oh my oh my

It's a disgrace to see how long it has been since either myself OR my sister have posted. I know for myself, I DO have an excuse as grad school has been beyond busy, my first art show is coming up, and oh yes, I'm beginning the process of job hunting. Now, I'm not sure where Heather's been...as far as I know, she may be too busy...canoeing..hiking....or doing other sorts of activities that they do in the wilderness. 

Anyhoo, so here I am, and I must say, as stress and emotions have increased over the past few months since my last entry, my eating has continually taken a down turn.....in times of dire stress and frequent emotional up and downs, I inadvertently switch back to my no eating, no fat, I must deprive myself ways of 'eating'. Why do I do this? Not sure. Although, not having any money and giving all my financial resources to Drexel University doesn't help. Currently buying an apple seems like a splurge.

Nonetheless, I know its not healthy. I feel terrible and constantly deprived when I put myself through that, and in addition, my running always takes a huge hit. I begin to run because I feel I HAVE to, and lose the passion I've always had for it. I can't live without my running. It's my only way to clear my head of all my negative thoughts and feelings, clear out the cobwebs and spend some quality time sorting things out. 

My mindset has to change.

I constantly need help with this when I revert to my old methods, and usually Heather is there to put me back on the right path. I've begun the process by introducing something back into my diet, that two weeks ago, I probably would have shuddered to let it slip past my lips, or waited too long and eaten an entire jar in one seating. 

The goodness that is Almond Butter.

For the past week, I enjoyed this goodness every morning, and after I have let go of the tiny voices in my head, began to thoroughly enjoy it and look forward to it. Another benefit? I think since I've added some sort of fat back to my diet, my skin, hair, and nails have dramatically improved in only one week! It's a small step, but, I have to start somewhere right? Does this happen to any of you? Any words of wisdom or advice for a severely poor graduate student?

Sleep Deprivation

This week has started off jam packed, and, according to the calendar, will remain that way.

As a result, I can't seem to turn my thoughts off at night, resulting in a lack of....

This lack of above, now has me living on,

and this,

but mostly this.

Hopefully tonight will different!

Friday Night Delites

So, Friday night some of my favorite girl's and I met up for an early dinner before a birthday celebration. We decided on Byblos at 18th & Sansom.  The food fair was decent, however, everything else was less than stellar. 

I arrived early and took a seat at the bar, where, I was rudely greeted and begrudged for ordering water. Being part camel, it took my no time to down my glass of water and would have LOVED replenishment, but, it seems the water nazi's were out in full force. Thankfully, I didn't wait too much longer before my girl's arrived.

Now, we met at 7:30 pm, a decent time for dinner. You wouldn't expect to hear loud base and hip hop playin' during the dinner hour. But, at Byblos, that's what you get. Not only was the bass and music so loud, but, the cd's were so old they kept skipping and replaying again and a again. It was like nails on a chalkboard.

Call me old fashioned, or an old lady, but, I don't particularly enjoy the bass beats as I try to enjoy my dinner. It seemed Byblos was anxious to start their late night crowd at 7:30 and definitely hurried us through dinner (although the place was empty). 

So, let's see, where should I start.

I ordered the grilled calamari and a Greek salad. The grilled calamari was......at least cooked to the right temperature, but, that's about it. The accompanying marinara sauce tasted pre-made, and the calamari was room temperature. 

The Greek salad at Byblos is sufficient and tasted delicious with large chunks of feta cheese and sardines to match. The salad definitely saved the night. 

I don't like to give bad reviews, however, this place is not recommended for true authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Had I known this beforehand, I would have chosen to go elsewhere, but, I learned my lesson.

My quest for authentic Greek cuisine in Philadelphia continues........

Veggie Sausage Love

I love breakfast! I didn't always love it, in fact, for most of my life I never even ate breakfast. Too scared that those extra calories would surely cause me to gain weight. Back in the day, that is, pre holistic health counseling, I think I based everything I ate on calories and whether or not I would gain weight. Thankfully...those days are gone!

Which brings me to this post about breakfast. The meal that has become, at least to me, something I really look forward to. Sometimes at night I actually sit and think about what I will have the next day. Waffles? Breakfast burrito?? Fruit, nut and cheese plate??? Or my favorite, one egg with a little cheese melted inside, a veggie breakfast sausage and a slice of Ezekial bread with cashew butter and homemade jelly. Could there BE a better breakfast??
My favorite part of this meal is the veggie sausage. I love a little bit of protein in the morning and love the taste of morningstar farms vegetarian sausage. I'm pretty picky about the kind of meat or pork I eat, and, limit it to only local farms where I know exactly how the animals are treated and the kind of life they live before they make their way to my plate. That is in itself a whole other post. Often, our budget doesn't allow for those kinds of purchases so I stick with my trusty veggie sausage. They are full of flavor, great consistency and turn out quite meaty for being filled with vegetables!

So, if you're looking for a new breakfast idea...check out some veggie sausage....your eggs will thank you for the new addition!

Saturday Farmer's Market

So far the weekend has shaped up nicely! I had an exciting Friday with a special dinner and accounting final. oohhhh yes, the perks of grad school. 

So, I've been in a serious food rut and am slowly trying to get myself out. Last night after a long run, I concocted this 'mexican type dinner of simmered black beans and ground turkey. Over lettuce and tomatoes it was rather tasty and super super filling!!!

This morning, I got up and was still relatively full from last night's concoction, so made some iced hazelnut coffee. I've been wanting to check out the Collingswood Farmer's Market here in South Jersey, and seeing how nice it was this morning, knew it was a perfect opportunity! 

Such a great farmer's market! I was really impressed!

Pretty plants

Great fresh Produce

Yummy baked goods

I couldn't resist this 'fat free' peach muffin. I originally wanted blueberry, BUT, keeping with changing it up went for the peach. Although it was good, I was hoping for more peach pieces then the three I had. Oh well. (Pardon the asphalt landscape, couldn't wait to share!)

It was a great morning at the Collingswood Market. Next time I hope to try out Haddonfield's market!  

Sad but true, the picture in the post below is in fact the most recent picture of my sister and I. We have vowed though to take more pictures together....we will do it for our readers!

I'm posting about one of our favorite, common loves...the love of good coffee. No matter where we are, or what we are doing, if I am with my sister, we will ALWAYS stop for a coffee. The rules of drinking caffeine after a certain time are forgotten and instead the opportunity to sit in a cafe and drink a latte will always win out. The above picture is a latte from our favorite coffee place from our hometown, Broadway Cafe. Many amazing conversations took place at our beloved coffeehouse; vanilla non-fat latte for Elizabeth, mocha with organic milk for Heather. Just typing that brings a smile to my face.
I promise to post many more shared loves between my sister and I here. I hope you enjoy them. I hope it makes you too smile when you think of all the wonderful memories that can be had around good food.

Bon Apetito!

So, this is the most recent picture I have of my sister and I. It's from Thanksgiving where we were  taught how to make homemade tamales. 

I'm on the right, and, one would think through my diligent look that I was successful at my attempt to make homemade tamales. Unfortunately, I was terrible, and gave up soon after this picture was taken. 

Heather however, was great and made stellar tamales (I think the Martha Stewart apron had something to do with her success.) This does however sum up what we love; eachother, and even more so FOOD. 

This blog is an attempt for her and I to not only share this love for one another, but, to include you as well! It will give a unique observation on how two individuals, so similar, and yet so different, eat their way through each day and try to survive the cultural pressures put on us as women. 

Now, its Heather's turn.