(gross) food inc.

about 10 months ago, i decided i was going to get "food, inc" on netflix.

biggest, life-changing decision ever.

if you haven't seen the film and currently love all forms of protein, then perhaps it's best you remove the dvd from your queue. immediately. if you are in market for a vegetarian lifestyle, then this is your kind of movie.

needless to say, i've been living a meat-free life for the past 10 months...well, i eat fish.

i suppose i'd be more accurately known as a pescatarian (pescetarianism is the practice of a diet that includes seafood, and excludes other animals. In addition to fish and/or shellfish, a pescetarian diet typically includes some or all of vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, beans, eggs and dairy. )

...i'm fancy. in any case, i won't even get into how disgusting meat is. it really is. animals are gross. and dirty. i'm throwing up in my mouth just thinking about it. (ok, so i got into how disgusting it is...but just slightly). but it amazes me that prior to this film, i wouldn't think twice about it. ok, before you stop reading, i won't go on about how awful meat is. the point is that a vegetarian/pescatarian lifestlye is a lot easier than i thought it would be. let me clarify that by saying that aside from the occasional burger i've never been a huge fan of red meat. chicken, i loved. mustard coated chicken rolled in wheat panko and baked in the oven. oh i used to love that. USED TO. smoked turkey wraps. truthfully, sometimes i miss that. but then my brain cues a lovely montage from the film and that yearning comes to an abrubt halt. and yes, i also understand that if i were to think about fish, i'd find faults there too but listen, i'm not eating tofu. i can't do it. so let me have my fish.

so what do i eat? what does a fancypants pescatarian eat? (i know you all are on the edge of your seats!)

1. well, at first, it was pasta pasta pasta. but then i rejoined reality and came to the understanding that i was not on an all-carb nutrition plan nor do i want to weigh 3000 lbs. so pasta in moderation. super, major moderation. i recently discovered a recipe for a red lentil sauce with whole wheat fettucine and spinach (i substituted the fettucine for the linguine and i ommited the artichokes). trust me it's delicious and i could eat an entire pot of it. but i'm still a mac and cheese girl at heart....just thinking about it makes my heart melt (cue a collective sigh).
2. then it was sushi (who am i kidding saying "then"...that implies that it's past tense. it should read, "now" as in "now, it's sushi"). i think i eat more sushi than most humans would deem acceptable. tuna rolls. yes, please. avocado and cucumber rolls. yummy veggie goodness. these treats c/o whole foods are special favorites, mainly because they offer brown rice options. and when i come home and top the them with a little sriracha sauce and wasabi. YOWZA....annnnnnnnnnd delicious. i'll probably die of mecury poisoning but it'll be worth it.
3. SOUPS! i love soups - tomato barley soup, ribolitta (tuscan white bean and kale soup) pumpkin soup. soup soup soup. and it's so easy. and healthy. if i can put it in a pot, i can make it a soup. it's just that magical.
4. anything indian. bless the indians, their adoration for the sacred cow, and their vegetarian dishes. i really love making a cauliflower chickpea creation (i buy the jafreezi sauce from whole foods which is just divine) over brown rice. i have no idea what the dish itself is called but it does not conjure up any "food, inc." montages in my head and i love all the delicious goodness. oh and i feel worldly, and therefore superior.
5. any baked white fish with a veggie side. halibut, sea bass, cod. all delicious. and no i don't eat steamed broccoli on the side. i've discovered a whole new world of veggies - cauliflower mash (a sneaky alternative to mashed potatoes), roasted brussel sprouts and parsnips with a balsamic glaze, cooked sweet pototoes and caramelized onions. who knew i'd grow up to love veggies this much? hard to believe that not too long ago, i lived off gummi bears (ok, so i still do. don't judge).
6. homemade blackbean burgers...a replacement for my famous turkey burgers which were already pretty granola (and, yes, i do have some granola tendencies. i mean, jeez, i make homemade blackbean burgers). the homemade blackbean burgers are also recommended in moderation. unless you'd like to spend extra time admiring your bathroom. in which case, good luck.

really, the best part is that there are so many veggie cooking blogs that offer great ideas and options. here are a few of my favs:

• mycookingdiary.com
• shoottocook.com
• veggienumnum.com
• healthygreenkitchen.com

 boun appetito!

my boots! my boots! my lovely lady boots!

i really love my seasons depending on the clothing and accessories. i love fall because of long sleeve shirts, crisp air, falling leaves, and pumpkin-flavored anything and everything. it's also the start of the boot season. but really, honestly, boots don't really have their shining moment until the cold, harsh months. when a normal shoe that barely covers your ankles just won't do. when your feet need full on warmth and shelter. AH, BOOTS! I HEART YOU SO MUCH.

now, i live in a very cute condo with an equally cute size closet. one that doesn't fit the high maintenance needs of my wardrobe, let alone my shoes. my shoes hate each other. they fight for space. they bury one another. it's not fair. and to stir things up, there are a couple new boots fighting their way into the closet! you're welcome, hubs. there's now even less room for your stuff in the closet. love you. xoxo.

for christmas, i received these lovely high-gloss violet hunter boots. no more soppy shoes from the gross rainstorms. nice dry toes, paraded around in bright, glossy, happy boots. it makes you want to just jump into a big puddle.

for my birthday, a pair of brand new tall black uggs. now i love my uggs. love them. they are warm and cozy and yes, yes,  i know that they are not "on trend"...i'm no dummy so spare me the lecture. but who am i to deny my sad, tortured toes these fluffy, cloud shoes. CLOUD SHOES, people. it's like encasing your entire foot in a marshmallow. well, that doesn't sound appealing but trust me. it is.

and then, for my "january boots" (as in, there's no official occasion but these are the last pair of size 8 boots in the US), these bow-tied beauties. these took EONS to arrive (no really, it took over two weeks to arrive from chicago)...in fact, maybe these are more accurately known as  my "february boots".  seriously, a boot AND bows? all my loves unite. aren't they grand?

winter - i hate your cold harsh ways....but i love my boots. L-O-V-E.  thank you for giving me a reason to wear them.

you call them new year's resolutions. i call them, new year's nice ideas

so i realize it's february and hopefully most of you "reso-losers" have given up on the bright hopes and dreams you had when january 1st was upon us. unfortunately for me, some of you are still hanging on to them....i'm assuming that's the reason i have to go the spin class 30 minutes early just to stand in a line for a bike.  no seriously, that's what it's come to.

but you're not alone. i too have (had) resolutions. well not so much new year's resolutions but new year's nice ideas...as in, here's a good idea but not all ideas pan out so we'll see how 2011 goes. well like i said, it's february so how about a pulse check on these nice ideas. here we go...

first up, an annual resolution - spend less!
nice idea translation - let's try not to go overboard and then regret my purchases come credit card bill time.
february update - i don't think i've spent more money in a month's time then i have during the month of january. it was almost as though i interpreted this "nice idea" as a challenge to do the exact opposite. that said, it wasn't all bad. i did manage to transfer some money to my savings account...all while having pending shopping carts on ruelala, giltgroupe, jcrew, and fill-in-another-go-to-store.com

next up -  get the six-pack abs i've promised myself.
nice idea translation - make healthier choices. doesn't that even sound more responsible? and also brilliantly vague? for example, drink more water, eat more fish (since i've given up other meat). all that nice healthy stuff that i usually do until i watch an episode of biggest loser and think "i'm not that big, maybe i should have some pizza."
february update - well my favorite pizza shop behind my house closed without any warning or explanation. yeah, it was like god forcing his healthier choices upon me. but then the superbowl came along and i binged on chips for a week after. you know, super healthy. oh and i hate water. take that, pizza-store closing gods.

finally - get organized. i love this resolution. mainly because images of spreadsheets dance in my head (i love excel). but for realsies...get organized? doesn't that just mean go to the container store and spend a $200 minimum. yes, it actually means exactly that.
nice idea translation - be less disorganized. that's a great idea. how you ask? how about a couple file folders for my tax documents? how about opening my mail from 3 weeks ago? how about cleaning out my cabinets so i can find all those cans of beans and soup that i've apparently been stocking up on for months. really, i had no idea i had so many cans of soup.
february update -  well, i did organize our papers. and i lined a drawer. yup, as in ONE drawer. oh and did i mention going to the container store and only buying $150 worth of stuff? it could have been more. trust me. but come on, i vowed to spend less!