Hold the Onions

Remember how I was going to make crostini and cupcakes and take pictures and start blogging again?

oops. 

So I made the crostini for the potluck at my house. I did one with ricotta, shaved asparagus, and strawberries on sliced pretzel roll and the other with ricotta, shaved asparagus, and sautéed mushrooms on sliced pretzel roll. They were pretty good. I was impressed with the wide variety of dishes everyone brought. We have vegan, gluten free, pescatarian, etc. etc. etc. friends, and everyone was really conscious of that. Someone brought a lovely quinoa salad that went really beautifully with the kale salad someone else brought. There was a nice balance between junk and healthy things. And of course there was beer for days. My friend Christian brought a half-rack of La Fin Du Monde. I have no idea how we’ll drink it all, but dammit, we’ll try. 

Yeah so the day after the potluck I was at my bar drinking the exBEERiment of the week before I headed further down the coast to work on a commercial when my boss from my previous job told me to pack my bags because I was coming BACK to Baltimore. And that’s what I did. I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday packing/drinking beer with my friends and on Monday I came back up to smelly ol’ Baltimore. I’m living in an extended stay hotel here, so eating healthy things has been a challenge. So far it’s been lots of hard-boiled eggs and hummus. I went to Trader Joe’s yesterday and got things for tuna sandwiches, PB&J, black beans & rice, and a couple frozen meals. Nothing very exciting. If I ever get back to blogging, it will mostly be about the very, very rare occasions I go out to eat. And lunches about town, since the show buys those for us. 

Until then. 

xoHTO

I think for tonight’s potluck I’m going to utilize the lovely frozen section of Trader Joe’s AND make some kind of lovely end-of-summer crostini with shaved asparagus and goat cheese and tomatoes and stuff. 

I’ve also got a cookout to go to on Sunday with my beer friends and so I’m going to make Duck Rabbit Milk Stout chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting–some pumpkin, some regular. 

I’ll try to remember to take pictures! 

xoHTO

YOU GUISE!

I’m throwing a potluck at my house tomorrow and I need to make something that is very, very cheap but delicious and impressive. 

Whatchu got?

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it (and I’m too lazy to check) but I have two jobs. I work on a TV show and I’m a delivery driver. I work at ~50 hours/week on the show and then an additional 25-30 driving. I work a lot. And if I work the delivery job, I’m not officially home until 10:00p or so. 

Most nights I have just a moment to go home and whip up something to take on the road. So since I don’t always have the luxury of prepping meals for the week, I keep some convenience food around. I like Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger and their un-chicken patties. I really enjoy my little frozen sandwiches, but they get really boring. And I’m so damn picky that I don’t like a whole lot of other options. 

So I have to get creative. 

Last night I enjoyed a MS Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger on whole wheat bread (lightly toasted) with local herbed goat cheese, a bed of local mixed greens with dill, and a local egg cooked over-easy. Right as I was assembling it, I got dispatched, so I slid the egg onto the greens, snapped a picture, grabbed a napkin, and ran out the door. Of course I wore most of the egg, but it was delicious. 

xoHTO

This summer I’ve been really into buying fruits/veggies/greens/cheese at the farmer’s market down by the river, throwing it all into a big bowl, mixing it up, and serving it with Trader Joe’s Goddess Dressing. My latest obsession? Mixed greens, strawberries, red peppers, tomatoes, and goat feta. You guys. Seriously. It’s just. I can’t. The picture below features Trader Joe’s Power Greens and the veggies are from TJ’s as well. And parmesan instead of goat feta. But this week I got everything from the farmer’s market. I’m so anxious to get home so I can chop the hell out of everything and make my big ass salad. 

(If you’re single as fuck like me, this is a good way to remind yourself to eat your veggies so that they don’t go bad. Prep early in the week and you’ll have no excuse. It’s already prepared!) 

Happy Monday, followers. 

So, I’ve landed in the world of pescatarianism. With my busy schedule (I work six days/week and four of them are 14 hour days) I’m having a really hard time cooking things for myself that are filling enough without making pasta. Read: I’m eating too many carbs and not exercising enough and I’m starting to notice it. I also have a history of body image and weight issues, so when I feel like I’ve gained weight (whether I have or not) I start to obsess. 

I’m trying to make some lifestyle changes and incorporate more exercise into my routine because I always feel better when I exercise. But I also want to give myself more dietary options, because being a vegetarian just isn’t working for me. 

I don’t believe in diet-shame or moral superiority based on food, so if you have something to say about my choice to eat fish (hell, I might go back to being a full on omnivore) then I would appreciate it if you worded it in a way that promotes dialogue, not diatribe. 

xoHTO