fourth of july muffins

happy fourth of july! 

this year I woke up early, sat with the garden as the sun rose up behind the house, and then proceeded to make some banana berry muffins.

because I can't really stomach processed sugary things with egg yolks… I found this recipe.

I'm not a food blogger because I really just sound cliche describing food (and I almost always forget to take photos before I eat the food, remember that), so I'll be brief:

they are very sweet because of the berries, but also very banana-y because there are bananas in them, and that's why I like them. they're a good balance!

and they're healthy.

recipe found here.

this is my favorite meal right now

zucchini. rainbow chard. a brown rice medley.

oh and butter. 

all sautéed and mixed together.

no recipe needed, cook however you'd like. the combination is really delicious.

(but really, remember the butter)

how I'm trying to eat more vegetables

when it gets warmer, I always want more cold food (especially ice cream). less tomato soup, less grilled cheese, more strawberries and watermelon and salad.

every morning I've been packing my lunch: a tupperware container of peas, strawberries, blueberries, cucumber slices, and a sandwich wrapped in a napkin (hand-sewn by mamá). so many vegetables! so many fruits!

for dinner I've been sautéing zucchini and kale and peas and broccoli with olive oil and lemon juice. and roasting tomatoes and putting them on toasted french bread. and that is so good. 

so I recommend the following:

1. go to the store and buy a baguette of french bread and a couple large tomatoes. 

2. go home and slice the baguette into thin slices (I'd say about 1/4-1/2 an inch). brush some olive oil on them and sprinkle on some rosemary or basil (or both!). put them on a cookie sheet.

3. then slice the tomatoes, pretty thin. 

4. heat up a pan on the burner, and throw on the tomatoes. sprinkle on some pepper. 

5. put your oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit and pop the bread in. this is to slowly warm/toast them. 

6. once you've fried your tomatoes a bit so that they've gotten darker and softer, throw them on the pan with the bread and bake them for about five-ten minutes. 

7. take them out and let them cool for a couple seconds. then eat them!

you see, I find that if you incorporate bread into vegetable meals, the meal is even more appealing. 

oh yes and always, have fun. 

the essentials: fresh garden peas

and strawberries are pretty good, too. my parents could never successfully grow more than two, though. 

am I suddenly writing a lot about food? recently, I've had so many desires to eat fresh foods. lots of vegetables and fruits. lots of lemonade, especially. it always gets that way when summer approaches, when it's warm enough to eat cold food and carry around iced tea.

and so with that, I've been eating so many snap peas. I've been carrying them around to volunteering and classes and just out on the street. they're crunchy and snappy - just like chips, except they're healthy and sweet.

and especially, they remind me of my parents' garden.

each year, when school came to an end, we would have endless pea plants growing up our fence. I would sit on the sidewalk, scribbling with chalk, and every once in a while, steal a pea from the plant as my mid-drawing snack. and when emme was old enough to eat solid foods, I picked her up and convinced her to try a pea from the garden. she would pound on the front, glass door, pointing outside and saying, "mmmm," wanting to run outside and pick peas from the garden.

and so these snap peas have followed me to seattle, and I've re-embraced them as the most perfect snack. if only I had a garden to grow them in, seeing as I go through my grocery-store supply way too quickly.

but there you have it: snap peas. they are essential.

on smoothies. and health.

(a pink smoothie just in time for february 14th)

last year, I was having health issues, and was diagnosed with ibs. But I thought little of it, did little to work on it, and basically let it settle out when summer rolled around and my anxiety lessoned.

then college came back this year and my stomach reared its head again. I spent evenings on the floor crying. and I lost ten pounds.

no, it wasn't good. I was weak and tired. 

everything I ate, with the exception of greek yogurt, peppermint luna bars, and whirley-pop popcorn, made my stomach ache. 

it all sounds terrible and it was but it got better.

after rounds of doctor's visits and blood tests and advice on food choices, I decided to try smoothies. 

they've helped an incredible amount, to where I can get protein from greek yogurt, fiber from fruit, and sugar from the juice to keep my blood sugar up. 

so I drink at least one smoothie a day. usually I make one for lunch, then put the leftover mix in the fridge and have it later for a late-night snack before I go to sleep. 

this particular smoothie pictured has:

a sprinkle of blueberries

a handful of raspberries

orange/mango juice

a tablespoon or so of flax seed

a cup of blackberry chobani yogurt 

I can't pretend to be the healthiest person because sometimes I will go to the store, buy a pizza, and eat three fourths of it for lunch. 

but some days it's about getting at least some food in me to get to healthy weight. and to have energy for those busy days. and really, fruit smoothies with natural sugar are a big part of it. 

blue c sushi

ab invited me for a little sushi dinner to celebrate finishing midterms. 

I have not always been a fan of sushi (raw fish, and I'm paranoid about getting sick from raw meats), but c told me they had chicken teriyaki and em told me they have cooked sushi (who knew) so I was definitely down. 

Well it was so cool. The little conveyer belt went by us with different colored plates holding different types of meals, including chocolate covered cream puffs. I had ab snatch me the chicken katsu, and I ordered a vegetable egg roll (okay, none of those are technically sushi, but they were really good). ab, amelia, and courtney split a variety of sushi plates, including something with octopus and something that resembled a grapefruit. 

it was quite fun and the sushi was beautiful and fun to look at. 

to a good night! 

Columbia City, Georgetown, & Lots of Pizza

This week, mamá and I explored the neighborhood in which she raised Margaux, and then we took a detour to Georgetown (really a detour, because we accidentally got on I5). Columbia City has Tutta Bella, and we sat there in the sun, sipping on lemonade and crunching on caesar salad croutons. Yesterday was the definition of an adventure (because we got lost at least 3 times… darn our aversion to Google maps).

(If you have not been to Tutta Bella in Columbia City, you should be aware of their excellent background music and top-notch flat bread)

Baking: Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

I am a chocolate girl. Hot chocolate in the cold. Mochas instead of plain coffee. Rich chocolate ice cream and chocolate croissants. So naturally, I appreciate a good chocolate torte. 

I've tried hard to make the perfect flourless cake. For my dad's birthday, I made one with fluffy peanut butter frosting. For Avery's birthday, I made one with far too much vanilla frosting. So it was about time I made a flourless cake without any frosting. Summer desserts call for fruits as a topping. 

This particular recipe tastes like a brownie and a torte mixed together... and in a 24cm pan, it didn't taste too thick! 

It takes less than 10 minutes to mix, and 25 minutes to bake. Perfect to bake in a late summer evening as the outside heat winds down. 

You'll need:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

First, melt and mix together the chocolate chips and the butter in a saucepan. 

Once they've melted together into a thin consistency, pour them into a mixing bowl. 

Mix in the sugar. 

Whisk in the eggs. 

Add in the cocoa powder until everything is blended together. 

Pour the mixture into a 8 or 9 inch pan.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. 

Once it has cooked all the way through, set it out to cool. After it has cooled, feel free to sift powder sugar over the top, and add the freshest summer berries you've got. 

Baking: Zucchini Carrot Muffins

After finishing my final essay by 2 o'clock, I thought I'd treat myself to a little zucchini carrot muffin making. I had an hour and a half to spare, so why not bake something? 

I found the recipe from searching around Pinterest, and discovered this post. I halved the recipe, because I didn't quite need 3 dozen, and it ended up making a dozen because of the acorn shaped pan that I used. 

This is the fabulous Acorn Pan It's especially wonderful when you're making something that's sweet but earthy.

In the oven for 22 minutes... and they come out looking perfect. 

My favorite, because they're absolutely fresh and taste like a sweet version of the garden.Happy first day of Summer Break!xxo