
To the woman driving in the lane next to me on my way to work: I know that you really wanted to merge at that very second, but I don’t think that simply drifting into my lane was the best way to go about it. Turn signals actually work very well, I would highly recommend you try using them next time. You know how I slammed on the brake to avoid crashing into you? Yeah, it actually wasn’t that much fun first thing in the morning; totally ruined the moment I was sharing with my Ipod.
Oh, and I think you made a friend after that. Remember when you decided you had actually been in the correct lane to begin with and swerved back over? The driver in that lane seemed really impressed. He gestured a lot, I think he was hoping you could hang out sometime.

Continue reading 'Roasted Fennel, Chickpeas, Peppers and Grapes'»

I’m a child of the 90s. I grew up listening to Nirvana, Boys to Men, SWV and had Quicksilver t-shirts and wanted to wear Dickies like Gwen Stefani…you know the ones like in No Doubt’s video “I’m Just a Girl,” and of course in the sixth grade my favorite movie was Clueless. I even went so far as to ask my parents for her closet. Which by the way, is still incredible. Can you imagine what you could do nowadays with an iPad. Best. Closet. Ever.
Anyway, so when a friend recommended Alcicia Silverstone’s book, The Kind Diet, I figured I’d give it a go. I sat and read the first few chapters; it was informative, impactful, taught me things I never knew about veganism and the possibilities of it changing your health.

I felt kinda empowered and so for the next twenty minutes I started considering turning vegan. It kinda made sense. I’d been sufffering with allergies for a few months and maybe me eating dairy and meat had something to do with it. I love animals and don’t want to live a life hurting them. So I started to think; going through all the things I’d have to give up.
Chicken? Eh..I mean, I love buttermilk fried chicken, but I don’t eat it all that often and I could maybe live without it.
Steak, hamburgers, short ribs. Uhhh…I started to immediately mourn In-N-Out and the truffle burger from Umami Burger, which really deserves its own category of awesome–it’s life changing, really. BUT I could probably eat less burgers. My thighs would be grateful, though I am doing yoga everyday. Have I told you that? Whatevs. No big deal. I just work out or whatever.

Continue reading 'Zucchini Parmesan'»

Pulling a muscle in your back totally sucks. Especially when you do it on a Saturday morning. Even worse is when your fiancé is sick with a cold at the same time. Yeah, we had a super awesome weekend.
Thanks God for Law & Order SVU marathons.
And take out pho noodle soup.
And easy to make California avocado sandwiches.
I’m not gonna lie, I totally ripped this off from Atlanta Bread Company. And I really wouldn’t’ have had a problem buying one of theirs except there isn’t a single one in Los Angeles. Ironic, considering they’re the ones that named this the California Avocado sandwich. So they left me with no choice, I had to make it on my own.

Continue reading 'California Avocado Sandwich'»

Sometimes on the weekends I wake up, take a shower, walk my dog and then make myself a steaming bowl of tortellini with tomato sauce for breakfast. This is often followed by eggs and hash browns for lunch. I don’t always eat foods at their proper time of day.
I’ve also been known to eat ice cream for breakfast.
I’m kidding…sort of.
I need more meals like this pizza. There is never a wrong time to eat this. Sure it’s a pizza, which means you can eat it for lunch or dinner and no one will question you. But it’s also dough topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon, so it’s basically like eating a large, flat bagel with lox. Totally cool for breakfast.


Continue reading 'Smoked Salmon Pizza w/ Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce'»

Don’t think of these as popsicles, think of them as the perfect summer afternoon snack. Here’s my issue with snacks: they totally fill me up. To the point that I’m not hungry at dinnertime. Yeah, sometimes I think it would be a good thing if I still had my mother around to remind me not to spoil my dinner. I’m not so good at it on my own.


Continue reading 'Cucumber-Basil Limeade Popsicles'»

Since I enjoy cooking, I hardly ever Sandra Lee-it. Meaning, I steer clear of store bought ingredients like pie crusts, biscuits, cookie dough, etc. I always find it easier to just make them myself, cheaper even and definitely healthier.
But I have a confession: I totally Sandra Lee-ed it on this pizza. I’ve been working like crazy lately and I wanted to enjoy the day outside rather than being locked inside forced to wait for this pizza dough to take its sweet-ass time rising.
I also didn’t want to slave over the stove for my marinara sauce to come out just right, or spend time shucking ears of corn–so I used the frozen stuff. Yes, at the peak of its season I opted for the frozen stuff in my freezer. It was a pretty day, okay?
So I took Sandra Lee’s route, but only my way. Instead of going to the grocery store to get pizza dough, which is usually loaded with preservatives, I went to a local pizza place that I love and bought pizza dough from them for $3. I didn’t even know you could do this until a few months ago.
Then I bought some good quality, jarred marinara sauce; bought my other ingredients and had my pizza done in twenty-seven minutes flat.
Yes, twenty…seven. (I timed it.)

Continue reading 'Corn Chorizo Pizza with Goat Cheese and Avocado'»

Fact: I don’t eat very much meat. Technically, my diet is classified as “pescetarian” because the only meats I will eat are fish and seafood.
Fact: I never call myself a pescetarian because I think the word sounds snotty.
Fact: Contrary to popular belief, I, like most vegetarians, do not like eating salads all the time. I do not typically believe that a salad constitutes a meal. I prefer “stick to your ribs” kind of food.
Fact: Uncooked and/or steamed tofu is gross. Seriously people, why even put it on the menu?

Continue reading 'Vegetable Bolognese'»

I really, really, really miss summer vacation. I wish that someone had told me that adulthood meant most of my summers would be spent sitting behind a desk. At least then I could maybe have found time to start a petition for change. Nowadays if I find myself with more than a week of free time it’s because I’m unemployed and I then I’m stressed about paying rent, health insurance, and buying dog food. Why can’t I just go to summer camp instead?


Continue reading 'Fresh Corn and Avocado Salsa'»

Not sure if you all recall, but a few months ago a reporter asked Kate Moss what one of her favorite quotes was. She replied with: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Umm…isn’t that hilarious…and sorta sad? I mean, I’m grateful for her honesty. Thank heavens she’s not that skinny while scarfing down hamburgers and fries on a daily basis. I’m glad she came clean about depriving herself of all things awesome.
When I’m really super bored, I sometimes dream about what I would feed her. My first instinct is to whip her up some pancakes. Lots of them. But what I really think would make her to cave in are these Baked Portobello Fries with Basil Aioli. You see, the word “baked” means they’re healthy. I think she’d dig that. I mean, I did.
I saw them on a menu at this restaurant across town, but didn’t order them since I wasn’t in the mood for something fried. I was kinda feeling like Kate, so I ordered a whole pizza instead. I couldn’t stop thinking about them after that night, vowing to drive over there just for them, but it never worked out. That’s when I decided to take my craving/curiosity into my own hands and make them myself. And boy, am I glad I did.

Continue reading 'Portobello Fries'»