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Crunchy and Fruity Shortbread Bars {Gluten-free & Vegan}
April 4th, 2011
Happy Monday everyone! I woke up fully energized after a nice long weekend. It has been almost a week since we returned from New York and I think I am FINALLY caught up on my sleep from that trip! I probably will not feel rested until I have this baby of mine, but I can say for sure that I feel wonderful today. That is all that counts. Living one day at a time and with purpose.
Saturday morning was spent cleaning house. After being away from home, there was plenty of unpacking, cleaning, and washing to be done. Saturdays were usually cleaning days but who wants to be doing that during the weekends? Ha ha ha, right, I know.
Well, I got up at 8:30am and had many plans. I left the house thinking I could do errands for a quick 30 minutes and then return home and have breakfast. WRONG. Waves of nausea attacked me and I had to pull on the side of the road, enter the supermarket parking lot and heave. How embarassing! What can one possibly have in their tummies just after waking up? Yeah, you DON’T wanna know.
I quickly bought an egg sandwich to get some protein in my body. Yes folks, I have been eating more like a vegetarian lately. Well, all in all, I have needed to eat meat since I have not been able to stand the sight of beans, tempeh, or tofu. I am seeing this as a stage where my hormones are raging against me but I know I still need to eat. I know I need to do what is best for my body and my little figgy at this moment.
Anyway, I learned after getting sick in the parking lot, that I should not leave home without forcing myself to eat something AND to take some snacks with me. I am so slow, but eventually I will get there. Good news though! I am 11 weeks into this pregnancy which means I have one more week until I am past the 1st trimester, which means that morning sickness should be gone. Please Lord it needs to be gone.
The rest of the day was focused on cleaning the wood floors, dusting, laundry, and making dinner for company. Wowzers, was I ever tired by the end of the day! Ryan suggested I take a nap before I put in some pies to bake and before company arrived. He is so sweet and thoughtful. I am blessed to be married to such a great guy!
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| Strawberry-Rhubarb Orange Pies |
Onto my post. I think the next several posts are going to be focused on desserts, since those are all still vegan and mostly gluten-free. If it is one thing, I have hardly craved anything sweet and if I do it is all natural sweetners.
My mother got me a gluten-free cookbook at Christmas called Great Gluten-free Baking by Louise Blair that I had not made anything out of yet. It is not a vegan cookbook so when I came across a tantalizing recipe for shortbread bars, I jumped at it. The recipe is originally called fingers, but they did not look like fingers at all. I think they also should have been called Crunchy and Fruity Shortbread Bars because it has lots of cornflakes on top of these bars.
These shortbread bars taste buttery even though I used Earth Balance margarine and they are more like a trail mix bars but with a shortbread crust. They are super lovely, even Ryan said that they tasted buttery! 2 thumbs up! They are really easy to make and they are a great snack or dessert. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.
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New York and Carnegie Hall
April 1st, 2011
I finally feel like I can take some time to write about all the wonderful experiences we had while in New York. Even though it has only been 2 days, it feels like I just got back. Ryan told me he was ready to go home, but I almost felt like not going home. There was still so much more in New York!
After a whirlwind of rehearsals for 2 1/2 days and then the performance, I sure felt wiped. My feet hurt from standing during performance and from all the walking we did during the evenings. I was mentally and physically exhausted because we were going to sleep at 2am almost every night (or morning). New York sure did keep me on my toes.
One of the things I was asked often was, “How are you feeling?” I am now almost 11 weeks pregnant and the little kumquat has taken its first trip and been at Carnegie Hall!
Our first day in New York started early. We took a 6am flight from Michigan to LaGuardia and arrived at 8:15am. Ryan and I promptly check our bags, since check-in was not possible at the time, and headed out to find a place to eat. I totally forgot my map marked with the places to try, but I remembered one place. Ryan did not care where we ate since he was ravenously hungry so I was in charge of the place. We took a subway to the Eastside and waited 45 minutes to eat at Clinton St. Baking Company, where they served us the best pancakes and breakfast. We technically had brunch! We walked around the area and walked 42 blocks back to the hotel because it was the BEST sunny day ever.
Ryan met some folks in charge of our tour and then we were able to check in. I promptly plopped on the comfy bed and slept for 2 hours. I woke up and we had to get ready to head towards the Theater district for our show Anything Goes. I asked Ryan where we should eat but he was not hungry yet. Hmm, was this pregnant lady hungry? Maybe I should not be? I ate some trail mix and an apple and got dressed.
The show was really great but it lacked more dancing numbers. I love watching tap numbers and imagine myself being up on stage…sigh! During intermission, two couples got in a nasty altercation just as the curtain was going on. It was scary but it was over in 3 minutes, which felt like 15 minutes! After the show got out, we both realized we were REALLY hungry. My in-laws got into town that very evening so we decided to go out to dinner after the show. This lady was getting nauseous because she was hungry! 10 hours without a proper meal did not cut it. We headed to Lombardi’s Pizza after I got us lost for a bit, only 5 minutes before they closed. We order one large pizza only to find out it was not enough, and too late to find out that the kitchen had been closed. Oh well, the thin crust pizza was DELICIOUS!
That night, we slept like babies especially since we had an 8:30am rehearsal the next morning with close to 200 people!
Saturday morning was tough. Who wants to get up at 7am and shower? I did, so I could wake up. I only had a bagel for breakfast which I later found out was not going to cut it. I made sure to eat protein the rest of every breakfast during the trip. We had a 4 hour rehearsal with a 15 minutes break, rehearsing Haydn’s Mass in Time of War. It was really great to be singing with 4 other choirs in addition to our choir. After that rehearsal our choir had a break for lunch.
Lunch was a blogger meet-up 5 blocks from my hotel at Josie’s where I met JL from JL Goes Vegan, VKO from Lifestyles from the Chic and Vegan, Birdy27, Barbara from Gone Pie Bakery, and Andrea from Celery in the City. We had such a great time getting to know each other over really bad vegan food. Come to find out that the restaurant was for both vegans and non-vegans alike so the vegan food really lacked flavor. No matter, because we had each other’s company and it was the best!
After lunch I went back for our choir’s 1 hour rehearsal before having the evening free. After our rehearsal we rested a bit and met up again with my in-laws for dinner. It was great seeing them since it had been since Christmas we last saw each other. We hiked to Chinatown to Joe’s Shanghai Restaurant which came recommended. There are probably lines to wait for dinner all over town but we were happy to wait for ours. The restaurant was packed and it was all served family-style so we sat with 3 other parties. Our meals were flavorful and delicious. We were NOT disappointed!
Sunday was another full day of rehearsal while our in-laws went to see Wicked in the afternoon. our time flew so quickly that Ryan and I decided to just take it easy and not really plan to see landmarks or museums. We were more interested in seeing the area and neighborhoods we had not visited on previous trips.
Sunday evening dinner reservations was at one of Bobby Flay’s restaurants called Mesa Grill. It was definitely fancy and really great food. There were sides that were vegan but most of every dish except for one could be vegan. At this rate, my tummy has not been acting well so I have been eating what protein I can get. I still opted to get the Cornmeal-Crusted Poblano Pepper filled with eggplant, manchego cheese and more. It was DELICIOUS! It was served with a red pepper coulis and a balsamic vinegar reduction. I have to say that Bobby has great dishes.
After dinner we decided to take a stroll down to the Empire State building at 10:30pm. It was FREEZING, but it was a great view! We took lots of pictures because we kept getting blurry ones but the wind gusts were painful cold we quickly headed out of the cold and headed to Times Square.
Are you still with me?
Monday was our performance day. We had until 2pm to rest up, sightsee, and catch up on music before our dress rehearsal. I took a brisk walk and met Leinana from Vegan Good Things for 30 minutes. I originally thought we could make lunch but then during our trip learned that it was going to be too hard to fit that in. Either way, we were still able to meet and chat and enjoy each other’s company. It was great. She has such a sweet personality and it was sad to leave but it was nice to have the time we had.
I checked out Union Square and then headed to One Lucky Duck for a Blueberry Sunset smoothie, a mallomar, and a moon pie. I have had so many people rave about these goodies that I was so happy to finally try them. I saved the moon pie for dessert later, but I had to eat the mallomar since the cream was melting. It was SO SO SO WOW-melt-in-your-mouth good! I want to learn how to make them for sure!
I headed back to the hotel and got ready for dress rehearsal. We got dressed for the rest of the day and headed to Carnegie Hall. It was such an amazing experience to be in the building again despite my NOT remembering the last I had been there. Who cares? This was going to be more memorable for Ryan and me. Dress rehearsal went by quickly and then our choir, the Holland Chorale headed out to a reception hosted but a donor. We took some great pictures, ate great appetizers, and sang 2 pieces for the company/ We promptly got back on our buses and headed out to Carnegie Hall again for performance.
It was a long evening folks but it was a memorable one. The house was full for a Monday night and Holland Chorale’s solo performance was perfection under Ryan’s direction and Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, was superb under our friend, Jason Paulk’s direction! Our performance was from 8pm until 10:15pm. We then headed out to a party cruise on a private line that cruised by the Statue of Liberty at night. Wow, it was cold but it was definitely worth the picture.
We are glad to be home even though we would have like the experience to last longer. It was a blast and I can assure you that everyone else had a great time too!
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LÄRABAR Winners!
March 30th, 2011
Hi everyone! I am back from New York City and am very tired. I did not realize that I would not have time to post the winners for the LÄRABAR giveaway. Forgive me for my poor planning!
Anyway, Random.org has done its job and picked 5 winners to receive a box of Jocalat bars and a t-shirt. Thank you all for entering this wonderful giveaway. I have enjoyed 3 bars so far and am looking forward wearing the shirt soon!
To all the winners: Please email me your t-shirt size and your mailing address so that the lovely people at LÄRABAR can send you the goodies! Thanks a bunch!
Kelly @la vida vegga said…
Awesome giveaway; Larabars are the best! My favorite is probably the Cinnamon Roll variety… mmm.
Howell said…
My favorite flavor is Key Lime Pie.
hlee99 at gmail dot com
avoir_la_volonte said…
And I linked to your contest on Facebook! I am @Tabitha Shearer
Lauren said…oatsandspice said…
I love the Peanut Butter Cookie Larabars!
I now follow you on twitter!
Stay tuned for all the adventures we had in New York!
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Shitake Mushroom and Potato Chowder with Sweet Cornbread
March 23rd, 2011
I forgot to tell you all! We’re heading to New York this weekend! Ryan conducts the Holland Chorale out in Holland, MI and back in 2009 we were asked if we’d like to perform with several choirs at Carnegie Hall. Our choir will have a solo concert and then we will join up with several choirs and perform Haydn’s “Paukenmesse.” Here is a flyer from one of our most recent concerts.
If you find yourself in New York this weekend, please take some time to purchase some tickets to come out and hear us! You can find information on the concert program at MidAmerica’s website and you can get ticket information HERE. We will be performing on Monday, March 28th at 8pm. Hope you can make it!
On a different note, I decided to leave you with a nice soup recipe. I have been wanting chowder for a long time but I had not quite decided the exact recipe.
I have not been cooking alot because I either lose my appetite or I get extremely nauseous. I took a chance this past Sunday and decided to make a pot of chowder with shitake mushrooms, leeks, and potatoes. It was very savory and the mushrooms almost reminded me of clams.
This soup is really quick and little hassle. I accompanied it with a sweet cornbread that was perfect! Ryan kept going back for second helpings on both! If it has been rainy, cold, and dreary like it has been here, this soup is perfect for an evening meal. It is thick and hearty and very filling.
I want to add a little note here: I have been using Crisco’s pure virgin olive oil especially for this soup. It added such a deep flavor when cooked with the leeks and potatoes. I had a chance, as part of the Tastemaker program, through Foodbuzz to try 3 of Crisco’s olive oils. Their oils do not disappoint!
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Orange Chia Pudding Parfait
March 21st, 2011
Thank you everybody for your lovely comments and recommendations on my last post. I know many have been where I have been and can feel what it can be like. I can’t wait to start cooking in my cast-iron cookware we received as a wedding gift almost 3 years ago from a dear friend, so it now comes time to use it with purpose!
This weekend marks the first weekend where I sang to my baby. On Friday I had a performance in Holland singing an aria from Verdi’s opera La Forza del Destino, called “Pace, pace mio Dio!” I wore a new dress and was among 25 other singers from our chorale. It was a great night! Not only that, but it was the first night that I sang to my baby. I really want to know how this will enrich their life. How exciting!
Saturday was a great restful day. I took advantage of the sunshine and ran errands, mostly trying to walk outside to catch some rays! It was also an excuse to shop. Saturday also proved to be a painful one.
Now that my hurling moments have disappeared, I have started with a horrible pain in my tail bone. It had started some time during the week but I kept on stretching in bed or going to the gym and doing some exercises there. Saturday was the most uncomfortable day. It felt like my bed was making my back hurt worse every night. From what I could remember, I knew I had not been straining myself or making any weird movements, so I sent a general concern over Facebook, and come to find out that this seems to be a normal preganacy symptom.
I just made my 1st appointment to see a chiropractor, so I am going to get this fixed, hopefully, so I can travel with more ease this weekend as we head off to Carnegie Hall in New York!
I think I set myself up though. As soon as I was happy to say I had stopped hurling after eating, it happened on Sunday. I decided to make a new recipe I had had in mind for a while (which I willl feature tomorrow). I accompanied it with delicious cornbread. It was such a dreary day that I decided that soup was going to be perfect, since Ryan agreed as well.
After an hour of eating lunch, my tummy decided to revolt. I promptly rushed to the bathroom and I no longer had lunch in my tummy. I turned to Ryan and asked if he was sick at all. Whenever I cook it has made me paranoid that I have food poisoning or something, but alas, it is not so. It is just my stinking hormones acting up and letting me know they did not want my food. Oh well.
The furstrating thing was that this happened before I was performing that very evening! I was going without any eating for 4 hours before performance but only because I do not like eating before I sing. I sang 5 songs from Canteloube’s Chants D’Auvergne. I was really happy to be a part of my friend’s DMA Recital because it exposed me to these beautiful songs. I hope my baby enjoyed them!
That evening I was really hungry, so I ate a bit at the reception and then when I got home my tummy was yet again uneasy so I ate a granola bar with ginger tea. Thus was the end of my tummy troubles for the evening!
Anyway, that was a long intro for my weekend. I want to leave you with a yummy parfait I created this past week. I have been enjoying more fruit than ever lately. I woke up one morning REALLY craving chia seeds. Chia seeds are a complete protein so I knew I needed it for sure! They are also high in calcium and in omega 3’s and 6’s.
My grandmother likes making an orange tapioca pudding so I decided to make an orange chia pudding and then I combined it with some lovely fruits. Not only was it VERY filling and very tasty but it was SUPER quick to make. I cannot wait to have it again. Enjoy!
