What I’m Loving Wednesday 10.31.12

1. Last night I instagrammed/tweeted a picture of the Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili I had made for dinner.

One of my readers who I met this Spring tweeted that it looked so amazing. I was pretty sure she lived in the same complex as me, so I told her to come on over. Shortly after, I sent her back home with chili, Sriracha, and a few pieces of chocolate. She had never tried Sriracha before and I knew I had to convert her. The chocolate was given for obvious reasons: always eat something sweet after a spicy meal. It’s a rule.

I LOVE MY READERS. You guys are the best.

2. Last Friday when Danielle and I were out, we ran into our friend Will who is just as much of a beet lover as I am. Danielle suggested that we just get married and demanded that Will get on his knees.

Obviously this was a joke, but I’m humored that a) he’s holding his own arm up, b) he’s holding my wrong hand, c) he looks like a Twilight vampire, and c)we are in front of a gay bar. But by far, the funniest part of this whole situation was people’s reactions.

People take stuff on Facebook so seriously! No one in my family called me -- they’ve either abandoned me or know quite well how peculiar my behavior is.

3. After I ate on Saturday, I boxed up my leftovers before I went out for the night. I left myself a love note.

No, it did not work….for me or Danielle.

4. Last week  Groopdealz had a sale for these chunky anchor bracelets for only $7.99. I bought the blue and it’s just as pretty in person.

I found some similar bracelets on Etsy here and here.

5. This is pretty darn accurate. 

6. I was one happy child on this day in 1987.

25 years and 92875298729687 cavities later, I want to wish you a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

New Seasonal Food Finds

One of the main reasons I love having a food blog is because I get to share new food precuts with my readers. Whenever I find something fun, be it a food, restaurant, recipe, or trend, I share it through every social media platform possible: facebook, twitter, instagram, youtube…you get it. Here are some new gems I’ve discovered.

1. I first spotted these Toasted Coconut almonds at Target. Into the basket they went and (after paying) into my mouth they went.

Honestly, I was underwhelmed. They smell really good, but the flavor just isn’t quite there. Boo. I went online to look up other flavors and found these promotions.

Have you tried any of these three flavors? I suppose you could very easily create these at home.

2. It seems that there are about 70 different flavored creamers out there, and most that I’ve tried have been somewhat nauseating. The S’mores flavor, however, is right up my alley and perfect for the coming chilly months.I also need to try the Salted Caramel flavor. I will wait until they go on sale at Publix because I don’t love the idea of spending silly money on things that just fatten me…. ok that’s sort of a lie.

This list started out strong (healthfully speaking) but it’s about to go down the clean eating drain. Please accept my apologies for this and for almost lying to you in #3.

3. Jell-O. Gingerbread and Candy Cane. Should I buy these? I feel like it’s the equivalent of eating fair food. Could be the worst moment of my life or the best moment of my life. But nothing in between. 

4. Yoplait Pumpkin Pie and Apple Crisp flavored yogurt. I was a huge fan of Trader Joe’s pumpkin yogurt, but for some reason I’m nervous to try these.

5. I gagged a little when I saw this but had to include it anyway. Pumpkin Spice cream cheese.

6. Pumpkin is taking over! Who’s sick of it? I’m not. Yet. Give me a couple more weeks. These sound crazy sweet.

7. Now this I could get on board with, especially with a healthy serving of peanut butter. Weirdo combo?

8. First there were the Birthday Cake Oreos. Then there were the Candy Corn Oreos. Now there are Gingerbread and Peppermint Oreos.

Interesting fact: In 2010, Nabisco came out with Peppermint. I wonder if they’re the exact same thing.

9. Like I said on Friday, I am ecstatic for these to appear at, let’s face it, Target. All the good seasonal junk is exclusively at Target.

10. Last but not least, I’m praying to the chocolate gods that these come back. Pray with me!

What seasonal items are you loving?  Anything you’re sick of?

Do your teeth hurt after reading this post? I’m off to brush mine.

The Friday Five 10.26.12

1. What I’m Eating: Every candy in sight? No, seriously. I can’t stop eating plain M&Ms. At the Blackbaud health fair one of the vendors handed out these pill containers full of them. How funny is this? I like opening up a container, throwing them all back at once, and watching people’s reactions. Not pills, just candy!

I’m also dying for these to come out. I cannot wait!!!

2. What I’m Pinning: I want to darken my hair. I always say this, I know.

3. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Sriracha-Sesame Turkey Meatballs.

4. What I’m Listening to: Grade 8 by Edward Sheehan. 

Enter video caption here

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

EVERY OCTOBER

THE WEEK BEFORE AND AFTER HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloweekend!!

Spicy Tofu & Vegetable Stir Fry (#Sriracha)

Eeeeeh, I got so many good things in my CSA box this week. I was overjoyed by all the GREEN! In my opinion, green veggies are the best for you. Eat ‘em up for high doses of Vitamins A, C, and K and also iron and calcium.

In this week’s box:

• kale
• box choy
• watermelon
• cucumber
• onion
• green pepper
• sweet potatoes
• tomatoes
• green beans
• eggplant

Let’s talk about tofu for a minute or two. (I rhymed!) I’ve had it several times the past month and each time I have it, I’m less creeped out by it. In fact, I think I’m finally a fan. That said, I decided to pick up a slab at Trader Joe’s over the weekend. It was only a couple dollars, so worst case scenario, I’d lose about what I would’ve spent on a Diet Lemonade at Chick-fil-A. Great rationalization, no?

The first time I tried to make it was a disaster. I sliced it way too thin and had the heat up too high (so says Miss Courtney). I did want it crispy, but not this crispy.

YIKES. Is that not scary? Ok, calm down. The tofu came out better the second time around when I made…

Spicy Tofu & Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz.) package firm tofu
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 1 small eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch thin rounds
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 pound bok choy, sliced
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha
• 1/4 cup water

Preparation:

1. Pat dry the tofu with paper towels, and cut 1/2 inch thick pieces.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. Stir-fry the tofu until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Add the remaining oil to the pan, then add the pepper and eggplant. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, then the garlic and  ginger. After about 30 seconds, add the bok choy and stir-fry for about 1 minute until slightly wilted. Add the water. Cook, stirring, until the water evaporates.
4. Stir in the tofu, soy sauce and Sriracha. Stir-fry for a few additional minutes until everything is seasoned. Remove from the heat and serve immediately. Serves 4.

I ate this as is, but to make a bigger meal, I suggest serving this over steamed rice. Embrace your inner Asian and get your stir fry on!

Oh, and clearly I squirted Sriracha all over it. Wouldn’t you?

What’s your favorite GREEN vegetable?

On a scale of 1 to burn, baby, burn, how much do you love Sriracha? Favorite thing to put it on?

What I’m Loving Wednesday 10.24.12

1. I ate at Purée four times this weekend: Friday dinner, Saturday brunch, a juice, and Sunday lunch. What is wrong with me? Nothing.

Friday: I had the Asian Bowl: pan fried tofu in a chili garlic sauce w/ brown rice over a bed of greens, shaved cucumbers, carrots, ginger.

Boding had the Pad Thai: rice noodles with crushed peanuts, red pepper, snap peas, coriander, lime.

Saturday:  Danielle and I split two wraps: Grilled Chimichurri Seitan Wrap (protein marinated in homemade herb cilantro lime dressing then grilled) and Mo Mo’s Homemade Rosemary BBQ Wrap.

2. I’m not the most organized person when it comes to my belongings. My shoes are all over my apartment and my purse is always a mess. I’ve learned to embrace it and work well amidst the chaos. Check out my k-cup madness. What’s your favorite k-cup flavor?

3. On Sunday evening, Boding and I went to Trader Joe’s for dinner stuff. There was one pumpkin Greek yogurt left. Obviously I grabbed it out of principle.

I was just there for the bare essentials: Greek yogurt and wine.

4. I enjoyed said wine in my favorite Pier 1 chalk note wine glass and pajamas. Christmas pajamas…two months early.

5. Speaking of Christmas, the seasonal Clif bars are back! Peppermint Stick is the real winner of this trio. What do you think of them?

6. Now rewind back. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I’m excited for this weekend’s festivities. I went from wanting to be Cat Woman, to a cat, to something very different than either of those animals. Here’s one hint :I will be carrying these around all evening.  (Annabel/Hannah/Amanda --  shhh!)

7. Amanda and I are still on a running kick. We never plan how far we’ll run and kind of just see how we’re feeling at each mile. On Monday’s run, at 7 miles in we felt great so we continued. At 8 we still felt good. Neither of us wanted to stop at 9 because, well, why would you when 10 is right around the corner? ;)

Nope, we’re not training for anything…other than world domination.

Oikos Greek Frozen Yogurt Giveaway!

Oh yes, you read that right.

Despite the weather cooling down, I’m still eating frozen yogurt. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t enjoy it just as much in the Winter as I do in the Summer. I think it’s even better in the Winter because it doesn’t melt in 5 seconds. Agree?

Oikos Greek Frozen Yogurt is a great option for a healthier dessert. Each 1/2 cup serving is around 100 calories and packs 6 grams of protein -- 50% more than traditional frozen yogurt. Even better, it’s made without the use of toxic, persistent pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones. What’s not to love?

I was recently given coupons to purchase 5 pints of the frozen yogurt. I couldn’t decide which flavor to try first, so I asked my instagram friends.

I took Lindsay’s and Allison’s advice to try a little bit of each at once! I happily agreed and plopped a spoonful of each in a bowl.

My thoughts? The blueberry and super fruits are incredible! I shoved a spoonful in Boding’s mouth this morning and he said “Oh, are you kidding me? That’s unbelievable.” I’m not a fan of chocolate frozen yogurt, so he judged that one. He said it was great! The vanilla was pretty standard and would be great with toppings. The only one I didn’t care for was the honey. It was just funky.

The Oikos Greek Frozen Yogurt is available in six different flavors:

The Giveaway

One of you will win:

• 5 coupons for for free pints of Oikos Greek frozen yogurt
• a $25 Whole Foods gift card for toppings

To enter: Tell me your favorite frozen yogurt + toppings combo. For an additional entry, feel free to tweet about this giveaway (@christinaorso) or post a link on your blog. Leave a separate comment for each entry.

Giveaway ends Sunday, October 28th at noon. Good luck!