happy december

oh world. i can't be happier when the windows are open and i am on the couch cuddling with my man. i love my cat and the beautiful tree all lit up .

love wilco

sprouting lentils

i decided to take on sprouting. the process is really simple and it's something to look forward to. maybe a new hobby? we'll see.

i did a little research online and came across a few different sites that i took different tips from. i pretty much copied this one. it's a great blog for recipes. i recommend you to check it out if you're interested.

so, i bought some organic lentils(the brownish green ones, not the red/orange although you can use any). i measured out a cup of the lentils and rinsed them a few times and picked out any stones. then i poured them into a glass jar that i had saved and added water to fully cover them. i soaked them over nite. the next day i rinsed them a few times and put cheese cloth over the top with a rubber band. i drained out the water and let the jar sit upside down in a bowl to let it drain properly. i kept the lentils in my kitchen away from the window or any light. i'd usually rinse and drain them 2-3 times a day depending on how much i was home.(usually in the morning when i woke up and at nite.) it was kind of exciting to see the beans starting to sprout. it took about 5 days to turn out how i like them. i tasted them after 4 days and they were good, but like most of the sites say, you can sprout them anywhere from 3-6 days. it depends on your liking. i think the longer you let them sprout, the more bitter they become. i waited until a little green came out of the tip of the sprout. when they were done, i rinsed them in a colander and let them dry out on some paper towels and then put them along with the paper towels into a plastic container in the fridge. they say they can last up to a week. we shall see. i've been using them in salads and on sandwiches so far. you have no idea how many nutrients are in these things once they're sprouted. i'm not sure yet what i'm going to sprout next. possibly sunflower seeds.

 2nd day starting to see growth

 

 3rd day

4th day

5th day.. they really filled the jar up. i think for 1 cup of dried lentils, you get atleast 3x that so make sure to use a big enough jar. 

 some of the sprouts drying

packed up for the fridge and for my mom. :)

cat prints

  these creepy and adorable cat prints can be found here.

thxgiving x3

yesterday at work everyone brought in something. so i ate a little bit there and then at 4 we went to my nanny's for thanksgiving. 

she is 95 and beautiful. 

the spread. 

i only ate a little bit considering we still had to go to matt's parents. 

my brother iam and christalyn both made delicious food. 

the spread at the salcito's. 

you can see my portions got bigger around 5:30. i didn't even actually eat all that much turkey but it sure made me tired. stuffing is my favorite. 

daisy :) 

daisy in a food coma. 

hope you all had a good holiday. time to buy the christmas trees.

wednesday funday

on wednesday, matt and i spent some time at my mom's house. 

i took this photo because my mom is my age here with 3 kids. she is so adorable!

my sister mani was/is SO cute.

my hippy uncle david. RIP <3

for lunch, we tried out zaza's because i bought a groupon from them. the food was friggen excellent. we ordered the feta fries which had a delicious garlic aioli on top, tons of feta cheese, along with kalamata olives, cut up pepperoncini's, and parsley. they were heavenly i tell you.

we also tried the "moroccan cigars" that had minced beef, peas, and onions served with tamarind sauce. also so good. 

                  matt ordered a salad with walnuts, goat cheese. and dried cranberries.

and of course i had to try the falafel. also delish and the tahini that came with it was amazing. 

my take on grandma's soup

my grandma has always made split pea soup that everyone loves and craves from time to time. it's super simple, so as usual i dolled it up a bit.

her recipe includes onions, celery, split peas, water, carrots, and butter.

mine includes: 

 i was making a huge batch of soup for 3 different thanksgivings i was going to, so that's why there's SO much here. the ingredients below include how much i used to make an 8 quart pot of soup. most everything was organic.

• 6 stalks of celery 
• 2 large sweet onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 enormous carrots
• 1 inch chunk of ginger
• head of parsley
• 6 sprigs of thyme
• sage 
• 4 bags of split peas
• 3 boxes of stock plus about 4+ cups of filtered water 
• curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper, 
• butter, coconut oil 

so, i sauteed chopped up celery, garlic, and onions in cocounut oil. i grated ginger and added that too. then i put in some curry powder. let everything get soft and then i added the stock, the rinsed and picked through split peas, and then the grated carrots. the soup simmered for a long long time, like 3+ hours, and around the end time i added the fresh herbs and more seasoning if needed. i also added water as need be... and butter. you know it's done when it gets really creamy and all the peas are broken down into mush. :)  

this is how the soup looks at first. it thickens up a lot. 

i fried up sage in a little oil to top the soup. so delicious fried!

commercials

i absolutely cannot stand all these new target commercials and any other holiday commercial. what is wrong with people?

stay tuned

i gave 3 different reflexology treatments in the past 24 hrs and my fingies hurt now. even to type.

OH and more importantly stayed tuned for my split pea soup recipe and my attempt to grow my own sprouts :)

not fair

wellspring massage and aromatherapy center

yesterday my mom held a beautiful open house for her wellness center in boynton beach celebrating 9 years. look at her beautiful aromatherapy bar. she makes her own concoctions!

 my brother iam catered the open house. the food presentation was beautiful. the punch was gorgeous. 

(click photos to see bigger)

if you ever need some awesome smelling lotions, oils, sprays, candles, oils, etc... this is the place to go for yourself or gifts for the upcoming holiday season. there are great therapists that work here, and not only is massage offered but  facials and acupuncture too. 

the cheese course

last week matt and i met up with his mom for lunch at the cheese course in boca. it was delish!