Say Cheese

Hi friends. Who’s pumped that tomorrow is Friday? Today was the longest, most hectic day ever so I’m just itching for the weekend to start!

This morning actually started out quite lovely. I woke up to a snow free yard. The weather man was calling for a few inches but we didn’t get anything. This was good news in my book as I’m totally over the snow at this point. I did my fair share of sledding and now I’m ready for spring.

I made it to the 6AM spin class I’ve been meaning to attend for months now. It’s funny because my neighbor teaches it and I’ve been telling her that I’d come forever. Today I finally followed through and it was awesome! I loved being done with my workout by 7 rather than just getting to the gym at that time. Plus the early morning workout left me plenty of time to come home, shower, and leisurely eat breakfast.

A Pumpkin Pie Smoothie poured into a bowl and topped with Dates and Spices buckwheat granola.

I loved eating the smoothie like soup. It took much longer to consume and I savored each taste a little more than I do when sipping it through a straw.

Back at home base for lunch I whipped up some left overs consisting of two dishes I’ve been meaning to share with you all.

1) Wheat Berry Salad with citrus dressing

2) Mulligatawny (Spicy Indian Vegetable Soup)

I love Indian food but I don’t cook it at home very often. After seeing this recipe and realizing it didn’t contain any obscure ingredients I decided to put it on the “to make list”. I’m so happy I did! The soup turned out be amazing. Miss Angharad from Eating for England definitely knows her Indian food.

I followed the recipe for the most part, however I did make a few changes. Here’s my adapted version:

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 2 cups hard vegetables (sweet potatoes and parsnips, cut into smaller than 1/4 inch cubes)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups vegetable broth (low-sodium)
• 3 tomato stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups soft vegetables (eggplant, cut into smaller than 1/2 inch dice and frozen peas)
• 2 tablespoons curry powder

Preparation

• Put oil into a large, deep pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, cumin, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about five minutes.
• Add the hard vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two, then add the stock and tomato; bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the vegetables are fairly soft, about 15 minutes.
• Add the soft vegetables and curry powder and adjust the heat once again so the mixture simmers. Cook until all the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

With lunch I snacked on a new product I was sent to review – Hippie Chips.

They’re gluten free baked potato chips, low in both fat and calories, but full of flavor. I tired the Sea of Love Salt variety with lunch and really enjoyed them. The texture is similar to mini rice cakes or Soy Crisps and the whole bag has only 120 calories. I’m definitely interested in trying some of the other products and flavors – including the Kettle Corn!! <3

Hippie Chips are currently sold in a limited amount of retail locations including some Whole Foods, but they can also be purchased online.

In other news, I can’t quit smiling OR stop snapping photos.

Needless to say, I love my new camera!!! The pictures are already better and I don’t even know how to use the thing yet.

-Brittany

Tagged as: Hippie Chips, Mulligatawny, pumpkin pie smoothie, Wheat Berry Salad