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Monday, January 12, 2009

The Perfect Day

Welcome to a walk through my perfect day...which is exactly what today was.  

First, you'll wake up to the radio, like always, but Jack Johnson will be playing and it will instantly put you in an excellent mood.  

Second, even though you should really get up and have breakfast, you are going to lay in bed for an hour and finish Eclipse.  

You'll finally get up and have whatever your favorite current breakfast is.  For me is was the Apple Pie Quinoa and Tempeh Bacon Hash (with spinach, for greenery), that I posted about a few days ago.  I wasn't kidding about eating the same thing for weeks!  

All the equipment you need at the gym will be free when you need it.  A girl you went to high school with who you now look better than will be chugging away on the treadmill, then lift some girly weights, and you will smugly smile to yourself (hey, I'm not perfect, its just my perfect day).  

Then, you will set off to discover heaven.  Well, at least if your idea of heaven is fantastic natural bulk food/grocery store.  A few weeks ago, my mom pulled a flyer for this place out of the paper, and I finally got myself there.  It was a bit of a drive, but worth it, completely.  Oh and on your way to this mecca, your iPod will gleefully pump out all the Jack Johnson songs you have, even though its batteries should be running out any second.  

While you are visiting heaven (also known as Nature's Pantry), your husband, who you haven't talked to in a week, will call, and...well honestly, he'll kind of distract you from reading nutrition labels and whatnot, but you're really happy he called.  

Lots of fun stuff will be acquired at Nature's Pantry:  

From the bulk food section, low-sugar pineapple rings, carob covered raisins, and wheat free fig bars!  (Not pictured is also nutritional yeast and oat groats)

With another giveaway in mind (because they're fun!), you'll pick up two bags of Soyfree, a coffee substitution made from soy, in Chai and Almond Amaretto.  Don't forget to sign for my current giveaway in the meantime!:

Other pantry foods will be picked up, some single serving packets of almond butter, wakame flakes, miso ramen noodles, Corn Thins, a Bumble Bar (which are vegan, even though they have a bee on them.  I never would have even picked them up, except I saw them on Erica's blog yesterday), and a chocolate orange Jocolat bar:

You've been looking for vegan hair gel or mousse on the internet for a week or so.  You've been using up all the leftovers in the house, waiting until you find something, because ordering hair gel online seems like a hassle.  You find Giovanni hair gel here!  It comes with a shampoo sample too!  Because it is the perfect day, you'll also pick up some bubble bath, because you've been using shower gel in the bathtub for the past month:  

While you are at the store, you might start to think that maybe this isn't the perfect day after all...because this store ALSO doesn't sell vegan carob chips.  Huh??  However, when you get home, you will chide yourself for thinking this was not the perfect day.  That is because you will immediately see a package on the table, and you will know what it is instantly!  

Orange County NY, you may want to keep vegan carob chips away from me, but the lovely Heather (of Heather eats Almond Butter) has thwarted you!!  I mentioned on her blog last week that they were no where to be found, and she had some in the mail the next day.  She also surprised me with this chocolately Raw Organic Food Bar!!  It looks awesome, full of good stuff.  When I try it, I will post my review.  Honestly, I also ripped into it immediately, but I was able to practice some self control (because one doesn't overeat to the point where they feel sick on the perfect day). 

After you relax for a little, you'll get started on dinner.  Its another day for recipe testing!!  Today I made the Vegetable Crisp.  It had eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, etc.  
  

Serves 6
Nutrition Information:  217.7g Calories;  6.7g Total Fat;  1.2g Saturated Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  34.0g Carbohydrates;  6.1g Fiber;  8.2g Protein.

This was yummy!  To go with it, you'll try something else from V'con, like the Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic and Navy Beans.  

Serves 5 (made a half-recipe)
Nutrition Information:  174.2 Calories;  2.4g Total Fat;  0.3g Saturated Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  34.4g Carbohydrates;  6.6g Fiber;  6.6g Protein

While you are cooking, you will make a gigantic mess (something about dropping a baking sheet with food on it...oops), but you totally won't get upset because the Jack Johnson emanating from your laptop keeps you chill.  

Sadly, your perfect day is coming to a close.  After dinner, you'll start on your blog while you watch 'How I Met Your Mother'.  Then, your mentor teacher will call and set up you coming in later this week (which you are equally terrified and excited for).

Lastly, I mean, the perfect day couldn't end dessert-less!  Come on, seriously, you guys must know me a little better than that.  
  
Yes, that's right, Carob Peppermint ice cream.  Fruit sweetened too, so that makes it..kind of...sort of...good for you, right?   

Edited to add:  Then your mom will give you a coupon for Puffins!  

So, perfect day, no?  Relaxed, good food, awesome gym session, packages from blogger friend, food store discovery.  Yes, definitely my idea of perfect.   

If you haven't noticed, Jack Johnson is most definitely my go-to relaxing music.  What kind of music chills you out?  

So, today's Cooking Song of the Day is one of my favorites:  "Losing Keys" - Jack Johnson.  Relax :)


I hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend and had a great start to their week!  

20 comments:

  1. Im so glad you had such a perfect, wonderful day!!! I am seriously obsessed with jack johnson, "better together" and "banana pancakes" (a good breakfast making song;-))
    love the ice cream by the way!

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  2. hahahaha i am so glad you had a perfect day...awwww that's so nice of you to share!!

    yay for perfect days!!

    warms the heart:)

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  3. great day!
    all the foods look great, specially that soy delicious seems so decadent and yum!

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  4. What a great day...so glad you got your package. Why are they keeping carob chips from you? I'll send my more anytime...just let me know when you run out. :)

    I'm so glad you discovered Nature's Pantry. Looks like you stocked up on so many good things...and you got to talk to your husband. I know that made your day...not to mention all the Jack Johnson action!

    I love Mr. Johnson. Great voice and not too shabby looking either. My favorite chill music? Patty Griffin or Ray LaMontagne...or David Gray, but only his slower stuff.

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  5. Hey, thanks for the comment : ) Glad to hear about a perfect day, and your food looks great!

    Yeah, I've been experimenting with the goji berries and they're not exactly growing on me, haha. I'm kind of sad I don't like them myself, buuut I'm glad I tried them at least. I definitely won't be buying them all the time, that's for sure. (maybe we both got a bad brand?;)

    Thanks for the quinoa tip, it did seem like a lot of work to have to think in advance to soak them!

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  6. What a great day! My chill out music is usually Newton Faulkner. I'll have to check out more Jack J now though.

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  7. gina, i am now living vicariously through you. must be nice to have a perfect life!! haha this really was a funny, but good day. the girl at the gym just KILLED me. i love that.

    and the carob chips, well, i don't really know how to help you with that one. you're on your own. i have no self control with chocolate or carob. it's just too good.

    i wish we lived close to each other!! we'd be known as the bitchy girls at the gym haha but damn we'd look good doin it!

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  8. Thanks for all the chill music suggestions from everyone!! I should ask for music suggestions more often, I think :)

    Heather, thank you again for the carob chips!! I feel like I have to make something special with them now...*thinking*...

    Joanna, I would love to have someone to be awesomely bitchy with at the gym, haha.

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  9. Hi Gina! thanks for the comment! I've never even heard of liquid stevia. It sounds great though! I will have to try it! Thanks for the tip! Have a great day:)

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  10. I just thought I would let you know that I stumbled across your site. I loved it. I think we have a few things in common. My hubby is deploying to Afghanistan (military), I love the Twilight series and I couldn't put it down, I made the 12 bean soup for dinner on Sunday and my hubby is Omni too. I added you to my blogroll.

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  11. I'm sorry, I forgot to ask if it was ok to add you to my blogroll. Let me know.

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  12. Mmm I recently got addicted to puffins, they are so good!

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  13. I love your perfect day =) So cute.

    Great purchases, I'm a big fan of giovanni hair products. It's the only thing I use!

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  14. Marian, I love liquid stevia, especially the butter toffee flavor (something like that).

    Luna22, of course you can add me to your blog roll! That is a lot of stuff that we have in common, how cool :)

    Julia, I am addicted the PB puffins in a bad way...like, I can't buy them or I just eat the whole box. I've been buying the cinnamon now because they don't taste as good, haha. They're still good, but not obsessively so.

    Shelby, I just used the Giovanni gel, and I love it!! I needed some new hair gel SO badly, my hair has been a mess for the past week or two, haha.

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  15. Oooo I'm so Jealous of your Natures Pantry. Nothing at all here exists where you can get such wonderful-ness all in one place (well I know of one that does exist but it's expensive and 3 hours away :().

    Glad you had such a perfect day!

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  16. Oh, I want to have a day exactly like that!!! Sounds so perfect!

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  17. YAYYYYYYYYYY for your perfect day! Low sugar pineapple rings are like my favorite thing in the whole world. Can't wait to hear what you think of that flavor! I haven't tried it yet. I had the cherry chocolate today - it was very yum!

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  18. Great entry! I'm jealous that you have such a great store. I looked up their locations hoping they were in Colorado, but nope. -_-

    As for relaxing music...I can't think of any right now. I need to listen to more stuff!

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  19. There is nothing that makes me happier than new healthy stores!

    I'm so glad you had a perfect day!

    (PS. I'm totally the girl lifting the girly weights at the gym. Sad.)

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  20. After reading your post yesterday, I went and bought a couple Bumble Bars. Yummy!!

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