How much I love Trader Joes

I'm back in California for a bit- and of course stocked up on all the Trader Joe essentials... And, I even found a new thing to be excited about... VEGAN CHEESE!

Overall- the cheese is ok... it doesn't come close to Daiaya (but what does?), but it melts, tastes good, and is actually pretty decent. It's sort of runny though, which is an odd consistency. But, as seen below, I've used it in the past few days :)

Nachos with avocados 

vegan, gluten free pizza

This pizza was bomb... on top of a brown rice tortilla, with sauce, cheese, zucchini, kale, and sweet potato bits (pre-cooked). I love Trader Joes :)

What If? [reposted from a high school friend]

A friend from high school, Eshed, posted this on his blog recently. It really got me thinking, and I admired it so much, I asked him if I could repost it... Happy finals everyone..

What if we went to school for an education instead of a degree?

What if her parents hadn’t replaced her childhood with a mandate for academic success? What if they didn’t pressure and force and push and shove her through AP classes? What if they had just let her live her life? Would she still be hopped up on adderall and coffee at 3 AM every night?

What if the media didn’t convince us that real men are muscular, football-loving, beer-guzzling meatheads? Would so many of us continue to struggle with our self-image? Would we continue to chug beers and hit the gym in search of that ‘ideal’?

What if women weren’t under constant pressure to be thinner, more beautiful, or more ladylike? Would they still be skipping meals and seeking out those who prey on insecurities?

What if his community hadn’t force-fed him religious doctrine from the tender age of 3 months? Would the WTC still be standing? Would funerals still be picketed? Would homosexuals still be bullied, attacked, and discriminated against?

What if we realized that having to study for finals is the ultimate “First World Problem”?

What if that girl that you openly laugh at whenever you see her is going through more shit now than you’ve ever had to deal with?

What if we studied what interested us instead of what led to the highest paycheck?

What if we stopped equating GPA with happiness?

What if our ‘dream college’ list didn’t exactly mirror national academic rankings?

What if we stopped passing judgement on the harmless little things that make others happy?

What if?

Colorado climbing

Almost 7 months out of my shoulder surgery, and I'm already top roping outside. This past weekend I went camping and climbing with some friends, up in Boulder Canyon. Camping was beautiful, as we were right near a lake, away from civilization, and in some crazy awesome campsite. Climbing the next day was great, we went up to a place known for it's sport routes, and threw up some top ropes.

vegan gluten free pad thai

I absolutely adore pad thai, a thai food dish made from rice noodles, vegetables, some form of protein (tofu, meat, eggs), and a sweet and sour sauce. This is my go to dish when I go out to eat, and find myself at a thai restaurant. This past week was a rough one, and I needed some comfort food, so I made myself some pad thai.

Ingredients:

-broccoli
-red bell peppers
-green onions
-mushrooms
-tofu
-rice noodles
-"pad thai" sauce (purchased from sprouts) [without fish sauce!]
-spices (chili powder, salt, pepper)

Methods:
-cook broccoli in wok in a bit of water to soften
-add tofu, cook and occasionally stir until tofu is a bit browned
-add the rest of the vegetables
-sautee for a bit, let the veggies cook
-add the pre-softened noodles (read box)
-toss around a bit, then at the end add the sauce and spices
-enjoy :)