a nerd at Whole Foods

Yesterday was a weird day.  I just felt kind of lazy and off. 

This post starts at about 6pm on Tuesday evening.  I didn’t even photograph my oats!  See, I told you it was an off day.

I should have known better than to buy freezer food…I give these a 5/10.  I had some unopened jars of sauce + sun dried tomatoes leftover from TJ’s in Charlotte.  

My mom got these for me while I was at home.  They are completely addicting but I am doing a good job at eating just a handful a day to stretch them out as long as possible :)  The package says there are 3 servings.  I’ve already gotten at least 8 out of it!

After dinner #1, I decided to go to the GIgantic Whole Foods at the Cherry Creek location in Denver.  Melissa gave me a super generous gift card for WF back when I watched her boy Jake.  I wanted to use it on items I wouldn’t usually splurge for. 

My slipper socks from my mom, hid in my boots…also from mom!

She has good taste.  I love these!

Dakota falls asleep while standing + sitting.  She sways back and forth and sometimes her front legs will slide out from under her.  It is quite hilarious.  It reminds me of falling asleep in class.  You try so hard to stay awake but just couldn’t keep your eyes open sometimes. 

Cheer up please!

…off to Whole Foods

Have you guys tried Red Kale?  The green didn’t look that great so I am giving this a try.  For some reason I am thinking it might have a bitter taste.  No clue why I’m assuming that.

To pummelo or not to pummelo?  It was in my cart for awhile but for $3.99/ea, I put it back.  I would say it’s a good 6” in diameter!

Yes, I brought my cookbook along and little notebook that I made my list in. N.E.R.D.   Trying delicata squash for the first time.  I had never heard of it or seen it until a few weeks ago.

This WF is totally gigantic and overwhelming!  I was there for way way too long, especially in the bulk section.  They have a great section with pre-chopped veggies and things, to make recipe prep much easier!  They chop everything fresh, daily.

Bulk Tahini!!?? Are you serious!

I found Rush bowls!!  I still have a few of these left from my fun day sampling at the Rush store.

They even have a gelato bar.  I tried a sample of Tahitian Vanilla and Orange Honey Fig.  They were both completely amazing. 

…

Home from the store, time to put things away.

I bought collard greens for the first time ever.  Note the size.  They are taller than the coffee maker!

Arrowroot, is a much more natural thickening agent, compared to corn starch.  Have you guys ever used walnut oil?  It was one of the purchases I wouldn’t normally get but am pretty excited about it!

Ahhh, the bulk aisle.  If you guys aren’t familiar with Millet [left most] you should get to know the grain.  It is very similar to quinoa in taste and texture and costs $.99/lb [organic] compared to over $3/lb for organic quinoa!  I also picked up some Whole Oat Groats, Sweet Brown Rice, Adzuki Beans, and Almonds. 

Yaaaay for affordable bulk tahini.

Red Kale

I am pretty excited for my chocolate almond milk!  I would have gotten a larger carton, for less waste, but they didn’t have any.  I need to try making chocolate almond milk.  Have any of you tried?  I’ve made vanilla.  It is super simple and delicious!  I picked up “curry powder” as opposed to the “Indian curry” I used in the curry honey hummus the other day.  There are a few different ingredients in the mix, so we’ll see how it differs in taste when I make it again. I looove the Simply Organic spice brand.

Dinner #2 – steamed brussel sprouts – little pillows of greeeeeen

With some sautéed chickpeas seasoned with curry + cayenne + salt + honey + garlic powder.  They were totally nutty and full of flavor.  Chris loved them too!

Weird dinner tonight.

And then I wanted a pickle!?  I must be preggo or something with my weird dinner spread???  Just kidding Dad!  My Dad reads the blog daily as part of his morning routine, hehe.  Chris actually reads it everyday too!  My mom is so super busy with her job that she usually catches up on all the posts once or twice a week :)

…

Gooood morning!  Jan 6th - Ahhh, my coffee finally arrived!  My parents sent a large package full of things I couldn’t fit in my suitcase, after my Cleveland trip.  It took FORever to get here with the holidays.  I finally used my coffee maker this morning!  It has been SO long.  Instant coffee just isn’t doing it for me!

I thought I’d try steel cut oats today, for the first time ever.  I brewed my coffee and started editing photos while I waited about 20min for this to finish.  Yes, it takes awhile but I had things to do while waiting, so no big deal.

Yes, I turned the mug to the sad face today.  I’m not really sad but just in a funk of sorts like I said at the beginning of the post.  Maybe it is because the sun hasn’t been out much lately.   Maybe it is because neither of us are employed.  Maybe it is because I am 26 and really have no idea what I want to do with my life!?  I was in school for 6yrs, [for Architecture] and I don’t know if that’s what I want to do.  I still completely love architecture.  I kind of forgot how much I really do enjoy it [until recently], but I just have not found happiness in the career, at all.

Thought #1 - Now, I have only held two architecture jobs, each for a year, so maybe I just haven’t found the right fit yet.  Part of me wants to go back to school but not to come out with a new profession.  I am extremely interested in Anthropology, specifically Nutritional Anthropology.  The interest stemmed from my thesis research on Food + Architecture.  I also would love to teach Architecture at the college level.  I feel that gaining a degree in a different but relatable major might make me look more appealing for a teaching position.  I am still very much passionate about my thesis topic and would love to teach people/students more about the relationships they share.  The tricky part is getting there.  Teaching architecture is highly competitive and you kind of have to be willing to move wherever you can get a job.  Accredited Arch programs are not at every college.  There are only a few [at most, sometimes none] in each state.  I believe Colorado only has one.

Thought #2 - I also would enjoy starting ota.bars back up.  It will be quite hard here in Colorado, because you have to rent commercial kitchen space.  It is rented hourly around $15/hr.  That is a CRAzy amount of money for how long I would need to spend in the kitchen.  If you follow Angela, at Oh She Glows, her 12hr days in the kitchen would just not add up if you had to pay for all that time. 

Thought #3 - You all know I love food and love to cook food.  Many of my friends ask if I would want to own or work in a restaurant.  The answer is definitely not :)  I know that is not the place for me.  I would however love to small time cater, in peoples’ homes and/or hold cooking classes for children + adults.  It would be easier to pursue a start up business like this if we had a little cash flow right now but that’s just not the case right now. 

I hope I am not coming off as complaining.  I am just confused!  I need some direction. 

Certainty #1 - I cannot sit behind a desk 8+ hours a day.  It makes me tired, irritable, unhappy, and I gain weight eating to stay awake!  [I am not knocking desk jobs in any way shape or form!]

…

My steel cut oats.  Were they worth the wait??  I sprinkled on some chia seeds, and coconut snow, along with a dollop of organic chocolate pnut butter, and some annie’s bunny friend graham cookies.  They look like they are playing in my oats!

So, the verdict.  The can said to stir occasionally, which I did.  I also added 1/2 banana about 3/4 of the way through the process.  The result?  The oats were kind of slimy + gelatinous.  They weren’t terrible, but I definitely like rolled oats + oat bran better.  Next time I am going to try using 1/2 water 1/2 milk [instead of all water] and maybe not stir at all.  It was still tasty enough to finish :)

                     

Off to get some things done around the house.  I need to see some improvement in here or I might go insane!

In other news – For all of my Colorado readers!!  I want to organize a blogger meet-up!  There has been interest from many of you, so I want to get things rolling.  I’m assuming weekends work best?  Would you like a daytime or night time meet up?  Should we meet at a restaurant or do a potluck at someone’s house/apt?  [I am offering up mine!]  Let me know your thoughts and ideas.  The only weekend coming up that I won’t be available is Jan 22-24th.