Book Review

I finally finished the Feminine Mystique about two weeks ago. It was a brutal read, because it's so analytical. Not something where I could sit and read for hours. It was worth it though. If you're interested in the foundations of feminism, read it. :)

I also read all of the Twilight saga recently. I will probably read them again, especially when Midnight Sun is released. Midnight Sun is the Twilight book re-written from Edward's perspective. I read the first part of it on the author's website.

So this weekend, I plan on using the bread machine I got from Ashley and Spencer. I want to make some wheat bread. I also want to make vegan goldfish. Maybe even some cookies. Depends on how happy I am. I am definitely craving goldfish, so I can't wait to make the veganized version from schmooed food.

I bought Follow Your Heart vegan cheese to try. I got cheddar assuming it's a safe choice for the first try. It's oily. It has a weird taste. Next time, I'll try tofutti cheese...

Also, I'm now officially single. I feel bad for Scott, but this is the best thing for us.

Curry

I got a bread machine from my friends Ashley & Spencer recently. I haven't gotten ingredients yet to make bread though. It's on the agenda for next weekend, since I get paid on Friday. Plus, I have to look up directions for the bread machine. (I would have done that this week, but I read all the Twilight books instead.)

But I have been craving curry, so I used a recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. It wasn't spicy enough, plus I had to heat it for awhile to reduce the liquid. I wanted a fairly thick curry to put over my basmati rice. I would definitely make it again, reducing the amount of tomatoes (due to their juice) and adding more spices.



I've been enjoying the seitan recipe, I've just been making it by boiling. I want to try steaming soon. I think it would be good baked perhaps. I like having BBQ sauce and potatoes with it.

I haven't been eating much dairy in 2009. I haven't drank milk for years, but I used to use it to cook sometimes when I lived in BR. I haven't been buying milk at all, I don't cook anything that needs it. I have reduced my intake of yogurt and cheese, only had a few bites of each this year. So that's an improvement! I feel much less bloated, it's weird. I wasn't expecting that. Could be the increased intake of veggies though, making me full so I don't crave junk food. I really have been craving cheez-its/goldfish crakers. I found a recipe online from schmooed food on how to make a vegan goldfish. I am so doing that next weekend! I need to get baking sheets first. Can you believe the furnished place didn't include baking sheets? The other necessary dishes are here, but no baking sheets...

Vegetable Soup & Seitan

Today, I used that broth I made yesterday to make a soup. I used a couple stalks of celery, a potato, half of a large carrot, and some green beans. I used the rest of the broth to simmer the seitan in. I think I am going to pan-fry the seitan and have a salad with it for dinner.

Soup: Would definitely make again, but in a larger quantity...



Seitan: This afternoon, I made it and sliced it for later. I used the recipe in How to cook everything vegetarian by Mark Bittman. I decided to pan fry in olive oil tonight for dinner. I served it with some instant mashed potatoes (I had a headache so I didn't want to make some from scratch) and a salad. The salad has organic romaine lettuce, organic rainbow chard, some cucumber, and some carrot. Everything but the romaine came from the farmers' market. :)

Farmers' Market Season

So I resisted the pizza, but caved to chocolate chip cookies. Oh well, it's a start. I am a sucker for cheese, so that was shocking that I was able to resist. The Scripps people are super nice, we went to a little bar nearby after the pizza mixer. I laughed and had a lot of fun. There's another FSU alum in the group!

Today, the community started its farmers' market for the season. It is every Saturday through May. I am so excited about it. I set my alarm to wake up early to be able to go. It was so worth it! So much food, only $30!!

Homemade multigrain bread


Rainbow Chard - Organic


Adie checking out the green beans, green bell pepper, cucumbers, carrots, celery.


Yukon gold potatoes (organic), onion, garlic, ginger.


Parsley (store bought, not in season in FL), dill.


Homemade soaps! I want to use the bar soap, but the little ones are for decoration when I bring up the little white sherbet dish.


So I am no longer craving pizza so I am not going to hunt down the Follow Your Heart cheese today. Instead, I decided to make some homemade veggie broth so I can make some soups. That's why I got all the veggies. I was able to find store-brand organic extra virgin olive oil at Winn-Dixie, as well as Seventh Generation products! Those are soooo expensive in some stores, but since I use Scott's card info I can save 5% there. (His sister works at a Winn Dixie.) I needed fabric softener, so I bought some Seventh Generation fabric softener. Gotta take baby steps towards sustainability. :)

I Love Google Maps

I've located and mapped all the nearest thrift stores. :) Plus, I've found Whole Foods and local smaller businesses that are into health foods. I am craving pizza, so I'm hoping to find some Follow Your Heart vegan cheese this weekend. Their website says there are a ton of stores near here that sell it. I am cutting cheese out of my diet, since all it does is make me fat and addicted. I figure giving up cheese and booze will jump start my weight loss efforts. (Gotta lose that Louisiana weight and get back to my "normal" size!) ... And just eating less. Lol. Since I have limited funds right now, I bought fruits and veggies because I know I'll eat it since it's all I've got. I've been packing a salad with my sandwich for lunch, it's doing a good job of keeping me full. Much better than 100 calorie pack of snack food.

Work has a gym on-site!! I'm going to check it out tomorrow, I just found out which building it is in. I have some free weights at my mom's place that I want to bring down in a few weeks. I think if I get some of my things reorganized in my room, I can fit the treadmill. Or an elliptical, if I find a good deal on one.

I met other grad students today! Hooray! I'm not alone. The chem people are hosting a pizza and beer gathering tomorrow night. I'm going to go to meet people but try to resist the temptation of cow cheese. I can do this.