Am I lucky or what?! From the past 3 nights I had work, I came home with free goodies (from the goodie fairy, naturally) each night!!! Ch-ch-check it out:

Night #1:

 Back to Nature WW Crackers, Odwalla Light Limeade, Tasty Bite Multi-grain Pilaf

Night #2:

 (Store-baked) WW Pan bread & a Belly Bar  (no, I’m not preggers, but the nutrition isn’t bad!)

Night #3:

 Kiss My Face soap (yes, kiss it!)

I like working in the morning, because the “bar guy” who orders & gets samples from bars & different companies sometimes gives me extras or past-”sell-by” items, but he’s usually gone by the time I get there, so… the ways I get these goods are: 

• Returns. If someone decides they didn’t actually want it, or something is “wrong” with it (I don’t take it, if it’s actually tainted, but some people are very particular!), it’s fair game.
• Past the “Sell By” date, which is still good to eat, just not to sell. It sits on the table in the back room & anyone can take it, if it has that bright orange ”Paid” sticker!
• An abundance of something, from an order. Sometimes people special-order something & it doesn’t sell on the shelf, so we “get rid” of it! Yippee!
• Samples.
• …sometimes extra reasons, too, it just varies!

ALSO, a big THANK YOU to Heather for sending me my *prize* of Jay Robb Chocolate Rice Protein. By the way, I’m friends with Jay on Facebook (yeah, I can call him “Jay” or maybe “J” or “J-Ro” because we’re friends & tizz-ight!) Any suggestions as to how to use this protein?!

 Jasper i& I have been itchin‘ for something… from “scratch?!” 

Tucker looks at his brother: 

 What is it, boy?!

Before we see if Jasper can help me satisfy our itches, I got some more freebies from work!

 < Greens + Chocolate Energy Bar… & I bought a new flavor (for me) because some co-workers rave about the Grape. Eh, so-so. Kombucha is “cheap” at $2.50 right now… who am I, shelling out $2.50 for a drink?! Cheaper than booze, I suppose & it still makes me feel BUZZIN‘!!!

So, this is what the bar looks like, outside & in:

   it’s green from all the goodness in it! Seriously, some pretty awesome ingredients. It’s a little low in protein, but it’s not a “protein bar” (they have those), it’s an “energy bar.” 

Oh guess what? I finished 2 boxes of tea in the cupboard, so… I tried another brand’s Chai tea. Seriously, I love tea, but I’ve had better. I like Twinings‘ Earl Gray (Grey?), but this isn’t bad, especially all sweet & s’milky!

OKAY, so ya know what I was itchin’ for?! FRIED RICE!!! haha, I am sorry, but it’s really not unhealthy! Ingredients:

• brown rice
• mixed veggies
• an egg
• some spicy chili-Asian sauce
• a touch of olive oil & Bragg’s

I also added cashews after I needed a little more *crunch* & substance. Hit the spot, wherever that may be.

 Ahhh! Satisfaction!

What is a girl to do, when her morning starts like this?:

an empty box of tea!!! Well, I don’t just have one, so I’ve got back-up. Normally, I choose a black tea in the morning, but I reached for something else instead, out of necessity & un-boredom (yes: un-boredom!)

 Green Tea Tropical, by Mighty Leaf… & a Mighty Leaf, it was! Then, my tummy said “FOOD? (yes) FOOOOODDD!!!” So, I made some oat bran, campfire-style, with cinnamon, walnuts, Agave, a banana & s’milk. Check it out, yo:

 Not hot cocoa here! I ate it with a long stirring-spoon, but also pretended it was hot cocoa…   Giant mug of goodness: good morning!

Other breakfast parts I’ve had lately?! I thought you’d never ask…

This guy is worried, but it’s all gonna be okay:  < a couple of eggs fryin‘ up

  < ww bagel, with avocado, greens, eggs & herbed cream cheese under the eggie, with tea! (I had some grapes & yogurt, too)

the sweet set-up: 

So, yes, I am very fortunate to work where I do & I have a passion for what we do & sell (health food store!) I get a great discount, have met so many great people & learn a lot when I’m there. Sometimes I get free stuff that is about to expire by the sell-by date (still good to consume, just unable to sell without refunds!), or products that are special-ordered, but only, like, 2 people end up buying it, so we discontinue selling something. ANYWAY, last night was a lucky night for me!

Look what I left with:   &  Jackpot?! Yeah! This stuff probably would have cost me almost $25, what do ya think? 

So, this morning I had some French Toast Sticks (not from France, though!) They look like this, out of the box:  & this on a plate, with some Smart Balance, apple butter & cinnamon (no maple syrup, wah!) 

AND this group of all-stars:  to make a lil’ “yogurt-mess” with an apple. Yes, I ate the Dannon full-fat Plain yogurt. It’s rich & creamy & deeeee-lish! Not as tart as some lower-fat brands/kinds.

Now, you’re ready to start your day 3 TIMES, with 3 BREAKFASTS!!! I know all you bloggies love breakfast.

WEEEEE, have a great weekend!!! Any plans?!

HELP! I need somebody, HELP! not just anybody… (YOU?!) Read on…(please!)

Remember when we would rather be “WOKKING?!” (I admit I kept thinking it was meant to be working, but it made more sense if it was a play on walking, since it was a car & they were driving!) Well, now look what’s being advertised:

Cute! Of course, this was in the parking lot after yoga! Hippie-freaks Earth-lovers! ☮

So… ho-hum, what’s going on in the world of OP?! During my long no-blog-time, I was contemplating stopping the blog! Just vanishing- *poof!* But, I really do like it & I’d miss it too much. I love reading your blogs, too, & commenting. How weird would it be if I commented, without having an online identity?! Oh, shame! I’m sorry to say this was what I was thinking, but happy to report that I’ll continue! I love writing! I love the community! I want to RAVE about more than what I’ve been doing… (I’m better than that, right?! hah!)

Okay, okay. I also want to ask you guys for some help here. I want to make a “Recipes” section/page on this site. But I also want to make it through a link, so you can search it, without hitting the arrow down, through all of the recipes! Can anyone help a sistah’ out?! Okay, this is me, being helpless! PLEASE & THANKS!

GRUB!!! I made the Smokey Split Pea Soup from E,D&BV (love it!), but I didn’t add the smoked tofu it called for. I also used smoked paprika instead of regular, so it was still “smokin‘!”

served with these “everything” pretzels–>  

I also made a new batch of hummus. I go through one batch by myself, per week. Luckily, my new ED&BV has an entire section for hummus (& dips)!!! This makes me a happy girl! I’ve tried 3 so far, but this batch was modified, from Dreena’s version: it contained curry, raisins & tomatoes, along with the “regular” stuff:

  < part of a raisin on one side of the carrot, tomato piece on the other… not so friendly!

THEN, I had a great idea! This hummus is spicy, but it’s also kind of sweet (think Indian cuisine!), so it would be great with a mango chutney, or something… well, I didn’t have mango chutney on hand (ha!), so I improvised, sammich-style! I used these guys on each side of a toasted ww bagel:

& added these guys (onion, cucumber & sprouts):

 to get this:

Va-Va-Voom!!! GREAT combo, if I say so myself!!!

I’m going to try to mix up the posts a little more. What do you want to see? As I’ve suggested before:

• tea time?
• health-nut food store people & stories?
• entire day’s worth of food (because I just post parts of meals & only some of them)?
• doggie-stuff?
• contests?
• OTHER?! Should I dedicate a specific day to one of these ideas (such as “Tea-time-Tuesday” & “Weird Health Store Wednesday” etc.)?

Also, I’ve been feeling VERY CRAMPY during my running (I am running further & longer lately- RAWR!!!)- any tips, advice or insight to this?! My appetite goes away for a few hours, but then once I do get hungry, it’s NON-STOP!!! I don’t mind eating (:-D) but I want to feel more “regular” with meals & hunger!!!

SO: I have a few requests in this post. I hope ya’ll (someone!) can help me out! Youz guyz iz great! 

(I am so vulnerable here…)

I’m Miss OP, & I support them:

^ this shirt was a lighter color before I visited the sweat shop. It was certainly lighter in weight. It was very dry, but it became wet… with sweat. (Sorry if you’re grossed out… it’s only natural!)

I’m really talking about one of my latest visits here:

…because it makes me sweat!

It’s really beautifully decorated outside, with a garden area & an outdoor canopy/cover with chairs & couches (to the right, once you walk past this welcome arch).

I have been LOVING yoga lately: Hot, Power, Hatha, Vinyasa… whatever I can get! I’ve even started doing it on my own, from what I remember from classes & from this podcast I found at Yoga to the People!

Upon leaving the Yoga Village, they serve some of my favorite Yogi Tea (Chai) with s’milk & honey. Definitely makes getting through the challenging class: the way it makes me feel + the delicious inner warmth of the tea!

I’ll leave you with a quote that hangs on the wall- I hope you like it:

Never Give Up!

I know I haven’t been around lately… I’ve been busily working on school stuff & my summer plans, but I am still photo-ing my rave-worthy eats & doings! AND I’m still reading & commenting on your blogs!

Have a great week, darlings! ☮

(DISCLAIMER: I do not support “Sweat-Shops”- just places that make me sweat!)

…look what I’ve done & eaten, lately, I mean:

Sweet Kristina from Stonyfield Farm sent me a bunch of fun stuff! Coupons, free Oikos & a canvas bag to lug it all out of the store! Thanks, Kristina! I look forward to trying all the products & telling my lovely e-friends about the delicious orgasmic organic treats!

Because my camera was M-I-A, maybe in a Paper Plane (…), I took some MacBook photos, weeee! Here, we have golden oats, with (beige-not-golden) oat bran/oatmeal, a Golden Delicious apple, golden raisins… I just needed a golden crown or something:

Yeah, it was tastyyyy! 

 < I must rave about these babies. When I buy salted pretzels, I pretty much end up picking off the salt. It’s like a game, but my mouth becomes raw if I don’t! (ick!) So now, (DUH to me!) I buy unsalted pretzels! They’re soo addicting! Here, I dipped them in: half homemade hummus & half Dijon mustard! (I’m sorry Matt, but this mustard ROCKS the hizz-ouse!!!) 

 < another unidentifiable bowl of oats! Why do I keep taking pictures of them, if they look the same? I’d assume it has walnuts, a banana, some s’milk, cinnamon & other goodies in it, but it’s a mystery now!

 < give it up for some Oregon love! Stash Tea is manufactured close to Portland (Tigard), so I love it more! I got the double spice Chai tea & WOW, I looooove it, especially sweetened & (s’)milky! I’ll rave about this, too!

^ tempeh-veggie-avocado-BBQ (sauce) sammich! The tempeh isn’t cooked. Just in the raw- very scandalous! 

 < sauteed veggies (green beans, squash & zucchini), tempe-teh (from ED&BV- YES, I ordered it… LOVE IT & can’t wait to make different hummus from the entire section it has about it!), with a side of that Dijon to dip, a whole wheat roll with buttah’ & a baked sweet ‘tater with more buttah’, brown sugar & cinnamon

& because I saw this –> 

I made this: 

I used green curry paste & subbed s’milk for the coconut milk, with veggies & tempeh. A stir-fry that was creamy & divine!

 < I made this with frozen mango,  s’milk & some plain yogurt to thicken it more. Very good & refreshing!

 < can you spy a boy in a tuxedo?!

OH-EM-GEE! Guess what I saw back in Target, just yesterday?!

My favorite Luna bar: PB Cookie (Nutz Over Chocolate is back, too)- from the recall. I’ve honestly been neglecting my girl Luna, as they’re getting really sweet, but this flavor (PB Cookie!) totally makes me & my taste buds happy! I sincerely hope this “PB-scare” is gone for good!

I am so very jealous of Heather’s yoga journey! I’m happy she was able to do it (you-go-girlfriend!), especially because of my love of yoga lately. Check out her final review of her workshop!

 <Brooks, Men’s size?!

As soon as I opened the box, I got a HUGE whiff of PEANUT BUTTER!!! (Totally Matt-style!)

My friend Matt at Run, Live and Enjoy sent me a whole box of goodies, including: Justin’s nut-butter packets, Kashi pilaf, Kashi bars (Pumpkin Pie & soft-baked Apple Spice), Kashi Chewy bar, Larabar, Blueberry-Almond granola, Clif Shot Blocks, Running Times magazine &… 

^PB Blondies (look at that HUGE chunk of PB on the 2nd picture!!!) I left it in the baggie because, well, it’s MINE (muahahaha!!!) & I already shared enough… Apparently, he was inspired by no other than Veggie Girl, but with the gluten! These are SoOoO divine- THANKS, MATT!!!

If you haven’t checked out Matt’s blog, you should!!! He’s a (very) active college student who eats well & runs even better! And… he’s pretty cool!

 (says OP & the box!)

And because my carpets are clean, I’ll show you:

He (Jasper!) climbed up on my mom’s shoulders to try to get protection from the big-bad vacuum cleaner!!!

Hi, sugar-boogers! I have missed you. Since you’ve I’ve been gone (Kelly Clarkson?), I have been trying to comment on your blogs of interest- sorry if I’ve been so terribly unfriendly & distant. I want to feel the love again. I feel it for you; can we share it?! I also had my Spring Break & just laid-low. I went to the beach to get my tan on (& keep the blonde-ness up!), hung out with some friends, started running more, did some quality yoga (7 more classes on my magical pass!) & only worked for 2 of the days. I didn’t blog. So, I must have done something!

On this perhaps lucky day of St. Pat’s, I found a dollar- HOLLER!

I also got a free sample in the mail- anyone can request one & you can send them to other people’s addresses, too, to “Feel the Good!” Guess which one I tried first?!

It was an Emergen-C!!!

*ATTENTION: will the REAL ORANGE POP please stand up?!

^ There’s my substitute for the “pop-ness” that made me Orange in the 1st place! Deliciously carbonated & chemical-free!

Other meals? Here’s a sweet potato gnocchi with Vodka cream sauce, green beans & a Boca Italian sausage (I bought everything & cooked/heated it myself. This is not homemade, as much as I wish I were just that good!):

snack: totally digging those Annie’s Bunny Grahams! Here they are with vanilla ice cream & strawberries:

meal: whole wheat pita with avocado, hummus, cheese & veggies (tomato, sprouts, lettuce); along with a Sunshine  Garden Herb burger & roasted veggies  (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, onions & tomatoes):

Wallaby yogurt (Banana-Vanilla) with cinnamon & sunflower seeds (I love this brand- great flavor, texture & fun flava’s!):

I had an Indian packaged meal, too, from Tasty Bite: Kashmir Spinach. My awesomely-active-&-delicious-food-eating friend from Gliding Calm has eaten & reviewed this meal twice  here and here! …so I’ll let her reviews take the stage, because I agree that the “bulking with veggies” is necessary. I added green peppers, onions & eggplant & ate it with pita bread:

   Tasty Bites! (but not pretty-lookin’)

Another International meal I’ve made came from this cookbook:

 My nutritionist is Israeli & she lent it to me, noting some of her favorite (vegetarian) recipes… I made a Chickpea-Eggplant-Tomato stew & I added wheat berries & ate it with a pita with buttah’:  < There it is!

IF YOU’RE STILL READING, thank you!!! I’m sorry for ginormous posts- this is what I get for being away for so long. I find it daunting when I don’t post for a while because then I have to make up for all that lost time! I tried to keep the comments short, though. Message me if you have questions or sum’thin!

…a few more:

^ wrap on a locally-made pita (don’t think it’s whole-wheat, but I do know it’s soft & short ingredient list!) stuffed with veggies & hummus (there may or may not have been more- I don’t remember, but it was tastttyyy!)

In order for me to get excited again about blogging (which I am! But, you know, it’s the whole “here’s-what-I’ve-been-up-to-lately” thing…), I made a different kind of oat breakfast. I’ve read about people putting an egg or egg whites in their oats, but I’ve never done it. I always sort of think it’ll scramble. Today I added one egg white at the end of cooking my oats (half oat- bran & half -meal), plus pumpkin, walnuts, s’milk & golden raisins: 

 < see the little white-flecks? Any advice to make it more “custard-y” without actually baking it?! It was good, but I really didn’t taste much of a difference… oh well, maybe I missed something & will have to re-visit this technique!

ONE MORE THING: If anyone can tell me what this is, you get 10 points!

*HINT: I got it fresh from my local produce market, but you can also get it pre-packaged. It’s more of a “European” thing, I’d say. (It’s not just a plastic bag- what’s on top of that-there bag?!) Have fun!

Oh, & if anyone’s missing a folder, I know where it might be:

I’m working on some interview questions for a select few- thanks for those of you who volunteered! I’ll get-chya thinking soon enough!

Coconut Lovers: REJOICE!!! Remember how coconut yogurt took over the world not too long ago? Well, Turtle Mountain brand is selling “Coconut Milk Beverage” 

^ unsweetened, vanilla & original, from Turtle Mountain

I saw it at work last night, for the 1st time. My eyes sent my heart a bit of excitement! 

It’s gluten-, soy-, lactose-/dairy-, cholesterol-FREE!

From this website:

So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Beverage – Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (240 mL)
Servings Per Container 8

Calories 80 
Calories from Fat 50
Total Fat 5g (9%)
Saturated Fat 5g† (25%)
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg (0%)
Sodium 15mg (1%)
Potassium 90mg (3%)
Total Carbohydrate 7g (2%)
Dietary Fiber 0g (0%)
Sugars 6g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 10% 
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 10% 
Iron 4%
Vitamin D 30% 
Folate 6%
Vitamin B12 50% 
Magnesium 10%
Zinc 4% 
Selenium 8%

INGREDIENTS: Coconut Cream (Water, Coconut, Guar Gum), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Calcium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D-2, L-Selenomethionine (Selenium), Zinc Oxide, Folic Acid, Vitamin B-12.

The Vanilla flavor has 6g of sugar and 90 calories per serving, while the Unsweetened has 0g of sugar and 50 calories per serving. Otherwise, they looked pretty well the same.