Daily Eats ~ June 30th

Well, it's been a whole month since I started this blog! It flew by! Anyways, for anyone who is interested, here is my first blog post.

Breakfast:

I wanted to make a breakfast similar to one that I've gotten at a restaurant called Caravan of Dreams in the East Village. It's called "Angel Toast." Basically it's cinnamon toast topped with almond butter, fruit, and fruit preserves. In lieu of almond butter, I was going to use peanut butter, but I figured it would overwhelm the flavor of it, so all I would taste is peanut butter! So instead I took 2 slices of cinnamon toast (after burning the first 2 and throwing them away-- don't ask, but I was keeping Peanut out of trouble-- he is very feisty in the morning!), and I topped them with berries and a drizzle of maple syrup. I had a glass of Dole's Pineapple Orange juice with it. This was good, but of course, not nearly as good as the dish at the restaurant!

Peanut taking a quick morning nap in my lap...

Lunch:

I made 2 veggie cheese dogs by slicing 2 Tofu Pups down the middle, putting a sliced piece of american cheese in them and microwaving them in the buns for a few seconds. I had ketchup in a cup alongside and cut up 2 oranges to have with the pups! I also had a rainbow cookie after lunch (not pictured).

Snack:

I was going to try the new Pinkberry parfait that I was talking about the other day, but since I had a big lunch I figured I'd wait until tomorrow to have it. Instead I had a mini chocolate bar that I got at Fairway yesterday... their Fruit & Nuts Chocolate Bar. This was very good!

Peanut's Petite Cuisine's came from Amazon.com today, but he only seemed to be interested in chewing on the boxes that it came in! lol

Dinner:

I had an Amy's Baked Ziti Bowl for dinner (still can't believe it's vegan because the cheese tastes so real-- this bowl is a real winner!). I also had another rainbow cookie after dinner (not pictured).

Snack:

I had enough desserts/sweets today, so I decided to have something healthier. I had a WholeSoy & Co. vanilla yogurt with blueberries, strawberries, TJ's granola with almonds, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

(Oh, and I also had a 100 calorie Quaker Chocolate Chip Granola Bar that I got for free in Union Square the other day! Not pictured.)

I have really enjoyed blogging this past month and as always, I really appreciate your comments/feedback!

Daily Eats ~ June 29th

I can hardly believe it's been 2 whole months since we got Peanut, but it has! We got him on the evening of April 29th. In fact, the picture that's at the top of the blog was of baby Peanut taken that night! He's grown up so fast... although he's still very little!

I had a small breakfast because I'm going to the Upper West Side today and will probably be having lunch out (so stay tuned for that!).

Breakfast:

I had a slice of cinnamon swirl bread, topped with peanut butter, garnished with some blueberries. I also had an apple juice box with it.

Lunch:

I had lunch at Josie's West today. They're an organic restaurant, and have several locations in the city. I used to go to Josie's East all the time, since they were just up the block from where I used to live. I had never tried the one on the Upper West Side until today, that is...

I got their Organic Angel Hair Pomodoro. Unlike Candle 79, they gave me a HUGE portion. I only had around half-- or actually, less than half!

I was deliberately saving room for dessert, because I remember from Josie's East that their desserts are AMAZING. And I was not disappointed! I got their delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie! Holy moly this was good! And the amazing part is, despite it looking big, it was actually a very light dessert! I still didn't finish it, but I ate most of it and didn't feel too full afterwards.

Oh, and before I stopped in Josie's for lunch, I went to the amazing Fairway Market (which is actually just one block over from this restaurant). I have lived in Manhattan for over 2 years and have never been to Fairway! I'm glad I went though... I got some fabulous goodies, mainly lots of chocolate! Rainbow cookies, rare & imported chocolate bars, and I found... Vitabrownies! (which I have been dying to try and haven't been able to find anywhere). I got enough treats to last me all summer, so I'm sure you'll be seeing those goodies coming in my future blog posts!

Peanut sleeping on top of his carrier this afternoon.

Snack:

I had 3 rainbow cookies that I got from Fairway Market today. These were always my favorite cookies as a kid, and I haven't had them in ages, so when I spotted them today, I had to get them! (I will be sharing them with Mom though!)

Peanut checking out the cookies! He's at that curious stage where he sticks his nose in everything (literally!).

Dinner:

I wasn't in the mood for much... I probably ate too much already today! Anyways, I had an Amy's Tofu Scramble. Incredibly, Peanut seemed to really like it (I swear he's a veggie too-- he's so anti-meat! lol). I only let him have a bit, because cats aren't supposed to have things with onions and other spices in them... I don't know where he gets his taste buds from! lol

Dessert:

Ok, technically this is my THIRD dessert today, but I had to try one of the Vitabrownies that I got! I topped it with a bit of Nutella, and had it with whipped cream and berries. I think out of all the "Vita" products, this is my favorite one yet! :)

Since it was 2 months ago tonight that I got Peanut, I decided to post some more pictures from that night... (excuse my feet in the first pic, but I had just gotten out of the shower and had the baby to take care of! :)

Daily Eats ~ June 28th

I hope everyone is having a good weekend... I'm just going to be running some errands today (including getting more food for Peanut). He has some Petite Cuisine's coming from Amazon.com this week, but I'm afraid he'll run out before they get here! Anyways, on to...

Breakfast:

I made my last 2 Van's Pancakes, topped them with a bunch of fresh blueberries, dollops of whipped cream, and a drizzle of TJ's maple syrup. I also had a glass of OJ with it (not pictured).

Lunch:

I had an Amy's Tofu Scramble in a Pocket Sandwich along with a Mott's Peach Medley apple sauce.

As usual, Peanut came running as soon as he heard me open the applesauce! This is his favorite for some reason.

Snack:

I didn't really have one today, because I was planning on trying the new Pinkberry yogurt parfait, but the line was out the door (mainly because I live in Greenwich Village and today is the "Gay Pride" parade). So instead I came home and added a Special K Pink Lemonade Protein Water Mix into my Poland Spring water.

I was still really hungry, so I had a handful of Blue Diamond Cinnamon Brown Sugar almonds!

(These are my favorite and really good for you too!)

Dinner:

I had 2 Tofu Pups in buns (with ketchup for dipping) with Annie's single serve mac & cheese, and I added in a packet of Birds Eye Steamfresh single serve peas.

(Couldn't finish the buns though.)

Dessert:

I got a box of Glenny's 100 calorie chocolate chip brownies and a new jar of Nutella today! So I figured, why not combine the two?! I warmed up one of the brownies in the microwave, topped with Nutella, and sliced a strawberry to go with it. Yum!

Peanut sleeping with "Pellet" the beanie baby. I think he thinks it's one of his siblings. :)

Instead of making a mention about Peanut's sister on every post, I decided to do something I should have done to begin with, and that is to put a little advertisement in the top right hand corner of the blog... just for a while until she gets adopted!

Daily Eats ~ June 27th

I'm still working on more about the blog dinner, so bare with me! But here's a fun fact: it seems that everyone left Candle 79 starving, since the portions were so, so tiny, and we all ended up getting ice cream afterwards! lol I hate to have to write this but Candle 79 is a rip-off, folks! Anyways...

Breakfast:

I had 2 Van's Belgian Waffles with TJ's maple syrup, strawberries, and real whipped cream. I had an Apple & Eve apple juice box with it as well.

This morning Peanut found some red tissue paper that was in a Sephora bag that I had lying around. As you can see, he had a good time with it!

Then he had a rest on a pile of laundry in my room!

Lunch:

I had a Stouffer's Cheese French Bread Pizza for lunch, along with 2 oranges that I cut up into chunks. I LOVE this pizza-- the bread is so crunchy and delicious!

Snack:

I had a Clif Mojo Dipped PB & J Bar.

Dinner:

I made one of my mushroom burgers and had it on a whole wheat roll with a slice of american cheese, with ketchup on the side. I also made some mixed veggies (peas, carrots, & corn) to have with it.

Dessert:

I had a Blue Bunny ice cream sandwich with a handful of fresh blueberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

(I also had a teaspoon of PB & Co.'s Dark Chocolate Dreams and some Wheat Thins later... not pictured.)

So more on the blog dinner... Here's a list of the lovely bloggers I had dinner with last night:

Heather ~ Hangry Pants

She orchestrated this event for VeggieGirl, so a big "Thank You!" to her!

Sarah ~ Tales of Expansion

On her blog she has some pictures of me yapping away at the blog dinner. lol

Deirdre & Amelia ~ Highways to Health

They are roommates who share this blog.

Olga ~ HealthingIt

Caroline ~ Consider This!

Liz ~ VeggieGirl

I know she will have much more from her trip to NYC coming soon!

Katie ~ Lilveggiepatch

She also brought her boyfriend Ari with her (who happened to be the only guy there!).

Danielle ~ Around the World in 340 Days

Katharine ~ A Runner Wife's Life

Diana ~ Soap & Chocolate

One of the lovely girls I sat next to!

Amie ~ The Healthy Apple

The other lovely girl I sat next to. And we had one of those "it's a small world" moments when we realized that we had lived at the same apartment building a couple of years ago!

So there were 14 of us altogether! I wish I had gotten pics of everybody, but I posted links to their blogs next to their names, because I know some of the other girls got better pics than I did (if you're interested in seeing our little get together)!

Peanut falling asleep in my lap tonight. :)

Still no word on Peanut's sister, but I did exchange e-mails with the woman I got Peanut from (who has his sister), and she will be putting up another ad on craigslist. If anyone in the NY area wants a kitten, please contact me, because at the moment, his sister still needs a home!

That's all for today, my lovelies!

Daily Eats ~ June 26th

Tonight is the big blog dinner at Candle 79 (a famous vegan restaurant here in NYC). I'm really looking forward to it! I promise to post pictures from it, so check back later tonight! Also, Peanut's sister still needs a home or she will have to be brought to a shelter, because the owner can't keep her. So again, if anyone in the NY area wants an orange kitten, please contact me!!

Breakfast:

I had 2 slices of Trader Joe's amazing french toast, topped with their own maple syrup, dollops of real whipped cream, and some berries alongside. I also had a glass of orange juice with it.

Lunch:

I had an Amy's Spinach Pizza in a Pocket Sandwich with a Mott's Peach Medley apple sauce (and yes, Peanut had some-- it's his favorite!).

Snack:

After lunch I had my cherry Dum-Dum lollipop that I got at the bank yesterday...

Later I made a yogurt parfait out of a Fage Total 0% yogurt, berries, TJ's granola with almonds, and a drizzle of maple syrup to top it off!

Peanut finishing off his tuna...

Dinner:

I had a good time meeting my fellow bloggers at Candle 79! I've only been there a couple of times, and both of those times it has been for brunch, so I never tried anything off their lunch or dinner menu...

I got the hand cut pasta... it came with veggies in a cashew cream sauce.

The hand made pasta was good, but I thought the sauce was too spicy or overly seasoned somehow. The portion was also really small for $18. I didn't finish this dish and I'd really only recommend Candle 79 for brunch. I wasn't wild about the dinner, but I did enjoy the company! I didn't take many pics because the lighting was pretty dark. I'm sure that the other girls (and one guy!) got better pictures though with their fancy, flash cameras! lol

Dessert:

I was really quite hungry afterwards, so on my way home I stopped in a Baskin Robbins and got a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cone!

Snack:

I also had a Naked Juice later when I got home. (Note Peanut in the background! :)

I really enjoyed meeting everyone, especially VeggieGirl, since I've been talking to her online for a while now. I was glad to hear her parent's are fans of Peanut! lol Speaking of which, here's a pic I took of my little buddy tonight...

Still no word on who will adopt Peanut's sister, but I know people are trying to spread the word, and I really do appreciate it!

I will be posting more about this blog dinner and the bloggers I met at a later date, so check back!

Daily Eats ~ June 25th

Still no word on finding a home for Peanut's sister... My Aunt and Uncle are coming over later to visit Peanut for the first time... if they didn't already have a ton of cats, I'd ask them to take her! I've got some errands to run today, including a quick stop at the Whole Foods Market... And I've got my blog dinner tomorrow night, where I'll be meeting VeggieGirl and some other bloggers for the first time! I'll definitely spread the word about Peanut's sister needing a home there. I'm really looking forward to talking to other bloggers in person for a change!

Breakfast:

I had a Food For Life Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin with PB & J (I use Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter and Smucker's Organic Concord Grape Jelly btw). I also had whatever berries I had left in the fridge and a glass of Dole Pineapple Orange Juice. This was a good breakfast, but I wasn't really in the mood, so I only ate about half!

Lunch:

I had my other Van's Veggie, Egg & Cheese Pocket Sandwich. I also had some green grapes afterwards (not pictured).

Snack:

I had a vegan chocolate chip cookie that I got from Whole Foods today, along with some organic fat free milk.

Dinner:

I had a Morningstar Farms Mushroom Lover's Burger on a Rudi's Organic Whole Wheat Bun with a slice of american cheese and bit of ketchup. I heated up some mixed veggies to have alongside.

Does anyone else have a cat that likes ketchup? Because mine sure does! I only let Peanut have a tiny bit though-- just a lick or two.

Mom made a wonderful cheese & cracker spread for our guests tonight... my Aunt and Uncle were visiting Peanut for the first time. I wasn't that hungry after dinner, so I just had a few bites of what was put out.

Dessert:

I had one of my Blue Bunny Birthday Party Ice Cream Sandwiches for dessert.

Right before my Aunt and Uncle arrived, Mom and I saw on the news that Michael Jackson had died. Even though I am too young to remember Michael in his prime, I always felt sorry for him. Anyone that would change their appearance so drastically clearly had a lot of problems, and I always believed that his love for children came from desperately wanting to be a child himself (considering he was robbed of a normal childhood). He was obviously not comfortable in his own skin, which is something a lot of us can relate to in one way or another. I hope Michael finds the peace now that he was never able to find here on Earth. RIP

Peanut having a rest after dinner... he was a good boy and enjoyed having company! He is so friendly and sweet. I let him have a few nibbles of cheese too. :)

Again, if anyone in the NY area wants a kitten, Peanut's adorable orange sister needs a home! Please contact me ASAP at marinajc@rcn.com.