So Yesterday.

So...I have some updates from a really long time ago.

Like, a cranberry sauce recipe. I know, Thanksgiving was so 4 days ago. Hopefully you aren't sick of cranberries and decide to make it because it's a good recipe (if I say so myself). And it's free of added sugar!

I also had too much fun with the cranberry sauce photoshoot. Recipe is here.

Next, I had to share with you the mango pie my mom made for Thanksgiving. Mango pie. Enough said.

Mango pulp + evaporated milk + eggs. I'm not sure the exact ratios, but if you are interested, I could probably obtain them. She used a pre-made graham cracker crust. Mango and graham cracker make a surprisingly delicious combination.

(Not-so-fun fact for all the vegetarians: regular pie crust is made with lard. I had no idea).

Also, a few weeks ago, I made the easiest meal to take to work. I attempted to make a soup, but it turned out to be...something that was not a soup. 

I cooked 1.5 cups of green lentils in 4 cups of vegetable broth with some chopped green onions and garlic. After cooking for about 15 minutes, I added 2 cooked + chopped sweet potatoes and some frozen corn. For seasonings, I just used oregano and pepper. And a pinch of smoked paprika! It cooked for 30-40 minutes total (after soaking the lentils for a few hours).

I ate it atop some brown/wild rice. So hearty!

Lastly, this weekend, I went to a vegan coffee/pastry/frozen yogurt place. It was quite revolutionary! There was an entire menu of vegan blizzards. I of course got the s'mores kind. Of course.

Vegan "fro yo" is really light. The cup was HUGE and yet I didn't feel as heavy as I do after consuming that much regular frozen yogurt. Highly recommend. (And it was delicious. But that was a given).

Happy Monday y'all!

Insanity.

My metabolism is so confused this week.

I know this really shouldn't be something to complain about, but no matter how much I eat, I don't seem to get satiated. It's becoming a little ridiculous. And I'm running out of snack ideas. Somewhat. (Ideas, anyone?)

I mentioned in my last post that this week's workout schedule was going to be intense.

It was seriously insane. Every day, a different body part has been sore. Today, it's my lower half. I did a spin class yesterday, which I haven't done in...over a year. I actually really enjoyed the class I did yesterday. The reason I usually don't prefer spin classes is because I tend to peddle to the beat of the music, and when an instructor plays slow music but expects the class to be peddling at 120rpm, I just can't. Yesterday, the music went exactly with the pace of the class, which made it a lot more enjoyable, too!

Earlier this week included 4 ab workouts within a 24 hour span. Plus two kickboxing classes and Body Pump.

So now that we all know that I have the motivation for 14 people, let's talk food.

I made two huge meals last weekend, which took 1.5 hours total and I had lunch and dinner ready for every day this week! I was going to post one of these recipes, but decided I was not happy with the pictures (which you will likely see in the next post, but details). So today, I shall catch you up on some foodie items/eating out adventures I have had.

Let us begin!

Tacos are really prevalent here, especially breakfast tacos, which I had never had before. Until this! Above: one fried avocado taco and one egg/cheese taco with avocado. I love avocado. And now I love breakfast tacos.

Coconut milk greek yogurt. I've been wanting to try this for awhile, and this was just as creamy and delicious as I expected it to be. And it's not that coconutty! But I definitely wouldn't make this a habit...it's a little pricey.

This was a BBQ tofu dish from an all-vegetarian restaurant. It sounded really cool on the menu so I ordered it...but I was a bit disappointed. It was basically a block of tofu in tomato paste. I think it would have been more interesting had it had a bit more of the BBQ flavor and maybe something more than just the tofu. I'm determined to re-create this in Tulika-fied form. The mashed potatoes were good, though!

I got this egg/goat cheese/potato pizza for brunch. Sounds fancy, right? And looks even fancier! And it was. The only issue I had was that there was no sauce...which was a little strange. But I think this would have been perfect with pesto!

Vegan jerky. How cool is that?! Quick+filling snack, sign me up! I read about this several weeks ago and decided I was on a mission to try them. The only place that carries these is Whole Foods (of course). I tried three different flavors, each made with a different ingredient. I was a fan of all of them.

Before I tell you what the above picture is, let me first tell you that the key to a healthy lifestyle is moderation. And as you can see, I definitely don't mind "splurging" on unhealthy foods when I eat out. Only because I don't eat out all that often! Plus it makes life more exciting.

Now that I've provided you with that disclaimer...the above was an absolutely delicious (and ridiculous) item I got for another brunch. French toast creme brulee croissants. They were as decadent as they sound. And so worth it.

TFG recommends: In a fitness rut? This might help!

Darkness and stuff.

I don't know about y'all, but my sleep got completely disrupted this weekend.

The only explanation is: FULL MOON. At least, I like to attribute my lack of sleep to that.

Oh and please refrain from any judgement of my usage of the word "ya'll." I was just testing it out.

So, now that daylight savings has occurred, it gets dark shortly after 5pm. This is relevant because the pictures I take of my food are all taken when it's dark outside now. And hence the picture quality.

Now that that is out of the way, I'd like to announce that I ran two miles in my new vibrams yesterday, and it was quite a success, meaning that my knees did not experience any kind of pain! My feet, however, experienced some blistering action. Not pleasant.

This week, I'm going to be a workout machine, so I decided to plan my meals accordingly. I cooked up a storm today, and it only took 1.5 hours! Lunch + dinner for the entire week = complete. It's so worth it to plan meals and take the time on Sunday and not have to worry about meals for the next 5 days. This past week, this is what I ate:

(Don't say I didn't warn you about the lighting situation).

This meal took so little time to cook last weekend. This is what the kitchen looked like:

I made one pot of a wild rice/brown rice blend, and some "grilled" eggplant in a skillet. The eggplant wasn't anything fancy; all I did was drizzle the eggplant slices with some olive oil and salt, and then added 1/2 can of diced tomatoes and some garlic powder.

And then I ate them together. With some of my fancy goat gouda!

I think I am a huge fan of wild rice. It's quite substantial and has a really interesting texture.

See you from the other side of my intense workout week!

Turning orange.

I know it's beginning to feel like winter in most places. But here, it's not. I'm kind of loving the fact that it's still 80 degrees outside.

The point is, it's still pumpkin season. And I bet you've run out of ways to use your pumpkins.

But fear not, my friends. This isn't another pumpkin oatmeal recipe. This is...creamy deliciousness. For lack of a better description.

And I might be turning orange soon.

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup skim milk (or unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4-5 sage leaves, chopped
• salt/pepper
• optional toppings: crushed red pepper, shredded cheese

Start by lightly sauteing the finely chopped garlic and sage leaves in the olive oil for a minute or so.

Then add the milk, pumpkin puree, and ricotta cheese.

Give it a little stir and let it heat up (medium-low heat). Then stir again until it has the consistency of a thick sauce.

Then add the salt and pepper. Since pumpkin doesn't have a very strong flavor, it's best to add more salt than usual for this sauce. Also, depending on the desired consistency, you may add more milk or water to thin the sauce out a bit.

Pour over pasta of choice. I used my quinoa pasta!

I also topped this with some goat gouda I bought last weekend. That put this dish WAY over the top. I was a fan.

I think it's time I start experimenting with other winter gourds. (Don't worry, I won't be roasting various squashes and posting them every day like I did last winter. Even though it was fun).

Indian Food Thursday.

Let's talk about how I taught Turbo Kick today for the first time in approximately 6 months. It went well, for the most part. The only thing is...I tend to scream a LOT when I teach kickboxing. Motivational screaming, of course (mostly motivational cueing, but same thing). And I also tend to play the music really loudly.

Motivational screaming/cueing + loud music + no microphone = Tulika is going to lose her voice very soon.

I already feel a little scratchiness in my throat. Something needs to change. Although I'm sure you already know how much I like when my voice gets raspy. Strange. I know.

On a completely unrelated note, I made Tulika-fied Indian food last week. Two Sundays ago, to be exact. This meal is perfect for anyone who doesn't understand how to use Indian spices. This involves two types of spices, for both items. That's it!

Chana Masala

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-2 small tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ~1/2 cup water (or more if desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin-corriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• salt/pepper
• optional: green chilies

Heat the vegetable oil with the garlic and chopped tomatoes over medium. If using green chilies, add these in as well.

Stir often, until the tomatoes have released a good amount of water. Then add the garbanzo beans.

Add the tomato paste, water, cumin-corriander powder, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Let simmer for several minutes and then serve.

So easy, right?! The next recipe is even easier.

Okra Curry

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups chopped okra
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin-corriander powder
• salt

This recipe works best in a non-stick or iron skillet! Heat up the okra with the oil on the skillet (medium heat) with a pinch of salt. The okra will get slimy after several minutes, then add the spices.

Stir to make sure the spices distribute evenly.  Decrease the heat just a bit and allow the okra to eventually become slightly crispy. Don't keep your eyes off of them though, as you don't want them to burn!

One important point: make sure when you buy your okra that it isn't too ripe. Some of mine were hard in texture, and it's best when they are slimy. (Really).

Serve with tortilla or chapati or rice. 

Don't forget the side of yogurt, either!