tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89951311964339169322024-03-21T05:55:34.696-07:00. A Bite of Life .Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-62042696739513218922011-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:002011-10-20T10:12:54.511-07:00Pumpk-aholics Anonymous<div style="text-align: center;">...except not so anonymous.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think it's pretty clear by now that I'm REALLY excited for the holidays. I woke up this foggy morning, lit my "creamy pumpkin" candle from Bath and Body Works, and brewed a nice, hot pot of pumpkin joe (coffee). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">As I said in my last post, I bake my friend an amazing loaf of pumpkin goodness for his 21st birthday! It was inspired by the pumpkin coffee cake on <a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/10/pumpkin-coffee-cake/">How Sweet It Is</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WELAE7nLI4AaJzMOPm0A5T7J89CHMZOMeF30CXwt15plpRVF5-DhqSw3lnYTq509q0O4gYNL0WishwxOAxVSdZ5GJyjG4IcoEdwzB1xNHVM6QmLPz_lfNd7TZLkBjMvi-k6mX3FCq8E/s1600/6240819482_c309fb7b6a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WELAE7nLI4AaJzMOPm0A5T7J89CHMZOMeF30CXwt15plpRVF5-DhqSw3lnYTq509q0O4gYNL0WishwxOAxVSdZ5GJyjG4IcoEdwzB1xNHVM6QmLPz_lfNd7TZLkBjMvi-k6mX3FCq8E/s320/6240819482_c309fb7b6a_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Now tell me that doesn't look good!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I took the easy way out though because A) I didn't have the time to bake the entire thing from scratch and B) my way was cheaper. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Instead of making the cake batter, I used the pumpkin spice bread mix from Trader Joe's. Thank you, dear Joe, for making my life <i>that</i> much easier once again. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The next steps were easy peasy: making/sprinkling the crumbles on top, baking it, and topping it with a glaze. NOM.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJN0zWq4FfpSB7e98hdY-3u8lzZXBbVzSRJlwyMv4xNNp-7QPKf90eKwjVFizxw3cbO6DQZKBNML8QrwdFf5-BC94VDwWYC_Sg90ttf7YSnJtTzOmDF9Xoxpg216X9rA-R-XTEz9_4q0/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJN0zWq4FfpSB7e98hdY-3u8lzZXBbVzSRJlwyMv4xNNp-7QPKf90eKwjVFizxw3cbO6DQZKBNML8QrwdFf5-BC94VDwWYC_Sg90ttf7YSnJtTzOmDF9Xoxpg216X9rA-R-XTEz9_4q0/s320/IMG_0374.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Not to toot my own horn, but the boys all said this was the best dessert their house received and the entire thing was devoured within an hour of cutting into it. (toot toot!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My baking-skepade and the sweet aroma of goodies in the air lead to Madison wanting to bake cupcakes. Hers were a little more artsy and decoration-oriented than I have patiences for. I helped a little but I mostly just did this...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4K1OFxcIjkHgsMFPoVHytwcz09Aiuvvaq-zxwxxCmSG7m8QhkGZkJBHq6sIsSz2L-aEcvx86pI8Ia9uVqAdzrRPTywEsoy5PaXEVpNK_RGZB8HnCQIr8qu6Xv8WfXxaraF_cGctFKU4/s1600/IMG_0376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4K1OFxcIjkHgsMFPoVHytwcz09Aiuvvaq-zxwxxCmSG7m8QhkGZkJBHq6sIsSz2L-aEcvx86pI8Ia9uVqAdzrRPTywEsoy5PaXEVpNK_RGZB8HnCQIr8qu6Xv8WfXxaraF_cGctFKU4/s320/IMG_0376.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Which lead to this...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid72ddv9zkwr6D0n9qOikhsI-QjzJ9zw9u3lWIxRRIGiUinvA8x7ChmfXNddBjjd2jHp69U1nJQixFLXQ7FmWPukdrkIm5YdGgFlLDN3Cg6h49FbmV3g9dREEqHvSZJC6uWh1zo-AjpY8/s1600/IMG_0377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid72ddv9zkwr6D0n9qOikhsI-QjzJ9zw9u3lWIxRRIGiUinvA8x7ChmfXNddBjjd2jHp69U1nJQixFLXQ7FmWPukdrkIm5YdGgFlLDN3Cg6h49FbmV3g9dREEqHvSZJC6uWh1zo-AjpY8/s320/IMG_0377.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yep, that's frosting on a candy corn...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Can you say, "up until 2am on a sugar high?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0_NpnCmbGWnNLUt9XxIO2PAAOt9Bcftm5GrTXN1uHqhhA7Bjk5D_AcdDH6fDk4sUeUlFvii55FUmzPOYaFOLo9VUqJ-Cpzepv6yDWh3y_aKx0KrpOzXJDkGMrQsbKhO0KGRBqaVUp6o/s1600/IMG_0379.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT0_NpnCmbGWnNLUt9XxIO2PAAOt9Bcftm5GrTXN1uHqhhA7Bjk5D_AcdDH6fDk4sUeUlFvii55FUmzPOYaFOLo9VUqJ-Cpzepv6yDWh3y_aKx0KrpOzXJDkGMrQsbKhO0KGRBqaVUp6o/s320/IMG_0379.PNG" width="292" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-27500196356875458682011-10-18T14:48:00.000-07:002011-10-18T14:48:35.997-07:00Gaucho Gear<div style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the posts lately! (or lack there of...)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have been on the weirdest schedule! From about Thursday to Saturday, I was falling asleep between 3-4am and getting up at about 8. No bueno... especially for a girl who ordinarily falls asleep at 10 and wakes up at 7. These past couple days, I've been sleeping 10-11 hours and <i>still</i> feeling poopy. I've had little to no energy to get outside and run, study, or pretty much anything that involved any sort of effort. I think this may be an accumulation of being sleep deprived, then getting too much sleep, not eating as well, and not exercising. Today's a new day though! I'm turning this around!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After class I rode over to the bookstore because I felt I was in need of UCSB gear. I figure this is the place I'm graduating from so I'll be reppin' this stuff for a while. I ended up with a tank top, sweat pants, and sweatshirt (getting ready for the winter if you couldn't tell).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZnl_GMxjDn63c8zWcg8mJKfAxc_VvJndKRIeO4cV7BYfWKf_VRb4uxBpEVpcdpRbr9f8wRN2G_eqPcFCsCOGsQ0aHjryhtiC_2P3lxwZ-gGeYB8j9J76H6a-95AmqeIdtvywxaLq3a8/s1600/ucsb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZnl_GMxjDn63c8zWcg8mJKfAxc_VvJndKRIeO4cV7BYfWKf_VRb4uxBpEVpcdpRbr9f8wRN2G_eqPcFCsCOGsQ0aHjryhtiC_2P3lxwZ-gGeYB8j9J76H6a-95AmqeIdtvywxaLq3a8/s320/ucsb.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I then met with my friend Bryna (who I worked at Jack's with in high school) at the Coffee Collaborative. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRCwVcdX3VFGnb9qGQXtSnVREswDU4Od9w0Yp2Z1pmBN23-LUWPOZ4HF4K1GAYk0-H4uzZ-2CHeLpeInsctyYfNuc8dAazFkGKvPwUZsTkRU5Tw3O86nKNnScle0aphy-GMlRk1uCGBg0/s1600/coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRCwVcdX3VFGnb9qGQXtSnVREswDU4Od9w0Yp2Z1pmBN23-LUWPOZ4HF4K1GAYk0-H4uzZ-2CHeLpeInsctyYfNuc8dAazFkGKvPwUZsTkRU5Tw3O86nKNnScle0aphy-GMlRk1uCGBg0/s320/coffee.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This was a little hole-in-the wall coffee shop. So adorable inside and out! It reminded me of Central Perk because inside, there were couches, eclectic art, and a bunch of board games! I'm definitely going to be coming here more often. I didn't get any coffee unfortunately because as you know, I'm trying to get back into my routine sleep habit, but they had awesome latte flavors like coconut, almond, caramel apple cider, heath, and Love (raspberry and white chocolate). I also love it when coffee shops offer almond milk, and of course, this one did! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Bryna and I sat outside and came ready to study, but we did a little less of that and a little more chatting and listening to the music from the restaurant next door. I swear these people had our Rio fashion show playlist because within an hour, they played "Fire Burning", "Achy Breaky Heart", and "Disturbia". Random selection...?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm off now to bake my friend a special fall-festive dessert for his 21st birthday! I'll post about this delicious goodness tomorrow :P</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-23464061925602766762011-10-08T10:25:00.000-07:002011-10-08T11:02:19.631-07:00Anthropolgie<div style="text-align: center;">Currently Listening to: Summer Hits of the 90s Pandora Radio station</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Yesterday I set out on a mission to find a delicious smelling autumn/winter candle.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0auqV7EaHbfqHxBoxADB3dOViLJswhFmn84w1KWGxcrjy5g5CDqI10hF85JVcIj9X5siz-7GSA2Yr52l0PvsV0lZg5hRTixI4ExvjtqKaxcjHHaElGcymQN5QYcwHP9fZa2CspYCKGM/s1600/pumpcan3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0auqV7EaHbfqHxBoxADB3dOViLJswhFmn84w1KWGxcrjy5g5CDqI10hF85JVcIj9X5siz-7GSA2Yr52l0PvsV0lZg5hRTixI4ExvjtqKaxcjHHaElGcymQN5QYcwHP9fZa2CspYCKGM/s320/pumpcan3.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Success!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Potent, pumpkin-y, cozy, but not too sweet (so I don't get a headache after hours of smelling it).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also popped by <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp">Anthropologie</a> where they were having a big sale! LOVE ITTT! 25% off all sale items! You should go check it out if you get the chance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Instinct buys, instinct buys, instinct buys! I'm telling you, this is when you get your best stuff. The UGGS that I've had since the summer after 8th grade, instinct buy in Oregon. Guess what. I'm wearing them right now. These babies have lasted me over 6 years! They're probably the most worn item in my closet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I bought a super cute military inspired jacket. I've been wanting an army green one, but an off-white one caught my eye instead. I figured it would go with more. That's a $118 jacket for about $55. SCORE!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I also bought this <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=21338330&catId=SHOPSALE-ADDLSALE&pushId=SHOPSALE-ADDLSALE&popId=SHOPSALE&navCount=120&color=049&isProduct=true&fromCategoryPage=true&isSubcategory=true&subCategoryId=cat940014_91u">spaghetti strap</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I just saw this <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=21182027&catId=cat940013_91u&pushId=cat940013_91u&popId=SHOPSALE-ADDLSALE&navCount=42&color=014&isProduct=true&fromCategoryPage=true&templateType=D">jacket</a> online and now I really want it too! Zut.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dinner was salmon and kale chips! I made a batch of kale chips that ended up turning brown/burnt. I threw them away and made a second batch that turned out not crispy enough. Any secrets to making them well?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4McfTim3V3Lh6_m8BN0gPNkbE74gGsfm-uhZImX03ld6qH9FufQTQ8AyTefbusNMMTOSOpMenjIc5lL3YqazH5DEVJrh-6aPfh_17woztkB7LAWLuSHwKwk1iYuWEk3eCJKbSp4OopI/s1600/salmon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu4McfTim3V3Lh6_m8BN0gPNkbE74gGsfm-uhZImX03ld6qH9FufQTQ8AyTefbusNMMTOSOpMenjIc5lL3YqazH5DEVJrh-6aPfh_17woztkB7LAWLuSHwKwk1iYuWEk3eCJKbSp4OopI/s320/salmon.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Pre-cooked) It was deeeeeelicious!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy weekend to all, and to all a good day.</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-5487498421413496672011-10-06T10:02:00.000-07:002011-10-06T10:02:47.729-07:00Newport Bound<div style="text-align: center;">Currently listening to: No One's Gonna Love You by Band of Horses</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Work was <i>awesome</i> last night. Apparently, a couple of customers told my managers about how perky and personable I was, so guess who gets free lunch on Trader Joe's next time I work?? This girl! I'm also really starting to warm up to all of my new comadres at this store. Double awesome! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In light of all this positivity, I wanted to share this: "<a href="http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/09/25/30-truths-ive-learned-in-30-years/#more-389">30 Truths I've Learned In 30 Years</a>". Definite words to live by. Read them all!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After class today, Madison, her friend Kelsey, and I are headed to Madison's condo in Newport! Shopping, beach, and Bear Flag Fish Co. here I come!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMPdc0GFpqCFaxq0cua3qWTCRNNI3MttWWUjjpxhEBYKwgJQogvjzits0rk_lD3obwlcjFEMTqYFIzMQrD2VpEwvfLiSTL0U9sgjfthz6swQagOL4UXnTUB47vhHGsOhkQAwqPReppI4/s1600/5309056690_89754201e0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMPdc0GFpqCFaxq0cua3qWTCRNNI3MttWWUjjpxhEBYKwgJQogvjzits0rk_lD3obwlcjFEMTqYFIzMQrD2VpEwvfLiSTL0U9sgjfthz6swQagOL4UXnTUB47vhHGsOhkQAwqPReppI4/s320/5309056690_89754201e0.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7wxEHj-4oqwHSqoleIHSY6MhJZfzHCcmNNI9b4Vk9RUeyZc-jMGdYChjQgTxxthVC9JVagfk-QBSdF0PMxoyDXDGhyphenhyphenD3Eq_W9WUmpAEURCA9qUZXugfGJURUtr96IjfNW3anOORl4ck/s1600/bear+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7wxEHj-4oqwHSqoleIHSY6MhJZfzHCcmNNI9b4Vk9RUeyZc-jMGdYChjQgTxxthVC9JVagfk-QBSdF0PMxoyDXDGhyphenhyphenD3Eq_W9WUmpAEURCA9qUZXugfGJURUtr96IjfNW3anOORl4ck/s320/bear+flag.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Life is good :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-3857322568587091352011-10-05T07:32:00.000-07:002011-10-05T07:36:04.578-07:00The Old Man's Snoring<div style="text-align: center;">Currently listening to: All Those Pretty Lights by Andrew Belle</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It finally came. I woke up to the pitter pattering of the rain on my window. I couldn't be happier!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">... oh wait, I could be. I'd be ecstatic if I could cuddle up on my couch with a hot cup of pumpkin coffee and <a href="http://pinterest.com/">pinterest</a> while watching endless episodes of "The Playboy Club" (which I just heard got canceled because dumb, prude moms say that it gives women a bad name. Have they seen the "Real Housewives" or "Jersey Shore"?! C'mon!) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Instead, my day is filled with biking around campus getting to my various classes, biking home, and then going to work for 8 hours. Goodie goodie gumdrops!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Have a great day, and try to stay dry!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1a6YpgUDHaTGQRJlrAXBk0rT7TCPyloI7PnbHM7_pmr79mH2apCuhzWtkTYgn27PtIusbOjtS87fNF1213UfC9YT6FtAsqeSPHZ4fdrw1tfnqqKh0LDvyXt8e_XjYi2106k3His0xQc/s1600/208705157_hA2wScYn_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1a6YpgUDHaTGQRJlrAXBk0rT7TCPyloI7PnbHM7_pmr79mH2apCuhzWtkTYgn27PtIusbOjtS87fNF1213UfC9YT6FtAsqeSPHZ4fdrw1tfnqqKh0LDvyXt8e_XjYi2106k3His0xQc/s320/208705157_hA2wScYn_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Note to self: Must make this <a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/10/crockpot-bbq-beer-chicken/">BBQ Beer Chicken</a> in the very near future. Thanks for the crock pot, mom!</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-35041219957835590372011-10-04T16:09:00.000-07:002011-10-04T16:13:50.963-07:00Lazy Acres<div style="text-align: center;">Currently listening to: No Such Thing by John Mayer</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59BRqeJUYfrpY6YQ8ea4xcrmypF-gHFeWYt-UNIaRnPdN6nomKQ3_Y2EE8nnNR-9jxDBvwfbVuMzX_ZsFjTMZy0ytGjECH3Tf3qXVhcLjvnYWaNsN6o7T4vb65l80tFagHKtbETPoJ2U/s1600/297148_10150844780815634_849270633_21276408_1673611417_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59BRqeJUYfrpY6YQ8ea4xcrmypF-gHFeWYt-UNIaRnPdN6nomKQ3_Y2EE8nnNR-9jxDBvwfbVuMzX_ZsFjTMZy0ytGjECH3Tf3qXVhcLjvnYWaNsN6o7T4vb65l80tFagHKtbETPoJ2U/s320/297148_10150844780815634_849270633_21276408_1673611417_n.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It rained last night!!! Eeeeeep! I love it! When i went for my run this morning, everything smelled like autumn. So fresh, so clean... yadadamean? Because of this sudden weather change, I feel the need to put John Mayer on repeat. Just one of those things you gotta do.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After my (really, really ridiculously boring) 11am class, I met up with my friend Lauren for lunch at Lazy Acres. She was Madison's roomie last year and I haven't seen her since I've been back in Santa Barbara. Whenever I go to Lazy Acres, I always have to look at what they have on special. These items are always really good and super cheap! Today's was turkey meatloaf. Yum. Perfect cold weather food, eh eh?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">After eating and catching up, we ventured back inside to take a gander at all of the awesome, unique items. I didn't intend on buying anything but "instinct buys" are kind of my middle name. I ended coming out with dried turkish figs, carob chips (thanks to another one of Emily's wonderful suggestions), and Crunchies. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHypRWd4B0FWw6Siprx-xZPC4vYuMRGAQweWHZ7WkAgWdAiHYmDkhCy-q6oIjpHvre1rwtRuBI3P0Ft9qh_fLvxy4zC-TrTEIoErkKssKbQkAli_-lvt50KFfIJOMs1EEsxavHQ7G4Vjs/s1600/crunchies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHypRWd4B0FWw6Siprx-xZPC4vYuMRGAQweWHZ7WkAgWdAiHYmDkhCy-q6oIjpHvre1rwtRuBI3P0Ft9qh_fLvxy4zC-TrTEIoErkKssKbQkAli_-lvt50KFfIJOMs1EEsxavHQ7G4Vjs/s320/crunchies.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">What are Crunchies? They're freeze dried fruit. Worth the $5.75 I spent on them? I'm not sure, I haven't tried them yet, but they came in a tropical fruit mix that I couldn't resist. I'm going to think of it as an investment because now I can try mango, banana, strawberry, pineapple, and orange all on one bag versus Trader Joe's were I'd have to buy each individually. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The carob chips I added to my trail mix of raw cashews, slivered almonds, and coconut shavings. Brilliant! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiU0wNWE4HOjhyphenhyphenEPsKxK2V7giwy_r4FsszJYPahqr-IqAjnOK29BN200QQSHTtjnULtiINE1-6Tzoog5PPf-DbBJndn4FFx8cWgwIS4baRyQOpmaBhnanTkFzEc0vHJfKO6eXZCdW-n5E/s1600/mix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiU0wNWE4HOjhyphenhyphenEPsKxK2V7giwy_r4FsszJYPahqr-IqAjnOK29BN200QQSHTtjnULtiINE1-6Tzoog5PPf-DbBJndn4FFx8cWgwIS4baRyQOpmaBhnanTkFzEc0vHJfKO6eXZCdW-n5E/s320/mix.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We also strolled by the nut butter isle. Lauren suggested one from Peanut Butter and Co: dark chocolate peanut butter! Unfortunately, they were sold out, but have no fear, they had a cinnamon raisin peanut butter in stock! It was too expensive to buy (especially since I was already getting those 6 buck Crunchies) but Lauren did let me try some of her dark chocolate peanut butter at home. Oh lord. I'm just glad I don't have it at my house because it'd be gone in a day, tops. I took a nice spoonful for "dessert". Heated up, it would be AMAZING on top of ice cream! Let me stop at that because I'm salivating a little more than I'd like to be right now. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNpsGwRYD2If1UsfgBuoro4VKdpV6sV2dQtW3OteK2-XwwCxPzzNOvscgioMpXQeRG2YYflskv3jDi2TQ2KkHL8WbUqxVk2GFAoEvW-qae77Ed824xuyFzxFfLpSSahtVTUV5HnyLoTs/s1600/cinnraisinpb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNpsGwRYD2If1UsfgBuoro4VKdpV6sV2dQtW3OteK2-XwwCxPzzNOvscgioMpXQeRG2YYflskv3jDi2TQ2KkHL8WbUqxVk2GFAoEvW-qae77Ed824xuyFzxFfLpSSahtVTUV5HnyLoTs/s320/cinnraisinpb.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I also came across a pumpkin seed butter! Heaven? I'm sure! But look at that price! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARiqbRmSQlDQC6sC2V_YyDIMQdZ1zfw21b87Z9fXeq2cUZ0zLB3wOkdYbhBTTIWU5-jaJX37PZXhXX7NTnSxIsOsQaj6mV3UyNYp-jamlZ48cEVnKGeFu9TTgDZiPq0sgD2J4viCnZBU/s1600/pumpkinbutter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARiqbRmSQlDQC6sC2V_YyDIMQdZ1zfw21b87Z9fXeq2cUZ0zLB3wOkdYbhBTTIWU5-jaJX37PZXhXX7NTnSxIsOsQaj6mV3UyNYp-jamlZ48cEVnKGeFu9TTgDZiPq0sgD2J4viCnZBU/s320/pumpkinbutter.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ouch! My wallet isn't ready for that blow yet.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Off to my night class. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't rain on my while I'm biking!</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-17938875073987454962011-10-02T16:08:00.000-07:002011-10-02T16:10:02.939-07:00Putting the "kin" in Pumpkin<div style="text-align: center;">Currently watching: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This weekend has been chock-full of fun, new endeavors!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Friday night, the movie <i>Bridesmaids</i> was playing at the IV Theater for $4! Gotta love student prices in college towns. I wasn't the biggest fan of this movie when I first saw it in theaters; that very well may have been from all the hype and overexposure of the whole ordeal. This time around, I loved it! My friend Erin and I were laughing the majority of the time. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0031976/">Judd Apatow</a>, the producer of this movie, is one of my favorite filmmakers and wrote, produced, or directed other hilarious movies such as <i>Get Him to the Greek</i>, S<i>tep Brothers</i>, <i>Pineapple Express</i>, <i>Forgetting Sarah Marshal</i>, <i>Knocked Up</i>, <i>Superbad</i>, <i>Anchorman</i>, 4<i>0 Year Old Virgin</i>. <b>Can you say "rolling in the dough"??</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKMnfA7QKkOWf1eJVwuKCusxDiERpJIdbXn8AarCByoAenIKxkPhk3LQG4mKfHp37itjg0-QSirGH1vmSAGei-3HS2obsp4BEldYCqzHQewZAWvj5LJGro4AsHQ3hHElE8tzVnd5PZ1w/s1600/bridesmaids-movie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKMnfA7QKkOWf1eJVwuKCusxDiERpJIdbXn8AarCByoAenIKxkPhk3LQG4mKfHp37itjg0-QSirGH1vmSAGei-3HS2obsp4BEldYCqzHQewZAWvj5LJGro4AsHQ3hHElE8tzVnd5PZ1w/s320/bridesmaids-movie.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This week was also my first weeks working at my new Trader Joe's! This transfer went smoothly, but I still definitely miss my old homies at the store in Sac. I'm sure the people at my new store will be just as awesome though.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">One big perk about working at Trader Joe's is that I get to virtually shop/brows for 8 hours during each of my shifts. This morning, I was putting up some coffee and tea when I came across this heaven-sent. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_AdSWwSpqMeQSTRJEpX7tdjSwjdRZZ7AHBFnZDkwzslw1KgKcwXTEFGGZEuktG5L7JlFkvwXP3K-lNHayfqO6Mtkf-OuP_upoM34ZsMzdo9M35EuE1WsG1J4RwbbJFfbDlRpQYHqL34/s1600/PSCoffee2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_AdSWwSpqMeQSTRJEpX7tdjSwjdRZZ7AHBFnZDkwzslw1KgKcwXTEFGGZEuktG5L7JlFkvwXP3K-lNHayfqO6Mtkf-OuP_upoM34ZsMzdo9M35EuE1WsG1J4RwbbJFfbDlRpQYHqL34/s320/PSCoffee2.jpg" width="184" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pumpin Spice coffee?!?!?!?!?!?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I think I mentioned in the previous post how grateful I am for pumpkin items. Well, not only am I an avid pumpkin consumer, but I am also a coffee addict! A girl wakes up for work at 4am and finds this orange tin 3 hours into her shift; what's a girl to do?! Of course I ran right over to my manager and told him about this new item with bright eyes and a giddy grin. Of course he was excited too and decided to brew a fresh pot (the only reasonable thing to do)!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">One word describes it... MMMM (that's more a sound than a word, but you get the picture).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNBVFFD6u_HXC5PlyAD-fT4hJEGB9rpbv_VZF7PLf-XiTH3X-_fuXc9tQa2R3L_AENxm5Xowbjjnb3NSyeuoA349GhnK-ah_BwtEpuhuCNccyYIMSxwofSXv-q3fGIL2f9Cc758V4_3o/s1600/198443475_xP3LBduq_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitNBVFFD6u_HXC5PlyAD-fT4hJEGB9rpbv_VZF7PLf-XiTH3X-_fuXc9tQa2R3L_AENxm5Xowbjjnb3NSyeuoA349GhnK-ah_BwtEpuhuCNccyYIMSxwofSXv-q3fGIL2f9Cc758V4_3o/s1600/198443475_xP3LBduq_c.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(this was just too perfect!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I also added to my list of groceries: cocoa powder. I seem to buy whatever I stock that day. This was also inspired by <a href="http://2248miles.blogspot.com/2011/09/chocolate-coconut-milkshake.html">Emily's shakes</a>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Well, time to get back to tanning and studying while the sun's still out! I hear next week it's supposed to rain so my goal is to get as dark as possible until then.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Over and out!</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-56229264937552202482011-09-30T18:23:00.000-07:002011-09-30T18:23:30.077-07:00Shifting Back Into School Gear<div style="text-align: center;">Currently Listening To: Perfectly Lonely by John Mayer</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXvRx7NEZsx4sJFVVwvaPYcUWIXg8fNQm6yZBLaNpDsYKMv4vHSIJ58sMw2oESOsvlX5iSsYN4a4oNnlkcAb2Q0LwizY0bIOxA8M6OVhBdgeDjPns9j8lb7kvJm55_u9Dmo3efbWjP2Y/s1600/Perfectly+Lonely.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXvRx7NEZsx4sJFVVwvaPYcUWIXg8fNQm6yZBLaNpDsYKMv4vHSIJ58sMw2oESOsvlX5iSsYN4a4oNnlkcAb2Q0LwizY0bIOxA8M6OVhBdgeDjPns9j8lb7kvJm55_u9Dmo3efbWjP2Y/s320/Perfectly+Lonely.png" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(I feel like this image I stumbled upon the other day was perfect for this song)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Alright guys, I'm backalack in action! Time to catch up? Get ready for this jam-packed post.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Let's start with the weather: since my arrival to Santa Barbara, it's been pretty foggy and grey every morning, and some days, all day! Very UN-Santa Barbara-like. Definitely more of a Santa Cruz feel. I'm not complaining though, I love the fall!!! We all know my favorite time of year, hands down, is fall. You know what, we're going to call it "autumn"from now on because it sounds classier. Everything about <i>autumn</i> makes me happy. Leaves changing, the crisp, cold air, the faint light of Christmas cheer in the distance, the smell of pumpkin candles, wearing scarves, pumpkin pie, pumpkin butter (let's be honest, pretty much pumpkin <u>everything</u>).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Snack-wise: I've been taking some of <a href="http://2248miles.blogspot.com/2011/09/catch-up.html">Emily's Paleo Diet</a> ideas and incorporating them into my own diet. Example une ></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYT-4jcnqXl85bBlNm5uxxx3519hSSUd-kNqre_Z_7rQm5nY0CHkhpTRjEnCxv_yFuj-fct5HkHyLrDfMY8h_G9aBPsNcVaT488RxL6kOeK7ymiVyDMn9Hx9b0grilp44CC5BieAlWVI/s1600/TrailMix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYT-4jcnqXl85bBlNm5uxxx3519hSSUd-kNqre_Z_7rQm5nY0CHkhpTRjEnCxv_yFuj-fct5HkHyLrDfMY8h_G9aBPsNcVaT488RxL6kOeK7ymiVyDMn9Hx9b0grilp44CC5BieAlWVI/s320/TrailMix.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my take on the trail mix that she <i>raved</i> about for days. I switched a couple things up because I'm not a huge fan of raisins and, years ago, I dried apricotted myself out! Instead of those two dried fruits, I used dehydrated strawberries. Very delish and colorful. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li>Almond Slivers</li>
<li>Raw Cashews</li>
<li>Dehydrated Strawberries</li>
<li>Coconut Shavings</li>
</ul><div>Emily, I know what you're thinking... "That's completely different than the trail mix I told you about!" I know, I know haha you'll just have to make some of yours for me at some point.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Breakfast coverage: I've kind of been in a big ol' breakfast rut. Don't worry though, it's a rut that I love! I've been making eggs every morning! </div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgOdTgU85Zsjhs1xpjYJVs43DP0-vEfX_UHPZvA3CUvTSp58P-nuYAlh6hBSaBB6M_63CBzEFRqC58GURJkFD5r-9Wg6CPzmbhVZ3izj1Sizpv29uPoC341uncyzDL72TlfU86Mr1hqo/s1600/Eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgOdTgU85Zsjhs1xpjYJVs43DP0-vEfX_UHPZvA3CUvTSp58P-nuYAlh6hBSaBB6M_63CBzEFRqC58GURJkFD5r-9Wg6CPzmbhVZ3izj1Sizpv29uPoC341uncyzDL72TlfU86Mr1hqo/s320/Eggs.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li>2 Eggs (usually 1 egg and 1 egg white)</li>
<li>Sauteed Crimini Mushrooms</li>
<li>Spinach</li>
<li>Avocado</li>
<li>Salsa</li>
</ul><div>I'm a little scared I'm eating too many eggs lately. Madison and I hardboiled a dozen the other day so I've been putting 1 in my salads as well. That's about 2-3 eggs a day. Nutrition/Dietetics majors: Is my cholesterol about to sky rocket?? With this concern, I bought egg whites (which I used to use on the reg but they gross Madison out for some reason).</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMyK0o_e3jTV4tKi3EwkdfBuz5KpZieTLrGvczibd4KJ931sbB4MM7Cf0-esOIu14Wnmhzuj963opChjwnu3EPUHqS9YNeo8uQdOQn_BzTP9IUuQpcKXmS7qspEbkhsbaPkiUVA37lfs/s1600/HardEggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMyK0o_e3jTV4tKi3EwkdfBuz5KpZieTLrGvczibd4KJ931sbB4MM7Cf0-esOIu14Wnmhzuj963opChjwnu3EPUHqS9YNeo8uQdOQn_BzTP9IUuQpcKXmS7qspEbkhsbaPkiUVA37lfs/s320/HardEggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(I was proud of this^. I hope, one day, my husband appreciates these little hidden gems i leave around the house)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi3AKOjIOLnPxhIy00A8nmmFQCsHU1xnjvjYtKJ5IQ1nHPGfm6oVaOjECltR_2W0mb-qdBkjBis_9ZodDX3edT0Zqj5XDf3tkGQAzwb0qXEsWshb3wprys9AFKw8H9ATpUm1aKKSNPJw/s1600/Salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUi3AKOjIOLnPxhIy00A8nmmFQCsHU1xnjvjYtKJ5IQ1nHPGfm6oVaOjECltR_2W0mb-qdBkjBis_9ZodDX3edT0Zqj5XDf3tkGQAzwb0qXEsWshb3wprys9AFKw8H9ATpUm1aKKSNPJw/s320/Salad.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The salad I've been making lately is completely inspired by my mama. It's exactly what she puts in her big hodge podge salads. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li>Spinach</li>
<li>Shredded Carrots</li>
<li>Cucumbers</li>
<li>Hard Boiled Egg</li>
<li>Cottage Cheese</li>
<li>Craisins</li>
<li>Sunflower Seeds</li>
<li>Olive Oil</li>
<li>Balsamic Vinegar</li>
</ul><div><br />
</div><div>Enough about food, it's television time! So back in the day, I used to get in trouble for watching so much tv. If I was bad, I wasn't allowed to watch it. If I was "grounded", usually the only thing taken away from me were my tv privileges. </div><div><br />
</div><div>(Allow me to digress a bit...)</div><div><br />
</div><div>I've been reading <u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1243249891">The Happiness Project</a></u><a href="http://www.happiness-project.com/"> by Gretchen Rubin</a> (fun fact: "The Happiness Project" started out just as a simple blog). In the book, she writes that one should pursue a career doing something that they love; something they would do even if they didn't get paid for it; something they do in the spare time anyways. Originally, Gretchen was in law, content, but not in love with her job. She loved reading and in her spare time, she would write, which inspired her sudden career change to becoming an author. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The other day, in my Hollywood class and my professor was interviewing her guest, a senior editor for "Backstage" magazine, who said that if you want to work in the movie industry, watch a lot of movies, if you want to work for television, watch a lot of television. This solidified the vision of my career path. So, moral of this story, I'm probably going to be reviewing television on this blog as well! </div><div><br />
</div><div>TV Update Numero Uno: I found this awesome show on Hulu called "<a href="http://www.hulu.com/search?query=A+Day+In+The+Life&st=0&fs=">A Day in the Life Of</a>". It's a super interesting show that follows various inspirational people around for a day (from Will.I.Am to Richard Branson to GirlTalk). You not only get to see what they do, but you get to hear their commentary, thoughts, ideas, and history. A+ Hulu!</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-38151597955038570232011-04-04T19:15:00.000-07:002011-04-04T19:15:25.600-07:00*Singing* I Want Candy! dun dun dun dun dun dun dunIt's official. I want to relocate to Sweden.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, Sara, Linnea, and I went on a morning stroll (and by morning I mean 1pm because that's about the time we woke up and mustered up enough energy to actually get our day started). On this stroll we discussed Swedish versus American school systems, politics, and royalty, and fashion. <br />
<br />
Fun Facts About Swedish Culture:<br />
1) High schools in Sweden are more lax with students. Attendance and tardies are not important; if you don't show up to school and you don't do well, that's your problem not theirs.<br />
2) Women and men are treated completely equal. I know what you're thinking, they are equal in America too, right? Wrong.<br />
Examples: 1) Chivalry is virtually dead<br />
2) When the King dies, his oldest offspring (a girl!) will become<br />
Queen (not his son first son)!<br />
3) From my understanding, their politics seems pretty Libertarian... just how I like it!<br />
4) One would NEVER wear jeans and flip flops together.<br />
<br />
and most importantly...<br />
<b>THIER CANDY IS OUT OF THIS WORLD!</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Mika, Linnea's best friend from Sweden, just arrived and she brought with her two GINORMOUS bags of candy! Now, I'm not normally a fruity candy kind of girl, I'm usually alllllll over anything thats chocolate, but I figured I had to try traditional Swede candy!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCne_qAE-v0PFaFh4_n-G9QE_BrJZAJjlkpaK3X6ptlZgydTCtvjJSzsp-GeDTm2bZgX3I5WOMYlWfk07tcgDMcSQPePbInUzk4HRPU5p8SGAy0U7heqJy9ceJRPS8eliIufOoi6-zNoc/s1600/godis_70246840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCne_qAE-v0PFaFh4_n-G9QE_BrJZAJjlkpaK3X6ptlZgydTCtvjJSzsp-GeDTm2bZgX3I5WOMYlWfk07tcgDMcSQPePbInUzk4HRPU5p8SGAy0U7heqJy9ceJRPS8eliIufOoi6-zNoc/s320/godis_70246840.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Both bags were chalk full of this stuff!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uvNZu_5YcGMYKfdteNfHPa0CBvrpkOEMsC9Byg45pmHCBxw7_TwnVsTcrpkDHkd4FSF8jfnik0070XCHAQTQDrnycidFYRG0wVVuHoq-b6oP4h8UomThWJ5WOrMfQ4HX05JbUqlTxOk/s1600/l_1600_1200_BD15095A-F8FA-4EDC-AD62-655B0FCE9AD9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uvNZu_5YcGMYKfdteNfHPa0CBvrpkOEMsC9Byg45pmHCBxw7_TwnVsTcrpkDHkd4FSF8jfnik0070XCHAQTQDrnycidFYRG0wVVuHoq-b6oP4h8UomThWJ5WOrMfQ4HX05JbUqlTxOk/s320/l_1600_1200_BD15095A-F8FA-4EDC-AD62-655B0FCE9AD9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Candy's sold in these kinds of bins instead of individually wrapped.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEvSYD9UVK0rxWSD8s_GJbfIyKpib5TfrwYCX-rEbFly46CV0M4OeAYuNwGD9ef2_NBGdzQWgSB8h7KgsJFZCyQPc88x5YAwtuQCKHi1rGxFZ450dIAVyq0SYcMe4uiapy1CEwEwcNoc/s1600/Marabou+Mjolkchoklad+200g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEvSYD9UVK0rxWSD8s_GJbfIyKpib5TfrwYCX-rEbFly46CV0M4OeAYuNwGD9ef2_NBGdzQWgSB8h7KgsJFZCyQPc88x5YAwtuQCKHi1rGxFZ450dIAVyq0SYcMe4uiapy1CEwEwcNoc/s1600/Marabou+Mjolkchoklad+200g.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now THIS is what I'm talking about! Mika brought jumbo bars of milk chocolate, hazelnut, and orange.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>My tummy hurts :(</i></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-81361120156246054612011-04-02T18:55:00.000-07:002011-04-02T18:55:42.073-07:00I've Got Sunshine On A Cloudy DayI don't know what is happening with the weather lately! I blame global warming...<div><br />
</div><div>Yesterday was 88 degrees as I was driving from Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara. Today it is in the low 60s and full of grey skies. This calls for a cozy day followed by a cozy dinner :)</div><div><br />
</div><div>On tonight's menu we're having (and by we I mean me) couscous topped with sauted veggies and tomato basil Italian sausage (vegan style). I needed some color to liven up my grey day. </div><div><br />
</div><div>First, I cut and sauted all my veggies in EVOO.</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtdardC9PLlClPTRtgKyq11-TiVFYCYl6G00gfRk8IBsrtnEkEG05oPOJ6y3uOotysnmVjSo95Yu2zpyn9F1hiq7xNJJWmdnTTEsYhGS6WbJegxMNSJXve9zzOTaSL6ToSCSax0ngjR4/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtdardC9PLlClPTRtgKyq11-TiVFYCYl6G00gfRk8IBsrtnEkEG05oPOJ6y3uOotysnmVjSo95Yu2zpyn9F1hiq7xNJJWmdnTTEsYhGS6WbJegxMNSJXve9zzOTaSL6ToSCSax0ngjR4/s320/IMG_0079.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmCcalNcMc-ffZUPOgej9GzWx_6PmB0gpAjdvDW4sfQ0OcKQXtd4XHfAsK0xnSZdgC2leIEgtJcfy9VmhGYvNskkAKQOlfuyVVHVU67KCeojQAWpzrBINTFW5Eih5gEBGHbCKtMTrRAc/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmCcalNcMc-ffZUPOgej9GzWx_6PmB0gpAjdvDW4sfQ0OcKQXtd4XHfAsK0xnSZdgC2leIEgtJcfy9VmhGYvNskkAKQOlfuyVVHVU67KCeojQAWpzrBINTFW5Eih5gEBGHbCKtMTrRAc/s320/IMG_0080.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tK57sAliHjnUMth6a0o_qHSGMXbCorr4MgyGCxDCpEBR2qNwn0OTK05aV-3-raQMHjcSY2aAyFuha9SF-lL4x-eI7bukRJ_qTSY551iR-wKLkmsJYVhjl-F_cvPLoubSxjplcciVJV4/s1600/IMG_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tK57sAliHjnUMth6a0o_qHSGMXbCorr4MgyGCxDCpEBR2qNwn0OTK05aV-3-raQMHjcSY2aAyFuha9SF-lL4x-eI7bukRJ_qTSY551iR-wKLkmsJYVhjl-F_cvPLoubSxjplcciVJV4/s320/IMG_0081.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62wEs-NiWTyXgKjajzJzfQymDxn2rY65iSA85sRUBO45G_47RBdoLvqr6pi-FVGUo9ZXR7vkaUPwPaLvuEoGflPmDTlsgoZJmSm9mSOqVV1SwHTMymSNi2IrgZ3c4ie6Ya5nUMGUzOx8/s1600/IMG_0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62wEs-NiWTyXgKjajzJzfQymDxn2rY65iSA85sRUBO45G_47RBdoLvqr6pi-FVGUo9ZXR7vkaUPwPaLvuEoGflPmDTlsgoZJmSm9mSOqVV1SwHTMymSNi2IrgZ3c4ie6Ya5nUMGUzOx8/s320/IMG_0082.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The bowl was a great addition to the colorful theme :) Thanks Emily!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaJ5Yxf82Gy1hXgWJZmCCcoVjutmvnU5Zh1qk1sZ3jV6OH9dVvIMRMa_Lz-RrpK2lE36yWOiNmlGZOsU_KUL3p-u6wlIdp4KS2XWnJ1kDz2AnR3C9a91TSbWd-LCJJDKllDjX0Zx0SVA/s1600/IMG_0084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaJ5Yxf82Gy1hXgWJZmCCcoVjutmvnU5Zh1qk1sZ3jV6OH9dVvIMRMa_Lz-RrpK2lE36yWOiNmlGZOsU_KUL3p-u6wlIdp4KS2XWnJ1kDz2AnR3C9a91TSbWd-LCJJDKllDjX0Zx0SVA/s320/IMG_0084.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then I made couscous, grilled my Tofurkey Italian Sausage (my new fav), and mixed in Tomato Basil Marinara.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvphnSSML9T2hVVogQEcJDUdJD8VygJVgGmUF8uB2LcUEhTbh90cFVPR0WSXZHsUM-GI-OlZ12N_7NIGizDznBb4-CuOePfZwEGjY7Nk8bUO5EIHwZcDS2HUx01w6Zl-Y691SnGPIAk2c/s1600/IMG_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvphnSSML9T2hVVogQEcJDUdJD8VygJVgGmUF8uB2LcUEhTbh90cFVPR0WSXZHsUM-GI-OlZ12N_7NIGizDznBb4-CuOePfZwEGjY7Nk8bUO5EIHwZcDS2HUx01w6Zl-Y691SnGPIAk2c/s320/IMG_0086.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>NOM.</b></div><div><br />
</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-68376783182940397682011-04-02T16:49:00.000-07:002011-04-02T16:49:51.078-07:00Spring Break 2011<div>Long overdue MEGAPOST!!!</div><div>Special thanks to <a href="http://itswritable.wordpress.com/">Lauren</a> for reminding me I hadn't posted in a bagillion years :)</div><div><br />
</div><div>What's the first thing you think of when you imagine spring break in college? My image is pretty 1990's: those big MTV Miami/Cobo stages surrounded by crystal blue pools with girls in bikinis dancing around. Who's performing? Nelly or the Baha Men, of course!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Because I live in such a party central location already, I did not feel the need to spend my spring break taking tequila shots in Cancun or doing keg stands at Lake Havasu (although don't get me wrong, I'm sure those are just as fun, just not quite my style). Instead, I was welcomed home by my two loving parents, adorable pup, and a surprise...</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhr-SGT-xAXaoad-SwqXgSnntP0SxvM-OpT6R5LWTyLdQwFqSXUNgJYkgyhHjZg8eSHuStzPSVyF1nrP_eIBmI7FOE6pM8OhoUKP_UcGRp-8nCa3SR4w6inu-Bvpfg8JRzdZN_DtzKWc/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhr-SGT-xAXaoad-SwqXgSnntP0SxvM-OpT6R5LWTyLdQwFqSXUNgJYkgyhHjZg8eSHuStzPSVyF1nrP_eIBmI7FOE6pM8OhoUKP_UcGRp-8nCa3SR4w6inu-Bvpfg8JRzdZN_DtzKWc/s320/IMG_0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">flowers!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div>Sunflowers in particular are my favorite kind of flower (a close second are light pink tulips, in case you were wondering).</div><div><br />
</div><div>I was also welcomed home with a few birthday presents! </div><div>1. Canon 60D camera from Bear <3</div><div>2. iPhone follwed by my new Kate Spade case from Dad</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeOvnB9E35URyBYqhfa0_YyYuc3lP19hMTgN9GKUwQDUhECUqKu9V-FxpuM4x0d1k0JjWzmDxw4uCm83vgyguC4uefEvgftFHVjLMVIj_GjtL6NkfcB-3JEL3yqncbJI39ehrrwWgdoE/s1600/IMG_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeOvnB9E35URyBYqhfa0_YyYuc3lP19hMTgN9GKUwQDUhECUqKu9V-FxpuM4x0d1k0JjWzmDxw4uCm83vgyguC4uefEvgftFHVjLMVIj_GjtL6NkfcB-3JEL3yqncbJI39ehrrwWgdoE/s320/IMG_0002.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div>3. Emus from Mom (these guys fold over and look really cute!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppHVOsubBUqia4LeaVo3RUoOE56DNm61ahl914Ur1Qk9vaBpWIT6E_d2UWn5-ZWjlfuKBRPXdGwKugSbPjo2LfYs7VqGS-4TUjmGpex9TnmrSYz9U39dmJQLrK89A2rtObR0nIDngfBg/s1600/3097_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppHVOsubBUqia4LeaVo3RUoOE56DNm61ahl914Ur1Qk9vaBpWIT6E_d2UWn5-ZWjlfuKBRPXdGwKugSbPjo2LfYs7VqGS-4TUjmGpex9TnmrSYz9U39dmJQLrK89A2rtObR0nIDngfBg/s320/3097_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Successful birthday? YUP.</div><div><br />
</div><div>After just a few days at home, we were off to the condo in Santa Cruz for a relaxing week!</div><div><br />
</div><div>My parents kept asking me where I wanted to go for dinner but honestly, nothing sounds more delicious to a college kid than a home cooked meal. Can a get an AMEN?!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Our first night I cut of some fruit (Emily, you know that is my calling in life... cutting fruit), paired it with some vanilla Greek Yogurt, and set it out as an appetizer along with savory thins and eggplant hummus. Trader Joe's, you never seize to let me down. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOwOdcRXHlNZzM-PqR4cgCAqN0RvXllPhnNnfqbfv4zGShX0cY-A8EQ6fmxXT6P16pOtY2PSiou9pd7OX4DdeJ3tcQ98V9cMDBsNHH9TnPXqBkSlh5SmEeQoW7H8CBcaCj7JqhOOdiQ8/s1600/IMG_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOwOdcRXHlNZzM-PqR4cgCAqN0RvXllPhnNnfqbfv4zGShX0cY-A8EQ6fmxXT6P16pOtY2PSiou9pd7OX4DdeJ3tcQ98V9cMDBsNHH9TnPXqBkSlh5SmEeQoW7H8CBcaCj7JqhOOdiQ8/s320/IMG_0024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerdN3VBoEwkU9YbwQ9moGyscnwqlXqLYOfSsgZLudWbYyu7Pgz5kctNZVEObDfraZF_xDrYcSQlEjqU4YWSHWy5qqKixIcRvHWR0TVs9aqVzGSoNIq_K2EtL2j0RHaLoJAJ3ozfpaZXE/s1600/IMG_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerdN3VBoEwkU9YbwQ9moGyscnwqlXqLYOfSsgZLudWbYyu7Pgz5kctNZVEObDfraZF_xDrYcSQlEjqU4YWSHWy5qqKixIcRvHWR0TVs9aqVzGSoNIq_K2EtL2j0RHaLoJAJ3ozfpaZXE/s320/IMG_0025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2VW_SdHkcF2oufDSb9CAv-RBHMO5ydpiqXTL-83vUSoQ_z-lniglpOjlqDGWBnAhT0PEq43wV9Q_6VxcDiQq4cDwi5KvACdKmRuHzul-p5M9n7Cd4DsR2N0Hhyphenhyphengg7uwWeKGTLnRVcuE/s1600/IMG_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2VW_SdHkcF2oufDSb9CAv-RBHMO5ydpiqXTL-83vUSoQ_z-lniglpOjlqDGWBnAhT0PEq43wV9Q_6VxcDiQq4cDwi5KvACdKmRuHzul-p5M9n7Cd4DsR2N0Hhyphenhyphengg7uwWeKGTLnRVcuE/s320/IMG_0026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pretty sure nothing makes me feel more at home than watching/helping my momma cook.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What's for dinner? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bFjniimh4ppwMWecHzLd8_iyrlAI0tGTtOl-duWoBcGIslswJ-2am3bBy9g9NEZKnQGjPsFjwoRDkPVKPQTj7JGk0hGYe-s88FrHnq3Dm0NDTQCQOaihg6zrysFWnFej5WJnKtDcg_U/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bFjniimh4ppwMWecHzLd8_iyrlAI0tGTtOl-duWoBcGIslswJ-2am3bBy9g9NEZKnQGjPsFjwoRDkPVKPQTj7JGk0hGYe-s88FrHnq3Dm0NDTQCQOaihg6zrysFWnFej5WJnKtDcg_U/s320/IMG_0027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mac 'n Cheese made with whole grain pasta, a ridiculous amount of cheese, and apple smoked bacon</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1_NQ6eBSwQh0M6AAvxIVbUC49o_adWIjis02_pPW6RGoFH5ujW3Vs6cJZamgFPP6zIbTTHM7kIIGby98whKgsDcMUJvPI8hLN90VEPab8Hcm1vLKNCc3iSR-G8k7BVYR_zU_DS05rHA/s1600/IMG_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1_NQ6eBSwQh0M6AAvxIVbUC49o_adWIjis02_pPW6RGoFH5ujW3Vs6cJZamgFPP6zIbTTHM7kIIGby98whKgsDcMUJvPI8hLN90VEPab8Hcm1vLKNCc3iSR-G8k7BVYR_zU_DS05rHA/s320/IMG_0030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I made these yummy, yet very simple, green beens (grilled with EVOO, italian seasoning, and minced garlic)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although the mac 'n cheese looked amazeballs, I chose not to eat it because I have reinstated my veganness. With all the captivating information I've been learning in both my philosophy and environmental studies classes, I feel that this is the right decision for me. I honestly believe that our mass demand and consumption of animal products is not only harming our society, but our planet. Oprah also recommended a new book called <u>The Veganist</u> that I just began reading. I am also still a huge fan of Oprah's first recommendation, <u>The Kind Diet,</u> by Alicia Silverstone. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbROYrGijSPOJQfliuS-hqd1tFDSjs9up3OHiIjVZQMp53yA9ZMtBQMS2qobuaagp128IaGaKcv8GUjmFWbEAjfhKDNxxhIAJ36kOQAt46TBQKjYgDcUTWOXGre7U1EcLGTUvFAWIwZgE/s1600/Veganist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbROYrGijSPOJQfliuS-hqd1tFDSjs9up3OHiIjVZQMp53yA9ZMtBQMS2qobuaagp128IaGaKcv8GUjmFWbEAjfhKDNxxhIAJ36kOQAt46TBQKjYgDcUTWOXGre7U1EcLGTUvFAWIwZgE/s320/Veganist.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In order to veganify this dinner, I mixed the pasta with a grilled Tofurkey Italian Sausage and topped it with some EVOO. The sausage really had a kick and it definitely hit the spot! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-0XxCVU5aRo5RZneveFg8TfY8IjguImQ508rZ9BkHsbtbe2GzKHPIAViJiywjJqzbwavoVthrEZnqbYBmrLdBmHrBb5Q3xTRLEOiYAIRxdaS1sdELPw37S6PjLNhOwkkNvwJeaKaErU/s1600/IMG_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-0XxCVU5aRo5RZneveFg8TfY8IjguImQ508rZ9BkHsbtbe2GzKHPIAViJiywjJqzbwavoVthrEZnqbYBmrLdBmHrBb5Q3xTRLEOiYAIRxdaS1sdELPw37S6PjLNhOwkkNvwJeaKaErU/s320/IMG_0032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because my parents wake up at the crack of dawn, they go to sleep unbelievably early. Our "dinner" was eaten at 4pm (which isn't uncommon in the Taylor household). By 6, we headed downtown to wander and grab dessert. We settled on froyo which I know isn't vegan, but unlike last time, I am now becoming a <i>Veganist</i>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What's that, you may ask? Kathy Freston, the author of <u>The Veganist</u> explains it best:</div><blockquote>The "-ist" also refers to "one who studies." A veganist is one who looks closely at all the implications of his or her food choices--- to his or her own body, to the animals and the land it takes to raise them and the drugs introduced to keep herds alive, an so on, and then decides how to act."</blockquote> I don't think I'm going to make it a habit to eat dairy regularly, but I only live once and if I decide that my desire for a cup of froyo outweighs the impact it has on the planet, I'm going to eat that froyo!<br />
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The next morning, I woke up and had a delicious vegan mango berry bran muffin from none other than Trader Joe's. Yummmm! Then we headed out to the beach to walk Kobe.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlkBzDX0fS7UXcnjJUeORReO4PZchppXMxdeGVQLzK9MiOg2pFwZ8fFSogZpNsLgyxgWrv2wA4aZ4E4-0JgujKvJFWuWqwpxQx6ALi7OkilsCnKQkcdAqdiE8SNaU3G8cM3SuZ6twu0o/s1600/IMG_0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlkBzDX0fS7UXcnjJUeORReO4PZchppXMxdeGVQLzK9MiOg2pFwZ8fFSogZpNsLgyxgWrv2wA4aZ4E4-0JgujKvJFWuWqwpxQx6ALi7OkilsCnKQkcdAqdiE8SNaU3G8cM3SuZ6twu0o/s320/IMG_0048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-Wp1sUCJOB9HBntIQDi5s_nxoGAbidM8TtA-AUHZfTx9Xv56EEEyaZwAqN3jHQ5vJE1XNuCkh_lZ2SgwtLt1bVvU6xOh6AGgzjJx5_l8sdKgWLIcP-kqJeZscWvawV4yO6L5PyExF4U/s1600/IMG_0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-Wp1sUCJOB9HBntIQDi5s_nxoGAbidM8TtA-AUHZfTx9Xv56EEEyaZwAqN3jHQ5vJE1XNuCkh_lZ2SgwtLt1bVvU6xOh6AGgzjJx5_l8sdKgWLIcP-kqJeZscWvawV4yO6L5PyExF4U/s320/IMG_0057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sunset that night</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-34276497315287212222011-03-06T18:36:00.000-08:002011-03-06T18:36:02.150-08:00A Blustery DayToday was quite the blustery day which happened to remind me of one of my favorite past times...<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbyO-iPb7xo">Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day</a><br />
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I found this on Youtube to post and give you a little taste of what goes on in my head when I think of the word "blustery" but I ended up completely engrossed and watched the entire thing. I <b>LOVE</b> Pooh bear. He was one of my favs when I was little. I have so many Winnie the Pooh VHS tapes! I was actually Pooh for Halloween when I was... 3? I'm going to be honest with you, this made me nostalgic and when I go home for spring break, guess what I'm going to break out. You guessed it...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGSzggRDX4edRJorCt6FlizY-gQRoNCgWe53wh-wr9QzbzGNl2o1tzZE_KN61pgjiTqqUg5ku6KOOvL_YFLozj5Pxs6DH5JYp7y1tsz5JxvM5q0_ITllgfZKE34fy9heu5cfJ3a_AAsI/s1600/4760c6bf287b0d4537e7d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGSzggRDX4edRJorCt6FlizY-gQRoNCgWe53wh-wr9QzbzGNl2o1tzZE_KN61pgjiTqqUg5ku6KOOvL_YFLozj5Pxs6DH5JYp7y1tsz5JxvM5q0_ITllgfZKE34fy9heu5cfJ3a_AAsI/s320/4760c6bf287b0d4537e7d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>SATURDAY</b><br />
I spent a good portion of yesterday with my two friends Lauren and Madison. At about 11am we headed downtown to tan near the pier and then went up State to grab some froyo. Fantastic start to the day! After we got home and took showers, I headed back over to their place (about 5 doors down from mine) and we watched <i>The Parent Trap</i> with Lindsay Lohan. She was so freaking cute back then!!! We were completely dumbfounded by how little she was. We remembered the girls in that movie looking so much older than us and now they just seem itty bitty!<br />
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In the middle of the movie, Madison left to babysit and we were told that we had to wait for her to come home before we could start watching the second movie of the night (<i>The Last Song</i>). Lauren and I spent some time looking through cookbooks trying to find something to inspire our dinner. We finally ended up baking chicken with a honey-sesame glaze and a side of with rice and veggies. It turned out wonderfully! We then were in the mood for dessert but, again, didn't know what exactly what to eat. We decided to walk down the Co Op and IV Market in search of something sweet. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSIpK-qnJq0fBfiRtP1SWwE5Kg9ie5mh6LnceHvbgnKsUhDDtPLc1DbfMpHceTBT_JUaC5BrbGoSlE48tP9odikuXFvLu2yCDcKDT7ySN5xz5UE1ZHDGoUOo-Mi5cNFbotG8hU2r1v-A/s1600/co+op_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSIpK-qnJq0fBfiRtP1SWwE5Kg9ie5mh6LnceHvbgnKsUhDDtPLc1DbfMpHceTBT_JUaC5BrbGoSlE48tP9odikuXFvLu2yCDcKDT7ySN5xz5UE1ZHDGoUOo-Mi5cNFbotG8hU2r1v-A/s320/co+op_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We settled on this Ben and Jerry's ice cream that Lauren raved so much about. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt_VLt5XbO183xy83ztbTH3_0Yps0NcsSMUT51_V3SjfyOTerhDI5P7aTphFbqdrm4fPbTDZTflVfHQvlBSzA87LE_EZ_JPbGhc4nZuHbq1XxIs1qrSnPUd_E6n5Ed_U7WXdol5X25Ro/s1600/MilkCookiesHR10%255B1%255D.9M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt_VLt5XbO183xy83ztbTH3_0Yps0NcsSMUT51_V3SjfyOTerhDI5P7aTphFbqdrm4fPbTDZTflVfHQvlBSzA87LE_EZ_JPbGhc4nZuHbq1XxIs1qrSnPUd_E6n5Ed_U7WXdol5X25Ro/s1600/MilkCookiesHR10%255B1%255D.9M.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My taste buds and I are both positive we made the right choice!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>TODAY</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">I spent most of the day shooting my Cinematography homework. It was so cold and <i>blustery</i>!!! After 4 hours of shooting, we decided it was time to grab some coffee and a pastry. I ordered a chocolate croissant and a small Hazelnut coffee that I topped with organic soymilk. Let me just tell you, this was no ordinary chocolate croissant, this was a chocolate croissant <b>on crack</b>! It was the most delicious one I've ever had, not to mention it was literally the size of my hand! Way to go Lazy Acres, I give you the gold medal for pastries! It completely hit the spot and was the perfect gloomy weather snack.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">For dinner, I bought tray of 2 organic veggie patties (ingredients: organic oats, organic barley, organic brown rice, organic tofu, onion, celery, organic carrots, organic tomatoes, mustard, egg replacers) and aloe Kombucha. I went through a big Kombucha phase about a year ago but then it got a little too expensive for my pocket book. Fortunately, this Kombucha was on sale for a little over $2. It was pretty tasty but I couldn't tell it was aloe flavored by any means. If you haven't tried Kombucha, I wouldn't go buy any anytime soon. Try a sip before you buy it. It's definitely an acquired taste and I had to grow to like it. It almost tastes like beer with a little fruit juice. It is verrrrrry good for you though!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNvy4KGBLsulhkxH-DBLlE4AEhcHcARH5z3-ictk0JimxtYJVxXQGuoQp6GuJXaQJdtxZdJhmieoqkNOCUtcWuYqzypq8BqvGA9FaAC1F-wnCjPT0L4FhNWm929k5TDfzVDZpaWP5KsU/s1600/kombucha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNvy4KGBLsulhkxH-DBLlE4AEhcHcARH5z3-ictk0JimxtYJVxXQGuoQp6GuJXaQJdtxZdJhmieoqkNOCUtcWuYqzypq8BqvGA9FaAC1F-wnCjPT0L4FhNWm929k5TDfzVDZpaWP5KsU/s320/kombucha.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oY6W7lKgsqETz9dTDLrJrPhWXbbn1PzsrqqzfbHn-noiI8kKHSstXZsU0VoSOmaUfs_8ag6h9YrGnTm3DiEehe6zmz5nITz93ejy_x4-_XGex87PnQYudoFVX0Zuo2GXae55xZ1ZcU8/s1600/veg+patties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oY6W7lKgsqETz9dTDLrJrPhWXbbn1PzsrqqzfbHn-noiI8kKHSstXZsU0VoSOmaUfs_8ag6h9YrGnTm3DiEehe6zmz5nITz93ejy_x4-_XGex87PnQYudoFVX0Zuo2GXae55xZ1ZcU8/s320/veg+patties.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-76830406278156797122011-03-05T09:40:00.000-08:002011-03-05T09:44:52.324-08:00You Betta Believe ItWe bought a Betta fishy last night!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkrjMAyXnRSjaNkF448LK6WOR65hiAz1C9ITeAs446nab-YS0LkhmYIlNcNshebhSkUrkprVmcD6KB1Nmgudaw6ksUFJnK4Ze9t4C8Hlm1aEThXEnMEPy7hCs-417ij7eUDhtuZymRXg/s1600/Vegemite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkrjMAyXnRSjaNkF448LK6WOR65hiAz1C9ITeAs446nab-YS0LkhmYIlNcNshebhSkUrkprVmcD6KB1Nmgudaw6ksUFJnK4Ze9t4C8Hlm1aEThXEnMEPy7hCs-417ij7eUDhtuZymRXg/s320/Vegemite.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Say "Hello" to our new addition, Vegemite!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Why Vegemite, you may ask. When we first bought him, Meredith began talking to him in an accent (I think it was British... it was hard to tell). I suggested that he probably was British so he should be named Crumpet. She then informed me, and I quote, "I think he's more Australian. Maybe if he were pale with bad teeth he'd be British, but..." I agreed, so the first Australian thing that came into my mind was Vegemite; hence his name. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Other suggestions for Australian names included:</div><div style="text-align: left;">Walla Walla </div><div style="text-align: left;">Dingo</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Before we found this little guy, we were in search for a solid bright red almost orange betta that looked like a ninja. Apparently, that's too much to ask for from PetCo.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHodqHFT0EBJhOHgHhKdyDDhzufeZP897VvzkHgFkKs9ujshTC0BTqsKTF2yPr2wQOLcFGMKzSvkBIvyA6-EWsxEJYmuK5oypmTof9PZNNiR47eLCe99yjqzs2EqXvEB99Sy9-FnWk5nA/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHodqHFT0EBJhOHgHhKdyDDhzufeZP897VvzkHgFkKs9ujshTC0BTqsKTF2yPr2wQOLcFGMKzSvkBIvyA6-EWsxEJYmuK5oypmTof9PZNNiR47eLCe99yjqzs2EqXvEB99Sy9-FnWk5nA/s320/12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We wanted to name him Mochi :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Who knows, maybe Vegemite will have a friend named Mochi someday, but as of now, we're only willing to pay the $8 for one fish.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-16000828525755859542011-03-04T15:05:00.000-08:002011-03-04T16:41:16.035-08:00All Quiet on the Western FrontIt's a truly tragic day in television. In case you haven't heard, <a href="http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/03/04/steve-carell-final-day-on-the-office/">Steve Carell's final day</a> of filming at "The Office" we've grown to know and love is today :( I just filled 3 buckets with my tears.<br />
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On a brighter note, I've had a wonderful past 2 days!<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Thursday</b><br />
I woke up grotesquely early yesterday morning. Linnea needed to get the the harbor to shoot the sunrise for her cinematography project so I offered to drive her since the buses, like everyone else in world, are smart enough not to wake up before 5am (except for my mom and dad who are just plain crazy). As we left our apartment complex at 5:30am, the world seemed so peaceful and quiet. I actually secretly really like the early morning.<br />
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After dropping her off downtown in front of the harbor, I headed to the gym to try an early morning workout. It was about 6:30 and my first class didn't start until 9:30 so I had 3 hours to kill. I was really surprised to see so many people at the gym that early in the morning! Like I said before, people are CRAZY. I walked into 24 with my hair in a high sumo-bun, eyes half shut, drool still lining the side of my face... I wouldn't be surprised if my clothes were inside out and backwards, yet everyone working out was so perky and alert! I envy them. Although I really wanted to just crawl back into my car and fall asleep, I stuck it out and hopped on a Cross Trainer Elliptical. I couldn't muster up enough energy to actually run or do stairs so I stayed on this machine for about an hour. Then, I went down to the locker room, took a shower, got ready for school, and left at 8:30.<br />
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The last hour I killed was spent at my beloved Lazy Acres. Side note: Thursday are student discount day! 15% off pour moi!!! Since I am still on a college student budget, I brought a ziplock baggie of Trader Joe's Fiber-O's cereal and I set out to find some soy milk to put on top!<br />
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I found this super yummy Probiotic Blueberry Soymilk! SCORE! It was so delicious! I wasn't as sweet as I was expecting (which was nice) and the hint of blueberry added a lot to my cereal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-rpytcopWBSJ10Stm97sgJpgst_Wm7W2Flm_SZjcbRDz6ttnD-dgL61gBqzD0cDbps6ghKAkpnHzr6KrigkKeR4KlvqcUuWc4H5QTDEHvYEc4CJvIQPi6xUviq9xZ72iFBjGgCxTU00/s1600/bluesoymilk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-rpytcopWBSJ10Stm97sgJpgst_Wm7W2Flm_SZjcbRDz6ttnD-dgL61gBqzD0cDbps6ghKAkpnHzr6KrigkKeR4KlvqcUuWc4H5QTDEHvYEc4CJvIQPi6xUviq9xZ72iFBjGgCxTU00/s320/bluesoymilk.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncvT9w4oxrHZw0t5XAFqRrgP8tuKRMlnEH0SRF4HhLBCSaIgeFl7cKAEvLDZtBamScv69_cha1vg-HwEXO_r8CzsZQcMTTh1sZIPcXeDeRzBcUthqQ9gmMh4qTiE9I-ayVatIUpaHgn8/s1600/cereal+full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncvT9w4oxrHZw0t5XAFqRrgP8tuKRMlnEH0SRF4HhLBCSaIgeFl7cKAEvLDZtBamScv69_cha1vg-HwEXO_r8CzsZQcMTTh1sZIPcXeDeRzBcUthqQ9gmMh4qTiE9I-ayVatIUpaHgn8/s320/cereal+full.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKupxBbdcCpKZbWVyBgQDbO4yqMySaq84NfSOdqf_DyAH_h3Xce38FGhTv0s1EbA9m0XvqNAPkEppk0xIcjUCIlnxzJb_UNIEBp8Z6uWM4XKa_dgC9D8bnlg_0Kwm04Vi3yKDXCVg8LI/s1600/cereal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKupxBbdcCpKZbWVyBgQDbO4yqMySaq84NfSOdqf_DyAH_h3Xce38FGhTv0s1EbA9m0XvqNAPkEppk0xIcjUCIlnxzJb_UNIEBp8Z6uWM4XKa_dgC9D8bnlg_0Kwm04Vi3yKDXCVg8LI/s320/cereal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>Today</b><br />
This morning after cardio boxing, I headed down to State in search of travel size shampoo and conditioner to bring to the gym. I've decided that I'm going to be one of those <i><a href="http://www.pbfingers.com/">crazies</a></i> that wakes up early for the gym a few days a week. I'm pretty sure I found everything BUT mini shampoo and conditioners. Fortunately, I was able to find some great deals at American Eagle! I bought 2 big, knit sweaters on sale for $9 each. Uhmmm yeah $9... you read that correctly. I also found a few cute tank tops on sale; on top of those sales, I got my 15% off birthday discount. DOUBLE SCORE!<br />
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After a little more window shopping, I headed over to Blenders for a smoothie. My usual is the "Blue Banana" because it isn't too sweet and has two of my favorite fruits mixed together, but today I ordered the "Blue Orange". I must be vitamin C deficient because I was really craving OJ. I personally think Blenders is a million times better than Jamba because they often use nonfat frozen milk in their smoothies versus fruit juices.<br />
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Before I got home, I made one last pit stop to Whole Foods. I now buy my soymilk there because it is 1) Organic 2) Cheaper 3) Comes in pairs! I go through a lot of soymilk (on cereal, mixed with Ovaltine, paired with almond butter, etc) so this makes it a lot easier, cheaper, and more efficient.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3N1ARepJkASSkjD0s2xUys-w1eUtq9NgN9rscBm6wa8jVXTYX3hXZ6JtxEnmnSfH9PK4qTOpcnILa6jjxZEbKscYuLp0Mz0G6vp87hJhwGroAavp3T-eBZygKxYWkoUQJas0d0fsYZmE/s1600/soymilk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3N1ARepJkASSkjD0s2xUys-w1eUtq9NgN9rscBm6wa8jVXTYX3hXZ6JtxEnmnSfH9PK4qTOpcnILa6jjxZEbKscYuLp0Mz0G6vp87hJhwGroAavp3T-eBZygKxYWkoUQJas0d0fsYZmE/s320/soymilk.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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Tonight I believe Meredith and I are headed to Harrison's for a BBQ with a couple people. Can't wait! It gets freezing here at night so I may have to wear one of my new sweaters :)Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-9044083142897812072011-03-01T19:59:00.000-08:002011-03-01T19:59:51.267-08:00Crackers Never Looked So GoodI have a new favorite snack!!!<br />
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I'm pretty sure every time I see Linnea and her Swede clan eating something, it's this...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHlwVEHS3kSUzw1epd7uy6fwiS-Jm8jhRqUth4mjKYpwdHL4qLbXdzROtPPYkMquNdY_6O5-0HiJ0ZJAke3xUt5Il0hrAsCy_pNg-9cJb-owYQe2FtM3NepBhK82qO4H11fhczygzCYM/s1600/img_6847_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHlwVEHS3kSUzw1epd7uy6fwiS-Jm8jhRqUth4mjKYpwdHL4qLbXdzROtPPYkMquNdY_6O5-0HiJ0ZJAke3xUt5Il0hrAsCy_pNg-9cJb-owYQe2FtM3NepBhK82qO4H11fhczygzCYM/s320/img_6847_thumb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Some Swedish cracker with cottage cheese and avocado</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not sure if it's a Swedish thing or just a college-student-budget kind of food, but either way, I had to give it a try. I'm not typically a fan of cottage cheese, I actually want to vomit at the sight of it, but hidden behind the yummy avocado and crispy cracker, deeeeeeeelish!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I couldn't find the exact crackers that Linnea had (because she brought them from Sweden) but I used Trader Joe's Ak-Mak crackers which I think are just as good if not <i>better.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHisJExK2twDT9GcDkk6AGHu9TcTQ_wKfkCG93pYDqtGi3UmTQidc0YprEDqgWUSP5dYBbwxvo69Q2EoWWf-6QQW1ZMV_OjS0QsuxUpACNuib3q4tpzaJnDam2vURddVOUsLqFQJrEdo/s1600/2008_07_15-AkMak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHisJExK2twDT9GcDkk6AGHu9TcTQ_wKfkCG93pYDqtGi3UmTQidc0YprEDqgWUSP5dYBbwxvo69Q2EoWWf-6QQW1ZMV_OjS0QsuxUpACNuib3q4tpzaJnDam2vURddVOUsLqFQJrEdo/s320/2008_07_15-AkMak.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The sesame seeds give it a nutty flavor!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-86631068309381119852011-02-28T08:38:00.000-08:002011-02-28T08:38:04.826-08:00Coconut CreamerYou know those mornings when you wake up without an alarm clock? That was this morning for me. I was up and at 'em by 7:30am! I guess early nights lead to early mornings.<br />
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Because I had so much time on my hands, I brewed some coffee and paired it with my new So Delicious Coconut Creamer!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXLGsVrjXNsN9DKT2iARgH5VmnpWLrKxh9S2ml6JLIYon-sDLHEP-8BaHe9Kn2fHR2lHvk9d8YbAXRidmqG1Q1HHzwwtCr6Xs_oEYpSXcVVvyYEFqOimObQ2TUHAI2eGorUwYEudxkgA/s1600/soyde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXLGsVrjXNsN9DKT2iARgH5VmnpWLrKxh9S2ml6JLIYon-sDLHEP-8BaHe9Kn2fHR2lHvk9d8YbAXRidmqG1Q1HHzwwtCr6Xs_oEYpSXcVVvyYEFqOimObQ2TUHAI2eGorUwYEudxkgA/s320/soyde.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Last Friday, while browsing through Lazy Acres, I stumbled upon this lovely thing. I was desperately in need for coffee but was deciding whether or not to 1) refill my reusable mug at school for a buck (where I can pair my yummy vanilla nut coffee with hazelnut creamer 2) buy some a Starbucks for $0 because my dear old daddy gave me a gift card for Valentine's Day 3) Find a more healthy creamer at Lazy Acres so that I can stretch my buck in the long run.<br />
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I chose option 3! Mind you, I have <i>never </i>been into half and half or creamers of any sort. I think the only time I'd ever used them was at your house when your mom bought those yummy flavors. Now I'm a little addicted to the hazelnut taste. This creamer is amazing! Its only 20 calories, 0g of fat, and 4g of sugar (the sugar part is evaporated cane juice). Miracle creamer, right?!<br />
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Well, I'm off to school. Happy monday to all, and to all a good day!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-60594064999796696202011-02-27T21:33:00.000-08:002011-02-27T21:49:49.312-08:00Happy Oscar Sunday!I'm making my official statement here. Step aside James and Anne, I will be hosting the 2018 Oscars with Ashton Kutcher.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr8fex6Y8ZfrqhuTHs19BvOiBa5_EHseAtHhY5IAWoL6AzK6p71jyFCM3pmTrqINzKhTtdzxoNkQ_YA9nDTZg7WBZADSgqyjQXOe41N1FRctD0LdLvMN_721HsftAPP748zqR50iNJq8/s1600/oscar4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr8fex6Y8ZfrqhuTHs19BvOiBa5_EHseAtHhY5IAWoL6AzK6p71jyFCM3pmTrqINzKhTtdzxoNkQ_YA9nDTZg7WBZADSgqyjQXOe41N1FRctD0LdLvMN_721HsftAPP748zqR50iNJq8/s320/oscar4.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's the Oscar I'm going to win as well. I figure I might as well throw that one in there. <i>The Secret</i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Anyways, this morning Meredith and I woke up and had a inkling to actually <i>do</i> something. I suggested a powerwalk to the ocean but she wasn't buying it. We settled on a hike to Hot Springs. We'll have to hike this when you come visit. It's in Montecito behind all of these enormous houses. I'm talkin' BIG BUCKS! Meredith and I (in our Desperate Housewives phase) decided that we're going to buy houses here someday and become the real life Susan and Gabby. We're also looking for a Brie to pop on over once and a while and bring us homemade muffins and baked goods. Contact me if you know anyone who would be willing to take us up on the offer. We pay in smiles and hugs :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCTNjLAQ5zuOgoLu8SDiD69EzFKoU1BJ7TjyyvR834io-3KbjAACmekksPRBCdK6AGXxs95Ic55XRw81Hvxwn0dBCTpb6yJz_PYKb4iGPk7HgLHEDibY39numX50D7aO9_0-C4zv15HU/s1600/hot+springs+trail+050b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCTNjLAQ5zuOgoLu8SDiD69EzFKoU1BJ7TjyyvR834io-3KbjAACmekksPRBCdK6AGXxs95Ic55XRw81Hvxwn0dBCTpb6yJz_PYKb4iGPk7HgLHEDibY39numX50D7aO9_0-C4zv15HU/s320/hot+springs+trail+050b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
After our excursion, we drove by Oprah's to say wussup. Unfortunately, she wasn't home. She was getting ready for the Oscars or whatever... obviously someone needs to get her priorities in check. <br />
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To my dismay, I was unable to watch tonight's Oscars. It was KILLING me. I finally found a place to watch it at 7, but it wasn't the same catching it half way through. I'll just have to watch my DVRed show when I get back to Sac. On the bright side, I watched it at my friends Lauren and Madison's place (the 2 girls a couple doors down who are from El Dorado Hills). Their friend from USC was over for her birthday weekend and she seemed really nice. She actually reminded me of someone but I can't quite put my finger on who... I'm sure it'll come to me. BUT Lauren's mom brought her homemade cookie dough last weekend, so she popped that baby in the over and made some fresh, warm cookies. I'd say that semi makes up for the 4 week delay on my Oscar-viewing night.<br />
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Have a fantastic week!!!<br />
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PUSS :*<br />
(I just learned that means "kiss" in Swedish)<br />
Random Fact of Knowledge: When Swede's text, skype, ichat, etc, they always end with "puss". Apparently it's their more often used version of our "xoxo".</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-64748494792293525522011-02-26T17:33:00.000-08:002011-02-26T17:33:09.163-08:00Never Say NeverYup, I saw it! I have no shame. <i>Never Say Never</i> was surprisingly reallllllly good. I'd see it again fosho. I loved "Justice Beaver" (quoted from the last episode of The Office) last year but after he became overexposed, I fell off the bandwagon. After seeing this movie, I've definitely rekindled my crush for the Biebs.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXQ5ENhjK7nos8awZbr_j8su0leStTjnk2g4qRThNTBdU-fEFLNWoVaJoxQCrNY8lfiHyiUqn2BPb8iINS4R2gUqykryEfUoN8M34K-H2qrMY3VqRtJHbRkJRoexGyoa7xqzJmmg4l6k/s1600/Justin-Bieber-Never-Say-Never-Movie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMXQ5ENhjK7nos8awZbr_j8su0leStTjnk2g4qRThNTBdU-fEFLNWoVaJoxQCrNY8lfiHyiUqn2BPb8iINS4R2gUqykryEfUoN8M34K-H2qrMY3VqRtJHbRkJRoexGyoa7xqzJmmg4l6k/s320/Justin-Bieber-Never-Say-Never-Movie.jpeg" width="258" /></a></div><br />
I'll stop talking about him while I'm ahead though because I know there's a large number of people out there (you included) who think he's a waste of space. So on that note, let me tell you about my life...<br />
<br />
This past week has been full of tests, midterms, essays, and other unpleasant things. When Thursday finally rolled around, I was about ready to keel over and cry. Every day this week, I brought a ThinkThin bar to school as part of my lunch. I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious they were! So far, I've tried the Creamy PB (my personal fav), Chocolate Mudslide, and Lemon Bar. These babies have an amazing amount of protein with no sugar. Paired with my vanilla nut coffee with hazelnut creamer at school makes for a very affordable and portable lunch! After school on Thursday, I made my way over to Whole Foods to restock on my new beloved bars. They were on sale for 4 for $5 and since they change their specials on Fridays (is it sad that I know that?) I stopped by on my way home from school. While checking out, the cashier lady told me that if I bought 10 bars, I'd get 10% off! It was my lucky day! In case you were wondering, thats 10 ThinkThin bars for $11.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWvHzR9FHqcPtJp-mgZuXJOIoHbwPl75sM3QvC9MX-cYJIRYsREzc_C-V_K1b3iLrzeOxl6qJ7VfLbuGs8VS1cPoVanpbyRnhPob2Y7vzsUl_VmfmSR3LRnYXQwKrWhvgPj_venjw_qw/s1600/whole+foods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWvHzR9FHqcPtJp-mgZuXJOIoHbwPl75sM3QvC9MX-cYJIRYsREzc_C-V_K1b3iLrzeOxl6qJ7VfLbuGs8VS1cPoVanpbyRnhPob2Y7vzsUl_VmfmSR3LRnYXQwKrWhvgPj_venjw_qw/s320/whole+foods.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is my adorable (and TINY) Whole Foods. Surprising, there's only one in SB!</div><br />
Thursday night also consisted of <i>special </i>yummy caramel brownies made by Momma Trevor. Yes, Trevor's mommy baked these babies. Yeah, I thought that was weird too.... but these brownies were OUT OF THIS WORLD. Honestly, I couldn't taste any <i>special</i> ingredients in them whatsoever. The next 24 hours were pretty much a blur but I remember it being a pretty funny blur. <br />
<br />
That leads me back to today. This morning I woke up and it had finally stopped raining. It has been pouring cats, dogs, chickens, and goats all throughout Thursday and Friday. Fortunately, this morning was bright and sunny so I hopped in my Prius and headed to State Street! I roamed around for a bit, bought a nice big froyo, and ended up settling in the Metro 4 movie theater (one of the cute old fashioned ones) for <i>Never Say Never</i>. After my movie, I picked up Chipotle for lunner, which I had been craving, and headed back to Isla Vista. I can tell it's about to downpour in the near future. There are unpromising grey clouds hurdling towards us from over the mountains. Eeeep! Movie night again? I think so!!!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-4356649360500263082011-02-19T20:05:00.000-08:002011-02-27T21:35:30.321-08:00Pot PieToday was such a stormy, gloomy day... I loved it! We actually just had a tornado warning (I feel like that's a little dramatic though). <br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Days like these make me want to </div><div><br />
</div><div>1) Sleep in</div><div><br />
</div><div>2) Light yummy candles</div><div><br />
</div><div>3) Watch Desperate Housewives all day long from under my fluffy down blanket</div><div><br />
</div><div>4) Make something warm and delicious for dinner</div><div><br />
</div><div>so that's <i>just </i>what I did!</div><div><br />
</div><div>I bought a chicken pot pie from Trader Joe's yesterday. I've been craving one since before winter break and I felt like the February showers were my last chance at having one. </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWU5RV_zN4M7QKb8GzSjK0hAcDzr8AyvEaF21oa3ANVi3onrX96yZ6Mgo68TmeGrTESdBcgQVImGuPXYk-FIxSpkflE_gof2OkB42bLk8cJwWXNftBAPAmk7K-iJYNXVTEhqJFEjwJEXY/s1600/dsc_0461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWU5RV_zN4M7QKb8GzSjK0hAcDzr8AyvEaF21oa3ANVi3onrX96yZ6Mgo68TmeGrTESdBcgQVImGuPXYk-FIxSpkflE_gof2OkB42bLk8cJwWXNftBAPAmk7K-iJYNXVTEhqJFEjwJEXY/s320/dsc_0461.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">It was just what I needed :P</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-83723961024421512222011-02-13T21:25:00.000-08:002011-02-13T21:25:28.383-08:00Copious Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday was the most beautiful, sunny, warm day! After tanning for an hour, I was sweating like a pig! Today, on the other hand, was a bit breezy and cool. I don't know what happened! I guess I'll take that one up with Mother Nature.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXmXr3DIC6zVumnoTMPG097QPSwqHwSjEZDmDTRn_MtN5bl8UGb4xfg4mNu9P5AUNXrm95MXMM76_YrTCp_Qbql7gnGIZ1xjzCi11vydaUyvlF6lixy5KOIx6-I1MJ0JN4bcynQTPFfE/s1600/poolside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXmXr3DIC6zVumnoTMPG097QPSwqHwSjEZDmDTRn_MtN5bl8UGb4xfg4mNu9P5AUNXrm95MXMM76_YrTCp_Qbql7gnGIZ1xjzCi11vydaUyvlF6lixy5KOIx6-I1MJ0JN4bcynQTPFfE/s320/poolside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday was so nice, Meredith and I decided to have people over for a evening BBQ! So much fun! We had hot dogs, turkey dogs, burgers, and chips and salsa. Couldn't have asked for a better menu. Meredith also made cupcakes for John's birthday. Funfetti ON funfetti! Basically, it was a party in a cupcake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPkWCA7HVB-4JbuTovI9VuFeG6YjN1qIW9ypHJfWxTQLcxiqtkITH4O7jxOiZGGlPK7k9-1NzvWiv1yBXbJ-6HJVMVXdkuTcIFrM_g-e9goV6eZuCvFgUPEY8FPTdiSuYg_M_kPli_w8/s1600/cupcake1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPkWCA7HVB-4JbuTovI9VuFeG6YjN1qIW9ypHJfWxTQLcxiqtkITH4O7jxOiZGGlPK7k9-1NzvWiv1yBXbJ-6HJVMVXdkuTcIFrM_g-e9goV6eZuCvFgUPEY8FPTdiSuYg_M_kPli_w8/s320/cupcake1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This amazing cupcake sparked my craving for <i>more</i> cupcakes; fortunately, I wasn't craving for too long.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rkrU751RattAuitRvWwTO4j-AcBeENvq2f9tMK2TtZ5WQKZFxcm6-yboBfl24wqQU-tY5UePCQTAgEMD3YwDdM3QFdGyDk3CnsFsdyN1mfeLwybmIDuh9gjZP_qW2PzzvWSdm2X8mhI/s1600/cupcake2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rkrU751RattAuitRvWwTO4j-AcBeENvq2f9tMK2TtZ5WQKZFxcm6-yboBfl24wqQU-tY5UePCQTAgEMD3YwDdM3QFdGyDk3CnsFsdyN1mfeLwybmIDuh9gjZP_qW2PzzvWSdm2X8mhI/s320/cupcake2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Linnea, my Swede friend sent from Heaven, knocked on my door with a smile and cupcake in hand. She had been baking for Valentine's Day! What a <i>saint</i>!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YxzPefJlyQiOv-RKVKwAQXAAFT7Rx8U_vnxpMciwJExSC5wCW22yBqiEPw_2zY6H6Luzf_jMK0xqfTzRbfN69WkplhAv0zXE_2A6v40Aqq5SmkSPeZZtXspcNJe848QXSRGZaYVa4-A/s1600/cereal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YxzPefJlyQiOv-RKVKwAQXAAFT7Rx8U_vnxpMciwJExSC5wCW22yBqiEPw_2zY6H6Luzf_jMK0xqfTzRbfN69WkplhAv0zXE_2A6v40Aqq5SmkSPeZZtXspcNJe848QXSRGZaYVa4-A/s320/cereal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, lately I've had an obsession with cereal. Even MORE than usual (which is a scary amount). I've gone through boxes and boxes of Kashi Go Lean Crunch! I eat it every single morning with half a banana and Trader Joe's vanilla soy milk. I'm still not sick of it in the slightest!</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-23375156201909606682011-02-12T09:40:00.000-08:002011-02-12T09:42:41.457-08:00Just Go With It<div>Does the title remind anyone else of Anthony Hernandez??? That's the first thing that comes to my mind. "Just... just go with it..." hahaha</div><div><br />
</div>After a long week, Meredith and I decided to go out for a movie date night! There are a ton of cute, old movie theaters on State Street downtown. We found one that was playing J<i>ust Go With It</i> with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. Sooooo funny! I would really recommend everyone to go see it! We didn't go in with very high expectations. I mean, it was an Adam Sandler movie, but i'd actually rate it right up there with 50 First Dates! Loved it!!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVezyaKuyjYOgv6sgTF5loaoEz-Dzxah5gdYZWY90jx2BxPwc2yzp8rRbBt4rtAwCYswcxrOhvzsAeNPKp86ZADJNO1kfDsQW-ckUgPJ_lGXJlbURzAtL_d0tTO0G1NqS6trsppsnkD4E/s1600/just-go-with-it-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVezyaKuyjYOgv6sgTF5loaoEz-Dzxah5gdYZWY90jx2BxPwc2yzp8rRbBt4rtAwCYswcxrOhvzsAeNPKp86ZADJNO1kfDsQW-ckUgPJ_lGXJlbURzAtL_d0tTO0G1NqS6trsppsnkD4E/s320/just-go-with-it-poster.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div>Now let's rewind a second... before the movie started, I made a point to head over to Yogurtland aka the most delicious and cheap froyo there is in Santa Barbara!!! </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EBDOhaYl5Re1qHvY7UFPsOI56uOdAH1bS6N9BlA8ea_BjDBsqqqMCrEW9zfdScLf7YBXgwRF_FTLCTpaMm0sS3pAN5lanlk5VZuG9uEXD6N6ECDv0IeqGA7lfkjJ24NpStfyIutSURc/s1600/yogurtland-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EBDOhaYl5Re1qHvY7UFPsOI56uOdAH1bS6N9BlA8ea_BjDBsqqqMCrEW9zfdScLf7YBXgwRF_FTLCTpaMm0sS3pAN5lanlk5VZuG9uEXD6N6ECDv0IeqGA7lfkjJ24NpStfyIutSURc/s1600/yogurtland-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got this amazing new Acai flavor they had and topped it with a "Devlin" load (to understand this joke you must watch <i>Just Go With It</i>) of granola, almonds, and peanuts! This is VERY Untypical-Lauren. Usually, I get cake batter or cookies and cream and top it off with snickers, oreos, reeses, cookie dough, and other candy I find, but this place is just too good for that. Let me also point out that I filled an ENTIRE container or yogurt and toppings and it cost me $3.11. That's absolutely ridiculous considering how much stuff I piled in there!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After leaving with my yogurt, I stuffed it in my purse, and smuggled it into the movies :) $3.11 froyo < $10 popcorn. Way to keep it economical!</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-80538744615852451202011-02-11T16:15:00.000-08:002011-02-11T18:13:37.624-08:00Hello: My Name Is Mr. HecklesThe boys upstairs were SOOOO noisy last night!!! They were yelling, running, and I'm pretty sure skateboarding above us. NOT COOL! By 2am, we took out the ol' broom and gave them a taste of their own medicine (or an ear-full of their own medicine? hardy har har). By the time 3am rolled around, Meredith stormed outside, shouted profane things at them, and threatened to call the cops if they didn't shut up. If I wasn't so annoyed and cranky, it would have been really funny! I definitely felt a little <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGVq95gWGeA&feature=related">Heckles</a> come out in me.<br />
<br />
After boxing this morning I headed over to Trader Joe's (this is becoming quite the routine... I love it!) It makes me feel so adult. It's weird that in my spare time and days off from school now, I run <i>errands</i>, <i>get gas</i>, <i>pay my bills</i>, <i>write scripts</i> (ok, that parts actually pretty awesome).<br />
<br />
The last thing on my list at TJ's was to picked up a snacky. I decided that after a weeks worth of homemade meals and cooking, it was time to let somebody else make my food; since Mom wasn't here, it was time to consult Joe, Trader Joe. I picked up a scrumdiddlyumptious wrap Vietnamese Chicken Wrap.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJZEtb6Yp-YtGf2tJMtANftP-OhAiCiUjy4maCIBNzwmJH5rgvLCCyepnkcvxGivhfpVenfq7-pRgY5U4qnqPonRP5G2vs6EStQjpIG6OIGUL5da2uv8fqpxpalsczXl97B4u19UYPCs/s1600/6a00d8341ef22f53ef0120a4e1fe6c970b-500pi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJZEtb6Yp-YtGf2tJMtANftP-OhAiCiUjy4maCIBNzwmJH5rgvLCCyepnkcvxGivhfpVenfq7-pRgY5U4qnqPonRP5G2vs6EStQjpIG6OIGUL5da2uv8fqpxpalsczXl97B4u19UYPCs/s320/6a00d8341ef22f53ef0120a4e1fe6c970b-500pi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Yes, it was delicious. Yes, I planned to only eat half but ate the entire thing. Twas berry berry good for something you just find in the refrigerated section!<br />
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PS 1 month countdown until you visit!!!!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-25142306376162403782011-02-06T19:54:00.000-08:002011-02-06T19:54:08.867-08:00Superbowl Hullabaloo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday I got all fancy shmancy on myself and made a lunch inspired by the Swedes. Meatballs!!! Turkey meatballs from Trader Joe's to be exact. I sauted mushrooms in some olive oil, added in fresh spinach and meatballs, mixed in some tomato basil sauce, and topped it off with basil and half an avocado! I'll be honest, the only reason why I was inspired to make this dish was because I needed to clean out the fridge so my food didn't go bad. My parents would be so proud.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvN5IiNC1gcEynVLIn1LqgGeOjri0tcj82E8jL1j1GGhsMuStO78exW__WasUBMSoxsvzBj8pem-C8W8gNowd5A084hf52UuFHYWS8FRlvrpT2bMjdWygvIIBOs71HgkifLBsC_IG0yxA/s1600/meatballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvN5IiNC1gcEynVLIn1LqgGeOjri0tcj82E8jL1j1GGhsMuStO78exW__WasUBMSoxsvzBj8pem-C8W8gNowd5A084hf52UuFHYWS8FRlvrpT2bMjdWygvIIBOs71HgkifLBsC_IG0yxA/s320/meatballs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yummy yummy in my tummy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today was a soup-for-breakfast kind of morning. I made a soup inspired by yo mama. I used low sodium vegetable broth, stirred in rice noodles (the ones I bought at the Chinese store), mixed in corn and tofu, and VOILA! It was lacking a little flava flave though so I topped it off with some seaweed rice seasoning. Deeeelish!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvN5IiNC1gcEynVLIn1LqgGeOjri0tcj82E8jL1j1GGhsMuStO78exW__WasUBMSoxsvzBj8pem-C8W8gNowd5A084hf52UuFHYWS8FRlvrpT2bMjdWygvIIBOs71HgkifLBsC_IG0yxA/s1600/meatballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZXUzdNZrI5lWNevoht0q3S2RhEiae8aHUmStZkNjsgZUY2QDS7FHh4cx6jNVu2_cSX_zsYRAafHHnCEQqVqaRromCGZVmys6JxE2K40Ul51Tv38IxFGNgkQyxmZpHYXDB8zNwTgueQE/s1600/soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZXUzdNZrI5lWNevoht0q3S2RhEiae8aHUmStZkNjsgZUY2QDS7FHh4cx6jNVu2_cSX_zsYRAafHHnCEQqVqaRromCGZVmys6JxE2K40Ul51Tv38IxFGNgkQyxmZpHYXDB8zNwTgueQE/s320/soup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since this post seems to be based primarily around food, let me continue with tonights dessert. Because it was the Superbowl and you were flaunting your feast all day long, I felt the needed to step it up tonight. This plan lead me to Costco where I got vanilla/chocolate mix soft serve. This stuff reminds me of what you get when you go to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. So rich and fluffy! (and less than $1.50 with tax! Shout out to Costco! Holllllaaaa!)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8cux5BgSVE7hjZ1gdaNYfZI3wosNN3T5D1x8i84Svbqf_JK2NB5gVxs0att-PcblQpsJ0-f5u7_QjU4BB1uH6aXi-vOHTqGk_O1WtXGgISEjzazcouQrZH8IgahRqWL1D5TdBqHAFdA/s1600/soft+serve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ8cux5BgSVE7hjZ1gdaNYfZI3wosNN3T5D1x8i84Svbqf_JK2NB5gVxs0att-PcblQpsJ0-f5u7_QjU4BB1uH6aXi-vOHTqGk_O1WtXGgISEjzazcouQrZH8IgahRqWL1D5TdBqHAFdA/s320/soft+serve.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Now I'm watching Brothers & Sisters. I'm sick sick sickkkk of homework. I wish I were watching GLEEEEEE! I'll have to wait until tomorrow when it's on Hulu.<br />
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PS Did I mention how jealous I am of all the amazing food you ate today? Corndogs, eclaires, a quesadilla, and oreo brownies. Napoleon Dynamite said it best... "Luckkkkkyyyyyyyyyy!"Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-33170448801674339802011-02-05T09:59:00.000-08:002011-02-05T11:20:17.765-08:00Uncle JemimaYes, yes I know. I've completely failed at life. I haven't blogged in ages but let me try to make it up.<br />
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Throughout this past week, after school, I've been heading down to the beach, plopping my butt down at a picnic table, and doing my homework. The breeze usually starts kickin' in at 4:30 and it gets a little chilly but I usually stick it out until 5.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3tDWuqxyMcQYOTtZJzFVqTGI7rdebpu4pDwh0qddoptwOK-0-1pccmbxL9YrI_aTg01P9TKNs4nK6UFPeVH062xhcvF0X7kcA3cdecE17pNErgMX5spKnOUZkvKx_sQDodgAbcy4aLM/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3tDWuqxyMcQYOTtZJzFVqTGI7rdebpu4pDwh0qddoptwOK-0-1pccmbxL9YrI_aTg01P9TKNs4nK6UFPeVH062xhcvF0X7kcA3cdecE17pNErgMX5spKnOUZkvKx_sQDodgAbcy4aLM/s320/beach.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Did I mention, this is where I park every day too? Not too shabby for Lauren!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Yesterday morning I ran out of my good old Kashi Go Lean Crunch AND my bananas! Was it the apocalypse?! I thought so! I ended up making something pretty delicious in spite of the traumatic start to my morning. I toasted an EarthGrain sandwich thin, spread a layer of avocado on each side, and topped it off with egg whites and spinach. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv442MYnFOEt8T6G6MXZtXH8v6LQgwXt21EKwJ3cvua0FzMUp6Z3bbkaFWJDwUuB2Fk2O2m0b7jd72tz3RtT_jwTMRlp6zHdOGUdN12BGnqxLf8ed48K5a5zEn86ld5DHQC5IT0n2kLak/s1600/egg+avo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv442MYnFOEt8T6G6MXZtXH8v6LQgwXt21EKwJ3cvua0FzMUp6Z3bbkaFWJDwUuB2Fk2O2m0b7jd72tz3RtT_jwTMRlp6zHdOGUdN12BGnqxLf8ed48K5a5zEn86ld5DHQC5IT0n2kLak/s320/egg+avo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">After breakfast I headed out to my Friday class, Cardio Boxing. I am in love with this class. It's so intense and not only awesome cardio, but my arms and legs are actually sore too! It's seriously the wonder workout. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Last night was a pretty relaxing night. I watched Brothers & Sisters (amazing show!!!) and bought a box of mini Breyer's ice cream filled cookies. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6YFS9pTmpNfkNaPvYGJcaLHOEdxSKqoFOQL9nAs1eN2uEIQbLcwtm-DZN1VyvLFdwUmIz1WWJJqfUpenQHN8K4r59buo_kvHU5htGd7Xasrhz90raw9F_WQN4m3lY6Afo0oh81dE8y8/s1600/breyers_snd_cookie-dough_ics3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6YFS9pTmpNfkNaPvYGJcaLHOEdxSKqoFOQL9nAs1eN2uEIQbLcwtm-DZN1VyvLFdwUmIz1WWJJqfUpenQHN8K4r59buo_kvHU5htGd7Xasrhz90raw9F_WQN4m3lY6Afo0oh81dE8y8/s1600/breyers_snd_cookie-dough_ics3.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OhuY5DegfkVKixK8ZLsSEvRNTDe1Z_MuFwaepj6e5_wJ_AnPwPNXm-umojvNbB3bnCTuklxa-rXFJaDShUABM549ZNVubY3Gjv_yuFpt1YGvs36vb2Kfq_2vf2KRhi_e6IDSsorN5CA/s1600/breyers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OhuY5DegfkVKixK8ZLsSEvRNTDe1Z_MuFwaepj6e5_wJ_AnPwPNXm-umojvNbB3bnCTuklxa-rXFJaDShUABM549ZNVubY3Gjv_yuFpt1YGvs36vb2Kfq_2vf2KRhi_e6IDSsorN5CA/s1600/breyers.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">These ones to be exact!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh man. I used to ALWAYS buy those Nestle Toll House ice cream cookies at the movie theater. Popcorn? Candy? No way, ice cream cookies are ALWAYS the way to go! These were equally as delicious and definitely a better serving size. Let's be honest, if I open something, serving sizes go right out of the window. I'm going to finnish the entire thing. I may have actually eaten 2 too many of these babies but I really don't even care. Completely worth it. Plus, after a week of working out and actually following a "portion size rule" I think I deserved it!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This morning, I woke up and was reading a blogger's post about oatmeal. Ding Ding! I want oatmeal! Instead of oatmeal, I actually tried Cream of Wheat. I hear great things about it so I figured I'd give it a go! I have heard that it's a creamier version of oatmeal; can't go wrong with that! Plus, with a male version of Aunt Jemima on the cover, I figured it was bound to be amazing. After heating it up, I added a dash of cinnamon, honey, and almond butter. It wasn't bad but it didn't exactly tickle my fancy. I would definitely eat it again but I'm more an "oaty" kind of girl. Cream of Wheat seemed a little more grainy. It's like rice to polenta.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPebKeQbmbCRDuXkX2AYrNZnJDwuNx5ZDNJbj1FHVUsc7_U6mosWIuYnBSGPvEp1toV79fPnt4SoqxCN3lgJaaK_jXjY66Xzf6KATR4X0f2H3J2Wzvm3KXPWEtnDfcLGFWxtB5XGRyOnQ/s1600/cream_of_wheat_chef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPebKeQbmbCRDuXkX2AYrNZnJDwuNx5ZDNJbj1FHVUsc7_U6mosWIuYnBSGPvEp1toV79fPnt4SoqxCN3lgJaaK_jXjY66Xzf6KATR4X0f2H3J2Wzvm3KXPWEtnDfcLGFWxtB5XGRyOnQ/s1600/cream_of_wheat_chef.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anywho, hope you have a fantastic weekend! Tonight's one of the last nights of the Film Festival and my film is debuting! Whoot whoot!</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8995131196433916932.post-70566821986164132062011-01-29T15:21:00.000-08:002011-01-29T15:21:55.799-08:00Baby, It's Warm Outside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today's lunch is....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMqnNspuVXYVXDMER0maV8eQLjwlffrFR3Knzb5Qt5lBNeQQKWNQv2CbhdRX3gCikfl4GJQt87ZzGjhJB5aR8QtSp4J8Hl3c1ScGdos4Jb0NBULELZg4eNxws7_2RbkX33gHI_Rb_mYA/s1600/far.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMqnNspuVXYVXDMER0maV8eQLjwlffrFR3Knzb5Qt5lBNeQQKWNQv2CbhdRX3gCikfl4GJQt87ZzGjhJB5aR8QtSp4J8Hl3c1ScGdos4Jb0NBULELZg4eNxws7_2RbkX33gHI_Rb_mYA/s320/far.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But we'll get to that a little later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Guess what! It's happening. My friend Adam is working the SB International Film Festival and gave me pass to get in free tonight! Gotta love having the hook ups. Tonight's big appearances? Seth Rogen and James Franco. I've been helping Linnea come up with questions to ask people on the red carpet for the past few hours so I could probably win a Seth and James themed game of Jeopardy.<br />
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Other than tonight, today has been filled with homework, homework, and more homework. I don't know if it's because I'm trying to be a studious student this semester or because my classes are just hard but no one else that I talk to seems to have any homework! Lame! Fortunately, I love my classes so I don't mind the excess work.<br />
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I hear that it's in the 40s in Sacramento. Brrrrr. I lied by the pool and tanned while reading my textbook today. I don't think I got a lot tanner but at least it felt nice!<br />
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Lunch today was another creation inspired by you! Quinoa topped with grilled chicken, a scoop of Trader Joe's marinated bean mix and avocado. THIS was deeeeelish! Much better than yesterday's endeavor.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpVuRTwZGAeYwuC8UKbs0OOkU2PhMztgQHoTr2z014Mnj_uE4BUw8lV2QktdB6a-DrxQOcvsyf8q-1akVT47_IQGrOIwk2EI0Uq5aG2tihjEZ6xqr0mojhjlT0GdQyI2dUuE2LZ__mx0/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpVuRTwZGAeYwuC8UKbs0OOkU2PhMztgQHoTr2z014Mnj_uE4BUw8lV2QktdB6a-DrxQOcvsyf8q-1akVT47_IQGrOIwk2EI0Uq5aG2tihjEZ6xqr0mojhjlT0GdQyI2dUuE2LZ__mx0/s320/close.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05692941966971546336noreply@blogger.com3