly attack him and throw him off guard. Kenshiro took out the fiend and the rest is history.

Jesse Kim (Toriko): “Alrighty! Now you toss' em in- It’s that easy!” (Heir to The Restaurant) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jesse lives in Edgewater, Florida, and he helps his Korean-American family run their local cat cafe. He often helps with the cooking, and loves the pastries best.

His favorite food of all time is Tteokbokki, or spicy rice cakes. He often makes them with extra fish cakes, cheese, and eggs; plus a dash of ramen noodles.

He and Toriko linked when the latter was looking around Edgewater for new foods to eat. Jesse invited him into his cafe to escape the pouring rain, and they immediately formed the bond.

Aidan St. Cloud (Luckyman): “No way! I never get this many arcade tickets! I must be dreaming or something like that!” (Lady Luck on My Side) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aidan comes from San Diego, California; and he loves the summer sun and everything about it. Plus, his family was lucky enough to win tickets to SDCC, and he’s been there every summer. Plus, he’s on the autism spectrum.

Because his family has been blessed with insanely good luck, ironically he has a pet black cat named Clover. He considers her to be a source of good luck, and even added a Chinese lucky knot to her collar.

He and Luckyman Linked when Aidan felt as if he was unable to win a prize from the claw machine; and as such, Luckyman gave him that much needed boost.

Gary Limestone (Tatsumi Oga): “I’ve interacted with tons of babies, but Beel is just the embodiment of adorableness!” (Not So Demonic Baby) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gary hails from Reine, Norway, and often serves as a babysitter for the younger kids of the village. He loves to help them out, play with them, and often give them treats when they behave well (His cloak was inspired by Sherbet Cookie)!

The kids he babysits often leave drawings for him to thank him for his help; and he’ll often put them in his scrapbook so he can remember the kids in the future.

He and Tatsumi linked when he was notified about a family that needed babysitting, but in reality was a call for help from Director Lumi.

Donna Toussaint (Souma Yukihara): “Only the French know the secrets to culinary perfection, but still the sweets reign supreme.” (Parisian Perfection) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Donna is from Southern France, and she has always yearned to go to Paris; but for now she is baking macarons and pastries in the family bakery, albeit with their recipe dating back to the great grandparents of the family.

Her favorite pastry to make is vanilla bean cream puffs, especially since she gets to fill them with tasty whipped cream and her favorite strawberries.

She and Souma linked when she was making the family cream puffs to sell, and Souma immediately took the first one- love at first bite in an instant.

Rex Dennington (Tsunayoshi Sawada): “You’re part of a mafia organization? Because if so, life’s a bit wild.” (Family of Hitfolks) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rex is from Vancouver, Canada; and he loves reading about Italian mafia drama- his father’s side of the family is Italian; and he often hums The Godfather theme when not busy (His hair was also inspired by Sherbet Cookie)

Speaking of his father’s side of the family, he often goes on an annual trip to Naples, Italy, where that side of the family mostly lives. They often bring back tons of souvenirs.

He and Tsunayoshi linked on one of said trips, and when he was running from some Despairiuses disguised as his family. Luckily, Tsunayoshi stepped in and got him away before the Despisriuses could attack.

Cara Plitkin (Arale Norimaki): “Say, wanna go to the arcade? I’ll race you there!” (Arcade Heroines) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cara is from Newton, Massachusetts, and is a very happy go lucky girl. She loves to doodle in her sketchbook, and will often trick her parents into eating the desserts that she bakes herself.

Her favorite hobby is collecting fun stickers, but she loves making them even more with her parents’ sticker machine.

Arale and her linked when Cara was at the mall and she nearly got lost. Luckily, Arale linked with her and she managed to find her parents.

Medusa Arwen (Senku Ishigami): “Ironically, I’m named after a snake lady who turns people to stone. But this is great!” (Set in Stone) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Medusa Arwen hails from Santorini, Greece, and has a love for Greek mythology. She was named after Medusa, a mythical monster with snakes for hair and a gaze that can turn anyone into a statue. (Her hair was inspired by White Lily Cookie)

She actually lost her left arm in a car accident, and thus was given a prosthetic arm that has the patterns of a snake. This also connects to her namesake of Medusa, who is not only half snake, but also has the iconic snake hair.

She and Senku linked when the former was working on a statue of the goddess Athena, and Senku immediately took notice of the girl.

Lance Reddan (Kuroko Tetsuya): “It’s been my dream to play in the All Star League- I’ll definitely seize that chance!” (Welcome to The Jam) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lance is from Buffalo, NY, and he is a huge fan of basketball and chicken wings alike. Plus, he has driven his team to victory more than one time, earning him the title of “Truest MVP” for the school he attends.

He is a big fan of sports movies such as Space Jam, and it’s what inspired him to play basketball and join the school team as a whole.

He and Kuroko linked when he was taking a break from a game, and Kuroko saw the opportunity to meet him. Lance also took said opportunity, and the rest is history.

[lillianfromaccounting]

This ended up being a very long post and I'm on mobile, so I'll fix the read more in the morning when I get on the computer.

TW: covid, depression, Thanksgiving, a lot of food talk

-----------

Today, we officially called off Thanksgiving with family (it had pretty much been decided but today we called the few people to confirm it).

Some background: my family only started celebrating Thanksgiving because I wanted to. We're Chinese, so growing up, it wasn't a thing for us, plus my mom wasn't fond of turkey.

At the age of 13, I picked up a bread baking recipe book at a Scholastic book drive. Up until that point, I had been baking stuff from box mixes, so making bread from scratch was a huge deal for me. Age 14, I told my parents I wanted to do Thanksgiving the American way. We qualified for a free turkey at our local supermarket anyway, so why not? To make it more palatable, I incorporated Chinese elements into the menu--various Chinese vegetables (choy) instead of green bean casserole, sticky rice (loh mai fan) stuffing--and i would bake fresh bread. There would always be white rice.

I have a huge extended family and on the weekends, my parents would have family and friends over to play mahjong, so Thanksgiving went over great because they loved trying all these new foods, and I loved trying new recipes. We always had a rotation of at least thirty people, so the food went. I think one year, I counted just over fifty people--it was like a revolving door at my parents' house, some people would pop in around lunch time and hang out until they had to go to their own family's Thanksgiving dinners, some came for dinner, and some came for dessert and coffee with a side of mahjong.

As the years went on, my menus got more and more elaborate, and I would enlist my younger siblings (I have three) to be my sous chefs. It was a THING. Thanksgiving was my thing.

The college I went to is very involved with the Macy's Thanksgiving parade balloons, and while it would have been an awesome experience, it required giving up your Wednesday night and most of Thanksgiving Thursday. That was a deal breaker for me. That's how much my Thanksgiving ritual meant to me.

Some of my favorite memories are waiting in line at DiPalo's (before they expanded, back when it was just the corner storefront) with my sister the weekend before Thanksgiving to get fresh mozzarella and ricotta and parmigiano (lasagna was a huge hit with my family). The longest we waited was three hours one year.

Another year, this was after I had graduated and moved out and was working. My work let us out early (around 2pm), but this asshat in another department ensured me that he needed these numbers so he can work over the weekend. I ended up running out to DiPalo's to pick up my order and going back to work, working to 9pm to get those numbers out, before going back to my parents' house to start cooking. The asshat didn't look at them that weekend (we get the Friday off too).

Mind you, it's not that I couldn't get the ingredients in Jersey, I just honestly had no idea where to go. My parents did the bulk of their grocery shopping in Chinatown and DiPalo's was right at the border of Chinatown and Little Italy.

As I said earlier, my menus got more elaborate over the years. Everyone kept eating the loaves of fresh bread for breakfast, so I made Thanksgiving an all day affair, with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.

One year, the theme was fried foods (fried turkey legs, homemade mozzarella sticks, etc.). I always tried new recipes on Thanksgiving, because honestly, what I enjoyed most about it was the process, the production of creating something delicious.

My siblings started sending me recipes throughout the year. One year, I made a vegan raspberry cheesecake (the base was cashews and almonds).

My siblings also said that they knew my now husband was a keeper because he had not only survived Thanksgiving at my parents' house, but he rolled with it (I'm pretty sure I put him to work too).

After we got married and bought our house, I claimed Thanksgiving for both sides of the family (there were no objections, because I didn't care about Christmas, so they had Christmas). My husband's family had been getting their Thanksgiving meals catered for a few years at this point, so they didn't mind not cooking.

But including his family meant I had to start making sacrifices to my process. One person only liked Stove Top stuffing (don't get me wrong, Stove Top chicken flavor is amazing, but so is a sausage stuffing from scratch). The year my second child was born, I think I was a bit burned out by everything, so we ended up ordering a whole pig (think spit roast, but Chinese style) and some roast ducks that year. We were told the next year that some people would prefer to have turkey. One year, we decided to smoke our turkey, and the feedback we had gotten was that some people really preferred oven roasted. So the following year, we did turkey three ways (roasted, smoked, and deep fried) and we started getting feedback that we were doing too much variety. This happened with the sides too. Heirloom vegetable recipes (guys, I used to watch the Food Network religiously) were reduced to sauteed green beans or asparagus. We were told to reduce the variety of things, so the only pasta dish that kept making it onto the menu was mac and cheese, because that was someone else's preference. And I couldn't even play around with the mac and cheese, because the family's recipe used Velveeta (yes, I know I sound like a food snob, and it's because I was back then).

But year after year, the creativity of the menu decreased and decreased, to the point where my husband and I felt it wasn't enjoyable anymore.

This morning, after we had called the family (it was really just my and his parents, whom we have been seeing during this whole time because we live close and do shopping for them, etc.), part of me was excited to finally make a menu and my husband and I agreed on a very small menu, because it's just us and our two kids.

And by the time I went to bed, I was excited again for Thanksgiving because we will be cooking things that we want. There are three, possibly four varieties of scones on the breakfast menu right now. I haven't mentioned this yet, but my menus are always too ambitious. I almost never get every single dish on the table, but the important ones get there. The experimental ones get ranked in order of what I want to taste.

After all these years, we have established staples. We always have bacon cheddar scones with breakfast. My sons requested chocolate chip and vanilla, respectively, and I want pumpkin. We'll see how many varieties actually get made. I always make fresh cranberry sauce for the sole reason of baking it into a crumb cake for Friday morning. We also eat the Ocean Spray jellied (with whole berries), and I serve it in slices. My husband is the mashed potato king, so he handles that. The King Arthur masala chai pumpkin pie recipe has been a hit year after year, so that is a staple now. I was excited to be able to cook what we wanted again.

It even inspired a Thanksgiving chapter in the fic I am writing. (I am so, so, so happy and excited for this chapter now.)

But as I was going to bed tonight, I was thinking about those memories at DiPalo's and cooking with my siblings, and pandemic sadness hit me like a ton of bricks. I cried hard. I miss my siblings. I miss the hospitality of it all. Just like my parents' house was a revolving door, when my husband and I took over Thanksgiving, it was an unspoken rule that extended friends and family were welcomed. My siblings' friends from high school and college would stop by. My one sister's friend would even ask to be on the menu distribution list (I usually drafted a menu and my family members would vote on which dishes they wanted, and that was partially how the menu was created) and invite himself over lol.

I miss that company--the people who understood my Thanksgiving--my family. I haven't seen (in person) one sister since January and the other since March. And while we're constantly talking to each other and do the occasional video chat, it's just not the same.

If you read this far, thank you for your time and energy.

I don't have a point to this post, except maybe wear a fucking mask and stay home, so we can eventually beat this pandemic and resume some semblance of pre-covid life.

And I know this post is very much a first world problem. We have enough to eat and a warm roof over our heads. I am very grateful for that. But I am allowed to be sad too. This year would have been my 25th anniversary with Thanksgiving.

Writing all this out really helped though.

[chaoticgabby]

My Cheap & Relatively Healthy Grocery List for College Students

Context: I had been used to eating fast food so much because it was cheap that when I went to the doctors' they said I had high glucose content. That wasnt good. So I started eating healthier. Anyway let's skip the BS and get straight into it:

Ramen: the OG cheap food. I personally don't own ramen bc I dont like it that much, but if you want to save money this is the meal, at least add an egg or some veggies to make it healthier.

Frozen Veggies: anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar or two a bag. Can easily be kept in your freezer (if you have one) for months

Mac n' cheese: my all-time favorite. Of course, it might not be healthy for everyone to eat pasta all the time, but I do it anyway. Add some real cheese and spices for taste or chicken and veggies in it / on the side.

Other Pasta boxes (Pasta Roni, Velveeta, Hamburger Helper, etc.): basically as cheap or almost as cheap as Kraft macaroni, but maybe you arent a fan of mac n cheese.

Soup (Soup!!): Cambell's Tomato soup is often $1 a can. I like to eat mine with grilled cheese. Thats a whole ass meal. But of course you can get other soups just as cheap. Basically, any canned foods.

Canned foods & veggies: this one goes without saying. Although, the better options are sometimes $2 to $3 the same can be said for frozen veggies, but just heat these up and cook them in fried rice or just add butter and eat them aside a nice entré

Chunk light tuna: speaking of canned foods, canned tuna is soooo cheap and is a great option (if you even like tuna). Dont actually get the "pack tuna" for $1 a pack unless you want to keep it in your bag bc canned tuna is around 60 cents a can. Mix it with Miracle Whip (or mayo) and spread it over break for a good sammich.

Grilled cheese (or cheese toastie if you arent American I think??): similar to previous options, youre getting your cheese and your butter and your bread. Not as healthy as other options but way better than fast food calories.

Quesadillas: similar to grilled cheese, except spICY. My brother only eats these and he has no meal plan. I do it now too. Honestly, adding up tortillas, cheese dip, shredded cheese, & chicken is kind of costly but worth it. Also cooking chicken is annoying bc I dont have time for that. But. Yknow. A great option.

Pillsbury Crescents: a little costly, about $2+ per tube, but still fookin delicious. Also imma be real: actually havent checked the nutrition label to see if these are actually healthy. But these are sO useful. Make them by themselves for breakfast (with jam, eggs, or alone) or use the dough for other recipes. I use these with Manwich sauce, cheese, and ground beef for snacks :)

Manwiches: manwich sauce cans are $1 and although they have some sugar, its not nearly as bad as fast food. Just cook up some ground beef to go with it & maybe add cheese, sliced bread, or hamburger buns

PB&J: Another OG. I could never get tired of these. You just gotta make sure you have soft bread and the pb&j and youre good to go. Although..like.. some people apparently like theirs toasted or with different jams (I like strawberry).

Eggs!!!! : Just keep these in your fridge. Just do it. You never know when youre going to run out of food. Boiled? Scrambled? Fried? Soft boiled? With ramen? Omelet? In fried rice? Egg sandwich??? Eat them with bread, eat them with toast, eat them as a breakfast sandwich, scramble them with cheese, the list goes on. If you dont eat them often, get a smaller carton, but always have eggs! Also, for baking.

Rice, or fried rice: If you like rice, have been cooking rice for a long time, and can actually make it without burning, make sure you have rice. If you like rice but have never actually made it yourself, it takes trial and error in a pot. Or just invest in a rice cooker. Additionally, fried rice is not that difficult to learn & it fits the bill for healthy bc you can add unlimited veggies and meats. Im not here to educated you but the more ingredients, the better, is how i see it.

Fresh Food:

Fruit: I literally have "an apple a day" for breakfast. It's just good for you. Keep them in your fridge to keep them fresh. Keep one in your bag in case you get hungry. Bananas? Awesome! Use them in smoothies or a milkshake or eat them with your cereal or even with peanut butter. Possibilities are endless with fruit. Just make sure they dont spoil. Apples are OG bc they dont spoil as easily.

Vegetables: Make sure to only periodically get them so that they dont go to waste. Make some broccoli with butter & eat it alongside pasta. Or asparagus. Anything you want. Just make sure to have some with your meals sometimes. Greens are good. Additionally, carrots can get addicting if yoh eat them with ranch. The plus side is they are filling. If you have a tendency to want to munch on something: carrots.

Deli Meat / Sandwich Options: I personally dont make deli sandwiches because ham (as well as roast beef or turkey) can be expensive and then wanting to add lettuce and tomato to a sandwich sounds amazing but I'm scared they will spoil. Dont let me stop you though! Sandwiches are amazing.

Meat: you dont want to be cooking meat all the time bc it can get expensive, but the basics I always get are ground beef and chicken. I prefer "boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets" but you would need to cut off the fat. You could always get rotisserie if you arent feeling to for cooking. Also, if you're feeling expensive one week, salmon is just sooo good. I ate it with asparagus and seasoned with lemon. Delicious.

Snack / Dessert Options:

(I personally don't keep snacks or dessert in my home very often bc you dont want to binge eat. But here is what I have)

Peanut butter: classic, filling, can be potentially bad if you eat a shite ton

Nuts: peanuts, almonds, cashews, and especially pecans

Cookies: make your own, a lot of simple cookie recipes exist and it's a lot easier than you think. Baking essentials like flour, sugar, milk, and eggs are not that expensive to keep around in an apartment kitchen. Difficulties may be vanilla extract (the avg student doesnt have this lying around) a baking sheet, a big bowl, and possible a whisk. Store bought cookie dough isnt too bad either.

Box-cakes / box-brownies: simple and easy. Takes a few eggs sometimes and some oil, milk or water. The same goes for pancake mix. Honestly, I had an out-of-country roommate and he had never heard of boxed cake mix or brownie mix. They always made from scratch where he lived.

Low-calorie ice cream: okay ice cream can be pretty expensive and filled w/ added sugars. I used to eat this strawberry icecream sweetened with stevia and it was SO delicious, but I couldnt find that at my grocery store. Other options are "low-calorie" ice cream or "no added sugars" ice cream. I have one of these and the thing abt it is that its just the right amount of sugar to taste like ice cream and the neat thing is that you dont feel like binging it bc it doesnt have addicting added sugars.

Milkshakes / smoothies: this is a tough one bc me and most other students dont own a blender or juicer. I personally get my smoothies from a local smoothie place that only uses fresh fruit and then I ask not to add the natural sugars bc it is sweet enough with the fruit. Natural smoothies are delicious & I find that you can kind of make then if u freeze your fruits and blend w a fork. "Handmade" milkshakes are actually super easy w this method.

Yogurt: just...mmm.

"Healthy" snack food section, often called the gluten-free aisle: im not too experienced with this and im sure they have added sugars too but what I do know is I tried these gluten free oreos once and they were delicious

Fruits: I mentioned earlier but apples are great snacks

Veggies: also like I said earlier, carrots are great snacks. Not exactly a veggie but possibly potatoes for a meal or snack.

Granola Bars: for when youre too lazy to keep up with fruit and if fruit will spoil, granola bars (they healthy kind, not the chewy sugary kind) are so good to have in your pantry or keep in your backpack for a snack (and to keep you from on campus temptations). Also I used Nature Valley ones instead of cereal. They actually dissolve and are delicious with milk, since some cereals are so sugary.

Since my last college tips post got some notes I figured I'd keep writing these advice posts. For reference, I am hoping to become an RA next year at my college, so I'm not just speaking out of my ass. I generally have experience at college thus far and want to help students.

[onewfantaesy]

Monsters in the Dark (Part 5)

(tw: ed)

The food he starts buying is just the wildest shit. Bags and bags of low calorie popcorn line his kitchen shelves, all varieties of rice cakes (flavored and plain), tons of different kinds of low-fat cheese slices, sauces, cauliflower pasta, frozen vegetables, so much fucking kimchi he’s surprised his whole house doesn’t smell like it.

This pandemic is going to kill him, but not from the virus.

All of his plans got postponed. All of his concerts cancelled. Everyone is afraid to go out, so many places are closed, and even if Taemin could go out somewhere, he’s too anxious to do almost anything that isn’t working out or huddling under the covers of his bed. He’s isolating himself from everyone and it’s making the monsters in his head so much louder, so much scarier, so much more vocal.

You’re so ugly

They wouldn’t have come to your concert anyway

You got so fat

Your thighs are jiggling

Don’t eat

Eat

Don’t eat!

EAT!

Ew, you ate a blueberry?

Throw it up

Why aren’t your knees bruised?

Bruise them

Are you eating?

You’re faking it then

You’re not really sick

You’re not skinny enough anyway

It leaves him huddled under blankets in the middle of the night, shaking, mumbling prayers into his pillow and squeezing his eyes shut until he’s screaming at the shadows dancing around his bedroom walls.

He’s not eating again. Fasting got so easy. If anyone asked, he could just use the excuse that he didn’t want to go to the grocery store. Can’t eat anything if there’s no food in the house.

But then he does eventually have to go get food. He does eventually have to actually eat, and the shit he buys us just confusing. He’s confused, and he’s the one who bought it all.

He’s latest concoction is a rice cake with barbecue sauce spread on it. Sometimes he’ll put cheese, if he’s eating cheese that day. A single slice of low-fat provolone goes best with barbecue sauce, he found out (the hard way). Lately, dairy freaks him out to hell and back. He’s stopped eating red meat. Even chicken and fish make him nauseous most days, he’s practically a vegetarian. It’s something that people notice. He’s always eaten meat. Always loved steak. But now, he can’t stomach it.

Two rice cakes with barbecue sauce a day is his limit. For now, at least. Any more than that makes him feel bloated and disgustingly full.

But for some reason, he doesn’t mind eating five Oreos at one time. But he has to scrape the icing off. Cookie only. Fuck, it’s the best. Rice cakes and cookies. Great combo, in his opinion. All under 700 calories for the day (although he’s been known to over-estimate his calorie count).

Other days, he eats entire family sized bags of popcorn while he watches reruns on TV in the middle of the day. His hands will be greasy and there will be crumbs everywhere and there’s bits stuck in between his teeth, but he whole bag is under 1000 calories, so it’s okay. That’s what he tells himself, chugging a Diet Coke to quench the salted butter induced thirst. Diet Coke, it’s like drinking crack. He can’t have enough. Can’t just stop at one. He buys cases and cases of Diet Coke at a time. When he gets too low, when he’s only got maybe five or so left, he wonders if this is what addicts feel like. He needs to get his fix, he needs to know that there will be more there for him the next day.

Other days, he only lets Diet Coke and water and coffee pass his lips. Goes days without eating any real food. He goes online, on forums he probably shouldn’t, but it feeds his mind in a way he can’t explain. Drives his competitive nature, because he reads how some people go one, two, three days without eating, and well shit, Taemin’s gonna go four days without eating. And he does. And he sleeps through most of it, really, but dammit he makes it a full four days before he eats a rice cake topped with kimchi because fuck that’s what he wanted to eat, dammit.

He’s walking down the hallway of the SM building when he almost passes out. He hates it, he hates the way his head spins, he hates the way the world tilts. He hates that he’s passing out again, he thought he was past this, thought he was eating enough to make it subside.

He has to sit down on a chair in the nearest available dance room and breathe slowly for a while. It helps. He’s fine, he’ll be fine. He chugs Diet Coke and then goes on his way.

Later that afternoon, after hours and hours of dancing before his backup dancers got there, he’s feeling faint again. He thinks he can push it down though, drinks water and carries in rehearsing. Then he falls over and his wrist bends in a funny direction before he passes out.

It’s the next day when he finally admits to a manager that he thinks he might’ve sprained it. They curse and look concerned and rush him to the hospital.

This is ruining his life. Everything is ruining his life. He doesn’t eat for three days because his comeback is delayed again and he’s so upset and this is the only way he knows how to cope. The only way he knows how to comfort himself besides actually eating. It’s soothing, the familiar ache in his stomach from days of denying himself food.

Then his manager gets him a regular latte the next time Taemin goes into the studio, and Taemin has to run to the bathroom to shit his brains out. He’s made himself lactose intolerant, and he can’t stand it. Plus, his eating is so irregular that his shits are so irregular and the fact that he’s crapping his life away in a gross bathroom in the company building is almost a relief.

He wonders if this is his rock bottom: sitting on a public toilet afraid to get up in case he shits his pants in front of everyone.

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

57 Easy Gluten Free Dinner Recipes For the Whole Family

New blog post! Nowadays, I find myself having even less time and motivation to cook than usual...which is why easy gluten free dinner recipes have definitely been my saving grace!

So in the hope of making everyone’s life a little easier right now, I thought I’d round up some of the best easy gluten free dinner recipes on the blogosphere. All of the recipes I’ve included below are not only gluten free but also easy to make and require simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Plus, there are plenty of keto, low carb, paleo and vegan options! So without further adieu, let’s dive into these 57 easy gluten free dinner recipes for family members of all ages and palates.

1. Easy Chicken Pizza (Low Carb) - Snappy Gourmet

You don't even need pizza crust or flour to make this easy gluten free dinner. Just combine chicken with your favorite pasta or tomato sauce, cheese and pizza toppings!

2. Quinoa Avocado Veggie Patty (Vegan) - Any Reason Vegans

Have quinoa in your pantry that you want to use up? Combine quinoa, avocado and a few other ingredients for a delicous vegan "burger."

3. 5-Ingredient Sweet Chicken - My Gluten-Free Kitchen

This gluten free chicken recipe has definitely earned the top slot of my to-do list!

4. Zucchini Beef Skillet (Paleo) - Eating Richly

If you're looking for a one-pot-wonder that also just happens to be healthy, paleo and delicious, this gluten free dinner checks all the boxes.

5. Sweet Potato Salmon Sliders (Paleo) - Casey the College Celiac

No bread, no problem! You can enjoy your salmon between two "slices" of roasted sweet potato instead.

6. Delicious Easy Keto Pizza - Healthy with Jamie

Making a gluten free pizza might sound time-consuming and complicated, but this keto pizza recipe only takes 15 minutes to whip up - including cooking time!

7. Sesame Noodles (Vegan, Soy Free, Nut Free) - Moon and Spoon and Yum 

Noodles have never looked so good or been so flavorful.

8. Caprese Sheet Pan Chicken Breast - Food Meanderings 

You only need five ingredients to make this Caprese-salad-inspired dinner.

9. Instant Pot Curry with Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Spinach (Vegan) - The Foodie Eats

As long as you have curry powder in your pantry, this curry is a super easy recipe to whip up with the veggies you have on hand.

10. Greek Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner (Low Carb, Keto, Paleo) - Tasty Galaxy

This Greek chicken dinner tastes like it's straight out of a restaurant, and it only takes eight very simple ingredients.

11. The Best Vegan Chili Recipe Ever (Nightshade Free Option, Soy Free) - Allergy Yummy

The ingredients you need for this vegan chili may be easily accessible and cheap, but this chili tastes high quality!

12. Singapore Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce - Christina's Cucina 

For those nights when you only have chicken in the fridge but want something different for dinner...

13. Crustless Spinach, Onion and Sundried Tomato Quiche - Girl Gone Mom

If you have some eggs on hand, this quiche is an easy meal-prep recipe that your family can enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

14. Spanish Beans with Tomatoes (Vegan, Vegetarian) - Veggie Desserts

This vegan dinner recipe is proof that even if you have limited fresh ingredients, you can still create a winning meal.

15. Deconstructed Vegetarian Enchiladas Skillet - Mash Up Mom

All of the enchilada flavor with a fraction of the effort. Sign me up!

16. 5-Minute Crunchy Greens Quesadilla (Paleo, Vegan Options) - Casey the College Celiac

This is the perfect easy gluten free dinner to use up any leftovers you have on hand. Plus, it can easily be adapted to a paleo or vegan diet.

17. Easy Sheet Pan Sausage and Vegetables - Foodal

Seasoning turns what could be a boring dinner of potatoes, veggies and sausage into a flavorful dinner the whole family will enjoy.  Just make sure whatever sausage (or substitute protein) you use is gluten free!

18. Vegetable Soup (Vegan) - Veg Recipes of India

If you're craving a comforting soup but don't have any cans at home, you can make your own with this very easy recipe.

19. Whole30 Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers (Paleo) - Cook At Home Mom

To make this gluten free dinner even quicker and easier to make, you can follow the cooking hacks included in the recipe, like using frozen cauliflower rice or pre-cooked chicken.

20. Mushroom Pulao, or Instant Pot Mushroom Rice - Indian Ambrosia

Moist rice combines with tender mushrooms for a simple but scrumptious gluten free dinner.

21. Easy Vegan Tortilla Soup - Class Clay Cooking

No cream or chicken is needed for this flavorful tortilla soup.

22. Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken - Nourish Plate

Lemon and garlic upgrade the traditional chicken breast into a creamy, tangy dinner.

23. Flatbread Quinoa Pizza (Vegan) - Stacey Homemaker

Who knew that you could make a gluten free pizza crust out of just quinoa, water, garlic and seasonings?!?

24. Loaded Potato Wedge Nachos (Vegan Option) - Casey the College Celiac

The only required ingredient for this gluten free dinner is a regular or sweet potato to cook up into fries. Otherwise, you can stack your nachos with whatever ingredients you have on hand or are craving!

25. Extra Crispy Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken (Allergy-free, No oil) - Strength and Sunshine

If you're craving take-out, make a healthier version of fried chicken using this simple air fryer recipe instead.

26. Super Simple, Very Green Cream Soup (Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian) - Refresh My Health

The hardest step of this gluten free soup recipe is blending all the veggies, so it's safe to say it's a winning recipe for busy nights.

27. Kid-Friendly Baked Ziti Casserole - Fearless Dining

Have a ton of gluten free pasta in your cupboards and don't know how to use it? This easy gluten free casserole will please the whole family!

28. Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili - Feast for a Fraction

The nice thing about this chili is that you can easily make a double batch and freeze half for even easier dinners later on!

29. Vegan Tomato Soup - Allergy Free Alaska

This soup is as comforting as it is easy to make. Plus, you likely already have all the necessary ingredients in your pantry.

30. Easy Zucchini Enchilada Skillet - Wanderlust and Wellness

This gluten free enchilada dinner is loaded with extra veggies and only takes 10 ingredients and 30 minutes to make.

31. Gluten Free Pizza Rolls - Hunny I'm Home DIY

As long as you have a gluten free pizza crust mix waiting in your pantry, you can surprise the whole family with these allergy-friendly pizza rolls.

32. The Best Twice Baked Stuffed Potatoes - Simply Full of Delight

If you have a lot of Russet potatoes you want to use up, this simple take on twice baked potatoes will take those spuds to the next level.

33. Instant Pot Lentil Stew (Vegetarian) - Fun FOOD Frolic Photo Option 

Meatless Monday has never been so tasty or delicious. Plus this recipe is super customizable for whatever you have in your pantry.

34. 4-Ingredient Roast Chicken Dinner - My Kitchen Love

This one-pot meal lets the oven do all the work and is the perfect way to cook up a whole chicken and have leftovers for days.

35. Lazy Vegan Pot Pie with Sliced Potato Crust - My Pure Plants

Pot pie might not be the first meal you think of when you hear the phrase, "Easy dinner recipes" but this one is extra easy since you use a potato instead of flour for the crust!

36. Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas - Little Sunny Kitchen

Homemade fajita seasoning and the air fryer makes these chicken fajitas extra flavorful and easy.

37. Mexican Ground Beef Skillet (Paleo, Whole 30) - Hot Pan Kitchen

This gluten free Mexican dinner only takes 25 minutes to cook, and you can eat it on its own, with veggies or even as tacos.

38. Crispy Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Sauce (Low Carb, Grain Free) - Flavor the Moments

I grew up eating salmon patties with my grandma, so this low carb version is definitely on the top of my to-do list.

39. Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew (Vegan, Refined Sugar Free) - Healthy Living James

Black beans and sweet potato are a match made in culinary heaven.

40. Quick & Easy Vegan Bolognese - Delightful Adventures

For when you're craving spaghetti but also want a meatless dinner that everyone will enjoy.

41. 3-Ingredient Balsamic Jam Pork Chops (Paleo, Whole 30 Option) - Paleo Gluten Free Guy

A sweet and sour glaze takes pork chops to the next level.

42. One Pan Mexican Quinoa (Vegan) - Vegan Huggs

Quinoa and black beans give this Mexican dinner a hefty dose of plant-based protein.

43. Crockpot Chicken and Gravy - 24 Bite

No canned soup or gravy mix packages are required for this gluten free crockpot dinner.

44. Lentil Curry (Dal) with Spinach (Vegan, Vegetarian) - Go Healthy Ever After

Personally, I love a cozy bowl of dal and this vegan dal recipe is extra easy to make thanks to the instant pot or pressure cooker.

45. Supreme Pizza Casserole (Low Carb) - Peace, Love and Low Carb

Transform that leftover cauliflower in your fridge into a pizza-like dinner with help from whatever pizza toppings and sauces you have on hand.

46. One Pan Chicken and Asparagus Skillet Dinner - Creative Green Living

As long as you have chicken breast, cheese and asparagus, you can whip up this easy gluten free skillet dinner.

47. Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole (Keto) - Wholesome Yum

This gluten free casserole only calls for seven common recipes and you have two ways to choose to make it.

48. Keto Pulled Pork - Joy Filled Eats

One instant pot + five simple ingredients = one delicious, protein-packed keto dinner recipe.

49. Simple Italian Sweet Potato Pizza Crust (Vegan) - Bucket List Tummy

Do you have sweet potatoes, gluten free oats and cornstarch? Then you can have a sweet potato pizza!

50. Creamy Baked Chicken Legs (Keto Friendly) - Cooked by Julie

Shake up traditional chicken leg dinner with a creamy tomato sauce.

51. Paleo Shepard's Pie (Whole 30) - Lau's Healthy Lifestyle

This paleo dinner recipe versatile, comforting and tasty.

52. Instant Pot Salsa Chicken (Keto Friendly) - Mom Foodie

Salsa, chicken, cheese and spices + the instant pot = an easy and delicious family meal.

53. Healthy Pasta Alfredo (Keto Option) - Texanerin 

Make sure you use the gluten free flour option in this healthy alfredo recipe, and you'll have an easy use of the pasta in your pantry.

54. 3 Chicken Cutlets Recipes (Keto, Grain Free and Egg Free Options) - Healthy Taste of Life

These chicken cutlets are juicy on the inside, crunchy on the outside and definite kid-pleaser.

55. Creamy Sweet Potato Lentil Soup (Vegan) - Happy Kitchen Rocks

Sweet potato, lentils and coconut milk are the three main ingredients for this easy vegan dinner.

56. Air Fryer Salmon Patties (Low Carb, Keto, Whole 30) - Recipes From a Pantry

Thanks to the air fryer, these salmon patties are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

57. Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wraps (Paleo, Grain Free, Specific Carbohydrate Diet) - Emma Eats and Explores

Thanks to the marinade, the chicken in these fajitas are super tender and you can add whatever toppings you're craving.

I Hope You Love These Easy Gluten Free Dinner Recipes for the Whole Family

Regardless of how chaotic our life might be, we still need to eat and easy gluten free dinner recipes like these can definitely make that “chore” feel a lot less taxing. And if you have a limited amount of ingredients in your pantry, fridge and freezer, I hope these simple recipes will also inspire you to get creative with what you have. Let me know in the comments what you’ve been eating lately or which of these 57 gluten free dinner recipes you’d like to try first! And stay safe, healthy and full of delicious gluten free food! via Blogger https://ift.tt/34wqRdP

[mayayuan]

Keto and Yoga for 3 months...

Hi everyone. I decided to plan the diet with Keto and my third time 108 days yoga. First, let me explain my condition. In 2015, after I gave birth to my son, I gained 18kg (39lb) See how nightmare I met :) I have no supporter for the first 2 years taking care of my son so I’m a fulltime mother. This isn’t an excuse for lacking time to practice. I didn’t have time to sleep and I believe many mothers were the same as me. In 2018, after my son’s health was better, I scheduled my timeline again to try to remove all the extra kilograms I gained 3 years ago. After I applied 2 courses of 108-day Ultimate yoga plus diet with eating only breakfast with corn and some fruits all day long, I removed 15 kilos after 8 months.  From the last quarter of 2018 up to now, I do practice my yoga but so on and off due to my new changing life.  I’ve come back with my husband and we moved out. After settling down in a new house, my life is getting busier than the time when I was alone with my son. A ton of unnamed tasks, the annoying from living together with my husband drove me to the stress, and stress was the main reason causing me fat. I again gain around 5kg. Sometimes, I think I can’t breathe and unable to move on. Then I figure that I need to save myself from in and out. I keep practicing Yoga at least 3 times per week and listening with focusing on mediation in the last 6 months. It helps me to balance my mind and I can accept my life with my husband as it is. Slowly, things get better a bit and I know all come from inside my mind.  When my mind gets better. However, I need to fight back and conquer the fat demon under my skin. So I decided to be serious with my plan for now. I’ve passed seriously on 28th October, that’s the first week. the second week is 3rd November to 9th November. My 108 days with yoga was all from the series of Travis Elliot. He now presents a short version of the original 108 days in 2012. You can find him easily on his channel via youtube.  I set my practice times per day always in 60 minutes, and plus 18 minutes in a few days. If you prefer another type of training, you could find a ton of that on youtube. HIIT, Cardio, Gyms, Dances or whatever. First practicing, you should choose the beginner level at any kind of physical training. It’d help your body get used to the practicing intensity. You can push your self pass to at least 30 minutes per practice time. But when you feel you reach the climax, you can relax from 20-30 seconds in between. Feel free to cry. I cried a lot at my first or second times. You’re the victim of your own “crime” so no matter how hard it, once you can push yourself on the mat, all will be passed. Eating is another challenge. Well, so many challenges. So you should consider well before you do it. Once you decide to do it, there's no way out or you would feel you’re a loser over and over. That can be a poison for your soul. It’s worse than any fat things in your body. Nothing can fix a poison mind. If you’re not confident to follow 3 months in a short, you should divine it to the small stages such as 2 weeks per stage or 4 weeks per stage. That means you can take a break between these stages but don’t ever take 1 week to 1 month or more to break, okay? If your stages were weekly, take 1 day off per week. If your stage is monthly, take 3 days is maximum between the stages. In those 3 days, you’re allowed carb, sugar but in acceptable quantity. (I prefer no sugar at all but it’s your days, who care :) ) My main menu is about: fried chicken, cheese, jicama, eggs (a lot of eggs) 2 o 3 guavas per week, fried beef mixing vegetables; cabbage; Avocado is good food for you, however, I failed to buy it. I mean I bought it a lot but then it always rotten or unable to eat. So I gave up. Reduce milk, cafe. Drink more water. Totally say no with sugar. I only use diet sugar a few times each month. No rice, no noodles, no cake, no snack. Always know your body so you can diet in the best way it suits you. Remember I said before, at the first and second time in my 108 days project? The only thing I ate was corn and sweet potatoes. It’s CARB. Then why did I lose 15kg? Because I ate right with my body condition at that time. And I just ate 2 mealies and 1 sweet potato around 100g per day. Drink cafe with milk and practice at least 60 minutes every morning in 8 months. PS: why do I write things here? Well, again, this is a matter of time. I have a fulltime job and a parttime job besides the role of mother, of a wife, I really don’t have time to practice English. I want to gain 6.5 to 7 band IELTS so this is another way to help me practice English. Thanks for reading and if you see any incorrect things in this writing, feel free to check it for me. I’d cried at some points, but all will be passed. Thanks again and cheer!

[goodwriterwithbadhabits]

Your Birthday is Valentines Day

My first ever Got7 reaction! Thank you @maileeart for requesting!

Masterlist

So important note, in Korea, Valentine’s Day is when girls show affection by gifting their S/O’s with Chocolates. The guys typically reciprocate a month later on March 14th for white day, so the idea that is his S/O’s birthday on Valentines day just seems really cute. 

Anyway, onward and upward!

JB (My man!)

If you don't think JB would think your birthday being on valentines day isn't the best thing ever, You are so fucking wrong

You know he wants to be romantic

even though traditionally you're supposed to be

so you compromise and make chocolates together.

Something simple like crunch chocolates (The kind with the popped rice in them my favs)

But don't think he's going to let you lounge around all day

No, he's got plans

If you're dating JB you better like art, history, films, books,

Just the kind of things he's into,

it makes for a better mental connection

Back to the date at hand

First on his list is a museum trip

Some new exhibits opening and he's been queuing for tickets online for months

He'd be making all sorts of comments like “the art is pretty but you look better”

When you finally get home, you'd probably make dinner together

Boy likes cooking

Then you're just chilling on the couch, covered in cats when he gets up and puts a disk in the player

Sappy boi would have made a video about your relationship

Would he propose?

No

He would feel it would make it overwhelming

Today is about you and your relationship so far

Proposals can wait.

But he'd be ready to marry you as soon as his cats approved.

Mark

Mark is chill, but today is your birthday

That's a once a year thing

He would wake you up with kisses and breakfast in bed

Overall a lazy day

You probably got him some fancy chocolates, but he totally ends up feeding them to you

What a man

You probably end up making a fort in the living room later in the day

His motto is “hoodie required, pants optional”

If its cold its better

cuz then you have to snuggle up to him to keep warm

A horror movie marathon is a must

He fucking loves horror movies and he will use the fact that its valentines day against you

Plus if you get scared and squish your face into him he thinks its cute as fuck

Will definitely fall asleep in the fort with you

Would he propose?

Probably not

He would be more likely to do that on White Day

But today's your birthday, so you will be getting some cute shit from him

Just not a ring

Jackson

He would have told you the plans weeks if not months in advance

Only because he would 100 percent take you to another country

Probably New York for a week

You would spend a lot of time exploring

On Valentine's day itself, you would try to buy him chocolate but he would insist that because you're in America he should treat you.

He strikes me as a hardcore romantic

And he just uses your birthday as an excuse to be 100 times more romantic

Fancy dinners at expensive restaurants.

Watching the sunset from the Empire State Building

If you so much as breath towards something

He's gonna buy it for you

(Whoever dates this man is gonna be a lucky bitch)

Your day would end with a fancy candlelit bath, with wine and a floating cheese platter (and birthday sex)

Would he propose?

Let's be real

this kid would be proposing to you every chance he gets

But you always think he's joking so you brush it off

He would jokingly propose if you did something really sweet for you

But he'd wait until he was sure you both wanted to be together forever before proposing

Jinyoung

If my research on Got7 taught me anything

Its that Jinyoung is a little shit

He would pretend not to remember that its your birthday

He would do this literally every year, without a doubt

You would, understandably, be a little upset, but hey

Two can play at this game

You would just jokingly remark that “I guess Youngjae would like the chocolates more, I wonder if he's available today”

And Jinyoung would get a bit salty that of all his members you chose Youngjae to mock him with.

But he'd cave and offer to take you to a movie of your choice

On the way home though he would detour and you'd end up at the dorms.

He wouldn't listen to your questions and just push you through the door

He'd get your family, especially if you were foreign, and as many of your friends as he could

What a cheeseball

Would he propose?

No

But Korean culture has a few romantic holidays he can choose from

Youngjae

Seeing as he is nearly impossible to wake, you would wake up first

You spent hours preparing a beautiful chocolate cake,

Once he finally got up he would get so squishy while you made breakfast

Back hugging you with his face smooshed into your neck

He just tiredly wished you happy birthday while standing there

Once he was a functioning human, he would excitedly talk about your plans for the evening

He wanted you in something sexy, yet chic

He was taking you to dinner and you were gonna have a wonderful time

You looked like celebrities

I mean you are, but like you looked like you belonged on the red carpet

He took you to this kinda dimly lit restaurant and you made a joke that he should take over for the pianist

Once you had finished eating he excused himself and made his way to the piano

And you're like

“Wait, babe, you can't do that”

But he can, because he paid the restaurant owner Bambam to let him

But he announced that its his girlfriends birthday and that he wrote a song

Did you cry? Yes

He also cried, but only because he doesn't like seeing you cry

You two ended up all over the news

Would he propose?

If he was sure about you, oh yeah

Once the song was over he would make his way over to you and drop onto one knee.

Oh look you're both crying again

Bambam

You're both extra people

So you both expect the other to be extra while creating something simple

You had molds made of the cats paw prints and made chocolates in them.

He would probably either cry or ask you to marry him upon receiving them

He took you to the zoo.

You both love animals and he even paid extra so you could feed the giraffes and elephants

A little old lady commented that you reminded her of herself and her late husband

You spent the rest of your time in the zoo just a little pink

When you get home he gives you the rest of your gift

Tons of bath products

Y’all get a relaxing bath, then you get some silk PJs and cuddle on the bed with all your pets children

Would he propose?

No, he wants to be extravagant when he proposed

Months of planning and not a chance you’ll say no.

Yugyeom-

Sunshine child!

He would make you breakfast and try to be quiet about it but he's a loud boi

You got music note shaped chocolates made for him

He bought you flowers and pretty much anything you had mentioned wanting

You spend most of the day lounging around and goofing off

He would be so very cuddly all day

Nothing is getting done

He even Vlives just to tell the fans that it was your birthday

Expect so many kisses at any given moment

Once the sun had set he would be so different

He'd make you get dressed and take you dancing

Even paying the DJ to play a slow song so he had an excuse to hold you close and tell you how much he loved you.

Would he propose?

No,

He wouldn't want to ruin your birthday, just in case you said no

But he would be so loving

[fuckingrecipes]

Do you know any really good celiac desserts? I'm trying to find a decent recipe for a cake or cookies or some shit. (I guess it doesn't really matter how complex the recipes are, just as long as they aren't god awful like a lot of the ones I've made.)

Culturally, western people have a lot of focus on sweet cakes and baked goods being your dessert, but as long as you consider that thing a treat, I think it counts.  (I consider eating artichoke hearts to be dessert. They’re expensive and I love them, so it counts, so there) 

Flan is caramelized sugar and milk productsA lot of East Asian desserts use rice flour - Asian stores sell “glutinous rice”  - It doesn’t actually have gluten in it, it’s just a specific type of sweet and sticky rice. So Glutinous rice flour doesn’t actually have gluten - it’s named ‘Glutinous’ because it is glue-like and sticky and opaque white.  

Which means you can have all sorts of east Asian rice-flour desserts. Mochi, rice flour chocolate cupcakes... As well as anything primarily fruit, cream, and syrup-based. Or rice flour pancakes, and drown them in maple syrup and pecans or strawberries. or CariocaSweet rice pudding. Corn normally doesn’t have the type of gluten that bothers celiacs, so that opens up ALL SORTS of South American and Mexican desserts. Plus just... straight up, normal cornbread is gluten-free. 

Chocolate pudding. A billion variations of cream cheese spread to go on fruit, rice crackers, other cheese, bits of meat, etc. I feel like a lot of people, when they realize they need a special diet, try to keep their original diet with ‘replacement’ or ‘substitute’ parts. 

Like a new vegetarian asking “Which vegetable is the meat?” There is no meat. You don’t need to eat faux-turkey or faux-steak - your meal will be SO much better without leaning on the ghost of what-could-be. - Enjoy what is open to you, luxuriate in the billions of flavors you can have. Removing gluten really hasn’t removed THAT many options, out of the INNUMERABLE HOARDE OF FOOD ITEMS AVAILABLE. 

Just... try desserts that naturally don’t have gluten. There are TONS. TONS AND TONS AND TONS. 

Don’t try to limit yourself to “Fake cookies” and just because cookies are familiar. 

[traveling-couch-potato]

Japan Day 5

Last day of my group trip to Tokyo and we had to spend it in Shinjuku for those iconic skyline views. We decided to go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for a free panoramic view of the city. We arrived at the South Building at around 9:30am and had a pretty fast 30 minute wait to get up the elevator to the top floor. 

Gorgeous free views of the city plus tons of English signage, a cute gift shop, and a cute piano for people to play. Definitely worth a quick visit.

After exploring the building for a while we headed to Zauo for a quick lunch. The restaurant is known for allowing you the novelty of catching your own fish but unfortunately they don’t provide this service during weekday lunch so we had to settle for the normal menu. Luckily the food was still decent and we got to eat on a makeshift boat over a bunch of fish.

Once we were full we ended up heading to our next stop...but not before spotting a Korean hot dog stand where we just had to grab a hot dog to try for ourselves. It’s essentially a bit of sausage, a ton of mozzarella cheese, a bit of rice flour based breading, all covered in deep fried potatoes that you then add garlic/onion powder to and more parmesan cheese. It’s an absolutely magical experience.

It’s diabetes on a stick but damn it’s worth it.

Now that we were ACTUALLY done eating for a bit, we continued our walk to Toho Cinemas for the 2pm Godzilla mini “show.” We passed through Omoide Yokocho and Kabukicho and snapped some pics. Neither area is super bustling on a weekday afternoon of course. Once you get to the cinema, head into the building and go to the 8th floor for the hotel/reception. Follow the signage and you’ll end up on the balcony with the giant Godzilla head. On the hour every hour (until sometime early evening) the head will spout mist and flash lights and it’s a fun little pit stop and picture opportunity.

Just a quiet weekday afternoon stroll through piss alley.

You bet your butt we took some dumb af pictures here.

Following our silly tourist pace, our next stop was Ninja Trick House just a few blocks away. This place looked like a total scam. It’s in a 4-floor walk up and the place looked over the top cheesy and a bit sketchy. But we made reservations based on my friend’s dad’s recommendation so we went through with it and honestly we had a blast. The experience is short and silly but we learned a few facts and the main host is absolutely hilarious. We couldn’t stop laughing the entire time. You learn some history, some very basic stuff about weapons, and even get to try your hand at a few. For $15, just the laughs were worth it.

We almost couldn’t breathe from how much we laughed and enjoyed ourselves here. The host was definitely the highlight.

Unfortunately due to the weather (and our aching feet) our original plan didn’t quite pan out. Instead we stopped by a random spa due to a big ad for a cheap “Dr. Fish” treatment. I’ve never tried this before but my calloused feet needed a break so we walked in. We got about 20-30 mins of foot bath/fish skin-eating time for about $10. It tickled like heck but it was such a nice bit of downtime.

My calloused feet and I were definitely popular with the fishies.

Now that we were invigorated, we finally headed over to Isetan Department Store where we practically ran to the depachika downstairs. This place is so massive they provide a map. There’s everything from groceries to fish to sweets here, it was overwhelming. We picked up a variety of desserts including some Financiers and Citron Cake from Noix de Beurre as well as some prepped food to take back to our hostel.

Dinner at the ole hostel courtesy of Isetan Department Store. Everything was delicious and so well packaged (especially considering we were heading back during rush hour).

After that we were basically ready to turn in for the night. Did some packing and mentally prepared for departing the big city for a bit.

[banckmemes-blog]

A Tour of Cambridge’s (cheaper) Grocery Stores

As summer draws to a close and I prepare to move from Maseeh to East Campus, I must face the fact that I may no longer rely sporadic shopping trips and my weekly Interphase TechCASH allowance to sustain me. Armed with a tote bag, no sunscreen, and not even close to enough water, I embarked on a 6-mile trek around the city and into Somerville to check out where I may acquire wholesome and affordable provisions.

The Targets:

Dollar Tree - Not a regular shopping destination, to be sure, but reputed to sell staple foods in reasonable quantities as well as very cheap snacks.

Star Market - There used to be one on Mass Ave, but it closed earlier this year. The nearest one is in the same shopping plaza as Dollar Tree.

Market Basket - The furthest store on the list, it’s a standard American grocery store with incredibly inexpensive produce.

Trader Joe’s - Popular among MIT students for a reason, it offers extraordinarily healthy options in an accessible location.

The Details:

Dollar Tree

Distance from Maseeh: 1.3 mi/27 min on foot

As expected, Dollar Tree’s selection wasn’t fantastic. However, it does boast a surprising variety of shelf-stable foods, including tofu (I didn’t know that was a thing??) and milk. It’s a decent enough place to get started if you don’t already have food and aren’t willing to invest a ton into staples--it has spices, oils, dried beans, boxed rice, pasta, cake mixes, oatmeal, peanut butter, cereal, and a ton of snacks that Hmart would probably sell at about 3x the price. Some of the products are “accidentally vegan” as well. Be diligent, though: there is not much nutritional value to be found in Dollar Tree food and if you do try to live off of its non-perishables, you yourself with almost surely perish.

Star Market

Distance from Maseeh: 1.3 mi/27 min on foot

Maybe I’m just the only one who likes to spend entire Sundays grocery shopping, but Star Market was insanely quiet--even more so than Dollar Tree. It’s very large (as supermarkets often are) as compared to Hmart and has a considerably wider selection of products, including a magnificent vegetarian/vegan refrigerated section. Its produce is somewhat cheaper than Hmart’s, though it does carry some more expensive varieties, like passionfruit, kiwano melon, and starfruit. It also has a ton of organic options.

Market Basket:

Distance from Maseeh: 2.0 mi/41 min on foot 

HOLY WOW FINALLY FOOD THAT I CAN AFFORD

I was very, very excited to check out Market Basket. Even though it’s all the way in Somerville, I would seriously consider returning if the weather is nice enough. The packaged goods were priced reasonably enough, but the produce prices were unbeatable--at most half the cost of Whole Foods or Hmart produce. They did have vegan cheese, but that was it in terms of “alternative” diets--I didn’t notice any faux-meat products or tofu for sale. But back to the produce. It was all super affordable and really nice quality. I couldn’t help myself and I bought a bunch of fruit (which I quickly devoured. Walking is hard work, okay?). It was seriously better than what Hmart sells.

Market Basket also had a decidedly different culture from the stores in and closer to Cambridge. Not only was it packed, everyone there had a stuffed shopping cart and appeared to be stocking up for a large family, especially on packaged foods. The lack of vegan options was more than replaced by a lot of frozen, processed meals. I got a much-needed reminder that not everyone near MIT has the option to shop when and how they please nor the means to eat healthily. We still have work to do.

Trader Joe’s:

Distance from Maseeh: 1.4 mi/27 min on foot/13 minutes by grocery shuttle

Ah, Trader Joe’s. My old standby.  Considerably more affordable than Hmart or Whole Foods, it boasts a huge selection of vegan options, from faux-milks and tofu to meat substitutes to packaged snacks. No Halo Top, as far as I could tell, but that’s more than made up for by all the prrrooooootteeeeeiiiiinnnzzz for we plant-based fellows. The produce was definitely more expensive and not as varied as that at Market Basket, but it’s all much cheaper than Hmart or Whole Foods.

Final Verdict:

Veg*n-Friendly: Trader Joe’s wins by a landslide in this regard. Many of its products are animal-free and don’t even advertise it, and many more shout that quality from the rooftops. There are plenty of packaged goods like legume-based pastas, canned and dried beans, and grains for in addition to the faux-meats, and even some frozen-meal options.

Cheapest Produce: Market Basket, hands-down. If it were closer to school, I’d go at minimum twice a week. I’d feel like a nutrient-blessed goddess all day, every day.

Cheapest Snacks: Dollar Tree. Its options are limited, but if you’re trying to feed a crowd on a very limited budget I strongly advise checking here first for chips and cookies.

Widest Variety: Star Market. It has everything under the sun (coincidentally, a star).

Overall:

As much as I love Market Basket, its distance is a huge impediment. If I could get there via public transportation I would, but the bottom line is I simply don’t have ninety-plus minutes to travel to and from the grocery store, especially if that travel is on foot during the winter, and MIT’s transportation system wouldn’t get me there much faster.

Hmart and Whole Foods are always options, but the former is very expensive and the latter is both expensive and nowhere near close enough to justify the cost (though it does sell Halo Top for $4.99/pint, vs. $6.49 at LaVerde’s. Don’t ask me why I remember this and not Stoke’s Theorem).

Therefore, my go-to grocery store shall be Trader Joe’s. MIT has a grocery shuttle that goes straight to it, which I assume will be much nicer than trekking all the way from East Campus, where I’ll be moving this week(!). Though I have no doubt that I’ll start every semester with a vow to eat healthy and make a weekly trip to Market Basket and end it living of Halo Top and Clif Bars from LaVerde’s.

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

31+ Healthy Junk Food Alternatives for the New Year

New blog post! Now that 2020 is here, I know a lot of people set goals for moving their body a little more and eating a healthier diet. And while I 100% believe that junk food can be part of a healthy diet (and have even written a post about why I’m healthier eating more processed foods), I did discover plenty of healthy junk food alternatives in 2019 that not only had less sugar, more veggies and protein or a little more nutrition than the typical treats...but also tasted freakin’ delicious. Some of the foods I’m including below have been mentioned in previous blog posts, but most were completely new to me last year, and are totally new for the blog too!

So whether you’re looking for healthy snack options or just want some ideas of delicious snacks to try in the New Year - that also happen to be a little more nutritious and 100% gluten free - keep reading to learn about 31+ healthy junk food alternatives.

Savory:

Crunchy Snacks:

The Real Coconut chips

If you’re looking for grain free or paleo chips that give tortilla chips a run for their money, look no further than these. These healthy chips are also vegan, and I love that these are thick and crunchy. As a bonus, all of the Real Coconut's products use easily digestible plants like coconut, plantain and cassava as their main ingredients.

Rhythm Superfoods vegetable chips 

Be warned - these vegetable chips are not everyone’s favorite, and people seem especially torn about the beet chips. However, if you want some crunch and to increase your vegetable intake at the same time, I think Rhythm Superfoods' veggie chips are an awesome choice.My top three favorites are the kale chips, carrot chips and beet chips (in any of the flavors). All of the healthy chips are not only gluten free, but also vegan and non-GMO. 

Beanfields chips

I’ve written about these gluten free and vegan snacks before, so I’ll just say they’re made partially with beans (yay extra protein, fiber and potassium) and addictively tasty.

Artisan Tropic chips

Artisan Tropic offers a variety of certified gluten free chips made out of cassava or plantain. They come in flavors like Barbecue and Jalapeño, but my favorites are the plain sea salt. These chips are also vegan and paleo, and have fewer calories and fat than the traditional potato chip. 

Saffron Road chickpeas

Saffron Road offers a variety of certified gluten free frozen meals and sweet chickpeas, but I also love their savory baked chickpeas, which come in flavors like Bombay spice, Chipotle, Korean BBQ and Sea Salt.

Green Mustache crackers

Biting into Green Mustache’s “Cheddarish Crackers,” you would never guess this healthy savory snack is gluten free and vegan. Green Mustache makes their “munchies” out of nutritious ingredients like chickpea flour and kale, and I love that they donate any unsellable crackers to local farmers for livestock.

Simply 7 Snacks chips

Like Artisan Tropic, Simply 7 Snacks sells certified gluten free chips with a range of different base ingredients, including chips made with quinoa and lentils. All their snacks are free of gluten, trans fat, preservatives and artificial colors and flavors. My favorite chips of theirs are the Original Quinoa Curls and Sea Salt Lentil.

Meals and Sides:

Real Good Foods' pizza  

As I've shared before on Instagram (the best place to see even more gluten free product reviews!), Real Good Food’s cauliflower crust pizza consistently blows me away. I don’t taste the cauliflower at all and I love that the pizzas are the perfect size for one meal. Their cauliflower pizzas are grain free, low carb and high protein. 

Right Rice

I definitely don’t think that you need to avoid or replace regular rice in order to “eat healthy.” However, if you are trying to increase the amount of protein in your diet, Right Rice is a tasty plant-based option. Right Rice actually made of lentils, chickpeas, peas and rice, but you can cook it just like you would at regular rice and serve it the same. It comes in many different flavors and my favorites are Original, Lemon Pepper, and Spanish. 

Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi

For months, I heard everyone and their mama rave about Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi, and the rave reviews were right on target. My favorite way to prepare the cauliflower gnocchi is defrosting it a bit in the microwave before finishing it off in the skillet. 

Mikey’s hot pockets

Ommmggg, y’all. Like I’ve shared before, I’m an ambassador for Mikey’s and while I love their grain free pizza crusts and English muffins, their gluten free hot pockets are something else. So far, I’ve tried (and loved) the Ham and Cheese, Cheese Pizza Pockets and Pepperoni Pizza flavors. This traditional junk food is given a bit of a nutritious upgrade by using plant based cheese and cassava flour. Besides being grain free, Mikey’s hot pockets are dairy and milk free, soy free and paleo friendly. 

Sweet:

Crunchy Sweets: 

Safe and Fair's kettle quinoa chips

If you like sweet and salty popcorn, this flavor of Safe and Fair kettle popcorn quinoa chips is sure to become a new favorite. They also feature quinoa for a boost in protein and are certified gluten free, as well as free of eggs, shellfish, fish, dairy, peanuts and treenuts.

Spudsy's sweet potato puffs

Sweet potato gets a sweet upgrade with these gluten free puffed chips. Made with a mix of sweet potato flour, rice flour, pea protein and other ingredients, their churro flavor seriously tastes like a delicious cinnamony fried treat.

Skinny Dipped Almonds

I can thank Skinny Dipped for making me absolutely obsessed with chocolate covered almonds. Their dark chocolate is my top pick, but strawberry and PB are delicious too. The almond base makes this sweet snack high in protein and fiber with just the right hint of chocolate. 

Dang Foods' coconut chips 

If you love dried fruit, Dang is another awesome company to know about. Their coconut chips come in many different flavors and the crunch is out of this world.

Bada Bean Snacks

You already know I love snacking on flavored chickpeas, but these roasted broad beans are equally delicious. These high-protein snacks are also high in fiber and relatively low in fat, and Bada Bean has many different sweet and savory flavors, but cocoa and cinnamon are my favorite. Bada Bean Snacks are also gluten free, soy free, non-GMO and vegan.

Foods Alive's Globe Trecker Trailmix 

As I've mentioned previously, I’m an ambassador for Foods Alive and one of my favorite products of theirs is this superfood trail mix. Can’t go wrong with crunchy peanuts and cacao nibs and chewy dried mulberries and goji berries. All gluten free, raw, non-GMO, organic and vegan.

Quinoa Munch

This healthy snack is made with quinoa and corn and not only tastes like a light, crunchy cross between popcorn and cereal but also offers some calcium, iron and protein. I prefer the chocolate flavor to passion fruit but both are tasty.

Bare Snacks' banana chips 

Bare Snacks sells gluten free dried chips made from bananas, strawberries, coconut, apples, sweet potato and many other Whole Foods. Their dried banana chips are one of my favorite healthy snacks before bed.

Candy and Cakes:

Free2B's Dark Chocolate Sun Cups

Now, these sunflower butter cups certainly aren’t “health food.” However, compared to a traditional Reese’s peanut butter cup, Free2B’s is a bit lower in sugar, avoids the top 12 allergens, uses Fair Trade dark chocolate and tastes just as delicious. Free2B also sells different chocolate bark (called “Snack Breaks”) that are also made with high quality, allergen-free ingredients and addictively tasty.

Alter Eco's Coconut Clusters 

This healthy chocolate snack only lasts a few days at my house...and I live alone. There is just something so irresistible about a chocolatey treat that also has the crunch of toasted coconut shreds. Besides being certified gluten free, Alter Eco’s Coconut Clusters are free of soy, artificial flavors and emulsifiers, and only have 5 grams of sugar per serving.

Project 7’s Gourmet Chewies

I’ve never been a huge Skittles person, but I do love having a few of Project 7 Gouet Chewies with my night snack. These are chewy candies with a slightly crunchy exterior that are made with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. They’re also gluten free (of course), non-GMO, organic and made in the US.

Nibmor

I’ve stumbled upon tons of delicious, healthier chocolate brands over the years (if you want me to write a round up of just those, let me know in the comments!), but Nib Mor is the brand that can now always be found in my parents’ pantry. Their chocolate is certified gluten free and vegan, organic, non-GMO and Rainforest Alliance certified. My Mom’s go-to buy is the Extreme Dark Chocolate, which is 80% cacao and features crunchy cacao nibs for extra antioxidants.

Rule Breaker Snacks

Who knew that gluten free brownies and blondies made with chickpeas could taste so good!?! Rule Breaker Snacks’ desserts are also vegan and nut free, and come in several flavors. My top two choices are the Birthday Cake Blondies and Deep Chocolate Brownies, and I appreciate how big the chocolate chunks always are.

Veggies Made Great

It is seriously amazing that the gluten free muffins from Veggies Made Great have vegetables as the two first ingredients. You don’t taste the carrots or zucchini at all, and these muffins (particularly the double chocolate and banana chocolate chip flavors) are especially delicious popped into the microwave for a few seconds. These veggie-packed muffins do contain eggs but are free of gluten, soy, peanuts and tree nuts.

Julie's Real Carmel Vanilla Blondie Mix

I couldn't resist sharing an amazing product from another company I love and serve as an ambassador for: Julies Real. They only recently released their paleo blondie and brownie mixes, and they are seriously some of the tastiest gluten free baking mixes I’ve ever tried. Plus, the mixes are certified gluten free, non-GMO, organic, paleo and free of dairy, soy, peanuts, cane sugar, flavorings and extracts. The instructions on the back of the baking mixes do call for an egg and a good amount of nut butter, but I’ve made these baking mixes vegan and lower fat as well by instead using one ripe banana, one vegan egg replacement from Bob Red Mill and only 1/4 cup of nut butter.

Soozy’s Grain Free Muffins

This was one of my last finds in 2019, and these paleo muffins seriously blew my mind. They are made of all-natural, unprocessed ingredients like cage-free whole eggs, almond and coconut flour and extra virgin coconut oil. Plus, Soozy’s Muffins are certified gluten free and free from grains, soy, dairy, GMOs, fillers and additives. I’ve tried the Double Chocolate and Wild Blueberry flavors and both were insanely soft, moist and loaded with flavor. They reminded me a lot of the fancy coffee shop muffins I enjoyed before celiac disease!

Ice Cream and Cold Desserts: 

Wink Frozen Desserts

Since my last dairy free ice cream round up, I hadn’t tried Wink Desserts yet, and they definitely deserve a mention. This vegan, low sugar and low calorie ice cream alternative is def not a good option if you don’t enjoy artificial sweeteners, since you definitely taste them with Wink. However, I still really enjoyed all the flavors of Wink I got to try - especially Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Bean and Salted Caramel - and the texture of the ice cream got super creamy when given time to thaw.

The Worthy Company's Blendie Bowls 

This isn’t a frozen dessert per se, but the Worthy Company's Blendie Bowls are some of the tastiest veggie-packed puddings I’ve ever tried. Each blendie bowl is packed with two servings of veggies, eight grams of vegan protein and fiber and only eight grams of sugar. You’d never guess that there are legumes one this thick pudding, and while I enjoyed eating it chilled on its own, it also makes a BOMB healthy frosting.

Vixen Kitchen

On the note of frozen desserts, I wanted to mention Vixen Kitchen’s paleo and vegan gelato. It’s sweetened with maple syrup as well as being organic, and I ended up loving the Midnight Mint flavor, as well as Naked Vanilla. This isn’t my favorite vegan or paleo ice cream that I’ve ever tried, but it’s a pretty tasty option if you’re looking for a frozen dessert with more wholesome ingredients.

Eat Fronen

Last but not least - I talk about making banana ice cream all the time, but Eat Fronen takes banana ice cream to the new level. This dairy free frozen dessert comes in five different flavors that are made mainly of bananas, along with four or fewer other ingredients.  Madagascar Vanilla and Strawberry were my two surprise favorites. I really wish I could make my own banana ice cream half this thick and creamy!

What I Hope You Learn about "Healthy Eating" in 2020

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I do not think that people need to avoid traditional junk food or comfort food in order to be healthy. Personally, I lovvvve digging into a decadent full-fat, high-sugar cookie when I’m craving one...but I also love eating it with a veggie-packed pudding or using super dark chocolate while baking. That’s my definition of balance, and I hope that 2020 - and maybe even this list of yummy recommendations - will help you find yours.

In fact, my biggest hope for and goal of this post is to expose people to brands that might make it a lil’ easier to eat more vegetables and protein or less sugar. And if you are starting a new lifestyle like paleo or vegan, or need to avoid allergens like gluten, dairy, soy or nuts, this list should give you more ideas on what food options are really available for you, too. So whether eating a bit healthier is a goal you want to set in the new year or you just scrolled for the foodporn, I hope you’re taking away whatever tidbits of information will help you craft an even yummier new year! Have you heard of or tried any of these products before? Which are your favorites...or which do you want to try first?

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[thisislizheather]

April Activities 2021

The major news of the month? I can’t believe I get to be fully vaccinated. It’s hard to describe how incredible it feels but I’m so ready to really start this next phase and I can’t wait for everyone I love to feel this feeling soon. Here’s what went down last month.

Here are my favourite tweets from last month. Also, I’ve decided to compile the best tweets list every two weeks rather than only once a month mostly because I love re-reading them and want that sort of joy in my life twice a month, not just once.

I did Nathan’s podcast and we talked about Rogers, sex robots & god only knows what else.

Two new nail polishes that I bought and love: English Lavender by butter and Cold Brew Crew by essie. Beautiful colours.

I’ve made this lamb ragu from Alison Roman twice so far, it’s so luxurious but somehow easy to make. I’ve put it on tagliatelle as well as zucchini noodles and both have been wonderful. Small tip: it does get better after it sits in the fridge for a bit, for some reason. (Also, the recipe doesn’t call for it, but I added basil at the end. I tend to add basil anytime something calls for parsley because it’s just so much more flavourful and fun.)

Above Photo: Alison Roman’s lamb ragu

I want to buy new underwear and I’m looking for any suggestions that aren’t Victoria’s Secret, Aerie or The Gap. I might just bite the bullet and try the ones from Blush (love love love the models they use).

I tried the strawberry short cake soft serve from Milk Bar and it was heavenly. The soft serve is even better than the strawberry cake (although the cookie crumbles within the cake always make my knees weak). In fact, I’ve yet to try a Milk Bar soft serve that I didn’t love (their vegan apple pie soft serve was out of this world), should I have been buying their pints this whole time? Yes.

I gave a chance to Ouai’s Air Dry Foam and it didn’t impress me or anyone else for that matter, so I guess I’ll just stick with the Wave Spray instead.

The rain boots that I bought a few years ago from Winners have disintegrated and I’m in search of new ones, but please don’t recommend Hunter ones. I hate Hunter. Open to any other suggestions!

Influenced by a TikTok video, I bought Falscara and holy shit. I know I promise this a lot, but I’m going to do a video on it so you can see how good a product it is. So many videos are coming, I vow.

There milk chocolate coconut almonds from CVS are UNHOLY.

I tried a sample of Glamglow’s Glowstarter moisturizer and was pleasantly surprised at how it really does give you a pleasant glow. What’s that about.

It’s uncivil how expensive body suit/swimwear hangers are. Who is this benefiting? I just want to hang my delicate bodysuits and carry on with my day.

Trader Joe’s has started selling their own vodka and I’m hoping they’ll start to sell it in New York soon. Seems weird that they don’t already.

I tried a small sample of Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Elixir and discovered that the true magic behind the elixir is how she got anyone to believe that it does anything at all. Makeup products truly enrage me at times.

Nathan and I went to a movie theatre and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. We saw Godzilla vs. Kong and I found myself beaming through every inane scene. Perfect movie to see after a year of no theatres. Would I ever watch it again? Good lord no.

I bought a lotion bar from Gift Box on Broadway in Astoria and I love it. I think I’d use it more if it were slightly smaller and more manageable, but I love it nonetheless.

I tried Rao’s spaghetti and it was incredible, so now I’m forced to seek out their other types of pasta. Such a quality pasta.

I ate at The Pineapple Club and the basil fried rice and frozen pina coladas were both outrageously good.

I bought this bag from Zara and I’m honestly nervous to even wear it out for some weird reason. Like, am I the person who would have a bag like this? Do I want to be that person? Am I feeling this way because of having nowhere to go for so long? Have I always been this fearful? Some of these questions I shouldn’t answer, I realize.

Just bought these shoes in tan and I think I have my life all figured out now. Now if I can just leave the house wearing said shoes and holding said bag.

Speaking of shoes, I truly can’t decide if I love or loathe these slippers.

Last shoe thing: head over HEELS (not sorry) in love with these feet hugging sandals. Should’ve bought four more pairs.

I made these chocolate banana muffins and they were great but the real standout is the recipe at the bottom for the salted honey butter. Christ, you should make that butter.

I perused Molly Baz’s new cookbook and it’s a big one. Some standout recipes: The Big Italian salad, a dilly horseradish cream sauce for shrimp, and of course her caesar salad recipe.

I never thought I’d be the type of person to buy fake plants, but this one is so lifelike and pretty that I had to get it. Plus it’s perfect for the top of a bookshelf.

Above Photo: Fake plant from Target

It’s ramp season and I couldn’t be happier about it, you’ll hear more about my ramp creations next month.

I watched This is a Robbery on Netflix and don’t waste your time. Yes, it’s an interesting story, but save yourself a few hours and go read this instead.

I’m watching The Nanny and loving it. I’ve only ever watched a few episodes growing up, and I thought I would hate it because of how much everyone makes fun of Fran’s voice but her voice is fine! It’s wild that anyone ever said it was annoying. Also, the theme song is catchy as hell.

I rewatched Speed and it’s, of course, still great. What can’t Keanu do.

I watched the 90s movie The Crush and it’s really weird that movies like that would never have a chance being made today.

I’m all caught up on Riverdale now and… it’s hard to remember when it was really good. Maybe it was all Skeet Ulrich? Was that the main draw in my mind? I can see that making sense. In any case, it’s taken a turn.

There’s something so inviting about having good washroom rugs, I just got these soft-as-hell Threshold ones and I’ll never buy another brand again.

I visited the midtown Ideal Cheese Shop (been meaning to forever) and it’s such a great spot for NYC delicacies as well as, obviously, cheese. They had pre-packed bacon from Peter Luger and salmon from Daniel Boulud.

Things are already changing fast with new restrictions loosing in NYC, but did you know you can rent out a bar for an hour?

I tried the breakfast Beyond Meat sausage patties and surprise, surprise, they’re great. There’s nothing this company can do wrong. I’m becoming suspicious.

I got drinks and some small bites at Bar Dalia in Astoria and what a sweet little place! Would go again.

I finally got my hands on the kitchen-scented mini candles from Trader Joe’s (the scents are lemongrass, tomato leaf, fresh mint). They fill me with joy, unfortunately. I also got their grapefruit scented body butter, which goes on very smoothly but I’ve noticed it has a scent that’s slightly off-putting over time. I will not dwell on that fact further.

Had no idea that Banza made a pizza crust but I tried it and it’s wonderful.

I love seeing what promotional giveaways are planned for the upcoming baseball season but since we’re technically still in a pandemic, the Mets are only releasing what the promotions are each month (makes sense). So I’ve bookmarked the page to go look at on the first of each month.

I don’t eat a ton of fast food, but I’m sorry, some of these are genius ideas.

I’ll regret it if I don’t buy a box of these, right?

I know that it’s common to read an article about something and feel “that’s me!” but this one really resonates with me: “There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing.”

The best brand at Target: A New Day.

Love and fully agree with all of this woman’s questions about things that don’t make sense.

I was walking past a Home Depot in Queens and the smell of the sandwiches at Rocco’s was heavenly. I had just eaten, otherwise I would have leaped into line. Must remember to get a Philly cheese steak here next time. The Yelp reviews are calling me.

I bought this earring organizer from The Container Store and it’s perfect. Fully recommend. I also finally got a purse organizer and some shoe boxes that make me feel like I might be a successful woman in her prime.

Above Photo: Earring Stand from The Container Store

Above Photo: Left: purse storage holder, Right: shoe storage boxes, Not Shown: me, opening & closing my closet door ten times to bask in my new found organizational skills

I had no idea Zara had a home section. I wish I didn’t have this knowledge, but now that I do, you must too. Literally ALL of these glasses are gorgeous. Tempted to go smash each glass in my kitchen cupboard right this instant.

This Artist Faked Being a Billionaire to Photograph New York City's Best Views - such a great idea, such great photos. How was it not me who came up with this?

Some more spring recipes I’m dying to make:

Ramp & Ricotta Tart

Grilled Asparagus Caesar Salad

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Scallop Risotto with Lemon & Sweet Peas

Grilled Caprese Skewers with Halloumi and Sourdough

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: the new/final season of Shrill comes out this week (!), I might be going to a Mets game (!!), dying to eat at Under The Volcano, really want to visit the new Dippin' Dots store, I’ve been craving a good club sandwich for months so I might try to get brunch at Mark’s Off Madison, I know it might be early but I can’t wait to go tan on Governors Island soon, and at some point I’d really love to take one of these pasta cooking classes.

Above Photo: The club sandwich at Mark’s Off Madison, photo courtesy of Front of House

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in March over here.

[flairmagazineblog]

Valentine’s Month Best Love Culinary Recipes

Valentine’s Day is a ton further pleasant with a romantic cozy dinner at home. Although February 14th undoubtedly brings us all of the daintiest snacks of the year, there is indeed a day just full of brilliant food you could have. Around heart-shaped breakfast meals to date night cuisine suggestions for two, this is a perfect chance to spice the infamous V-day into not only a celebration for couples but also amazing food enthusiasts. Fear not, we’ve pulled together a few meal ideas (entrees, main dishes, pies, and little stock goodies) for all of you to select from – so what about some fancy oysters, steak, shrimp cocktails, and yummy truffles?

Coconut Curry Chicken

Warm-up with your beloved with a dish of soft, delicious curry.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 medium onion, finely minced

1 head of garlic, chopped (10–12 cloves)

2 tablespoons ginger, minced

1 tablespoon each: ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric

1 teaspoon cayenne powder, optional

3 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 can of crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons sea salt

Can of coconut milk

Instructions

In a large skillet, melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and simmer until it softens for almost 5 minutes. Apply the ginger and garlic to heat and stir for about two minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and, if used, cayenne and simmer for 1 minute.

Add the chicken breasts, smashed tomatoes, and seasoning to the pot and mix well. Stir occasionally, cap, and turn down the heat to medium-low. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes, gently remove the lid (the curry will splash!), and stir a few more.

When the chicken parts are ready, add in the coconut milk, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Season with salt to taste, if desired. Pair with steamed cauliflower or basmati rice. And Bon Appetite!

Instant Pot Risotto with Parmesan

Ingredients

•          2 cups dry Arborio rice, rinsed and drained well

•          2 TB salted butter

•          1/4 cup chopped onion

•          1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

•          1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

•          3 3/4 cups regular-strength chicken or vegetable broth

•          2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice

•          1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

•          Garnishes: freshly chopped chives and grated lemon zest

Instructions

Set the Instant Pot to sauté and add the butter till it is melted. Add the onions and swirl till it softens, around 1-2 minutes. Add the dry rice to the melting butter and stir for 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, broth, and lemon juice; mix well.

Secure lid and set to pressure cook for 8 minutes. Allow Instant Pot to do its natural release. Once a natural release is completed, carefully remove the lid and stir in parmesan while “fluffing” the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately, with chives or lemon zest for garnish, if desired.

Red Velvet Cookies

A twist on the delicious chocolate chip cookie batch, these red velvet cookies are stuffed with dense chocolate chips in a bright red shade. This recipe, inspired by a red velvet cake, takes a couple of minutes to make and bake, with enough cookies for the entire family!

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups + 1 Tablespoon flour

1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 Tablespoon milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon gel red food coloring

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a big cup. Set it back.

Using only a portable or food processor with a whisk attachment, beat the butter at great speed till it becomes smooth, around 1 minute. Scrap the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. Place in brown sugar and granulated sugar again till blended and smooth, around 1 minute.

Insert the food dye and beat when added. Switch the mixer off and add the remaining dry ingredients to the most components. Turn the mixer down and beat steadily until a very fluffy pastry is made. Beat in more food coloring if you like the dough to be a lighter color. Add in the chocolate chips at low speed. The dough is going to be messy.

Cover and cool the dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours. If you’re resting for more than a few hours, allow the dough to stay at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before rolling and baking, because the dough is going to be very stiff.

Preheat the oven to 177°C (350°F). Cover two large baking sheets with parchment or synthetic baking mats. Set it back.

Scoop one and a half teaspoons of dough and roll into a ball. Place 9 balls on each baking sheet. Bake for 13 minutes for each batch. Cookies may have spread just marginally. Simply force the warm cookies to flatten them slightly, which helps to make crinkles. If required, place a few chocolate chips on the tops of the hot cookies.

Cool cookies on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool fully.

And Enjoy the best romantic dinner in the cozy atmosphere of your home!

Valentine’s Month Best Love Culinary Recipes was originally published on FLAIR MAGAZINE