9 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS?!?!?!?!

Some of the questions I am you might be asking:

1. How does time work?
2. Why does time go by faster when you need time the most?
3. How am I going to get my Christmas shopping done?!

As you can probably guess, this year’s holiday celebrations crept up on me and I’m feeling a bit…unprepared. I’m going to spend this weekend writing Christmas cards and making my credit card squeal and yell for mercy. It’s going to be fun Good thing we have our tree:

I’m quite proud of it, if I do say so myself! Bobby and I picked it up right before Thanksgiving on sale at Target. Who says you can’t be frugal and festive? We added a white bow and matching ribbon to the early beginnings of our ornament collection. Most of the ornaments are from years past — we’re looking forward to adding more in the future!

Another great find? This fantastic tree skirt also from Target:

The skirt originally had red sparkly sequins hanging down off the edges, but in order to protect Bobby’s masculinity spruce it up, we removed them Seriously though, it was too cute not to buy and do a little DIY fixing up to create something we truly love!

And you can’t forget about the Abominable Snowman — courtesy of Rudolph and claymation!

Surrounded by silver and gold bells — fitting, no? Oh yeah, and a stack of magazines and soup samples in the background. You caught me in one of my disorganized moments.

It’s truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Bender abode! I love it!

I also shipped off my Bloggie Secret Santa package today. I hope she likes it!

***

When I last left you, I was waiting anxiously for Mama Bender to come to town for the weekend. As usual, we had a blast and the trip was way too short!

We had a very low key weekend that included walking around Michigan Avenue to see the holiday lights, eating delicious dinners at some of our favorite Chicago eateries and watching several DVDs of Ally McBeal. Odd show, but we like it so far! My mom bought all the seasons so it’s our project for when I come home for Christmas. Anyone else seen it? It’s a 90s child!

During our holiday walk, we also stopped by the Marshall Field’s Macy’s storefront:

The windows were filled with moving Christmas decorations. The one pictured above was of Santa’s workshop, receiving the letters from children with their list of what they want

I love the Christmas decorations outside of the big store in Chicago. So festive!

The highlight of our weekend food-wise was our trip to Wildfire for dinner.

Oh yeah We started out with a round of cocktails. My mom got a raspberry cosmopolitan and I tried the Stormy Night (the recipe in that link is similar to the one on the menu). It was SO. GOOD! The watermelon, black cherry and blue cocktail mix made it look like a storm cloud (hence the name) and it tasted a bit like liquid candy. Watermelon candy is my absolute favorite, so I was obviously a fan! I would really like to try to recreate this at home.

Another wonderful thing about Wildfire? Their rye-raisin bread. Soft. Doughy. Warm. Yum.

This is hands down my favorite part of the meal! It’s always fresh and the raisins are plump and sweet additions to the already perfectly moist roll. Yet another dish I’d like to recreate myself!

Whenever my family goes to Wildfire, we tend to be creatures of habit. One such example of this is the Spinach Salad, which we get every time we go (click here and here for proof). It’s topped with egg, mushroom, red onion and a mustard dressing. Perfectly light and fresh.

For dinner that evening, I decided to go with the soup of the day: tomato basil. It was a broth- and tomato- based soup with only a hint of cream (as opposed to the more ridiculously creamy varieties you find in some restaurants), so I was very happy with it. Tomato soup is one of my favorites — it’s a toss-up between that and black bean — and they did a great job with the flavor here.

I also ordered another favorite: chicken and portabello mushroom skewers! These are amazing and a perfect complement to a soup or salad. It comes with two skewers and a peanut sauce for dipping. The portabello mushrooms (and chicken, for that matter) are grilled to get that “just right” char consistency and are packed with rich flavor. Two thumbs up!

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Wildfire and girly time. I can’t wait to see my family again in just a little over a week! This is such a fabulous time of year when you live far away from “home” — there are many opportunities to visit and spend time with the ones you love. Have you heard me say that before? Probably only 1,000 other times!

I’m so excited because tonight I will be seeing the fabulous Mara! We haven’t gotten together since before her wedding so you KNOW we will have a lot to talk about. Speaking of weddings, can you believe that Joe and Betsy are getting married this weekend? Woohooooo!! Congrats, you two (P.S. Check out those scrumptious looking cookies in her post.)

“See” you all later! Have a happy hump day!

Abrazos,

Thank you for assuaging my holiday shopping fears! I know homemade gifts are often the way to go and I will definitely be doing some baking. But I appreciate all of the other tips, too — I’ve got a good list going now.

Now if there is someone out there who is able to help me get my bum into gear and up the number sleeping hours I’m currently getting, I would be forever grateful! As hard as I try to go to bed early, there is always something to do. Whether it be checking through my extra large inbox that I neglect too often or the need to clean my messy apartment, sleep is often the first thing to go when life gets busy! We’ve probably all heard it before, but it’s true. How do you tell yourself to get more shut-eye?

Do I sound like a complainer or what? I love life no matter how many hours of sleep I get — don’t get me wrong. But this blogosphere is great at giving advice so I can’t help but ask

Let’s talk about some food now, shall we?

When you wake up to a frigid apartment because somebody won’t turn the heat on (not I, said the fly), there’s nothing better than jumping out of bed, running to throw on a robe over the long sleeved shirt and sweatshirt that you are already wearing and making a giant mug of Coffee Cocoa.

Ah, much better. Now I can be more productive. That means catching up on a few emails, reading as many blog posts as possible and snagging a quick workout. Then comes my favorite part of the morning: breakfast! On today’s menu: all-you-can-fit egg wrap.

I combined 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg with feta, spinach and salsa. Served up in a La Tortilla Factory wheat wrap for a delicious start.

Somewhere between that last picture and this next one was a little thing called work That usually includes soup from Au Bon Pain and a whole grain baguette for lunch. It’s becoming a dangerous habit — and I kind of like it that way. It’s a good price, saves time in the mornings and allows me to have a chance to walk around for a bit during the day. I still bring lunch when I can, but it’s hard to go wrong with soup in negative windchill weather!

Then again, there’s also nothing wrong with a deliciously chilled smoothie after a long day at the office. I’m bringing back Bender’s Blenders!

The ingredients:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 5-6 frozen strawberries
• 5-6 frozen peaches (just wrote beaches – I wish!)
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 scoop Maqui Superberry

I received samples of Maqui Superberry to review and post about on the blog recently. I didn’t know this, but apparently Maqui is the highest antioxidant superfruit in the world — two to three times higher than acai, pomegranate, goji berry or mangosteen. I added a serving to my smoothie and this is what I came up with.

Gorgeous, no? It was delicious, too — couldn’t even taste the powder but there’s nothing wrong with adding a little antioxidants where you can I will definitely be adding it to more berry smoothies from now on. Thanks for the chance to review!

Finally, I’d like to present the easiest way to fill your fiber quotient for the day…in 5 minutes or less when you get home from work.

It’s simple. Too simple for it to be even considered a recipe! Take one bag of stir-fry frozen veggies, add one skillet and a bit of olive oil. Mix ‘em all up and stir in 1 tbsp. teriyaki-soy marinade. Top with crumbled feta cheese. Voila! A filling, warm and fiberlicious dinner. I eat this combination a lot nowadays. Can you tell my new theme is “timesaver” or should I say it again?

Timesaver!!!!!

If I seem a little wacky in this post, it is because I am.

The main reason for my whimsical mood is that, believe it or not, Mama Bender is coming to visit this weekend! I know, it seems insane — first Thanksgiving, then another trip back home last weekend and now Mama Bender comes to Chicago. We probably could have planned to space it out a bit better, but she really wanted to come visit during the holidays and see the Christmas spectacle that is Michigan Avenue during this time of year.

Note: I think she changed her mind once she stepped off the plane and felt the negative windchill!

We’ll be finding fun indoors this weekend I can’t wait to see her.

Around-the-Blogosphere

• Vote for Gena in the Best of Raw 2009 Awards! She’s nominated for Best Raw Educator or 2009, Best Raw/Vegan Blog of 2009, and Best Raw Website of 2009. Congrats, girl!
• Check out Foodie’s Knock Knock Giveaway! I may or may not be doing a very similar giveaway soon
• My cousin Kelli just started her very own blog! Go tell her hi from me Here it is: Brain.Guts.Hands.

Looking forward to the weekend! What are your plans?

Abrazos,

Thanks for all the well wishes and understanding as I took some time off from the blog! We had a wonderful weekend in Arizona. Friday was spent with my family and Saturday was devoted to Bobby’s co-workers and holiday event. He works with some really great people and we both had a nice time. The weather was a bit chilly – by AZ standards – but we weren’t complaining. Especially when we were greeted by a dusting of snow upon our return to Chicago. Hello winter, how are you?!

The most blogworthy meal of the entire trip was by far our family visit to T Cook’s for Sunday morning brunch. We arrived at the Royal Palms Resort and were greeted by a beautiful entryway.

Isn’t it lovely that there is somewhere on Earth that has mountains in the background of nearly every photo? I know there are many places in the world like this, but Chicago is not one of them!

The place settings inside where just as beautiful as the outside…

The restaurant boasts a review from Zagat that says, “…marvelous Mediterranean creations and the professional staff make the trip here a must for out-of-town guests and lots of locals alike.”

While the buffet was tempting, our family ultimately decided that we each wanted to try an entrée. But to start, I had some delicious coffee.

Which quickly turned into Coffee Cocoa when my brother ordered a gigantic pot of hot chocolate.

No matter where you go, there’s always room for makeshift Coffee Cocoa

There were many mouthwatering entrée options to try, but ultimately I decided to go with the Green Eggs and Ham (Sam I Am), a three-egg omelette with basil pesto, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese. It was served with pork sausage and fresh fruit.

This was a savory sensation. I kid you not, I am slightly drooling just remembering it as I type this post (a wonderful image, I know). The saltiness of the prosciutto complemented the strong flavor of the Parmesan and basil pesto to bring three levels of flavor to otherwise “boring” eggs. Muy bien!

My mom and dad both decided to go with the Lemon Brioche French Toast served with a house made chicken sausage and more fresh fruit.

My mom offered me a bite of her toast and it was definitely a new twist on what I’m used to. The lemon gave it a nice zing of citrus that was definitely present and may not be for everyone. However, I did like it with a touch of maple syrup and the dense chewiness of the brioche bread. Trés bien!

Bobby and my brother got the buttermilk pancakes with blueberry compote and vanilla scented whipped
cream. Unfortunately, they ordered all the goodies on the side, which made for a boring photo. Oh boys…why must you be so picky? They were very fluffy and looked tasty!

In other news…

It’s the holiday season and I am…overwhelmed. I have yet to even start my holiday shopping and with several gifts on my giving list, I am at a loss as to where I should even begin!

Do you have any gift ideas to share? What is on YOUR holiday wish list?

My family is always the most difficult to shop for so if you have any ideas, send them my way! I’m also participating in the Bloggie Secret Santa. So excited for my blogger to get her gift. I’m going to shop for it this weekend. I still remember my delicious gift from Sarah last year. What a great blog tradition! Thanks to Heather and Danielle for leading the fun.

Be back soon with some chow – I actually cooked today Score one for the foodies!

Abrazos,

There’s snow falling…on my blog! I am so happy that feature is back for the holidays

I just wanted to check in and let you know more about my absence this week. I have been fortunate enough to attend a holiday trip with Bobby that just so happens to be in sunny Scottsdale! I’m taking plenty of foodie pictures and getting to see my family again, which has been wonderful. I will provide a full report when I get back. Who knew life could be so crazy?!

I am thinking of all of you often – seriously, I miss reading blogs! – and will be back on Sunday or Monday!

Have a great weekend!

Abrazos,

I figured I’d spare you my usual cheesy post title and get straight to the point

This holiday weekend was much needed, don’t you agree? I’ve been catching up on all of the blogosphere celebrations and it seems as though most people had another successful feast and enjoyed some time off. I felt so lucky to be able to go home and see my family. I must admit that it is really hard to live so far away from them and miss all of those day-to-day “moments,” especially watching my brother grow up. I like to take advantage of every opportunity to see them — and it helps that Arizona is warm and sunny most of the year, too!

The Bender Family Thanksgiving was a success. Papa Bender went all out, as usual, and I contributed where I could with putting things in the oven and making cornbread with mix + water

There was the turkey, which P.B. brined the day before to make it extra moist and flavorful.

There was the stuffing, which followed the same Apple-Sausage recipe as last year.

There was also a new addition in the form of Green Bean Casserole. My dad decided to make it instead of the Broccoli-Cheez Casserole from last year.

This recipe was easy. Combine all ingredients into a dish and bake at 350* for 35-45 minutes.

• 1 bag string green beans
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 container mushrooms, chopped
• Topping: French’s French Fried Onions

Here’s the final casserole with the onions on top. It was delicious!

Next up on the list was the potatoes. Some of you may cringe but my mom happened upon scalloped potatoes and sweet potatoes at Costco and felt they were too good to pass up. So instead of making our own, we baked the Costco creations in the oven Nothing like a little Lazy Chef action on Thanksgiving, no? The cool thing about these was their ingredient lists. The box said they were “all natural,” which I am usually wary of, but they truly did stick to the basics.

Here we have the scalloped potatoes, which were essentially potatoes, cheese and seasoning:

We also had sweet potato casserole, which was made with sweet potatoes, maple syrup, pecans and brown sugar. Really, we could have made this ourselves, but the price was right and it saved us some time to spend on other areas of the cooking! Bake both at 375* for roughly 30 minutes and you’re set.

Papa Bender also made me a nice spinach salad topped with mushrooms, red peppers, bacon and hard-boiled eggs. It made a nice cool complement to the otherwise hot dishes.

Last but not least, we have my contribution: cornbread! Just like last year, I used a Marie Callendar’s cornbread mix, which combined with water and baked at 375* for roughly 30 minutes.

Cornbread makes everything better I had one or two (or four) pieces throughout the evening.

We served dinner with a bottle of white wine served in these cool glasses my mom found. They have rings on the bottom that are supposed to help the wine breathe and enhance the flavor.

Here’s my first plate with a little bit of everything. I also helped myself to seconds!

We had a very nice meal and discussed what we are most thankful for this year. There has been so much goodness and I feel very lucky in many ways. Even though I have my bad days and the “little things” that I wish I could change, I do recognize that life is good and we need to cherish every moment. I thought a lot about my grandma and knew she would have wanted us to make the most of our few days together.

After our big meal, we felt so stuffed that I decided to forgo the cherry pie until Christmas. Instead, we brought out our other option that was equally delicious:

Hello, Pumpkin! A small slice was very nice…with whipped cream on top!

Perfect end to a perfect holiday.

The rest of the weekend was spent golfing and wedding planning! My wedding dress came in while I was in town and I was able to go and try on the real thing I haven’t gotten it fitted yet, but I absolutely love it. I also finalized the bridesmaid dress — we decided to go with a strapless option. It looks blue in the picture below, but it’s actually a very deep purple. I tried it on to show my lovely ladies what it looked like. It has pockets!

It was a lot of fun to shop around with my mom. We also picked out our photographer and narrowed down a few other details, so it was a very productive weekend! Speaking of weddings, go wish Mara and Adam a big congratulations because they got MARRIED over the weekend! Mara looked stunning!

Last but not least, I had to show you Mama Bender’s Peppermint-Eggnog Punch!!!

If you’ve been reading my blog since this time last year, you know that it’s not the holidays until Mama Bender makes her delicious punch. Click this link for the recipe — you won’t be disappointed!

I. Love. Home.

What do you most look forward to during the holiday season?

I love the food, the time off and the overall cheer, but I look forward to family time most of all!

Happy Monday! Back to work!

Abrazos,

I’m thankful for…

A beautiful family.

A kind, intelligent and handsome fiance.

The ability to enjoy Thanksgiving from the most beautiful place on Earth (photo found here).

Good food, good recipes and good moods.

See my recent guest post on Mara’s blog for last year’s deliciousness.

And last, but certainly not least.

YOU!!!!

(photo found here)

I know it’s been a busy year for all of us, but the fact that you are reading this post right now means more to me than you’ll ever know (other than the fact that I will try to remind you as often as possible!) I would not be where I am today without you — trust me, I say that with complete confidence. I am thankful for all of the bloggers I’ve had the pleasure to meet in real life and hope that that will only continue in the years to come. This community has made me a better writer, a better friend and a better person, and I am SO. THANKFUL.

I will be back soon with a Thanksgiving recap, but before I go, I would like to again bring up a cause that is very special to me. One of the campaigns I am most proud of this year in my job as a public relations professional is the work my company is doing on a program called Tweetsgiving. You may have read about it by clicking here or here on MizFit’s blog and several others who have shown support.

Last year, the non-profit group Epic Change launched a program called Tweetsgiving that aimed to raise $10,000 in 48 hours and ultimately raised $11,000 through hundreds of small, first-time donations, thousands of tweets, hundreds of blog posts and more.

This year, Tweetsgiving, the first successful Twitter fundraiser of its kind, is back again, proving the power of social media and Twitter in harnessing thousands of small dollar donations to support a cause. You can read more about the story by clicking here . If you are interested, consider supporting the cause and share what you’re thankful for during this special holiday!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

Remember this guy from last year? Amazing how time flies…and a bit scary!

Abrazos,

Hugs and thank yous to everyone who commented on my last post. Your comments mean so much to me and I am so happy I am able to share these pieces of my life with you. For those of you who took my cookie conundrum to heart and linked or emailed me better recipes — THANKS! I have a lot to choose from now and am keeping my fingers crossed that the next batch of cookies I bake will be a success.

***

What happens when Eating Bender and Eating Bird Food collide?

…any guesses?

…anyone?

…Bueller?

You get Bender + Bird Food…Eating, of course I can hear crickets chirping…

Corny humor aside, some eating definitely did take place tonight when Miss Brittany made an appearance in Chicago! Brittany and I have been emailing back and forth for over a year now — it’s true, Google archives don’t lie — and she is absolutely as kind and genuine as she is on her blog.

When I found out she was going to be in town for a few hours after I got off of work, I jumped at the chance to meet up for dinner. After searching for restaurants near where she was, I suggested Bin 36. I had heard good things — particularly about the wine — and it seemed like the right place for foodies.

I was a little late getting out of work, but Brittany was patient enough to wait for me and when I got there, I was greeted by a very comfortable atmosphere, including a tree of wine corks!

We sat down to a menu that had a slogan embodying everything I so dearly uphold

Drink wine. Live well. Have fun.

I could never get tired of repeating that.

Brittany and I decided we were in the mood to share. We started by ordering the Bin 36 flight of wines, which came with chardonnay, cabernet, merlot and shiraz.

The best part was that we each got to enjoy our favorites. I took the chardonnay and the merlot, while Brittany stuck with the cabernet and shiraz. Perfect!

The chardonnay was described as one that “wears its’ oak like a peek-a-boo negligee; clean & fresh with generous ripe fruit – with nothing to hide.” I don’t know about all of that, but I do know that it was plenty sweet and I enjoyed it The merlot was not just any merlot. It was “merlot with an attitude!” I enjoyed this pour as well, described as “built with firm structure and a core of mocha scented dark fruit and minerals.”

For our dinner, Brittany and I decided to share the Garlic and Tomato Hummus. We also each got a Bin 36 Market Salad. While we were waiting, I snacked on one of the breadsticks on the table.

Our food came out promptly, and Brittany and I both commented on the fact that the Garlic and Tomato Hummus could easily have filled an entire container of Sabra.

But who am I to complain? Especially when it’s served with a generous helping of warm pita bread.

As much as I wanted to like it, however, I have to admit that the garlic was a bit too intense for my taste buds. I feel as though I’m exuding garlic from every pore right now!

Hoping that the Bin 36 Market Salad would help make up for it, I quickly dug in. The little breaded portion on the side is actually warm goat cheese.

At first, I wasn’t too impressed by this, either. The description on the menu says it contains “organic mixed greens, warm hazelnut crusted goat cheese, fresh grapes, and verjus vinaigrette.” I was expecting the goat cheese and the grapes to be more heavily integrated, but it was mostly organic mixed greens. When you’re paying $9 for a salad — thanks, Chicago – you do not want to pay for a mixed green salad you could make yourself at home for roughly 50 cents.

I will say, however, that the salad did grow on me. I started to add a small portion of goat cheese to each bite, which really did help it take on a new flavor.

Brittany and I easily gabbed for well over an hour about anything and everything. When we had finished with our dishes, we succumbed to the call for the dessert menu.

As you can see, there were a lot of interesting desserts to choose from. Sweet potato donuts? Milk chocolate ice cream sandwich? Everything sounded so complex it was tough to choose. Eventually, our devotion to all things pumpkin(g) won out and we went with the Crispy Brioche. The description says, “ pumpkin zabaglione, pumpkin seed nougatine, pear sorbet.” If your curious like I was, you can read the description about what zabaglione is by clicking here.

This was definitely a dessert — very, very sweet. The sugar overwhelmed the pumpkin flavor and overall, I wasn’t too impressed with this one either. (Side note: I’m sorry I suggested a bummer restaurant, Brittany!) I did think that the pear sorbet was good — wish it wasn’t in one tiny corner of the square — and the zabaglione in the middle was also quite flavorful. It reminded me a bit of creme brulee with a hard tart crust. I normally like creme brulee, but not so much in this case. Que sera sera!

Although the food wasn’t as good as I was hoping, the company was fantastic and I can’t wait for Brittany’s next visit to Chicago. I hope it’s sooner rather than later!

Weekend agenda:

• Clean, clean, clean!
• Write, write, write!
• Pick up much needed groceries/supplies
• Watch the Northwestern v. Wisconsin game — Go Cats!!
• See New Moon — YES!!
• Visit my new cousin Cameron (yes, he has an adorable name now!)

What are your plans for the weekend?

Abrazos,

]]> http://eatingbender.com/2009/11/21/bender-bird-food-eating/feed/ 42 Jenn (eating bender) DSCN6539 DSCN6540 DSCN6541 DSCN6519 DSCN6522 DSCN6523 DSCN6524 DSCN6525 DSCN6520 DSCN6526 DSCN6531 DSCN6530 DSCN6529 DSCN6532 DSCN6535 4A9E156C478B84A9A9FEC56F8F3F41E6 http://eatingbender.com/2009/11/17/cheers-for-6-years/ http://eatingbender.com/2009/11/17/cheers-for-6-years/#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:37:50 +0000 Jenn (eating bender) http://eatingbender.com/?p=7904 ]]>

Yesterday was one of the best Mondays I’ve had in a while – November 16 is a very special day around here. Last year, it involved a 5k for the Special Olympics. Perhaps you remember this goofy video? It just so happens that this date is the anniversary of when Bobby and I first decided to become a “couple.” Granted, it was high school back then, so take that for what it’s worth But seriously, we’ve come a long way and six years have felt like six minutes.

The picture on the left is from homecoming our senior year of high school. The picture on the right is from Bobby’s brothers wedding during the summer before our junior year of college. Who knows what the next year will bring? It’s going to be a busy one, but I’m ready and excited

Happy Anniversary, Bobby!!

***

I was fortunate enough to come home to this last night:

He’s creative, ya gotta give him that I loved the orange roses - such a great color for fall! Plus a delicious fruit salad with all of my favorites: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes and a honeycrisp apple. I actually surprised him by coming home earlier than usual, but it looked amazing!

Gorgeous flowers and someone who is quite pleased with himself:

As if you’ve never seen what’s coming next before, we decided that the best way to celebrate would be to make our favorite “team” dinner. You know what that means…

Omelettes!

These omelettes had all the fresh fixins: chopped mushroom, tomato, onion and red pepper with wilted spinach and a 2 egg + 1 egg white combo. As usual, they hit the spot.

Success! I’d also like to point out that I ran — completely by coincidence — 1.16 miles in 11:16. Not my fastest time because I wasn’t going for speed but I was quite pleased with this time! I realized when I got off of the treadmill that I sound a lot like Kath I’m all about those lucky numbers, too! It’s no coincidence that we picked 10.16.10 as our wedding day.

***

Backing up a bit here, the work event I mentioned in my last post turned out to be a lot of fun. It was a beautiful location – the Art Institute – and Bobby’s co-workers are all very nice. We even found out that one of them worked with us over three years ago when we volunteered with autistic kids for the Special Olympics. Too cool!

For breakfast, I made a bowl of oats. But again, this was not just any bowl of oats.

Remember that secret peanut butter I found at the market? Here it is revealed!

Although I’ve tried nearly every other flavor, I never have been able to find Peanut Butter & Co.’s Mighty Maple variety — until now! This version totally lives up to the hype and tastes great over oatmeal. It’s sweeter and creamier than usual, which pairs perfectly with Coffee Cocoa

For some reason, I was more tired than usual yesterday morning. Call it a case of the Mondays, but I was definitely lacking in the energy department. I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to try something that promised to make me more…awake.

Angela is not messing around with these bars. This was, in a word, perfect! She infused the bar with organic dark roast coffee, among other great ingredients such as oats, natural peanut butter and coconut. I am officially a big fan and see a very successful future!

Can’t wait to try the other one!

Speaking of baked goodies, I attempted to create my own masterpiece in the kitchen on Sunday. Remember, I said attempted. I found a recipe for Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies and decided to try them out. As usual, my computer took the place of a typical cookbook.

These cookies had so much promise. They were easy to make and looked pretty going in…

They looked even prettier coming out. A little squished, to be sure, but ready to eat and enjoy…

I used chocolate chunks instead of chips because when it comes to chocolate, bigger is better After letting them cool on the rack, I picked one of the best looking ones to sample.

The result? Ehh…I think my problem was the sugar. I substituted organic white cane sugar instead of turbinado — are some of you cringing right now? — and it produced a very gritty, crumbly taste. They aren’t bad — Bobby is still willing to eat them, which is a huge plus — but I wasn’t as happy as I was hoping to be. I can handle baked breads, but still haven’t mastered the art of the cookie!

Until next time, my crumbly friend.

Good thing Sunday’s dinner made up for it!

We combined whole wheat macaroni and cheese (Annie’s) with two huge bags of stir-fry vegetables and broccoli. There was also a bit of edamame in there with teriyaki marinade as the sauce. The result was a flavor masterpiece — have you ever tried teriyaki with macaroni cheese? It may sound strange, but I thought they complemented each other quite well. Let’s call it…CHEESIYAKI?

Humbecue, cheesiyaki…I’m sensing a new dictionary section.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Abrazos,

First of all, huge congrats to my Aunt Jenny and Uncle David — IT’S A BOY!! The name is still to be determined (they are having trouble deciding on one they both like best, haha) but I could not be happier to have a new boy cousin. I can’t wait to pay a visit to count 10 little fingers and 10 little toes Fun fact: there are only FIVE girl cousins out of 20 in the entire “Bender” clan. We are the minority.

It has been a really fun and productive Saturday. I’ve been working on our wedding website — email me if you want to see the link, it’s quite fun!! — and tonight I’m attending a work event with Bobby at a great Chicago hot spot that I’ve always wanted to check out. It should be a nice time.

Another highlight of my day was breakfast. I met up with a good friend who reads the blog (and has blogged herself in the past!) named Kristie as she stopped through town for the day. She was actually the winner of the trivia contest during my Blogiversary Giveaway. It was so great to finally meet her in person after chatting back and forth via email for so long.

We originally were going to meet up at an intriguing new cafe but realized that it was actually part of a fitness center and wasn’t open for breakfast yet Instead, we wandered around for a while in the crisp fall air — it’s absolutely gorgeous in Chicago right now — and settled upon a market called Fox & Obel. I had passed by it before and it looked like it could be interesting. The foodie in me couldn’t resist suggesting we try it and, once inside, we realized there was also a cafe and decided breakfast was served.

Both Kristie and I decided to order the steel-cut oatmeal.

Doesn’t the sun make it look heavenly? This wasn’t just your average bowl of oats. It was topped with freshly sliced bananas, golden plump raisins and maple cream. I had never heard of maple cream before but it’s exactly what it sounds like: a creamier version of maple syrup that adds an entire new flavor dimension to the bowl. Click on that link above to see one way to make it!

Oatmeal never tasted so good. Between easy conversation — Kristie and I are a lot alike and coming up with topics to talk about was a breeze — and savoring each and every bite, breakfast felt more relaxing than it has in a very long time. The golden raisins lived up to their “plump” description — they were bursting with sugary sweetness that complemented the maple perfectly. The market also didn’t skimp on the banana slices: I had at least one in almost every bite right down to the very bottom of the bowl.

As if good food and good moods weren’t enough, Kristie then presented me with the ultimate gift:

GLO BARS!!!!!!!!! Kristie had placed an order with Angela recently and had a few to spare. I feel so, so fortunate for this gift. I can’t wait to try Angela’s creations — by the way, we were totally talking you up girly. We think what you are doing is amazing and so admire your courage to change careers.

After we finished our bowls, Kristie and I walked around the market, which was filled with unique and hard to find products. We both picked out a nice bottle of wine and a very special peanut butter, which I will be unveiling soon Let’s just say, I finally found it! Any guesses?

I’ve been snacking on a variety of hummus, veggies and pita for the rest of the day.

This is just the generic red pepper hummus from Whole Foods. A gigantic container for about the same price as a small Sabra container — and it tastes great. You can’t go wrong with fresh cucumber and WF mini pitas, either A fantastic, easy snack option.

The big feast will come at the work event tonight. Not sure if I’ll be able to take pictures but I’m going to try because I’m sure it will be fun to look at

Fun link: Minn. city’s get healthy effort called a success

As a Minnesotan at heart, I appreciate the efforts the town in the article went to in order to live better.

How are you “living better” this weekend?

I’m making it a priority to catch up with family and friends I have lost touch with due to my busy schedule these past few weeks. I need to know what’s going on in their lives. Yours, too!!

Abrazos,

This weekend was eggs-actly the right combination of productivity and fun. I was glad to read that so many bloggers enjoyed themselves in San Francisco! Back in the Windy City, I enjoyed watching Northwestern beat Iowa (insert evil laugh), getting out in the unseasonably warm – we are talking 70 degrees in November! – weather, organizing my apartment and meeting up with old friends. Not bad for a the shortest two day stretch of the week

My two friends and I met up for brunch at Lou Mitchell’s on Sunday. We all lived together in a suite my sophomore year of college and I had always heard how great this place was.

Apparently they saw me coming up the street and said, “There she is! Oh wait…she’s taking a picture of the outside?” Little did they know just how many pictures I would be taking! I love it.

One of the coolest things about Lou Mitchell’s is the atmosphere. It’s very family-friendly and fun – they ring a bell and sing happy birthday, wish a couple a happy anniversary, etc. They also have a great wait staff that takes the time to talk to you about life. Annnnnd while you’re waiting in line to sit, they pass out homemade doughnut holes! I snagged one on my way to the table to enjoy while perusing the menu. They also have Milk Duds for kids to sink their teeth into My mom would love it.

The ultimate decision was what to order. With so much to choose from on their menus – both breakfast and lunch are served – I knew it would be a tough call. I ended up going with the Vegetarian Omelette, which came with fresh tomato, spinach, mushroom and onion. I also added in feta for a Mediterranean touch. The omelette came out in the pan with homemade potatoes on the side.

As you can see in the picture above, they completely immerse the eggs in the ingredients so you get a bit of every ingredient, every time. The omelette was not too greasy and full of flavor. The potatoes were a nice complement – also not too greasy. I enjoyed both with coffee and whole wheat toast.

The reason for the title of this post is that when I got home from breakfast and told Bobby what I ate, he said, “But tonight is omelette night!” Oops No worries though, because as a creature of habit, I am able to eat the same meal multiple times per day. You think I’m joking…

Look familiar? Yes, it was a double dose of omelettes. In my opinion, if you’re going to eat something more than once, you may as well make it eggs, veggies and potatoes. They are all good for you (depending on your own personal stance with eggs, of course) and taste delicious.

We also enjoyed some leftover wine from the night before. On our quest to find the best cheap wine, we came across Barefoot Shiraz, which apparently earned a “gold medal” – so why not try it? The wine glass below was actually from Saturday and the stemless wine glass above is from Sunday. It definitely tasted its best when we first opened the bottle, but overall it wasn’t bad. A good, cheap choice!

To the omelettes themselves – mine was the usual 1 egg, 2 egg white combination – we added sliced ham, cucumber, red pepper and onion. It was a glorious combination of “savory crunch” and I enjoyed every bite! I topped mine with a little ketchup (couldn’t resist) and followed my rule of putting the veggies on top so that the omelette folds much easier. It saves time and hassle.

On the side we also roasted some Baby Dutch potatoes (a correction from the last time I made them and called them fingerling potatoes – Tina, you were absolutely right. Thank you for pointing it out!). Seasoned with garlic salt, pepper and Emeril’s powder, baked for 30 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered at 350* – they taste amazing, I promise you.

And now, on a completely non-related egg note…

The yogurt mess.

It’s BAAACCKK! It’s been a while since I had the Greek yogurt, cereal and banana combination. I had it this morning and realized it was definitely missed in my house. I topped it with some cinnamon and 1 tbsp. almond butter for an extra boost. Expect to see plenty more where this came from.

This week has been absolutely crazy so far…and it’s only Tuesday! It’s just that busy life I lead, I tell ya Seriously though, if I’m a bit out of the loop I apologize. I’ll jump back in as soon as possible. In the meantime, let’s wish this girl a happy early birthday (it’s not until Thursday but I’m just anticipating)! So happy that your Pilot is home again, Gina. Good timing!

Any other November babies out there? A very happy belated birthday to Mama Bender, who turned 20 – wait, how does that work? – on November 5. Young at heart and in spirit. Also, a happy birthday to all of my cousins, aunts and uncles. November is a busy birthday month in our family!

Around-the-Blogosphere

• Check out Katie’s Operation Chocolate-Covered Kindness (and her strawberry logo)!
• Another blogger doing good: Megan’s Pumpkins for Pink E-Book!

Abrazos,