Superfood + chocolates??

Morning, everyone!  So, as promised, here was my haul from Trader Joe's yesterday morning.  I figured a video was a good way to shake things up on a Friday.  Plus a great way for you to all bask in my 5-month pregnant gorgeousness....

Yes.  That is sarcasm at its finest.

Unfortunately my video cut off before I got to tell you to keep the secret of those 'healthy chocolates' to yourselfJ About 10 minutes after I...ummmm...self-directed a 'cut' on this video, I cracked open those bad bears and was NOT disappointed...

The caramel was smooth and buttery and the only detection of the QUINOA was a bit of crunch that mixed right along with the pecans....mmmmmmmm...TEXTURE:

So yep, that's what I got for you guys today.  Figured I had a few more 'special' posts before I got back to my regularly scheduled programming of my daily food/exercise log.  Hope you guys like it!

Oh yeah...and one more thing:  Katie's victory of finding the hidden Trader Joe's tiger yesterday in the snack aisle...

...it took 10-minutes of 'prep work' to explain we had to turn this special prize in to exchange it for a different prize (aka-a lollipop from the TJ's "treasure chest") because this tiger was quickly deemed her "MOSTFAVORITEANIMALEVER!"  *WIDE EYED PANIC*  Thankfully, the sight of lemon lollipops prevailed, along with getting to hide the tiger for the next kid.  PHEW!  Crisis=averted.

Alright...well, it's with pretty great struggle that I gotta head out for some power yoga this morning, given that I think the weather in NJ is somewhere around -400 below zero, or something equally as pleasant.  Time to crank up the oven for something COZY tonight!

Stay warm, happy Friday and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to all the ones you love!

Yogi eats...

So as my first OFFICIAL food post back...do I have a GREAT one for you guys!  And it was all courtesy of friends I had met through my yoga teacher training.

So, let me back up here a sec and say how FREAKINCRAZYWONDERFUL that experience has been so far.  Never in the zillion times I nearly backed out leading up to it (and, um, that was in one week) would I have EVER thought this experience would be THIS enriching and just so darn crazy good.  We had our first practice teach this weekend, and even though I had some nerves, the support from the entire group was just OVER the top supportive and encouraging.  It's an electric environment to say the least.

Oh...and quick funny story before I get to the food:  So the first weekend of class the teacher announces "ya know, a lot of times we have women that start this program and by the end they have babies." (since it's a 9 month course)  From that second, I just KNEW I was pregnant.  KNEW IT.  So I wasn't TOO shocked to find out I was right about a week and a half laterJ  I even screen-caped this adorable message from one of my fellow trainees... 

SWEETEST. THING. EVER!

OK...so, anyway:  Back to the food, AMIRIGHT???  So the boyfriend of one of my fellow trainees just so happens to be a most excellent chef of edoFOODS and whipped up a FABULOUS and almost all-vegan meals (I'll explain in a sec) for some of our group this past weekend.  To say we were all excited was an understatement, as we got handed HEALTHY and DELICIOUS snacks & meals at every turn.  For our first break, we were graced with packets of CRISPY chickpeas baked in coconut oil & spices and a batch of fresh veggies and avocado dip.  Yum...

And then lunch arrived with this RIDICULOUSLY GORGEOUS sweet kale salad with shaved brussel sprouts, craisins, pumpkin seeds and the most amazing surprise of all:  Vegan dressing made of CASHEWS & CAULIFLOWER (and spices, of course)

As a non-vegan myself, I was COMPLETELY blown away by the dressing.  It was creamy, savory and not even a hint that it was made with cauliflower.  Just insane food magic edoFoods has going on there!

We also had some velvety smooth, sweet & savory butternut squash soup that helped us warm up the heart & soul...

We had so much food that I was even able to bring home half of the soup & salad for my Mom to try.  She was equally as blown away...especially for someone who probably never even considered eating vegan for even one dayJ

And then our final treat on day one was A.- one of my current favoritethingsever right now:  BERRIES.  Strawberries to be exact, tossed with fresh mint & B.- the most fabulousridiciulouslyamazing brownies I ever had in my life:

And the kicker?  The brownie was RAW.  My friend whipped up a magical concoction of walnuts, date s& brown rice puffs to create a fudgy base and a top layer of coconut oil, maple syrup & caco to create a velvet topper.  No more words.  It was that good.

No really.  It was THAT good.

Sunday brought us a whole new crop of goodies (I mean, who doesn't love a sandwich wrapped in string??  Who, I ask??):

The Bahn Mi was filled to the brim with cilantro, pickled carrots, radishes, cucumbers...and a special request on my behalf:  grilled chicken.  He made the rest vegan with mushrooms, but since they're one of the only 2 things on this earth I'm not crazy over (eggs, being the other...if I haven't mention that on here 9,000 times beforeJ), the chef so very generously modified my 'wich.  He even made a second one 'for the baby'....which I inhaled on his/her behalf before 11:30am Monday morningJ

The combo of the tangy, crunchy veggies along with a KILLER vegan (ginger??) dressing just made this sandich explode with 10000 flavors....fabulous.

Our side dish of the day was GLUTEN FREE/VEGAN Mac & cheese.  When I heard 'mac & cheese,' I just said "SIGN ME UP!", not even realizing that M&C isn't usually vegan (ummm...hello, cheeseJ)  So the simple magical swap?  Bragg's Nutrtional Yeast!  It created a cheesy, textured flavor around those you would never know they were gluten free noodles.  Mmmmmm...so warm & cozy.  It was especially appreciated after a full day of nerves the day before from our teaching sessionJ

And finally to round out the day...and just in time for when my sweet tooth started SCREAMING TO ME around 3pm, right before I knew we were getting an anatomy lesson to finish off our weekend and I needed something to get me through:  Coconut milk chia seed pudding with raspberries.  Swoon.

Oh, and I forgot to mention we started our Sunday with HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS:

My love for homemade granola bars knows no bounds...esp. cause it's always something I WANT to make and just never get around to it.  So to enjoy one made with love and lots of seeds, raisins, oats and all sorts of goodies was SUCH a TREAT.

How's THAT for a delicious and NOURISHING weekend??  I doubt I'm alone in saying we all felt so well-taken care of given the time, love and effort that went into EVERY component.  The nutritional attention to detail was certainly one where I felt spoiled.  Ummmm...can this show up at my door EVERY day??  I swear I might just convert to full-on vegan...sans those mushroomsJ  Our group can't even wait until next month's batch of goodies, because we know they'll be spectacular!

Thanks again, Ricky, Jen & edoFoods!

And BTW, how pretty is our lunch space at the training studio??

This isn't the only one in the studio, but it seems to be the one a lot of us gravitate towards.  Hardly anyone even sits on the benches, as we're usually all sprawled out on the floor...Bahn Mi in handJ.  I can't even tell you how many laughs & tears have already been shared in this space...phew, if these walls could talkJ    Ya know: Yoga peeps...we're partiers like thatJ

Alrighty...well, I gotta head out.  Taking the crew (aka- Katie, my Mom and my Mom's BFF) to Trader Joe's and I have to hit the 'magic hour' (aka-before 10:30am) before it gets too crazy.  I'll share a haul with you guys if I get anything good.

Have a great Thursday!J

OK....so I lied...

But first:  HI!  How are you guys??  Long time, no chat!

And even though my given reasons for my blogger break were partially true, the real reason for the hiatus was:

Yet another round of ALL DAY/ALL NIGHT MORNING SICKNESS!

Yep, we're getting set for round #2 of baby around here and couldn't be more excited.  And terrified...but mostly excitedJ  And while yoga school & a more and more independent Katie were certainly a good excuse for a bit of a break, the real reason was that I could barely even LOOK or THINK about this blog for months.  I thought I'd get a bit of a break since morning sickness with Katie had been so bad, but that CERTAINLY was NOT the caseJ  It cropped up on Halloween night and rendered me to bed for nearly the entire months of November & December. (and that was ALL in thanks to Scott & my Mom who went above & beyond and took care of EVERYTHING for me those couple months.)  I DID recover enough to enjoy Christmas & New Years, but still felt lousy enough not to feel like delving in a daily food discussion for a bit longer.  I FINALLY feel like I've turned a corner (although it STILL comes and goes some days), but I think I might be feeling well enough to get back to it.  I've also gotten back to my exercise routines slow & steady after a two-month COMPLETE hiatus.  Some time around mid-December I toyed with the idea of doing a plank just to test my strength level, buttttttttt the thought of trying one ALONE made me nearly cry (as did even thinking about the word "quinoa"...shudder), so yeah-it's been a slow & steady build of strength over the past month & a half, but have been SOVERYHAPPY to get back to Power Yoga & dance, even if they're at about an 80-85% on a good day.

Soooooooo...I said all of that to say I think I'm gonna have a lot to share with you guys over the next few days and going into Valentines weekend!  We have our typical Valentines "road trip" meal planned (since...ummmm...the second week in JanuaryJ), but I'm still tossing around ideas for my home meal.  I'm thinking this year it might be something that is just AGREEABLE with my stomach (esp. since RICH foods are still the ULTIMATE nemesis)J hahahahahhahaha

SO, hope you guys are doing well and hopefully I'll be back to share some incredible eats I've had lately with you guys tomorrow!

Have a good Wednesday

And while I have you here, here are a few Valentines appropriate recipes you might enjoy making over the next few days:

RED Pasta
Heart Pizza
Sorta-Red Velvet Baked Donuts
Red Velvet Crepe Cake
Brownie Mix Truffles
Chocolate Cream-Filled Hearts
Valentines Pup Pancakes (for your furry Valentine)

Blog break...

Hey everyone, sorry for the delay but between yoga school, job hunting and Katie, I'm going to have to take a bit of a blogger break for the time being!  So sorry and hopefully I'll be back up to speed soon!