Zero Calorie Sparkling Iced Green Tea

Everywhere I go now is so close that I rarely turn on the radio.  But it seems like every time I do I hear an ad for a new Lipton's product, Sparkling Green Tea.  Sounds yummy.  Especially now that it is really getting warmer here.  Of course I knew without even looking that one of the first ingredients would be sugar.  They proved me wrong though, its actually high fructose corn syrup.  My bad.  

So I set out to create my own.  Should be easy enough, right?  Well it is!  

2 green tea bags

1/2 cup water 

3/4-1 cup sparkling water

stevia to taste (liquid or powder, your preference)

1.  Heat the water until it just begins to bubble, not boil  Green tea shouldn't be steeped in water that is too hot or it cooks the leaves.  If it does start to boil, just let it cool a little before you add the tea bags.  

2.  Let both of the tea bags steep for a few minutes.  The taste will be rather strong, and the color will be fairly dark because it is pretty concentrated.  *Its important that you do this first for two reasons.  First, it will dissolve easier while the tea is warm.  Second, if you add the stevia after the sparkling water is added, it loses some of its fizz.*    

3.  Allow the tea to cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  

4.  When chilled remove from fridge and add sparkling water (which should also be chilled, just in case that isn't obvious).

6.  Drink!  Enjoy!  Be refreshed!  

Serves 1-4.  Depends on how much tea you want (and you can have as much as you want because it has no calories!)  I used some tea I got as a favor at the wedding we went to a few weeks ago, from our friends who we met when we were in Hawaii.  

You can obviously do this with any kind of tea:  green, black, white, etc.  Also, if you don't like stevia you can use sugar or agave and it'll still be lower in calories than the Lipton stuff.  If you are nervous about trying stevia, I say now is the time to try it!  I've been using it for quite awhile, in liquid and powder form, and I personally prefer the powder (although they both have their uses).  For stevia, I like the NuNaturals brand.  

This has maltodextrin added which I think is what makes it so NOT bitter, and it also mixes really well.  They make a zero-carb version also, which has some erythritol added.  I've used erythritol before, and I never really gave a review about it.  I don't like it.  It is a sugar alcohol and it just has a grainy taste and doesn't dissolve well.  They both are calorie free, so I'm sticking with this one.  

My only real personal update is that I really have no update.  Nothing worth sharing has been coming out of my kitchen, whether prepared by me or from a recipe.  Sadly most things have flopped, or they were just boring everyday things.  My mom has requested that I write down a recipe for one of my rice recipes that she loves, so that is coming, as well as some scones I plan on making tonight.  Oh, and tomorrow is going to be a raw day, so come back for that!  

As far as running is going, its going.  I'm much slower than I used to be which is extremely frustrating, but I'm still getting up and going which is what is most important right now.  I'm going out again with my new running buddy tomorrow (who is a vegetarian!) for a long run (which right now is only 5 miles, haha).  I also had lunch with another vegan yesterday (vegan friends, yay!), so I'm not just sitting at home with Zoe.  

So, that is why its been awhile, but I have much planned, so be sure to come back this week!      

Best Month Ever

If you aren't aware yet, I am here to let you know that March is the best month ever.  If you are wondering why, I am kind of upset that no one took the time to stalk me and figure out when my birthday is.  

Okay, I'm not really upset (thank you, for not stalking me, actually), but my birthday IS this month, and it IS a big deal.  I think I get so excited about it because its at the very very end, so I anticipate it all month.  In reality, I never do anything that great for my birthday, but this year, I am most likely heading down to Baltimore/DC (again, not very exciting), but I am also going to be leaving for Hawaii again less than a week after!  And when I come back, I'll be bringing my husband with me.  Not bad, right?  

Anyway, I know that March technically started yesterday, but this is the first day of the week, so its the first important day.  And for me, March started out with a snow day.  This was kind of upsetting.  First, I only have two weeks left at the school I am student teaching at, and I just lost a day.  Second, I was supposed to be observed today, and I was up late last night actually writing a lesson plan.  

The day off had its perks though.  First, I didn't do any of my work for class tonight, so I got that all done.  Second, my supervisor can come tomorrow, so I didn't make up the fancy lesson plan for naught.  Third, at least since its a Monday, it was a scheduled day off from the gym.  Fourth, I got to actually cook some food.  So much that I can't even fit it in one post.  

Vegan Green "Eggs" and...Oats

I went into the fridge this morning, and all I could find was a broccoli.  Okay, I like broccoli, but I REALLY wanted some tofu scramble.  I could just use broccoli and onions I guess.  But then, I found green onions.  Then, I found a half a green pepper.  Then, I decided I'd throw in some of this really beautiful chard that I bought...oh...two weeks ago? (Debbie Meyers Green Bags are a lifesaver)  Add that to 1/4 block of tofu, make it sweet and spicy, and you've got one good green breakfast.  

I had some chocolate oats with strawberries on the side.  It was just some soymilk, cocoa powder, and butter toffee flavored stevia.  Good way to start off the day off.

Now, I know I said I was going on a baking hiatus, but Celine knocked me back to my senses.  I don't think anything makes me happier than a creatively healthy baked good.  Enter her Chickpea Blondies that she posted about this weekend.  

Baking with beans is just the best idea ever.  I've made cookies with lentils, and I'm sure that many of you have tried black bean brownies (I have not...and I'm not sure why), but since I had never had a blondie before, ever, I had to try them immediately. 

I made two changes, I used seedless blackberry jam, and I used protein powder instead of flour (its only two tablespoons, it doesn't make a big difference).  

She says they serve 8, but mine wanted to be cut into 12.  

Serves 12

Nutrition Information:  157.4 Calories;  4.2g Total Fat;  0.5g Saturated Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  25.3g Carbohydrates;  2.9g Fiber;  4.7g Protein 

 Its the kind of day where you have more than one dessert (because I said so), so I made some Pumpkin & Banana Protein Ice Cream.  

Protein powder, frozen pumpkin, frozen bananas, coconut oil, pumpkin pie spice, some carob chips and soymilk.  Pretty similar to my usual method, except I used way more frozen fruit/pumpkin this time, so I used more soymilk.  This was way more than I was anticipating, and was pretty filling too.  It should be, oil, protein, fruit, whew. 

More food love tomorrow (or the next day, or whenever I get another free hour)!

A Story of Amalgamation

There once was a girl named Gina.  One day, her life got a little busy.  Then it got busier.  Then, when things started to calm down, her internet went out.  With blogging never far from her mind, what was Gina to do with so many pictures and intended posts backed up in her mind?  

She makes one big wrap up post for the week, obviously.  And this is it.  

For your convenience, I have provided you with a table of contents.  Feel free to go make fun of me behind my back.  

Part 1 -  Buffalo Popcorn

Part 2 -  Stuff I Bought

Part 3 -  Chili Bites

Part 4 -  Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookies

Part 5 -  Sweet and Spicy Scramble

Part 6 -  Working out and Yoga

Part 7 -  Student Teaching Update

Part 8 -  Leftovers

Part 1 -  Buffalo Popcorn

I mentioned that while I was in Hawaii last weekend, my husband and I visited Borders a few times.  We both had gift certificates, and I walked away with a book called Popcorn.  If you are thinking “a whole book on popcorn??”...well that is what my mom thought too.  But it is very cool.  On Tuesday I made the Spicy Buffalo Popcorn recipe (using Earth Balance instead of butter).  

It was very cool, but I think I need some higher quality popcorn, because a lot of mine just melted away.  There was a whole into about popcorn, its history and the different kinds, and I think mine is just cheap.  No matter though, it was still really really yummy.  Some of the other recipes are Matcha Green Tea Popcorn, Chai Spiced Popcorn, Tequila Lime Popcorn, Candy Cane Popcorn, and a whole lot more.  There are also popcorn bars, and popcorn balls, and some very not-vegan entree recipes.  But all in all, it is such a cool little book.  

Part 2 -  Stuff I Bought

I have been making a weekly trip to Nature’s Pantry (my own personal heaven), because it is pretty close to where I am teaching.  I’ve also been having a Live Pumpkin GoRaw bar every day, and that is the only place I know that sells them.  Anyway, I made a really quick trip this week, but I came away with

Okara Burgers

You can make them in a toaster!!  I don’t know if I am behind the times and this is a common thing, but I don’t usually see that.  Each patty, made by SoyBoy (which are individually wrapped) has 130 calories and 13g of protein.  I have been eating lunch on my way home from school, so I made one of these (in the toaster) before I left in the morning and topped it with this awesome hummus I also bought at Nature’s Pantry this week.  

Moshe’s Original Hummus

I have to say that this is some of the best hummus I have ever had.  I’m also glad that I got the original instead of the flavored, because you can really taste all the different components, especially the lemon and garlic.  So delicious!  It has a little more calories than other hummus that I have bought, but it is so worth it.  It also has more protein.  I serving (2 Tbsp) is 100 calories and 5g protein.

Part 3 -  Chili Bites

Okay, I debated posting this at all, but I decided that my ultimate conclusion was worth mentioning.  

A few weeks ago I had a coupon for any LightLife product.  Actually, two coupons.  I used the first to buy Smart Bacon, which I really liked.  I also bought their Gimmie Lean "Beef" product and was waiting for a good opportunity to use it.  Well, I’m all about making my food portable lately, so I figured little “meat”loaf muffins would work well.  Even better...chili “meat”loaf muffins.

Everything *worked*.  I just couldn’t get over the taste of the Gimmie Lean.  I thought it was icky.  And I added A LOT of spices in there, as well as corn and whole wheat saltine crumbs.  They’re edible.  I’ll probably have a few more, but I doubt I’ll be able to eat the whole batch.  I still like the idea though, and I have some thoughts on how to change it rolling around in my head, so we’ll see what happens.  

Part 4 -  Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookies

If you are skimming or scrolling down to the section you want to read, I hope that this is one of them.  I have been having some kind of variation of my Breakfast Cookie for breakfast every day that I go to work.  I have a few fun ideas for variations, and this one worked out so very well. 

Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookies

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup vanilla protein powder

1 banana

6 tbsp agave nectar

2 tbsp water

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp coconut oil, liquified

 In a large bowl combine the oats, flax meal, chopped walnuts, salt, and protein powder

 In a blender, combine the banana, agave nectar, water, and coconut oil, blending until combined, but not completely smooth...I like being able to taste small chunks of banana.

 Pour the wet into the dry and mix until well combined.

 Form into 8 cookies, and let chill overnight.

Someone asked me last time if you could use something besides coconut oil.  I haven’t tried it, but I can’t see why not.  I would suggest another quality oil, like walnut, or apricot, but canola or vegetable would be fine too.  Hopefully it goes without saying, but just in case, don’t use olive oil.

Serves 4

Nutrition Information:  471.0 Calories;  23.5g Total Fat;  7.3g Saturated Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  46.5g Carbohydrates;  8.7g Fiber;  25.9g Protein.

These are stickier than the last Breakfast Cookies I posted about, so you really can’t eat them immediately, they need the chilling time to set up.  They are also considerably softer, but are still hard enough to stick in your pocket because you are carrying too much stuff as you walk out to your car in the morning.  Also, same as the last ones, they aren’t going to crumble all over you while you are driving.  But, they are definitely very filling.  I thought the last two batches were filling, but either I wasn’t very hungry yesterday morning, or these were even MORE filling.  I seriously get excited for breakfast every morning, even though it is these same darn cookies.  They’re awesome.

Part 5 -  Sweet and Spicy Scramble

As much as I love my Breakfast Cookies, I was excited to be able to sit down to a warm breakfast this morning.  I had plenty of time before yoga at 10, since I am so used to getting up early, I was up at 6:30.  I really like it too, gives me plenty of stuff to do the stuff I fall behind on during the week...like laundry.  

Anyway, I had this Sweet and Spicy Tofu Scramble this morning.  I still wanted a big breakfast since I needed it to last through yoga, and this definitely fit the bill.

  

7oz extra-firm tofu

1/2 green pepper, roughly chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced, diced, however you want it

1/2 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce, or Bragg’s)

1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste, I used more, just being safe)

1 Tbsp vegan cream cheese

1/2 Tbsp agave nectar

salt & pepper to taste (optional, I didn’t use any)

Know how to make tofu scramble already?  Then just do your thing, saving the toffuti for after you add the spices, and then drizzle with the agave nectar.  

If you want some more specific directions:

 Heat a pan over medium heat, add the vegetables, the tamari, and 2 Tbps of water.  Cook until softened.

 Squeeze the tofu to get some of the water out (you don’t have to go crazy, you don’t need to press it, but you don’t want it dripping either), and crumble it into the pan.  

 Quickly add the spices, and mix until the tofu is consistently a bright yellow.

 Add the vegan cream cheese to the scramble, and combine until melted.  It should look creamy and yummy at this point.  

 Remove from the heat, and drizzle with the agave nectar, and mix to combine.  

 Check for spices and seasoning.  

Serves 1

Nutrition Information:  353.9 Calories;  13.4g Total Fat;  2.4g Saturated Fat;  0.0mg Cholesterol;  32.7g Carbohydrates;  8.9g Fiber;  25.9g Protein.

This was totally what I needed this morning.  I added some Ezekiel bread with the last of my pear butter, and a big cup of Lipton Pyramid Tea that I got a sample of in the mail.  It was really good.  I’m not as big a fan of white tea, because I don’t think it tastes like much, but this was pretty good. 

Part 6 -  Working Out and Yoga

So, remember the workout that I said I hated?  Guess what?  I hated it.  Well, not that I hated it, but it wasn’t motivating for me.  So on the fly yesterday, I completely changed it and went back to a version of a 5x5.  Instead of posting it all at once, I am going to post it progressively.  

5x5 Day 1

Squats 5 sets or 5 reps (~80lbs)

Bench Press (barbell) 5 sets of 5 reps (~60lbs)

Rows (dumbbell) 5 sets of 5 reps (~35lbs)

--

Pullups (assisted pullup machine) 3 sets of 10 reps (~55lbs)

Hyperextensions 3 sets of 10 reps (~25lbs)

--

Bicep Curls 3 sets of 10 reps (~15lbs)

Rear Delt Lat Raise 3 sets of 10 reps (~10lbs)

The first group, the 5 sets of 5, are done individually, while the second two groups and supersets.  The weights are just a general idea of where I started...which doesn’t really give a great representation of where I am right now, because I have used a lot more recently, but its always less when I first start a program.  I’ll try to remember to let you guys know how it is at the end.  If I am feeling good on this one, I might stick with it for 8 weeks this time.  

Yoga has been going really well.  On Thursday, our instructor spent a good half hour (of a 90 minute class) working on partner yoga.  I was his guinea pig, which was fun, because I got to do everything, instead of having a partner who was scared of some stuff (which happened a few weeks ago).  Don’t get me wrong, I like teaching and helping people, but I don’t go to this class to help other people, I go so that the teachers can help ME...if that makes sense.  He is planning on doing a partner class one week, which would be fun...if I can get my friend to go...she knows who she is, haha.  She came with me this morning, but we don’t do a lot of partner stuff on the weekends because the class is so much larger.  Thursday there were seven people.  Today there were about twenty.  

In other news, I mentioned in my last program that I was going to start running more.  This became difficult when my knee started to hurt.  Which can only mean one thing...time for a new pair of running shoes.  

I ended up with a new pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 5, and I am very excited to start running in them.  It is supposed to be in the 50s tomorrow, so maybe I’ll get to try them outside!  

Part 7 - Student Teaching Update

When I first started student teaching, Heather kept commenting that she couldn’t wait to hear stories.  And I kept thinking “Oh no, what if I don’t have any stories?”

So, Heather, this story is for you.

We have been doing acids and bases, and one of the teachers who shares our room has been doing the same unit (hers is a higher level class though).  Well, in our lab yesterday, we were using sodium hydroxide pellets (NaOH).  Mini Chem lesson time:  NaOH is a base.  A strong base.  Bases react with water, so if you get a strong base (or acid for that matter) on your hand, it will react with your sweat, and the water in your hand, and burn you.  Well, in order to impress the importance of lab safety, I told them what happened when the other teacher’s class used sodium hydroxide the day before.  

One of the students ended up in the emergency room later that day, with second degrees burns....down her pants.  It is most important to mention at this point that this particular student...was wearing leggings.  Leggings.  How does one get pellets of base down one’s skin tight pants?

You can’t make this stuff up, I swear.  

Really though, working at this school has been fantastic so far.  For the most part, kids and kids, and they will come and go, but the people that work there, are so great.  Not to mention the fact that my mentor teacher is awesome.  I have taken over all of his classes now, and he’s been nice enough to just leave the room and let me do my thing.  I can tell you right now that I will cry when I leave this place.  I’m already sad thinking that it is almost half over.    

Part 8 - The Leftovers

We have three leftovers today.  

1.  This was the dinner I had from Down to Earth, on the place, on my way home.  

I know it is from awhile ago, but it was really good and I wanted to share.  Try to picture it with cucumbers and green peppers...if you remember, I made sure to eat them before I got on the plane.  

2.  These are the sweet & sara marshmallows that are made in NY, but I finally found in HI.  I already talked about them, and I think they’re okay.  

I guess they call them marshmallow meltaways for a reason.  In a weird way, it is a more accurate description of what they are.  They’re okay, but not something I’m going crazy over.  

3.  I saved the best for last.  During one of our many trips to Borders while I was in Hawaii, I found this shea butter based chap stick.  It is totally and completely so awesome.  

If you aren’t aware, most chap sticks are made with beeswax and therefore aren’t vegan.  I got the grapefruit flavor and it smells so good.  If you ever find this stuff, whether you are vegan or not, I highly suggest it, it is so good.  Smooth, easy to apply, smells great, a little shiny, etc.  Okay, so the shiny part may be offputting if you are a guy, but my brother used it today and didn’t complain.  I would LOVE to link to them for you, but I can't find anything about them.  If you are looking for a good vegan lip balm, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has a recommendation (that she made on her last podcast) and a coupon code if you visit her website.    

Part 9 - ...Just Kidding

So, I will try my best to not go this long again...the Geek Squad is coming on Tuesday, so hopefully posting will be smoother after that.  Oh, and if you are wondering how I am posting now, it is because we can plug in directly, but it is in the basement and I rarely go down there.  I made a special trip for you guys!  

I will be catching up on blogs as much as possible, but please excuse my being horribly behind.  Please? 

I hope everyone had a fabulous week, has a fabulous (and if you are in the northeast, warm!) weekend, and has a fabulous upcoming week!  

Hawaii Part 2 - The Food

While I was a vegetarian for part of time that I was in Hawaii, I still had to really start exploring food like I do now.  So, I was really looking forward to trying a few new places, visiting a few new favorites, and picking up as much cool foodstuffs as I could.  

Oh, and I was successful.  Note to self, next time, bring a bigger bag.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go for dinner when I got into Honolulu:  The Big City Diner.  This place is about as vegan as it sounds, but I knew that they had a stir fry with tofu that I love.  One of the good things about Hawaii is that they have a really heavy Asian  influence (a lot of Japanese immigrants, specifically), so they tend to offer tofu more than some other places, where it is purely thought of as a vegetarian food option.  Sadly, I was in too much of a rush to even think about finding my camera and taking a picture, but I had the Mamasan's Vegetable Stir Fry, which is broccoli, bamboo shoots, peppers, carrots, onions, and tofu, over brown rice, with a little sprinkle of some kind of seaweed topping.  

After that, we walked to the grocery store, because my husband is sick, and needed some sinus relief.  For some reason....I seemed to think I had much more time in Hawaii than I thought.  I spent awhile in the "ethnic" food aisle, which had tons of stuff that I wanted to get, but I wanted to go back when we weren't rushed (we were on our way to the turtles).  That never happened, I didn't have an ounce of room for more stuff come Saturday!

I know, I know, no pictures yet!  But chill out, relax...this is a post about Hawaii, remember?

Okay, for breakfast, we stayed on the North Shore.  I knew I'd be able to create myself a filling vegan breakfast at Cafe Hale'iwa.  I had sauteed veggies, vegetarian pinto beans, and half an avocado.  If you ever happen to go here, and are vegan, be sure to ask for no cheese on the beans.    

Across from Cafe Hale'iwa is a natural foods store called Celestial Foods.  They had a pretty nice selection of stuff, some that you see at every natural food store, some that I have never seen before.  A good bit of it was local too, like the fruit that I bought, so that was awesome!  

Next was the Dole Plantation.  I know, ::cringes:: this is horribly touristy, and I have honestly never been there before without visitors.  However, since I have been there with visitors, I knew that they have lots of cool food stuffs.  

The loot from both places:

Organic baby pears, local bananas and tangerines

A stash of bars, of course.  I had never seen the Vega bars before, and tried them, even though I'm not a huge fan of the Vega powder.  They were both really good!  The Raw Organic Chocolately Chip I had already tried, when Heather sent me one on my Perfect Day, and I had to buy it again.  I was also super excited to try the Glenny's Marshmallow Treat, but I thought it was just okay...but it may have been the warm weather.  

These are both locally made.  The Spirulina Popcorn was really interesting, made with spirulina and nutritional yeast.  The raw crackers are made on Maui, and they had a mediterranean flavor, sun-dried tomatoes and whatnot.

Artisana raw Cacao Bliss.  This stuff is amazing.  If you ever find it, you should buy it!  The Mini Sesame Crepes are awesome also.  They are made of sesame seeds, brown rice syrup, pineapple, salt, etc, all good(ish) stuff.  The bag on the right is a mix of taro, purple sweet potato, and orange sweet potato sticks.    

After all that, we decided some relaxing on the beach would be nice.  We went to our favorite beach, Lanikai (which I posted pictures of yesterday), but stopped in Kailua for lunch beforehand.  Even though we shopped and then took the scenic route, I was still pretty held over from lunch.  So I stopped at Lanikai Juice and got a Da Kine smoothie:  Oranges, Bananas, Papaya, Pineapple, and Lilikoi (which is akin to passionfruit).  We also went to Maui Tacos, because my husband wanted something more substantial.  I just got a bean taco.  We ate on the beach!

Unfortunately, they kind of duped us.  They must have run out of beans or something, because my bean taco...was a tomato taco.  Yes, I asked for the to put tomatoes on it ALSO, but not instead.  This was later confirmed when my husband realized his burrito was beanless also.  Usually Maui Tacos is one of my favorite places, the Paia Burrito is my favorite, with beans, avocado, tomatoes, and rice.

We had dinner back up in Hale'iwa (the North Shore).  Hale'iwa Eats is a popular little Thai place, that I had been to once, back in 2006, before I really started to appreciate food.  I figured I had to try it again.  My dinner, a Panang Curry (of course) was fantastic!  It was really really good, and my husband had a Pineapple Shrimp Curry that was also good.  The lighting in there was really low, and I didn't get any sharing-worthy pictures.  

Sunday morning I was already excited for.  We got up early and I had some fruit and a Sesame Mini Crepe to tide me over until "lunch" (in quotes because we got up at 7, so "lunch" was at like, 10:30).  

We went to the Paradise Found Cafe, which is behind the Celestial Foods store.  They are really popular for their smoothies, which my husband tried:

I'm not sure what it was.  It tasted apple-y, and it was really good.  

I wanted "real" food though.  As far as I know, this is the only purely vegetarian restaurant on the island.  The downside is that it is DEFINITELY vegetarian, not vegan, there is a lot of egg and cheese on the menu, but it is a totally awesome, kind of hole-in-the-wall sort of place...and exact atmosphere you would expect on the North Shore.  The owner does all the cooking, and he is really friendly.  

As for what I had...well, if you've been to Hawaii, you may be familiar with "Drive-Ins" and the plate lunch.  Drive-Ins...well you don't drive in to them, drive up to them, anything like that.  You drive TO them, then park and walk to them, like almost any other restaurant.  Its weird.  Anyway, they are famous for the plate lunch, which is meat, white rice, and mac salad.  Its really gross..my husband loves it.  One of the sections on Paradise Found's menu was plate lunches, and I was hungry, so I went for it.  I had the Garlic Walnut Tempeh, which was such a nice change of pace after all the beans and tofu I had been rotating through.  

    

Marinated Tempeh with Sauteed Veggies (broccoli, peppers, carrots) and walnuts.  Brown rice instead of white, and a light green salad with sprouts, and some cilantro lime dressing on the side.  

Okay, this was fantastic.  I can't wait to go back for Spring Break so that I can eat there again.  My husband had a huge chili burrito, that he didn't believe was vegetarian until I pointed out to him on the menu that it was a "vegetarian cafe".  Silly guy.  On my way out, of course, I had to stop at Celestial Foods again, and I picked up something I hadn't seen the first time around...vegan gummy bears!

I just realized I photographed the French side!

Have I ever mentioned that in my pre-vegan, pre-healthy, days, I LOVED stuff like this?  I loved gummy bears, jelly beans, lemon heads, etc.  In high school, I would go to the candy store and buy a big bag of Jelly Bellies, and eat them throughout the day.  Oh to be young and have a metabolism that doesn't care.  It caught up in college, I gained 30 pounds.  Oops.  

The rest of the day, as I mentioned yesterday, was boring.  We got him a cell phone, we went to Borders, etc.  At the recommendation of the chef at Paradise Found, we stopped at Down to Earth, an all vegetarian, natural food store in Honolulu, to pick up some prepared stuff to bring on the plane.  While we were there we had some pizza (even my husband had vegan pizza, he is trying to stop eating dairy).    

I also found some sweet & sara marshmallows while I was there.  I found it odd that I haven't seen these in any stores near me (in MY, where the company is based), but I found it in Hawaii.  All in all...I think they're okay.  You may guess that, in my love of sugar, I loved marshmallows.  Well, you would be correct.  I was possibly Peeps' biggest fan.  No more.  So, these didn't live up to that, they were too dense, and just tasted like sugar to me.  I dunno.  I'll probably eat them anyway.   

For the plane, I had initially bought a bunch of fruit, but soon remembered that you can't bring fruit through the agricultural inspection.  Crap.  I got food from the prepared food bar.  I did take a picture, but I am lazy and didn't upload it yet.  I got some "Chik'n" style tofu, curries quinoa with currants, and a really awesome sweet and spicy veggie salad.  I soon learned that you also can't bring tomatoes, green peppers, and cucumbers in prepared food (I asked).  I didn't know this, so I had to eat it all out of the veggies before I went through, but they didn't even check it.

And then...I flew home.  I actually slept on the first flight, for almost all of it.  And I feel like I've been half-asleep ever since.  

I'm sorry I haven't caught up on everyone's blogs, but I'm at least caught up on the last few days!  And for those of you who asked for a CD, I *am* still sending it, I promise, I'm just a little backlogged :)