I?m So Green!

While walking back to my car after class today this little yellow blossom caught my eye. It was just perking up right in the middle of all these dead pine needles next to a dead hunk of wood. What a little ray of sunshine!

I had such photogenic eats today, I?m so excited to share. I took about 50 pictures between lunch, an exciting snack!, and dinner. Wheew, my camera needs a break I?m sure. It will get one tonight since my dad will be doing the picturing of the super secret mission. It pays off to have a professional photographer living just down the hall .

I finally finished my Intro Assignment at about 10:30am, so I went for an early lunch with my dad, brother and co-worker Scott. My brother decided it needed to be pizza from the Pizza Factory.

It is a pizza shop that serves a very discounted all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. First I started off with a salad.

I packed my large black bowl with romaine lettuce, a half sliced egg, cucumber, mushroom, olive, pepperocini, croutons, and italian dressing. I dusted it with some red pepper flakes and black pepper. This was a very satisfying salad!

I?m a new cucumber connoisseur, so seeing them in my salad and remembering that I actually ate them, didn?t bum them off on someone else, makes me happy. Then I settled for 2 slices of pepperoni pizza with the pepperoni, and hence about half the cheese, picked off. I went with 2 slices instead of my normal 1, because of the lack of toppings. I also topped everything with red pepper flakes! I like it spicy!

I?m glad my bro. had a hankerin? for some pizza, it turns out I did too. It was just hiding and I didn?t know about it until I took my first bite of the cheesy-tomato flavors. I?m all about gourmet veggie pizzas, but sometimes you just can?t compete with plain ol? cheese.

Guess what?! It?s the Salinas Rodeo this weekend! It just happens to be the biggest rodeo this side of Colorado. Salinas always get?s bogged down this weekend every summer with cowboys and all their livestock. When at the grocery this afternoon I saw a man complete with spurs, oversized belt buckle, black cowboy hat and a number pinned to the back of his striped and collared shirt. The rodeo?s on people!

I really don?t like the rodeo, I?ve gone countless times since we live so close, but nothing really entertains me. Except for when the little kids ride the sheep, it?s called Mutton Bustin?, . They crack me up seeing the sheep run around and the three year old holding on for dear life.

This little guy on the left is serious, but the middle and the right is how all the little kids I?ve seen look. They just lay on the sheep and hold on to their skin like white on rice! They all cry when they fall off, not because they are hurt, just because kids do that. And there is always one kid that cries and cries before their dad plops ?em on the sheep, hits the sheep on the bum, and they take off.

Oh my goodness, I made the best Green Monster ever today! And it was GREEN ! I?ve been patiently waiting for my first actually green green monster and today was the day. I?m not going to lie, I kinda planned, schemed and really thought about how to make that darn smoothie green this afternoon before my attempt! Look at this beauty? (not me the smoothie!)

Into the Magic Bullet went:

For all you Magic Bullet blenders out there, this is how I made it. I chopped up all the fruit. Threw the ice in the large mug and then topped the ice with all the fruit. Then I blended until smooth.

Once blended I added the spinach, agave, flax/sun flour/something else seed oil, milled flax seeds, and almond milk then blended again until smooth. After that I added a second serving of ice and a few more spinach leaves and blended.

Just look at the green-ness of this smoothie! I?m so proud and happy. I split it with my momma, she?s the only one in the fam. that will appreciate my Green Monster enough to get some!

Okay, Okay I?m done boasting over the superb green of my Green Monster !

Try a Grown Up Grilled Cheese!

It all started with some TJ?s Red Pepper and Tomato soup with the normal seasonings and some pan fried red onion and button mushroom.

Then add an Oroweat Protein Loaf butt, a slice of provolone cheese, and a garden burger. Voila!

This is a bread butt (toasted) then topped with a gardenburger, the pan fried onion and mushroom combo (they were fired in evoo, black pepper and italian seasonings), then put under the broiler with a slice of provolone cheese. When it came out I drizzled some brown mustard, basil and back pepper on top.

Well, I?m off on Super Secret Mission business. Hope everyone has a wonderful evening.

Tomorrow is Sweet Friday, any awesome Sweet Friday ideas for my inspiration???

Here?s a little hint into Super Secret Mission business! These are some of the ingredients. Bananas, strawberries, cherries, and a pineapple! Can you guess what I?m making?