Before Broccoli Hut
The other day, in the midst of searching for something for jotting down notes from shadowing, I stumbled across an item from pre-Broccoli Hut days: my journal. Before Broccoli Hut, I used to document my life’s events by hand, in a very Caroline-esque, red polka-dot journal. I perused the pages of course, re-living my crises, triumphs, and dilemmas–from the freshman homesickness to the career choice uncertainties. Once I started this blog back in March 2008, journal entries all but disappeared. While maintaining a blog is a great way to chronicle my life (and food, of course!), my old-fashioned journal entries had so much more emotion–there was an element of “stream of consciousness” in them that made my experiences more real. Perhaps I should occasionally pay a visit to the dear old diary if not for a more accurate record of my life, at least for the cathartic relief journal-writing provides. Have you ever kept a journal? Do you think it’s wise to keep blogging and journal-writing separate? Or, should blogging be more emotional/personal?
Before I get to the food, I want to draw your attention to the sidebar. Notice anything different? That little broccoli chick is the creation of my artistic sister Lea. I gave her the card that Em included in my Secret Bloggie package and asked her to copy it so that I could include it on the blog. She came up with that cruciferous coquette you see to the right. Thanks to Em AND Lea!
The grub:
Wednesday
To be honest, I was not so wild about this variety of Amazing Meal. It had quite a distinctive “green” aftertaste. The flavor grew on me as I sipped away, however. Next time I’ll try it with berries.
Pomegranate-Mango Amazing Meal
peach-mango smoothie with Amazing Meal, soymilk, & bran flakes
Thursday
This breakfast was pretty phenomenal. It started out as a craving for my Samoas oats and morphed into a new variation on the choco-coconut theme. This Larabar flavor is like a little brick of coconut goodness! Dessert for breakfast.
Chocolate Coconut Chew Larabar
oat bran cooked in unsweetened chocolate almond milk, banana, dark cocoa powder, & coconut extract, topped with coconut & crumbled Larabar
After getting a haircut, I sat down to read my journal while sipping kombucha. This is my FAVE flavor so far–it’s like the hippie version of Grapico.
Divine Grape
I made a lazy girl version of the Thai Chick-Un Pizza from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan for lunch. Rather than making the complex peanut sauce in the recipe, I just thinned out some peanut butter with veggie broth and added ginger. I like using pizza crust rather than tortillas for the sturdiness–but they don’t have nearly as much surface area! I used the extra toppings for a salad.
Thai Chick-Un Pizza (ED&BV); leftover toppings in salad form
Last-minute dinner tonight. I just dumped a few things in a pot and came up with another black bean gumbo (similar to the one I had here). That Annie’s dressing continues to draw a “meh” response from my taste buds. Bummer.
Easy Black Bean Gumbo; zucchini; salad with Annie's Garlic Herb dressing; plain yogurt with strawberries
Check out the new mug/bowl--4 dollah at Pier One.
Check out today’s mail goodies:
Perhaps someONE will change my mind about coconut water...
ONE Coconut Water! In addition to the ZICO samples I received, these samples are also a result of my recent VitaCoco bashing.
One final note: if you’d like to see some of my recipes, please let me know which ones you would like me to post. I am always happy to oblige, as long as they’re not from a cookbook!
Later, lovelies!
Filed under: Meals
Hello and welcome! I have created this blog for people who love food, especially healthful, vegetarian food.
I have just graduated from Duke University with degrees in English and psychology. I plan to pursue a master's degree in nutrition starting in Fall 2010. Ideally, I would like to combine my love of food and the written word someday as a health writer.
ooh i’d like to see recipes for smoothies..like specific measurements. i know it sounds lame but i always mess up smoothies in my blender even when using the same ingredients as you or other bloggers
i can’t ‘cook’ for my life! anyways, i love journaling. since i started college almost 3 years ago i’ve been on several trips, many international ones, and i always keep a journal. it’s so fun to look back on. i’m not sure what i would do if i were a blogger though… i’m a VERY private person so i might not share it to the world ;p
Thai Pizza, Chocolate Oats, Kombucha…all so good!
I have tried to journal but my handwriting gets all crappy and I have to rip out the page…thats the perfectionist in me! haha
ohhh those oats look sinful! i bet they were delish. oh i have many a journal from back in the pre internet days. i think keeping a journal separate from the blog is a great idea, although i would never find the time for all that. i have my food blog and my friends & fam blog.. but when i used to keep a journal it was full of all sorts of personal, emotional stuff. i think it is nice to share emotion on blogs for all to see, but there is a line that should be drawn regarding how much to share. ya know?
I love journaling! I find it so therapeutic. I usually only journal when I’m really upset- angry or sad. So they’re quite interesting to re-read!
I’m intrigued by coconut water.
Love the broccoli gal on the side–so cute! Lea and Em are so talented. You can’t go wrong with chocolate and coconut…especially together
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Yay for kombucha! Mmm love the grape flavor! The pizza lunch and gumbo dinner looks fabulous, as usual.
I used to keep a diary when I was a kid. I had a journal of sorts later in life too, but only wrote in it if something special happened. I think I blog should be personal, but not too much (sensitive topics, embarassing topics, stuff that should be a secret, etc.), so for those of you who really enjoy writing
, I think it would be great to have both.
I’ve been keeping a journal ever since 6th grade, I have tons of them! I LOVE having a blog, but I would never write some of the stuff I chronicle in my journal on it! It’s just way too personal.
I love having both and definitely enjoy reading back some of the stuff I wrote when I was younger!
i’ve tried to keep journals in the past, but can never keep them up. i’ll write one page and then forget about it and never write another word. haha!
and that oat bran with the larabar on top looks way too delicious to be as healthy as it is. i feel like i might start drooling right now…but i’m always close to drooling when i look at your food, so that’s nothing new.
-JB
http://cardiovegsular.wordpress.com
Cute broccoli icon!
I’ve tried to keep a journal off and on throughout the years, but I find it difficult to keep up with. Also when I read the journal entries later on I think, “wow what a dork I was!” though I guess that’s amusing! I kept a journal for the first six months that I was in Belgium, I think one of the hardest things of a journal is if I fall out of the groove of keeping one it’s hard to get back in the groove. My blog will serve as a journal of my last three weeks, I guess!
I can’t imagine journaling on top of blogging! I hope to look back at my blog when I’m old and show the girls how much I love them. Awww….
I love the look of your dessert for breakfast!
I used to journal way back in the day and it’s definitely weird going through it and reliving everything!
Do you like the chocolate coconut Lara better than the coconut cream pie? Samoas are so good!!
I was religious about keeping a journal as a teenager. I actually don’t know why I stopped writing one! Blogging to me is like keeping a journal, just not my deepest darkest secrets that only a teen would put to paper!
Love all your eats in this post! YUM
I journaled for a good 3-4 years, and know exactly what you’re talking about…I stopped as soon as I started my blog as well.
I definitely think I should get back into hand-written journals again…I feel like both the blog and my journal capture different highlights of my life, and its interesting to see a difference in both.
I used to keep a journal back in high school but now I get so embarassed when I go back and read it. Some things are better left to be forgotten!
I have multiple paper/online journals that I keep sporadically… I have a livejournal that I used (and still use) since 2001. That’s the biggie
All your bowls/dishware are so cute, ESPECIALLY the new smoothie glass.
I’ve always kept a journal too. It’s suffered a bit now, though, since I decided to give blogging a try.
That is one seriously chocolate-y looking breakfast. It looks great and not-too-sweet!
Love kombucha. I think my favorite flavor is the “trilogy” one.
I love coconut wata! It is the best stuff to drink after a session of hot yoga or any cardio, sweating involved activity!
I have tried to keep a journal in the past..like 7 different times. But I would rather just type out what I think than write it! Helloooo blog world!
I love coconut wata! It is the best stuff to drink after a session of hot yoga or any cardio, sweating involved activity!
I have tried to keep a journal in the past..like 7 different times. But I would rather just type out what I think than write it! Helloooo blog world!
BTW I love your blog!
I have heard and seen so much about coconut water! I think I need to just try it out for myself one of these days.
I love that you used to journal alot. I need to get back into the swing of writing things down by hand for my cathartic reasons and means of expression. I think it can a be a great way to account for times in your life.
I do have a separate journal – in fact, I was a devoted daily journaler from like 12 – 22! I rarely ever missed a night of writing for 10 years. I cut back after college, but still write when the spirit moves me. I definitely think it’s important to have a place where you can write without worrying about what others will think. There’s something really liberating and cathartic about literally being able to say whatever you want from deep down. Keep the journal!
Happy 4th!
I used to keep a journal ALL the time when I was younger! I guess blogging is a cooler form of it haha
mmmm what fun present!!
Oh I totally kept journals when I was little but like many others I’d give up after a few weeks or months. Know I have random glimpses into my adolescent past though
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Interested to hear what you have to say about your new products, hope they’re yummy!
I LOVE the idea of the thai chickpea pizza – I need to try that!