Three years and counting...

I've had this particular blog for three years now, which might be the longest I've ever kept a blog. Usually I change the URL, name and design every several months, or I just delete the blog and make a completely new one. The only changes this blog has seen are layout edits, so that's pretty impressive.

I'm really tempted to make a new blog but it's kind of cool to have everything on one site. Plus I don't have to create a new email address (and keep track of another one in addition to my gazillion email addresses).

Breakfast:

Watermelon w/almond butter

Mercenary Merchandise comes in!

I gave this a lot of thought, especially because I don't know half of my audience and sometimes I'll accidentally post something "incriminating" (e.g. I skipped a class) and someone will see it (e.g. the dean asked for my blog). But I'm always posting about the various bands I love, films I've seen, et cetera and I figure that posting about a brand can't be too different.

I was on my fake Instagram feed awhile ago and some user posted this cap that I had to have; I went on Google and made a mental note to remember the brand (I'm not exactly rolling in the dough here) but ended up absolutely loving their message. Getting an income from doing what one enjoys should be everyone's goal, but paths always seem to converge to maximal monetary gains. I really believe that people should enjoy what they do to an extent, instead of loathing Sunday nights and counting the seconds on Friday afternoons. All that money isn't going to make those weekdays any better. My parents highly disagree with me and while I can see their side, I'm going to stick with mine.

Anyway, I ended up purchasing a snapback and the package arrived today!!! It came with this awesome black lettermen t-shirt and bandana thing that I'm not quite sure how to wear/use, but thank you, Mercenary Merchandise (even if you never see this)! I'm so excited to wear the pieces and if I had money to spare, I'd totally purchase the entire stock. Problems of a shoe and cap addict, but let's not go there.

Do check them out if you have time to spare though! I don't know them personally, but they seem really sweet and appreciative of every supporter. Nothing better than a brand with a good message and fabulous service.

Breakfast:

Pineapple, kale, mango, spinach, swiss chard, lime, flaxseed milk & chia seeds smoothie w/almond butter

The Voyager comes out!

Jenny Lewis's newest album comes out today! I actually received my copy yesterday and I've been streaming it on NPR for the past week. After her first solo album (not the first solo album, where she collaborated), I expected this one to be a bit more folksy but when her two singles debuted, I quickly realised that this would be more of a throwback. Regardless, it's a wonderful album and I highly, highly encourage everyone to listen to it!

Breakfast:

Chocolate, pineapple, kale, spinach, ground flaxseed & flaxseed milk smoothie topped w/cacao nibs

Brunch:

Quinoa black bean chips, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, guacamame w/lime, quinoa w/cayenne pepper, Greek yogurt-based gucamole w/lime
(Did a massive grocery haul at Trader Joe's the other day and since they ran out of the guac I usually get, I decided to try their Greek yogurt and edamame based ones. Inititally, I was highly skeptical of the edamame-based one and thought that I would like the Greek yogurt-based one. False. The Greek yogurt-based one is very creamy, yes, but also reminds me of those artichoke dips from Costco. I just don't like dairy-based dips unless it's nachos; however, if you put this dip on the chip long enough, it will sort of taste like nachos with avocado. Sort of. The edamame-based one is actually quite good once I got over the slightly grainy, gritty texture. It helped that it was on the spicy side, but I liked that there wasn't a weird aftertaste like the Greek yogurt-based one.)

Snack:

Mango, pineapple, kale, spinach & flaxseed milk smoothie topped w/frozen pineapples
(Froze it a bit after I blended the smoothie. Super refreshing!)

Snack:

Corn puffs w/melted chocolate, frozen pineapples, cinnamon & flaxseed milk

Late dinner:

Coffee, quinoa oats w/seaweed, grape tomatoes, broccoli, kale, spinach, lime & cayenne pepper
(It's a night of coding, literature and debugging. This quinoa oats bowl was heavenly though! Great harmony of flavours and textures.)

28 July 2014

Back to work after a fun filled weekend! 

Breakfast:

Matcha green tea, kale, spinach, swiss chard, mango, pineapple, cayenne pepper & flaxseed milk smoothie topped w/silvered almonds & cacao nibs
(I'm really enjoying this matcha green tea smoothie blend - very refreshing in the mornings.)

Snack:

Matcha green tea, kale, spinach, swiss chard, mango, pineapple, cayenne pepper, lime & flaxseed milk smoothie topped w/silvered almonds, cacao nibs & corn puffs

Snack:

Apple

Snack:

Apple w/cinnamon & almond butter

Snack:

Cranberry & almond cookie (2)

Late dinner:

Grape tomatoes, broccoli, kale & spinach oatmeal
(I think I'm in my goopy phase: smoothies and oatmeal all day long.)

Late night snack:

Dried mango slices w/almond butter (3)

Band of Horses/Beck Concert!

Both were amazing live - Beck put on an especially energetic show - but I think I was way too tired and crashing from my Jenny Lewis induced high to fully enjoy them. I am glad that I finally got to see Band of Horses though; I was pretty bummed about missing their railroad tour awhile back.

I also saw the Districts but couldn't feel their vibe. Big thank you to Abi for coming with me after working a double shift. If my feet were about to fall off, I don't know how hers must have felt.

Breakfast:

Quinoa w/kale, spinach, sour mango chunks, broccoli, guacamole, a drizzle of lime & cayenne pepper
(Sounds like a mess and looks gross but I can assure you that this bowl is delicious. There's some crunch from the quinoa, creaminess from the guacamole, spice from the cayenne, zest from the lime, sweet tartyness from the mango and it's all mellowed out by the subtle flavours of kale and spinach.)

Snack:

Chocolate chip cookie dough Larabar (2)
(I'm still so surprised that Larabars have virtually nothing in them - the main ingredients are often just dates and some sort of nut - but they still taste great. I wonder if they really just blend dates and a type of nut without any extracts or spices for some of their bars because I swear they taste like there's more in them.)

Snack:

Corn puffs w/frozen blueberries, cinnamon, ground flaxseeds, almond butter & flaxseed milk

Snack:

Cherry pie Larabar (+cashew cookie Larabar)

Snacks at the concert:

Apple

Trail mix from Abi
(Thanks for the snack and coming with me!)

JENNY LEWIS CONCERT!

I AM FINALLY SEEING JENNY LEWIS LIVE AGAIN! ❤ There are no words in the English language that can accurately convey my excitement to be in the presence of Jenny Lewis again.

On a side note, I'm also catching up with Rachel today! :) It's been way too long since I last saw this chica.

EDIT: The Jenny Lewis concert was everything and more. While I prefer smaller venues (gotta increase that Jenny Lewis intensity), she puts on a good show no matter the location nor size of crowd. Her portion of the concert opened with "Just One of the Guys", which I was estactic to hear live because it was still in the works when I first heard it live several years ago, and it was followed by "Silver Lining", which is one of my all-time favourites. I basically knew every single song she sang and only a closer proximity to Jenny (and a longer set) would have elevated my experience. Gah. I LOVE YOU JENNY.

I also saw Ingrid Michaelson, Jeremy Messersmith, Dawes and Ryan Adams but I can't remember those experiences in great detail. 

Breakfast:

Matcha green tea, kale, mango, ground flaxseeds, cinnamon & cayenne pepper smoothie

Brunch with Rachel at Almaz Cafe, Philadelphia, PA:

Iced coffee w/almond milk
(This coffee was so good! I'm not a coffee expert by any means, but the brew had a really nice flavour palette. I'll have to go back here for more coffee.)

Vegetarian combo: misir, tikil gomen, kik alchia & shiro w/enjera
(Delicious. I was pretty ravenous at this point, so I don't remember the tastes of each dish, but they complemented each other well. The enjera had a subtle sour taste, which balanced out the heartier entrees. I don't know which dish was what, but they all tasted great so I would recommend just getting the combination unless you're highly opposed to any ingredients in a certain dish. This cafe is also a really quaint place to go and relax if you're ever looking for a less cookie-cutter establishment.)

*Misir - split red lentils cooked in berbere sauce and fine herbs blended with chopped onions

Tikil gomen - lightly spiced vegetable stew of cabbage, carrots and potatoes

Kik alchia  - yellow split peas flavored with turmeric, green peppers and various Ethiopian spices

Shiro - mixed legumes prepared with ginger root, rue seed, bishops weed and garlic cooked with berbere sauce

Snack at  Ryan Crown's Juice Club, Philadelphia, PA:

Planet Earth smoothie: strawberries, bananas, hemp protein powder, royal jelly, aloe vera, red clover blossoms, siberian ginseng root (no coconut oil)
(This has a ton of strange ingredients, e.g. red clover blossoms, but just tastes like a strawberry banana smoothie. Very refreshing and super classic. I'm sure it'd taste better or more summery/exotic with coconut oil, but I'm not going to try it.)

Snacks at the WXPN XPonential Music Festival - Camden Waterfront, New Jersey: 

Trail mix provided by Whole Foods booth

Chocolate chip cookie dough Larabar (2)

Cherry pie Larabar

Blue corn tortilla chips (shared w/Abi)

Happy birthday Asmaa!

24 HOURS UNTIL JENNY LEWIS.

Breakfast:

Matcha green tea, kale, mango, ground flaxseeds & cayenne pepper smoothie

Brunch:

Pan-fried bread pudding w/mango & blueberry applesauce & silvered almonds

Snack:

Vanilla soy ice cream sandwich

Dinner:

Steamed broccoli & kale, quinoa w/lime, quinoa black bean chips, mashed avocado & guac w/cayenne pepper

24 July 2014

Breakfast:

Matcha green tea, kale & mango smoothie, brioche w/mashed avocado, cayenne pepper, lime & grape tomatoes
(It's a very green breakfast but oh so delicious. Very summery.)

Lunch:

Corn puffs w/frozen blueberries, almond butter, cinnamon & flaxseed milk

Dinner with the team at Lorenzo and Sons, Philadelphia, PA:

Cheese pizza w/assorted seasonings
(Pizza is always delicious. Even bad pizza can be edible. The hot sauce is really what made this pizza though.)

Late night snacks:

Corn puffs w/frozen blueberries, almond butter, cinnamon & flaxseed milk

Cranberry almond cookies (2)

23 July 2014

My two fashion vices are shoes and hats, specifically caps and beanies. I also like supporting local stores, upcoming bands and brands with messages I'd advocate. Sometimes I spend way too money - that I do not have - on such things, but I'll justify it as "driving the economy".

Case in point: I just bought four new caps. And I have a huge bag (like trash bag size) of caps back home.

Breakfast:

Mocha (coffee + chocolate), kale, mango & flaxseed milk smoothie

Lunch:

Quinoa w/seaweed, kale, sour mango chunks, lime & cayenne pepper

Snack:

Matcha green tea, mango & lime smoothie w/chia seeds

Dinner:

Quinoa & oats w/broccoli, kale, seaweed, sour mango chunks & cayenne pepper

22 July 2014

We're not going out into the field as much, so I'm now modelling from home. It's a cushy life. ;)

Breakfast:

Quinoa black bean chips w/hummus, mashed avocado w/lime & cayenne pepper, grape tomatoes

Snack:

Quinoa black bean chips w/hummus & cayenne pepper

Snack:

Cranberry & almond cookies (2)

Snack:

Blueberry, mango, kale, ground flaxseeds & flaxseed milk smoothie

Snack:

Apple w/almond butter & cinnamon

Snack:

Corn puffs w/chocolate chips, cinnamon & flaxseed milk

Field Work, Complete!

My team essentially completed our "field work" today! Hurrah! Now it's time to pilot some studies.

Breakfast:

Grape tomatoes, spinach & seaweed quinoa w/cayenne pepper
(Delicious blend of veggies! I could probably also eat this as a salad when it cools down.)

Lunch:

Corn puffs & frozen blueberries w/flaxseed milk, cacao nibs, almond butter, ground flaxseeds & cayenne pepper

Snack:

Dried mango slices w/almond butter (3)

Celebratory snack at John's Water Ice, Philadelphia, PA:

Cantaloupe & pineapple gelati w/vanilla birthday cake ice cream
(The cantaloupe water ice tasted just like cantaloupe; I'm so impressed with the potency and freshness! Many cantaloupe/melon-flavoured desserts taste very artificial. The vanilla birthday cake ice cream wasn't birthday cake flavoured ice cream but vanilla ice cream with chunks of cake swirled in! A bit child-esque and the flavour probably wasn't the best for pairing, but I had fun eating it. The sweetness did get overwhelming toward the end though.)

Dinner:

Grape tomatoes, mashed avocado w/cayenne pepper, pepper & lime, hummus & quinoa black bean chips
(Can't believe I didn't do this before. Amazing platter. So delicious. I'm going to repeat this for the next couple of meals or until I run out of tomatoes and avocadoes.)

Late night snack:

Corn puffs, frozen blueberries & cereal medley w/ground flaxseeds, almond butter & flaxseed milk