Newlywed, Newly Veg!

Hey guys!  Hope your Thursday is going well…mine has been good so far!

This morning, I took a break from the running—I’m actually pretty sore!  I guess going from running on the treadmill to running 6 miles outside for three days back to back wasn’t so smart.  My legs are rebelling!

We had other stuff to take care of this morning anyway…like shopping. 

My mom and I hit up Ann Taylor Loft just to see if there was anything we might be interested in…and oh my GOSH, they had such cute stuff!  They had just gotten all of their new spring line, and they have some really cute clothes right now.  I just love their stuff—do you shop there?  It’s all so comfy and cute!

After our shopping trip, we headed home to pick Ryan up, and then met up with my dad and my grandmother for lunch at…where else?  Earthereal!  Love of healthy food runs in our family, I guess.

I opted for simple soup and salad lunch:

Vegetable Bouquet salad (lettuce, sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes), dressed in their homemade lemon and tamari dressing, along with a cup of vegetable soup:

Yum!  I also enjoyed a sugar-free carob chip cookie for dessert. 

After lunch, we headed over to bring Katherine and Kevin some lunch, and give them a little relief from Miss Sophie.  Apparently someone was ready to party ALL NIGHT LONG last night.  Ugh—poor Katherine and Kevin are exhausted!  I guess Sophie has her timing mixed up—she sleeps all day, and then is ready to party all night.  Just like me in college, lol. 

I think tonight, Ryan and I are actually going to sleep over at their house and help them out with her.  We can’t feed her (obviously), but we can take her and walk her when she’s fussing. 

I hope it doesn’t scare us off from the idea of having kids of our own!

See you tonight for a fun dinner!

Hey guys!  We just finished dinner and are settled into the couch, watching The Fashion Police review of the Oscars on E!  Could things be any better?  Love it. 

Our dinner was also pretty darn good.  My mom was running errands and playing tennis this afternoon (and cooking for my sister’s new family!), so Ryan and I volunteered to make dinner for tonight.  The recipes were all new, and they were all a hit!

Maple Eggplant

Ingredients

3 Japanese eggplants, cut into slices

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. red pepper

salt and pepper

Directions

Toss eggplant with other ingredients and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until eggplant is soft. 

Couldn’t be easier…or more delicious!  The eggplant soaked up all of the maple syrup, but the red pepper gave it a little kick.  Yum!

We also had…

Coconut Rice

Ingredients

1 cup water

3/4 cup light coconut milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup jasmine rice

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

chopped scallions, to garnish

Directions

In a saucepan, bring water, coconut milk, salt, and unsweetened coconut to a boil.  Add jasmine rice and bring back up to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked. 

As the rice cooks, toast sweetened coconut in the oven for 2-3 minutes, until brown and toasted.  Top cooked rice with toasted coconut and scallions, and serve.

And finally…

Indian Chickpeas and Sweet Peas

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

1/2 tsp. caraway seeds

1 tbsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cloves

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can sweet peas, drained

1 can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp. tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil.  Add onion and cook for 10-15 minutes, until it begins to soften.  Add spices (cumin through cloves), and cook for another 10 minutes.  Add chickpeas and sweet peas and cook for another 5 minutes to incorporate the spices.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for at least 30 minutes. 

Altogether now…

Such a good meal!  We were “mmmmm’ing our way through this one!

Oh!  And…after all of your WONDERFUL cookie suggestions…I totally wimped out and went with this:

Sorry guys!!! It was just so quick and easy!  I don’t think Katherine and Kevin minded. 

It was a good day for Taste the Rainbow:

Have a great night, everyone!  I can’t believe tomorrow is Thursday already…our trip is winding down.    Soon, we’ll have to leave that sweet Sophie and go back up to Pennsylvania…boo!

Night!