what i ate wednesday: ANOTHER veggie pasta plate

it was sooooooooo good here I had to make another:

fried onion

mushroom

green peas

sun-dried tomato

sunflower seeds

marinara sauce

salsa

whole wheat pasta

havarti cheese

make yours today! :)

happy easter

mac & cheese and sweet potatoes/candied yams (whatever you'd like to call them--is there really a difference? ha!)

sorry i was too busy hogging it out that i (shockingly) didn't get any more photos of the rest of our dinner so here's a quick run down of what else we had:

turkey & gravy

dressing

cranberry sauce

fried corn

collard greens

yeast dinner rolls

oh and dessert of course: pear pie (if you're a big apple pie fan, you'd love this!) and the infamous stop the press sugar cream pie (the sugar pie was truly what was poppin' on the streets!).

the empanada truck

this is all i got. unfortunately, they were sold out. it was a cold, windy, rainy mid-afternoon and they were sold.out..i got there about 15 minutes after 12. guess the early bird does get the worm! go here for more info and daily locations.

a morning at hoosier

it all started when I pulled up the saturday morning before easter sunday to a line that looked something like this:

and i thought i was doing something thinking i'd get there when the doors swung open for business at 9am! so i finally got out of my vehicle and decided to join the others in line.

i've never stood in a line where they served you hot chocolate chip scones fresh out of the oven and complimentary coffee while you wait. paula & the hoosier pie company family, you certainly know how to do business! it made me and everyone else that were standing in that line even more excited about our anticipating purchases!

finally in! can you believe at this point i'm still trying to figure out what i'm going to get? yes, i'm the most indecisive person you will ever meet! but look at this entire rack of pies:

misson accomplished! i decided to purchase 2 pies that morning: pear & sugar cream pie.

see my other hoosier post here

which pie(s) would you get?

caffe' mochalicious

at trader's you have options so take your pick here: caffe latte or mocha choka latte. both have a pretty smooth taste with a hint of vanilla and give you the uumph you need to get up and go in the morning or whenever. for only 99 cents, my only compliant is that they are too small. instead of 6.5 ozs., these cans should be boasting at least 8 ounces or even 10-12 for that matter. enjoy~

havarti monday

grilled havarti cheese with chicken breast and blackberry preserves on 7 grain sprouted sliced bread

olive oil, chili powder, and garlic sauteed veggies:
carrots
mushrooms
broccoli
garnished with nutritional yeast and goddess dressing (not pictured)

2 days of junk food are done...not it's back to 5 days of total healthy bliss. this was again a delicious dinner. for a split second i thought i was in a restaurant because it was that good! umph

what did you eat for dinner?

chicken & waffles invade chicago

well they've been in chicago since '08 and i finally got the nerve to try 'em out. very nice atmosphere, attentive service, and the food was magnificent to say the least. my friend was having foodgasms at the table as we were digging into all that chicken & waffle goodness. i mean we really couldn't make up our minds on what to order because there were so many choices and everything was described so deliciously. for example, did you see the french vanilla oatmeal? i bet it's good. i am curious to try the 'darnell' and the pecan waffle as well as the waffle a la mode. mmmm i say. i know i sound like a hogg but i just can't help it right now. i'll just say this: we will definitely be going back.

instead of heading back home to hug up to the delicacy of my bed, we went to the randolph vintage street market. once we pulled up to park, we quickly changed our minds and opted for the goodwill instead. boy were we glad we made that decision. as always, we made some pretty awesome purchases but that's another blog post.

this is of course my goodies from a trader joe's run. i mean what's a saturday if you didn't go to trader joe's...smile.

how's your weekend going?

coq au vin

chicken & rice. well not your typical chicken & rice...what we have here is breast of chicken in red wine sauce with pearlized onions and mushrooms laying delicately atop curry rice with peas, red pepper, and raisins. was it good? it was mmm mmmm delicious!

this weekend i'm headed towards sweet & savory. what exactly you might ask? well, you'll have to tune in tomorrow to see what ole' time favorite was at the top of the list for this weekend eats.

what do you have planned for the next 2 days?

what i ate wednesday: veggie pasta plate

whole wheat pasta

spring salad mix

green peas

lentils

avocado

mushrooms

sun-dried tomato

turkey meatballs

all sauteed in truffle oil followed by pouring tomato sauce over the entire concoction and simmering until ready to serve. finished it off with a bed of parmesan. not only delicious but filling & so healthy!

another stir-fried production

turkey bacon

lentils

mushrooms

brussel sprouts

avocado

melted havarti cheese

spring lettuce mix

not pictured: nutritional yeast, boiled egg, salsa, and goddess dressing!

these days, i am in love with experimenting with veggies in the pan with whatever i have laying around. there's no right or wrong to what you can create. grab those veggies, your favorite condiments, etc. and get to cooking. you'll be surprised at what you can create and how delicious and satisfying it is!

trader day tuesday

don't let the name fool you. these chips are crunchy, salty, savory, and spicy. not to mention calorie-less. well not exactly free of calories but they are certainly guilt free. have you had these before? pick them up on your next trader run. you'll see what i mean. hooked i tell you. just plain ole' addictive.

fried day

just got paid...it's friday night

party hunting...feeling right

booty shaking...all around

bought 1 drink...now i'm gettin' down

(song: just got paid by: johnny kemp)

woot woot! to celebrate the end of yet another productive week, we had a trio of salads for lunch: chicken penne, calamari with kalamata olives, feta, and zesty tomatoes, and mexican rice. it was just as yummy as that picture right there captured it!

btw, donut vault opened this past tuesday and i'm going to check it out. stay tuned...

what do you have planned this weekend?

eating veggies

turkey bacon
fresh mushrooms
green peas
lentils
sun-dried tomato
brussel sprouts
all stir-fried in chili powder, seasoned salt, and a dab of olive oil. topped with parmesan and goddess dressing. very delicious & good for you!

trader day tuesday

i'm whispering to you like the girl is to her friend there on the lid: pssssst...it's only $1.99, tastes like homemade vanilla ice cream rice custard if there's such a thing. bought it one day, gone the next. go buy it, try it, cuz i think you'll like it.

mundane monday

monday monday, so good to me,

monday monday, it was all I hoped it would be

oh monday morning, monday morning couldn't guarantee

that monday evening you would still be here with me.

(song: monday, monday by: the mamas and the papas)

this is basically how my day in food looked today- colorful and for the most part healthy. sushi for lunch and channa marsala (indian curry chickpeas) with yellow rice & steamed broccoli. can't forget the buttered up naan. mmmm mmm good!

now for the not so healthy stuff: not pictured was the donut buffet for breakfast that consisted of a 1/4 of a chocolate donut, half of a chocolate long john, and another half of a cake donut. believe me, it sounds worse than what i actually ate of it all. :-/ the late afternoon snack was a bagel and orange juice.

so there you have it- a typical day in food in the life of me!

april fool's you're a fool

{honey 1 ribs & bbq}

ok here's the weekend list (in no particular order) of places you should eat. if you don't eat at them all, well, there's always next weekend.

ina's (breakfast)

honey 1 ribs & bbq

brown sugar bakery

izola's (fried chicken)

jimmy jam sweet potato pies

yia yia's pancake house (greek style)

scooter's frozen yogurt

dee's place (soul food in wicker park)

racine bakery (go for the paczki's)

sultan's market (mediterranean) alwaaaaaays a go to

taco joint (similar to big star) let us know your opinion on how they measure up

black dog gelato

have a great weekend, ya'll!!