Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

First day of senior year started today! I got up early for a 9 am class, but the instructor didn't show up so everyone went home and now I'm sleepy.
These are the cutest little strawberries me and my sister found in Golden Gate Park on a trail near the California Academy of Sciences:

I don't think we were supposed to pick them...
My sister told me to take a picture of this Blueberry Fiber Mini Cake from Trader Joe's:One day, my sister and I went to Trader Joe's with a sweet tooth and came out with a box of these mini muffins and a box of rice milk and had a tea party outside on a Starbucks patio.
Now for another Larabar review!
The cool people at Larabar sent a cute little package with new flavors, including Peanut Butter & Jelly, German Chocolate Cake, and Tropical Fruit Tart.

First up, PB & J:This Larabar definitely delivers real peanutty goodness. There are only three ingredients: dates, peanuts, and dried cherries. There's also a smidgen of salt that makes it taste like real peanut butter. The dried cherries don't taste like jelly, so its not what you expect, but it was incredibly awesome!I would definitely buy these, but I can't help thinking how dried strawberries would taste in this bar because I grew up on PB & J's with the good old Smucker's strawberry preserves.
I especially loved the adorable two-tone wrapper with nut brown sandwiched between stripes of grape jelly. Methinks this is a wonderful new addition to the Larabar family!

M Cafe de Chaya

I decided while I'm down in LA I should try some vegan eats around here. M Cafe de Chaya was in the Los Angeles Magazine in the best LA healthy restaurants so I made my family go there last Saturday for lunch.
This was mommy's Corn and Lotus root soup:This was daddy's Carolina-Style BBQ Seitan Sandwich:(I didn't tell him this place was vegan because then he would automatically not like it.)
And this was my Falafel and Hummus Wrap:
I enjoyed it a lot because I love falafel. My only complaint was that there were too many carrot strips, almost half of the wrap. The Grilled Vegetable Salad on the side was really good (same as the BBQ picture).
This was my brother/sister's Big Macro Burger:
They both loved it, with the Greek Salad on the side.
I was going to get a Chocolate cupcake, but I was too full and it was like 4 or 5 bucks so I passed. But the cashier told me they're popular, so if you find yourself on Melrose, try it! The Big Macro is also one of the more recommended plates.

(Madonna orders her son's macrobiotic birthday cakes from here!)

Summer Food

Haloo all! I'm way overdue for a post, but its because I was on vacation! Bad excuse, but I think I was being way too lazy, neglecting my camera and food. Here's a visual summary of my meals this summer:Chef salad at Smart Alec's in Berkeley, CA. (cover the egg with thumb)Kimchi quesadillas from the Kogi Truck in LA. (not vegan, but sister loved)Kogi and tofu tacos from the Kogi Truck in LA. (tofu =vegan!)Tofu salad, Neng myun noodles, Doshirak lunch box, and Spicy tofu hot pot at Tofu House in Glendale, CA.
Sweets from Porto's Bakery in Glendale. (definitely not, but looked too good to leave out)
There was also a Cinnamon Roll that looked soo good. Of course we got it and it was so doughy and soft...Sister's piece:Oh my goodness... I almost stopped being vegan because of this. Almost.

Paris Pastries and Portfolio

(sheepish grin)
Hi friends... hehe... yes, I've been MIA for a loooong time and I'm so sorry!
School work has been consuming my life and at the end of the day I just want to drop into bed.Anyway, after my sister came back from Paris she said that her trip reminded her how much she loves home! She did have fun, but she said Parisians had a certain air about them. But she apparently picked up her host family's habit of eating chocolate with breakfast every morning. She snapped this shot of these scrumptious-looking (probably not vegan) pastries at a local bakery.

Before I end this short post, here's some eye candy from an edited version of my portfolio from my photography class:While you read through other blogs, consider this:
What is your favorite fruit and vegetable?
My loves are mango and carrot~<3

Okay, tata for now!

Spring Break!

Hi everyone!
Whoa mama, its been over three weeks since I last posted. I've been relaxing way too much. Between my bouts of chillin, I tried a couple new vegalicious treats. The first was So Delicious coconut milk yogurt:Ehh... I guess this wasn't so delicious after all. The strawberry flavor was kind of dull. But I spiffed it up with some Smart Bran, kamut puffs, and blueberries!Secondi, I tried the Jocolat Hazelnut flavor:Can I just say-- SO DANG HEAVENLY!
After the Chocolate flavor being so dense and dry, I was wary of the Jocolats, but this flavor was soo perfectly smooth and brownie-like that its wrapper has found a place on my wall (next to the Apple Pie and Pecan Pie Larabar wrappers).Mahh... I want another one right now!

Big news: I am so jealous of my sister because she's going to Paris! Tomorrow!
I couldn't believe it when she told me about buying the tickets on a whim with her friend. She said it is going to be her graduation gift from Appa and that she would compromise by getting a $300 laptop-- haha.

But of course I am so happy that her dream is coming true and I'm really, really excited for her. I made her promise to take pictures of everything she eats and sees for me. It was so funny-- a couple nights ago, she called me and was fretting about what she would wear in Paris. I better tell her to pay more attention to the cafes, shopping, and sights!

Hopefully I'll be able to post her Paris photos for you all next week!

Dark Chocolate Mocha Clif

Another bar review! Sorry, you all are probably barred out, but this is the Clif Nectar Dark Chocolate Mocha: Like the Dark Chocolate Walnut, this bar is a delicious brownie! I couldn't tell much of a difference, but it was undoubtedly rich and perfectly chocolate-y! I think I've finally developed a taste for chocolate...
Could be dangerous.

Bars Galore

It seems like my posts are getting further and further apart. I wish there was more time to do it, but I am reading all your blogs! It's much easier and funner than posting my own bits.
Today's breakfast was a Vanilla Ricera, Heritage cereal, and sliced bananas:The Vanilla Ricera is pretty yummy, but cannot compare with the Blueberry. The first time I bought a Vanilla it went sour so I couldn't try it, but this new one was safe.
Now for bar reviews! I started seeing Pure Bars on some blogs so I convinced myself I needed to try one. This is the Chocolate Brownie flavor:Kind of squashy looking and tasted very brownie-like. I would like it better without all the nuts, though. I like the smoothness of the chocolate-y dateness. I think I may like the texture of Clif Nectar Dark Chocolate Walnut better.
Now for the Pecan Pie Larabar!Can you tell I'm excited about this one? Well I am. The reason is because Pecan Pie is soo good! I never had real pecan pie before (strange?), but this bar makes it seem heavenly. You can really taste the intoxicating cinnamon in there. Definitely added to my favorites.
Next, the Jocolat Chocolate:
Yes, I am a bit sad to tell you this bar was extremely dense and dry. Super chewy chocolate, even almost a little too rich, this one. I had to drink water after every bite because it was so incredibly unmoist. I don't know if I can handle this one again, maybe eat only when a tall glass of water or cup of tea is nearby!Last, but not least, the Cashew Cookie:Maybe it was because I was being a Sandy eating monster when I ate this one right after the Jocolat, but I didn't really enjoy this too much. I remember a very strong cashew flavor, which I don't particularly like. But for cashew lovers like JuJubeans (hi!) this would be a huge hit.
I really can't remember whether I like this or not. I was in a munching craze and didn't really take my time savoring this Larabar as I usually do.

All you Larabar lovers, which is your favorite?
Mine is Apple Pie~<3

Papaya and Playgreen

I apologize for being MIA all week. It seems like that's what I good at. My friends give me a hard time because of it. I can't help it if I'm busy and tired! I need time to recharge my batteries.
Speaking of which, every morning I start my day with an apple, which is usually followed by a ripe banana.
Today, however, I got bored with a plain old banana, so I put together my Fruit & Cereal bowl with applesauce, kamut puffs, berries, and banana. So good... I was actually trying to finish off the applesauce so it wouldn't go bad over the weekend.Then more fruit~ a red Hawaiian papaya! Amazing to the tastebuds...
Today there was the Playgreen Festival on campus, a fair with "green companies" including Clifbar, Whole Foods, and Ben & Jerry's. I went a little crazy with the free stuff, but hey, who doesn't love free stuff? Some of the loot:Mini Clifbar samples!Revolution Foods : Pop Alongs chips and Jammy Sammy oat & fruit bar:Expect reviews~ that is if midterms don't wipe me out.
Have a wonderful weekend all!

Rain, Raw, and Cake

Its been pouring and hailing, plus blasting winds all week long. I hate to complain, but I'm so sick of this poopy weather! There was no way I was going to face the outdoors to go grocery shopping, so this week's challenge is to live off the pantry!
Now for a bar review. I tried this Go Raw bar:
As you can see, it is raw vegan, the whole thing. Simple ingredients. It was not bad, kind of like fruit leather studded with seeds. You really have to rip this bar, can't really bite into it like a Larabar. I recommend it if you like fruit leather, but if you're looking for a Lara or Clif-like bar, this one isn't. I enjoyed it while I was eating it, but its not one of those," Omygosh! I must buy more of these!" kind of experience for me.
I worked today, so I just had a whole bunch of fruit for breakfast and finally a huge plate of steamed veggies afterwards, at home:That ugly black-looking thing is the eggplant skin! I used the cooked skin to make sort of a veggie wrap with. Its hard to eat neatly, but its a good way to eat the smoky charred skin.
Now for some eye candy!
This beautiful carrot cake from Whole Foods was my friend, Brian's.It was his birthday cake, but I took it home, the same night as the V-day cookies, to document it for you all! I took the cookies and the cake back to campus for friends to eat the day after, at our hang out in the Student Learning Center (big study hall sort of place... I know such nerds!).
He's a vegetarian so I guess his friend that bought it for him thought carrot cake was appropriate...

Fruitylicious Friday

More hail today and the falling ice balls were humongous! Yikes...
Breakfast today was wheat bran, berries, and banana in more of the rice shake. It kind of tasted like raw instant oatmeal. It made me feel super healthy.In the manner of Hobbits, second breakfast followed: The leftover fruit, prettied up~A soft ripe mango finished it off! Soo juicy...
I had some baked Korean sweet potatoes with fresh kale for dinner, but I was so starving after jazz class that stopping to take photos was out of the question!
But look what was delivered yesterday... The Kardea bars I requested!
These seem interesting and new in the world of food bars. Expect reviews in the near future!
My cute little sisters made trays and trays of pink goodies for Open Chapel last night! I swiped a few of the prettiest ones to snap a photo of at home, since I didn't have my camera then:
Four of them made six trays of these beauties from scratch!
I hope everyone has a happy Valentine's Day, attached or single like me!
I love you all ~<3!