The Big Bday Recap, Pt 1

Happy Monday lovelies!  I hope you spent your weekend being productive, relaxing, and spending time with the ones you love. 

For those who missed it, I turned 24 last week (Tuesday, to be exact)!  I spent the entire week celebrating, starting with Worcester VegFest and ending with a night out with my girls.  I can hands down say that this was the best birthday ever!  Thank you to everyone for your well wishes and for coming out and celebrating with me. 

Last Sunday (April 15) was the Worcester VegFest.  Think great food, great company, and an absolutely awesome photographer. 

I should be professional photographed all the time, no? 

I met T. Colin Campbell, bought some awesome gear, saw old friends, made new ones, and ran into this other (awesome) girl named Kaitlyn who also lives in Worcester.  The beau enjoyed every second and there was lively conversation all around.  I, admittedly, was a bad food blogger and have no pictures but will happily fill you in on my newly discovered obsessions.

I have a confession to make: I think Daiya tastes like plastic.  These Shreds on the other hand…to-die-for.  You can bet I’ll be doing a giveaway with those soon!  I’ve sent e-mails to all my local natural grocers (and by local I mean those local to me currently in MA, those soon-to-be-local to me in CT, and those kinda-soon-to-be-local to me in Baltimore).  They are the closest thing to real cheese that I have ever tried and I am so excited to make Averie’s Mango Basil Personal-Sized Tortilla Pizzas.  Especially since this guy was one of my bday gifts:

Yes that is pizza stone you see…

My love for Theo runs so obviously deeply that they asked me to be the rep at the CT VegFest this upcoming weekend.  Unfortunately, I’m a busy Passion Diva and have not one but two parties to do.  <–Like that’s a bad thing?!  Plus there’s that pesky little thing called moving.  Ugh.  Anyway this is new bar and it was outstanding!  Nice and dark with a little saltiness to calm even the most angry/tearful/frustrated/etc/etc/etc PMS-er.

Ok so I admit: these kind of suck.  They don’t do a good job of grabbing on to things but at the end of the day I’m still happy I invested in them.  Its an easy and cute solution to remaining sustainable while eating on the go.  And it comes with chop sticks.  Need I say more?

Monday was Patriot’s Day aka Marathon Monday aka a day off.  <–I’m going to miss this random MA holiday!  It also happened to be warm (hot?) and sunny and perfect.  I relaxed and cooked and started packing and went to yoga and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

April Adventures, Weeks 1 and 2

You might have noticed a new addition to the sidebar.  No, not yet?  That’s ok, I can wait while you peek.

What the heck are Adventurous April pants?  Well let me tell you!  Back at the beginning of the month, the lovely Janetha challenged us to go out of our comfort zones and get Adventurous in April by trying at least one new thing every week.  I read her post after returning from Baltimore and discovered that I had already started down this path with a number of my food purchases. Like two pounds of Brussels Sprouts…

 

…and these awesome products:

 

Clockwise from top left: Trader Joe’s corn pasta, Zima Tomatoes, lots of beer samples the night before Easter, my new fave drink, and my first attempt at growing my own food.  Not pictured: Justin’s Chocolate PB and Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas <–obsessed!

In addition, after three years, I finally signed up for Zumba teacher training.  I tried new recipes, as always, and started taking probiotics.  I reunited with my long-lost love, overnight oats, which served as the perfect vehicle to spoonanother new food into my mouth:

Nutella…its been nice knowing you.  But its officially over.  No no…its not you, its me.  I swear.   

I have a couple of big adventures coming up this week in honor of my birthday week.  <–yes I’m that friend of yours who spends the week celebrating.  I frigging LOVE my bday!  You’ll have to wait to hear about those, but I promise they’ll be juicy.  Tehehe

Have you had any new Adventures recently? Do you enjoy going out of your comfort zone?

Have a wonderful weekend.

Yoga/beauty/life,

Kait xo

Looking Forward: Kitchen Edition

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In case you haven’t heard, I’m moving to Baltimore in less than 4 months.

I’m all sorts of excited and terrified.  It means I will quit my job (which I’ve outgrown), leave my current apartment (my first…and you always will have fond memories of your first, right?! ), move away from my family, and go back to school.  It also means I get to move closer to other friends and have the opportunity to experiment with a whole host of new thing.  Shockingly, many of these experiments will occur in the kitchen.

Since I love making lists (I pretend like they actually help me get stuff done) here, presented in no particular order, are the Top 10 hings I’m Looking Forward to Experimenting with in My Baltimore Kitchen:

1. Crock Pot cooking.  This is a skill I will need to develop but cannot wait to try recipes like this and this.
2. Non-stick cookware.  I love using stainless steel now that I’ve learned how but it does take longer to clean.  Since saving time will likely be of the utmost importance, being able to wash and go will be a beautiful thing.  I intend on investing in these.
3. Using a rice cooker.  Another make-my-life-easier appliance.
4. Using my George Foreman again.  There will be many a summer dinners of “grilled” veggies + tofu on top of salads.  Its easier + faster than turning on the stove.
5. Not having to share my kitchen.
6. Having newer appliances…including an oven that doesn’t take 20 minutes to boil water or run 15-30 degrees under.
7. Shopping at a year-round farmer’s markets.
8. Shopping at Costco.  There is one right on the outskirts of Baltimore (er…it looks like the outskirts to me!).  Nature’s Path cereal, MaraNatha almond butter, Alexia frozen fries, 13 lb bags of baking soda, bottles of spices (and pure vanilla extract), bananas and nuts galore!
9. Shopping at Glut.  Not technically in Baltimore, this amazing, fantastic, food-gasmic, life-changing co-op is high on my list of places to visit again and again.  Bulk everything including liquids + carob-covered amazingness + non-sulphered dried fruits at reasonable prices.  Because its a bit of a drive, I’ll probably do a stock-up monthly.
10. Exploring all of the awesome sauce veg and veg-friendly restaurants and cafes.  Look at this list of places within 5 miles of JHSPH.  *sigh*

I want to address the likely question of why I cannot use the items listed in numbers 1-4.  Depending on how much you’ve creeped this site, you may know that I share living space with this little menace.

Kaybird!

So the short answer to the question is because of Kaybird.  The long answer is this.  The chemicals released when non-stick coating is heated include some nasty buggers called PFTE and PFOA.  The safety of inhaling these in humans is currently being explored by the EPA.  While I don’t exactly entrust my safety to government agencies (see here) and nothing may come of it, the fact that they are examining it says something.

Nevertheless, it has long been known that inhalation of these chemicals by birds is fatal. While the jury is still out on the coating in rice cookers and crock pots, my roommate prefers that any and all non-stick coating be avoided.  Since I am in love with Kaybird (you thought I was going to say my roomie for a minute there, weren’t you?  creep.  tehehe), I’ve learned to cook with stainless steel and live without the other appliances.  This is fine but let me tell you…I really can’t wait to get perfect rice and meals that cook overnight or while I’m in class etc.

For more information on non-stick cookware, click here.

#6 is, of course, dependent on where I end up living but let’s just say, for now, that it looks promising.    Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I’m also eager to see how I’ll do sticking to a food budget. I apparently thrive on challenge!  Who knows….maybe I’ll end up teaching my fellow grad students a thing or two about saving $ while eating green.  I’d actually love that very much.  Caring is sharing, right?

Over the next couple of months I’ll be updating more about my move to Baltimore, my bucket list of experiences to have before leaving, etc.  I’m so excited to still be on an adrenaline rush to be walking with you into this next stage of my life!  I’ve already contacted other HLB members and made connections with friends and friends-of-friends in the area.  I’m heading down for the JHSPH Open House at the end of March and hopefully will find an apartment then.  I’m in get-it-done mode which is good for the move but not-so-good for current stuff (like, ya know, work and working out and all those other things that are important currently).  Don’t worry…you can expect to hear all about it!

Yoga/beauty/life,

Kait xo

Worcester Weekend Discoveries: Life Alive, Mezcal Finds, and More

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It was another (mostly) great weekend in the Woo.  I love finding new places or just exploring new experiences at well-loved places.  My goal when I moved here was to really get to know the city and everything it had to offer.  Luckily for me, that was one goal I found easy to keep!

Life Alive Urban Oasis & Organic Cafe, Lowell and Cambridge, MA

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When my good friend and Passion Parties sponsor Vanessa and I finally set a date to meet and catch-up, we first had to figure out where the halfway point between Worcester and east-you-know-what New Hampshire (I honestly can never remember the name but I know its out there…she told me so!).  Thankfully, she trusted me to pick the restaurant, something more and more friends are learning to do.  Love you guys!  Lo and behold, I discovered this gem.

I was drawn in not only by delish looking menu, but also by their beliefs and goals.  From the website: “Our mission is to feed the vitality of the world . We do this by providing healthy fantastic food for people on the go, while honoring and protecting our environment.” 

Yes please!

We spent about 20 minutes deciding what to order and just exploring the little place which was pleasantly packed in a city not really known for having a good “scene.”  We jammed to the live music, explored the different products available (essential oils, natural H&BC products, incense, etc), and asked a million questions about the food.  I cannot speak highly enough of the staff at Life Alive.  They answered our questions knowledgeably, patiently, and in detail.  It was clear that everyone there was passionate about the restaurant, its mission, and its food.

Turns out, Vanessa and I soon were too!

Warning: drooling may commence.

Thrive Alive juice and The Goddess warm meal

I ordered a taster plate of The Goddess and a Thrive Alive juice.  The former, ”a nurturing blend of smoked tofu, short grain brown rice, [lightly] steamed carrots, beets, broccoli, and dark greens surrounded by our zesty Ginger Nama Shoyu dressing” (source), is Life Alive’s signature dish so I knew I couldn’t pass it up.  I subbed quinoa for the brown rice, added garlic, and received kale as my dark greens.  I love eating cooked kale that someone else makes.  For some reason, I can never seem to get it as tender without getting it water logged.  #needasteamer

I soon discovered that the salad was, essentially, raw.  Thankfully I wasn’t kissing anyone later that night.  The kale was super tender and flavorful, the beets were delish and eating them lightly steamed was a totally new experience, and the dressing was a perfect balance of smooth and spicy.  I later discovered that the steaming is the only form of cooking used at Life Alive.  See my # above!

The juice contained beet, carrot, and apple.  I love this combination so much!  It is a bit earthy but since giving up most sugar, my taste buds have come to the point where it is pleasant-earthy rather than gag-me-earthy.  Beau started making beets in 2011 and we both became obsessed.  Preparing them, however, still intimidates me so I was super excited to get my beet on someone else’s time.  <–Yes I just made a corny joke. 

Next!

The Romantic

Nessa ordered The Romantic and a Superhero Alive juice.  The Romantic has “Hass Avocado (when available), shredded cheddar cheese, broccoli, garlic, nutritional yeast and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos all embraced in a soft whole wheat tortilla” (Source).  Her juice was made with carrot, apple, ginger, spirulina, cayenne, garlic, apple cider vinegar, honey, and water and had a bit of a kick at the end.  This also was to-die-for as we, obviously, exchanged bites of each others’ dishes.

I also bought a 1/2lb of their organic granola which is specially made for Life Alive, uses honey as the only sweetener, and is chock full of dried fruit.  It is amazing and I had to really think hard about my food budget to stop myself from buying it in super-duper bulk.

Perhaps my favorite part of Life Alive is how good I felt after.  I was so vitally energized and ready to go, a huge feat after working 10 hours in a windowless office.  In fact, some would say I was hyper, but those who know me best know better than that!    The feeling lasted during our bar stop and my entire hour drive home.  It was amazing.