My Weepie Weekend

Sorry for going all missing on you all this weekend!

My grandparents are in the process of moving to an apartment/condo complex village (complicated?) for elderly people and my mother and I set off to Boston to help them pack. This explains the first part of weep. It’s really moving to see them packing up the antique house that they’ve lived in for so long. my grandfather has lived on the same block his whole life- imagine moving after so long!

I also was lucky enough to see The Weepies in concert in Boston on thursday night. If you haven’t heard The Weepies (or Steve Tannen or Deb Talan) then high tale it over to youtube and type them in because they’re phenomenal! I swear they could have been playing a CD it was so spot on. Excellent live. The Weepies are a wonderful husband and wife duo who play creative folk-y music with wonderful acoustics and beats. Thanks to my Mother for driving to the concert <3

A couple weeks ago we bought some Arctic Zero for me to try. I got the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavour, for some odd reason. I don’t really love anything chocolate except as a bar

should be a combo to die for, however...

Call me a chocolate purist.

So I don’t know why I chose this flavor. I should have gotten the maple or something. That aside, I decided to try it the other day because it was just so hot!!

a tad on the icy side? There it is- so arctic

I first opened the container and was struck by the freezer burn this baby had already gotten in having been in the freezer for so short a time. This stuff is supposed to be great- and you can eat the entire pint!! With the added benefit of being high in protein and low in fat and calories, this should be a godsend for anyone who ever wished they could just finish the whole darn thing.

Only it wasn’t and surprisingly, I found myself wanting to give up and throw the whole thing away after a few bites. I kept on, hoping it would get better (You know how that goes) and gave up after awhile, pledging to stick it back in the freezer and save it to make into a shake. I think it would be better this way.

Let’s just say that the texture is not at all like ice cream or froyo, but rather more like sorbet- flakey and icy. More suited to be blended perhaps. I am sure I’d have liked it better in another flavor but we shall see whether I’m up to spending $5.25 on another pinto of the stuff. Perhaps if I’m needing to spend my American money before going abroad? haha. That said, I’d buy it again to try some different things with it, although not in a chocolate flavour.
What are your thoughts on Arctic Zero? 

I’ve been loving my mexican multi layer dip. Where have beans been all my life??

salad, mexican multi layer dip, roasted chicpeas, spicy beans, salsa and tempeh chic'kn salad

and I know you all love your hugh jass salads. Well, I do too!!

Anyone else love spaghetti squash? Since I’m in eat-up-everything-before-I-go-abroad mode, I decided to try the stringy squash for breakfast!

1/2 Spaghetti squash, the last of a bag of Kashi Autumn Wheat cereal, maple syrup, cinnamon and greek yogurt

I can’t get enough of that blue cup either. Isn’t it wonderful in the morning light? Turns out that spaghetti squash tastes divine as a sweet breakfast treat! Try it and let me know what you think

Because I was so bored (or peckish?) I decided to try my hand at making homemade Soynut Butter! I had this package of roasted soynuts that I’d gotten at Marshalls sometime or another.

What could they have in store for me?

I stuck them into my puny little food processor and blended away.

Before blending commences

BLENDBABYBLEND

and voila!

I can't spread this?

So it didn’t stick together at all. hm. I added the rest of the cashew butter and almond butter from the fridge for a multi-nut butter.

Must better, with the addition of sea salt!

I think this came out much better.

Anyone else love a good spoon shot?

Mixed nut butter it is then!

We set off to Boston for the Weepies concert. My grandparents have the most sparse fridge ever. I roll with the punches, of course and always manage to find things (and bring my own) Do you travel with your own food staples? I found a delish breakfast.

some ricecakes (use it up!), trader joe O's, cinnamon cloud, plain yogurt, trader joes flax flakes (YUM), blueberries, banana slices and almond butter

Sponsored by TJs? Probably. The second TJs comes over to upstate NY, I’m ON IT!

Full nourished, we set out to cleaning. We sorted, filed and boxed and labeled. It was a bit like being in an antique store!

Come one, come all!

and then, amidst it all, I lay eyes on the only one for me:

Oh hello there!

The 1986 food processor.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I’ve been looking for one of these (however old…) I sat on the floor and went through the manual right then and there. It’s mine!!

We broke for lunch. I made a hugh jass salad ( like I do)

salad, carrots, roasted portobello mushroom, TJs triple layer hummus (LOVE), spaghetti sauce, mustard, yogurt dressing

I’m in love.

Give it to me.

made another salad for everyone for dinner.

hello yellow- salad, carrots, tomatoes, two kinds of apples, cabbage

The next morning I decided to try out my new toy.

My tiny little Grandmother stockpiles these!

Grammie was going to get rid of these nuts- she said they were rancid!! I had quite a few and pronounced them fine. A find companion for my food processor, that is!

a hunk a cashews

This looks fine, but it turned out all wrong. Twice this week I’ve tried to make homemade nut butter and have just failed. What am I doing wrong? This one wouldn’t really stick together either and then I blended it a bit more and it just drippedoil. Disgusting and unnatural.

But it doesn't look quite right!

I was so confused….I put it in a jar because then it got all sticky and unspreadable. This stuff is destined to be homemade Larabar bites, I think. Perhaps I’ll do a giveaway? Yay or Nay?

Fully frustrated, I went to get more frustrated by attempting to fold shipping boxes.

Fold A around B and then cut a five point star through side D. Then make sure to stick H to K with adhesive before looping side Z around Q, l, and O.....WHAT?

We had a whole bunch of my favourite childhood books to take home- My grandmother is a librarian.

messy bed and a homemade piglet!

I’m going to miss these stairs.

that awkward turn!

The next day, mom and I went into Brookline to get Naked Pizza. I’d seen it driving back from The Weepies and nearly caused my mom a car accident by shouting “OMG Mom there it is!!” and jumping out of my seat.

They say:

“Naked means natural. Our pizza is simply an honest diversity of all-natural, whole food ingredients that taste better and are better for you. “

I’d called on our way to have them make us a pizza, original crust, with all the veg toppings and cheese.

Please.

It was everything I’ve been wanting in my pizza challenge and more.

There she be in all her spendour

Whole wheaty crust, and covered with veggies. I’m not a huge cheese on pizza fan, but I didn’t feel like asking for it without it (plus, it is added calcium and protein!) so I just let it be. Honestly, I didn’t even notice it.

DOIN' the noms

Obviously.

demolished.

Verdict? Naked Pizza gets an A+ from me!! I’d surely go there again and I hope this healthy pizza chain spreads all over (and near to me!!)

Another favourite was demolished over this weekend.

I love the spice of this tri flavoured winner

It went into a sauce with vanilla yogurt and plain yogurt to go over my summer squash at lunch.

perfectly drippy over that locally grown squash.

On the way back I think I was having some sort of PMS attack or energy lack (yackity yack!) and I just needed something.

Mom told me not to fall asleep on the way back so I offered my Starbucks card and we stopped to get coffee before we got on the Masspike. I’m not the hugest coffee fan, you’ll know, I prefer tea, but this called for some serious caffeine action.

WHOA NELLY

and I mean serious.

Is that a trenta sized ice coffee I spy? Seasoned with stevia and soy milk.

oh hello there, you're just about as large as my head?

For the record, I only consumed 1/5 of this on the drive home before banishing it to the fridge to languish overnight. Too much of the natural stimulant for me. and We also don’t have a bathroom in our car. Just saying.

More in depth tomorrow about feelings and such. My head aches now and my book is calling. I’m a bit stifled with thoughts at the moment, and it’s afternoon and I’m hungry for a snackie. I sense a bit of cheese on wasa cracker action happening.

Excuse me, please.

Love, Hannah

 

 

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