How have you been this past week? I hope life's been treating you well! I've been doing magnificent.
I'm so sorry I've been on a little blogging hiatus. Like I previously stated - sometimes I have to put blogging in the backseat and the rest of my life in the forefront so I can actually get things done! I've been quite busy this last week cleaning, organizing, paying bills, catching up with friends, etc. It was a much needed and appreciated break. So thank you for being patient with me!
Here are just a few places I've visited since last Wednesday........
I took my cousin Katie and her son to Walt Disney World for a day of Disneytastic goodness!
I love my job :)
I took a little trip across town to The Spice & Tea Exchange......
and as promised, I will be giving further details on this wonderful company within the featured restaurant section of todays blog post! Be sure to check it out :)
When I walked into the store the aroma was just magnetizing.
I told myself I wasn't allowed to purchase anything, but who was I kidding. I was like a little kid in a candy shop amongst all of the herbs, spices, and teas! It took me about an hour and a half, but I somehow managed to dwindle the sixty+ products I wanted to purchase down to two. I couldn't decide between the two teas so I thought "what the heck" and bought them both.
Such a great buy!!
Prior to purchasing my teas I chatted with the woman who worked in the store for quite a long while. During our chit chat she made the mistake of mentioning a little chocolate store down the way. In her defense, she didn't really know who exactly she was dealing with, and clearly didn't know the consequences that would follow upon uttering the words "chocolate store" to me.
I immediately stopped our previous conversation and shouted "CHOCOLATE STORE!?!?!? WHAT CHOCOLATE STORE!? THERE'S A CHOCOLATE STORE!? WHERE?! HOW DO I GET THERE!?" This woman probably thought I was a complete nut bag lol. Whether she did or not I will never know, because she just smiled and politely gave me directions. After that I pretty much ran out of the door yelling "THANK YOU!" over my shoulder. I heard a faint "You're welcome dear" once I hit the side walk. I was a woman on a mission lol.
After about a five minute walk/jog/sprint - I finally reached my destination.
Kilwin's Chocolates
Once again I told myself I wasn't allowed to purchase anything. But who was I kidding? It's ME we're talking about here. ME. How can the girl who is practically obsessed with teas and chocolates, willingly go into a tea and chocolate shop, and actually expect herself to have self control and not purchase anything? Pssshhh please lol.
I mean come on - look at this stuff!!! If they didn't have such a wide variety of dark chocolates - my chances of walking out empty handed would've been a lot better. But they had a HUGE variety of dark chocolates....I was powerless.....and the store just smelled TOO good.
This here box of dark chocolates was indeed my lunch.
I devoured this delicious spread under a tree....
On a bench...
In a beautiful park....
For those of you who don't know: I am mildly allergic to dark chocolate and tend to sneeze when I eat it. The darker the chocolate, the more I sneeze. So I figure - If I sneeze a lot then the chocolate must be good! Let me just say - I sneezed more than I can even remember whilst devouring my chocolatey lunch spread :) It was so delicious! If you live anywhere near a Kilwin's Retail Store I suggest you hurry yourself on over and buy your own little box of hand crafted chocolates! You won't regret it :)
Lastly - I took a little trip to Whole Foods...
And purchased a ton of tempeh, tofu, and a jar of peanut butter.
Why all of the tempeh and tofu you ask? I have one word for you.
Vegan.
Let me start off by saying that I do not prefer to label what I am/ what my diet is......
For example: Vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, macrobiotic, raw vegan, etc.
I've never really found it necessary to label the way I eat, and put myself into a category. I just like what I like, and I don't like what I don't like. It's all based on personal preference and has nothing to do with religion, or anything of that nature.
To sum it up: My diet consists of fruits, veggies, whole grains, dairy, nuts, beans, soy, and a very small serving of chicken, turkey, or fish every week or so. I do not identify myself as a vegetarian, although my diet is pretty much that of a vegetarian. When I go out to eat I will most likely order something with chicken in it. When I'm at home, I rarely make any dishes containing any meat. I'm not sure why, but this is just the way I am.
I do not eat pork or beef unless it is literally the only choice I have. Why? Because any time I eat either of the two I feel sick to my stomach. This is most likely due to the fact that we NEVER ate pork or beef in my house growing up. NEVER EVER. The first time I ever tasted pork or beef was when I was in high school. I can only assume that my body is not accustomed to breaking these down - therefore, I feel sick to my stomach any time I consume either of the two.
So there you have it folks: I am a vegetarian for the most part, but not really because I eat poultry or fish once a week, or once every two weeks lol.
Today is the first day of "Jenna's Vegan Challenge"......
What exactly is Jenna's Vegan Challenge?
It is a month long challenge, starting today, where I do not consume any animal byproducts, i.e. eggs, milk, honey, meat, etc. ::GASP:: "Jenna you're not going to eat honey, milk, or eggs for a whole month? But that's what you always eat!!"
Negative. Saturdays are fair game. Every single Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday for the next thirty days, I will be a Vegan. Why is Saturday fair game? Because it's PANCAKE SATURDAY! I refuse to compromise my three year long tradition of making my delicious egg and milk filled pancakes, that are topped with deliciously delicious honey, every single Saturday, because I'm doing some challenge. I refuse lol. It's not worth it. Plus - when will I eat all of the dark chocolate I have stashed away?? Saturdays of course! :)
So I'm sure this leads you to say "Why are you going Vegan for a month in the first place? You don't eat very many animal byproducts to begin with. It seems like a really easy challenge."Well......when I decided I wanted to be Vegan for a month - I really had no reason why, I just felt like doing it to see if I could lol. But then I really got to thinking and researching and decided that this is what's best for my body.
Let's not beat around the bush - I've gained weight since I moved to Florida, perhaps not enough for anyone else to notice but myself, but it's enough that I feel extremely sluggish and old lady like. This is a direct result to the poor diet I've had since I moved here. I'm always preaching to everyone about treating their body with respect, and reminding everyone that it's the only one they have, and yet I'm over here eating junky food that I NEVER usually eat. So Veganism is a way to whip myself back into shape. Make myself the person I used to be prior to moving down here and, for lack of a better term, totally fucking up my diet.
Long story short: I'm heavier - I feel sluggish - my body needs to be rebooted - and I need a challenge.
AKA VEGANISM!!!!
Over the next month I will tell tales about my Vegan trials, tribulations, recipes, and products I've purchased along the way!! Hey - if you have nothing standing in your way, you might as well join me for the ride! If anything you'll be doing your body good :)
Time for me to bid you all farewell!
I have a fun filled day of exercise,research, and Vegan cooking ahead of me! Be sure to challenge your body today, whether that be with a new style of eating, or an intense exercise regimen. Your body deserves it!!
I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful day!
Toodeloo!
Let us begin....
[[Today's music]]
::Sigh:: Guilty pleasure confession time
SELENA GOMEZ & THE SCENE - WHO SAYS
If I were to tell you that I don't sing this song at the top of my lungs whilst driving in my car, and that I don't get super excited and "EEEEEK" every time it comes on the radio.....then I would be a big fat liar magee lol. I usually have at least one "guilty pleasure" song that I'm ashamed to admit for various reasons. This one definitely falls under the GP category. I can't help but love this song. Sigh..... I just can't help it.
::This confession has come to a close::
[[Today’s restaurant]]
THE SPICE AND TEA EXCHANGE
Ok....this isn't really a restaurant, but it might as well be! The restaurant section is the only featured section I will allow this amazing store to be under! It's one of the most legit spice & tea providers to date. The second I stepped into one of these stores for the very first time- I knew I'd be a loyal customer forever more.
The wide variety of products this small company is making are completely out of this world. They're almost too good to be true! I'm so happy I got the chance to visit one of the stores myself. So if you don't have the same opportunity I did to actually go into one of the stores and speak to a sales associate face to face- I suggest you take a look see at their website, and see for yourself what exactly they're all about!
"The partners of the Spice & Tea Exchange invite you to experience our stores and to explore our web site. Jeff, Amy, Clay, Penny and Steve developed the Spice & Tea Exchange to bring to market our gourmet seasonings and spices, cooking herbs, gourmet teas, sugars, sea salts and our signature products - blends and rubs made from our own secret recipes. You cannot find them anywhere else except The Spice & Tea Exchange.
The original founder of The Spice & Tea Exchange (formerly Old Florida Spice Traders), Clay Freeman, opened his first store in 2003. Over the years, the original concept has remained solid - that is, we are dedicated to bringing to market a huge selection of gourmet spices - everything from A to Z; including a huge selection of chili powders, cheese powders, smoked powders and more. Our selection of fresh gourmet spices is second to none. If you can't find it here, it probably does not exist. Freshness and variety are our mottos.
In 2007, we decided to franchise our stores. We simply followed our customer's advice. We listened as our customers told us that The Spice & Tea Exchange would be perfect for their home towns. We currently have 19 stores up and running including one in Downtown Disney; with more stores scheduled. Look for quite a few more in the coming year.
In addition to our spices, blends and rubs, we bring you the finest in gourmet teas. Tea lovers rejoice. .
We feature many unique accessories designed to support the Spice and Tea Exchange lifestyle. Mortars/Pestles, Spice Racks, Mills & Grinders, Tea Accessories and more make the perfect items for your kitchen … and make the perfect gifts for that special cook in your life. Or, choose from one of our unique gift boxes.
Please enjoying exploring the unique spice and tea varieties spiceandtea.com, or at one of our wonderful stores."
“Have you ever done this? You find an awesome recipe with a beautiful picture. You get all the ingredients, put in a ton of effort to get the perfect result—and then it just doesn’t turn out right. You check the ingredient list twice, you reread the steps and you can’t figure out where you went wrong.
Before I went to culinary school and cooked every day for my job as Associate Food Editor at EatingWell Magazine, this used to happen to me a lot—what I thought was a perfect execution ended up with a flawed result. Now I know there are a few pitfalls that you have to avoid while cooking.
Here are 4 bad cooking habits you should try to break:
Bad habit #1: You dip and sweep the flour
When measuring flour, plenty of people fill their measuring cup by dipping it into the bag, leveling it off and dumping it into the bowl. This is a common mistake. Here’s why it doesn’t work: The dipping motion packs the flour into the cup, giving you more than you really need. The result? Dense baked goods. How to do it right: The correct way to measure flour is scooping it lightly into the measuring cup with a spoon and leveling it off at the top.
Bad habit #2: You cook or store acidic food in reactive pans
Aluminum is often used in cookware because it’s a great conductor of heat, but isn’t so good in your food. How would it get there? Cooking or storing something acidic in reactive pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, can eat away at the metal and impart an off color and/or off flavor in your food. Use a nonreactive pan (stainless-steel, enamel-coated or glass) when cooking with acidic foods like lemon juice or tomatoes to prevent the food from reacting with the pan.
Bad habit #3: You crowd the pan
If you’re looking for a nice, brown crispiness to the outside of your food, don’t put too much in your pan at once. When cooking meat or tofu, adding too much to the pan at once causes the temperature of the pan to drop quickly, resulting in the food sticking to the pan. In the case of vegetables, if you add a pile of them to a hot pan, they are more likely to steam and become soggy as opposed to browned. So consider cooking in batches to avoid sticking and steaming.
Bad habit #4: You don’t properly preheat your cooking surface
When you’re hungry, “Preheat the oven or grill” may seem like a step someone added just to torture you. But it’s necessary. Baking or roasting in an oven that hasn’t been properly preheated will throw off the cooking time or may cause your food to cook unevenly or even burn. Ditto with the grill. Adding food to an improperly heated grill grate causes sticking and eventually burning.”
Calling this apartment "amazing" would be a HUGE understatement.
This is by far one of the most innovative homes I've ever seen.
(3) INTERNET AWESOMENESS
I discover internet awesomeness on a daily basis. Examples:
[[Today’s food clip]]
(1) EZ CRACKER
OMG. This is a joke right? Cracking eggs does NOT need to be made easier.
When normal people, such as myself, get egg shells in their bowl they just pick the pieces out with their fingers. When crazy people get egg shells in their bowl, they go out and spend money on this ridiculous piece of plastic.
I can crack two eggs in the amount of time it takes to place one egg in this crazy contraption. ::Side note::I love how they completely overexaggerate how hard it is to crack an egg lol.
My favorite quote at 0:04 "And we've all done this"
Bitch - I've never done that a day in my life lol.
(2) IT’S ABOUT TIME YOU MEET YOUR SOUL MEAT: SLANTSHACK JERKY
Jenna is the name blogging about food appears to be my game. Self declared funny gal, and budding chef-to-be. I prepare food for a living at @olivedive . Click the 'About Me' tab to learn more!
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